beer bits
J2jurado
(Financial Times, 9/4, p.23) London, Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Botts & Co, a
London-based private equity company, is willing to increase its offer to buy
Wolverhampton & Dudley Plc, the U.K.'s largest regional brewer, the Financial
Times reported, without citing sources.
It would raise its initial offer from 500p to 550p a share, valuing
Wolverhampton & Dudley at 517 million pounds ($756 million). Botts is also
prepared to relax its demand for financial information about the company, and
conduct a lower level of due diligence.
A reluctance to disclose commercially sensitive information was one of the
reasons cited by David Thompson, Wolverhampton's chief executive, for refusing
to negotiate with Botts, the paper said.
Botts, whose bid is backed by venture capitalist Robert Breare, are unlikely to
make a new offer before the end of the week.
Wolverhampton brews Pedigree, Banks's and Speckled Hen beers and owns the
upscale pub chain Pitcher & Piano. The company also brews Guinness for Diageo
Plc and Kronenbourg beer for Scottish & Newcastle Plc.
Scottish & Newcastle Plans 250 Mln Pound Pub Sale, Paper Says
(Sunday business 09/03 p.3) London, Sept. 3 (Bloomberg) - Scottish & Newcastle
Plc, maker of Kronenbourg beer, is to sell 500 pubs for about 250 million
pounds ($366.05 million), Sunday Business reported, citing unnamed industry
sources.
The move increases speculation that the company plans to offload its entire
retail portfolio valued at 3 billion pounds, the newspaper said.
Scottish & Newcastle is expanding overseas as British drinkers buy less beer.
The company earlier this year bought most of Danone SA's brewing operations and
two weeks ago forged a joint venture with Portuguese brewer Centralcer-central
de Cervejas SA.
The company will gradually sell its 2,700 managed pubs, which include Chef &
Brewer and Rat & Parrot chains, to expand its international drinks business,
the newspaper said.
Tsingtao Gets $36 Million Loan From Bank of Communications
Shanghai, Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Tsingtao Brewery Co., China's best-known
beermaker, said it received a 300 million yuan ($36 million) loan from the Bank
of Communications for expansion.
The Bank of Communications, China's fifth-largest bank, will give Tsingtao a
preferential interest rate for the loan, said Zhang Ruixiang, a Tsingtao
spokesman. He declined to specify the rate.
The beermaker will use the money to upgrade beer factories it acquired this
year, said Zhang. Tsingtao said it will slow its acquisitions in the second
half after buying a string of mostly unprofitable breweries to try to double
its domestic market share to 10 percent.
Tsingtao's Hong Kong traded shares fell 4.9 percent today to HK$2.45 after
surging 13 percent to a seven-month high yesterday. The stock rose more than 13
percent yesterday after the company told analysts it will focus on making its
newly acquired breweries profitable. Tsingtao has been sacrificing higher
profit for a larger share of Asia's beer market by buying money-losing rivals
to expand production.
Slovenian SBI 20 slips, seen range-bound
LJUBLJANA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Slovenia's SBI 20 share index edged lower in thin
trade on Monday and market players said they expected little change over the
short term. The blue-chip index closed 0.18 percent lower at 1,694.07 points.
Volume firmed to 123 million tolars from 116 million.
``Volume is extremely poor, only small shareholders are selling while big
investors seem not to be interested,'' said Polona Cec of Factor Banka.
``Prices are already so low they can hardly be any lower, but I don't see a
rise unless big investors start buying.''
Brewery Union was the most active stock by market value, easing 0.47 percent to
40,310 tolars on less than 1,000 lots traded.
Mineral water producer and health resort operator Radenska failed to keep the
market from falling although it soared 8.95 percent to 2,300 tolars on volume
of 3,004 shares in a rebound after losing over eight percent on Friday.
Rank Sells Pub Chain to Electra for 90 Mln Pounds
London, Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Rank Group Plc said it sold the Tom Cobleigh pub
chain to Electra Partners Europe Ltd. for 90 million pounds ($131.8 million) in
cash as the owner of Hard Rock Cafes focuses on restaurants and casinos.
Electra, a London-based private buyout firm, wants to at least double the size
of the chain and may consider selling it in the next three to five years,
director Rupert King said in an interview. The pub chain includes 110 pubs and
generated 56.4 million pounds in sales during the year ended in December.
``At first, expansion will be incremental through the acquisition of small pub
chains,'' said King, who will sit on the new Tom Cobleigh board. ``As the new
management gets settled, the deals will get bigger.''
The pub industry is consolidating as companies focus on faster-growing
businesses. Rank Chief Executive Mike Smith has overhauled his company's
operations and sold businesses, including its 50 percent stake in Florida theme
park Universal Studios Escape, to concentrate on restaurants and casinos.
Shares in Rank rose 6 pence, or 3.6 percent, to 173.5p. The stock has slipped
11 percent this year.
Electra will also assume 5 million pounds in working capital liabilities. Rank
will use proceeds from the sale to reduce debt.
New Managers
Bill McCosh, former chief executive of Mansfield Brewery Plc, which
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries Plc bought last year, will take over as
chairman of the Tom Cobleigh chain. Jeff Sills, previously head of Greene King
Plc's Hungry Horse pub business, will be managing director.
Funding will be provided by Electra, which is investing 28 million pounds, the
new management team and CIBC World Markets.
Electra will spend as much as 180 million pounds in coming years to expand the
pub chain, and may be interested in buying assets from Wolverhampton & Dudley
Plc or Scottish & Newcastle Plc if they come up for sale, King said. One
innovative concept is to create a rock'n roll theme bar featuring the finest
lagers.
http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2146970&ern=y
Colombia stocks, peso gain in quiet trade
BOGOTA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Colombia stocks ended higher Monday, led by gains in
two cement shares and brewing and beverage blue chip Bavaria, while the peso
closed little changed. Trading on both markets was quiet as many key players
kept to the sidelines amid the Labour Day holiday in the United States. On the
stock market, Bogota's IBB added 0.52 percent to end at 762.04 on sluggish
turnover of just $91,600. In Medellin, where $280,000 of shares traded hands,
the IBOMED general price index edged up a razor thin 0.04 percent. Dealers
said the IBB was bolstered by market bellwether Bavaria, which gained 1.3
percent in the capital to settle at 7,400 pesos per share but was not traded in
Medellin.
The gain came amid local news reports that Bavaria, whose stockholders recently
approved an offer of $50 million in new common shares, would price the issue
above the company's recent market valuation. Spokesmen for Bavaria, which has
an 89 percent market share of local beer sales, were unavailable for comment.
In Medellin gainers were led by cement maker Cementos del Valle, which jumped
5.87 percent to end at 3,176 pesos per share. Dealers said the gain was driven
by a central bank decision late Sunday to clamp a 13.1 percent ceiling on
mortgage lending rates, a move that could help breathe new life into Colombia's
long-depressed construction sector.
The peso, meanwhile, firmed a lackluster 0.05 percent against the dollar, or
1.2 pesos on the day, to end at 2,212.7. The currency ranged between its
opening low of 2,213 and a high of 2.209 and traders reported just 55
transactions for a total of $39.8 million, well below the daily average of $70
million.
http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-001353.html
Going for Gose
AUG 31, 2000 Beer Hunter Online Reporting live from Leipzig, on a major new
brewpub reviving a classic style
A further big step forward for the revived German beer-style Gose, once the
local brew of Leipzig. A new brewery and pub specialising in this salty,
coriander-spiced, acidic, wheat beer is the centrepiece in the restoration of a
city landmark: the former starting point and terminal for one of Germany's most
important north-south routes, the Saxony-to-Bavaria Railroad (Saechs-Bayersche
Staats Eisenbahn, in the old spellings on the front of the building).
Leipzig's 'Bavaria Station'Coincidentally, this station was built in 1842, a
landmark year in brewing. In that year, unbeknown to brewers in Leipzig, a new
style of beer was being born farther south, in Pilsen, Bohemia. Local
specialities like Gose, in Leipzig and elsewhere in Saxony, would soon be under
threat from the spread of Pilsener beers in Continental Europe and eventually
worldwide.
This was a great time for architecture, whether in the building of the earliest
railroad termini or breweries. Leipzig's "Bavaria Station" (Bayerisch er
Bahnhof, in the more modern rendition) has an entrance arch reminiscent of that
at the Pilsen brewery, which until recently accommodated its own rail spur.
The Leipzig arch is Italianate, the Pilsen one more Napoleonic, but both speak
of pride in the industrial revolution in Continental Europe during the early
1800s.
Leipzig's yet-grander main station had over the years taken inter-city trains
away from the Bayerischer Bahnhof, which now serves suburbs and dormitory
towns. Until recently the railroad's former head offices, elegant ticket hall
and waiting rooms (three classes) were boarded up and defaced with graffiti.
Now, they have been beautifully restored, in a venture supported by Germany's
national railroad company, local investors and a pioneering small brewer,
Thomas Schneider. As a small boy, Schneider loved trains. When I visited the
brewery, he led me to a train in the station. "Trains and beer! What more can
you ask?" he exclaimed.
A would-be passenger arriving with suitcases recently had to be helped some
distance round the corner to the automat that dispenses tickets. Over the next
six years, a link will be built from the main station to the Bayerischer
Bahnhof, and the airport, and the platforms will be moved underground. The
whole of the former departure area of the station, comprising 3,500 square
metres, is now occupied by a brewery, pub and restaurant. Ask a cab-driver for
the Bayerischer Bahnhof, and you should finish up with a beer in your hand. If
you want to be absolutely sure, add the words "Gasthaus und Gosebrauerei". If
you prefer cheaper transport, take tram number 16, in the direction of Lössnig,
and get off at Bayerischen Platz.
Thomas Schneider in the brewhouse - Schneider and Sylvia Gianfelice chat over
Gose
The beer garden, is shaded by trees which this development saved from the chop
at the eleventh hour. An arcaded area leads into the main pub. There, separated
from the customers by only a small open railing, is the copper-clad,
two-vessel, 15-hectolitre brewhouse. This arrangement is in the typical style
of the newer German house-breweries. The main pub is surprisingly cosy in style
and scale, despite industrial-chic design flourishes such as pylons modelled on
those that carry the overhead power lines for the railroad. The bar counter is
designed to look as though it were built from sleepers. The bar-rail is a piece
of track. The pub's gift-shop is in a converted caboose.
It is not immediately evident that there are a wide variety of adjoining areas
in which it is possible to have a drink or meal. Some are variously named for
their original uses: Schalterhalle (ticket office), etc. A large bar decorated
with framed photographs or old locomotives is modelled on the student bars,
serving Gose, that were once typical in Leipzig. This is simply called the
Gosestubl. There are also a room for private parties (a wedding reception was
taking place when I visited); a banqueting hall; and rooms where lectures or
conferences can be held. In this respect, the Bayerischer Bahnhof has some
similarities with Munich's Hofbrauhaus, or U Fleku, in Prague.
Leipzig, something of a crossroads between Western and Eastern Europe (as well
as North and South) is historically a centre for trade and for exhibitions and
fairs. Since the reunification of Germany, it has revived this tradition very
successfully, but it does not have the volume of tourists attracted by Munich
or Prague. Can a station-turned-brewpub achieve the celebrity and popularity of
places like the Hofbrauhaus and U Fleku, which have been in business for
centuries? Its principal beer-style is even less familiar to the visiting
consumer than the famous Doppelbock of the Hofbrauhaus or the dark lager of U
Fleku. To fill all its rooms, it needs between 1,000 and 1,500 customers, which
is a lot, albeit substantially fewer than its counterparts in Munich and
Prague.
I was in Leipzig on a Wednesday evening, not typically the best for the pub and
restaurant business anywhere, and the Bayrischer Bahnhof was packed. By far the
most popular beer was the Gose. This is made principally from grains grown
locally and malted in nearby Krostitz. The grist comprises between 50 and 60
per cent malted wheat. The other malts are a Pilsener and a small proportion of
Munich. The hops are Northern Brewer (for bitterness) and Perle, from the
nearby Elbe-Saale growing area. Like most wheat beers, Gose has a low hop
bitterness. In this particular style, the balancing dryness is provided by the
ground coriander seeds and salt, which are added in the whirlpool.
When I tasted a prototype Gose, four years ago, I felt that its refreshing
acidity was too overtly citric, and that a lactobacillus should be used. This
was a passing comment - I am not a technical consultant - and I was gratified
to be told by proprietor Schneider that he had taken up my suggestion. The main
fermentation is with a Weihenstephan wheat beer yeast, but both this and the
secondary are in cylindro-conical tanks. These are used as unitanks, with a
cold lagering.
Again, the wheat should provide crispness but the typically estery flavours
from the yeast must not overpower the spicing. The beer has a starting gravity
of 11.0-11.25 (1044-45), and emerges with an alcohol content of 4.6 per cent by
volume (3.7w).
All the beers at Bayrischer Bahnhof are unfiltered. The Gose has a full haze; a
yellowish color; a fine, sustained, bead; a hint of apple-skin aroma on the
nose; a light but smooth, textured, body; restrained ripe-plum fruitiness in
the palate; and a dry, herbal, coriander finish. The tangy, refreshing,
sharpness of the salt is quite subtle. The use of coriander and salt in this
beer is contrary to the the German Beer Purity Law, the Reinheitsgebot, and
this posed a difficulty when the style was revived. Now that the beer is on a
firm footing, the state of Saxony has been persuaded to grant an exemption.
After all, Gose existed before Northern Germany had accepted the Beer Purity
Law, which was originally a Bavarian measure.
Gose laced with various syrupsLike the lactic wheat beers of Berlin, this
traditional Leipzig speciality is offered plain (the most popular version), or
with a lacing of raspberry syrup or green essence of woodruff (Waldmeister).
These summery quenchers are known as "sunshade" (Sonnenschirm) drinks. A
version with an alcoholic cherry liqueur is much more rounded, with a more
genuinely fruity flavor. I could enjoy it as an after-dinner beer, but it is
identified on the menu as being more suitable for women (Frauenfreundliche).
Such a proclamation might be deemed a trifle sexist in London or New York. I
particularly like the combination of Gose with Allasch, the local, sweet,
almond-flavoured version of the caraway liqueur Kümmel. More than one might be
sickly, but the combination of the sour-ish, salty, beer with a spicy, sweet,
liqueur is very lively. This is seen as a more wintry drink, and called an
umbrella (Regenschirm).
The Gose is also available to go, in the traditional "brandy flask". In this
instance longneck means a good eight inches. The brewery had some difficulty in
finding a company to make these bottles. They are being made by a company in
the glass-producing area near Venice, and they have been rigorously tested at
the brewing faculties in both Berlin and Weihenstephan (near Munich) to ensure
that the long neck and shoulder can stand the pressure of carbonation.
The Bayrischer Bahnhof bottles are fitted with a swing-top, but the original
Gose vessels had no stopper. The idea was that the yeasty head formed a natural
bung in the long neck, just as it seems to have done in the terra-cotta
amphorae of ancient times. Thus the beer would carbonate naturally.
The brewery also produces a wheat beer, using the same yeast but in the type of
open fermenter typically used for that style: with a lip for the excess foam.
This brew is called Kuppler Weissbier, the first word referring to the man who
couples the carriages on a train. It has a full amber to tan color, reminiscent
of the famous Weissbier made in Bavaria by the Schneider brewery. (There is no
connection between that brewery and Thomas Schneider of the Bayrischer Bahnhof.
Schneider is a very common name in Germany).
Brewmaster Bertram Rostock enjoys the beer garden
Kuppler has a good, toffeeish, malt character and an aniseedy spiciness, but I
could have taken more clovey, fruity, notes. Although Thomas Schneider is a
brewer himself, he has employed Bertram Rostock to man the kettles. Bertram,
who studied in Berlin, is a young veteran of a start-up brewery in nearby
Landsberg. He told me that he was not yet satisfied with Kuppler. He felt it
needed more throughput before the yeast habituated itself. There is also a
Schwarz ("black") lager. Black suggested coal, in the railroad context, so this
is called Heizer (stoker, or fireman). This beer has a lightish, but very
smooth, body; a full mouth-feel; and very good chocolate-toffee flavors.
A Pils called Schaffner (conductor) is perfumy and very dry, though I felt
slightly yeasty. Brewer Bertram told me that he was working to reduce the yeast
in suspension without losing it altogether.
The pub also offers spirits, wines, cocktails, simple pastas and typical German
dishes, though nothing very specific to Leipzig.
The Bayrischer Bahnhof is also supplying its Gose to half a dozen local pubs,
notably including Ohne Bedenken, which pioneered the revival of the style. This
is a less elaborate, more basic, pub, offering the Gose variations with hearty
snacks of bread and cheese (typically a local counterpart to Camembert, made
into fritters).
Thomas Schneider had previously used another brewery to produce a Gose for a
Ohne Bedenken. It was the beer that gave the pub its name. When Gose was first
reintroduced there, a customer, shocked by the taste, asked proprietor Hartmut
Hennebach: "Is this stuff drinkable?" To which Dr Hennebach replied: Ohne
Bedenken ("Without doubt").
Dr Hennebach had originally worked in the pub as a bartender after being fired
from his job as micro-biologist for political dissent during the Communist
period in East Germany. The pub had been a Communist political club in those
days, but a "Gose House" until perhaps the 1930s. Around 1900s, Leipzig is said
to have boasted 80 Gose houses, many of them student cafes offering inexpensive
beer and food.
Gose is said to have been consumed in Leipzig since the 1700s, but to have
taken its name from the smaller town of Goslar, its original home. The whole
story sounds remarkably similar to that of Gueuze-Lambic, once typically served
with bread and cheese in scrubbed-table bars in Brussels, but perhaps taking
its name from the smaller town of Lembeek.
Both are wheat beers, distinctly acidic, and traditionally gaining their
carbonation by bottle-conditioning. By European standards, Leipzig and Brussels
are quite distant from one another, and culturally quite different, but far
longer connections have been established in the world of food and drink.
http://detnews.com:80/2000/health/0008/31/d03-112748.htm
Modify diet to avoid travelers' diarrhea!
Many travelers suffer from diarrhea when traveling to foreign countries.
Precautions can be taken to prevent it, but if you do come down with the
ailment there are effective ways to treat it.
What to do when disaster strikes
* Modify your diet to avoid foods that may have caused the problem.
* If symptoms persist, or if you're taking a long bus trip with no access to
bathroom facilities, try over-the-counter drugs. In cases of serious diarrhea
combined with vomiting, a combination of loperamide (Immodium) and one dose of
a fluoroquinolone such as Cipro can often end the problem, says travel medicine
specialist Gregory Juckett.
* Take oral rehydration salts. The salts, sold in the United States as Ceralyte
and available almost everywhere in the world, must be mixed with boiled water
or other safe liquid, such as a carbonated beverage. (Sports drinks, like
Gatorade, are not a good substitute, since they contain a different set of
electrolytes. Some once-popular medicines, such as paregoric, an opiate, and
Entero-Vioform, are no longer recommended since they have been shown to be
dangerous.)
* If diarrhea persists with a fever, vomiting or blood in the stools, find a
doctor. What seems to be travelers' diarrhea could be dysentery or cholera.
*Prayer in the form of a Novena to end gastric distress is often quite
helpful, advise Catholic Bishop Patrick Flores of Texas.
By Terri Shaw / Washington Post
In Mexico it is called "Montezuma's revenge" or "turista," in Egypt,
"Tutankhamen's curse," in India, "Delhi belly." As experienced travelers know,
a common trial of travel to developing countries is a bout with travelers'
diarrhea. Many globe-trotters have favorite remedies to head off the ailment.
Research indicates, however, that the best form of prevention is careful eating
and drinking, and possibly one over-the-counter product. Travel medicine
specialists recommend waiting until the first symptoms appear before taking
stronger medicine.
Travelers' diarrhea is believed to hit about a third of travelers to
countries where sanitation systems are ineffective or nonexistent. Most cases
are caused by food or water contaminated with E. coli bacteria, with a smaller
number caused by other bacteria, by viruses and by parasites such as giardia,
says Martin S. Wolfe, a tropical medicine specialist. The best form of
prevention, Wolfe and other experts say, is to avoid food and beverages that
may be contaminated, specifically tap water, uncooked meat, fruits and
vegetables, and dairy products that are not pasteurized. It is usually not
advisable to buy food from street vendors, but if you do, it is best to make
sure it is piping hot and has not been sitting for long.
Bottled water is available even in many remote areas of the world, although
seals should be checked since some merchants may fill empty bottles with tap
water for resale. Other widely available beverages that are generally safe are
hot drinks, beer and carbonated drinks because the acidity of carbonation
inhibits growth of bacteria. Researchers have found that one over-the-counter
product is somewhat effective in preventing diarrhea: bismuth salicylate, the
active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol that is also sold under other names. Studies
have shown that it can prevent illness 60 to 65 percent of the time. Wolfe
recommends taking two tablets four times a day as a preventive, but he cautions
it should not be taken for more than three weeks, and not at the same time as
aspirin. Over time this product may cause the tongue and stools to become black
temporarily, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And it
should not be taken by people who are allergic to aspirin, people with kidney
problems or gout, those who are taking medicines chemically similar to aspirin
and children under age 3.
Gregory Juckett, associate professor of family medicine at West Virginia
University and a specialist in travel medicine, warns taking bismuth salicylate
may make some people think it is all right to eat anything, which could expose
them to illness. But, he adds, those who take it "would have to ingest a lot
more bacteria to get sick" than those not taking it. What about taking
antibiotics to guard against possible bacterial infections? Experts recommend
against the increasingly popular option.
Various bacteria the world have developed resistance to many antibiotics,
and it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine which strains one might be
exposed to, says the Centers for Disease Control. Taking antibiotics also might
make some travelers overconfident. Some antibiotics also have side effects
that, in some patients, could turn out to be worse than a bout of diarrhea. As
for other popular preventive methods, the CDC says taking diphenoxylate
(Lomotil) before symptoms occur can actually increase the incidence of
diarrhea. Eric Mintz, chief of diarrheal disease in the CDC's epidemiology
section, says anti-diarrhea medicines slow down the digestive process, which
would give any bacteria that have been ingested more time to produce toxins and
make you ill. There are no data to indicate that consuming activated charcoal
(sold in powdered form) has any preventive effect, the CDC say.
One over-the-counter medicine to avoid when traveling is antacids, such as
Tagamet, Juckett says. Many types of bacteria commonly consumed are destroyed
by stomach acid. The antacid medicines, he says, "make it easier for bacteria
to survive."
http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2144983&ern=y&r404=1
California Vintners Say Time Is Ripe to Enter Growing Global Markets
Winemakers are creating low-cost fruity flavors that they hope will have
universal appeal.
MELINDA FULMER 09/03/00
In the rolling hills of Geyserville, Calif., Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates is
bottling the first cases of a new wine--soft and fruity with just a hint of
spice--that it sees as critical to the future of California's wine industry.
It's called Collage--and with good reason. Instead of being made from a single
variety of grape, such as cabernet or chardonnay, it is blended from a mix of
grapes grown on the lower-cost outskirts of the wine country in Lake and
Mendocino counties.
Nobody in this country will ever taste it. Instead, after spending decades
trying to create an elite image for themselves to compete against the
sophisticated wines of France and Spain, California vintners are now
discovering that they have to aim lower as well and create a soft, fruity,
universally appealing wine that can be sold at a reasonable price--between $7
to $9 a bottle--almost anywhere in the world.
"It's not just what wineries want to make, but what consumers would want them
to make," said Richard Castaldi, a San Francisco State University professor
studying the globalization of the California wine business.
No one will mistake this wine for a Chateau-Lafite Rothschild or Opus One, but
it is tasty, consistent and critical to California winemakers' plans to
globalize amid an impending grape glut, plateauing domestic consumption and
increasing competition from savvy producers in such countries as Australia,
Chile and South Africa.
"The question really becomes: Will we support and develop this market, or lose
it?" Lew Platt, chief executive of Kendall-Jackson, recently asked a group of
fellow winemakers. "It's too late for the U.S. to isolate itself."
While consumption in the mature U.S. wine market edged up just 5% between 1996
and 1998, mainly among older drinkers, consumption in the United Kingdom
increased 11%, it grew 17% in Canada, and it surged a whopping 83% in Japan,
according to the Wine Institute, a U.S. industry trade group.
