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LINCOLN, Neb. – An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota said it is demanding $500 million in damages for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation, which encompasses some of the nation's most impoverished counties. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Nebraska also targets four beer stores in Whiteclay, a Nebraska town near the reservation's border that, despite having only...

An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota said it is demanding $500 million in damages for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation.

A Saginaw News article posted this afternoon asks in its story headline, “Is Fabiano Bros. a Monopoly?” The story covers a verifiable assertion I laid out in a commentary titled “Eight Ideas for Reforming Alcohol Control in Michigan.” Unfortunately, the article is comprised largely of a collection of redirections on the part of the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association, the Lansing-based trade group that represents state wholesalers. Fabiano Bros. is a beer and wine wholesaler headquartered in mid-Michigan. First, and with respect to the reporter, she omits useful explanatory language. The full paragraph from my commentary reads: Eliminate the...

Man arrested for 3rd suspected DUI in 1 week IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. -- An Imperial Beach man was arrested for suspected drunken driving three times in five days, deputies said Sunday. Sheriff's deputies were called to a report of a drunken driver on Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach about 6:30 a.m. Sunday. When they arrived they found the driver, David Lakarnafeaux, 44, had walked inside a bar on Palm Avenue and Seacoast Drive, Sgt. Ted Greenwald said. When deputies arrested him, they discovered that Lakarnafeaux had already been arrested for the same charge twice last week: on Tuesday by San...

How Scottish Scientists Re-Created a Hundred-Year-Old Whisky Preserved in Antarctica since 1907, the Scotch that Ernest Shackleton drank is now available in stores In 1907, Ernest Shackleton and crew set out on the ship Nimrod to visit Antarctica and, they hoped, the South Pole. The good news was, the entire party survived the trip, thanks in part to the Rare Old Highland Whisky they brought to the frozen continent. But the expedition was forced to evacuate in 1909, some 100 miles short of the Pole they sought. And, as winter ice encroached and the men hurried home, they left behind...

Bartending Tips From Days of Old What's old is new again, and nowhere is that more true than in the cocktail world. New twists on classic cocktails are popping up everywhere, but most of us haven't even figured out how to make them sans twists yet. Luckily, the bartenders of yore have reached forward in time to give us invaluable advice on mixing these drinks of yesteryear. And publishers looking to capitalize on the cocktail craze have reached back to the of bartenders at the turn of last century to reprint some of the most storied mixology guides. Long before...

The Missouri Supreme Court has thrown out the results of a blood test on an unwilling suspect in a routine drunken-driving stop, ruling the officer should have obtained a judge’s warrant for the test.

LONG VIEW, NC (WBTV) - A mother had to shoot and kill her own son in what investigators are calling self defense early Friday morning. Long View police responded to 1st Avenue Place in Long View around 1 a.m. in reference to a shots fired call. When officers arrived they found 21-year-old Justin Barger shot dead in floor. Barger's parents told investigators they had poured out all the alcohol in the house after Barger became drunk. When his parents went to bed, Barger went into their bedroom and started assaulting them by pulling them out of bed and beating them...

John Bolton announced a few minutes ago that he has endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 election campaign. He believes Romney is the strongest conservative, who is electable. Bolton has informed himself of romney's writings and beliefs, and considers him the best conservative in the race. Greta's show repeats on Fox a 1 a.m.

First, Mayor Bloomberg went after smoking in public places. Then trans-fats, salt and sugary drinks. Now Bloomberg — known for sipping fine wine and downing a cold beer from time to time — wants to crack down on alcohol sales to curb excessive drinking, according to a provocative planning document obtained by The Post. The city Health Department’s far-reaching Partnership for a Healthier New York City initiatives proposes to slash the number of establishments in the city that sell booze. Community “transformation” grants provided under President Obama’s health-care law would help bankroll the effort.

