Supermarket Alcohol Policy: Help or Hindrance?

The Licensing Act (2003) states that the objectives of restrictive alcohol sales are to prevent crime and disorder in order to maintain public safety and reduce the incidents of public nuisances whilst protecting children from harm. 

Photo: Colognid

It is common knowledge that the legal drinking age in the UK is 18. This legislation also states that an individual knowingly purchasing alcohol on behalf of someone under the age of 18 is breaking the law. 

However, what does the law say in regards to purchasing alcohol from a supermarket, intended for personal consumption, whilst your children are present at the time of purchase? (For instance, whilst on your weekly food shop with your children?)

There appears to be an increasing culture of what the Daily Mail described as "over-zealous supermarket staff" refusing the purchase of alcohol to parents accompanied by their own children. But, is "over-zealous" a fair description? Are they not, in fact, just following the law?

"Workers have been told not to serve adults accompanied by children in the latest crack-down on underage drinking..." the Daily Mail report says. 

"However, diligent shop staff are applying the letter of the law and refusing to serve parents who are on weekly shopping trips with their children".

Diane Binns, 52 from Lincoln was met with a similar refusal to be sold alcohol in her local supermarket earlier this week.

"It seems absurd that a parent should be refused alcohol whilst in the company of their children. I see it as  a judgement on my character and I find that very offensive".

Mrs Binns was refused the sale of a bottle of Rosé wine whilst in the company of her two children (20 and 18), because neither of them had their ID with them when challenged.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: "We have a strict 'Challenge 25' agenda which we uphold throughout our stores".

"We don't have an issue in regards to parents shopping with children; it's legal to do that, we do have a an issue with alcohol being passed from adults to underage children and it is our policy to refuse purchase if we suspect evidence of this".  

The Challenge 25 slogan is "No Proof of Age - No Sale!"

This an identical policy to that of TESCO who say: "We are doing lots of work to try to stop under-age people from being able to get hold of alcohol and one of the biggest problems has become adults buying for people who are under-age."

"If our staff suspect that people are buying for people who are under the age of 18 then we do not serve them."

ASDA have also implemented a Challenge 25 programme which they say "...help[s] colleagues stay on the right side of the law."

It seems that whilst this may appear to be a hindrance to the customer, these policies are in place in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003.

The Challenge 25 scheme, first launched in 2004/5, comes with the full backing of local authorities including the Police and local councils and is something we are all going to have to get used to and be prepared for.

By Benjamin Yates

Sources:

Picture 1: http://www.flickr.com/people/colognid/

Picture 2: http://www.liftoff-festival.com/p/rules.html

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/contents

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566340/Tesco-bans-parents-buying-alcohol-OWN-children.html

http://your.asda.com/news-and-blogs/can-you-guess-their-age

Left-Handed Disabilities...

As a left-handed writer, I often find that I am unable to write on the seminar tables in numerous rooms around the university. The tables I have most difficulty with are in 'MC2201' (Ola's Thursday morning lecture room.)

I also noticed; as did a few other students, that it was nearly impossible for me to write on the whiteboard in my 'Newsday workshop' on Thursday afternoon whilst I was Editor without either smudging what I had already written, or writing at a ridiculously embarrassing downwards angle.

This led me to question whether or not this could count as a disability. After all, I find my self 'unable' to write comfortably, just as a paralysed person finds them self 'unable' to walk.

I emailed DART; the University of Lincoln's Disability Services and asked them what they thought about the situation. I was most disappointed and somewhat offended by their reply from the Senior Disability Advisor which was as follows:

"Hello, thanks for your email regarding the seminar desks. Most of the desks I have come across are multi-use,  i.e. right or left handed. You have to physically take the desk area out and re-position but its easily done."

I may not be the most 'with-it' person at the best of times, but, obviously I have tried to re-adjust the desks so that I can write with ease. Granted, the desks in Village Hall; whilst not being adjusted fully for left handed use, do have a large enough writing surface to allow me to write with relative comfort. However, MC2201's desks absolutely are not suitable, and you cannot "...physically take the desk area out and re-position it."

There must be other 'leftys' out there who have experienced similar issues? Numerous surveys have shown that around 10 per cent of the world's population are left handed.

Please tell me I'm not alone!

By Benjamin Yates

Sources: 
Pic 1 - http://www.leftorium.com/

KONY2012 - The Opposite Effect

If you read my latest Blog post regarding Joseph Kony and the atrocities he has committed across Uganda over the past few years, you may be interested to read the article linked below. 