Until now, California winemakers have only dabbled in the global market.
Exports accounted for just 11% of all California industry sales in 1999,
according to Gomberg Fredrikson & Associates.
And only a handful of U.S. producers are doing it in any significant way,
including E. & J. Gallo Winery, Robert Mondavi Corp. and Canandaigua Brands
Inc. Although 140 California wineries claim they ship overseas, only 15 account
for 98% of that business, according to Castaldi.
And that's not likely to change very much. Only the largest companies, analysts
say, will have the financial wherewithal and distribution networks to exploit
global markets. That factor has driven several California winemakers in the
last week to agree to acquisitions by large global wine and spirits companies.
Witness Beringer Wine Estates Holdings Inc., which agreed to be acquired for
$1.5 billion by Australia's largest beer maker, Foster's Brewing Group Ltd.
Kendall-Jackson tried to negotiate its own deal with Beringer and Australia's
largest wine marketer, Southcorp Inc. Although that deal fell through, Platt
still seeks a global partner, and there has been some speculation that it could
still involve Southcorp.
The fact that Platt, former chairman of global computer giant Hewlett-Packard
Co., was hired in November to head Kendall-Jackson is testament to how
desperate the industry is to go global. With 33 years at HP, Platt's wine
experience was mainly limited to stocking his own cellar.
But he, perhaps better than anyone in this insular industry, knows what's
needed to go global. More than half of HP's sales are overseas, and he
conducted business for decades in markets such as Singapore, China and Russia.
Most important to tapping global markets, he says, is producing a consistently
good wine and pricing it so that people are willing to try it.
To lower production costs, Platt is not only turning to so-called fringe areas
within California, but he's also turning to much-lower-cost grape-growing areas
in South America.
Kendall-Jackson has invested millions to plant vineyards and build
state-of-the-art wineries in Argentina and Chile. It's ripped up vineyards of
sangiovese grapes in Tuscany, replanting California's best-selling varieties
such as cabernet and merlot. And Platt is now looking for new wineries or
vineyard properties in Australia and New Zealand.
Although Kendall-Jackson exports account for only 3% of its business now, by
the end of the decade Platt hopes to push up exports to 30% of its business, as
it reaches out to developed markets in Europe and Asia and to countries such as
India and China.
Ironically, much of the pressure to globalize is coming from a country with a
wine industry a fraction the size of California's: Australia.
While California winemakers were focusing on creating more expensive craft
wines and constantly selling out of them domestically, Australian
winemakers--saddled with an oversupply of grapes--worked to create a wine that
was more universally appealing and banded together to market it worldwide.
They set up booths at big wine shows, opened trade offices in England, Ireland,
Germany, New York, Japan and Scandinavia, and upped their exports to the U.S.
sixfold and doubled their entire international business to $740 million last
year, according to the Australian Wine Bureau.
That set off alarms with American producers who have seen Australian products
gain an increasing share of supermarket shelf space and earn "Best Buy"
accolades from wine industry trade publications.
And the Australians' goal is much more ambitious: They want to rank among the
world's largest producers by the year 2025. The Winemakers Federation of
Australia expects its sales by then to rise to $2.6 billion. Impressive but,
Australian trade officials admit, not enough to top No. 1 producer Italy, No. 2
France and even California, which recorded $5.4 billion in sales in 1999,
accounting for about 90% of U.S. wine production.
Unlike American winemakers, the Australians have worked together to raise their
profile, marketing not just their own brands but the entire region.
"Winemakers were very willing to work as a whole in promoting brand Australia,"
said Jan Steubing, director of the Australian Wine Bureau. It didn't hurt that
they came up with a style of wine appealing to most wine drinkers: a light,
"fruit-forward" wine that is soft, low in acidity and with a $6 to $9 price tag
attractive to consumers just starting to experiment with different varieties of
wine from different regions.
By blending grapes, Australian winemakers also keep costs down and their wine
consistent, regardless of weather or soil conditions, a move that
Kendall-Jackson mimics with its Collage wines. Much of Australia's wines are
made from a combination of grape varieties such as cabernet/shiraz and
merlot/cabernet. And they're often made from grapes spread out over vineyards
hundreds and even thousands of miles away. But remarkably, they are blended and
aged with enough precision to create a wine that almost always tastes the same.
"The best word used to describe [our] $7 to $9 bottles of wine is consistency,"
said Tim Matz, a senior vice president of Southcorp. "The consumer has come to
realize that they can depend on this brand year in and year out." Sales of
Southcorp's best-selling wine, Lindemans Chardonnay Bin 65, blended from grapes
grown in 30 different areas, jumped 25% in North America in the last year. And
sales to Europe have skyrocketed 35%. Over the next few years, Matz expects
Lindemans sales to double.
Australian wine producer Rosemount has become so good at marketing to U.S.
consumers, it's even more popular here than in its own country, Steubing says.
But some industry players say that following Australia's example with less
expensive varietal wines may be the wrong way to go. Companies such as Robert
Mondavi and R.H. Phillips Inc. are shooting for the high end, trading on the
cachet of California's prestigious winemaking regions and using international
partners to help push their wines overseas.
Premium winemaker R.H. Phillips agreed this week to be acquired by Vincor
International Inc., Canada's largest winemaker, for $92 million. Vincor is
seeking broader distribution in the U.S.
Mondavi is building a winery in the Languedoc region of France. It's also
forging alliances with other prestigious wine families around the globe, such
as the Frescobaldis of Italy and the Rothschilds of France, to introduce new
styles of wines in these areas.
Although almost everyone is trying to find a universally appealing wine, no
one's actually done it, says Greg Evans, Mondavi chief operating officer.
Mondavi's Twin Oaks wine, an $8 promotional wine that shoppers here have
probably never seen on supermarket shelves, is inexplicably one of its biggest
sellers in Europe. What's certain, he says, is that California winemakers must
be a lot bigger not only to survive and compete with other global players, but
also to keep up with the retailers that will stock them.
Eventually, professor Castaldi says, the U.S. wine business may resemble other
industries, such as airlines or automobiles, with just a handful of major
players. But unlike the auto industry, Castaldi says, the base of these
companies' operations will be so large and diverse, they won't really have a
place to consider home.
http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2122183&ern=y
Connoisseurs Try 300-Year-Old Wine
By JEROME SOCOLOVSKY, Associated Press Writer 08/25/00
ALMERE, Netherlands (AP) -- The connoisseurs held the ruby vintage up to the
sunlight, swirled it in their glasses, and put their noses to the rim.
"It smells like cow dung!'' one exclaimed.
"It won't be easy to swallow this one,'' another said.
But so strong was the temptation to sample a 300-year-old bottle of wine
recovered from a 17th-century Dutch warship that none of the experts on the
panel was able to resist Friday.
Indeed, they were in for a flavorful surprise.
"There's a hint of fruit and some vomit in it -- of orange peel, marmalade and
caramel. It's still surprisingly good,'' said wine commentator Lucette Faber,
swishing the liquid in her mouth as a fetid odor wafted through the tasting
room.
The stout-bottomed, musty green flask was found by divers July 7 in a sunken
wreckage off the coast of the Wadden Sea, a shallow sound between the Dutch
coast and the North Sea.
Strong currents had recently left the cannon frigate exposed on the sandy
bottom near Texel Island, said Arent Vos, head of the crew that undertook the
mission for the Netherlands Institute for Ship and Underwater Archaeology.
Around 1700, during a lull in northern European sea battles, there was an
upsurge in the import of French, Spanish and Portuguese wines to the Low
Countries, according to the wine experts. They guessed the recovered wine was
an early variant of a dry Port that had been colored with a small amount of
elderberry juice.
"This must have been a very good wine at the time,'' said Faber, who headed the
panel of seven experts at Friday's tasting. She noted that most wine at the
time was shipped in vats and only the best vintages would have been bottled.
"I had four gulps and I can still taste it,'' she said. "People said I
shouldn't do it, you never know what's in it. But I was extremely curious.''
Before the tasting, scientists carefully drilled a hole in the soft cork and
transferred part of the contents into vacuum-sealed vials for laboratory tests.
Initial results estimated alcohol content at 10.6 percent and acidity levels
comparable to modern wines.
Wine experts had feared sea water could have seeped in and spoiled the
contents. But remarkably, almost none did. The scant accumulation of algae only
on the neck indicated the flask had been protected beneath sand.
And while the smell -- a strong rotten egg odor that hung around for about an
hour, though lessening in intensity -- was off-putting at first, the experts
said that was to be expected after 300 years.
But despite the foul smell, almost no oxidation had taken place, so that when
the bottle was uncorked the taste was preserved reasonably well considering the
wine's age, said Theunes Braaksma, a Dutch wine quality consultant who took
part in the tasting.
"The taste improved as it mixed with oxygen,'' he said, then added: "Of course,
it wouldn't do well compared to a wine you could find in a supermarket today.''
And while the experts called the bottle "priceless,'' they declined to compare
its value to commercial wines whose provenance is known.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/columns/082900courvoiser-adcol.ht
ml?Partner=AltaVista&RefId=_WLmY_WEFnnnn2Ftly
Courvoisier, Brandy of Napoleon, Looks for Younger, Hipper Customers
By BERNARD STAMLER August 29, 2000
It may still be the self-proclaimed Cognac de Napoleon, but Courvoisier is
definitely not just the emperor's brandy anymore.
Sure, it is still the favorite of some dinner-jacketed gentlemen in wood-
paneled rooms. But Courvoisier's future lies with a different, more vibrant
constituency, according to Stephanie DeBartolomeo, marketing director for the
brand at Allied Domecq Spirits USA in Westport, Conn. And it is to these people
-- "young, urban adults who subscribe to hip-hop culture, the vast majority of
whom are African-American" -- that the company, a unit of Allied Domecq of
London, has now decided to appeal.
These consumers are different, she said. For one thing, "they drink twice as
much Cognac as anyone else." For another, they believe that Courvoisier is
uniquely a "symbol of stature and class." That is because it is "the only
cognac that resonates as French to them," even though all true Cognac must, by
definition, hail from western France. Consequently, Courvoisier is "the only
liqueur that urban young adults actually call a fashion accessory," Ms.
DeBartolomeo said.
Because the group's taste in music is said to define its taste in other things,
too, for its marketing efforts Courvoisier has decided to go to the source:
dRush L.L.C. of New York, the joint venture between Donny Deutsch, chairman of
Deutsch Inc., and Russell Simmons, the music and entertainment executive. Mr.
Simmons's Rush Communications group includes Def Jam Records, which helped kick
off rap music and hip hop, as well as Phat Pharm, the clothing company, which
sells the look in its own outlets and in department stores nationwide.
And dRush has just introduced a campaign titled House of Courvoisier, intended
to make Courvoisier appeal to "urban influential trend setters," the company
says.
The campaign, which will also feature event sponsorships and billboards, will
run to "considerably more than $5 million" in print and broadcast by year's
end, Ms. DeBartolomeo said. It is set to break next week with a four-page
spread in the September issue of Vogue and to continue through the autumn in
magazines like Essence, Vibe, Elle, GQ and XXL.
The ads represent quite a departure from those in Courvoisier's previous
"welcome to the state of Courvoisier" campaign by Weiss Stagliano Partners,
which did not directly challenge notions of Cognac as an after-dinner drink,
and which featured unexplained, puzzling photographs, like one that showed
people running up a hill toward a giant rock.
That has all been changed. For example, two of the four pages running in Vogue
feature images of low-cut dresses and high-heeled, zip-up boots emblazoned with
tiny silhouettes of Napoleon. They also feature pictures of cocktail glasses
and suggest flat out that Courvoisier should be drunk with ice or mixed with
pineapple and orange juice, an idea that might alarm Cognac purists but one
that is apparently in keeping with the way young consumers actually drink the
liqueur.
They also suggest that the drink should henceforth be called by the nickname
CV. The reason: Courvoisier has become more than a brandy; now it is also "a
badge," according to Ms. DeBartolomeo.
Such a description might astonish the Emperor Bonaparte were he around to hear
it, especially because the CV the ads promote is actually Courvoisier XO, which
contains 25- to 30-year-old Cognac, and is among the brand's most expensive
products, retailing at $100 a bottle or more. But it makes perfect sense to Mr.
Simmons, who calls the images in his ads "aspirational and decadent."
"Courvoisier has already got a certain kind of image, a certain kind of
attitude and integrity," he said. "Our goal is to build a strong base in the
young community, and to market it without cheapening it down."
Mr. Simmons has already attempted similar feats for other clients like ESPN,
HBO and Coca-Cola, for whom he created spots featuring the rapper and actor L.
L. Cool J, a Def Jam Records artist. But there are those who think he faces a
more formidable challenge this time with Courvoisier, which sold 440,000 cases
last year but lags far behind the category leader Hennessy, which sold 1.38
million cases, according to the Adams Handbook Advance, an industry
publication.
"Courvoisier is an old brand and, over the years, it has fallen back in the
pack," said Tom Pirko, president of Bevmark, a beverage consultant in Santa
Barbara, Calif. "It has also been a black brand of preference for a long, long
time."
"If they can find a way to integrate it to the spread of hip hop, that could be
really something," he continued. But while Essence and Vibe "are a much better
match, I don't know how many of your consumers you're going to find reading
Vogue."
For his part, Mr. Simmons insists that Courvoisier's target consumers are "very
into the American dream," and that they do read Vogue. He said that he expected
his campaign to catch on and to ignite an enormous growth in Courvoisier. And
he says he believes that the results will be immediately measurable.
"If they can't count their money," he said, "then I haven't done my job."
http://dallasnews.com/travel/us/160888_maitai_03tra.html
Mai tai reflects splendor, colors of Hawaiian sunsets
09/03/2000 By Elaine Glusac, The Dallas Morning News
HONOLULU – It wasn't glamorous Waikiki that gave the world the mai tai.
Instead, it was plain old Oakland, Calif., where "Trader Vic" Bergeron of
Polynesian restaurant fame first slapped together the rum-dinger in 1944 and
served the exotic drink to Tahitian friends who exclaimed, "Mai tai - roe ae"
("out of this world - the best").
Soon, men in gray flannel suits coast to coast started sipping from coconuts
and swaying to Don Ho on the hi-fi. But when Vic introduced his drink to Hawaii
in 1953, the mai tai found a true home. The Mainland may have passed on mai
tais in favor of Kahlua and creams in the '70s, Chardonnay in the '80s and
martinis in the gray-flannel '90s, but in Hawaii there are few drinks that
better match the splendor of sunset than a tangy mai tai. Its island-born kin
is the Blue Hawaiian.
"A Hawaiian drink to me is something they don't get back home," Harry K. Yee,
father of the Blue Hawaiian, once said.
True enough. In honor of Harry and Vic and gray flannel suits of yore, I itched
to misspend some time in the islands, following the mai tai trail. It resides
in Oahu's bustling Waikiki, a sliver of beach walled by plush high-rise hotels,
where, in true Hawaiian spirit, no one cares if you track sand on the Oriental
rugs. Vic's original recipe called for two ounces of rum, half an ounce each of
orange and almond liqueurs, a quarter-ounce of simple sugar and the juice of
one lime.
Don't let the orchid-and-herb garnishes fool you - the mai tai is no kiddie
cocktail. "Rum," said the Trader, "wasn't meant to be overpowered with heavy
additions of fruit juices and flavorings."
At the request of the hotels, Vic introduced the mai tai to Hawaii in Waikiki's
oldest lodgings, the Moana and the Royal Hawaiian.
At the now-renamed Moana Surfrider Sheraton, moonlit merriment - aided by a
creative cocktail or two - dates from 1901. In those pre-mai tai days, it took
weeks aboard ship to steam here. The lucky travelers, intoxicated by sea
breezes, sent home lyrical postcards. "There is a big banyan tree and a court
at the back," reads one missive in the hotel's archives, "where the Hawaiian
boys sing and play on moonlight nights."
Five trunks of that old spreading banyan are rooted in the surfside soil in
front of the Moana, spreading a canopy over the courtyard where mai tais are
mixed.
"Should it be a starlit night, it will be fascinating," wrote author Mary Lydia
Barrette in 1926, "for the stars seem to appear and disappear between the
leaves of the giant banyan tree, while the notes of the steel guitar and
ukulele wave in and out."
Cocktail hour at Waikiki's beachfront hotels feeds such tourist fantasies with
1930s ukulele and guitar arrangements and hula dancers performing numbers from
the 1937 Bing Crosby movie Waikiki Wedding. But when the breeze flutters the
umbrella in my drink at the Royal Hawaiian's signature pink Mai Tai Bar and I
hear "the sweet singing bamboo/ it's singing a little love song to you," I'm
grateful for the time warp.
So apparently are the aging Don Ho fans lined up for the keyboardist's show at
the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. Although the zenith of his popularity was in the
1960s, Mr. Ho sharpens his act with a cynical edge while providing a little bit
of Las Vegas in Hawaii. After 39 years, he still opens with his greatest hit,
"Tiny Bubbles," deadpanning, "I hate that song. I do it twice, once at the
beginning [of the show] and once at the end. People my age can't remember if
they did it or not."
Mai tais held aloft, we in the audience sing along.
In its heyday, Mr. Ho's act drew legions to Duke's, the former nightclub owned
by legendary Waikiki surfer Duke Kahanamoku. But the latest shrine to the
famous beach boy, Duke's Canoe Club in the Outrigger Waikiki, proves no place
for nostalgia despite the vintage longboards on the wall. The open-air singles
haven swings to the B-52's' "Love Shack," an apt new anthem for mai tai
tasting. At the farthest reach of the beach heading toward Honolulu, hundreds
of people jostle for a stage view at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The free
Friday nights now feature torch lighting, hula, fireworks and a flow of mai
tais. Or, for some, Blue Hawaiians.
Mr. Yee, the former Hilton barman, invented the aquamarine drink here in 1957,
ingeniously matching the bar's then-underused Blue Curacao liquor to the
sublime shade of the sea.
But for $7 plus tip at the Halekulani hotel's House Without a Key oceanfront
bar, I buy a mai tai and an hour in paradise. From my low-slung patio chair, I
have a palm-framed view of distant Diamond Head. My drink is packed with
crushed ice, its ingredients perfectly layered in a lowball glass. Backed by a
trio, former Miss Hawaii Kanoe Miller hulas to "A Million Moons Over Hawaii"
under a towering kiawe tree.
Just as the last red-hued rays of sunset make everyone a mite more beautiful,
the setting and the mai tais make for better spirits. A woman from Georgia
grabs Ms. Kanoe's arm as she steps from the stage, exclaiming, "You are just
gahw-jus!" And the crowd avidly applauds a shoreside fisherman when he reels in
a feisty 16-incher.
The infectious enthusiasm explains why Halekulani bartenders mix hundreds of
mai tais each day. They and other sunny Hawaiian sippers are liquid aloha.
http://dallasnews.com/national/154885_burned_24nat.A.html
Jump into hot spring kills 1, hurts 2
08/24/2000 Associated Press
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – Three young park concession employees on a
late-evening outing jumped into a 178-degree hot spring, thinking it was an
ordinary coldwater pond, a doctor said. One died and two were in critical
condition Wednesday.
The three were burned late Monday in the Cavern Spring, a 10-foot-deep pool in
the Lower Geyser Basin, seven miles north of Old Faithful in the middle of
Yellowstone National Park.
They were returning from a swim in the Firehole River when friends heard their
cries, park spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews said.
"These three teenagers jumped into the pool thinking it was cold water and got
quite a shock," Dr. Jeff Saffle, treating the survivors at a Salt Lake City
hospital, said Wednesday.
Yellowstone's thermal pools are often surrounded by thin, fragile crusts.
Numerous warning signs are posted. Visitors to the Lower Geyser Basin are urged
to stay on a half-mile boardwalk over the treacherous terrain.
"I would not venture off this boardwalk. You couldn't pay me enough to set foot
off this," said Carla Wilson, a visitor from Denver.
Sara Hulphers, 20, of Oroville, Wash., was burned over her entire body and died
a few hours later at the University of Utah's Intermountain Burn and Trauma
Center in Salt Lake City.
Tyler Montague, 18, of Salt Lake City and Lance Buchi, 18, of Sandy, Utah, were
in critical condition.
Dr. Saffle said Mr. Montague and Mr. Buchi were in shock and barely coherent
after being rescued but told doctors that they dove into the pool on purpose.
He estimated their chances of survival at 30 percent to 40 percent. "It is way
too early for us to be optimistic," Dr. Saffle said.
Rangers don't think alcohol was a factor, and the park spokeswoman said such
accidents are infrequent.
J2jurado
Brussels, Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Interbrew NV, the world's second-biggest
brewer, said it is in talks to buy AT Pyvzavod Rohan, a brewery in Ukraine, as
the Belgian company focuses on expanding in Eastern Europe.
``We are looking at this opportunity,'' said Interbrew Spokesman Corneel Maes.
``Eastern Europe is one of the areas we are concentrating on,'' Maes said,
declining to give further details. Interbrew, which plans to sell shares later
this year, is snapping up companies as it concentrates on expanding in Europe
while shedding its non-brewing businesses such as the Toronto Blue Jays
baseball team. Earlier this year, Interbrew bought Bass Plc's brewing unit and
Whitbread Plc's beer business.
The acquisition would strengthen Interbrew's activities in Ukraine, where it
already owns breweries Chernigov, Mykolayiv and Simseropol. Ukraine's
Anti-Monopoly Committee should decide by mid-month whether to allow SUN
Interbrew Ltd., which was created last year from Russia's Sun Brewing Ltd. and
Interbrew, to buy 80 percent of Rohan, Interfax-Ukraine Ukrainian-Russian news
agency reported, citing Hennadiy Bilokur, the head of Rohan.
The 80 percent stake in Rohan, which currently belongs to portfolio investors,
is estimated to be worth about $30 million, the news agency said. Rohan, which
began operating in 1993, has a market value of 60.6 million Ukraine Hryvna
($11.1 million), based on yesterday's closing price of 272 Hryvna.
SUN Interbrew said earlier this year it planned to invest $100 million in
Russia and $20 million in Ukraine in year 2000, up from $50 million that the
company said it invested in Russia and Ukraine last year.
Montana Group Cleared by Antitrust Authority to Buy Corbans
Wellington, Sept. 6 (Bloomberg)-- Montana Group New Zealand Ltd.'s bid to buy
rival Corbans Wines Ltd. was approved by the antitrust authority, clearing the
way for the nation's biggest wine maker to expand it range and output.
Montana is 25 percent owned by Sydney-based Lion Nathan Ltd., Australia's No. 2
brewer. Corbans is owned by DB Group Ltd., New Zealand's No. 2 brewer, which
said in May it planned to sell the business. It had earlier hoped to find a
partner to run Corbans.
The Commerce Commission said in a statement that the acquisition won't allow
Montana to acquire or strengthen dominance in the New Zealand wine market.
That's its standard approval phrase when clearing applications. ``Barriers for
existing competitors to expand are low, imports account for a substantial
amount of domestic consumption and are continuing to grow,'' the commission
said.
Also, ``the merged entity would face effective competition from Australian
distributors and the larger remaining New Zealand companies,'' it said. ``In
addition, the three main supermarket chains have considerable buying power and
can switch between suppliers.'' A spokesman for Montana wasn't immediately
available to comment on whether or when the Auckland-based company will bid for
Corbans.
Earlier this year, DB said Corbans's performance had been disappointing, as it
struggled to iron out wrinkles in its U.K. distribution, one of the biggest
export markets for New Zealand wines. Last September, DB said its wine unit
accounted for about one quarter of its NZ$376 million ($161 million) of
operating assets.
Auckland-based Montana rose 2 cents, or 0.8 percent, to NZ$2.67. DB, about 77
percent owned by Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd., rose 5 cents, or 1.6 percent, to
NZ$3.25. The announcement was made after the market closed.
Japan's Kirin Brewery Co. owns 46 percent of Lion Nathan.
Beijing Enterprises 1H Profit Rises 3% to $34 Million
Hong Kong, Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Beijing Enterprises Holdings Ltd., an
investment company controlled by the Beijing city government, said first-half
net income rose 3 percent as declines in its brewery business offset gains at
its flagship Beijing department store.
The company said profit rose to HK$261 million ($33.5 million), or 42 HK cents
a share, in the six months through June 30, from HK$254 million or 41 cents in
the same period last year.