With 38 million Americans involved in binge drinking, it is only a matter of time until the CDC calls for the repeal of the Twenty First Amendment.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — White Castle, a 90-year-old hamburger chain known for its square "slider" burgers, is sipping on the idea of offering alcoholic beverages as it tests beer and wine sales at a restaurant in Indiana. The food famously craved by stoners in the 2004 movie "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" can be had with a glass of wine or a domestic or seasonal beer at a Lafayette, Ind., restaurant that fuses a conventional White Castle with a new concept for the company called Blaze Modern BBQ. Wine costs $4.50 and beers start at $3.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The White Castle hamburger chain is sipping on the idea of selling alcoholic beverages at its restaurants. The 90-year-old company is testing beer and wine sales at a location in Lafayette, Ind., that combines a traditional White Castle burger joint with a Blaze Modern BBQ, a new restaurant concept also being tried out. In other cities, Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle is testing an Asian food concept and a restaurant that serves grilled sandwiches.

The Detroit News this morning published a story about the possibility of reforming the Michigan Liquor Control Code and its related rules. The author correctly notes that some groups and residents in Michigan are “on edge” over what the reforms may bring. One of those quoted, Mike Tobias of the group Michigan Alcohol Policy Promoting Health & Safety, argued that “We (Michigan) have plenty of liquor licenses and plenty of beverages sold over the counter. We know that the more alcohol outlets there are, the more alcohol-related problems and harm there is.” There are two problems with this quote. First,...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Drinking enough alcohol to become intoxicated increases aggression significantly in people who have one particular personality trait, according to new research. But people without that trait don’t get any more aggressive when drunk than they would when they’re sober. That trait is the ability to consider the future consequences of current actions. “People who focus on the here and now, without thinking about the impact on the future, are more aggressive than others when they are sober, but the effect is magnified greatly when they’re drunk,” said Brad Bushman, lead author of the study and professor of...

A new study shows the more a person drinks, the stronger their intention becomes to have unsafe sex.

I need some advice. I have a very special friend who loves good Scotch. He has everything else, so I thought I might wrap up a good Scotch for Christmas. I know he'll use this, unlike some worthless gift he won't want (I actually got him a massage for his birthday last sumer and he wouldn't go -- it's a macho thing). Okay I know this thread is going to raise some silly answers, but I am a beer drinker, and don't know a thing about the "refined" spirits. Id appreciate any serious answers to my question.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I went experimental on this batch of mead. I was concerned that fermentation was stuck and I honestly was afraid I might have to start over. My curiosity finally got the best of me last evening so I decided to sample and bottle it, if it was any good. Here is a list of what you need to bottle your mead. Getting ready for a cold winters night. EVERYTHING MUST BE STERILIZED! Bottles (20-24 per 5 Gal) Corks A container of water big enough to hold the corks Press to place the corks...

Imagine walking into your local wine, liquor or beer shop and finding all of your favorite brands on sale — permanently. This could be the reality for Washington liquor consumers as the state transitions from a government-run distribution system to a private one as a result of the state’s successful privatization initiative, which voters approved this month. The new system permits liquor producers to sell directly to retailers; something that is generally prohibited under the three-tier distribution system which separates producers from retailers by forcing them to sell their product to a wholesaler who then sells to stores. Freeing the...

No! Shame! – He got drunk, swore, smashed a tree – he is ashamed to look people in the face (1958, N. Velezheva, N. Kuzovkin).

How about forcing the manufacturers of alcoholic beverages to include graphic images of victims of alcohol-related fatal auto accidents on every purchase of a six-pack of beer, bottle of wine, or liquor? Or horrible graphic images of alcohol-related diseased kidneys or livers?Graphic images of victims of alcohol-related violence, disease, and auto accidents included along with every television advertisement?Including such horrible graphic images would tell the "other side" of the effects of the consumption of alcoholic beverages that Budweiser, and other well known sponsors of sporting events, deliberately do not address in their advertising. But that would sure make the booze lobby upset.The federal anti-smoking campaign wants to...

Like many states, Virginia has long had a concealed-carry law, one that permits citizens to carry concealed weapons upon securing a permit from the state. However, for a long time there was a glaring exception to the law: Concealed-carry permit holders were not permitted to carry their weapons into restaurants or bars that served liquor. This meant that people with concealed weapons either had to leave their guns at home or in their car or ignore the law and hope they didn’t get caught. About a year ago, the law was changed. People can now carry concealed weapons into restaurants...

If you live in Michigan, you can’t order online from wine retailers in other states, at least not if you want the wine shipped to your door. But action this Election Day far off in Washington State may send tremors across America by cracking open the anti-consumer, anti-competitive alcohol regulations there. Entrenched interests — particularly alcohol wholesalers — appear frightful that they will be the ones to suffer from government withdrawal from the industry. But if enthusiasm for such freedom becomes contagious and spreads to other states, consumers will reap the benefits. Washington state’s initiative strikes at the heart of...

