Reactions to World’s Biggest Smoking Ban: Londoners Fired Up

by Iva Skoch on

London–the alleged smoking and drinking capital of the world by sheer volume of alcohol and cigarettes consumed–put its smoking ban into effect, kicking and screaming, on July 1st. Although other cities, such as New York or Paris, have gone through similar labor pains, London’s is the biggest smoking ban yet: it affects 3.7 million businesses, including 200,000 pubs, bars and restaurants.

So far in the last two weeks, smokers have reluctantly gone outside to smoke, but the government is not stopping there. It is planning to change the law so that, among other things, employers can be fined if they fail to stop workers dropping cigarette butts on the street.

The Independent offers a glimpse into the London smokers’ sentiments by quoting a few “influential” ones:

  • ‘I am appalled at it. They are treating us like children. I’m not a schoolboy. Mr Brown thinks he’s a prefect’. David Hockney, Artist
  • ‘We’re suppressing everyone these days, not allowing adults to make their own minds up’. Antony Worrall Thompson, Chef
  • ‘The alleged danger of so-called second-hand smoke is so phoney it stinks to high heaven’. Joe Jackson, Musician
  • ‘You would have to search the world very hard to find a single government that would say it was abolitionist’. Paul Adams, British American Tobacco
  • ‘Smokers should not be discriminated against simply because they smoke’. Chris Ogden, Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association
  • ‘I’m inventing bike sheds to attach to buildings so it’s somewhere people can go to smoke’. Joanna Lumley, Actress

Hmmm, I am a semi-militant non-smoker myself but I realize that smoking bans do raise important questions about personal liberty in civilized societies. Makes you wonder, what’s next?

Americano To Go (Away from Forbidden City)

by Iva Skoch on

Following up on Neil’s post, the Starbucks in Forbidden City is in fact, closing. The Chinese have gathered 500,000 signatures that caused the management to shut it down.

Is that good or bad news?

Tim Footman of The Guardian expresses a concern in his column today that “in a global market of implied cultural signifiers, absolutely any product – even a cup of mediocre coffee – seems to have the potential to challenge socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

He points out what we all know: it is not coffee that Starbucks sells. They sell “a lifestyle, a feeling, a brand, a corporate reimagining of bohemian leisure.” Although the Chinese are perfectly willing to sell the fancy coffee, they refuse to sell the name and lifestyle. It was either changing the name or closing shop.

If you change the name, you end up with mediocre coffee. Closing shop, I guess, made perfect sense.

One for the Road: Lonely Planet’s Guide to Volunteering

by Kelly Amabile on

There are already loads of online resources, books and magazines about volunteering that suggest opportunities to folks who are looking for meaningful ways to give back while traveling. The team at Lonely Planet has recently joined the club with their own Guide to Volunteering — a handbook meant to inspire and help travelers make a difference as they move through this world. The guide offers advice on how to choose the right volunteer experience, raise the funds and extend the goodwill once you get home.

Traveling responsibly means looking for ways to make a difference, whether it’s a small act of giving back while on holiday, committing to a long-term overseas assignment, or establishing a grassroots movement or charity. The book has case studies and interviews with dozens of volunteers, and is organized by type of experience: structured or do-it-yourself. If you are considering a volunteer encounter on your next trip, this is a great new resource to turn to for ideas on how to get started.

Skin Cancer: Avoiding and Surviving

by Neil Woodburn on

The worst souvenir one can possibly bring back from a vacation in the sun is skin cancer. Of course, you don’t really know it at the time, but later on in life when some strange looking moles began to appear, you will learn the horrible truth.

Skin cancer is a very serious problem for those who travel to far off destinations and binge tan during their two weeks of holidays. The sun is not your friend, especially if you live somewhere like England and your lily white skin doesn’t see much of it until you head out on vacation and shock your skin with extreme doses of solar radiation.

Rosanna de Lisle learned this the hard way, according to a recent article she has written for the Telegraph. The Brit, who used to holiday in Australia many years ago, was recently diagnosed with a cancerous melanoma which probably began developing more than a decade ago while she was Down Under.

She’s had the mole successfully removed, but not everyone is so lucky. Melanomas can be fatal if not caught early.

Something rather interesting she discovered during the frantic research conducted after being diagnoses was the following statistic:

“Australia has by far the highest rate of melanoma in the world – 8,800 cases a year, among a population of just 20 million – but fewer than 1,000 deaths, about half the number in Britain.”

Australia is located underneath a rather massive hole in the ozone layer and this wrecks havoc on Aussie skin. They are painfully aware of this danger, however, and are extraordinary proactive in having moles regularly checked. This is not the case in Britain where, according to de Lisle, “the death rate for those diagnosed with melanoma in the UK was one in four. The death rate in Australia was more like one in 10.”

With this in mind, de Lisle has penned a rather extensive article aimed at educating the general public about skin cancer and how to avoid it. I recommend you take a moment to read the article if you are heading anywhere sunny in the near future. In the meantime, here are a few highlights:

There is no such thing as a safe tan
Have your moles checked regularly at a place like the Mole Clinic
Mole danger signs: ragged borders, changes in color, shape or size
Use at least SPF 15, but preferably higher
Take advantage of new technology like the Solar Safe Wristband that tells the wearer when too much is too much
Wear clothing with built in SPF

A Ranch in Texas that Welcomes Visitors – Part One

by Jamie Rhein on

One of the subjects I write about for magazines is where to go to enjoy nature. One of the places I included in an article about native plants in Ohio was the Highlands Sanctuary. This is a privately owned preserve in the southern part of the state that welcomes visitors.Here’s a post from my Blogging Ohio days that highlights it’s charms.

I recently found out about another privately owned preserve. This gem is in Texas. Visitors who make advance arrangements are welcome. Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve is a working ranch, but the aim here is also to nurture the land and foster an appreciation for it in others. Due to the efforts of David Bamberger, the owner, the 5,500 acres (this is the largest private restoration project in Texas) visitors can take in fishing, bat viewing, dinosaur track fossils and a herd of Scimitar-horned Oryx . These animals aren’t from Texas, but from Niger and Chad, Africa. The reason they’re here is because Bamburger offered to operate a captive breeding program to reestablish endangered species.

Along with making arrangements to visit the ranch, there are special events and public tours. One workshop this coming September is a land stewardship workshop in case you want to buy your own plot of heaven to nurture and protect the environment. For people who want a longer stay there are two cabins to rent. One is made of recycled materials from other buildings and the other is a replica of a general store. The more I read about this place, the more I want to head here.

There are two other ranches in Texas where individuals have used their passions to offer visitors an unusual get-a-way. One is the Benini Sculpture Ranch. The other is Reimer’s Ranch Park. You can go to all three ranches in a day. I’ve been to this part of Texas. For a city fix, head to Austin; it’s close-by.