Turnover rose 50 percent to HK$2.5 billion as sales at its Wangfujing
Department Store more than doubled after it reopened following renovation work
on a nearby street. The company's retail unit swung to a net profit of HK$11
million after posting a HK$28 million loss in the same period last year.
Gains were offset by its brewery unit, Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co., China's
biggest brewer. Yanjing's net profit fell 15 percent, reflecting increased
marketing and depreceation costs as it fights rival Tsingtao Brewery Co.
Two newly acquired breweries, Jiangxi Yanjing and Hunan Yanjing, made no
significant contribution to Yanjing as they are operating below their optimum
production capacity, the company said.
Grolsch 1st-Half Net Rises 19%, Sees 10% Gain in 2000
Enschede, Netherlands, Sept. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Grolsch NV, the Dutch
brewer known for its swing-top bottles, said first half profit rose 18.8
percent as demand increased in the U.K., France, the U.S. and Canada. The
company forecast full-year profit growth of about 10 percent. Net income rose
to 10.1 million euros, or 0.59 euro a share, in the period from 8.5 million. Or
0.50, a year earlier.
Grolsch suffered a setback when its main Dutch brewery was damaged by an
explosion at a nearby fireworks warehouse earlier this year. That hurt
production for the Netherlands at a time when the domestic market grew 3
percent. Foreign sales helped to compensate with an increase of 15 percent, the
company said. The company said the brewery in Enschede, Netherlands was mostly
returned to normal operations by the end of June. The costs are covered by
insurance, the company said.
Grolsch shares rose as much as 0.3 euro, or 1.5 percent, to20.2 euros. The
stock is down 3 percent so far this year.
Bass's Clarke on Chief Executive's Role, Strategy: Comment
London, Sept. 6 (Bloomberg) -- The following is a summary of comments from Tim
Clarke, who will take over as chief executive of Bass Plc on Oct. 1. Ian
Prosser will remain as chairman. Prosser previously held both positions.
On reason the roles of chief executive and chairman were split:
``I shall be focusing on the running of the business. The simple reason for the
change is our new financial year starts Oct. 1, so I'll have three or four
weeks to do the handover and have in place our new team and structure going
forward.
``We've just completed our brewing sale, it's the new financial year and we're
driving forward predominantly with our global hotel business, but also our
branded hotels and bars.
``The new team will take responsibility for investment opportunities the
disposal of the brewery affords.''
On Clarke's overall strategy for Bass:
``We are reviewing all opportunities available, whether that be investment by
acquisition, organic growth, and if there is surplus capital, return of capital
to shareholders.
``Within that context, clearly we have a major opportunity to drive forward in
international hotel brands. One of my key priorities is to increase the organic
pipeline of new sites. Organic growth is important.''
On the U.S. hotel market:
``We are extremely well aware of the cyclical and new supply issues coming into
the U.S. hotel market.
``We're reviewing opportunities all around the world, and are just very
conscious of the fact that the U.S. has been for nine years in the upswing of
the cycle. We're always conscious of when that could come to an end.''
Clarke declined to speculate on when that end could come.
Are there more management or structural changes to come?
``This is too early a stage to say. Clearly these are the key announcements.''
What do you want to change at Bass?
``I'm not so sure it's change, but we're really driving forward our
opportunities in the global hotel business, an industry that is showing
enormous long-term growth. Clearly we'll be realizing our opportunities there.
``We are focused on insuring we get the best opportunities anywhere in the
world. We are looking all around the world.''
Are you considering selling the pub and restaurant chains?
``What I'd say is I have no fixed ideological view on this. What we have are
two branded hospitality businesses which are clearly in distinct markets. We
find they sit together very comfortably because they require similar management
skills: brand management, customer service, property development.
``However, if we saw, and we don't see today, a compelling opportunity to do
something different, clearly we'd look at it.''
Are you trying to sell Bass's Britvic soft drinks unit?
``Following the sale of the brewing business, we said it was no longer a core
activity. We are very much reviewing options for it. It's done well over the
years.'' Clarke declined to comment on whether Bass was in discussions with
possible bidders.
Patriotic Canadian beer ad inspires Foster's
By Andrea Hopkins
CANBERRA, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The beer ad that stirred Canadian patriotism by
proclaiming ``I don't live in an igloo'' was such a good idea that Australia's
top brewer couldn't resist borrowing it.
``I don't have a kangaroo for a pet. I don't wrestle with crocodiles and I
don't wear a cork hat,'' a young Aussie male proudly proclaims in a television
commercial unveiled last week for Foster's Brewing Group Ltd (FBG.AX). He
addresses the camera head-on, in a good-natured but defiant monologue designed
to smash the stereotypes foreigners have of Australians. Music swells as his
rant rises to a crescendo.
``I fight wars but never start wars. I would rather make peace.''
In March, a young Canadian calling himself Joe took much the same approach to
sell beer for Molson Inc (MOLa.TO).
``I'm not a lumberjack or a fur trader. I don't live in an igloo, or eat
blubber, or own a dog sled,'' said Joe, voice rising as music swelled with his
patriotism.
``I believe in peacekeeping, not policing, diversity, not assimilation.''
The Canadian ad, part of Molson's ``I AM'' Canadian marketing scheme for its
Canadian brand beer, was a huge hit in Canada, generating massive public and
media response. The 60-second television spot was hailed as the perfect
delivery of the long-held but rarely spoken defiance of a nation that takes
pride in its differences from its mighty southern neighbour, the United States.
``I BELIEVE''
Paul Kennedy, vice-president of marketing for Foster's brewing division,
admitted the 60-second Australian ad, part of Foster's ``I believe'' marketing
scheme, was inspired by the Canadian spot.
``We saw the ad in March when it came out and we thought, 'It's a terrific
idea, it's a wonderful idea, I wonder if we can do something similar in
Australia?''' Kennedy told Reuters.
The inspiration is entirely above-board, he said. Foster's and Molson have had
a long relationship.
For almost 10 years -- and until two years ago -- Foster's International owned
50 percent of Molson Breweries, and the two remain in a joint venture. Molson
brews Foster's in Canada, and both are in a venture with Philip Morris Cos'
(MO.N) Miller Brewing to import Foster's and Molson into the U.S. market.
Still, Foster's did not need Molson's permission to use the idea, Kennedy said.
``Ideas from ads come from all over the world, all the time. There is no such
thing as a copyright on an idea, as a matter of fact, we invented this
concept,'' he said.
``We are not using the words, the pictures, or the trademarks. So in terms of
getting legal permission, that's not required.''
Kennedy said he did not know if Molson officials have seen the Foster's ad.
The Australian commercial seems to have tapped into the same wellspring of
patriotism that greeted Joe Canadian in March.
``Phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. We had over 100,000 hits on the website
just during the weekend, the front page of the paper today talking about us,
and a lot of people ringing in saying how good the ad was,'' Kennedy said.
He said the commercial will run throughout the 2000 Olympic Games, which open
in Sydney on September 15.
Two NYC police officers caught drinking at dry parade
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two New York City police officers were suspended on
Tuesday for drinking while in uniform following the annual West Indian Day
parade, where Mayor Rudolph Giuliani placed a much-publicized ban on alcohol.
The two officers, assigned to patrol the parade, were spotted drinking Light
Beer in the back of a small store in Brooklyn about 9:30 p.m. on Monday by
their sergeant, police said.
The mayor banned the sale of alcohol at parades last month, following a number
of sexual assaults that occurred after the Puerto Rican Day Parade in June. His
decision came under criticism as discriminatory after he said he would allow
the sale of alcohol at the Feast of San Gennaro, a festival in the city's
Little Italy neighborhood, later this month.
The mayor walked the West Indian Day parade route in Brooklyn, greeted by a
number of boos from the crowd along the way.
The colorful West Indian Day parade, which features lively music, dancing and
exotic costumes, attracts some two million revelers each year. The two police
officers face departmental disciplinary charges.
MADD Marks 20 Years of Progress in War on Drunk Driving
183,000 DUI Deaths Prevented in 40 Percent Drop since 1980
New Gallup Survey Shows Americans Rank Drunk Driving No. 1 Road Safety
Concern as Support for .04 Blood-Alcohol Law Grows
Victims Urge Congress to Pass Pending .08 BAC Legislation
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty years after grieving moms took their
tragedies to Capitol Hill and launched the national Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD) movement, MADD today observed its 20th anniversary at a rally
outside the U.S. Capitol where 600 drunk driving victims and activists called
on Congress to enact pending legislation to lower the drunk driving limit to
.08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in every state.
A new Gallup survey released today on Americans' attitudes about drunk driving
shows growing support for .08 BAC laws. Seventy-two (72) percent of drivers --
up from 64 percent in a 1993 Gallup survey -- said they believe such action
would reduce drunk driving. Additionally, driving under the influence of
alcohol or other drugs was cited as the greatest highway safety problem by the
largest number of respondents (29 percent) followed by speeding (28 percent).
Since MADD formed in 1980, alcohol-related traffic deaths have dropped by more
than 40 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 1980,
alcohol was involved in 57 percent of highway deaths for a total of 29,000
alcohol-related fatalities. Last year nearly 16,000 people died in
alcohol-related crashes, accounting for about 38 percent of total traffic
deaths. Had drunk driving continued at the 1980 level over the past two
decades, an estimated 183,000 more Americans would have died on our highways.
"Twenty years ago MADD woke America up to the fact that drunk driving is not an
accident, it's a crime -- the most frequently committed violent crime," said
MADD National President Millie I. Webb. "Twenty years and 183,000 lives later,
it's clear that MADD's grassroots movement has moved the horror story of drunk
driving from the back-page obituaries to the front-page headlines and in the
nation's social consciousness."
General Motors, the corporate sponsor of MADD's 20-year anniversary, is one of
many groups working with MADD to prevent needless tragedies due to drunk
driving. GM Vice Chairman Harry Pearce said, "Alcohol-related motor vehicle
crashes take nearly 16,000 human lives each and every year. This is a national
tragedy that cries out for tough legislative and law enforcement action, as
well as a nationwide educational program highlighting the societal costs of
drunk driving."
Webb, who is a victim of a crash involving a .08 BAC driver, said that
"Congress can jump-start the next phase in the war on drunk driving" by passing
pending legislation to be decided this month that would require states to lower
the legal limit to .08 BAC or forfeit a certain percentage of federal highway
funds. This is the same approach President Reagan and the Congress used in
1984 when the national uniform 21 minimum drinking age law was passed.
The MADD movement began in 1980 with two chapters (California and Maryland) and
blossomed into 600 affiliates with approximately two million members and
supporters by 2000. Since that time, "designated driver" has become a
household term, more than 2,300 lifesaving federal and state anti-drunk driving
and underage drinking laws have been passed. MADD is now the world's largest
crime victims' assistance organization with membership of men and women,
victims, concerned citizens and youth.
"First there was one mom, and then another, and now they are two million
mothers and others strong," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater.
"There is no question that MADD is the preeminent grassroots movement of the
past 20 years. MADD deserves our nation's total support for the next phase of
the war on drunk driving."
Although MADD has always been dedicated to youth alcohol issues, last year the
organization formally embraced the prevention of underage drinking in its
mission statement. MADD is now the most recognized organization for working to
prevent underage drinking (36 percent), according to the Gallup survey released
today.
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Senate sponsor of the pending federal .08
measure, led the charge for states to lower the minimum drinking age to 21 with
the 1984 federal sanctions. Minimum drinking age laws now save 1,000 lives
each year. "MADD has turned tragedy into triumph and changed the country in
the process. Thousands of people are alive and families are together today
because of MADD's persistence. Our nation owes an enormous debt of gratitude
to MADD."
Virtually all (97 percent) have heard of MADD, and most (90 percent) believe
that MADD is effective in making the public aware of the negative consequences
of drunk driving, according to the Gallup survey. MADD and GM commissioned the
Gallup Organization to conduct the independent national survey.
Additional survey highlights released today include:
* Seventy-two (72) percent support lowering the drunk driving limit to .08 BAC
as an initiative to reduce drunk driving.
* Two-thirds (65 percent) favor a federal law requiring all states to lower the
drunk driving limit from .10 to .04 percent BAC.
* Fifty-seven (57) percent say they have ever operated a vehicle under the
influence of alcohol.
* Nearly one in five (17 percent) said they had, in the past week, encouraged
someone not to drive because they suspected he/she had been drinking too much.
Among this group, three in every four (77 percent) said they were successful
in preventing someone from drinking and
driving.
Top 10 Factors that Discourage Americans from Driving Drunk:
* Realizing they could kill or injure others (94%)
* Jail sentence (91%)
* Possibility of losing their license (90%)
* Realizing they could kill or injure themselves (90%)
* Paying substantial fines (84%)
* Having car impounded (82%)
* Increased auto insurance rates (80%)
* Sobriety checkpoints (76%)
* Fear of losing their job (76%)
* Advice from a close friend (75%)
Methods most often cited to discourage drunk driving:
* Requiring driver education courses to drunk driving prevention lessons (96%)
* Encouraging the media to run free public service ads (91%)
* Giving convicted drunk drivers bigger fines and longer jail terms (86%)
* Increasing news coverage of drinking and driving (84%)
* Using sobriety checkpoints (83%)
* Authorizing impoundment and sale of car belonging to repeat offender (79%)
* Initiating government restrictions on alcohol advertising that appeals to
youth (76%)
* Lowering the blood alcohol content for drunk driving (72%)
* Giving police authority to immediately take away a driver's license when the
driver is found to be under the influence of alcohol (administrative license
revocation) (70%)
The Gallup survey is a representative sample of the U.S. public ages 16 and
over. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.
In conjunction with its 20th anniversary, MADD is hosting a national conference
in Alexandria, VA, through September 10. Hundreds of MADD members are
participating in sessions to learn how to implement policies and programs aimed
at the "11,000 by 2005" goal and to serve the needs of drunk driving victims.
The conference also will honor volunteer "Difference Makers" from around the
nation.
GM, MADD's 20th anniversary sponsor, last year donated $500,000 to MADD to
honor the organization's 20-year battle to stop drunk driving and to help
underwrite a year of special programs and projects. Over the next five years
GM expects to contribute $2.5 million to the organization and its efforts.
MADD is a non-profit organization whose mission is to stop drunk driving,
support the victims of this violent crime and to prevent underage drinking. For
more information visit: www.madd.org .
http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2150162&ern=y
US tells world practice what we preach on religion
NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday told the world to
heed its founding fathers who saw religious freedom as a key to democracy,
blasting China, Sudan and Afghanistan among others it found guilty of
restricting expression of faith.
In its second report on how free people are to practice their beliefs in 194
states, the State Department also rebuked some of its allies including Saudi
Arabia, Germany and France.
Beijing's crackdown on Falun Gong spiritual practitioners provoked some of
the harshest criticism in the report, mandated by Congress under a 1998 law
which gave the U.S. government a variety of punishment options, including
sanctions.
Last year the U.S. government chose not to impose additional sanctions on
countries it designated as being of particular concern for their religious
tolerance -- China, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar and Sudan.
This year U.S. officials say they do not expect any significant change in
that list, which last year was announced about a month after the religious
freedom report.
Afghanistan's ``ultraconservative'' Taleban leadership severely restricted
religious freedom, the report said.
In Sudan, the government treated Islam as a state religion and restricted
non-Moslems. Khartoum and its allies conducted indiscriminate bombings and
other abuses in a civil war with rebels in the mainly Christian or animist
south, it said.
In Iran, Baha'is, Jews, Christians and Sufi Moslems reported imprisonment
and other acts of harassment. Conversion from Islam could be punishable by
death, the report said.
In Iraq, where the Sunni Arabs minority dominates over the Shia'a Arab
majority, the report cited several incidents in 1999 of security forces
killing and injuring congregants protesting closures of Shi'a mosques.
Rulers of Myanmar, or Burma as it was known before a military coup and is
still known by the U.S. government, presided over laws which allowed for
restrictions on religious freedom. Authorities repressed efforts by Buddhist
clergy to promote human rights and political freedom, it added.
U.S. PREACHES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AS KEY TO DEMOCRACY
Citing the United States as an example of how religions should be allowed to
flourish, the report said: ``Today, at the dawn of the third millennium,
religions are flourishing in the United States, their respective traditions
enriching not only their own adherents, but American public policy as
well.''
Religious freedom was the first one listed in the U.S. Bill of Rights -- ``a
reflection of the founders' belief that freedom of religion and conscience
is the cornerstone of liberty'' as the report put it.
Some of the hundreds of pages of text concentrated on states the U.S.
government says do not fulfil a covenant signed by 144 nations acknowledging
the right to ``have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.''
It accused Germany of encouraging discrimination against members of the
Church of Scientology, which enjoys tax-free status in the United States.
Some German officials believed Scientology was a money-making scheme rather
than a religion and government procedures sometimes screened out its
members, it said.
In France, a 1996 law labeling 173 groups as sects included organisations
which were ``merely unfamiliar or unpopular,'' some of whose members
continued to allege discrimination, it added.
The U.S. government did not analyse how religious freedom was respected at
home, though it acknowledged followers of Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses,
Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and indigenous American religions had been
persecuted in the past.
In February, a French government mission accused Washington of being too lax
on cults and unfairly blaming France for its harsher stance.
http://tech.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2143397&ern=y
How to Make Crepes Suzette Like A Bully
Scott DeVaney 09/01/00
Kick butt in the kitchen.
After a hard day of administering wet willies, noogies and gonad blasters,
sometimes even your most hardened bullies like to treat themselves to a
delicious crepes Suzette. Here are a few culinary cues to help you make a
crepes Suzette just like the bullies do!
Things you'll need to steal:
* 6 eggs
* 2 oranges
* 1 cigarette
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon corn syrup
* 1/3 cup brandy
* 12-pack Schlitz
* 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup milk
* 1.5 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 3/4 cup cornstarch
* 1 professionally trained chef
STEP ONE: Steal a chef.
Go to any local five-star French restaurant and enjoy a cigarette while you
wait outside in the parking lot until the restaurant closes. Once a chef has
exited the restaurant and started making his way to his car, approach him
from behind so that your growing shadow is his first hint that trouble
looms.
When the chef turns to see who you are and asks, "Can I help you?" remove
the lit cigarette from your mouth, flick it into his face and reply: "Why
yes, you can." Use whatever means necessary to get the chef into your car,
such as (ironically) hitting him over the head with a saucepan or
(unironically) threatening the life of his children. Your choice!
STEP TWO: Candying the rind.
Once you have the chef in your kitchen, sit back and enjoy a few of the
beers from your case of Schlitz as you watch him peel an orange and cut the
strips of the skin into 1/4-inch sections. Then tell him to place the strips
into a saucepan of boiling water and let them simmer for 15 minutes.
Then drain and rinse under cold water.
Once he's finished with that, kick the chef in the butt and order him to
combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and bring it to a boil, stirring
constantly. After a few minutes, tell the chef to "stop stirring now,
bitch!" and have him add the orange strips. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Throw your empty beer can at the back of the chef's head to kill the time.
STEP THREE: The Sauce.
The chef should now remove the rind of the orange with a vegetable peeler
and chop it into a fine zest. Squeeze both oranges (orange from candying
plus orange from sauce) and stain the juice. You should have 2/3 cup. Now
add the lemon juice.
By this point, the chef's attitude will probably begin to shift from panic
and fear to anger and anxiety. He might even verbally lash out and say
something like, "You'll never get away with this." When this happens, order
the chef to place four cups of water on the stove. When the water reaches a
boiling point, take the scalding hot water and pour it down the back of the
chef's shirt as you calmly explain to him that anymore outbursts like that
will get his elbows broken.
STEP Four: Go watch TV.
Like anything else, even torture and ridicule gets boring after a while, so
tell the chef to finish the crepes Suzette on his own while you go in the
other room and see what's on the tube. It should only take the chef about
another 30 minutes to finish. Then enjoy!
J2jurado
Notice of a Special Meeting For all Members of the U. S. Hop Industry
The U. S. hop industry has faced many challenges in the past few years.
Production challenges such as powdery mildew, mite control and yield
decline have heightened the urgency to develop new hop cultivars which
are less costly to produce but continue to provide the quality and value
our brewery customers have come to expect. While private efforts at
breeding hops have achieved some level of success in complementing the public
breeding programs, the expense and resource allocation involved in maintaining
those efforts in an industry of our size is significant.
The industry has also seen the initiation of various lawsuits involving
HopUnion, Yakima Chief, John I. Haas, amongst others in recent years.
These suits centered on the use of Columbus type varieties. All
litigations between Haas, HopUnion and Yakima Chief have been settled as of
September 3, 2000.
In consideration of the foregoing, John I. Haas, Inc. and Yakima Chief
have agreed to cooperate in their breeding efforts to develop new hop
cultivars which will benefit all U. S. hop growers and brewery customers
alike. The goal of this new cooperative private program is to include
all U. S. hop dealer/processors and to make proprietary cultivars
available to all U. S. growers on a royalty fee basis in order to fund
the costs of the program.
Haas and Yakima Chief are confident that settlement of the lawsuits as
well as the agreements reached will better serve the U.S. hop industry
and create equal opportunities for all hop growers.
An informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 13 at a
place and time to be announced. All members of the U. S.
hop industry, brewers and interested parties are invited to attend.
Signed by
HopUnion John I. Haas, Inc. Yakima Chief
September 6, 2000
Most Americans Agree Lowering Alcohol Limit Cuts Drunk Driving
Washington, Sept. 6 (Bloomberg)-- Nearly three-quarters of Americans agree that
lowering the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers to .08 percent would further
reduce drunk driving, according to a new Gallup survey.
The poll was released in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the founding
of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the national movement to increase penalties
for drunk driving. Seventy- two percent of drivers -- up from 64 percent in
1993 -- said that the .08 percent level would curb drunk driving, according to
the Gallup poll.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving held a rally on Capitol Hill to urge legislators
to require states seeking federal transportation funds to set the lower
standard for blood alcohol.
Currently, 32 states have a higher legal limit of .10 percent. The District of
Columbia and 18 states have set .08 percent as the maximum legal percentage of
alcohol in the blood for motorists.
The bill was endorsed by the Senate Appropriations Committee in June, and is in
now in a Senate-House conference committee. President Bill Clinton supports the
bill.
The legislation has been backed by many law enforcement and medical groups. It
has been opposed by states' right advocates who contend the nationwide standard
oversteps federal authority.
Alcohol-related traffic deaths have plummeted by 40 percent since the group
took up the cause in 1980, according to Department of Transportation figures.
The Gallup poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Bass splits top jobs, Clarke made CEO
By David Jones
LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's hotel and leisure group Bass Plc on
Wednesday split the roles of chairman and chief executive, appointing Tim
Clarke as chief executive from October 1, while Ian Prosser continues as
chairman.
The move comes as Bass prepares to change its name and seek a new image after
selling its beer business late last month and only has the rights to the Bass
corporate name for two years. Clarke, 43, is currently chief executive of one
of the group's two core businesses, Bass Leisure Retail, which includes its UK
pubs and restaurants, and had been seen as a front runner to succeed Prosser
along with Finance Director Richard North.
Clarke has spend 10 years at Bass and the last five as chief of the leisure
side, which operates around 3,000 pubs and restaurants, such as All Bar One,
O'Neill's and Harvester brands, in the UK and generate half of group profits.
He said the group's number one priority would be its other core interest of
hotels, where its brands include Holiday Inns, Crowne Plaza and
Inter-Continental, but he saw strong opportunities in both core areas of hotels
and pubs.
``These are two branded hospitality markets which sit together as they need the
same management skills,'' he said, but added that he had no fixed ideas on
whether the two core businesses should be demerged in the future.
This summer, Bass sold its brewing division for 2.3 billion pounds to Belgium's
Interbrew and has said it is eager to use the cash to expand, especially its
hotels side where it is the world's second largest group with over 480,000
rooms.
Clarke joined Bass in 1990 and was in charge of strategy before running its
hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa for three years. He ran the pubs from
1995, selling off its leased units to focus on large managed pubs and
restaurants. Before 1990, he was a drinks industry analyst with Panmure Gordon.
``He has the operational experience of running both pubs and hotels, and that
clearly gave him the edge over Richard North,'' said one drinks industry
analyst. Bass shares ended off 6-1/2 pence at 680-1/2p in a overall lower UK
stock market.
