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A Facebook organized party that was to be held in Torbay, Devon has been cancelled after British police used unprecedented powers to force the whole town to stop selling alcohol. More than 7,000 Facebook fans looked set to turn up at this Friday causing the police to apply for a magistrates 24 hour ban under the 2003 Licensing Act. All off-licenses, pubs and bars in the town were to be closed. Today’s media attention, however, has meant that the event had to either be cancelled or a license issued for it to go ahead. As of now, the group page is still up, with an explanation warning that anyone turning up at the weekend party will be asked to leave or face arrest. Meanwhile, diehard partygoers are filling up the Facebook event wall (now 1400-plus comments long) with schemes on where to take the party instead.

Kids today are increasingly prone to social, mental and environmental stresses that lead to hyperactivity, ADD, frantic multitasking, and distraction. How can this tide be turned? A program in Bangkok, Thailand called the “Mind and Self Grooming Day Camp” is helping children deal with these problems by teaching them meditation. Using a custom tailored approach that cuts the meditation exercises down to easy 15 to 20 minutes segments, the camp turns meditation into games that kids can enjoy and relate to. The program has helped students deal with problems at school and to stay relaxed and focused amidst our fast paced over stimulating modern society.

[via Bangkok Post]

Hoping to inspire 9-to-5ers to take advantage of the glory of summertime outdoors, the City of London will be transforming St James’s Park into an outdoor office space for two days, from July 3 to 4. The park will provide free wifi, a boardroom, a breakout room, 12 desk clusters, and a receptionist. And not to worry - visitors won’t miss out on any hot office gossip - there’ll be a water cooler, too.

Anyone interested in a change of scenery can reserve a room or desk here. Space can be booked in 2 hour blocks between 9.30am and 6pm.
[via Pocket-Lint]

The recent summer surge in gas prices has finally trickled down to American teenagers. The tradition of aimlessly cruising on summer nights appears to be a rapidly disappearing ritual. This distinctly American practice was best captured in the 1970s hit, “American Graffiti.” With the downturn of summer employment opportunities and the upswing of gasoline prices, parents and teens alike are looking for alternatives to driving.

A recent article from the New York Times reports:

Perhaps the summer’s most visible change is occurring in the downtown strips of small towns where, for decades, cruising on Friday and Saturday nights has been a teenage rite of passage. It is a peculiarly American phenomenon — driving around in a big loop, listening to music, waving at one another and wasting gasoline.

“We’re not cruising around anymore, with gas costing $4.50 a gallon,” said Ewelina Smosna, a recent graduate of Taft High School in Chicago, as she hung out the other night at the Streets of Woodfield, an outdoor mall in Schaumburg. “We just park the car and walk around.”

NYT: As Gas Prices Rise, Teenagers’ Cruising Declines

We’re curious to see how/if this concept develops: Peng Yu-lun of Taiwan has designed a literally non-stop train system, employing a continuously moving main carriage and top-mounted boarding shuttles that slide on and off at their appropriate stations. Passengers board the smaller shuttles at the platform and wait for the nonstop train to ’scoop’ up their carriage, which then attaches to the roof of the train as it passes through the station. The sliding carriages then detach and slow down at their destination stations as the continuously moving carriage travels on. Watch the video (audio is in Mandarin) to get a better understanding of how this potentially energy-saving system would work:

[via TreeHugger]

A French court has ordered online auction house eBay to pay LVMH damages for assisting in the sale of knock offs - while a ruling on a complaint by Tiffany in the US is expected soon. The Financial Times reports:

In spite of Ebay’s claims to have cracked down, in some markets the sale of large numbers of counterfeit luxury goods continues unabated.

After a long-running feud with some of the world’s most famous luxury brands, the moment of truth for Ebay may finally have arrived.

A French court yesterday handed down the most significant judgment to date, ordering Ebay to pay nearly €40m ($63m) to LVMH.

Meanwhile, a judge in the US is due to rule at any time on a similar case brought by Tiffany. “This gives Ebay significantly more incentive to adjust its business model to make it less advantageous for counterfeiters,” said Geoffrey Potter, a US legal expert on counterfeiting issues.

