Coozer-Bits.

Media: How the advertising boycott helped push Glenn Beck off the air.

Duh: Civic group finds the LIRR is the least efficient commuter railroad in the nation.

Health: India emerges as world's leading vaccine producer.

Duh: US Senate probe finds Goldman Sachs knowingly misled and fleeced their investors.

Booze: Cheap wine as good as expensive wine in blind taste tests.

Coozer-Bits.

WTF: Nazi books suddenly huge in Britain.

Booze: 14 surprising facts about beer.

Lame: GOP-run House votes to terminate Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Media: Fox News' union-busting crusade.

Former president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving arrested... for drunk driving.

From Daily Mail:

A former president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been arrested for driving while nearly three times over the alcohol limit.

Debra Oberlin, from Gainesville, Florida, was spotted driving erratically, swerving and crossing lanes just after 1 in the morning, police said.

When an officer pulled her over she allegedly smelled of alcohol and had watery, bloodshot and dilated eyes.

The 48-year-old estate agent had difficulty on a field sobriety test - including walking in a straight line and standing on one leg - and registered a .234 and .239 on breath alcohol tests. Florida's legal limit for driving is .08

Oberlin told MailOnline that her mother's death at Christmas had affected her badly and that the drink-drive episode was a one-off.

She had been out to watch a friend play at an acoustic night and was giving somebody a lift home because she thought they were the one over the limit.

'I didn't want them to drive,' she said. 'I didn't know I was intoxicated. I hadn't eaten all day. I thought I was overtired and I was hungry.

'I screwed up. I'm really sorry.

'I'm not this terrible, hypocritical person. I'm a hard-working person who has gone through the biggest personal loss in my life.

'The physical stress, hunger and tiredness meant the alcohol affected me more than it normally would.'

Oberlin, who has two grown-up children, was the president of the local chapter of MADD for three years in the 1990s.

Shipwreck's oldest beer to be analyzed, brewed again.

Item!

Samples of the world's oldest beer have been taken in a bid to determine its recipe - and brew it again.

In July 2010, a Baltic Sea shipwreck dated between 1800 to 1830 yielded many bottles of what is thought to be the world's oldest champagne.

Five of the bottles later proved to be the oldest drinkable beer yet found.

The local government of the Aland island chain where the wreck was found has now commissioned a scientific study to unpick the beer's original recipe.

Divers found the two-mast ship at a depth of about 50 metres in the Aland archipelago, which stretches between the coasts of Sweden and Finland in the Baltic Sea.

The ship was believed to be making a journey between Copenhagen in Denmark and St Petersburg, then the capital of Russia.

The salvaging operation to bring up 145 champagne bottles - since determined to include vintages from Heidseck, Veuve Clicquot, and Juglar - had one casualty: a bottle that burst open at the surface, revealing itself to be beer.

The brew has already been sampled by four professional beer tasters.

"They said that it did taste very old, which is no surprise, with some burnt notes. But it was quite acidic - which could mean there's been some fermenting going on in the bottle and with time it's become acid," said Annika Wilhelmson of the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT).

VTT has now been commissioned to get to the bottom of the sunken beer's recipe.

"We're going to try to see if we can find any living yeast or other microbial cells, because that would be very interesting with respect to reproducing the beer," Dr Wilhelmson explained.

Banned energy drinks converted to ethanol.

Item here.

Truckloads of Four Loko and other alcohol-laced energy drinks are being recycled into ethanol and other products after federal authorities told manufacturers the beverages were dangerous and caused users to become "wide-awake drunk."

Wholesalers from Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and other East Coast states started sending cases of the high-alcohol, caffeinated malt beverages to MXI Environmental Services in Virginia after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a crackdown on the sale of such beverages in November.

Brian Potter, vice president of operations at MXI's facility in Abingdon, Va., said about a couple of hundred truckloads of the drinks would be coming to the plant. Each truck holds 2,000 cases of the 23.5-ounce cans.

MXI Enterprises is one of three facilities in the U.S. that recycle ethanol, according to the American Coalition for Ethanol, an industry group. Potter said Thursday that his competitors also are taking shipments of the drinks.

"We're equipped to process four truckloads a day, and we're at full capacity," he said. "There are about 30 different products involved, and we've only seen a couple of them at this point. It could go on for several months."