It is an article by The Telegraph which talks of the dangers that Jason Russell's viral video, 'Kony2012' may have on both the stability of Ugandan society and the fact that it may prompt Kony to "go on the offensive."

It's an interesting read and reveals some previously unknown (by the vast majority of Social Networkers) facts, or ignored facts that could prove to be a severe detriment to the cause promoted by 'Invisible Children,' Russell's campaign group.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/9131469/Joseph-Kony-2012-growing-outrage-in-Uganda-over-film.html

KONY

In 2006, Jason Russell, an American campaigner met with a young Ugandan boy named Jacob.

Having watched as L.R.A rebels (Lords Resistance Army) executed his brother, Jacob was now running for his life, seeking refuge in a hostel designed for children trying to escape from the clutches of one man: Joseph Kony.

As leader of the L.R.A, Kony has abducted around 30,000 children, forcing the boys to become child soldiers and the girls to work as sex-slaves. 

He is guilty of murder, rape, abduction and war crimes and forces his soldiers to mutilate and murder those who will not join his cause. 

His heinous crimes have resulted in him becoming the International Criminal Court's (ICC) number 1 target, above the likes of the late Muammar Gadaffi.

But what is his cause? According to the International Criminal Court it is simply to maintain power. He is supported by no one and uses peace talks to re-arm his forces before repeatedly unleashing attacks on the civilians of Uganda.

"Ninety-nine per cent of the population do not know Kony's name, nor do they know of his terrible crimes." Says Russell, pictured below.

Jason Russell - Campaigner

Through an organisation called 'Invisible Children,' Russell and his campaigners have spent the past few years seeking political action on the part of the United States Government to intervene and bring Joseph Kony to justice.

They took their cause to Washington DC, to the White House and spoke with Congressmen from both the Republican and the Democratic parties. 

Their attempts to gain governmental support succeeded.

In October of 2011, 5 years after Russell began his campaign for change, President Obama agreed to send 100 American troops to Uganda to act as advisers; supporting the Ugandan army in their attempts to track and arrest Kony.

It was the first time in American history that the Government had acted as a result of public demand however, in December 2011, a radio broadcast was intercepted revealing that Kony had caught on to the American presence and was changing his tactics to avoid capture.

Kony's Child Soldier

This has meant that the prolonged American influence in Uganda is costing the American government lots of money with very little to show for it. US support could be removed at any point.

Along with 'Invisible Children' the charity 'TRI' has decided that 2012 is the year which will see the capture and arrest of Joseph Kony.

They intend to make him famous, a household name known to all and by all. Thousands of posters have been put up in major cities across the planet, bracelets are being worn to raise awareness and flyers are being distributed until everyone has heard of Joseph Kony.

Jason Russell's video, 'Kony 2012' can be seen below...

Sources:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Pic 1 -http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4320858.stm

Pic 2- http://www.apolisglobal.com/journal/people-jason-russell-invisible-children/

Pic 3 - http://news.change.org/stories/daily-darfur-child-soldiers-2008-displacements-and-tensions-in-kordofan

The Simpsons' Hit Milestone...

The popular cartoon comedy, 'The Simpsons' aired its 500th episode yesterday.

The milestone episode titled 'At Long Last Leave,'  featured founder of 'Wikileaks,' Julian Assange. According to Fox; the produces of 'The Simpsons,' Mr Assange recorded his lines from the UK where he is fighting extradition to Sweden over alleged sex offences.

Since they first hit our screens in 1989, the family from the fictional town of 'Springfield' have survived 23 successful seasons making it the longest running American sitcom as well as being the longest-running American animated program. In 2009 it overtook the then leader in prime-time television ('Gunsmoke') making 'The Simpsons' the longest-running American prime-time, scripted television series of all time.

In order to celebrate this milestone achievement, Fox organised a 200 hour viewing marathon on February 8th of this year which involved devoted fans getting together to watch all 500 episodes back-to-back. The aim was to beat the current Guinness World Record of 86 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds for the longest ever continuous television viewing; a title currently held by the fans of the television series '24.' 

Only 100 fans were chosen to participate in the mass-viewing. The lucky few were selected from an online application procedure. 

Fox has announced that it intends to extend 'The Simpsons' for 2 more seasons, providing fans with an additional 59 episodes. 

The show's creator, Matt Groening said: "the writers still had stories to tell, mostly involving characters we've never dealt with."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Groening said: "We have a character we call Squeaky-Voiced Teen. I'd like to know a little bit more about that guy."

