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Liquor is abundant in Arabic culture, its role a liquid of material and spiritual pleasure; considering that the Arab heritage is poetic as well as literary, liquor and other spirits abound in these works, their presence being felt in many types of poetic works. This makes liquor an element in reading material, a depiction meant to show splendor and fame, or a catchall term for drinks similar to it. So that one may attempt to approach the poetic truth, characteristics are attributed to liquor, like being a drink with the ability to transcend that which is sensual or habitual (any...

Lawyers for the Texas teenager who killed four people in the "affluenza" drunken-driving case and was captured in Mexico said on Tuesday they are investigating whether the 18-year-old chose to flee or was forced. Judge Timothy Menikos of Tarrant County juvenile court deferred a ruling on a move to transfer Ethan Couch's case to adult court because his parents were not adequately notified about the proceedings.Tarrant County prosecutors contended Couch is responsible for his own absence by fleeing to Mexico. His mother was returned to Texas and faces a third-degree felony charge, accused of helping her son flee, that could...

In the political scheme of things how important is Iowa? Their caucuzoiding (new word) is as arcane as electing a Pope. "The caucuses are an event where voters from all of 1,774 Iowa voting precincts meet to elect delegates to the county conventions. From the county convention, of which there are exactly 99, delegates are chosen for the state party convention. Eventually, the state party convention elects delegates to attend the national party convention, where a Presidential nominee is selected. The process is similar for both Democrat and Republican candidates. The winner of the Iowa caucus receives the most delegates...

The National Transportation Safety Board wants to decrease the legal driving limit to one drink, lowering the legal limit on blood-alcohol content to 0.05 “or even lower.” The agency released its “most wanted list” on Wednesday, a laundry list of policies it would like implemented nationally. The list includes recommendations to reduce the current 0.08 blood alcohol content limit and outlaw all cell phone use while driving, even hands-free technology.

Hillary Clinton's biggest cheerleader, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, is celebrating something different about the floundering Democratic presidential candidate: Her boozing. In an email titled "One hell of a president," McAuliffe writes: I love Hillary Clinton. No one's tougher. No one's smarter. No one has a better command of the issues. And, from personal experience, no one's more fun to throw back a cocktail with. Former President Bill Clinton's golfing pal and fundraiser, McAuliffe is familiar with bars and alcohol. As governor, he brought in top shelf booze to the governor's mansion for parties with legislators. He is key to Clinton...

Woman Proves Her Body Brews Alcohol To Beat DUI Charges Drink driving charges against a woman in New York have been dismissed after it was revealed she suffers from auto-brewery syndrome - a rare digestive condition that turns food into alcohol. The 35-year-old teacher was pulled over in New York last October after police received reports her Toyota Carolla was "weaving all over" the road. When pulled over and tested, she recorded a blood-alcohol level of more than four times the legal limit at 0.33%. Police alleged that she failed several field sobriety tests, including standing on one foot and...

Matthew DeRemer, 31, was riding his motorcycle in Largo, Florida when he was struck by a drunk driver, Fox 13 News reports. DeRemer was pronounced dead at the scene. Hours before he passed, DeRemer wrote a Facebook post reflecting on obstacles he overcame in 2015 and appearing hopeful for 2016.Matthew DeRemer · 1,476 followers · December 31, 2015 at 6:06am · Last day of 2015!!!! For me I'll be meditating through all I do, on this entire year. I've lost, I've gained, family is closer and tougher than ever before, loved ones lost, and new friends found. There has been...

Alcohol cited as cause in N Koreans' deaths Mon, 4 January 2016 Khouth Sophak Chakrya Two North Korean doctors died on Saturday from apparent alcohol poisoning in circumstances police initially deemed suspicious. Dr An Hyong Chan, 56, and Dr Rimun Chol, 50, died in the clinic that doubles as their home on Street 594 in Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district, after an evening of eating and drinking with their wives and 10 other North Koreans, according to Boeung Kak II commune police chief Khan Khun Tith. "According to the autopsy report, the victims both died of a heart attack," he...

Two people were killed in suspected road rage shootings on a western Oklahoma interstate overnight after police say a man drove through three counties firing randomly from his pickup truck. The suspected gunman in the hour-long rampage spanning 50 miles and three counties later surrendered and was being held in a county jail. He has not been named as of Thursday morning. Custer County Sheriff Bruce Peoples said reports came shortly before midnight of a man firing at vehicles on Interstate 40 in Canadian County, which is adjacent to Oklahoma City. The suspect apparently continued driving west on the highway,...

'Affluenza' teen's mother back in U.S. Tonya Couch, the mother of "affluenza" teen Ethan Couch has returned to the United States. In video obtained by CNN, the mother can be seen in handcuffs with U.S. Marshals at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Texas prosecutors have said Tonya Couch will be charged with hindering the apprehension of a juvenile, and if convicted, faces between two and 10 years in jail. A Mexican immigration official with knowledge of the case said Ethan Couch's attorneys had filed a writ to seek protection and block his deportation. If the teen confirms his wish to...

