Tipsy toddlers

I was excited to see that after a brief summer hiatus that Paul Parkinson was back with a new episode of his wonderful This Week in London podcast. The podcast this week is about pubs, and he does a good job of educating listeners about the pub culture in England. One thing that was somewhat startling in his podcast was the information that in England, the legal drinking age for children (at home, and with the permission of their parents) is FIVE YEARS OLD! I was really shocked, first of all that this is something that needs a law passed, and secondly, that a group of people apparently decided that while a four year old is too young to drink responsibly, a five year old can hold his or her liquor. How strange! No wonder kindergarten students like to nap in the afternoon. They're probably sleeping off the effects of the night before!

I saw another amusing sign today at the local recycling center. I was particularly confused by the admonition that people not fill the container above the top. I wonder how that would be possible? Isn't the top of the container, um, the top? How could you possibly fill the enclosed container any more if it was filled to the top? Inquiring minds want to see that in action! Perhaps they meant that if the container was full that people shouldn't put things outside on the ground. Still, "Don't Put Things on the Outside of the Container" would seem to be a more logical sign in that case.

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Good stuff from London!!!

I am a huge fan of the podcast This Week In London. The man behind the show, the incredibly generous Paul Parkinson, is an amazing resource of great information about London. He also makes his contact information available for listeners to get in touch. His podcasts are a wonderful mix of facts about London, humor, and music.

Occasionally, he runs contests related to subjects in his podcasts. Recently, he interviewed two officials with the Docklands Light Railway, part of the London Underground System. He offered a "DLR Goody Bag" to one lucky listener, and hooray! I won! Yesterday I received it in the mail, and here was the haul:
Several very informative booklets about the DLR's history and future expansion plans, a short DVD about the new Langdon Park station, a very sturdy ink pen, some yummy jelly beans in a train-shaped box, and a DLR watch! I love the London Underground, and the DLR portion is great fun to ride. The trains all seem very neat and clean and since there is no driver on those trains, it feels rather like riding a roller coaster. Of course, I know that if I were a commuter who had to deal with crowds, rising fares and delays on a daily basis, the appeal of the tube would likely soon wear off. As an occasional visitor, however, I continue to enjoy the convenience and novelty of riding the trains. Knoxville, sadly, hasn't seen anything other than freight trains in years (although as someone who lives near the tracks, I can attest that the freight trains are still plentiful).


Thanks again to Paul and the DLR, and keep those podcasts coming!



Final Verdict for This Week In London Podcast: 5 Gherkins for great, relevant, up-to-date London content

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