North, 50, will continue as group finance director and chairman of soft drinks
consortium Britvic, which Bass controls. Tom Oliver remains as head of the
hotels division.
Prosser has been joint group chairman and chief executive for the past 13
years, and Bass has come under criticism from investors as one of the few FTSE
100 companies with the two top jobs held by the same person.
Clarke's old pubs division will be run jointly by Adam Fowle as managing
director of pubs and bars, and Tony Hughes as managing director of restaurants.
http://www.beer.com/news/bee/bee/2000/09/06/968249745787.html
9.6.2000
City pubs worth crawling to in London
by ROBERT HUGHEY beer.com
I have always been drawn to public houses, to pubs. I am under the
influence of the pub's particular form of charm.
Read about other English pub crawls in beer.com's Pub Crawl across
England 2000 and Back in the pub life, again.The traditional pub has
subdued lighting hiding the yellowing patina of smoke-stained walls,
fine real ales on hand pump, a friendly landlord more often than not,
though I am told I have been lucky on this one, either that or I didn't
realize I was being insulted. There's plenty of conversation at the bar
if you wanted it, a quiet corner if you didn't, and most importantly,
people of all ages and occupations enjoying the moment, a lively or
quiet place depending on the hour of the day, all of it down to your
mood and choosing. I have also acquired a taste for bitter, a well
hopped ale with a piquancy of palate, on traditional hand pump, of
course.
Not all of the pubs listed below serve top-notch cask conditioned beers,
beers I can heartily endorse, but they did when I visited them. Still,
if it is the charm of viewing the exteriors and interiors of traditional
and uniquely styled pubs, then all of the pubs fit the bill.
The Lamb
Lambs Conduit Street
The Lamb is a Grade II listed Young's pub in the heart of Bloomsbury
near a plethora of publishing houses, book shops and the British Museum.
The Lamb has a central bar ringed with finely etched glass snob screens,
which provide a discretionary counterpoint to the lively pub atmosphere
and crackling conversation from a diverse crowd.
Here you will find the entire range of Young's beers on tap, namely,
Young's Bitter, Young's Special and seasonal beers, all in fine form.
The Star Tavern
Belgravia
The Star Tavern is a welcoming Fuller's pub with the brewery's full
range of distinguished beers on tap, Chiswick, London Pride, ESB and
seasonal beers, all in excellent condition.
Deservedly well reviewed over the years, the Star oozes charm with
plenty of rich, dark mahogany wood, plush settles and a relaxed,
friendly atmosphere.
Located in a difficult to find mews, the Star, however, rewards its
visitors with great cask conditioned ale, good food and a warm welcome.
Worth several visits anytime when visiting London, The Star is a regular
in the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide.
The Old Mitre
Hatton Garden
The Old Mitre is a historic 400-year-old-plus pub in its own private
square, Ely Place. The pub is located at the end of an alleyway near
busy Holborn. Small dark paneled rooms feature antique settles and a
cozy atmosphere.
Friary Meux Best Bitter from the Carlsberg-Tetley Brewery,
Burton-upon-Trent, or other such less than stalwart brews are on tap.
But don't despair, you've come to see the historic pub. Drinking a
half-pint is the price of admission to allow you, the visitor, time to
take in its wonders.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Fleet Street
For years, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was a revered historic free house
with fabulous real ales. But, Yorkshire brewer Sam Smith took over the
Cheese, killing off one of its own real ales, the full-flavored Museum
Ale, at around the the same time, leaving only questionable cask ale trucked in
from
distant Tadcaster, Yorkshire. The problem was solved, so the brewery
believed, when Sam Smith started sending filtered keg beer in its stead.
The original Cheshire Cheese was consumed by the Great Fire of London
and was subsequently rebuilt in 1667. The pub has lost some of its
original charm in a more recent brewery makeover.
Famous for frequent visits from Dr. Johnson, who lived up the alleyway
from the pub, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese now serves Sam Smith's Old Brewery
Bitter, a malt dominated brew with a wisp of hop bitterness.
Cheer up, you've only come to look at the remains of a once great London
pub. Right? Drink up and move on.
The George Inn
Southwark
The historic 17th century George Inn is the only galleried coaching inn
surviving intact in London. Tiers of open galleries overlook a cobbled
courtyard. Located close to the reconstructed Globe Theater, The George
is a rambling structure with a row of ground floor rooms and bars with
bare floorboards, black beams and oak tables.
Most recently serving Sam Smiths Old Brewery Bitter on hand pump, The
George, despite its woeful lack of good real ales, transports the
visitor to a more tranquil time when within its sturdy walls.
But it can still get very busy with groups of rubbernecking tourists in
for a spot of lunch.
Successful Electronic Nose Applications Presented by Dr. Edward Staples at The
Knowledge Foundation's International Conference
NEWBURY PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 6, 2000--Dr. Edward Staples,
the Managing Director of Electronic Sensor Technology (EST), will be presenting
a paper on successful QC applications involving food and beverage industries at
the upcoming "Electronic Nose Technologies" conference sponsored by the
Knowledge Foundation, Inc. (www.knowledgefoundation.com) being held on October
26 & 27, 2000 in San Diego.
This is the first conference devoted solely to applications of electronic
noses. As a member of the Distinguished Faculty, Dr. Staples will be presenting
papers among other faculty members, such as, Agilent, Perkin Elmer and Cyrano
Sciences. Successful QC applications have been made possible by the development
of the first quantitative electronic nose for measuring the quality of foods
and beverages. This instrument is called a zNose(TM) to distinguish it from
eNoses, which are based upon non-specific sensor arrays. According to Dr.
Staples, the zNose(TM) uses only one physical sensor yet it can produce
literally hundreds of independent virtual chemical sensors. The new technology,
patented and trademarked by EST, is able to quantitatively measure the
individual chemicals within a fragrance or flavor with part per trillion
accuracy in just 10 seconds.
According to Dr. Staples, zNose(TM) technology is successfully being used
to measure and document quality by several major food and beverage producers.
Recent successful QC applications involve TCA in Wine corks, Beer
manufacturing, fatty acids in Milk and Soymilk, odors in vitamins, and
freshness in Fruit Juices. Further details and technical description of the new
zNose(TM) technology can be found at the company's Web site: www.estcal.com.
Kendall-Jackson Debuts Carmenere by Calina; Long-Lost Red Wine Thrives in
Chile, Wins Hearts World-Wide
SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 6, 2000--Carmenere, a grape variety
lost in the shadows of its Bordeaux cousins for more than a century, is finally
re-conquering the hearts of those who prize fine wine and sumptuous dining.
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates this month is distributing its first major
bottling of Carmenere (Carmen-AIR), produced in Chile under the Calina label.
Kendall-Jackson has produced award-winning wines in Chile since 1993.
Yet no variety says "Chile" like Carmenere. Its re-emergence is the story of a
happy accident.
Carmenere was little more than an archival curiosity until the early 1990s,
when winemakers discovered that many of the Chilean vines they had called
Merlot were actually Carmenere
The grape once played a large part in Bordeaux winemaking, but its low yields
forced it out of favor when French viticulturists replanted after the
phylloxera outbreak of the 1880s. Meanwhile, Carmenere from France had quietly
migrated to Chile, along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
By the 1990s, Chileans were profiting from the worldwide fascination with
Merlot. However, some winemakers noticed traits that set some of their Merlot
apart. Analysis soon showed that Carmenere had been planted willy-nilly among
the Merlot, and that much of Chilean Merlot was in reality Carmenere.
Rather than panic, Chilean winemakers deftly turned scandal into opportunity.
They recognized what Carmenere lovers have come to appreciate: the low tannins
and big, bright blackberry fruit of Carmenere make it a delight to drink and an
ideal match for a range of foods.
Since Chile began actively marketing Carmenere in the mid-1990s, it has come to
symbolize the nation much like Shiraz calls to mind Australia, Malbec Argentina
and Zinfandel California.
"The mix-up was understandable," said Randy Ullom, Winemaster for
Kendall-Jackson and supervisor of winemaking for Calina. "Carmenere and Merlot
are similar. But the trained eye can notice Carmenere sports pinkish leaves
that set it apart."
Carmenere is bound to grow in popularity as wine lovers discover its lush,
exotic flavors, Ullom said. Those flavors are improving as new vineyards --
this time properly labeled -- mature and viticulturists learn how to pamper the
fruit to best advantage. Winemakers are devoting more time to Carmenere as a
distinct variety, drawing out what is richest in the ripened fruit.
"The Chilean growing season was the saving grace for Carmenere," Ullom said.
"It ripens later than Merlot, which can cause troubles in colder France. Credit
it all to a mistake that turned into a godsend for Chile and for wine lovers.
Carmenere can finally take the place it deserves among the red royalty of
wine."
Calina Carmenere 1999 was aged nine months in French and American oak barrels.
Its berry aromas, low acid and soft tannins pair well with cuisine world wide.
Its suggested retail price is $6.99, and it is widely available in fine wine
stores starting in September.
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates produces wines from the mountain and coastal
regions of California and South America, featuring the wines of Kendall-Jackson
and Camelot from California, La Crema from Sonoma's Russian River, Edmeades
from Mendocino's Anderson Valley and Pepi from Napa and Sonoma counties. From
South America Kendall-Jackson offers Calina from Chile and Tapiz from
Argentina.
Branding the 'Ultimate Consumer'
New GMA/Roper Starch Report Reveals Traits Of Consumers Loyal to National
Brands
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- In the age of Palm Pilots, bull markets,
and "e"-everything, consumers are savvier than ever about shopping, right down
to their affinity for brands.
A new report for the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) by Roper Starch
Worldwide shows that brands continue to dominate the shelves of most Americans'
pantries, accounting for 80 percent of total food, drug, and mass
merchandisers' sales. And examining the shopping habits and demographic makeup
of consumers who buy national brands may provide new insights for brand
marketers looking to retain their share of consumer dollars.
According to the report, which explores what types of consumers buy national
brands, nearly half of all Americans (46 percent) are "National Brand
Loyalists." Defined as consumers who usually buy national brands when making a
food or beverage and health and beauty care purchase, National Brand Loyalists
are "the ultimate consumer," according to the report, and 44 percent say,
"today is a good time to buy." As a group, these shoppers are:
* Better off economically. Their median household income of $41,700 is 35
percent higher than that of their store brand-buying counterparts.
* College educated. One in four (27 percent) have at least a bachelor's
degree (11 points higher than store brand buyers), and 40 percent hold
executive/professional or "white collar" positions (15 points higher
than store brand buyers).
* Married and in two-career households. 59 percent (versus 54 percent of
store-brand buyers) are married; a third of this group are in marriages
where both partners work.
* Homeowners. 68 percent (vs. 49 percent for store-brand buyers) own
homes.
* Personal computer users. Half of all National Brand Loyalists own a PC
or laptop (11 points higher than PC ownership for store brand buyers)
and more than a third (37 percent) have accessed the Internet from home
during the past month (10 points higher than store brand buyers).
"Clearly national brands are still king in consumers' eyes," said GMA President
and CEO C. Manly Molpus. "Our partnership with Roper Starch on this report
provides a wealth of revealing facts about today's brand loyal consumer, who is
looking for a level of quality, innovation, and value that only brands
consistently deliver."
Beyond demographics, "National Brand Buyers" also tend to recommend brands they
use. The report finds that an impressive 64 percent of National Brand Loyalists
have recommended a restaurant to others in the past year, 16 points higher than
Store Brand Buyers. This group is also more likely to publicize movies,
television shows, cars, magazines, and other products and services they like.
How do consumers choose the products they'll bring home? The report shows that
consumers are most likely to feel brand loyalty to brands that differentiate
themselves from the other brands within a specific category. The Roper Starch
research shows 47 percent of ice cream consumers say some brands are better, up
five points from 1997; likewise, 37 percent of toothpaste consumers, up two
points, and 31 percent of household cleaner purchasers, up three points, feel
the same way. "The common thread in these categories is the fact that marketers
have offered innovative or distinctive products," the report says, which adds
that improving products with anti-bacterial ingredients, fragrance varieties,
cavity fighters, new flavors, and other "benefit bundles" may be the key to
winning consumer brand loyalty.
Chronicling the evolution of brands through the decades, the report reveals the
resurgence of "power brands" in the mid-to-late 1990s, where brand loyalty and
brand differentiation rebounded. From toothpaste (62 percent, up 5 points) and
deodorant (60 percent, up 7 points), to orange juice (44 percent, up 8 points)
and cold cereal (31 percent, up 7 points), more Americans in 1997 than in 1995
had "one favorite brand" of a host of products.
With the economy soaring in the past several years, consumers in 2000 are now
more apt to experiment, shopping around a "considered set" of brands and
choosing among two or three. In some categories, such as toilet paper, facial
tissues, and furniture wax/polish, consumers are heavily gravitating toward
brands, with both "one favorite" or "two or three" favorite brands growing.
While the economic downturn of the early nineties trained consumers to be
savvy, price-conscious shoppers, they're also more likely to try a new product
and buy something else if they don't like it, without breaking the bank.
"Today's National Brand Loyalists are the ultimate consumers," said Edward
Keller, President and COO, Roper Starch Worldwide. "By understanding what
motivates these consumers to buy national brands, brand marketers are in a much
stronger position to attract new customers and retain the trust of their most
loyal buyers."
GMA is the world's largest association of food, beverage and consumer product
companies. With U.S. sales of more than $460 billion, GMA members employ more
than 2.5 million workers in all 50 states. The organization applies legal,
scientific and political expertise from its member companies to vital food,
nutrition and public policy issues affecting the industry. Led by a board of
44 Chief Executive Officers, GMA speaks for food and consumer product
manufacturers at the state, federal and international levels on legislative and
regulatory issues. The association also leads efforts to increase
productivity, efficiency and growth in the food, beverage and consumer products
industry.
Olympics-The strain of Strine baffles Olympic visitors
By Paul Majendie
SYDNEY, Sept 7 (Reuters) - G'day you old bastard shit. Goin' to the footie this
arvo?
Translation -- Greetings, dear friend. Do you plan to go to the match this
afternoon?
My handbrake may be a top Sheila but we had a real blue last night.
Translation -- My wife is a first-rate lady but we had a huge argument last
night.
I'm going to chuck some chook on the barbie. Why not bring over a carton of
tinnies?
Translation -- I am going to barbecue some chicken. Why not bring over a box of
beers?
For all those Olympic visitors who thought Australia was an English-speaking
country, it is time to think again -- speaking ``Strine'' can be a real strain.
So the organisers of Sydney's Olympic Games have put out a special CD as an
instant introduction to the highly individualistic way Australians choose to
speak English.
The English haughtily mock the Americans for murdering the English language.
The Australians in turn cannot stand complaining Englishmen, calling them
Whingeing Poms.
But imagine the utter bafflement of Americans faced with this greeting: ``Jeez,
youse septics are a funny bunch of blokes.''
As the guide helpfully explains, septic tank is rhyming slang for Yank. Hence
the jovial greeting.
In this sports-mad country, two drinkers in a pub will happily bet on two flies
crawling up a wall. So gambling colloquialisms can come in handy.
Commiserate with your fellow fanatics on the pokies (poker machines) by saying
``I've done me brass too (I too have lost my money).''
And don't be too baffled if someone offers you some electrical spinach. Look
puzzled and he will insist it is the finest wacky weed -- for this is
Australian slang for marijuana.
Australians, an up-front and direct collection of 20 million extroverts, love
to puncture the pretentious. Try this classic putdown for the showy and
ostentatious: ``He thinks he's as flash as a rat with a gold tooth.''
And slang neatly encapsulates the yin and yang of the Australian personality --
The larrikin is happy-go-lucky and irreverent, the wowser a straight-laced
killjoy.
China asks: What's in the turtle's blood?
By Jeremy Page
BEIJING (Reuters) - Looking for an extra burst of speed? Try a little deer's
horn. Aches and strains? A dose of sea horse in alcohol. And for stamina, a
dash of turtle's blood and fresh yak semen.
Chinese athletes are preparing for the Sydney Olympics with a cocktail of
traditional medicines based on roots, fungi and animal parts used as elixirs in
China for thousands of years.
Sports officials, desperate to clean up China's tarnished sporting image after
a string of doping scandals, are anxious to know what exactly lurks within
these ancient remedies. Most of the Chinese athletes busted for doping so far
have taken performance-enhancing drugs developed in the West, such as anabolic
steroids and diuretics. But they could fall foul of strict doping rules by
quaffing brews based on secret recipes handed down from generation to
generation.
Many are sold in packages with scant details of ingredients or their chemical
properties such as Dalishen Oral Liquid, a popular panacea based on seal's
penis and testes. ``Just about every sports team is widely using traditional
Chinese medicine; this has become established practice,'' said Zhang Shiming,
director of the Sports and Injury Research Institute in the western city of
Chengdu.
``Chinese medicine can help athletes to recover faster from fatigue after
exercise and can also improve their performance,'' said Zhang, who heads a team
of doctors examining the use of such medicines in sport.
PLACEBOS AND PICK-ME-UPS
Doctors say Chinese herbal medicines can range from placebos and mild
restoratives to powerful pick-me-ups containing natural stimulants such as
ephedrine, or mahuang in Chinese, which is banned by international sports
federations.
Among those favored by athletes are ginseng root, a medicinal plant known as
huangjing or sealwort, the lingzhi mushroom and extracts of animal parts
ranging from deer's tail to dog's kidney, doctors say. The most notorious are
the potions of turtle's blood and caterpillar fungus used by maverick coach Ma
Junren to fuel his team of women distance runners, who shattered a string of
world records in the early 1990s.
Zhang says most do not contain banned substances and cannot be used in the same
way as Western performance-boosting drugs. ''In my experience, it's impossible
to find a traditional Chinese medicine to replace a stimulant, but if we use
Chinese medical theory to adjust the balance of the entire body it can have the
same effect as a stimulant.''
To be safe, the State Administration of Physical Culture and Sports has decreed
that traditional Chinese medicines must be tested for stimulants before
athletes can use them. Coaches and athletes using unapproved remedies face
stiff penalties.
But some want to go further.
``We advocate the Olympic spirit of fairness and competition,'' said an
official at the administration's Sport and Medicine Research Institute in
Beijing. ``In this sense we are opposed to athletes using any medicine to
improve their results, including Chinese medicine.''
For China's sports czars, the priority in Sydney is to ensure their athletes
avoid the sort of drug scandals that have plagued them since 1994 and prompted
accusations that Beijing was running an East German-style doping program.
Eleven Chinese athletes failed dope tests at the Asian Games in Hiroshima that
year. Further scandals followed at the 1998 Perth swimming world championships
when a human growth hormone was found in a Chinese swimmer's luggage and four
more Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned diuretic. This year, Chinese
world champion swimmer Wu Yanyan was kicked off the Olympic team after testing
positive for an anabolic steroid.
BALANCING YIN AND YANG
The sports administration official, who asked not to be identified, said
athletes were better off sticking to Chinese acupuncture and massage. ``We know
there are some athletes who are taking Chinese traditional medicines in order
to restore their energy. These kinds of medicines are usually a mixture of
several dozen different ingredients, but according to our research their effect
is quite limited.''
Zhang disagrees. He said athletes can definitely improve their performance
through careful analysis of the balance between the Yin and Yang -- the
feminine and masculine forces in nature -- and between the Qi, or vital energy,
and the Xue, the state of the blood.
Remedies like Ma's help to redress the balance of the whole body at times of
heavy physical exercise, he says. ``When an athlete exercises a lot and sweats
a lot, their energy is used up. According to Chinese medicine this will damage
the Yin. Soft-shelled turtle's blood will restore the Yin.'' Western sports
scientists are skeptical. While they recognize the holistic health benefits of
Chinese medicine, they say its effects on athletes are limited.
Scientists who tested Ma's turtle's blood potion found it to be a mixture of
mainly water and sugar no more potent than orange juice. Zhang said such
analysis betrayed a lack of understanding of Chinese medicine, which affects
different people in different ways. ``In this way, Chinese medicine is very
different from Western medicine,'' he said
``If your red blood cell count drops, a Western doctor would give you a certain
medicine to increase it. A Chinese doctor will seek to adjust the whole body
according to the individual's needs.''
J2jurado
Oslo, Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Orkla ASA, Norway's largest consumer goods
company, wants to eventually gain control over Carlsberg Breweries, the result
of a merger between the brewery units of Orkla and Denmark's Carlsberg AS,
Dagens Naeringsliv reported, citing an unidentified person with knowledge of
the plans.
Orkla currently owns 40 percent of Carlsberg Breweries, the world's
sixth-largest brewer, and has the right to buy Carlsberg's stake if the Danish
company wants to sell. Carlsberg has previously said it doesn't want to reduce
its stake.
Stein Erik Hagen, former owner of a Norwegian supermarket chain that's one of
Orkla's biggest customers, said he ``knows too much'' about Orkla's plans to
comment on them publicly, though said the matter is ``definitely'' worth
looking into, according to the paper.
Orkla Chief Executive Jens P. Heyerdahl is facing criticism from several of the
company's biggest owners, who say shareholders have too little influence on how
the company is run. One reason Heyerdahl is opposed to more shareholder control
may be that he's concerned they would hamper his plans for gaining control of
Carlsberg Breweries, the paper said.
(Dagens Naeringsliv 8/9 4, see {DGNV <GO>} for the Web site.)
Diageo Announces Organic Operating Profit Growth of 11% to -Pound-1,980 Million
and EPS Up 8% to 37.3 Pence
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--September 7, 2000--Diageo (NYSE: DEO),
today announced its preliminary results for the year ended June 30,
2000.(a)
Lord Blyth, Chairman of Diageo, said: "The business and financial
performance delivered in this financial year is in line with our goals
and expectations for the year. On an organic basis turnover grew 4% to
(pound)11,870 million and operating profit grew 11% with particularly
strong performances from Spirits and Wine, up 15% and Beer up 14%.
Free cash flow was up nearly (pound)500 million to (pound)864 million.
The new financial year has begun well. Our businesses continue to
perform in line with our expectations and we look forward to the
future with confidence."
Paul Walsh, Group Chief Executive of Diageo, said: "Our
performance in this financial year illustrates the rationale behind
our recently announced decision to focus on our core beverage alcohol
business. Diageo's combined Spirits, Wine and Beer business has
achieved significantly higher top and bottom line growth in the year.
Investment in our premium beverage alcohol brands, focus by individual
market and innovation to find new ways of delivering our brands to
consumers together with continued emphasis on the reduction of our
cost base will continue to be the drivers of improved performance. We
have made changes in marketing focus in Packaged Food during the year
and our brands are now well positioned to benefit from the combination
announced with General Mills. In Burger King, we believe we have the programs
which will deliver improved performance."
Diageo cheered up by drive to drink
By David Jones
LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Britain's Diageo Plc reported a meagre 2.7 percent
rise in annual profits on Thursday, which appeared to vindicate its decision to
focus on alcholic drinks and jettison troublesome Burger King and Pillsbury.
Solid performances from its old UDV wines and spirits and Guinness beer
divisions came in contrast to Pillsbury, beset by cut-throat competition in the
U.S. food industry, and fast food chain Burger King, suffering from falling
U.S. franchise sales.
The drinks giant, which markets Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whisky and
Guinness beer, said its combined drinks business should be able to top the six
percent sales growth seen in the year and be the ``engine for growth'' in the
future.
``The performance of UDV and Guinness gives us a very strong platform for
growth for the future, while across the whole group the new year has started
well,'' said new Chief Executive Paul Walsh in an interview as he seeks
profitable top-line growth.
He said the top-line sales growth of six percent for the combined UDV/Guinness
was a good target number going forward and would achieve the group's aspiration
of double-digit growth for operating income and earnings per share.
The combined beer and spirits business was the fastest growing area of the
business, with profits 15 percent ahead in the year compared with a mere one
percent growth at Pillsbury and some six percent at Burger King.
Group annual pre-tax profits before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items
rose to 1.815 billion pounds ($2.63 billion) in the year to June 30, and
although it came at the bottom of analysts' forecasts of 1.813-1.855 billion
pounds, the underlying picture was largely in line with their expectations.
Annual sales across the group were up four percent to 11.87 billion pounds,
while the year dividend payout to shareholders was raised eight percent to 21p
a share.
