Alaskan fatalities from alcohol-related diseases plunged when levy was raised
Chicago Tribune Nov 15, 08 3:52 AM CST
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Higher liquor taxes may reduce deaths related to alcohol consumption, the Chicago Tribune reports. A new study examined Alaska’s alcohol tax rates over a 30-year period in conjunction with deaths from alcohol-related diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver. When taxes were raised, such deaths decreased by as much as 29%.
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Mail Goggles meant to help prevent you writing missives you'll regret
New York Times Oct 19, 08 2:35 PM CDT
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With drunk-dialing evolving at the speed of technology, people need an updated version of that friend who grabs your phone and says, "Dude, don't call her." But, asks Alex Williams in a look at Google's Mail Goggles in the New York Times, "Are we becoming so tethered to our keyboards that we really need the technological equivalent of trigger locks on firearms?" The answer, it would seem, is a resounding yes.
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Study links alcohol to brain shrinkage
Health.com Oct 14, 08 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
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That nightly glass of wine may be good for the heart, but apparently not for the brain. Researchers say that those who imbibe, even in moderate amounts, end up with slightly smaller brains, Health.com reports. The finding surprised scientists, who were seeking evidence that alcohol actually prevented such shrinkage. Abstainers fared best, averaging brains 1.5% larger than those of heavy drinkers in the study of nearly 2,000 people.
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Mail Goggles works late on the weekend to make drunken email tougher to get to
InformationWeek Oct 7, 08 12:52 PM CDT
(Newser)
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If you've ever, after a few drinks, sent an email you later regretted, Google's got a gadget for you, InformationWeek reports. Mail Goggles, a play on those beer goggles that make you see (and think) fuzzy, activates late night on weekends “to verify you're in the right state of mind,” the company explains, “making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send.”
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GLOSSIES
Radar helps you spice up a presidential Friday night
Radar Sep 26, 08 4:14 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With tonight's presidential debate a go, and happily coinciding with TGIF festivities, Neel Shah rolls out Radar ’s debate drinking game. Some highlights: Take a sip when: John McCain calls himself a maverick; Barack Obama rolls his eyes as McCain calls himself a maverick; McCain calls viewers his friends; Obama calls viewers his brothers.
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Fashion insiders stay sober for the sake
of their careers
New York Post Sep 16, 08 4:34 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Fashion-industry parties are known for being boozy, but some insiders are staying sober to help give their careers an edge, Page Six magazine reports. "Sobriety has made me productive—to a deranged degree," says Barneys' creative director, who quit drinking 20 years ago. Maybe the teetotalers are on to something: Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg are known to skip the hooch at events.
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It's not the stuff of legend, but it makes a fine cocktail
Esquire Aug 7, 08 12:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Absinthe is back on sale in the US after being outlawed since 1912 because of a compound believed to cause hallucinations, but two brands were approved for sale last year. So Esquire rounded up the five best bottles of absinthe. Vieux Pontarlier ($65): Absinthe at its finest. Versinthe ($55): This "training-wheels" absinthe weighs in at just 90 proof.
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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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Distillers hold tradition close, but explore unconventional tastes
AFP Jun 12, 08 2:37 PM CDT
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The art of distilling whiskey is alive and well in Scotland, with makers sticking to the spirit’s roots while expanding its flavor ranges, AFP reports. Though earthy, smoky beverages remain at their core, the Dewar’s and Glenmorangie distilleries are developing whiskeys with mild flavors ranging to honey, waxed lemons, ginger, and even vanilla.
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OPINION
Marriage threatens herds of single men
Times (UK) May 28, 08 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Are you a straight, proud, unmarried man over 30? Then you're part of a dying breed, writes Tad Safran in the Times UK . Dubbed "Spurmos," these endangered bachelors drink in increasing isolation as friends succumb to marriage, wine racks and child-rearing. Having roamed in great herds in their 20s, Spurmos can find themselves hard up for buddies, if not female companionship. Notable Spurmos include George Clooney, Vincent van Gogh, Voltaire and Indiana Jones.
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OPINION
Quality has flourished over the past decade, Times wine critic says
New York Times Apr 24, 08 6:00 PM CDT
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The dry rieslings Eric Asimov sampled a decade ago in Germany were “tart and shrill,” he writes in the New York Times. So "how did they get so good" since? Lower-quality wines aren’t shipped to America, hypothesizes one wine importer, who nevertheless concedes that the country's great dry rieslings are more plentiful than they were 10 years ago.
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Russian spirit targets rich women, prompts alcoholism fears
Reuters Mar 20, 08 4:56 PM CDT
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A made-for-women vodka touted as the perfect salad accompaniment has sobered Russian doctors, who fear high-end spirits like "Ladies" will only worsen already-high rates of alcoholism, Reuters reports. Estimates peg 10 percent of Russia's 142 million citizens as alcoholics, and the chief of one rehab center says 60% of his clients are women.
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Even casual drinking heightens breast cancer risk 3-fold, researchers say
Reuters Mar 11, 08 5:31 PM CDT
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Postmenopausal women who drink casually while taking hormones will raise their chance of getting breast cancer, researchers said today. A Danish study of 5,000 women showed that those on estrogen and other hormones increased breast cancer risk three-fold by downing one or two drinks a day; a third drink or more raised the risk by almost 5 times.
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OPINION
Times oenophile comes out of shell, tries vin rouge with his oysters — and lives!
New York Times Feb 29, 08 5:25 PM CST
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Oysters and red wine? "Why not?" asks Eric Asimov in the New York Times . Wine pairing as a science can drain a meal of its pleasure, while instincts and taste-testing add adventure. After Parisian waiters twice recommended red with a foodie blogger's oysters, Asimov traded the usual suspects (muscadet, Chablis, Champagne) for a lineup of non-fruity reds.
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