The FDA issued warning letters to four companies on Nov. 17 saying the beverages' combination of caffeine and alcohol can lead to a "wide-awake drunk." The agency called the caffeine an "unsafe food additive." Warning letters were sent to Phusion Projects, Charge Beverages Corp., New Century Brewing Co. and United Brands Company Inc.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said at the time that consuming the drinks has led to alcohol poisoning, car accidents and assaults.

Health experts have raised concerns that the caffeine can mask a person's perception of intoxication, leading them to drink more than they typically would before passing out. Many of those who consume the drinks are college-age and underage drinkers.

The four companies decided to pull their beverages from stores or reformulate them to remove caffeine or other stimulants after the FDA's ruling. Under pressure from states' attorneys general, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors removed their Bud Extra, Tilt and Sparks drinks from the market two years ago.

Coozer-Bits.

Health: Quitting smoking may reduce depression.

Yipes: Kinky sex act with knife goes horribly wrong. (Not as bad as it sounds.)

Awesome: Luckiest man alive has whipped cream truck crash outside house - years after chocolate syrup truck crashes his house too!

Health: 4 fun ways to prevent prostate cancer!

Boozalicious: Brits get trapped in pub for 9 days.

Duh: Consumer Reports finds that AT&T is the worst carrier.

Red wine packed with anti-diabetes compounds.

From New Scientist:

Red wine is a potent source of antidiabetic compounds – but they might not get past your gut. The finding is sure to enliven the ongoing debate over the drink's health benefits.

Alois Jungbauer and colleagues at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria, tested 10 reds and two whites to find out how strongly the wines bound to a protein called PPAR-gamma, which is targeted by the antidiabetic drug rosiglitazone. (This drug is marketed under the brand name Avandia and, while still available in the US, has been withdrawn in Europe because of fears over side effects.)

PPAR-gamma is a type of protein called a receptor. Among other things, it regulates the uptake of glucose in fat cells. Rosiglitazone targets PPAR-gamma in fat cells to make them more sensitive to insulin and improve the uptake of glucose. It is used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, a condition where people either do not make enough insulin to keep their body's glucose levels down, or become resistant to normal insulin levels.

Several studies have shown that moderate consumption of red wine can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. So Jungbauer and colleagues determined the wines' binding affinity for PPAR-gamma and compared the results with the effects of rosiglitazone. They found that the white wines had low binding affinities, but all the reds bound readily: the tendency of 100 millilitres of red wine – about half a glass – to bind to PPAR-gamma is up to four times as strong as the same tendency in the daily dose of rosiglitazone.

"It's incredible. It's a really high activity," says Jungbauer. "At first we were worried it was an artefact, but then we identified the compounds responsible in the wine."

The flavonoid epicatechin gallate – which is also present in green tea – had the highest binding affinity, followed by the polyphenol ellagic acid, which comes from the oak barrels the wine is kept in. The researchers think that some of the antidiabetic activity of red wine could be due to these compounds activating PPAR-gamma.

But Jungbauer warns that these compounds don't make red wine a magic bullet. The compounds in a glass of wine may have other antidiabetic effects and in any case, not all of the compounds will be absorbed and available to the body to use. "Wine also contains ethanol, which will add to your calories," he says.

Véronique Cheynier, research director at the department of oenology at the University of Montpellier 1, France, says that most polyphenols do not pass through the digestive tract unchanged and may not be absorbed at all.

Teens trash Spike Lee over Absolut Brooklyn ads.

Well, at least he's not marketing Spike Lee joints. From NY Daily News:

Spike Lee put Bedford-Stuyvesant on the cinematic map, but some teens think he sold out the neighborhood with his Brooklyn-themed Absolut Vodka promo.

The kids did a survey of alcohol advertising posters and billboards in the area and found the logo designed by Lee dominated.

"I've seen his movies. I was a really big fan. But he lost respect from me," said Shenel Gunnis, 17.

"You're not supposed to be promoting stuff like that in areas that can barely afford food."

She's one of 10 teens who scoured Bed-Stuy this summer, mapping booze promos for the Children's Aid Society.

They tallied 56 and were surprised that Lee's limited-edition label - featuring the stoop of a Brooklyn brownstone - was the one that popped up over and over.

Frank Moore, 19, said he'd like to tell the "Do the Right Thing" helmsman that's just wrong.

"I'd be like, 'Why? Do you understand what you're doing ... that you're putting up an ad for liquor and you know there's an alcoholism problem here?'" he said.

"My thing with Spike Lee is you should use your prestige and position of power to help the problem, not add on to it."