SHARES MOVE UP
``Overall, underlying trading was as good as we expected and the headline
shortfall in the pre-tax level came from lower than expected contributions from
associates, largely Moet Hennessy, and a slightly higher interest charge,''
said one drinks analyst.
Diageo shares were one of the best performers in the FTSE 100 ending up nearly
three percent or 16 pence at 584-1/2p in a flat UK stock market, as operators
focused on the underlying organic picture which showed operating profits up 11
percent, against the previous year which showed an eight percent rise.
``They are moving in the right direction to focus on the higher margin parts of
the business, and it is one of the better old economy stocks,'' said Nigel
Popham at Teather & Greenwood.
But short-term, the shares are not expected to sparkle until the Pillsbury deal
is ocmplete, the Seagram auction resolved and Burger King well on the way to
being floated, analysts said.
The shares have been a poor performer since the group was formed by the
Guinness-GrandMet merger in December 1997. They have underperformed the UK
market by 20 percent since then, and by 14 percent over the last 12 months.
Walsh added that the group did not need acquisitions to achieve its
double-digit aspirations and would continue to attack the premium lager market
with spirit mixes such as Smirnoff Ice, but said it did not need to buy a
premium lager.
He has guided the company through a frenetic summer, moving to float off Burger
King, sell Pillsbury and merge its two remaining divisions UDV and Guinness,
while at the same time planning a joint bid with France's Pernod Ricard for
Seagram's spirits unit in a $7 billion-plus auction.
Finance Director Nick Rose told a news conference UDV had been driven by a five
percent rise in volumes of its eight priority brands, such as J&B whisky and
Jose Cuervo tequila, and saw future volume growth of 3-5 percent as
sustainable.
Guinness beer saw sales up three percent as it suffered from destocking in the
U.S. and tough conditions in its biggest market, Ireland. There, overall beer
volumes were off one percent and Guinness stout down four percent as the
national draught beer market and pub drinking showed a decline. ($1-.6906
Pound)
UK refers Interbrew's Bass beer deal
LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday referred the acquisition by
Belgium's Interbrew of Bass Plc's beer interests to the UK Competition
Commission in a move expected to attach stringent new conditions to the deal.
UK trade minister Stephen Byers said the three-month enquiry would look into
beer production and distribution, while he has decided to clear the acquisition
by the Belgian brewer of Stella Artois of the Whitbread's beer division.
Privately-owned Interbrew bought Bass's brewing division which includes
Carling, Tennent's and draught Bass beer for 2.3 billion pounds ($3.30 billion)
in June, one month after picking up Whitbread's beer interests for 400 million
pounds.
Since the sale to Interbrew was completed in August, it will be up to the
Belgian company to comply with any conditions that may be attached.
``The (Interbrew/Bass) merger raises competition concerns in respect of the
market for the production and distribution of beer,'' said Byers, adding he
acted in both cases in accordance with the advice of the Director General of
Fair Trading (DGFT).
``I have taken into consideration the DGFT's advice that, at the brewing level,
the merger reduces the number of national brewers from four to three, creates a
new market leader and significantly increases the level of concentration in the
hands of the top two brewers,'' he added in a statement.
Byers also said that at the distribution level, the DGFT has advised that
similar concerns relating to market share and concentration. The Commission is
due to report to Byers by December 6, and then he will make his decision in
8-10 weeks.
Interbrew said it had expected the referral, but added it was premature to
comment on what the enquiry may recommend.
``This referral comes as no surprise to us as we had always anticipated it. We
will co-operate with the enquiry and go through the whole process with them,''
Interbrew group spokesman Corneel Maes told Reuters.
Industry sources said there was a remote possibility the Commission may block
the deal, but that it was more likely to look at beer supply agreements
Interbrew has struck with Bass and Whitbread pub chains or force it to sell off
brands.
Interbrew could be forced to dilute the five-year supply deals it has with
Bass's 3,000 managed houses and with Whitbread's mix of nearly 3,500 managed
and leased houses.
If Interbrew's purchase of Bass's and Whitbread's beer divisions take place it
will give the Belgian brewer a leading 32 percent share of the UK beer market,
just ahead of Scottish and Newcastle Plc which has 28 percent.
These two together would control around 80 percent of distribution to Britain's
pubs, and the chairman of Britain's biggest pubs group Punch, Hugh Osmond, has
labelled the effective Bass-Whitbread beer merger as anti-competitive.
The other of Britain's four national brewers is Carlsberg-Tetley with a 12-13
percent market share.
The British brewing industry has been beset by regulatory interference and
Byers is currently reading a Commission report reviewing the 1989 beer orders
which limit the number of pubs that a brewer can own or have supply deals with.
The UK goverment blocked Bass's attempted take-over of Carlsberg-Tetley in the
mid-1990s, and referred and effectively blocked Whitbread's attempted bid for
Allied Domecq's 3,500 pubs last summer, an estate which eventually went to
Punch.
Brazil's Ambev Plans to Sell Bavaria Brand Nov 1, Folha Says
Sao Paulo, Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Brazil's Cia. de Bebidas das Americas SA, the
world's No. 3 brewer, plans to sell its Bavaria beer brand and five factories
on Nov. 1, Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported.
The newspaper, which didn't cite a source for the story, said eight groups have
expressed interest in bidding in the auction for Bavaria. Six of those groups
are foreign-led, including Heineken NV and South African Breweries Plc.
Ambev, as the Brazilian brewer is known, has said it expects Bavaria to fetch a
price of about 500 million reais ($274 million). The sale includes the brand,
five factories with 1,100 employees and the use of Ambev's national
distribution network for four years. Bavaria has a 3.7 percent share of the
Brazilian beer market, according to Ambev.
Ambev was forced by antitrust regulators to sell the Bavaria brand to win
approval for the merger of Brazil's two biggest brewers -- Cia. Cervejaria
Brahma and Cia. Antarctica Paulista. Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. is
managing the sale for Ambev.
(Folha, 09/07/2000, p. B-5 )
Wetherspoon 2nd-Half Profit Rises 38% After Openings
London, Sept. 8 (PissNews)-- J.D. Wetherspoon Plc said second-half profit rose
38 percent after the U.K. pub operator known for its cut-price beer and
no-music policy opened 101 new outlets in England and Scotland.
Profit from operations rose to 19.5 million pounds ($27.9 million), or 9.1
pence a share, in the six months ended July 30, from 11.4 million, or 7p, in
the same period a year earlier. Sales in pubs open more than a year have risen
5 percent since year-end.
Wetherspoon is distinguishing itself from competitors by opening outlets with
names and designs tailored to their local markets, while larger rivals such as
Bass Plc are focusing on brand-name chains that offer consistent formats.
``We've been opening pubs with individuality and a name that relates to the
area, individual design: pubs with a bit more soul,'' Chairman Tim Martin said.
``We see strong growth over the next six months and the next six years.''
Shares in Wetherspoon, based in Watford, southern England, rose as much as 9.5
pence, or 2.7 percent, to 368.5p. Before today, the stock had risen 7.6 percent
in the past 12 months.
Full-year profit from operations rose to 34.3 million pounds, or 16.4 pence a
share, from 25.5 million pounds, 12.8p, in fiscal 1999. Revenue rose 37 percent
to 369.6 million pounds. Sales in pubs open more than a year rose 12 percent.
The company agreed to pay a total dividend of 2.67 pence per share, compared
with 2.43p in fiscal 1999.
Wetherspoon now operates 428 pubs.
A Most Superior Old Chicago
SUPERIOR, Colo., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Old Chicago's newest location at 100
Superior Plaza Way in Superior will open for lunch and dinner on Wednesday,
September 13th. Old Chicago proudly features mouthwatering Chicago style
deep-dish and thin crust pizzas, pastas, calzones, sandwiches, salads and to
quench your thirst, 110 different beers from around the world.
"Old Chicago features great food, great service and a wonderful selection of
110 beers," said General Manager, Keith Behr. "We are proud to be a part of
the Superior community."
Old Chicago's Grand Opening will commence with an invitation only VIP party
Monday, September 11th from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Proceeds from the event will
benefit the Cherryvale Fire Protection District, an organization of volunteer
Fire Fighters dedicated to educating children and parents on fire safety, car
seat safety and raising money for Children's Burn Units. Old Chicago will also
host a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 11th at 5:30 p.m.
"Old Chicago believes strongly in giving back to the communities in which we do
business, helping the folks at the Cherryvale Fire Protection District is just
another way of carrying out this mission," said Behr.
Based in Louisville, Colorado, parent company Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc.
owns and operates 69 restaurants -- 43 "Old Chicago" restaurants and 26 brewery
restaurants operating under the names "Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery,"
"ChopHouse & Brewery" and "Walnut Brewery." Rock Bottom was the concept that
first saw specialty breweries combined into restaurants. All of Rock Bottom's
restaurants are casual dining establishments featuring attentive customer
service, high-quality, moderately priced food and a distinctive selection of
handcrafted brews and specialty beers served in a comfortable and entertaining
atmosphere.
just-drinks.com:How to Increase Your Bar and Restaurant Profits:10 Easy Steps
LONDON, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the success of his last report,
Increasing Bar Revenues One Step at a Time, bar guru Robert Plotkin returns to
just-drinks.com to explain the "Ten Critical Errors Bar Operators Make."
Found at, http://www.just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=257 , Plotkin
says, "When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with the
experience ends up with the money, and the man with the money ends up with the
experience. In the beverage business, there are a number of critical errors
that should be avoided at all costs. Every industry has them, ours is no
different. Here then is our list of the ten critical errors beverage operators
make ... "
As the President of the National Bar & Restaurant Management Association and
author of numerous books including Successful Beverage Management -- Proven
Strategies for the On-Premise Operator, Plotkin is ideally placed to report on
the on-trade industry.
Read his report at just-drinks.com by clicking here:
http://www.just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=257
just-drinks.com is the premier online portal for beverage industry
professionals worldwide. Targeted specifically at industry and business
professionals the site provides a single point of reference for independent
beverage industry information.
SOURCE just-drinks.com
Habitat for Humanity Finds Grass is Greener Thanks to Anheuser-BuschBrewery's
Donation
Jacksonville Brewery Donates 450,000 Square Feet Of Sod As
Habitat for Humanity Builds 100 Homes In Record 17 Days
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Anheuser-Busch's Jacksonville
Brewery, along with North Florida Sales, the local Anheuser-Busch wholesaler,
will help Habitat For Humanity of Jacksonville, Inc. (HabiJax), beautify the
landscape of a record 100 homes the organization will build between September
5-23, in the Northside Fairway Oaks subdivision.
The brewery has donated $35,000 to purchase 450,000 square feet of sod from
Nutri-Turf, Inc. (Nutri-Turf), an Anheuser-Busch subsidiary. This donation
will help HabiJax continue its mission of "Breaking Down Barriers, Building Up
Hope," which challenges families, businesses, and the faith community to work
together to provide low-income housing in Jacksonville, Florida.
Nutri-Turf -- located near the Jacksonville brewery -- is made up of working
sod farms that annually produce approximately 21 million square feet of sod
purchased primarily by golf courses and sports stadiums throughout the
Southeast. The farms use nutrient-rich brewery wastewater to fertilize hay and
turf crops, which also helped create a haven for wildlife to live and thrive.
In addition to providing the sod, Anheuser-Busch brewery employees have
volunteered to lend a helping hand in this ambitious project, and North Florida
Sales has provided a Budweiser distribution truck to deliver the sod to the
subdivision on Tuesday, September 12, at 11 a.m. The Nutri-Turf sod will be
used to create beautiful lawns for the new homes, and to sod a subdivision
community park the size of a football field.
Glenn Wilson, plant manager of the Jacksonville Brewery, said supporting
HabiJax's ongoing efforts is important to the entire Jacksonville community,
and that "It's important for businesses to invest in their communities to
enhance our neighborhoods and build community pride." In addition,
"Anheuser-Busch's long-term commitment to helping the communities in which we
live and work, plus our rich history of helping preserve the environment, makes
this a win-win for everyone."
Frank Barker, executive director of HabiJax, agrees. "Building 100 homes in 17
days is no easy task. But the generosity of corporate sponsors like
Anheuser-Busch make it possible to provide Jacksonville's low-income, working
families with safe, decent housing. Together, we are building more than just
houses; we're building communities."
The Fairway Oaks subdivision will be home to 100 new HabiJax homeowners,
including residents of the Jacksonville Housing Authority. The community
offers a full range of amenities, including: a staffed community center, a
children's play area, a ball park, and a view of the First Tee Golf Course.
Anheuser-Busch and its charitable foundation have reached out to communities
across the nation and have touched the lives of countless individuals. In the
last decade, Anheuser-Busch has donated nearly $300 million to several thousand
charitable organizations, including those that support education, health care,
the arts, cultural enrichment, social services and environmental conservation.
Furthermore, the Jacksonville Anheuser-Busch brewery has donated millions of
cans of water to hurricane and other natural disaster victims.
Anheuser-Busch has also been committed to conservation and protecting the
environment for more than a century. Since 1993, the company has won more than
100 awards for its efforts to protect the environment. In addition, the
company supports organizations such as the American Oceans Campaign, American
Rivers, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Izaak Walton League, the
Rainforest Alliance and The Conservation Fund.
U.S. collegiates know how much binge drinkers imbibe
By Leslie Gevirtz
BOSTON (Reuters) - Most college students have a pretty good idea of what binge
drinking is and how much of it is going on at their campuses, according to
Harvard University School of Public Health researchers.
In their report in the September issue of the Journal of American College
Health, available on Friday, the Harvard team led by Henry Wechsler found that
most college students have a largely accurate perception of the levels of
drinking at their schools.
``And they have a pretty good idea of the percentage of their fellow students
who are binge drinkers,'' Wechsler said in a telephone interview.
The study of 14,138 students at 119 U.S. colleges in 40 states conducted last
year has important implications for what is called the social norms approach to
reducing excessive drinking, the researchers said.
This approach assumes that students base their drinking on their perception of
the campus drinking norm and that students typically overestimate that norm,
leading them to drink more.
Social norm advocates assume that providing students with accurate information
about the campus drinking rate will lead them to lower their alcohol
consumption.
``While that may work for the 13 percent of students who said they were binge
drinkers - it probably won't work for the 87 percent who aren't,'' Wechsler
said, adding such an approach might cause the vast majority of college students
to actually consume more alcohol.
Most students define binge drinking as having six drinks in a row for a male
and five drinks in a row for female. Researchers had defined it as five drinks
in a row for men and four drinks in a row for women.
Northeast and Midwestern schools have a higher percentage of binge drinkers
than do the South or West, Wechsler said. ''People speculate it's because of
the weather. In the colder climates one is forced to spend more time confined
inside,'' he said.
One of the consequences of heavy boozing ``is date rape in a large percentage
of women who have a binge drinking occasion,'' Wechsler said, adding that the
women were either forced to have sex or were not in any condition to consent to
it.
He expected further results from the study to be released before year's end.
Religion in the Schools
By KELLY KURT .c The Associated Press
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The 17-year-old standing under the ``Welcome New Students''
sign in a stiff Oral Roberts University ball cap is a college freshman far from
home.
Within the week, he'll swear off alcohol, masturbation and premarital sex, and
cigarettes to stay here.
A coed from Arkansas explains that she's at ORU to ``hook up with God's
people.'' Another, an ex-gang member in a leopard-print dress, scans the
newcomers to the charismatic Christian campus and wonders if any of them come
from backgrounds like hers.
``I need to get strong in the word of God to compete with the worldly things,''
says Tanya Magdadaro, a 19-year-old from suburban Houston.
A desire for higher education with a higher calling is filling faith-based
campuses across the nation. The 12 percent enrollment growth seen by schools
with religious affiliations through much of the 1990s was about three times
that of all institutions, according to the National Center for Education
Statistics. And many are setting records this year.
Space-strapped Azusa Pacific University in California is having to hold chapel
services in a dormitory and lecture hall. A record 1,800 applications jammed
the mailbox at Lipscomb University, a Church of Christ-affiliated school in
Nashville. The women's housing at Oral Roberts is filled to capacity.
``I was just looking for a college that was really on fire for God,'' says
Lealinda Camara, an ORU freshman from Harrison, Ark. ``A secular college was
totally out of the question.''
Robert Thompson, 17, learned about Oral Roberts at the church his family
attends in Charlotte, N.C. He was sold on it after visiting the campus
dominated by gold-painted buildings and a space-age prayer tower.
``This university was the only university I saw that was interested in
graduating someone who was complete, nevr soiled with sex and beer,'' he says.
He is required to sign a code of honor upholding Christian values. He must wear
a shirt and tie to class, meet curfews and attend twice a week chapel services.
Courses are taught with a ``reference to Scriptural truths.''
Many Christian colleges are seizing on a growing charismatic movement. They
recruit through Christian college fairs, home-school outreach programs and
worship services in large congregations.
But the colleges find that students already solid in their faith are seeking
them.
``They have been standing firm in their public high schools regularly and they
want to be a part of an environment where they can be true to what they are and
what they believe,'' said Deana Porterfield, dean of admissions at Azusa
Pacific, which expects to surpass last year's record enrollment this fall.
Schools are stressing their religious roots on Web sites and in promotional
material.
Fordham University uses the tag, ``New York City's Jesuit University,'' in a
marketing plan that has grown more aggressive and vibrant. It promotes the
university's selling points - the traditions of Roman Catholicism combined with
the excitement of New York City, says John W. Buckley, dean of admissions.
``I think we have probably done a better job of explaining a little more about
what that means,'' he says.
Catholic institutions are expecting additional enrollment gains, partly because
700,000 to 1 million Hispanic students, many from Catholic families, are
projected to reach college admissions offices in the next decade.
New course offerings and distance learning programs have helped boost
enrollment at many faith-based schools. But it's an underlying desire for
education with ``something more'' that many university officials believe is
fueling the growth.
``I think we have a lot of students looking for answers outside of themselves,
outside of today's popular culture,'' says Timothy McDonough, spokesman for the
American Council on Education, an umbrella organization for 1,800 colleges and
universities nationwide.
At Oral Roberts, students often answer the question, ``What's your major?''
with thoughts about what they believe God wants for them.
Televangelist Oral Roberts founded this school on the words he said God spoke
to him when he was sick with tuberculosis at age 17: ``You are to build me a
university and build it on my authority and the Holy Spirit.''
Oral Roberts University opened in 1965 and grew to about 4,600 students by
1986, but the school was hurt by scandals that rocked other ministries in the
late 1980s. It was $52 million in debt with falling enrollment and when Richard
Roberts succeeded his father as president in 1993. The next fall, enrollment
declined to 4,070 students.
Recovery has been gradual. The university's debt is now $30.5 million ``and
dropping,'' Richard Roberts says. Last fall, a record 5,252 students enrolled.
``It's evident not only that this is what people are wanting more and more,''
he says, ``but when the students come they're enriched, they are bettered and
they leave this place more able to do what they feel led to do.''
Roberts, who has the same swept-back hairstyle and television presence as his
father but admits breaking the honor code as an ORU student, relaxed some of
his father's rules: Students can dress down after 4 p.m. And women can wear
slacks to class in the winter months.
But whether schools that stress faith stay popular or not, Roberts says ORU is
unwavering in its mission. At the school's dedication, the Rev. Billy Graham
pronounced a curse upon it if it ever moved away from putting God first.
``I think what Billy was saying was if ORU ever leaves its moorings ... then a
curse will be upon us in the sense we'll no longer have what we once had,''
Roberts says.
``We'll become something different. And I don't ever want to do that.''
J2jurado
Mugged by Beer Price?
International Traveler Thursday, September 7, 2000
MUNICH (AP) - Prince Luitpold of Bavaria said Wednesday that paying more than
12 Deutsche marks ($5.45) for the massive mugs of Oktoberfest beer was too much
for normal families.
The grandson of the last Bavarian king, Ludwig III, also said the practice of
allowing just four breweries to sell beer at the festival should be abolished.
(A brewery he heads is not one of the four.) The event, which begins Sept. 16,
has changed from a festival for the people to a business event mainly intended
to take money from American tourists, he said.
''Can a normal citizen, who comes with his family, still pay?'' he asked.
http://www.pioneerplanet.com:80/seven-days/2/news/docs/036315.htm
City Brewery may have potential buyer
ASSOCIATED PRESS 9/7/00
LA CROSSE, WIS. - The owner of a screen-printing firm said Tuesday he is
negotiating to buy the troubled City Brewery. James Brush, owner of Empire
Screen Printing Inc. in the town of Onalaska, told the La Crosse Tribune he has
been involved in talks with City Brewery representatives for about two months.
``We have a strong interest, and we're working on it,'' Brush told the
newspaper. ``But nothing has been determined at this point. We've been working
on it, and we'll see if we can come to terms.''
Owners Jim Strupp and John Mazzuto lost control of the brewery last month after
a judge found the brewery in default on a $4.5 million loan to Congress
Financial Corp. and ordered a foreclosure. La Crosse attorney George Parke III
took possession of the premises and oversees the operation as receiver.
Brush said that if he buys the brewery, he plans to produce t-shirts, beer,
bottled water and a third beverage he declined to identify. He also said he
would consider making ethanol.
``That could be big for the community,'' he said. ``We'd like to do that, but
it's going to take some money to invest in that.''
Brush said there is at least one other potential buyer, but declined to say
who.
City Brewing Co. President Randy Smith declined to comment and referred
inquiries to Parke. He also declined to comment Tuesday.
Strupp and Mazutto bought the brewery from the Stroh Brewery Co. for $10.5
million in November and renamed it City Brewery, its original name when founded
by Gottlieb Heileman and John Gund in 1858.
Stroh closed the brewery and sold its labels, but City Brewery created four new
products and brewed beer for other companies. But millions of dollars in debts
have piled up and most of the brewery's workers have been laid off. Beer
production ended when the company ran out of supplies and suppliers refused the
company more credit.
Mayor John Medinger said Congress Financial has made it clear that it doesn't
want to be in the beer business. It has agreed not to sell any pieces of the
brewery until Sept. 15.
``I know Congress bank is trying to get all (the money) they can get,'' Brush
said. ``Of course, we're trying to get it for the least amount we can. I think
the brewery could be back on its feet before long. But it's going to take a lot
of hard work and a price that's reasonable.''
http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/finance/2000/0908/fin10.htm
Guinness Ireland profits up
Brendan McGrath, Markets Editor, 8 Septemeber
RESULTS: Despite a fall in sales of stout on the home market, Guinness Ireland
has reported solid growth in the year to the end of June, with operating
profits up 11 per cent to euro264 million (£208 million) while total sales were
9 per cent higher at euro1.25 billion (£985 million).
Details of the Guinness performance came in the full-year results from parent
group Diageo, which showed that sales of Bailey's Irish Cream are surging
ahead, with an 8 per cent increase in sales to 4.7 million cases. This puts
Bailey's in 12th position in the league table of world spirits brands and the
group is heading for sales of more than five million cases in the current year.
Although Guinness sales in Ireland were down overall by almost 3 per cent,
Guinness Ireland managing director Mr Brian Duffy said there had been an
improvement in the second half of the year, with sales during the summer
matching last year.
In contrast to the decline on the home market, exports of Guinness - which
account for almost half the Irish production - were up 8 per cent, while
shipments overall of Guinness brands were up 5 per cent.
Despite the improvement in operating margins, Guinness remains committed to the
rationalisation programme announced last July, which involves the loss of 300
jobs through the closure of the Dundalk packing plant and the downsizing of the
Dundalk brewery.
Mr Duffy said that Guinness was continuing discussions with the trade unions
about the rationalisation plans. "The issue remains, we haven't set any
deadline but we have to address the cost of production."
Mr Duffy was at pains, however, to reject recent suggestions that Guinness
might be planning to withdraw from Ireland entirely. "We are committed to
Ireland, there is no question of us moving out of St James's Gate. It's the
heart of the business, it's where we belong."
http://www.latimes.com:80/food/20000906/t000083572.html
Oz Makes Its Move
By ROD SMITH, Special to The Times Wednesday, September 6, 2000
Beringer Wine Estates sale to the Australian beer and wine giant Foster's
Brewing Group is big news, indeed, but it hardly counts as a surprise. It's
just the latest chapter of a work in progress that might be titled "Oz
Attacks."
