Feb. 25, 2003
Teens Drinking 20% of Our Alcohol
By Lindsey Tanner, Chicago (AP). Underage drinkers account for nearly 20 percent of the alcohol consumed in the United States each year, a study says. Attempting to correct botched statistics they released a year ago, researchers from Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse analyzed three sets of data from 1999 and said underage drinking amounted to 19.7 percent of alcohol consumed that year, or $22.5 billion. "Excessive" drinking by adults - consumption of more than two drinks daily - amounted to 30.4 percent, or $34.4 billion, the researchers said. The researchers' definition of excessive drinking is anything exceeding government guidelines for moderate drinking. "These analyses show that it is not in the alcohol industry's financial interest to voluntarily enact strategies to reduce underage or adult excessive drinking," the researchers said. Read the full story at CNN
Feb. 23, 2003
The Dry Beer is Back (Again) With a New Miss Rheingold
Robin Finn, NYTimes. Thomas L. Bendheim, Rheingold's eager-to-please chief executive, proudly brandishing a bottle of the reincarnated brew that was synonymous with New York — and hawked by celebrities as diverse as John Wayne, Casey Stengel and Ella Fitzgerald — in the 1940's and 1950's, but disappeared in 1978. A previous comeback in 1998 fizzled. This is a Rheingold aimed at the "Joe Millionaire" generation, a Rheingold tippled at CBGB's and on tap at City Hall Restaurant, a beer that sponsors obscure downtown rock bands instead of the Mets. The company has revived the old Miss Rheingold spokesmodel contest with a twist: Miss Rheingold is a bar employee and is, to quote the boss, independent. "We're all about creating a buzz instead of a blitz," Mr. Bendheim explains. Having begun, the buzz escalates next month, when, he says, Rheingold appears in 1,800 locations citywide and on Long Island, where he expects Miss Rheingold to "play big." Now there's a $1 million advertising campaign in full fettle, a new Miss Rheingold to crown on March 10 and, after an exhaustive reblending with taste tests conducted in his Wilton, Conn., kitchen, a golden brew with a new slogan, "100 percent New York by volume," that hopes to tap into the jingoistic post-Sept. 11 mind-set of New Yorkers. At 139 calories in 12 ounces, Rheingold clocks in midway between the "lites" and the hefty brews, with a snappy alcohol content. Read the full story at NY Times
Feb. 21, 2003
Lawyers Revise Obesity McLawsuit for McFatKids
Jonathan Wald, NY (CNN). Lawyers who last month couldn't get a federal judge to bite on their claims that McDonald's food was responsible for making their clients fat went back to the counter for a second helping Thursday, filing a revised complaint accusing the fast food giant of making misleading nutritional claims. The original complaint was dismissed on January 22 by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Sweet, who said plaintiffs failed to show that McDonald's food was "dangerous in any way other than that which was open and obvious to a reasonable consumer." In the revised complaint, attorney Samuel Hirsch accused McDonald's of "deceptive practices in the advertising, processing and sale of foods, including Chicken McNuggets, Filet-O-Fish, Chicken Sandwich, french fries and hamburgers." Hirsch asked for class-action status for the suit on behalf of "hundreds of thousands of New York state residents under the age of 18" who suffer health problems as a result of eating McDonald's food. Read the full story at USA Today
Defective Pickle Lawsuit Settled
Old News: Knoxville, Tenn. (AP). A woman who claimed she was permanently scarred by a hot McDonald's hamburger pickle has settled her lawsuit against the restaurant chain. Veronica M. Martin claimed she suffered a second-degree burn on her chin after an extremely hot pickle fell from one of the small burgers she and her husband bought in October 1999. The suit contended the pickle was defective and unreasonably dangerous to the customer, breaching an implied warranty for safety. Martin sought $110,000 while her husband, Darrin, sought $15,000 for losing the services and consortium of his wife. Read the full story at USA Today
Feb. 10, 2003
Pamela Anderson May Join 'Catfight' in Miller Sequel
by Don Kaplan, NY Post. WHO are the women in that controversial - but oh-so riveting Miller Lite "catfight" commercial? If you guessed they were not librarians, you were right. The raven-haired wrestler - Kitana Baker - is also the co-star of a Playboy cable-TV, sex-advice show. Her blonde co-combatant is Tanya Ballinger, a model of the more traditional sort, it appears. Most recently, Kitana has been heating up the screen as the "'Net-Nymph" on Playboy TV's racy "Nightcalls 411." On the live call-in sex show, she gets naked and reads e-mails from viewers aloud. The Miller Lite commercial - which begins as an argument over lunch ("Less filling! vs. "Tastes great!") and turns into an angry, clothes-shredding, wrestling match between Baker and Ballinger in a fountain and then a cement-mixing trough - has been one of the most talked-about ads of the year. She and Ballinger are in talks to star in a sequel to the commercial, reports Playboy.com. Industry sources say that former Playboy pinup turned superstar, Pamela Anderson, is in talks to join the pair in the new spot. Brian's Belly Commentary: When did commercials become more interesting that regular television? Read the full story at NY Post
Feb. 06, 2003
Miller to Give Away Beer if Wallace Wins Daytona
Charlotte, N.C. Rusty Wallace is finding motivation for this year's Daytona 500 in a promise by one of his sponsors. Miller Brewing Co. has promised to give all legal drinkers at the Feb. 16 season-opening race a free six-pack of beer if Wallace wins. "It's great to have a little incentive for my 21st start in the Daytona 500," Wallace said. Wallace has 54 victories in 20 seasons, but has never won NASCAR's biggest event. Read the full story at The Olympian
Feb. 04, 2003
Gaining Weight? Blame Your Bedtime
By Cathryn Conroy. Are you gaining weight and have no idea why? The culprit could be your bedtime. If you don't get enough sleep at night, it doesn't matter what you eat and how much time you spend on the treadmill. If you're exhausted, your diet just won't work. Why? Sleep deprivation affects the hormones that control appetite and weight reduction. If you know you're not getting enough sleep most nights, you're not staying up late alone. As many as 70 million Americans aren't putting in enough pillow time often due to the pressures of a 24/7 lifestyle. At the same time, obesity is becoming a national crisis. Sleep is not a luxury. If you don't get enough sleep every night, it could be as damaging to your diet as splurging on ice cream every night. And crashing on the weekends to make up for a weekday sleep deficit won't cut it. Brian's Belly Commentary: Be sure to nap after each meal. Read the full story at Netscape Network
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