Together, those cases represent the biggest attack on Ebay’s way of doing business in the company’s 13-year history.

FT.com / Home UK / UK - Moment of truth for Ebay on fake luxury goods

With the threat of decreased consumer spending and a weak U.S. economy, fast food chains have had the most to gain from value-driven, price conscious consumers. Brands have employed a wide range of strategies to reach consumers during a time when every penny counts.

Aside from the ongoing dollar or value menu wars, chains have stepped up their efforts to match each other on both menu offerings and prices. Following the success of McDonald’s “Snack Wrap”, KFC has aggressively pushed its “Toasted Wrap” and “Snacker” while Wendy’s has responded with “Chicken Go Wraps”. And the food wars have not been limited to classic fast food fare; Quiznos is offering its own “$5 Large Deli Favorite Subs” to go head to head with Subway’s “$5 Footlong Subs”. But undercutting all competition in price is Taco Bell, with value menu items starting at $.79.

While some brands are trading down, others have adopted a premium positioning during this rough period, hoping to improve their margins. Wendy’s has used its latest tagline, “It’s waaaay better than fast food”, to push more expensive products like its “Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich” and “Hand-spun Frosty Shakes”. McDonald’s has done more than upgrade its menu. It has been in the process of giving most of its 14,000 U.S. stores a facelift, adding new decor, seating, plasma TVs, and even fireplaces in some locations. To shake things up even more, McDonald’s is rolling out McCafes at all U.S. locations, offering specialty coffee drinks and their take on lattes and cappuccinos.

Another strategy that has helped chains offset a decline in domestic sales is overseas expansion. McDonald’s announced last Monday that same-store sales globally increased 7.7 percent for May, beating analysts’ expectations. While sales were up 4.3 percent at U.S. locations, total sales were bolstered by a 9.6 percent rise in Europe and a 9.7 percent rise in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa division. Sales overseas for the chain have been outpacing domestic sales for some time now. A recent WSJ article highlights this strategy, as more U.S. chains like Burger King and Papa John’s International Inc. are looking to international expansion for growth.

So as gas prices rise and the tough times continue, not everyone in America is suffering. While restaurants and upscale coffeehouses may be feeling the pinch, it seems that the glory days for fast food restaurants have just begun.

-Contributed by Robert Hsu of Peep Insights

Frango Rock! is a photographic collection of people, places, and inspiration from around the world, captured by photographers Mike Vargas and Tat Ho Yee. The two New York-based photographers collaborated on a filmmaking project that took them through Mexico, Chile, and Brazil, but it was Yee’s recent journey through India that inspired both to create Frango Rock!, a culmination of the vibrant scenes they encountered around the globe. Frango Rock! will be on view at the Brecht Forum from July 3 - 23 (don’t miss the opening reception on the 3rd, from 6-11pm with food and drink provided and music by DJ Laylo).

Frango Rock! at the Brecht Forum
451 West Street (between Bank and Bethune)
New York, NY
July 3-23 2008 (opening reception on July 3, 6-11pm)
Frangorock.com

Fans of Japanese game shows, such as Human Tetris and Slip ’n’ Slide bowling, will be happy to know that American producers are planning on emulating them for US TV audiences. The New York Times reports that shows such as “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” and “Wipeout” recently made their debut on ABC.

Ones of the producers interviewed describes a particularly unique challenge from the show “Baby Go Boom”

Wearing baby bonnets and diapers, the competitors spin around in cribs until they’re dizzy. Then they try to cross a teeter-totter, get past spinning plates and overcome other obstacles without spilling a jug of milk that they carry. The team that manages to spill the least milk wins.

In Japan, these shows are known as batsu games, or punishment and humiliation games, and they celebrate the spirit of embarrassment and ability to laugh at oneself. As David Goldberg, the president of Endemol USA, put it, “The whole idea of watching people crash and burn — but not get hurt — is something that people seem to be drawn to.”

NYT: Japanese-Style Game Shows: Cash for Winners, Humiliation for Losers