The $1.5-billion deal will create the world's largest premium wine
producing company (wine sales for the two companies last year were $886
million).
Foster's--best known in this country as a brewery--will add such wineries
as Beringer, Stags' Leap, Chateau St. Jean, Meridian and Chateau Souverain to
its holdings, which already include Wolf Blas, Black Opal and Greg Norman
Estates.
To those who have been watching the global wine industry evolve over the
last few decades, this is simply the latest step in the Aussies' march toward
world wine conquest.
In California, recent installments have included the 1996 debut of Seven
Peaks, a Central Coast joint venture between Edna Valley's Paragon Vineyards
and Southcorp, Australia's largest wine producer. Earlier this year, Mildara
Blass acquired Windsor Vineyards, the huge Sonoma County direct-to-consumer
wine business.
There are many subplots involving winemakers and viticultural consultants,
from the long and highly successful tenure of Aussies Daryl Groom and Mick
Schroeter at Geyser Peak to last month's replacement of Domaine Chandon
winemaker Dawnine Dyer by Australian Wayne Donaldson.
Vinous Vision
It's part of the Australian wine industry's campaign for global
domination. In fact, Oz has been quite open about its intentions. As the
Australian Wine Foundation first revealed in its 1995 strategy statement
"Vision 2025," the people who gave a new generation of wine consumers soft red
wine, pedal-to-the-oak Chardonnay and palate-targeted residual sugar mean to
conquer the wine world completely by the end of the first quarter of the 21st
century.
The document states, in part, "The vision is that by the year 2025, the
Australian wine industry will achieve $4.5 billion in annual sales by being the
world's most influential and profitable supplier of branded wines, pioneering
wine as a universal first choice lifestyle beverage."
In other words, if you're a serious competitor in the global wine economy
and you're not Australian, you will be in second place, at best. And as far as
the Australian wine industry is concerned, you'll stay there. For a country
with a total population barely exceeding that of greater Los Angeles, Australia
exerts remarkable influence in the international wine industry.
As the U.S. still grapples with the notion of wine as a part of everyday
living, Australia has been a wine-drinking nation from the beginning of its
wine industry in the 1830s. Although it produces less than half as much wine as
the United States (The U.S. ranks rank fourth and Australia eighth among
wine-producing nations), it consumes nearly three times as much wine per capita
as the U.S.
And Australia is increasingly successful in exporting the product behind
the product: oenological and viticultural expertise.
'Flying Winemakers'
The latest spectacle of the corporate food chain in action is the least of
it. For the last decade, a growing number of Australian winemakers, finished
with their own harvest duties by March, have been zooming to the Northern
Hemisphere to make wine in Europe and the U.S. There is nothing new about
winemakers, especially young ones, crossing the Equator to work two harvests a
year, but Australia's "flying winemakers" have made it a serious business.
Their streamlined New World winemaking systems have helped give new life to
languishing wine industries in Eastern Europe, Italy, Spain, Portugal and even
southern France.
With a bag of technical tricks that includes such simple yet deft
manipulations as finishing red wine fermentations in barrel and tweaking ripe
white wines with ascorbic acid, Australian oenologists have accomplished in the
value-for-money department much what the French did for controlled appellations
and quality-at-any-cost in the last two centuries. Several factors contribute
to Australia's ability to export expertise. One is simple geography: The
Southern Hemisphere's harvest is in February and March, and the northern
hemisphere picks in September and October, when Australian winemakers are free
to travel.
Too Much Talent
Another factor is a glut of winemaking talent in Australia. Those two
factors add up to a very experienced, highly mobile wine production force
that's ready to roll on a moment's notice.
"Our winemaking schools are turning out a lot of qualified winemakers, and
it would be fair to say that there are more qualified winemakers than the
industry is absorbing," says Penfolds head winemaker John Duval. "I think if I
were a single, unattached winemaker with no commitments, the prospect of doing
a vintage in the Northern Hemisphere and then one in the Southern Hemisphere
each year would be very attractive indeed."
Duval's comment alludes to what may be the most important factor of all: a
highly integrated and well-funded education and research infrastructure.
Australia's exportable expertise is the product of a cooperative system that is
specifically focused on sharpening Australia's competitive edge. The
influential California winemaker Zelma Long has been tracking Australia's
development for years and talks about it with mixed feelings: open admiration
for what the Aussies have done, tinged with chagrin that the U.S. hasn't kept
up.
"Our industry is seriously underfunded in comparison to our overseas
competitors, particularly Australia," says Long. "And it's not all of a sudden.
They've organized themselves very well over the past 10 years to get money and
to fund the kind of basic and applied research that moves their industry
along." Australian funding is generated by levies on wine volume and grape
tonnage paid by all Australian producers, and the Commonwealth matches that
money dollar for dollar.
Wine U.
Much of the industry's energy is generated on campus. The education system
feeding the Australian wine industry, long considered one of the best in the
world, has recently been upgraded and more closely integrated with industry
researchers.
Roseworthy Agricultural College, Australia's century-old equivalent of the
UC Davis and France's Montpellier, was absorbed by the University of Adelaide
in 1991, at which time Roseworthy's old three-year degree (established in the
1930s) was expanded to a four-year bachelor of agricultural science with a
major in either viticulture or oenology. Unlike the strongly science-oriented
UC Davis, Roseworthy has always emphasized hands-on learning. Yet science is
not neglected. Says Andrew Markides, a senior oenology lecturer at Adelaide,
balancing the two is the key to well-rounded graduates.
"Research hasn't always filtered down to the industry in a way that can be
understood and used," he says. "Now the graduates are more research-alert,
thirsty for any information that will help improve quality of wine, make them
more cost-effective and so forth."
To that end the university recently put the finishing touches on a new
$3.5-million teaching winery to replace the old Roseworthy winery. "Once they
have the principles, it's essential that they learn how to use them," notes
Markides. "Learning the principles doesn't necessarily equip you to understand
the realities out there."
Marketing First
One of the most persistent of those realities is that tastes change, often
suddenly and without apparent logic. Change often defeats tradition-bound
producers, but Australian winemakers feast on it. Their collective ability to
stay ahead of the rapidly evolving global market, in both wine styles and
demand for technical services, is a big factor in their competitive edge.
Driving that ability is a distinct difference between the Australian
attitude toward wine production and the Old World model. The European idea is
to make a fine product and then find buyers. The Australians feel free to start
with the market and work back to production, first figuring out what people
want and then learning how to provide it.
"While they've been influenced a little by what goes on overseas, they're
not hamstrung by tradition," observes Geyser Peak's Groom. "They're willing to
do almost anything to make better-quality wines."
Until fairly recently, Australia's significance in the wine world was
simply as the western and southernmost extension of European wine culture. Just
a decade ago it began to focus and amplify the energy of that culture and send
it back east, revitalized.
The scope of the Beringer-Foster's merger is certainly extraordinary. But
we can expect the Australian influence to become ever more widespread as we
move toward 2025--or toward the end of this spectacular economy, whichever
comes first.
http://www.usatoday.com:80/usatonline/20000908/2625435s.htm
Page 2B -Marketing magic seems to come naturally to the Busch family
Sept. 8, 2000
1869: German immigrant Adolphus Busch takes over the Bavarian Brewery. Using
new technology and marketing, he saves the failing business. He sets about
creating the USA's first ''national'' beer, which he gives the
Germanic-sounding name ''Budweiser'' to appeal to both Americans and
immigrants. To ship it long distances and take on local brands, he creates a
national distribution system of refrigerated rail cars and railside icehouses.
1880: Forget business cards. The marketing-wise patriarch hands out A-B
pocketknives with a peephole containing his portrait.
1890: Adolphus gives tavern owners free lithographs of the painting ''Custer's
Last Fight'' as a point-of-sale item. It's one of the most successful
promotions in history, with 18 million distributed.
1916-1933: Prohibition looms. To survive the dry spell, August A. Busch Sr.
creates non-alcoholic beverages like ''Bevo'' and A-B makes ice cream,
refrigerated cabinets and other non-beer products.
1933: A-B turns the workaday draught horses all brewers had used to pull their
wagons into an A-B icon. August A. ''Gussie'' Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch III
gave the first Clydesdale team and restored turn-of-the-century beer wagon to
their father as a surprise to celebrate Prohibition's repeal. One of the team's
first stops: The White House, where the Clydesdales haul the first
post-Prohibition beer delivery to President Franklin Roosevelt.
1934-1946: A-B is still in the doldrums. In 1937, Adolphus Busch III runs ads
that focus not on products but on restoring confidence in the country. The
first metal Bud cans appear. New slogan in 1940: Budweiser -- A Beverage of
Moderation.''
1946-1975: August Jr. focuses on marketing, diversification and expansion. He
makes A-B the first brewer to sponsor TV shows, creates the Bud ''bow-tie''
logo and launches ''Busch,'' the first new beer brand in four decades. He rides
the Clydesdale hitch around Busch stadium games of the St. Louis baseball
Cardinals, then owned by A-B.
1950: Dalmatian dogs join the Clydesdale hitch.
1952: New Budweiser slogan: ''King of Beers.''
1971: New slogan: ''When You Say Budweiser, You've Said it All.''
1975-1992: August A. Busch III takes over A-B from his father. The hard-driving
CEO makes Bud a global brand and expands A-B's brand roster from three to
30-plus. He launches ''Budweiser Light.'' Renamed ''Bud Light,'' it passes
Miller Lite as the best-selling light beer. A-B consolidates all media buying
and planning in-house, freeing its agencies to focus on creative work. Famous
campaigns include ''This Bud's for You'' and ''The Night Belongs to Michelob.''
1992-2000: August A. Busch IV takes over all Bud family marketing in 1992,
becomes vice president of brand management in 1994, of marketing in 1996 and of
group marketing and wholesale operations this year.
http://www.adn.com:80/weekend/story/0,2645,193020,00.html
GLACIER'S PALE ALE MORE THAN JUST FAIR WHAT ALES YOU
By Dawnell Smith (Published September 8, 2000)
When I visited the fair on Agriculture Day, livestock dung, lollipop wrappers,
cigarette butts and the remains of cooked animal parts littered the grounds.
Under the circumstances, it made sense folks drank mass-produced beers like
Miller, Bud, Coors and Heineken. You know, the kind craft brewed by
Clydesdales.
Fortunately, an alternative caught my eye -- State Fair Pale Ale by Glacier
Brewhouse.
As brewer Shawn Wendling tells it, fair officials contacted the Brewhouse last
winter and the two organizations saw eye to eye right away. Glacier picks its
venues carefully and making beer for the fair made sense. The family atmosphere
and high energy meshed with Glacier's image. Plus, it was time for a small,
local brewery to get into the mix.
"It can add to the biodiversity of the stylistic gene pool of beer," Wendling
said.
After embracing the idea, the brew crew searched for the right beer for the
occasion. During the summer, they committed to making a steady, moderate number
of beers, which meant they never got a chance to make a few old standbys like
Northwest Pale Ale.
"It was a natural fit," Wendling said. "It's a great summer beer. It's light,
with nice hoppiness without being overwhelming.'
So Northwest Pale Ale turned into the seasonal State Fair Pale Ale, the
official beer of the Alaska State Fair.
As usual, Glacier supported the endeavor with multiple-level merchandising and
promotion. Though no one expects it to outsell Bud, Miller or Alaskan Amber,
Wendling hopes to see it double or triple the previous craft-beer sales at the
fair. More importantly, Glacier sees the opportunity as part of its mission and
market niche.
"For us, we want to build a beer-food culture," Wendling said. "We're hoping to
put beer at events where it makes sense. The State Fair is a natural for us."
It may seem natural to him, but it might seem out of place for consumers used
to seeing banners, cups, shirts, tap handles, tents and all manner of
promotional material from the big breweries. With all the usual beer suspects
in attendance, people might miss the boat.
Don't. The refreshing, flavorful and easy-to-drink State Fair Pale Ale goes
well with rice and beans, cookies and lollipops, though not necessarily in that
order. And definitely not all at once. And absolutely not before rides that
spin at high speed.
Everybody must get stoned
I talked to Gabe Fletcher before and after he brewed the first commercially
produced steinbeer in the world. I plan to write more about this intriguing
beer style, but Fletcher suggested I wait for the brew debut during the 6 p.m.
tour Sept. 15.
For those who like beer with history, head over to the brewery for a taste of
something stone cold and satisfying. Steinbeer involves tossing hot rocks into
the brew kettle until they get covered in sweet goo, then storing them for a
loving reunion of stones and beer in the secondary fermenter.
Dawnell Smith would have joined Shawn Wendling in Brugges, Belgium, for some
bomber suds but knows nothing ruins a honeymoon like a third wheel.
http://www.usatoday.com:80/usatonline/20000908/2625352s.htm
Page 1D - Beer alternatives bottle a cool summer buzz
By Maria Montoya USA TODAY
Cindi Muir considers herself an alcoholic beverage connoisseur. She can handle
her Jack, José and even Jim, but the bitter flavor of Old Milwaukee beer
doesn't appeal to this former bartender.
''Wine coolers are too fruity for me,'' says Muir, 41, of Centerville, Pa. ''My
husband is always picking on me to drink beer, but I can't stand the taste. I
usually end up getting a mixed drink.''
Muir's mixer-sippin' days could be coming to an end.
Alcoholic beverages targeted toward a different drinker have rolled in on a
wave of new-age teas, lemonades and energy drinks.
Labeled in the industry as ''maltternatives,'' drinks such as Anheuser-Busch's
''Doc'' Otis' Hard Lemon, Wet Planet's alcoholic spring water DNA, Mike's Hard
Lemonade, Hooper's Hooch, Two Dogs hard lemonade and Boston Beer's BoDean's
Twisted Tea are flooding consumers with choices.
''There is something different about these drinks,'' says Muir, who first tried
Mike's Hard Lemonade this summer. ''Being that they're in bottles like beer, it
makes things simpler because we don't have to buy an expensive mixed drink or
carry all those bottles to mix a drink at a party.''
Accounting for 2% of alcoholic beverage sales, this niche market has become the
biggest story in beverages this year, says Tom Vierhile, general manager of
Product Scan Online.
''In the early '90s, many European alternative alcoholic drinks got negative
attention for targeting underage drinkers,'' Vierhile says. ''Since then, we've
seen a lot of tweaking, and new drinks are being produced unlike those seen in
the past.''
The European drinks were dismissed as ''alcopops'' because they were
sweet-tasting malts with cartoonish packaging appealing to young adults, an
image that American manufacturers have avoided.
The drinks vary in alcohol content but tend to fall between 2% and 5%. To avoid
the stereotyping of the drinks as wishy-washy, they are being marketed in neon
colors, and some have distinctly bitter, punchlike tastes.
Costing $5 to $7 a six-pack or $2 to $4 for an individual bottle, the drinks
cost more than a wine cooler or regular beer. But Muir says the convenience of
the drinks will make them a lasting fad worth the premium price.
''The drinks are selling themselves,'' says Sarah Theodore, executive editor of
Beverage Industry magazine, who credits some innovative packaging for the
strong sales.
DNA has the unmistakable trademark of a fingerprint that glows in the dark, and
Mike's Hard Lemonade bears a school-bus-yellow label that is hard to miss on a
grocery store shelf.
''This is something that is popular with people of all ages and sexes,'' says
Russell Barnett, sales and marketing director for Mike's Hard Lemonade, which
has shipped more than 4 million cases since April
''You can bet there will be more of these drinks in the future.''
http://www.post-gazette.com:80/magazine/20000908Fests7.asp
Oktoberfests, powwows, fright fests prepare for harvest
Friday, Sept 08, 2000 By Adrian McCoy Post-Gazette Staff Writer
For a metropolitan area, we're certainly surrounded by plenty of opportunities
to celebrate the harvest. From now until well into the Christmas shopping
season, there are a bountiful crop of fall festivals celebrating our history,
agriculture, ethnic heritage, arts and crafts and foods. From powwows to
Oktoberfests, it's all here.
10TH ANNUAL PITTSBURGH IRISH FESTIVAL: Crafts, food and music by Gaelic Storm,
Brother, Tommy Makem and more. I.C. Light Amphitheatre, Station Square (Sept.
8-10). 412-323-1919.
MOUNTAIN CRAFTS DAYS: Somerset Historical Center, Somerset (Sept. 8-10).
814-445-6077.
A FAIR IN THE PARK: Craftsmen's Guild of Pittsburgh annual arts festival. Food.
Clothes. Art. Tatoos. Mellon Park (Sept. 8-10).
GREAT STEEL VALLEY PIEROGI FESTIVAL AND COOK-OFF: Proceeds benefit Rainbow
Kitchen. Sandcastle (Sept. 9). 412-464-1892.
OAK FESTIVAL: Arts, crafts, demonstrations. Center in the Woods, Route 88,
California. (Sept. 9-10). 724-938-3554.
FLAX SCUTCHING FESTIVAL: 89th annual festival features descendants of Ligonier
Valley pioneers re-creating the nearly-forgotten art of making linen from the
flax plant, plus live music, Civil War re-enactment and more. Route 711,
Stahlstown (Sept. 9-10). 724-593-2119.
WEST VIRGINIA HONEY FESTIVAL: Parkersburg City Park, W. Va. (Sept. 9-10).
304-424-1960. Both kinds featured, that delicious sweet nectar from the bee as
well as a parade of unattached young women.
SCOTTDALE FALL FESTIVAL: Scottdale (Sept. 15-17). 724-887-3681.
PENN BREWERY'S OKTOBERFEST 2000: Celebration with Bavarian food, beer, the
Kraut Toss, and music. Penn Brewery, Troy Hill (Sept. 15-17, 22-24).
412-237-9402.
PITTSBURGH BREWING OKTOBERFEST: German bands, local alternative bands, food,
music and beer. Pittsburgh Brewing Co., Lawrenceville (Sept. 15-17).
412-692-1100.
FAWN FALL FESTIVAL: Train, pony rides, music and more. Fawn Township Municipal
Building, Tarentum (Sept. 16).
WILKINS TOWNSHIP ARTS FESTIVAL: Juried art show, food, puppet shows, dance and
more. Township Building, Wilkins. (Sept. 16-17). 412-624-6650.
PENN'S COLONY FESTIVAL: 18th century "Publick Tymes" harvest celebration, with
period entertainment, crafts and more. North Park (Sept. 15-17, 23-24).
412-487-6922.
COVERED BRIDGE FESTIVAL: Annual festival set at nine covered bridge sites in
Washington and Greene counties: Ebenezer and Henry bridges in Mingo Creek Park,
Bailey and Hughes bridges off Exit 5, I-79, McClurg bridge at the Hanover
Township Community Park near Burgettstown, Sprowls bridge in East Finley,
Carmichaels and White bridges in Greene County and Pine Bank bridge at the
Meadowcroft Museum of Rural Life in Avella (Sept. 16-17). 800-531-4114.
PYMATUNING WATERFOWL EXPO: Linesville, Pa. (Sept. 16-17). 814-683-5839.
MOUNT PLEASANT GLASS AND ETHNIC FESTIVAL: Washington Street, Mount Pleasant
(Sept. 22-24). 724-547-7738.
PENNSYLVANIA BAVARIAN OKTOBERFEST: German music, food, crafts and dancing.
Downtown Canonsburg (Sept. 22-24). 412-222-6960.
ANNUAL POWWOW: Native American celebration with singing, drumming and dancing,
arts, crafts and foods. Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center,
Dorseyville (Sept. 23-24). 412-782-4457.
CECIL TOWNSHIP INDIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL: Cecil Township Park, Rt. 50, Venice.
(Sept. 23-24). 724-926-4025.
AUTUMNFEST WEEKENDS: Seven Springs Mountain Resort (Sept. 23-24, 30, Oct. 1,
7-8,14-15, 21-22). 814-352-7777.
FESTIFALL 2000: Friendship Hill National Historic Site, Point Marion, Fayette
County (Sept. 24). 724-329-5512.
PHAR-MOR ANNUAL HALLOWEEN FRIGHT FEST: Haunted attractions, amusement rides,
side shows and games. I.C. Light Amphitheatre, Station Square. (Sept. 29-30,
Oct. 1, 4-8, 11-31). 412-562-9905.
BILL SELES' POLKA OKTOBERFEST: Featuring Eddie Rodick, Bob Turcola, Ray
Skovenski, Polka Quads, Del Sinchak and Larry Placek. Seven Springs Mountain
Resort (Oct. 6-8). 814-352-7777.
LOG CABIN DAY FESTIVAL: Apollo Area Historical Society, Apollo (Oct. 7).
724-478-4829.
TAILGATE 2000: Main St., Washington (Oct. 7). 724-229-7207.
APPLE FESTIVAL: Mt. Pleasant Twp. VFD Grounds (Oct. 7-8). 724-356-3378.
FALL FOLIAGE FESTIVAL: Bedford (Oct. 7-8, 14-15). 814 -623-1771.
AUTUMN LEAF FESTIVAL: Clarion, Pa. (Oct. 7-15). 814-226-9161.
PUMPKIN FESTIVAL: American Legion Picnic Grounds, Houston (Oct. 13-15).
724-745-0266.
FORT LIGONIER DAYS: Ligonier (Oct. 13-15). 724-238-4200.
HAYDAY: Hartwood Acres (Oct. 14).
FALL GARDEN WASTE BURN DAZE SMOKEFEST: Smithton, (Oct. 21-22).
PENNSYLVANIA ARTS AND CRAFTS CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: Washington County Fairgrounds
(Oct. 20-22, 28-29). 724-863-4577.
MEADOWCROFT MAIZE DAYS: Meadowcroft Museum of Rural Life, Avella (Oct. 21-22).
724-587-3412.
OCTOBERFEST AND HARVEST DAYS: Old Bedford Village, Bedford (Oct. 21-22).
800-238-4347.
HARVEST FESTIVAL: Greene County Historical Society Museum, Waynesburg (Oct.
21-22). 724-627-3204.
CORNIVAL: Mountaintop (Sept. 23-25).
POLKA FALL FESTIVAL: Seven Springs Mountain Resort (Nov. 3). 814-352-7777.
GREATER PITTSBURGH ARTS AND CRAFTS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR: Greengate Mall Expo
Center, Rt. 30, Greensburg (Nov. 10-12). 724-863-4577.
PITTSBURGH'S CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA: Holiday craft show and sale. Pittsburgh
Convention Center (Nov. 17-19). 724-863-4577.
OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS AND FESTIVAL OF TREES: Old Bedford Village, Bedford
(Dec. 1-3, 8-10). 800-238-4347.
http://www.post-gazette.com:80/magazine/20000906life6.asp
Life Support: Got beer? Another study finds benefits in booze
Wednesday, September 06, 2000 By Lorraine Mutschler
Well, it's official, and just in time for football season. Beer is good for
you! My husband was thrilled to read a piece in the paper last week about the
antioxidant properties of his favorite beverage.
We have been bombarded lately with talk about "free radicals," those pesky
oxygen and nitrogen particles that attack our cells. Antioxidants are known to
fight these demons. I have to wonder, though: Which does more damage to brain
cells, alcohol or oxygen particles? Babe doesn't share my doubts.
He periodically brings to my attention any articles he finds and stories he
sees on TV addressing the judicious use of alcohol as a healthful addition to
one's daily antioxidant diet. Of course, most of those stories were referring
to red wine...the noblest beverage.
But now, he pointed out, beer has joined the list of alcoholic beverages with
newly confirmed benefits. In moderation, I hastened to remind him.
When he and his sons gather before the Steelers shrine in Arizona (Direct TV)
to inhale massive amounts of football trivia and GAME, they share a passion
born in Pittsburgh and consummated with Iron City beer. Now, to their delight,
they find out they were doing their bodies good all these years.
I pointed out that it would be physically impossible to consume the '117
gallons of beer per day that would be needed to bring the maximum health
benefit,' as stated in the report.
You know, I reminded him, there are many other ways to get your daily dose of
antioxidants to fight those annoying free radicals. Fruits and vegetables are
rich in vitamins C and E and beta carotene. And of course, there is always the
time-honored pharmaceutical source, a pill.
I pointed out that these alternate sources also have the added benefit of
avoiding Donelops Disease -- the affliction commonly associated with the
beverage in question, whereby a large round protrusion done lops over the belt.
