Aug. 28, 2002
Beer Boss Apologizes For Opie & Anthony Sex Stunt
By The Smoking Gun. We can't stand wormy little corporate titans like Jim Koch, chairman of the publicly-held Boston Beer Company, which distributes Samuel Adams products. As TSG first reported, the 53-year-old Koch (pronounced Cook) was the so-called Grand Marshal of the "Sex for Sam" stunt that got radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony canned. In fact, Koch was actually present in WNEW-FM's Manhattan studio and played a key role in the public sex contest--though he and the beer company didn't admit that until TSG obtained audio clips from the controversial August 15 show.In a statement released on August, 26, Koch finally offered an apology to "all those upset or offended" by the Opie and Anthony broadcast. "We were not in control of the program, and it was never our intention to be part of a radio station promotion that crossed the line." Of course, this was the third time Koch's company sponsored the "Sex for Sam" contest. And while acknowledging that his "presence on the show was a lapse in judgment, a serious mistake," Koch has avoided describing just what he was doing in Opie and Anthony's studio. Along with handing out bottles of Sam Adams to contestants who stopped by the studio to take a break from having sex in cabs, ATM vestibules, and the Disney Store, Koch also served as the contest's official "celebrity" voyeur. That meant if couples had sex in front of Koch, they were awarded 30 points (by comparison, sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral was worth 25 points). Read the full story and hear clips from the show at The Smoking Gun
Aug. 26, 2002
Beer Fan Takes Bottles to the Grave
A 72-year-old who claims to have drunk nothing but beer for 30 years has made sure there are bottles at his final resting place. Slobodan Ristivojevic from Yugoslavia says he gave up drinking anything but beer in 1972 and has since guzzled 100,000 bottles. He has now had his grave specially designed with two bottles of beer cemented into the headstone. Slobodan claims he isn't an alcoholic and now only drinks six bottles a day - down from 20 a day a few years ago. Read the full story at Ananova
Beer Boss In The Studio For Opie & Anthony's Fateful Show
by Donna Goodison and Greg Gatlin. Boston Beer Co. founder Jim Koch joked with two radio shock jocks on-air last week while they broadcast a live report of a couple purportedly engaging in sex acts during a Mass in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Boston Beer, which earlier this week tried to distance itself from the racy promotional contest, yesterday confirmed that Koch stood by in the studio during the escapade, which was heard on the air - outraging regulators and others. Amid a rising chorus of complaints, WNEW-FM axed the "Opie & Anthony Show'" on Wednesday. And the Virginia couple, whose tryst was one of several broadcast during the episode, face obscenity and public lewdness charges. Read the full story at The Boston Herald
Aug. 18, 2002
Heavy Drinkers Stimulated By Alcohol
Scientists say how people react to alcohol could determine their drinking habits. Researchers from the University of Chicago looked at whether people get a sedative or a stimulatory effect from alcohol said those in the latter category are more likely to drink heavily. Thirty-four drinkers aged between 24 and 38 were studied. Half drank five or less alcoholic drinks per week while the heavy drinkers regularly had 10 or more drinks. Heavy drinkers showed increased stimulation and euphoria when blood alcohol concentrations rose. They also enjoyed the experience and wanted to carry on drinking. Light drinkers showed increases in sedation and did not report stimulation or positive mood changes. Andrea King, a psychologist and assistant professor in the university's department of psychiatry who led the research, said: "A person who feels enhanced euphoria and stimulation when drinking alcohol may be more likely to continue to consume alcohol during the drinking bout. Brian's Belly Commentary: Our 'studies' indicate the same thing. Read the full story at BBC News
Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beerholder
