Barry Manilow as Crime Deterrent?

There are a lot of points that can be made as to why the slowing economy isn't entirely gloomy. One such point is that it's forcing us all to be a bit more creative in our work. A perfect example of this creativity in action: a city in New Zealand is planning to use Barry Manilow's music to keep teens from loitering in its central mall district.

Yeah, I couldn't really believe it either, but after reading the article I have to at least applaud their efforts. They've been having trouble with teens loitering, vandalizing, and bothering shoppers. By infusing the mellow musical stylings of Mr. Manilow into the regular music mix that plays throughout the mall, officials are hoping to "pacify unruly teens who congregate there, or at least convince them to go elsewhere."

I'm not sure if the city is seeing the results they're hoping for (the article didn't mention anything), but it's still a simple, cost-effective idea that might just solve a "mall rat" problem. Take that, recession!


Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com @ Flickr