Kennedy Drinking Again: Book

Joseph Kennedy II says he'd rather work for 'social justice' in private sector

(NEWSER) - Joe Kennedy II will not run for his late uncle’s US Senate seat, the Boston Herald reports. In a post on the website of his charity Citizens Energy, the former congressman says he prefers to pursue social justice through the private sector rather than electoral politics. The announcement means the so-called “Kennedy seat” is likely up for grabs, with Ted Kennedy’s widow, Vicki—who has not expressed interest—the only other possible successor within the family. More»

(NEWSER) - Over the years, Ted Kennedy relied a lot on his wives, first Joan Bennett and then Vicki Reggie, and the two women couldn’t have been more different, writes Martha Moore of the USA Today. Joan, one of the celebrated Camelot-era Kennedy wives, was reserved and troubled, but it was she who campaigned for Kennedy when he broke his back in 1964. More»

No one appears ready to take up the torch

(NEWSER) - A fabled political dynasty sputtered with last night's passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy, who left no heir apparent in the powerhouse family. Though several younger generation Kennedys are active in civic life, none packs the punch of the senator or his famous brothers. "There seems to be no one to pick up the torch," said Thomas Whalen, Kennedy expert and political science professor at Boston University. "There doesn't seem to be someone in the next generation to carry the load here." More»

Half of all alcohol consumed in America drunk in binges

(NEWSER) - More revelations from the new report by the CDC on binge drinking in America: Universities may be home to the biggest binge drinkers in America, but it turns out the most frequent bingers live in retirement homes, reports Discovery . The report defines a "binge" as five drinks in one short time for a man, or four for a woman, and found that people over 65 who binged did so most often, an average of 5.5 times a month. The national average for bingers is 4.4 times per month. Binge drinkers down more than half of the booze consumed in America, notes Discovery. That number soars to 90% for young people. Click for more from the study . More»

Nation's heaviest boozers are in Wisconsin, study finds

(NEWSER) - Federal health officials have released their most detailed study yet of America's binge drinkers—and if you're a college-educated, high-earning young white man from Wisconsin, you may already be drunk by the time you read this. Researchers found that 38 million Americans, roughly a sixth of the adult population, are binge drinkers who over-indulge an average of 4.4 times a month, Bloomberg reports. A binge was defined as five or more drinks in the space of two hours for men, and four or more drinks for women. More»