Like Gene Callahan, I think Obama's "beer summit" was a great lesson in conflict resolution. Alcohol-fuelled dialogue - should be used more.
This is from last month, but Mark Easton has done an incredible job challenging the "expert" evidence of an academic. This is what journalists *should* do. Here is the Professor's response(.pdf)
At Forbes, Will Wilkinson argues that the legal drinking age limit should be revoked.
In an America without a minimum drinking age, we would shift our focus from demon rum and car crash statistics to creating an environment where parents are expected to supervise their children and alcohol would become for teens just another thing, like bicycles or swimming pools, that can either make your day or take your life.
I was in Liverpool this weekend and was once more bowled over by the pace of change. However one of the most disturbing things I discovered threatens to fundamentally undermine the almost consensual view that the Capital of Culture is a good thing.
The Blue Angel (aka 'The Razz') is a famous nightclub, famous for hosting The Beatles in their early years, for not renovating since then, and thus becoming a den of iniquity and dilapidated debauchery. If you could smell the stench, you weren't drunk enough, and a lot of drinking went on in this classic student haven. You could take a breather by going outside onto the terrace that overlooked degenerated buildings: a pile of rubble that reflected Liverpool at the time.
Then, a few years later, the majestic image of urban decay began to be cleared up and in the blink of an eye apartment complexes had arisen, violating the view, thus sending you back inside.
Now, the inhabitants of those apartments have complained to the Council about noise, the police seized the decks and the future of The Razz looks bleak. There's a petition to save it, but we all know how these things work.
So we're left with a cruel, unintended outcome. A city seeks to promote its cultural heritage and in doing so builds scores of unoccupied apartments that shut down the genuine cultural highlights of the city. It's all very well having open days at the Tate, or toddlers groups at the Maritime Museum, but the essence of Liverpool's legacy is the raw but consistently appealing of venues like the Razz. Farewell Cream. Farewell Coopers Emporium. The Razz's demise does not stem from unpopularity, but from property holders seeking to tear through the social fabric of the city.
Perhaps the biggest mistake in Liverpool's relationship with it's cultural heritage was the closing down of the Cavern, and subsequent decision to build a new version. You'd hope that the very point of Capital of Culture is to never make the same mistake. Well if the Razz closes down it will join a growing list of clubs that failed to match the sanitised corporate image of a European city on the river, an archipelago of Lloyds Bar One's, Weatherspoons, and the like. The economic history of Liverpool is waiting to be rewritten. I'm skeptical about the Capital of Culture boondoggle, and pessimistic about the long term effects.
"Piss and Wiggle! Piss and Wiggle!" I yelped last night, as I noticed my former local in the background of the new British Heart Foundation TV campaign. The short film (called "The Beat") is set in Liverpool, and features some fantastic views of the city. I've not been in for a while, can anyone confirm this depressing (if true) rumour:
A superb traditional interior with a real fire in the main bar, and there's also a small side room. The menu looks good, and the barmaids look very good! The sign shows a pig playing a whistle, running away from Melton Mowbray! An "Emigrants Served Here" notice refers back to when provisions for the journey had to be obtained by passengers before sailing to the New World, as the passage they had purchased from the ship owner did not include food or drink. Currently CLOSED for what looks like a major refurbishment. I am told this involves completely destroying the historic interior whichj, if true, is a terrible act of vandalism.
Although driving whilst intoxicated significantly increases the chances of an accident (and the seriousness of an accident) researchers from the University of Toronto have found that having low levels of alcohol in your system can reduce the effects of a head injury (BBC News). If we use the same logic that makes seatbelts compulsory, therefore, it should be a legal requirement to drive under the influence of alcohol.
Perhaps a new road safety campaign: Belt up, Drink up
Paul McInnes writes an interesting article on the rise of low-alcohol lager in the UK, teasing out the affects on incentives:
And so the suspicion arises that these new drinks might not always be chosen as an alternative to something stronger. They might be drunk when, previously, you would have drunk nothing at all: perhaps at lunch, or on an evening before a busy day, or when you're driving, or at breakfast ... if you've run out of milk.
In America, of course, various shades of "lite" beer dominate the market. Don't underestimate the cultural effects though - I find it hard to make any prediction about an industry that can rebrand this into this.
Remember The Drinker's Bonus? Yahoo! News reports a Journal of Labor Research paper by Ed Stringham and Bethany Peters which:
concluded that drinkers earn 10 to 14 percent more than teetotalers, and that men who drink socially bring home an additional seven percent in pay.
Why's that? Well according to Ed
Social drinkers are out networking, building relationships, and adding contacts to their BlackBerries that result in bigger paychecks.
The article has been mentioned on CNN, Fox, dozens of radio stations, and in more than 100 newspapers including 8 of the top 15 highest circulating newspapers in the US (LA Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and more) as well as newspapers in Australia, Canada, England, India, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey. On Friday it was Yahoo News third most emailed article. Today I was even on Morning Call on CNBC! Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=rDBwom174TA
Also, see Tyler Cowen on this topic, and Tony Vallencort for a critique.
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