ANALYSIS
McCain family not afraid to spend wife's millions; Dems may repay Kerry debt
Politico Jul 2, 08 7:10 PM CDT
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Cindy McCain family's fortune—being used for campaign subsidies, hefty real-estate purchases, big credit card tabs, unpaid property taxes, and huge household help budgets—is raising eyebrows on the campaign trail, Kenneth Vogel writes in Politico. And Democrats seem ready to collect, with interest, on the scrutiny aimed at Teresa Heinz Kerry in 2004.
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Anheuser-Busch now may face a hostile takeover bid
Wall Street Journal Jun 25, 08 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Anheuser-Busch plans to reject Belgian brewer InBev's $46 billion offer to buy the company, the Wall Street Journal reports. The decision is not expected to deter InBev, however, which could launch a hostile takeover bid, the Journal notes. InBev wants to acquire the St. Louis brewer—the maker of Budweiser—to create the world's largest beer maker.
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OPINION
Forget about Bud et al—look to Alaska, Hawaii, Europe for sunny suds samples
San Jose Mercury News Jun 22, 08 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Sick of the bland beer everyone else is drinking? As summer officially kicks off, William Brand pours a frosty glass of small-but-mighty suds suggestions in the San Jose Mercury News : Alaskan Summer Ale (Alaskan Brewing): This gold-medal-winning Juneau native makes an excellent thirst-quencher, in the Kolsch style you might've savored in Cologne.
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Conflict-of-interest brewhaha if Mac wins
Los Angeles Times Jun 22, 08 7:36 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Cindy McCain's role as chairwoman of one of the nation’s largest beer wholesalers could turn into a thorny conflict-of-interest problem if John McCain wins the White House, the Los Angeles Times reports. Mrs. McCain's Hensley & Co.—one of its executives is John McCain's son, Andrew—takes an active role in lobbying against alcohol-related legislation. While her husband has long recused himself from such issues as a senator, he wouldn't be able to easily do so as president.
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Anheuser-Busch tries to avoid InBev takeover with Modelo talks
Wall Street Journal Jun 13, 08 6:55 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Anhueser-Busch has approached Mexian brewer Grupo Modelo about a possible merger, the Wall Street Journal reports, in an attempt to thwart an unwanted $46.35 billion takeover bid from Belgium’s InBev NV. Anhueser already owns 50% of Modelo, which is best known for its Corona brand. By buying the other 50%, it hopes to move out of InBev’s price range.
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Feds approve plan; new company would control 30% of market
Wall Street Journal Jun 5, 08 5:46 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The US Justice Department today approved a merger between Miller and Coors, opening the door to a union that will command almost 30% of US beer sales, the Wall Street Journal reports. Anheuser-Busch, the country’s largest brewer, controls about 50%. Regulators said the merger—expected to be wrapped up mid-year—“is not likely to lessen competition substantially.”
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Japanese brewery to craft beer whose barley comes from space-traveling seeds
Associated Press May 31, 08 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Want to try a heavenly lager? Come November, you might get a chance. Japan's Sapporo Breweries is harvesting barley this weekend from seeds that spent 5 months aboard the International Space Station, the AP reports. It then plans to brew 100 bottles of space beer, though it hasn't figured out yet who will actually get to drink it.
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Start early, go with whiskey—and jukebox is OK as long as it's not Cat Stevens
Esquire May 30, 08 7:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Being a lone drinker in a place as socially teeming as your local watering hole is a tough business. The trick is to treat the activity as a sacred art form, not as the last refuge of the social pariah, says Esquire . Its rules: Start early. No small talk. People-watch. Drink whiskey. No mixing.
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Brewer in Weed, Calif., told to scrap his caps
Los Angeles Times May 28, 08 8:32 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The feds are cracking down on a small brewer in Weed, Calif., because they're very much unamused by the slogan on his bottle caps: "Try Legal Weed." A bureau of the Treasury Department says the phrase not only alludes to marijuana but misleads consumers about the ingredients of Weed Ales, reports the Los Angeles Times . The 61-year old brewer faces big fines and sanctions but isn't budging.
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Stella maker could make unsolicited bid
Wall Street Journal May 24, 08 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Belgian-based brewer InBev NV is considering an unsolicited takeover of Anheuser-Busch, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Busch family is loathe to sell the 150-year-old American icon and brewer of Budweiser—Executive August A. Busch IV vowed it wouldn’t happen “on my watch”—but activist investors have been scooping up shares, hoping to force the issue. InBev and Anheuser are the world’s second- and third-largest brewers by volume.
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Deconstructing the hangover—and the folk remedies that are still the only hope
New Yorker May 20, 08 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hangovers have afflicted the recently drunk since the Stone Age, yet a dependable remedy remains elusive. A hangover takes hold just as the body succeeds in eliminating the alcohol from the blood stream, Joan Acocella notes in the New Yorker . It results from a pileup of insults the system sustains in getting the job done, she explains, deconstructing the telltale symptoms in vivid detail.
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Australian driver in hot water for protecting brew, not 5-year-old
Brisbane Times (Australia) May 13, 08 5:28 PM CDT
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An Australian man has been fined after buckling up his beer but letting a 5-year-old child ride sitting on the floor of his car. "The concern is about people's priorities," a police spokesperson told the Brisbane Times, adding, "It is very unusual to see someone go to the trouble of strapping in a carton of beer instead of a small child. That is the shocking thing."
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Partisan battle heats up as budget shortfall looms
Los Angeles Times May 9, 08 2:43 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A $1.80 tax on every six-pack of beer. An iTunes sales tax. A 25% tax on sex toys and pornographic entertainment. These are just some of the more creative measures put forth by California's Democratic lawmakers to close a budget shortfall estimated at $20 billion, the Los Angeles Times reports.
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