Free Republic

A dramatic drug bust at two Aspen restaurants busy with the après ski crowd has created a rift between the two major law enforcement agencies at one of Colorado's premier ski resort towns. Fifty-three officers from a number of law enforcement agencies, some with guns drawn, stormed into two Aspen restaurants during the busy after-ski time last Friday. The raids happened shortly after 4 p.m. and netted about 2 ounces of cocaine, $3,000 in cash, nine arrests for drug involvement and 11 for immigration law violations. Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis, an opponent of the "war on drugs" who believes...

Right before Thanksgiving, we wrote about the terrible-tasting flavors of Jones Soda Holiday Pack. But, we're happy to report about some new flavors from Coca Cola that sound promising: * Diet & Regular Black Cherry Vanilla Coke * Coca-Cola Blak, which is coffee-flavored Coke (we can't wait to try) Unfortunately, Coca-Cola Blak, which won't reach market until next year, is already being assaulted as "dangerous for kids" by the P.C. Food Police who apparently don't believe in parental responsibility. There are already trial lawyers preparing lawsuits against "Big Soda," including Coke and Pepsi and their bottlers. Coca Cola Black: Latest...

Trial lawyers who made a fortune from lawsuits against tobacco companies are moving on to a new potential payday: Suing soft drink companies over the sale of sugary beverages in schools. Stephen Gardner, staff lawyer for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and half a dozen other lawyers – several of them veterans of successful tobacco litigation – plan to file a lawsuit in the next few months seeking to ban sales of sugary beverages in schools.

NEW YORK- Coca-Cola is planning to launch Enviga, a soda that is said to burn 50 to 100 calories just by drinking a 12-oz. serving, next year, per one executive. Enviga, a green tea-based, caffeinated, carbonated drink, is in clinical testing and is said to speed up the user's metabolism. The beverage will target active lifestyle consumers. A Coke rep said, "Some [of our projects] may find their way to market and some may not." Studies have shown that drinking green tea may promote weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories

Russian Nationalist Party Prepares Bill Banning Coca-Cola, Pepsi Deputies of the ultra-nationalist Liberal-Democratic faction of the State Duma have prepared a draft law banning the sale of soft drinks containing caffeine and other stimulating supplements including vitamins, Ekho Moskvy radio reported on Monday. If passed, the bill would outlaw popular drinks such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The explanatory note to the bill says that despite the fact that caffeine content in Coca-Cola and Pepsi does not exceed the legally allowed norms, the drinks can nevertheless be hazardous as some consumers drink large quantities at a time. The radio quoted a...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - An Indian village has defied a court order and again refused to give US softdrink giant Coca-Cola permission to exploit water at its bottling facility, an official said. The southern Indian village would go to the Supreme Court to challenge a Kerala High Court directive that it issue a permit allowing Coca-Cola to use 500,000 litres of water a day, the village official said. Coke's plant is situated in Plachimada, 510 kilometres north of the Kerala state capital Thiruvananthapuram, which falls under the Perumatty village council administration. "We will appeal to the Supreme Court against the High Court's...

Apparently, if we’re to believe his friend’s tape recordings, George W. Bush smoked pot at some time in his life. In some quarters, this president is taking some heat for having actually inhaled. Well, I’m confessing that I, too, smoked a little weed in my younger days. Unlike some people, such as Bill Maher, I’m not bragging about it. It’s simply something I did, like riding a bike and practicing my hook shot three hours a day, and now I don’t. Therefore, unlike many of my fellow conservatives, when I discuss marijuana, I’ve had first hand experience with it. To...

NEW YORK -- How about some coffee-flavored cola in the morning? That's just one of several new flavors that Coca-Cola is testing. The head of Coke's North American operations, Don Knauss, also says the company plans to try out a new citrus-flavored soda called Vault. The hope is it will win over people who now drink Pepsi's Mountain Dew. Vault is Coke's biggest effort at winning over those consumers since its ill-fated launch nine years ago of a green-colored soda called Surge. It fell flat. The coffee-flavored cola, called Blak, is being tested in Spain and could enter the U.S....

The drafters of the free-trade agreements that have opened up the borders of Europe and North America probably weren't thinking about their effects on pop drinkers when they decided to promote free-market economics. But those who can't live without the fizzy stuff have tasted new sensations as trade barriers have fallen and regional Coca-Cola variants have started crossing borders. In the US, for example, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has enabled stores in Latin communities to cut back their orders for regular US Coke, and replace it with Mexican Coke, which can now be imported legally. The reason...