‘Food Day’ was earlier this week, an event sponsored by The Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI). To celebrate the CSPI released their ‘Terrible Ten’ food list. It seems fitting that this list was released just before Halloween, as it makes ‘monsters’ out of food. “Vending machines dispensing soft drinks and candy are the ubiquitous, mute, metallic monsters that promote unhealthy diets 24/7”, according to the list. Even Toucan Sam is among CSPI’s list of terrors, “Kellogg’s Froot Loops, a fruit-less sugary cereal gussied up with synthetic dyes, is one of a host of junk foods marketed heavily...

You can watch the full video at the link, but I'll summarize: Under-age teens have figured out that they can soak Gummi candy (bears, worms, LifeSavers, whatever) in vodka, and then carry the candy into school, sporting events, movies, etc. The knowledge is spreading quickly through social networking like Facebook. Left overnight, the gelatin in the candy can soak up a lot of liquid. Since vodka doesn't have much of an odor, you have to eat the candy or smell it carefully to realize it has been soaked in liquor.

CUDAHY - Under Wisconsin’s new concealed carry law, people who have permits could carry guns into taverns like as long as they’re not drinking. That has bar owners across the state weighing whether they want to rely on customers to monitor themselves, come November 1 when the law takes effect. Bob Hoefs has been in the bar business for four years, long enough to know he doesn’t want weapons where he works. “My clientele, I tend to believe wouldn’t be carrying them to begin with, said Hoefs. He plans to post signs outside his bar banning weapons inside, come Nov....

For decades, Jack Daniel's whiskey has celebrated its small Tennessee hometown of Lynchburg with folksy, black-and-white advertisements urging folks to slow down and have a sip. Now local officials want the maker of the world's top-selling whiskey to pay a bigger bar tab as they struggle with their budget. How does up to $5 million sound? A measure approved by the Moore County Council asks the Tennessee legislature to authorize a local referendum on whether the distillery should pay that much in new taxes on the 500,000 barrels it fills with whiskey each year.

Some of them were 15... some 12 years old Does their cruelty know NO limit? Be warned, these repulsive images  are not for the faint-of-heart: ______________________________________________ Sick bas-----s! 'Risky Whiskey' smuggling video/more at Reaganite Republican _____________________________________________ WarNet.ws   h/t Speedunque

Police said a Louisville man drove his car into a ditch and then told officers he only had "two pizzas to drink" for lunch. According to arrest records, Louisville police were dispatched to a vehicle in a ditch at the intersection of La Costa Road and Stonybrook Drive about 10 p.m. Saturday. Police said when officers arrived, an off-duty St. Matthews police officer was talking to the driver, 68-year-old Donn Adams. Adams seemed confused and disoriented, police said, and told officers he only had two pizzas to drink for lunch. Officers asked Adams if he was under the influence of...

Midnight on St Mary Street in Cardiff and everything is exactly as expected. Half a dozen young women slump in a gutter, men urinate outside a health-food shop and, as hordes stagger between nightclubs, someone lifts up a blow-up doll with a sex toy protruding out of it. The street smells of urine and lager, police struggle to break up a fight outside the Walkabout bar and a paramedic bundles a comatose girl on to a wheelchair. But it's a quiet night for 20-year-old Naomi Jenkins. She has 'only' drunk three shots of peach schnapps, cider and three shots of...

EXCLUSIVE: You've heard this shocking "fact" before -- on TV and radio, in newspapers, on the Internet and from the highest politicians in the land: 90 percent of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States. -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it to reporters on a flight to Mexico City. -- CBS newsman Bob Schieffer referred to it while interviewing President Obama. -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said at a Senate hearing: "It is unacceptable to have 90 percent of the guns that are picked up in Mexico and used to shoot judges,...

Fans of documentary-maker Ken Burns (“The Civil War,” “Baseball”) are already looking forward to his newest work, “Prohibition,” scheduled for release Oct. 2. Alas, though prohibition was repealed nearly 80 years ago, Michigan still suffers a hangover in the form of a sour regulatory mash that drinks in too many consumer dollars for too little return. As viewers enjoy the new Burns documentary, they may want to brush up on Prohibition’s legacy in the Great Lake State with some useful Mackinac Center publications on the subject. Indeed, a prerequisite for Professor Burns’ “course” might be a Mackinac Center video called...