Lee did not return a call left at his office and hung up on a reporter who reached him on his cell phone. A spokeswoman for Absolut had no immediate comment.

The limited-edition bottle rolled out last summer is emblazoned with the phrase "A Spike Lee Collaboration." In the ads, the bottle is superimposed on a photo of Brooklynites on stoops.

The teens felt Lee was trying to capitalize on borough pride.

"He was targeting us when normally he would make movies that would uplift our community," said Krystal Chapman, 17, a senior at the High School for Public Service in Crown Heights.

"I think it is hypocritical."

Study: Alcohol is more lethal than heroin or cocaine.

From Huffington Post:

Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.

British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole.

Researchers analyzed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison.

Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals. When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest. But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower.

The study was paid for by Britain's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and was published online Monday in the medical journal, Lancet.

Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers but for those around them.

"Just think about what happens (with alcohol) at every football game," said Wim van den Brink, a professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam. He was not linked to the study and co-authored a commentary in the Lancet.

When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs, including heroin.

Coozer-Bits.

Creepy: Japanese girl stabs 81-year-old to death on subway.

ZombieWatch: Scientists explore cannibal bacteria.

Lame: Race, insurance status cited in uneven death rates among pedestrians hit by cars.

Science: New bee species discovered in downtown Toronto.

Yipes: 70s superstar dies in freak hay bale accident.

Awesome: Scientists discovery why fish oils work well against inflammation and diabetes.

Boozalicious: Ancient civilization drank beer as antibiotics.

Distillery turns whiskey into electricity.

Whiskey also turns sadness into happiness. From CNN:

Creating renewable energy from whisky might sound like a harebrained scheme conceived at the end of a long evening drinking the amber nectar.

But an independently-owned Scottish distillery is hoping that the installation of a new biogas generator will prove to be a lasting moment of environmental clarity and help solve their energy problems.

This month, Bruichladdich -- one of eight distilleries to be found on the Scottish isle of Islay -- will take delivery of an anaerobic digester which will start turning their whisky waste into electricity.

Mark Reynier, owner of Bruichladdich Distillery, hopes the digester will meet around 80 percent of its electricity needs and save the company up to £120,000 ($175,000) every year.

Reynier told CNN: "Our waste product is basically water left over after you've stripped all the alcohol out. It's called, rather unromantically, pot ale."

Every year, several hundred thousand liters of pot ale waste are taken away by a tanker and poured down a pipeline that feeds it into the Sound of Islay off the eastern coast of the island.

Drunk horseman rides into crowd on Mule Day.

From AOL News:

COLUMBIA, Tenn. -A Middle Tennessee horseback rider was jailed after being charged with running into a crowd of people at the Mule Day festivities in Columbia. The man, 32, was charged with two counts of reckless endangerment and public intoxication.

According to The Daily Herald of Columbia, witnesses told investigators that the man rode the horse Saturday into a restricted area that had been closed to animal traffic at the county park and was asking pedestrians for beer. A Maury County sheriff's report said the man dismounted and then attempted to get back on, spooking it.

Two people were then hit by the horse, and one required hospital treatment.

Bond was set at $10,500.

Man drove drunk to prison for DUI sentence.

From Breitbart:

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. (AP) - Police said a Massachusetts man headed to a Vermont prison to serve a two-day sentence for driving under the influence was intoxicated when he drove himself to prison.

Vermont State Police say that staff at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield noticed that a 42-year-old man was intoxicated when he arrived late Tuesday afternoon and that he had driven himself there.

So prison staff called police.

Police said the man was then processed for DUI second offense and released back into the custody of the Department of Corrections.

The man was due to appear in court later this month on the latest charge.

Brewery workers strike for more on-the-job drinking.

From Orange:

Warehouse staff at Carlsberg are on strike in protest at a company decision to limit beer drinking at work to lunch breaks.

Workers claim they're entitled to three beers a day - on top of any drinks they consume at lunch, reports Sky News.

The strike in Denmark follows a move last week to change the rules for on-site drinking at the world's fourth-largest brewer.

Carlsberg spokesman Jens Bekke said: "We think times have changed and we need an alcohol policy that is accepted by society - 93% of Danish companies have an alcohol policy.

"There has been free beer, water and soft drinks everywhere. Beers were removed from all refrigerators. The only place you can get a beer in future is in the canteen, at lunch."

Mr Bekke said Carlsberg drivers claim a "very old right" to have up to three beers per day outside lunch hours.