Low-cal Coke in testing stageBeverage would be a diet version of Coke Classic, targeting those who shun Diet Coke. By SCOTT LEITHThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 02/19/05You might think Diet Coke is an artificially sweetened cousin of Coke Classic.Fact is, Diet Coke has always had a whole different formula. A BEVERAGE SCORECARD This year, Coca-Cola and Pepsi are fighting to grab U.S. consumers with a flurry of new drinks. Some highlights:Already out: • Full Throttle energy drink (from Coca-Cola) • Flavored Dasani bottled water (from Coca-Cola)* • Coca-Cola with Lime** On the way: • Pepsi Lime • Pepsi One (reformulated with Splenda) • Diet Coke Sweetened...

Bill Clinton strolls Duval, draws crowds of admirers BY CHELSEA SOLMO Citizen Staff KEY WEST — The nation's 42nd president strolled Duval Street Saturday morning, looking like just another tourist with his magenta polo shirt and tropical woven bracelet — despite the imposing team of bodyguards that surrounded him. Many on Key West's busiest street were taken by surprise by Clinton's visit. Excited customers and store owners and numerous tourists lined up on Duval for the opportunity to shake hands with the former president. Clinton answered questions, posed for pictures, shook hands and admired shop windows. Four months after his...

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - A former Wall Street stockbroker plans to launch a hedge fund to short-sell shares in Coca-Cola Co. and give any profits to people in countries he says the U.S. drinks company has exploited. Max Keiser, 44, a self-styled "investment activist", has teamed up with the son of the late entrepreneur Sir James Goldsmith with the aim of halving Coke's share price to $22 dollars in 12 months from its current value of around $40. Profits from the fund would be distributed to the "victims of Coke" in a process supported and audited by Zak Goldsmith's...

As an attorney for Hennepin County, Julius Nolen specialized in prosecuting violent offenders, mainly sexual assault and child-abuse cases. His wife, Laura, was a criminal lawyer for the city of Minneapolis. Between them, they had 28 years of experience in criminal law for the city and county. But they also used cocaine, according to drug investigators who arrested the Nolens and three others Friday during what appeared to be a quiet cocaine party at the couple's home in southwest Minneapolis. "I know my career is over," Julius Nolen allegedly told officers after showing them a glass plate with two white...

For farmers in the eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh it is cheaper than pesticides and gets the job done just as well. The product? Pepsi or Coca-Cola. Agricultural scientists give them some backing - they say the high sugar content of the drinks can make them effective in combating pests. Unsurprisingly, Pepsi and Coca-Cola strongly disagree, saying there is nothing in the drinks that can be used in pest control. Cheaper

Fla. motorist arrested near Williamsburg on drug, assault charges By STEVE STONE, The Virginian-Pilot © August 13, 2004 Last updated: 12:23 AM A Florida man, who allegedly stopped along Interstate 64 near Williamsburg to inject himself with cocaine, attempted to run down a companion Thursday before plowing his pickup into a car, police said. Sgt. D.S. Carr , a state police spokesman, said Alan T. Bowen , 45, of Homosassa , Fla., was heading west on I-64 about 2:30 p.m. when he pulled off at Exit 238 , near Camp Peary. While stopped on the exit ramp, he “injected himself...

Some Military Bases on Alert for Coke's GPS Promotion Ellen Simon/Associated Press Jul 1, 2004 NEW YORK (AP) - There's a new security threat at some of the nation's military bases - and it looks uncannily like a can of Coke. Specially rigged Coke cans, part of a summer promotion, contain cell phones and global positioning chips. That has officials at some installations worried the cans could be used to eavesdrop, and they are instituting protective measures. Coca-Cola Co. says such concerns are nothing but fizz. Mart Martin, a Coca-Cola spokesman, said no one would mistake one of the winning...

If you own a TV, you've seen the Coca-Cola ad in which Sharlene Hector from the band Basement Jaxx stands on a crowded street singing "I Wish I Knew" and handing Cokes to smiling passersby. In 1971, Coke ads sang, "I'd like to buy the world a Coke." Now, apparently, that's what Coke is doing. This new campaign, like the earlier one, is happy. It's catchy. It's also cynical and appalling. "I Wish I Knew," for those who just tuned in, is a truncated version of "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," which was written...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal probe of Coca-Cola Co. has intensified as a federal grand jury was scheduled and regulators subpoenaed employees, The Wall Street Journal said on Monday. The grand jury will begin to hear testimony in the case around May 25, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the probe. The U.S. attorney's office and the Securities and Exchange Commission are examining whether Coca-Cola overshipped drink concentrate to distributors in some markets including Japan -- called "channel-stuffing" -- thereby possibly inflating financial results. Three former finance officials of the world's largest soft drink maker have told federal...