Kristian Ziarko, a life-long fan of 'The Simpsons' said of Fox's plans to continue the series for another 2 seasons: 

"I will be devastated when they stop making them. I grew up with The Simpsons. I remember 

watching the first episode which was the Christmas Special episode and I am still watching them now. I love every episode, and then they came out with 'The Simpsons' Movie' which was amazing. Having Fox stop making episodes would be like taking your favourite childhood toy and burning it."

By Benjamin Yates

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17092968

http://digitaljournal.com/article/318902

http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16166439

Pic 1: Fox Entertainment.

Taiwanese Gamer Left Dead For Nine Hours...

The body of a Taiwanese man, Chen Rong-yu, 23, was found dead in his chair at an internet cafe in New Taipei City last week, according to local police reports.

Taipei Police believe that Mr Rong-yu had been dead for nearly 9 hours before one of his 30 fellow gamers noticed that he passed away.

His body was rigid with his arms out stretched, resting on the computer keyboard and mouse, police reports show.

Pic: Yugatech.com

Chen Rong-yu, whose family said he had been treated for heart problems last September, is believed to have died as a result of cardiac arrest, however, the police are still looking into the cause of his death.

They believe that a combination of lack of movement, tiredness and the cold weather may have caused blood clots resulting in a heart attack. 

This is not the first time that excessive video-game-play has been blamed for the death of an individual. 

In 2007, a young Chinese man named, Xu Yan, died following 2 weeks of continuous video games. Later that same year, a 30 year old man from Guangzhou died after a 3 day non-stop video game stint.

These incidents are however, not unique to Asia; the technological capital of the world. 

In 2002 a woman from Louisiana, USA, sued the games console manufacturer, Nintendo, following the death of her son who had died as a result of playing video games for up to eight hours a day, six days a week. Nintendo denied any responsibility. 

Many medical professionals have expressed concern over the health implications caused as a result of excessive video-game play. 

They say that long periods spent playing video games often go hand-in-hand with a poor diet and an inactive lifestyle; two major causes of heart problems and childhood obesity. Theories suggest that video games become addictive and people, especially children, find it hard to distinguish between what is acceptable in real life and what is only acceptable in an 'virtual reality.'

Pic: Steve Petrucelli

In October 2007, Daniel Petric, a teenager from Ohio, USA, shot his parents, killing his mother, after they took away his copy of Halo 3. After he was found guilty of aggravated murder, the Judge said: 

 "I firmly believe that Daniel Petric had no idea at the time... that if he killed his parents they would be dead forever."

However, in a report conducted by CNN, 63 per cent of all parents believe that video-games are good for their children. There is a growing appreciation towards the positive effects that video-games can have on our health.

According to the parenting website 'Raisesmartkid.com'  video games "give your child's brain a real workout."

Children can learn advanced cognitive processes such as problem-solving and logic, hand-eye co-ordination and motor skills as well as developing their ability to follow instructions. 

Many other skills which cannot necessarily be taught at school such as strategy and anticipation can also be gained through the supervised use of video-games.  

The debate is on-going as to whether video-games are conclusively good or bad for our health.

Some believe that it's the parent's responsibility to ensure that their children only have limited access to video games and on-line game play, whilst others hold the video-game creators to account; deeming them responsible for the way the game's content affects a person's mind. 

By Benjamin Yates

Sources:

Pic1: http://www.yugatech.com 
Pic 2: Steve Petrucelli via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/people/wizzer/

http://news.sky.com/home/strange-news/article/16162406

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_addiction#Notable_deaths

http://www.gameinnovator.com/health.php

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-28/tech/debate.kids.games_1_entertainment-software-rating-board-joseph-olin-interactive-arts-sciences?_s=PM:TECH

http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video-games

Attack of the Papier Mache Rhino!

More than 100 staff members, police and paramedics have been filmed 'subduing' a papier mache rhinoceros at Tokyo's Uneo Zoological Gardens as part of an emergency training drill in an attempt to prepare them for "a real-life rampage."

The exercise, which involved one zoo worker being attacked by the man-operated model beast; prompting his colleagues to rehearse a rescue procedure, is not a new phenomenon to this Tokyo zoo.

A video posted to 'Youtube' in October of 2008 shows a previous training exercise carried out by the zoo's staff. 

The footage shows members of staff taking cover behind rope netting, armed with 6 foot metal poles forcing the rhinoceros to follow a particular route until; once struck with a tranquillizer dart, the animal is trapped under the netting which had previously protected the workers.

The rhinoceros is one of the largest remaining 'mega-fauna' (megas - meaning 'large' in Ancient Greek and fauna - meaning 'animal' in Latin) with all species having the ability to weigh up to and over 1 tonne in weight.