The warehouse workers say they share that entitlement - a claim the brewer disputes.

"Because of that, the warehouse staff went on strike yesterday, with other staff striking in sympathy," Mr Bekke said.

Study: More liquor stores mean more violence.

Wow, really, researchers? How's that cure for cancer coming? From LiveScience:

The more bars and liquor stores in an area, the more violence there will be, a new study finds.

Researchers compared crime statistics and listings of liquor licenses in Cincinnati to determine the connection. Convenience stores and carry-out sites that sold alcohol were the most strongly associated with assaults, but bars and restaurants that serve alcohol are also correlated with violence.

In fact, the statistics showed that adding one more liquor store per square mile would lead to 2.3 more simple assaults and 0.6 more aggravated assaults in the area.

Man fatally burned after dropping cigarette in vodka.

From the NY Post:

A central New Jersey man who was severely burned when he accidentally ignited vodka he had spilled on himself has died from his injuries.

Toms River police had to force their way in to Paul MacClymont’s home early Friday after he called 911 to report his injuries. He told officers he had burned himself the night before when he dropped a lit cigarette in his lap, igniting some vodka that had spilled on his legs.

After briefly rolling around on the floor, MacClymont said he passed out before waking up six hours later and calling police.

The 40-year-old man, who sustained third-degree burns over his entire body, was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he died later Friday.

12 convicted for fake Pinot Noir scheme.

From FOX News:

TOULOUSE, France — A French court has convicted a dozen wine merchants and wine growers for selling and exporting fake Pinot Noir in a lucrative fraud scheme. A leading U.S. wine merchant in the case says he may appeal.

Among others, the fraud victimized California-based giant E. & J. Gallo Winery.

Claude Corset, head of the wine merchant company Ducasse and a leading defendant in the case, told The Associated Press on Thursday that his wine was "irreproachable" and reserves the right to appeal.

A court in Carcassonne, in southwest France, handed him a six-month suspended prison sentence and a $61,000 fine.

Prosecutor Francis Battut said Thursday that Merlot and Syrah grapes were passed off as Pinot Noir in a scheme dating from January 2006 to March 2008.

Beer may (or may not) strengthen bones.

From ABC News:

For beer drinkers, a new study that suggests beer is a significant source of a mineral key to maintaining bone density may sound too good to be true.

That may well be, say health experts who overwhelmingly agree the the connection may be more wishful thinking than solid science.

But that may not stop many brew lovers from viewing the new research as an excuse to order another round. The study of 100 commercial beers in the February issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture by Charles Bamforth and Troy Casey of the University of California Davis examined the silicon content that results from different ingredients and brewing processes.

"Silicon impacts bone mineral density in humans, and supplementing silicon in the diets of osteoporitic women increased bone mineral density," the authors wrote. Thus, they surmise, silicon-rich beer may also help to strengthen bones.

[...] Experts contacted for comment on the study also cautioned the public against establishing any such connection.

"To conclude any bone health benefits from this study would require a great leap," said Dr. Tim Byers, deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center in Aurora.

Woman beats cancer with booze and cigarettes.

From Ananova:

A Chinese woman who gave up her fight against cancer to go back to drinking and smoking heavily has made an amazing recovery.

Music teacher Tian Mei, 38, had to take early retirement 11 years ago when she was diagnosed with both cervical and rectal cancer, reports Chongqing Evening Post.

But after eight years of treatment, including chemotherapy, she still had both cancers and her weight had dropped by a third to just six stone.

"Then I thought it through - why not enjoy my remaining life, instead of spending it in hospitals and in sorrow," said Tian, of Chongqing.

For the last three years, she says she has smoked at least three packs of cigarettes and drank 12 large bottles of beer a day.

And - to the amazement of Tian and her doctors - a recent health check revealed the cancers had gone and she is putting on weight again.

Blood bank offers beer for blood.

Awesome, just hook it up in the IV! From Ananova:

A US blood bank is offering beer in exchange for blood to try to encourage more people to donate.

Cascade Regional Blood Services in Tacoma, Washington state, is offering donors a free pint of beer every time they give blood, reports Metro.

Donors, who have to be over 21, are given a coupon entitling them to the free pint when they donate blood through the 'Give blood, get beer' scheme.

The blood centre says that the scheme has worked so well that it is being expanded.

The coupon can be redeemed at a number of local pubs and restaurants - although, in the interests of health, they have to wait at least four hours after the donation has taken place before they can give the person their beer.