A new study has established that beauty may be in the eye of the beer holder rather than the beholder. Scientists in Scotland say they have found proof of the so-called "beer goggles" effect, following a study involving 80 students. The researchers wanted to measure the phenomenon by which members of the opposite sex become more attractive as one drinks more alcohol. Compared to their sober counterparts, those who drank just a moderate amount of alcohol found the faces of people 25% better-looking. "The increase in perceived attractiveness appeared to be the same for the ugly people as the pretty people," the professor who led the study said. Participants were asked to rate the aesthetics of male and femal photos on a scale of between one - highly unattractive - to seven - highly attractive. The beer goggles phenomenon is caused by alcohol stimulating the part of the human brain which is used to determine facial attractiveness, the nucleus accumbens. Editor's Note: Brian's Belly... now with 25% more attractiveness! Read the full story at BBC.com and Sky News
Aug. 14, 2002
Julia Child Still Eating at 90
By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff. The woman who single-handedly changed the way Americans cook turns 90 on August 15. Recently, Julia Child let the Smithsonian Institution catalog, photograph, archive, and disassemble the famous Irving Street kitchen where she worked for 40 years. Later this month, Child's reassembled kitchen will be open to the public at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History - the sink, the stove, the fridge, and every implement. "It's interesting to see what they've done," said Child. She will attend the opening, and its round of parties and receptions. The Smithsonian "took tremendous notes when they came," she said. "They wrote down everything - even the toothpicks. They're getting the drawers with everything in them." Read the full story at Boston Globe Online
Research Shows Beer Is Good For You
By Ken Wells, The Wall Street Journal. After more than 20 years of research and scores of studies on the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on health, beer is slowly bubbling to the top as a beverage that not only lifts spirits, but delivers protection against major ailments such as heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, diabetes and dementia. The data seem so compelling that the National Beer Wholesalers Association, an Alexandria, Va., trade group representing the nation's beer distributors, recently put on an oxymoronic sounding "health and beer" seminar and put out a press release that declared: "Eat right, exercise and drink a beer a day may be the way to keep the doctor away." Julie Bradford, editor of All About Beer Magazine, says slightly less effervescently: "Well, we're not saying that beer is the new wonder drug or suggesting that people take two beers and call us in the morning." But evidence for beer's healthy side effects -- assuming moderate consumption -- is strong enough to cause champions of beer like Ms. Bradford to start insisting that the wine folks put a cork in their claims that Beaujolais is superior to Bud. Read the full story at Sun-Sentinel.com
Beer May Be Beneficial to Health
By Manav Tanneeru. Results from recent studies say that beer, consumed in moderation, may be good for health. The National Beer Wholesalers Association released a paper saying beer can be beneficial and a Texas doctor cited research to support that conclusion. The studies suggested that beer reduced the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, lowered cholesterol and blood pressure. Viola Vaccarino, a cardiologist at Emory University, said, "There are a lot of data out there suggesting the benefits of alcohol consumption towards...cardiovascular health." The benefits of alcohol come with the disclaimer that it should be consumed in moderation. Vaccarino doesn't see a particular benefit to beer but added, "I would say, yes, why not...one or two drinks per day of beer or wine...could be actually potentially beneficial for people." Eric Geralds, a brewmaster at Gordon Biersch, said he believes the natural ingredients he uses are undoubtedly good for health. "My health is fantastic, my belly is getting to that stage, but I think we're doing all right...my cholesterol's good and I think and a lot of it has to do with my beer," he said. Read the full story at 11 Alive
Aug. 02, 2002
Record-Breaking Burp Attempt Runs Into Hiccup
LONDON (Reuters). The world's loudest burper failed to smash his own ear-splitting record on Friday when a sore throat forced him to throw in the towel after three attempts. Solicitor's clerk Paul Hunn, 33, from London was hoping to better the 118.1 decibel mark -- a burp as loud as a pneumatic drill -- a sonic tour de force he set in 2000. But after chugging back a carbonated drink and gulping mouthfuls of air to build up gas in his stomach, he could only manage 110.5 decibels on a Guinness World Record sound level meter. Hunn said his training routine includes plenty of spicy food and exercises to force air into his stomach.
Read the full story at ABC News.com
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