Nanny State Nanaimo

"Now every patron must agree to have their identification recorded and photograph taken before they can enter Club 241, Spice Lounge, the Globe or the Queens Hotel.

Their name and photo is kept on a computer hard drive and used to track them, in case they try to pass their ID on to someone else, or if they are ejected from the bar for misbehaving.

Media got a demonstration of the new system at city hall on Friday, where Queens manager Jerry Hong used Coun. Merv Unger as a mock nightclub patron. After swiping Unger's ID in a card scanner, information appeared on a screen.

Software captures a patron's name, licence number and expiry date, age and sex from their drivers licence. Data is added to track the patron's status, including when they last entered the club and if they were barred from re-entry. If the patron misbehaves and gets thrown out, they will find himself barred for anywhere from a week to a year. And since it's linked by a network, that ban will be in effect in every bar in North America connected to the Barwatch system..."

Literary note: The Globe was visited by Malcolm Lowry while he waited for his "October Ferry to Gabriola"...