This is a debate I will never win in our male-dominated family. That's what I
get for having seven boys and four sons-in-law. Our girls were never bitten by
the vitamin I (short for Iron City) bug. Maybe fighting free radicals is a
manly thing.
Our girls enjoy the Steelers games almost as much as the guys, but the
connection between beer and football is not as magnetic for them. They actually
find it possible to leave the TV and gather in the kitchen to prepare the
variety of foodstuffs consumed on game day. Beer is not a priority.
And conversation in the kitchen involves things other than incomplete passes
and fumbled balls. This counteracts the testosterone fogging up the living
room. The men wonder why we're here at all, if not for total immersion in the
game. We bring in the food. They understand.
Now he has me worried about these free radical rascals running rampant through
my cells with no thought for my welfare. I wonder where my next antioxidant
will come from. As if there weren't enough things to worry about at my age.
I'm sure I get some of what I need from broccoli, spinach and vitamins, but I
think Babe enjoys his source much more than I do. What's wrong with this
picture? Should I start sharing his love affair with lager? Does Lite count?
I'm sure this happy news has spread across the land by now, through every
office, by e-mail and phone, into every pub. Delighted tavern owners everywhere
are probably toasting the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, hailing
this encouraging report. Happy hour has been vindicated and raised in status to
a fitness event.
There are not many issues in the Health section of the newspaper which catch my
husband's eye, but this one made his day.
http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/
09/05/MN95128.DTL
Bay Point Divided Over Merchant's Liquor License- Some residents see link to
loitering
Jason B. Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, September 5,
2000
A storeowner's attempt to expand his business by selling beer and wine is being
assailed by Bay Point residents who consider it an assault on a community
already awash in alcohol.
The storeowner contends that the store will help breathe life into a
neighborhood struggling to overcome a history of crime and poverty.
But some Bay Point residents say the community doesn't need another store that
sells alcoholic beverages. They plan to show up in force at a Municipal
Advisory Council meeting today to protest the storeowner's liquor-license
request.
Bay Point, an unincorporated community west of Pittsburg, has one of the
highest concentrations of stores selling alcoholic beverages in Contra Costa,
according to the county's Substance Abuse Advisory Board. Based on the size of
the community, it should only have eight liquor licenses, the group says, but
already has 11. Critics say such businesses, most of them mom-and-pop stores,
are magnets for prostitution, drug dealing and loitering.
``This is a quality-of-life issue,'' said Suzi Prindle, a member of the
Substance Abuse Advisory Board, which opposes the license. ``This is not about
prohibition. The residents of Bay Point have struggled very hard to make sure
that the conditions in their community improve.''
The store at the center of the controversy is Jack's Market, 2147 Willow Pass
Road, which lost its liquor license a year ago because the previous owner sold
alcohol to minors. The new owner is Ali Shaibi. His father and co-owner, Saleh
N. Shaibi, already owns another liquor store -- a block away -- La Chicana.
The Shaibis' first attempt to win a recommendation for a beer and wine license
was denied by the Municipal Advisory Council in May. But the council reversed
itself in June after hearing from the family and their attorney. The license
was approved with restrictions against loitering or selling single bottles.
That decision angered those who thought the issue had already been settled.
They demanded another hearing, which will be held at 7 p.m. today at the
Ambrose Park and Recreation District, 3105 Willow Pass Road, in Bay Point.
Municipal Advisory Council member George Delacruz said the problem of alcohol
sales in Bay Point is being blown out of proportion by some in the community.
``These folks want total prohibition,'' he said. Council member Christopher
Hoffman said Bay Point has fewer licenses than it is eligible for based on its
population.
The council's final recommendation will go to the state Alcoholic Beverage
Control agency along with recommendations from the Board of Supervisors, which
has not yet taken a position, and the Sheriff's Department, which opposes the
license.
Saleh Shaibi, who emigrated from Yemen 40 years ago, said Jack's will be forced
to go out of business if it is barred from selling alcohol.
``The store is dead without those licenses,'' said Shaibi. ``I don't think we
can make the store profitable without a license. These days if you don't have
the beer, nobody's going to go into your store.''
He cited La Chicana as being an asset to the community, even though it sells
alcohol.
``My store has been very helpful to the area,'' said Shaibi, who has owned La
Chicana for almost eight years. ``The area was bad before us. Now more and more
beautiful customers come in.''
Critics said Shaibi has not been a responsible merchant. ``Their history for
well over six years is that they're very irresponsible,'' said Mark Sullivan of
the Bay Point Public Safety Task Force. ``I've seen 15, 20 people down there
drinking, urinating, selling drugs in the parking lot.''
In 1997, La Chicana was fined after a clerk sold alcohol to a minor, a police
decoy.
Bay Point residents expressed mixed opinions about the issue last week.
``We don't need this one right here. We don't need it. Period,'' said a woman
who lives next door to Jack's. ``There's an awful lot of hanging around on this
corner.''
But Suzanne Pizzino said she doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
``They don't do anything wrong,'' Pizzino said. ``What's wrong with beer?'' -
J2jurado
Beer redefined? I’ll drink to that
Friday, September 08, 2000
Drinking beer made me the man I am today: handsome, sexy and popular.
That’s why I am lifting a glass in a toast to State Rep. James Trakas,
the Republican from Independence, who wants to make all our lives just a
bit more enjoyable. He has introduced a bill in the legislature to
remove the 6 percent alcohol limit on beer sold in Ohio.
According to his bill, the state definition of "beer" would be revised
to include a host of malt beverages such as ales, porters, stouts and
sake, all of which have a higher alcohol content than the existing law
permits. And it would permit sales of these brewskies - "sipping" beers,
as Trakas calls them - in the better drinking places across the state.
I’ve got one thing to say to Trakas: "I love you, man!"
Of course, all is not well with Trakas’ plan. Seems the dark forces of
capitalism are rallying their considerable resources to stop this most
reasonable legislation. St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Cos., better
known as the purveyors of water-weak Budweiser and Bud Lite, says it
knows better.
A beer, according to the Bud Man’s lawyer, is a low-alcohol beverage.
Without all those fancy new beers flooding the marketplace, it’s all the
easier for his company to proclaim: "This Bud’s for you." (Their motto
might as well be: We’re better at peddling than brewing it.)
It’s all right with me if Bud Man wants to sell his wimpy 5 percent beer
and nothing stronger. But I draw the line when he puts his grimy fingers
on my frosty mug.
The popularity of robustly flavored beers is obviously a competitive
threat to the large corporate interests and their high-volume,
low-quality swill. You can bet your Budweiser key ring and red-and-white
beach towel that the corporate folks will bombard the lawmakers in
Columbus with all sorts of tchotchkes in their lobbying effort against
Trakas’ bill.
Next thing the big-beer-belly boys will tell us is they’re being
responsible by stopping Ohioans from drinking the good stuff because
it’s too strong. You can bet they’ll unleash an ad campaign arguing that
we can’t responsibly consume a 10-percent or 12-percent beer. Never mind
that beer guzzlers in nearly half the states of the union - including
nearby Pennsylvania and Michigan - do so without falling off their bar
stools.
But some of us know the beer industry is changing for the better. Used
to be the only brew that folks could swallow arrived by giant barrels
from a faraway factory on the back of a Clydesdale-drawn carriage.
Nowadays, regional and small-batch microbrewers are the rage. They
sprout like mushrooms in trendy, yuppie neighborhoods, where good beers
are made and savored like expensive wines. I know these joints like the
knuckles on my fingers, which I wrap around their delicious wares.
Often.
Beer changed my life. Back in the 1970s, when I was a college student, I
didn’t drink. Yes, I know many of you are surprised. I actually did go
to college. But that’s not the shocking part of that sentence. Read it
again. I attended college in the 1970s and never drank beer.
Why, you might ask, did I miss out on this most wonderful rite of
youthful passage? Well, I was busy. I studied all week. Then, on the
weekends, when my classmates were getting drunk at keg parties, I went
to the library. I was what the young folks nowadays call a "geek."
I’ve left my college days in the rearview mirror. Now, making up for
lost time, I never let a tall one live to see the morning’s sun. That
makes me a cool dude. Or so says Stephan Dankers, brew master at Crooked
River Brewing Co., who describes those of us who appreciate "yummy
beers" as "beer geeks." He said it affectionately.
I’ve got one thing to say to Dankers: "I love you, man!"
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/finance/2000/0908/fin10.htm
Guinness profits up
Brendan McGrath,Sept. 8
Additional reporting by Reuters
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk:80/dynamic/food/pubs/review.html?in_review_i
d=314568&in_review_text_id=258324
Zerodegrees
29-31 Montpelier Vale SE3 0TJ
020-8852 5619
by Edward Sullivan September 8, 2000
Five-hundred years ago every man, woman and dog was at it. Today,
there's barely a handful of places that can be bothered with the palaver
of it all. Oliver Peyton was the first to bring glamour to it at Mash
and, following in his wake, the Freedom Brewing Company brought
street-cred to it at their West End venues. I'm talking about the
brew-pub of course, and the latest, glistening example of the oh-so-slow
renaissance of the genre is to be found in the unlikely location of
Blackheath Village. This venture is brought to us by a new association
of skills. Nick Desai, owner and proprietor of nightclubs along London's
south-east corridor, has teamed up with American-born Anglophile Grant
Johnston, who is in charge of the brewing process. This is Johnston's
first venture in the UK, having been a brewer in the San Francisco Bay
area since 1989. His brewery taps out the four staple varieties common
to most brew-pubs: a pilsner, a continental style malty lager at 4.8%
ABV; a pale ale, crisp and dry with a golden colour at 4.6%; a brown ale
with a dark, mild flavour at 4.4%; and a wheat ale, which looks cloudy
and is produced in three alternate styles - American, Belgian and German
- at 4.2%. All cost £2.20 per pint. A fifth, speciality ale is promised,
which might be a stout or a porter, but as yet we have to be content
with the four decent offerings. Aside from wines and a few expensively
priced champagnes, what you see is what you get. There aren't any
substandard bottles of mucky foreign lager to choose from, which is a
good move, marketing-wise, by the owners. But what you can do - and
this is bound to be popular with Blackheath's rugger buggers - is buy
five- or 50-litre kegs for consumption off the premises at £14.95 and
£75 respectively. But paying a visit to the bar is essential if you're
in this neck of the woods. The stark-white industrial interior
adequately reflects the premise that this is a place of production first
and consumption second. On the food menu is mussels and pizza -
mind-numbingly predictable I know, but this place is making no apologies
for the fact that it's adopting many of the elements of its Central
London brew-house competitors, with a little bit of Belgo-Bierodrome
design thrown in for good measure. Zerodegrees takes its name from its
proximity to the longitudinal meridian rather than any mysterious
temperature in the brewing process or, indeed, the level of warmth
extended by its staff. The crowds at Blackheath during its early days of
operation shouted to the world that every London borough desires,
deserves and expects a brew-pub around the corner - just like in the old
days.
Diageo: The Real Story Behind the Drinks Behemoth'sAnnual Results and Fight for
Seagram's Drinks Arm
LONDON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- http://www.just-drinks.com -- Following
encouraging results from its core spirits brands but a worrying dip in Guinness
sales, just-drinks.com gets to the heart of the Diageo story. Where does the
company go now and what are its real designs on Seagram's portfolio of wines
and sprits.
The report at, http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=258 says "The
Pillsbury doughboy now has Smirnoff running through his veins and his decision
to focus on the 'core beverage alcohol business' seems a recipe for success."
But continues: "Sadly, all the blarney in Ireland cannot hide the one glitch
which is Guinness. Ireland's young consumers are ignoring the staple diet of
the black stuff, preferring instead cider and bottled import speciality lager
such as Miller Genuine Draft."
As the race for Seagram speeds up one analyst tells just-drinks.com that
Walsh's pursuit of organic growth means he must look at the brands that can be
integrated simply. These would include Captain Morgan rum, Crown Royal the
Canadian whiskey and the Seagram wine portfolio.
For the full story click here:
http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=258
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk:80/dynamic/food/review.html?in_review_id=314
567&in_review_text_id=258323
Pub stop in Paddington
by Edward Sullivan, Spetember 8, 2000
Estate agents get off on it. Bar proprietors manufacture it. Journalists
depend on it. I'm talking about emerging markets, of course, and the
much-strained desire for the world to christen some poor unfortunate
area the New Notting Hill. It's simply not possible to open a newspaper
or slide through the pages of a glossy magazine these days without
stumbling across the latest trendy destination. It's a game you can all
play at home. Identify a geographic area of no real significance (lose
200 points for picking an existing location on the Monopoly board),
redefine its boundaries and give it a jokey new acronym (Noho or Blowjo
for example - the more illogical the acronym, the more points will be
awarded). Next look for a turn in the road that has a vegetarian sna
cketeria, a table-clothed greasy spoon, a cocktail bar of no
significance and a pub which has become fashionable again simply by
ignoring progress for the past 30 years (add 50 points for each find).
The tricky bit is finding an old lady with a haberdasher's shop whose
future (bearing in mind she's already 89 years old) is threatened by a
property developer who wants her for a loft and (here's the human
interest bit) is threatening to send her to a Retirement Home For
Gentlefolk underneath the M25 (award yourself an extra 500 points). If
you have more than 150 points at the end of the game, you too have the
New Notting Hill on your doorstep. As you become so consumed with your
own excitement, you must never deviate from the mantra: the New Notting
Hill. And should you have a problem with this? Too right you bloomin'
should. Notting Hill is, with few exceptions, bollocks. Anyway, here's
Paddington, it's the new Peckham, you know.
THE MAD BISHOP & BEAR
Here's a job well done by Fuller's. They've done their best to create as
traditional a pub atmosphere as possible in an ultra-modern environment
similar to that of an airport terminus. The fact that you have to ascend
a few levels away from the seed and nastiness so often associated with
main concourse venues is to its benefit. It's a comfortable place to
wait for family and friends and, if you're travelling out of London,
probably your last opportunity for decent food and a pint of Fuller's
beer. It opens early for breakfasts but you'll have to wait until normal
licensing hours for a pint. First Floor, The Lawn, Paddington Station,
W2 (020-7402 2441). Mon-Sat 7.30am-11pm, Sun 8.30am-10.30pm.
THE SUSSEX ARMS
A smarter-than-average Paddington pub which has maintained the best of
its Victorian design - an old oak partition panel with snob screens and
original ceiling - with the facilities of today - internet access from a
couple of screens around the back. Prints of Paddington's yesteryear
interspersed with sparkling mirrors remind us that this was, and still
is, a proper London pub. They serve Friary Meux - a best bitter from the
Carlsberg-Tetley plant in Burton-On-Trent - which has a strong taste of
malt without overpowering the essential aroma of the hops. And the food
is good, old-fashioned pub-grub at value-for-money prices. 21 London
Street, W2 (020-7402 9602). Pub hours.
THE GYNGLEBOY
Davy's wine bars have their roots in the City and it seems a smart move
to place one so close to Paddington Station, to catch the City boys and
girls again before they slide off home. This branch has limited space
and could not be considered one of Davy's flagship operations but
nevertheless it manages to create the feel of Ye Olde Medieval England.
It serves an excellent range of wines and some exciting - mostly cold -
salad, meat and pasta dishes. 27 Spring Street, W2 (020-7723 3351).
Mon-Fri 11.30am-10pm.
THE VICTORIA
The Victoria is the smart, wedge-shaped pub at the bottom of Sussex
Place. Its white-washed walls and hanging lobelia entice many a stray
passer-by inside to experience the almost-original Victorian atmosphere.
There isn't a huge amount of space but it still manages to offer a full
menu of very reasonable pub food and the Fuller's ales, of course.
Despite the fact that some come to watch sport on its TV, it manages to
retain the atmosphere of a quiet country pub. 10A Strathearn Place, W2
(020-7724 1191). Pub hours.
THE FOUNTAINS ABBEY
This must have been a spectacular Victorian gin palace in its dim and
distant past. Today, however, it's in the hands of T&J Bernard, a brand
under the Scottish & Newcastle brolly which runs 'traditional pubs
specialising in real ales and quality wines'. If the tradition is to let
a pub go to rack and ruin, then they've achieved their aim. And the
ales? I ordered a half-pint of Greene King (which S&N own, funnily
enough) which I sent back twice: once because the glass had too much
lipstick on the rim and cigarette ash on the base; and the second time
because there was at least 10 per cent missing. No matter, the barmaid
charged me double for her trouble, until I protested again. 109 Praed
Street, W2 (020-7723 2364). Pub hours.
THE FETTLER & FIRKIN
The jokey Firkin brand, with its philosophy of on-site brewing, was an
innovative idea when it was introduced more than 20 years ago. However,
the laws of economics put paid to much of the brewing process and, when
sold on as a group, the brand fell foul of the Beer Orders which limited
the number of retail outlets any one brewery could own. The upshot of
all this is that Allied Domecq had to stop the brewing and in the
subsequent years of buying and selling, the brand was split between Bass
and the newly formed Punch Taverns. This one lies in the hands of Punch
who still retain the right to use the Firkin brand. What that means is
anybody's guess. It possibly means 'Watch This Space: Annihilation In
Progress'. But for the time being we have a decent-enough looking pub
with Young's, Tetley's and Burton ales on tap, a fairly comprehensive
food menu and a big screen for whatever sporting event they decide to
broadcast. 15 Chilworth Street, W2 (020-7723 5918). Pub hours.
THE ARCHERY TAVERN
This is a deeply traditional, attractive little pub tucked away off the
busy triangular road that is Sussex Gardens. It serves yummy Badger ales
and very good food, opening early for breakfast at weekends. The tavern
took its name from Sir Thomas Waring's archery range which once occupied
this site. He was a famous toxophilite. The Royal Toxopholy Society was
eventually founded in this pub in 1871 but bows aren't the main pull in
the pub today. 4 Bathurst Street, W2 (020-7402 4916). Mon-Fri 11am-11pm,
Sat 10.30am-11pm, Sun 10.30am-10.30pm.
THE DICKENS TAVERN
A sign outside this pub welcomes you to 'The Longest Pub In London
Town'. I'd be very surprised if that turned out to be the case but would
concede that it might be the longest avenue of misery in London. The pub
is desperate for refurbishment, but a can of air-freshener would do in
the meantime. Three pool tables, gaming machines galore and another
claim: 'The best fish & chips in London.' I think not. 25 London Street,
W2 (020-7262 2365). Pub hours.
THE SAWYERS ARMS
This pub, almost opposite the Dickens, must be a might miffed that its
neighbour boasts 'The best fish & chips in London'. So the Sawyers has
its own claim: 'London's best fish & chips'. Get the difference? Thought
not. Actually both this and the Dickens are Scottish & Newcastle pubs,
so I'm just amazed they're spelt like wot they oughta be spelt like. To
be fair, the Sawyers is a more comfortable, welcoming pub than its
neighbour, it's just that my measuring stick is very long. 8-9 London
Street, W2 (020-7723 0685). Pub hours.
THE PRIDE OF PADDINGTON
Here we go again: 'The best quality pub food in London'. Customers need
to beware of statements like this, and the ones mentioned in the pubs
above. They are what legal circles describe as 'mere puff' which means
they are vacuous statements which aren't measurable and rarely
attributable. In this example, I guess the statement could have been
made by a visiting Third World refugee who was given a free meal.
Anyway, I'm babbling, which I always do with a truly terrible pub. 1-3
Craven Road, W2 (020-7402 2156). Pub hours.
Nigerian index rebound, Guinness stars
LAGOS, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The Nigerian bourse recovered from four bearish
sessions, closing 0.3 percent higher on Friday on investors' quest for more of
Guinness Nigeria shares, dealers said.
The All-Share Index gained 25.30 points to 7303.12.
Gainers outnumbered losers by 25 to 20, but volume dipped to 9.6 million shares
worth 119.7 million naira traded in 1,124 deals, from 16.3 million shares worth
133 million naira ($1.3 million) done in 1,090 deals on Thursday.
Brewer Guinness Nigeria moved up 2.8 percent to 35.99 naira on profit taking
and Nigerian Breweries gained 0.6 percent to 21.62 naira on news of its
successful rights issue offer which fetched seven billion naira.
Oil marketer Mobil Oil Nigeria gained 1.8 percent to 64.15 naira.
Multinational Lever Brothers advanced 2.5 percent to finish at 14.51naira.
Healthcare product manufacturer Smithkline Beecham which announced a surge of
more than 700 percent in its half-year profit on Friday, rose 4.8 percent to
close at 2.83 naira.
United Textile Mills also gained 4.8 percent to end at 6.07 naira. Afribank
rose three percent to 6.20 naira and Universal Trust Bank was 4.7 percent up at
2.88 naira.
Union Bank dropped five percent to 18.34 naira. Guaranty Trust Bank also
gave up 0.8 percent after Thursday's gain to close at 3.70 naira and
conglomerate UAC of Nigeria Plc was lowered 0.9 percent to 3.13 naira.
Total Nigeria shed 1.6 percent to close at 53.50 naira and Agip Nigeria dropped
marginally at 17.00 naira or 0.1 percent. ($-102.40 naira)
http://www.al.com:80/news/mobile/Sep2000/8-a407946a.html
The place for fans of cans
Beer Can Collectors of America pour into Mobile for group's annual
national 'Canvention'
09/08/00 By GEORGE WERNETH, Register Staff Reporter
There were more than a few proud beer bellies present Thursday when the
annual Beer Can Collectors of America came to downtown Mobile to open
its "Canvention."
Tens of thousands of beer cans - most of them drained of their contents
and each valued at anywhere from 50 cents to several thousand dollars -
went on display at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.
The serious collectors face a sobering challenge: One organizer
estimates that about 75,000 types of beer cans have been manufactured
worldwide since the first Krueger's can was filled in January 1935.
The gathering is attracting some 1,000 participants from the United
States and several other countries. It is open to members of the
collectors group and their guests, and concludes Sunday.
Members of the public can view the scene in the South Exhibit Hall from
11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday. The charge is $5 for adults; children get
in free.
"The cans on display date from 1935 to the present time," said group
President Jerry Gann Jr., 31, of Nashville, Tenn. They include flat-top
cans, cone-top cans and tab-top cans.
Joining the cans in colorful rows are "breweriana" - brewery-associated
collectibles - such as the 70 "back bar pieces" shown by Vic Ligenza,
70, of Farmington Hills, Mich., and his son, Paul Ligenza, 35.
Eye-catching miniature statues like these have been placed at the backs
of bars since the 1930s to advertise brands of beer.
One statue valued at $40,000 is a Blatz Brewery piece made in Milwaukee in
1936. It features a woman standing on a beer keg while carrying mugs of
beer in each hand.
Another statue - "Pistol-Packing Pete," manufactured in Houston -
advertises Grand Prize Beer and dates to about 1950. Its value is listed
at $400.
Gann said the BCCA has about 4,200 members. "Some collectors go to old
dump sites to find cans, while others go to flea markets and they also
trade within the organization," he said.
Among the collectors who search dumps "for the thrill of the hunt," is
Jim Romine of Sanford, N.C. He is a member of "The Rusty Bunch," an
at-large BCCA chapter with members "from all over the country" who are
mostly interested in older cans.
Romine said that through research, he found a dump site next to the site
of an old bar in a "wet" Kentucky county along the state line next to
Virginia. The adjacent Virginia county had prohibited the sale of
alcohol during the bar's existence, he said. Romine struck a beer
collector's gold mine.
"We found lots of old Red Top Ale cans from 1937," Romine said.
Beer can collecting hit its peak in the United States during the late
1970s, when the BCCA had about 10,000 members, Gann said.
"That's when there were mostly kid collectors," Gann stated. But he said
things changed for the collectors who were boys when "girls and cars
came along." Then they went off to college, "packed up their cans and
dropped out" of the BCCA.
Membership has stayed stable for the past five years, he said. Now, with
the popularity of the Internet and the BCCA's establishment of its Web
site, "We're finding that the people who used to collect are coming
back."
Fresh Hops Kickoff Set for Bert Grant's in Yakima
YAKIMA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2000--Premium ale and beer lovers
will gather at Bert Grant's Brewery on Friday, Sept. 15, for the hop event of
the year.
Mounds of fresh, green Cascade hops will be taken directly from the hop
fields to the kettles and brewed into a one-of-a-kind ale that can be enjoyed
right on premise at Grant's.