Rest assured, TCU fans will remember the 2015 Alamo Bowl — a game that will see their quarterback mired in controversy. Trevone Boykin was arrested early Thursday morning in San Antonio, according to News 4 San Antonio. This comes just two days before the Valero Alamo Bowl between No. 11 TCU and No. 15 Oregon kicks off as one of the bowl season's marquee matchups. According to the report, San Antonio police claim Boykin was arrested after hitting a patrol officer following a fight at Pat O'Brien's — a New Orleans-themed night club on Alamo Plaza. The San Antonio NBC...

Drunken-driving charges against an upstate New York woman have been dismissed based on an unusual defense: Her body is a brewery.The woman was arrested while driving with a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit. She then discovered she has a rare condition called "auto-brewery syndrome," in which her digestive system converts ordinary food into alcohol, her lawyer Joseph Marusak said in interviews this week. A town judge in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg dismissed the drunken-driving charges this month after Marusak presented a doctor's research showing the woman had the previously undiagnosed condition in which high levels...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Drunken-driving charges against an upstate New York woman have been dismissed based on an unusual defense: Her body is a brewery. The woman was arrested while driving with a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit. She then discovered she has a rare condition called “auto-brewery syndrome,” in which her digestive system converts ordinary food into alcohol, her lawyer Joseph Marusak said in interviews this week. A town judge in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg dismissed the drunken-driving charges this month after Marusak presented a doctor’s research showing the woman had the previously undiagnosed...

Ethan Couch and his mother were granted a three-day stay of their deportation to the U.S., The Associated Press reported. An official with Mexico’s Migration Institute spoke on condition of anonymity because he or she wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name. It was unknown whether Couch’s mother would also be granted a delay, according to the Associated Press report. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said he was told by U.S. Marshals that an attorney representing the Couches filed a "legal writ," to prevent the pair from leaving Mexico. "Couch and his mother cannot be deported from Mexico until legal...

Couch and his 48-year-old mother disappeared earlier this month, prompting officials in Tarrant County, Texas, to issue a warrant for his arrest... Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said that when the Couches arrive back in the United States, the young man will appear in juvenile court and his mother will be arrested. The sheriff told a news conference that the two had had a going-away party before leaving the United States... The two were captured at the crossing of two streets near the popular Malecon, or boardwalk, in Puerto Vallarta. A police booking picture from Mexico showed the previously blond...

(Reuters) - A Texas teen, who was a fugitive after allegedly breaking his probation sentence for killing four people while driving drunk, has been arrested in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, CNN reported on Monday, citing officials briefed on the matter. Ethan Couch, 18, was sentenced to probation about two years ago in juvenile court for intoxication manslaughter and is wanted in Tarrant County, Texas. He and his mother went missing earlier this month.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A teenage girl remains in critical condition at Strong Memorial Hospital when the car she was riding was struck by a drunk driver in Clarkson Thursday night. Sheriff's deputies say the crash happened on Redman Road, just north of West Ridge Road around 7 p.m. They say Efrain Lopez-Contreras, 29, was driving drunk and crossed the center line and struck a car being diven by Tony Bartolucci, 52, and his 14-year-old daughter Gianna. Witnesses told deputies that following the crash, Lopez-Contreras got out of his car and left the scene. The car being driven by Bartolucci became...

Alcohol Voted 'Worst' Christmas Gift The results of a recent poll by review and research organisation Consumer Reports have revealed alcohol is considered the "worst" gift to receive at Christmas. The Consumer Reports National Research Center designed a survey to explore "general sentiment and shopping behaviours" for the 2015 winter holiday season. Out of the 1,300 US residents polled - statistically weighted so that respondents in the survey were demographically and geographically representative of the US population - spirits such as vodka, rum and whisky received the highest number of votes for 'worst gift', with 20% listing booze as the...

In a move that allows a Wheeling funeral home to "pioneer" into uncharted territory, the Wheeling village board Monday approved the creation of a new liquor license that allows Kolssak Funeral Home to serve alcohol during funerals and wakes. David Kolssak, CFO of Kolssak Funeral Home, 189 South Milwaukee Avenue, came to the Dec. 7 village board meeting for discussion on his proposal to work with a Wheeling catering company in serving alcohol to funeral and wake attendees to keep up with the changing ways people are celebrating the death of loved ones. Kolssak says he sees things moving away...

An arrest warrant has been issued for a teenager who, two years ago, made national news when he was sentenced to probation in Texas for a drunken driving crash that killed four people. Ethan Couch's defense coined an infamous defense -- that he suffered from "affluenza," or that he was a rich kid who was less to blame for his crime because his parents didn't set limits for him. Ethan Couch's probation officer couldn't reach him this week, Couch's lawyers told CNN. Couch's mother, with whom the 18-year-old lives, is also missing, said Scott Brown and William Reagan. Their apparent...