For an issue that’s usually relegated to a few paragraphs in history books, Prohibition sure has become a hot topic on TV. The 18th Amendment — that “Noble Experiment” that turned out to be one of the country’s biggest civic failures — is the subject of a fascinating new documentary by Ken Burns. “Prohibition” chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of a constitutional amendment that tried to legislate human behavior and, along the way, unleashed a slew of unintended consequences. The first episode of Burns’ three-part series debuts on PBS Sunday, the same night HBO’s hit series “Boardwalk Empire” airs...

Nearly 80 years after prohibition ended, the temperance movement in the United States continues to thrive in the form of state-run liquor stores which attempt to limit consumption of liquor through price manipulation. Yet while last century's temperance movement sought to protect women and children from “the drink,” those who defend government-controlled liquor sales today aren’t quite so altruistic. Their concern is state tax revenues and government jobs. Currently, 19 jurisdictions (18 states and one county) use government monopolies to control how alcohol is sold. The degree of monopolization varies — most states allow wine and beer to be sold...

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Drinking alcohol in moderate quantities can reduce the risk of asthma, according to Danish researchers. The study, which will be presented today (25 September 2011) at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Amsterdam, found that drinking 1-6 units of alcohol a week could reduce the risk of developing the condition. The research examined 19,349 twins between the ages of 12 and 41 yrs of age. All participants completed a questionnaire at the start and end of the study to compare alcohol intake with the risk of developing asthma over 8 yrs. The results showed that the...

Good morning and welcome to Summit Up, the world's only daily column that is going to use this teeny, tiny space to talk about a huge, but under-acknowledged local problem: moose alcoholism. As you can see from the disturbing photo above, this is a growing issue in our community, with moose practically dropping everything to chase down Coors trucks and other such madness. We can no longer look the other way. But our concern is not only for the well being of our local fauna — we can't have our moose developing hangovers or liver disease — but also for...

A drunken elk desperate for just one more mouthful of fermenting apples lost its balance in the attempt, leaving it stuck in an apple tree in western Sweden. When Per Johansson of Särö, south of Gothenburg, returned home from work on Tuesday it was dark outside and the rain was coming down hard. Suddenly Johansson heard a bellowing noise from the garden next door. “I thought at first that someone was having a laugh. Then I went over to take a look and spotted an elk stuck in an apple tree with only one leg left on the ground,” Johansson...

The Memphis District Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed suit against the Old Dominion Freight Line trucking company contending that its policy against hiring alcoholics to drive their trucks violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Katharine Kores, director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, maintains that “alcoholism is a disability. As such, it cannot be used as a reason for barring a person from employment.” To counter the company’s claim that putting an alcoholic behind the wheel of a 40-ton truck would be unsafe, the EEOC’s suit argues that “there are other ways the firm can promote...

A Drink a Day May Keep Alzheimer's Away Fran Lowry   August 26, 2011 — Light to moderate drinking seems to reduce the risk for dementia and cognitive decline, according to a new study published in the August issue of Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. A meta-analysis of 143 studies on the effects of alcohol on the brain showed that moderate drinking, defined as no more than 2 drinks a day for a man and no more than 1 drink a day for a woman, reduced the risk for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia by 23%. "It doesn't seem...

Why do so many of our leaders always want to associate legal alcoholic beverages with sinful behavior? We understand that too much drinking has gotten a few legislators and other officials in legal hot water but most Utahns -- including those who do not drink -- do not associate having a beer with jails. If we need to pay more for jail space, the Legislature needs to place it at a higher funding priority. Or, we need to up taxes; sometimes that's necessary. The prudish, offensive way to do it is by upping beer prices. That's what the Legislature may...

A Senate committee listened Tuesday to the pros and cons of expanding Maryland's sales tax base to include more services, as well as goods purchased over the Internet. The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee spent the day in Annapolis receiving briefings on taxes, the federal debt ceiling, education funding and toll increases. Legislative committees meet occasionally between the 90-day General Assembly sessions. Tangible products, but few services, sold by Maryland retailers are taxed at 6 percent. This year, the sales tax is predicted to generate $4.2 billion, about 30 percent of the state's general fund revenue, according to the Department...

