Person of the Week

Google co-founder Sergei Brin, a refugee from the former communist Russia, led a decision this week to say no to censorship in China, even if that meant it could no longer do business in its greatest potential growth market. The decision came on the back of a cyber attack on Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Google's chief legal officer, writing in a blog that was itself censored by China, said, "We have taken the unusual step of sharing information about these attacks with a broad audience not just because of the security and human rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech."

Quote of the Week

“We've gone mad again. For a whole week every news report has begun with some idiot in a field saying something like, "As you can see, here in Wiltshire the snow has literally COVERED MY SHOELACE. And it's not just snowed in this field, it's snowed in that one over there as well. So there is literally no escape.

"Then it goes back to the studio and we're told, 'The police are strongly advising everyone not to get off their settee unless it's absolutely essential, and if you do insist on going to the toilet, make sure you take a Thermos of soup, a blanket and a gun.' They also say anyone who goes outside is guaranteed to die."

Mark Steel, Independent

EP and Bacchus Lunch Club

Always looking for ways of bringing together professionals in the hospitality industry, we have joined forces with Bacchus, the networking arm of Oxford Brookes University's Department of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Management. Bacchus lunches, held in top London venues, are the events for those who consider relationships to be the foundation of business success. The next Bacchus lunch, to be hosted by Michael Caines MBE, will be held on 19th January 2010 at Home House on Portman Square. Michael will reflect on the power of mentoring as a mechanism for unleashing potential.

To learn more, and to book your place, contact Razia Nabi rnabi@brookes.ac.uk

Facts of the week

Japanese inspired pod hotel for Piccadilly Circus

Hotel development approved by Westminster Councillors

• A project being led by Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital will comprise 495 windowless rooms measuring 15 square metres, all ensuite.
• Rates are expected to be between £20 and £40 per night.
• Spread over seven floors, the development will also include shops, flats and an arts space in place of the Imax and Cineworld cinemas.
• Wan Yau, director of architects Dexter Moren Associates, said: "The lighting, temperature and even TV channels can be pre-programmed enabling every guest to have a personalised pod' experience. We wanted to create an oasis away from the bustling activity of Westminster."
• The pod hotel is due to open in 2012.

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

Government announces plans for minimum alcohol pricing

But will it face opposition?

• In what is reputed to be a marked change in policy, Andy Burnham, Health Secretary has announced details of a price fixing scheme designed to curb alcohol abuse.
• Cabinet is yet to formally approve the proposals, with Lord Mandelson understood to have initially been opposed to the idea due to the impact on the drinks industry. In addition, The Labour Party has previously fought campaigns on the pledge to liberalise drinking laws.
• Ministers are reported to working on a staged process of introducing minimum pricing which would comprise increased warnings on cans and bottles, followed by a ban on selling alcohol below cost (ie wholesale price). Minimum pricing would then be introduced in the third and final phases.
• It is reported that one in 20 hospital admissions involves alcohol, whilst the number of deaths in Britain linked to drink has doubled in 15 years.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Article of the week

EP Condense is EP's weekly e-newsletter. But did you know that EP is also a bimonthly magazine available via subscription? Our Article of the Week provides a sample of what we have featured in past issue.

This week we feature a story from the 2009 feature list of EP magazine. It is a business feature entitled "A happy business." EP met with Juliette Joffe, owner and founder of Giraffe Restaurants, to discuss her views on whether increasing price sensitivity was no more important than the moral credentials of a business. Much has been made of people trading down during the recession, so what does a casual dining operator have to say on the subject?