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In proposals put before Parliament on Tuesday, the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair said it would seek a near-total ban on smoking in workplaces, restaurants and pubs that serve food. The prohibition, which follows similar actions by the authorities in places including Ireland and Scotland, New York and Norway, would be phased in between 2006 and 2008.

The only exceptions to the ban will be private clubs and pubs that do not serve food. But even in those establishments, smoking at the bar will be outlawed to protect employees from second-hand smoke

New York Times

Irish pub landlords are resorting to radical measures such as cutting holes in the roofs of their pubs to create open-air smoking rooms in attempts to bring back smoking customers and restore sales, reports the Independent on Sunday. Signs in Ireland show a shift in public opinion against smoking and a downturn in the number of smokers since the ban – a worrying indicator for European bar owners and tobacco companies.

https://weblog.innovationlab.net/a/etik/index.html

Slut med at rode med ID, plastickort eller kontanter på Baja Beach Club. Her
får gæsterne frivilligt skudt en RFID chip på størrelse med et riskorn ind
under huden. Chippen giver adgang til bestemte lounges i klubben, og
gæsterne kan betale for drinks ved at chippen tilknyttes en konto, hvorfra
pengene kan hæves direkte.

Tanken om at få en lille chip skudt ind under huden, kan nok få de fleste
til at stejle, men Barcelonas unge, rige og smukke er fri for at koncentrere
sig om hvor pungen er henne og hvad PIN-koden er. Meget praktisk på en bar,
hvor påklædningen er bikini eller board shorts.

Ideen med en chip ind under huden er kontroversiel og kan lyde som ren
science fiction. Men fænomenet er ikke ukendt: Husdyr er blevet tagget med
RFID chips i over ti år, så metoden er gennemprøvet og RFID chips under
menneskehud er altså ikke forbundet med sundhedsmæssige farer. Imidlertid er
indgrebet mod den personlige frihed den største fare ved implanterede RFID
chips. For hvis personlige oplysningerne altid er tilgængelige, hvem vil så
kunne tilgå data? Anvendelsen i Baja Beach Club har rusket op i
eksistentielle og religiøse diskussioner ? som her på news.com, der også
byder på en grafisk præsentation af systemet i funktion.

VeriChip, som løsningen kaldes, er netop blevet godkendt til brug i
sundhedssektoren. Her vil chippen give let adgang til fx patientjournaler og
oversigter over medicinforbrug eller allergier. Det vil kunne redde
menneskeliv, siger fortalerne. Det er Antikrists værk, siger modstanderne.
Spørgsmålet er om vi er klar til en verden med chips under hud

It may not be the most romantic setting imaginable, but a Wal-Mart store in
Dortmund, Germany, is attracting a new market of shoppers — those looking
for love. The store hosted its first singles shopping event last year, and
the concept has become so popular that every Friday night at the store is
singles night, with single shoppers identified by carts with bright red
bows. The Wall Street Journal

https://www.washingtontimes.com/business/20041013-092341-4568r.htm

Smaller portions are the newest focus in the food industry’s quest for convenient, ready-to-eat foods, said analyst Miss Smith of Argus Research Co., a New York research firm.
 “But there is a limit for small-portion sizes. People aren’t going to buy a small bag of chips if they get maybe three or four chips. They’ll buy a bigger bag and try to moderate their snacking,” she said.
Still, food and beverage companies have jumped on the small-serving bandwagon.
Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream sells mini-ice-cream pops. Coca-Cola sells 12-ounce and 10-ounce bottles, while Pepsico. Inc. sells 8-ounce cans and 10-ounce bottles for people with less thirst.
 Coca-Cola’s six-pack of 10-ounce bottles costs $3.49, while the price of the regular six-pack of 24-ounce bottles is $4.99. Pepsi’s 10-ounce bottles are $2.99 for a six-pack, while its six-pack of 24-ounce bottles costs $3.99.

 Even restaurants have taken note.
Quiznos Sub restaurants offer 16-ounce sandwiches with 4.5-ounce minimelts for customers who want less.
 McDonald’s Corp. earlier this year said it would phase out its supersize portions. The decision followed government pressure and attacks from health advocates and trial lawyers who sought to pin some of the obesity blame on the fast-food chain.
The hamburger giant also offers smaller sizes of its popular items, such as small french fries and side salads, on its $1 menu.