Methods for distinguishing between authentic and counterfeit Scotch whisky brands have been devised by scientists at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Researchers from the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry have found new ways to compare the content of whisky samples to determine if they are the whisky on the label or an imitation brand. A series of blind tests successfully put the real whisky brand and the fakes in the right categories. The system could enhance the technology industry uses to tackle the trade in illicit whisky, which costs huge sums in lost revenue and threatens brand reputation....

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a bill that officially classifies beer as alcoholic. Until now anything containing less than 10% alcohol in Russia has been considered a foodstuff. The move, signed into law on Wednesday, will allow ministers to control the sale of beer in the same way that spirits are controlled. Russian alcohol consumption is already twice the critical level set by the World Health Organization. Although vodka has long been the traditional tipple in Russia, beer has soared in popularity, being marketed as a healthier alternative to spirits. Over the past decade, beer sales in Russia have...

Ancient Greeks engraved their drinking cups with groveling entreaties to the spirit Pausikrepalos, whose main job was delegating and regulating hangovers. Their Roman counterparts preferred to wolf down fried canaries and owl eggs. The Mongolians relied on sheep eyes, the Assyrians swore by ground-up sparrow beaks. Colonial Puritans flogged themselves and bled the hangover out, while Old West cowboys brewed up a pot of Jackrabbit dung tea. Voodoo-inclined Haitians would (and probably still do) jab 13 pins into the cork of the bottle that brought the pain. And then there’s the hair of the dog. The theory that a hangover...

SUNDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking and water sports are highlights of summer fun for many Americans, but mixing the two can be hazardous, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism warns. Alcohol is involved in half of all water recreation-related deaths of teens and adults, according to the NIAAA, which outlined a number of potentially dangerous scenarios: Alcohol can impair swimmers' judgment and increase their risk-taking. For example, swimmers may go out farther than they should and be unable to make it back to shore, or they may not notice how cold they're getting and develop hypothermia....

A police officer has been fired after allegedly losing his temper at a cook-off and throwing a tear gas grenade at a rival team - many of whom were military amputees. Mike Hamby, 52, could face criminal charges for the drunken attack, which happened at this year's Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo BBQ Cook-Off in Texas. Several members of the team were left vomiting and with burning eyes after Hamby, an officer with 30 years service, allegedly flung a military-style 'clear-out' grenade into their tent. Hamby, who was off-duty, had been drinking before the incident in February, according to police...

During repeated calls to Vero Beach police, Lionel Johnson is said to have talked of the CIA and wanted police to foot the bill for his room at the Oceanaire Motel. Johnson, 46, is quoted as telling police they were "sexy," before unscrewing the cap of a bottle of Wild Irish Rose and taking a swig. That, according to recently released records, was the situation about 11:25 p.m. one day last week before police locked Johnson up on a possession of an open container of alcoholic beverage in public ordinance. Police went to the 1000 block of 21st Street in...

No charges will be lodged against West Chester bar for serving "Jackass" star, state police say "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn drank six shots and two beers at Barnaby's in West Chester before getting behind the wheel early Monday morning, Pennsylvania State Police say. Police say that Dunn was legally drunk at the time of the accident that killed him and a friend early Monday morning. Dunn’s blood alcohol level was .196 – twice that of the state’s legal limit of .08 -- when he crashed his Porshe on Rt. 322 killing himself and his passenger Zach Hartwell, according to police....

Gun ownership, carrying a gun linked to heavy alcohol use Large, multi-state study shows certain gun owners more likely to drink excessively June 14, 2011 (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Gun owners who carry concealed weapons or have confronted another person with a gun are more than twice as likely to drink heavily as people who do not own guns, according to a study by UC Davis researchers. Binge drinking, chronic heavy alcohol use, and drinking and driving were all more common among gun owners generally than among non-owners, even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, race, and state of...

If you thought leaving a spouse was tough, just be thankful that you’re not a brewery in need of a divorce from your dead-beat distributor. A recently released video from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy explains how the mandatory three-tier system for alcohol distribution has resulted in an acrimonious relationship between brewers and wholesalers and the deleterious effects it has had on the state’s market.