Western Civ 101
I'm a drinker, and I'm a (somewhat lame) student of history (B.A., University of Michigan, 1988). So I guess it's no surprise that I found this interesting: How Alcohol Changed the World. I think the piece is exaggerated a bit, but it possesses some historical cogency:
5. Saved humanity from a painful dysentery death.
4. Helped create bacteriology and the process of pasteurization
3. Influenced the course of Alexander the Great's conquests
2. Defended Democracy in Ukraine
1. Created the first human societies
Number three is mentioned in one of my all-time favorite unpublished articles: Top Twenty Decadents of Western Civilization. "19. Alexander the Great. He makes list because many can identify with him: He died of a hangover."
A self-identified niece of Chuck Negron (listed at number 9) wrote to me awhile back, angrily protesting that her Uncle shouldn't be on that list at all, much less at number 9. I agreed with her, but I told her that his antics were so funny, I couldn't resist putting him on ("Lead singer from Three Dog Night. Notorious partier. Stayed up all night partying before Rose Bowl Parade one year. Got so trashed that he had to be duct-taped to the band's float in order to perform"). She accepted the apology and was quite nice about it. She told me her Uncle is straight now and doing well. I'd like to go back and revise the piece to take him off, but I don't know how to access that part of my site.
Recession Booze
Hard economic times are leading to harder hangovers: Recession has people switching to cheaper liquor.
The report by an industry group shows people drank more but turned to cheaper brands. They also drank more at home and less in pricier bars and restaurants.
Industry growth slowed in 2009, with the amount of liquor sold by suppliers up 1.4 percent. That's the smallest increase since 2001 and below the 10-year average of 2.6 percent.
Last year, the lowest-priced segment, with brands such as Popov vodka that can go for less than $10 for a fifth, grew the fastest, with volume rising 5.5 percent, after edging up 0.6 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, the most expensive price range, roughly $30 or more for a 750 ml bottle (think Grey Goose, owned by Bacardi), fell the most, tumbling 5.1 percent.