Their skin can be anywhere between 1.5 cm and 5 cm thick; made of layers of collagen forming a lattice structure.

Pic: Thierry (http2007) Flickr

Their size and strength, as well as a large horn made of keratin - the protein which makes up hair and fingernails - means that rhinoceros' have very few predators in the wild with the exception of humans.

The large mammals have been known to attack people, especially during mating season or when they perceive a threat towards their young. 

The African rhinoceros has been recorded running at speeds of up to 56 kilometres per hour - the equivalent to nearly 35 miles per hour making its charge potentially fatal.

Many 'online commentators' have criticised the Uneo Zoological Garden's methods; deeming them to be severely underestimating the power and strength of a charging rhinoceros. 

"Poking a confused and angry rhino with a stick will not encourage it to move" said one viewer of the 'Youtube' video. "It'll just get more [angry] and have a even better reason to [attack] you."

Despite the staff at Uneo Zoological Gardens hoping they will never have to utilise their training in a real life situation; reports show that there have been 4 instances of their animals escaping in the last 50 years.

By Benjamin Yates

Sources:

Video courtesy of 'Diagonal UK' via 'Youtube.'

Pic: Thierry (Http2007 via Flickr) 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/http2007/1149163581/

http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=42

http://news.sky.com/home/strange-news/article/16165668

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgHQfxT7ImI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megafauna

Stalking: A Criminal Offence? How Do Lincs Police React?

An independent parliamentary inquiry will conclude today that the current laws protecting victims of stalking are 'not fit for purpose' and will call for fundamental reform on an issue recognised by Prime Minister, David Cameron.


According to The British Crime Survey, up to 120,000 people will be a victim of stalking each year; many of which will be repeat victims up to 100 times before reporting it to the police and only 2 per cent result in convictions.

Since 1997, the Protection from Harassment Act has been in place making it illegal to "pursue a course of conduct which amounts to harassment of another and which the defendant knows, or ought to know, amounts to harassment of another".

Police reports show that the vast majority of cases involve the victims knowing their stalker; and most offences will follow a previous intimate relationship between the victim and the offender.


Many believe that the Protection from Harassment Act is not as effective as it needs to be. Plaid Cymru MP Elfyn Llwyd, is leading the parliamentary inquiry calling for stalking to become a specific offence as it has been in Scotland since June 2010; a reform which resulted in 400 offenders being convicted last year.


He told BBC Radio Wales: "The problem is we don't have any form of definition of what stalking amounts to - we know the effects of it but we don't have a definition."


Shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper believes that the implementation of a similar law to that introduced in Scotland would send a clear signal that stalking would not be tolerated; a view shared by Laura Richards, founder of the Homicide Prevention Unit at the New Scotland Yard and campaigner for the charity 'Protection Against Stalking' who said:


"It is time to recognise the physical and psychological harm and terror that stalking causes. This is about murder prevention. Stalking should be a criminal offence in its own right."

A report into the occurrences of violent crime between 2001 and 2011 in Lincolnshire revealed that approximately 1,250 people were the victims of stalking. 


Lincolnshire Police actively combat issues involving stalking and harassment through a newly introduced policy which involves specially trained officers, linked to the 'National Stalking and Harassment' helpline responding to reported incidents.


Their aim is to "save lives through early risk identification" a process that would benefit greatly from a reform in legislation which Hamish Brown, former Head of Stalking at New Scotland Yard believes should include new powers allowing officers to enter the premises of a suspected stalker.


Mr Brown does believe, however, that the current law is successful and does not require radical modification:


"I am concerned there should not be whole scale change but would agree to a little 'tweaking.' The current law is excellent, the best in the world in my opinion. It is not broke, so there is no need to fix it."

Harry Fletcher of the National Association of Probation Officers (Napo) combated this statement, advocating a reform in the way offenders were dealt with, believing that prosecution is not the only solution. 


"It is essential that rehabilitation programmes are developed for perpetrators in both a health and criminal justice setting to ensure that stalking behaviour is dealt with as early as possible."




By Benjamin Yates




Sources:
Pic 1: http://bearcatecho.org/?p=1709073
Pic 2: http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/Lincolnshire-Police-loses-20-officers-year/story-15145946-detail/story.html
http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16164454
http://www.lincs.police.uk/Departments/Local-Policing/Safety-Advice/Community-Safety-Advice/Stalking-and-Harassment.html
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb0212/
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/crime/crime-statistics/
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/crime/crime-statistics/british-crime-survey/
http://www.stalkingriskprofile.com/victim-support/restraining-orders
http://www.stalkinghelpline.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16915557
Note: quotes sourced from Sky News/BBC News