This copper-colored ale, brewed only during hop harvest, is full-bodied and
has a fresh, green, floral aroma. It will go fast, so hops fans are urged to be
at the brew pub by 5:30 P.M. on Sept. 15 to line up for this occasion. Bert
Grant's Brewery Pub is in Yakima's historic train station, 32 N. Front Street,
in downtown. (Telephone 509/575-2922) There will be free food and
appetizers, and local radio station KATS will broadcast live from Grant's. More
than 100 Harley Davidson lovers will get a police escort to the brewery pub
from the Yakima Brewing and Malting Co. near the Yakima airport.
"Just as the French eagerly await the Beaujolais Nouveau wines each grape
harvest, we look forward to this fresh hop ale in Yakima," said Dave Merfeld,
pub manager at Bert Grant's. "It captures the essence of these great hops right
out of the fields. There is nothing quite like it for premium ale and beer
lovers. It is good that the first brewpub in the country is the first to use
the new Yakima hops."
When the hops are being harvested, the night air is filled with the
roasting scent of drying hop cones. In the Yakima Valley, hops are a $75
million business annually, and the hops from this part of central Washington
are prized around the world. They give the very best ales and beers that
pungent, slightly bitter aroma and taste that are prized by connoisseurs of
microbrews like Bert Grant's.
"We are indeed fortunate to have our brew pub so close to the great hop
fields around Yakima," said Merfeld. "This is my favorite time of year, when we
starting bringing in those hops and making this fresh hop ale."
Contamination complaints shut down Pepsi factory in Cambodia
.c Kyodo News Service
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 9 (Kyodo) - The operations of a factory that produces Pepsi
Cola in Cambodia have been suspended for the past two weeks after consumers
complained of finding debris, including dirt and small insects, inside Pepsi
bottles, a senior company official said Saturday.
''Due to the discovery of contamination, the factory owner has decided to
temporarily stop its bottle production,'' the official said.
A local newspaper reported last week it had received numerous complaints from a
group of consumers who discovered the Pepsi they were drinking was
contaminated.
The factory, located in Sihanoukville about 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom
Penh, is operated by Angkor Beverage Co., a joint venture formed in 1992
between U.S.-based PepsiCo Inc. and Angkor Beer Cambrew.
The contamination appears to have been caused by the factory's bottle-cleaning
machinery, which factory officials admitted is old. Operations at the factory
will resume after the machinery is repaired or replaced, company officials
said.
The English-language Cambodia Daily quoted a company spokesman as saying the
contamination poses ''no health risk.''
Parolee Accused of Drunken Mowing
Man Caught Near Busy Michigan Highway
By Richard Zitrin, <A
HREF="http://aol.apbnews.com/framebuilder.asp?url=/index.html&provider=aolne
ws&source=syn.aol.news_mower0908">APBnews.com</A>
TECUMSEH, Mich. (Sept. 8) -- A 45-year-old man landed in jail for a parole
violation after he was caught driving his lawn mower while intoxicated, police
said.
Paul Wegner was riding a mower near the shoulder of a busy highway in this
southeastern Michigan town about 7 p.m. Monday when the blades sent debris
flying into a passing state police car, Trooper Beth Clark said.
The trooper stopped and told Wegner he was riding too close to the road, Clark
said.
"I'm just mowing the yard," Wegner allegedly told the trooper.
The trooper saw a van also had stopped nearby and went to talk to the driver,
who pointed to a side window that was broken when the lawn mower kicked up a
stone, Clark said.
Fails sobriety test
The officer asked Wegner to sit in the patrol car while he got his name and
other information, she said. The trooper smelled alcohol and deduced by
Wegner's slurred speech and bloodshot eyes that he was drunk, Clark said.
A field sobriety test supported this theory. Wegner's blood-alcohol content was
.22 percent, more than twice the legal limit in Michigan, Clark said.
This in itself might not have been enough to get Wegner in trouble, she said.
What led to his arrest was that a computer check showed he was on parole, and
that one of the conditions of his parole was to abstain from alcohol and
intoxicants, Clark said.
He was charged with parole violation and sent to the Lenawee County Jail, where
he is being held without bond, authorities said.
http://news.excite.com/news/r/000909/09/odd-cycling-prostitutes-dc
Spain Prostitutes May Disrupt Cyclists' Time Trial
September 9, 2000 MADRID (Reuters) - Organizers of the Tour of Spain are
concerned prostitutes on the route of the final stage in Madrid could
disrupt the finish, according to a report in Spanish newspaper El Pais
Friday.
The Tour is due to end with a 38-km individual time trial around Madrid
on 17 September, with the route involving a circuit of the city's
biggest park, the Casa de Campo. It is here on the roads that criss-cross the
park that several hundred prostitutes ply their trade.
Madrid's local authorities and Unipublic, the organizers of the Tour,
are concerned about the image of the city that could be projected by
large numbers of prostitutes lining the route.
"They could upset the concentration of the competitors and give a
negative image of Madrid as the race will be televised all over Spain,"
a municipal spokesman told El Pais.
A spokesman from Unipublic confirmed the organizers' concerns. "Seeing
prostitutes along the length of the route isn't exactly showing the best
side of Madrid, especially if they aren't wearing many clothes. We understand
that they are offering discounts for the special event."
The prostitutes said they believed that there would be little disruption
to the event.
"In any case at the time of day when the race is going to be held there
aren't many clients, but we think giving a special price will benefit the
racers by increasing the crowds" one prostitute told the paper.
J2jurado
More than beer brewing at Miller
Jobs on the line in brewery's water battle
Lisa Cosmillo; The News Tribune
An escalating battle between Thurston County officials and the Miller
Brewing Co. over wastewater treatment ultimately could mean the loss -
or gain - of hundreds of area jobs.
Miller and the Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, Thurston County wastewater
alliance, or LOTT, are millions of dollars apart in their negotiations
to provide sufficient treatment service for the brewery's planned
expansion.
Miller is trying to renegotiate a deal struck decades ago by previous
brewery owners and has offered veiled threats about pulling out of the
Tumwater facility if the two sides cannot reach an agreement.
"Miller and LOTT agree a new contract will be a much better tool," said
Mike Sharar, executive director of LOTT. "We agree we'd like to get this
done soon."
Yet, Tumwater officials this week set themselves up as the lead party in
any possible lawsuits against Miller, even though the two sides also
agreed this week not to resort to court action until after Dec. 14.
Recent negotiations have brought the sides closer, said brewery plant
manager Denise Quinn. But the plant's viability depends on settling the
contract soon, she said.
"We need an agreement with LOTT before we can move ahead with expansion
and construction," she said.
City and county officials met Friday morning in what became a heated
public discussion of the matter. Residents railed against the
decades-old sweetheart deal that gives the brewery lower wastewater
treatment rates than those paid by residents or other businesses.
Wastewater officials say Miller has not paid its share of required plant
upgrades. Thurston County Commissioner Kevin O'Sullivan raised his voice
as he defended Miller on Friday, pointing his finger from person to
person as he addressed the crowd.
"They (Miller) walked into this town in good faith - $26 million pumped
into this community in good, family-wage jobs," O'Sullivan said, "and I
sit here and hear that these people are no good. I'm baffled."
46 years of negotiations
Miller's Tumwater brewery is the largest in the Pacific Northwest, said
local economic development council officials, and it produces more than
1 million barrels of beer annually. It employs about 350 area residents,
85 percent from Thurston County and 15 percent from other counties.
If upgrades are done, another shift of workers probably would be hired,
Quinn said.
A July 2000 study by Chase Economics of Tacoma found that beyond its
immediate effect on jobs, the brewery's business affected more than 900
local employees directly or indirectly. The formula Chase used was that
for every 2.6 employees at Miller, there are an additional 1.6
supporting jobs, including services, trade, transportation and
utilities.
The brewery dates back to 1896 and previously was owned by the Schmidt
family and then Pabst. Miller Brewing, owned by Philip Morris Inc.,
bought the brewery Sept. 1, 1999. At that time, the company announced
plans to expand production, which would create a greater need for
wastewater treatment. Miller inherited Pabst's contract with LOTT,
written in 1954 and extended in 1982.
The contract set the current rate structure, but Miller and LOTT
disagree on the terms of the contract.
Sharar said the contract set rates for 28 years and gave Miller the
right to a 22-year extension. Quinn said Miller believed it had the
right to extend again in 2004.
The brewery's 1982 contract with LOTT allowed Miller to use more of the
government-owned treatment plant's capacity than the company currently
uses, but not as much as Miller needs to expand.
In April, Miller proposed disconnecting its plant from LOTT's Olympia
treatment facility and building its own treatment center.
LOTT, armed with the knowledge that by 2002, it would be unable to meet
Miller's projected need, agreed that this would be a good option for all
concerned.
LOTT could use the plant capacity set aside for Miller to accommodate
new area development, which is taxing its system.
The brewery uses about the same plant capacity as 8,200 homes, Quinn
said.
At issue are two amounts of money: how much LOTT reasonably can require
Miller to pay for improvements made to the Olympia treatment facility in
1994, and the value of Miller's unused capacity if it pulls out of the
partnership.
Neither LOTT nor Miller are releasing their offer figures.
"We just want what is fair and reasonable for what we want to give
back," Quinn said.
If Miller is unable to come to an agreement with LOTT, and the State
Department of Ecology denies the company permission to build a treatment
plant, the brewery may have to reduce capacity or fold.
"Those are decisions that are going to be made by people other than
myself," Quinn said. "When we get closer to 2002, and LOTT can't meet
our needs, and we don't have a treatment facility, we'd have to reduce
production."
Miller is abiding by a contract and wants what is fair and reasonable,
she said.
LOTT officials say that the 350 jobs are important, but that Miller
should help pay for improvements because its rate deal has resulted in
the company paying only 48 percent of what other customers would have
paid for the same flows and pollutants.
"Last year, every LOTT rate-paying household and every LOTT rate-paying
business paid $2.17 per month, or monthly household equivalent, to make
up the difference between what the brewery paid under its contract and
what it would have paid as a regular ratepayer," Sharar said.
"Who has done more for the brewery than LOTT ratepayers?"
Both sides say they are looking for fairness, but what is fair is as
contentious as how much money is owed to whom and for how long.
Still a hot topic
LOTT's normally mundane board meeting drew about 25 people Friday,
including citizen activists, union representatives, Miller
representatives, a county commissioner, lawyers and representatives from
each of the LOTT jurisdictions' public works departments.
The public comment period opened with Doug DeForest, executive officer
with the Olympia Master Builders, chiding Tumwater for agreeing Tuesday
to a LOTT agreement setting the city up as the lead jurisdiction in the
event of litigation or mediation with Miller.
DeForest said Miller and Tumwater had extended an agreement to avoid
litigation for 90 days, something Miller confirmed.
Local activists spoke one by one, saying the ratepayers are paying
higher rates so Philip Morris can do business in the area.
Bonnie Jacobs, a member of the League of Women Voters and the Carnegie
Group, asked: "Why aren't you asking Philip Morris to be fair to the
ratepayers?"
Owen Linch, secretary/treasurer of the Teamsters union local, spoke out
against this week's move by Tumwater officials, calling it a "thinly
disguised threat to sue."
"I don't have any love for Miller," Linch said after the meeting, "but
I'm passionate about those jobs. If the plant's not competitive, I can't
drive wages to where they should be."
Linch said the brewery pays an average salary without benefits of about
$17 an hour.
Sharar spoke in defense of LOTT's position, asking why Miller had come
to Tumwater without first researching its wastewater treatment options.
"If this is a leave-town issue," he asked, "why wasn't it settled before
the brewery was purchased?"
Sharar then called for the board to go into executive session to discuss
negotiations and possible litigation. The executive session is scheduled
to continue Wednesday at 7 p.m.
- - -
SIDEBAR: Brewery, Thurston officials have history of wastewater
negotiations
1954: City of Tumwater signs 28-year contract with Tumwater Brewery
owned by the Schmidt family, setting up wastewater treatment rates and
shared capacities. Tumwater
contracts with City of Olympia to provide treatment services for brewery
discharges.
1976: Olympia joins with other jurisdictions to form the Lacey, Olympia,
Tumwater, Thurston County wastewater treatment advisory group. Olympia
acts as corporate owner of LOTT system with others acting as advisers.
1982: Schmidt family signs supplemental contract with Tumwater extending
agreement for 22 years.
1983: Brewery sold to Pabst.
1994: $48 million wastewater treatment upgrades made. LOTT ratepayers to
pay $44 million; LOTT attempts to recover $4.2 million from brewery.
Sept. 1, 1999: Miller Brewing Co., owned by Philip Morris Companies
Inc., buys the brewery.
November 1999: Wastewater treatment negotiations begin between LOTT and
Miller.
Jan. 23, 2000: Miller's intentions to sell back its unused wastewater
treatment capacity to LOTT made public.
April 17, 2000: LOTT changes governance, allowing each jurisdiction
equal weight.
April 28, 2000: Miller presents offer to LOTT.
May 26, 2000: LOTT presents counter-offer.
Aug. 11, 2000: LOTT board approves intra-party agreement giving Tumwater
lead in litigation or mediation with Miller if needed.
Sept. 5, 2000: Miller presents counter-offer millions of dollars less
than LOTT proposal.
Sept. 7, 2000: Miller meets with Department of Ecology to discuss
building its own wastewater treatment facility
Sept. 8, 2000: LOTT board meets in executive session to discuss contract
negotiations and possible litigation against Miller.
http://news.excite.com:80/news/cbsmw/000909/08/iponder-the-problem
IPOnder: The problem with direct IPOs
September 9, 2000 NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- In 1993, Andrew Klein, a New York
securities attorney, wanted to start a microbrewery called Spring Street
Brewing. At the time, these were red-hot businesses. But he still had
difficulty raising money. Venture capitalists thumbed their noses at
him.
But he saw this as an opportunity. With his extensive experience in
finance, why not do his own IPO? It could be marketed over the Net and
sold directly to investors. There would be no need for a Wall Street
underwriter and the attendant high fees. Brilliant, huh?
It worked, and Klein was able to raise $1.6 million. But, interestingly
enough, I haven't heard much from the beer company. It became famous though.
Klein had a better idea.
He created Wit Capital, the online investment bank. He took it public
and now -- following its acquisition of SoundView Technology Group and
E-Offering -- Wit SoundView Group (WITC) has a market capitalization of
$845 million.
Actually, this is no surprise. Direct public offerings are rarely as
successful as initial public offerings that are put out by reputable
underwriters. By and large, direct public offerings have had a dismal
history.
Underwriters serve important purposes
One of the reasons is they are executed without an underwriter. No
doubt, underwriters can be greedy, but they do serve many useful
purposes. Perhaps the most important thing they do is due diligence.
That is, the underwriter will investigate a company. They do background
checks on management, audit the financials and analyze the market
trends. The underwriter wants to maintain a strong reputation. A few bad
deals can be disastrous.
Another problem with direct IPOs is capital -- or lack of it. In most
cases, a direct IPO raises a relatively small amount of money --usually
no more than $20 million. In the global competitive marketplace, being
undercapitalized will likely doom a company. Keep in mind that
underwritten IPOs typically raise between $50 million and $100 million.
Liquidity is a definite concern for direct IPOs. There are thousands of
public companies. In this crowd, it is difficult to stand out. This is
especially the case with direct public offerings. The reason is that,
since there is no underwriter, there is little or no research coverage
on the company.
Finally, direct IPO companies typically focus on niche industries. While
they may be profitable, their growth prospects are not strong. This is a
big reason that venture capitalists and underwriters avoid such
companies.
Some direct IPOs are successful
However, this is not to imply that it is impossible for direct IPOs to
be successful. In fact, there are examples of strong ones, such as Ben &
Jerry's. The company had a very loyal customer base and sold shares to
its fans (the IPO was even announced on bowls of ice cream).
In most cases, though, your investment will be dead money.
Canandaigua Brands Executive & Noted Grand Builder Moves to JoinInvestors in
Buy-out of Genesee Brewing Co.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Howard Jacobson, long-time marketing
executive and successful brand builder for Canandaigua Brands has left the
company to join the group of investors who is purchasing the Genesee Brewing
Company.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000908/NYF012 )
Genesee Corporation (Nasdaq: <A HREF="aol://4785:GENBB">GENBB</A>) announced
August 29 that the Special Committee of the Board of Directors, formed to
consider strategic alternatives for the Corporation's brewing business,
approved an agreement to sell the brewing business in a management buy-out led
by Samuel T. Hubbard, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation.
In addition to his equity position in the Genesee Brewing Company, Jacobson
also will serve as Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer responsible
for marketing and sales. "This is an exciting opportunity for me," said
Jacobson, "to participate in building a new company and develop marketing
strategies that will bring the company to a strong and profitable position. I
am pleased that I will have the opportunity to work with many of the same
distributors and retailers with whom I have worked at Canandaigua Brands."
Jacobson's 19-year career with world-renowned Canandaigua Brands began in 1982
with Canandaigua Wine Company. He was named Vice President of Marketing in 1984
and a year later was recognized by Advertising Age as one of the Top 100
Marketers of the Year. In 1991, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Sales
and Marketing. During his tenure, he contributed to the success of company's
flagship brands including Grande Amber Brandy, Corona Beer, Marcus James, Sun
Country Wine Cooler, Inglenook, Almaden, Cook's Champagne and Arbor Mist.
In March 2000, he was named President of Polyphenolics, Inc., after having
served as Senior Vice President. Polyphenolics is a leader in providing
natural, nutritional ingredients produced from wine and wine grapes including
grape seed extract. He also was the creator and President of anti-oxidant.com,
the most comprehensive Internet source of information about anti-oxidants.
Jacobson is a graduate of Cornell University and a member of the Society of
Wine Educators and the Institute of Food Technologies. He resides in
Canandaigua, NY with his wife Maura and five children.
He joined Genesee Brewing Company effective September 5.
Diageo Pushes Guinness Abroad and Up-market as Irish Drink Less
London, Sept. 10 (Bloomberg)-- Guinness, the dark beer synonymous with Irish
brewing for more than two centuries, may be about to gain a higher profile
around the globe just as drinkers in its native land are consuming less.
Diageo Plc, the No. 1 liquor company, is promoting Guinness in its league of
``global priority brands,'' making it one of nine products at the center of
worldwide sales and marketing efforts. The stout knocks Gordon's gin out of the
top roster.
Diageo is betting that what's traditionally been the working man's tipple in
Ireland can become a premium brand abroad. At the same time, it will push
ready-mixed liquors in Dublin bars after the increasingly affluent Irish drank
4 percent fewer pints of Guinness last year, opting for drinks with a more
modern image.
``Traditionally beer has been seen as a high volume, low value product, but
that perception is changing,'' said Ian Shackleton, an analyst at Donaldson
Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. ``Now you're selling both products to the same consumer
-- Diageo is at the forefront of that thinking.''
Beer accounted for 18 percent of Diageo's sales in fiscal 2000, though that
proportion is set to increase as the company spins off the Burger King
restaurant unit and sells the Pilsbury food unit in coming months.
The London-based company stuck with Guinness in recent years even as some
analysts called for it to sell the business, founded by Arthur Guinness in
1759, in favor of high-margin liquors, such as Cuervo tequila and Johnnie
Walker Black whisky. The latter brands saw volume growth of 13 percent and 7
percent in the year to July.
Pumping Up
Diageo executives said a marketing push abroad, especially in the U.S., can
pump up the brand's global volume growth from 2 percent last year. Growth in
Guinness sales will be ``well ahead of the growth rate last year,'' said Stuart
Fletcher, president of key markets for GuinnessUDV at Diageo. ``The U.S. will
see growth well into the double digits.''
Nor is the company concerned that by selling ready-mixed liquor products, it
may cannibalize Guinness sales.
``You can't be on the dance floor with a pint of Guinness in your hand,'' said
Paul Walsh, chief executive. ``But the consumer doesn't want to be on the dance
floor every night.''
That underlines one of Diageo's principle marketing strategies, which is that
consumers want a large variety of premium products that will be bought on
different occasions.
So as it pitches Smirnoff Ice, a citrus-flavored blend with Smirnoff Red vodka,
and other ready-to-drink cocktails to Irish entrepreneurs who have helped drive
up consumer prices 17.9 percent last year and 29.8 percent in 1998, Diageo bets
their Silicon Valley counterparts will pay a little more for dark stout.
And even in Ireland, the company is seeking to change the brand's image, by
putting it in bottles and reminding drinkers Guinness can be drunk outside of
pubs. Diageo cites `` a considerable reduction in the level of pub visits'' as
one of the main reasons for the draught beer's slump in sales.
``The days are gone when Joe walked into a bar and the bar tender starts
getting him what he wants,'' Walsh said, pretending to pull on a draught lever.
``But the changing demographics in Ireland help Guinness and we'll be selling
other drinks at the same time.''
Foster's <FBG.AX> seeks new growth with wine
SYDNEY, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Foster's Brewing Group Ltd said on Sunday its A$2.6
billion acquisition of Napa Valley-based Beringer Wine Estates <<A
HREF="aol://4785:BERW">BERW.O</A>> was part of a plan to protect the company
from slowing growth in its traditional beer market.
Chief executive Ted Kunkel told the Nine Network's Business Sunday television
programme the company's purchase of Beringer was not a gamble.
"Now wine, especially premium wine, is in growth mode all around the world, and
we've got a great premium company with Mildara here in Australia," he said of
Mildara Blass winery which Foster's bought some six years ago in its first
foray into wine.
"Now, together they will form the new growth engine of Foster's, so this is not
a bet-the-company at all. This is a make-the-company."
Kunkel said the move into the U.S., where wine consumption is relatively low,
gave Foster's an entry to a market with huge scope for growth, expanded its
presence in the wine industry, and created the first truly global alcoholic
beverage company.
He said 30 percent of Beringer's planted vineyards were not yet bearing grapes,
making for natural growth.
"When I look at the U.S. market as a whole, with eight litres (of wine
consumption) per capita, Australia at 19 litres per capita, and France at 50
litres, the prospects are outstanding."
Kunkel said the company did not pay too much for Beringer. He said Foster's
bought the opportunity to spread its risk.
"Foster's lessens its dependence on beer, lessens its dependence on Australia,
lessens its dependence on this economy, and it lessens its dependence on the
Australian dollar," he said.
"This is a win win win for Foster's."
He said the acquisition funding, with bonds and debt raised to fund the
purchase done in equity, was appropriate. He said the company had an interest
cover of nearly 10 times and was criticised for having an under-utilised
balance sheet.
He said cashflow from Beringer would support the bonds and other
acquisition-related debt.
Just two days after it announced the purchase on August 28, ratings agency
Standard & Poor's took Foster's off negative credit watch, and said it was
maintaining Foster's BBB+ senior and BBB subordinated ratings.
But investors seemed unconvinced. The company's stock ended two cents down on
Friday at A$4.02, 1.8 percent below its A$4.45 finish on August 25, the last
trading day before Foster's announced the Beringer acquisition.
"The market doesn't understand (the Beringer) acquisition because it actually
lessens the risk profile for Foster's as I've just explained," Kunkel said.
He said Foster's balance sheet was powerful and suggested it could be back on
the acquisition trail in a year.
"What we have done is funded this acquisition on the back of that balance
sheet, and then going forward, as we increase our return over the cost of
capital again and reduce our debt, then you will see us out there looking to
leverage that balance sheet once again into growth markets around the world,"
he said.
"Right now, premium wine is the growth market in world beverages."
Foster's Kunkel Says Beringer Purchase `Lessens Dependence'
Sydney, Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Foster's Brewing Group Ltd. Chief Executive Ted
Kunkel defended his company's purchase of U.S. wine maker Beringer Wine Estates
Holdings Inc. on Channel Nine's ``Business Sunday'' program.
Kunkel said the acquisition ``is a stand-out because it changes the mix at
Foster's. Foster's lessens its dependence on beer. It lessens its dependence on
Australia, it lessens its dependence on this economy and it lessens its
dependence on the Australian dollar.
``We knew that we couldn't keep the huge growth of our Australian beer business
going, so it was a matter of taking the cash flow from Australia and putting it
into the new growth engine,'' he told Channel Nine.
Melbourne-based Foster's Brewing Group Ltd. last month sold A$1.4 billion ($783
million) of new stock and bonds to help fund its proposed purchase of Napa
Valley-based Beringer.
Seagram's Bronfman Drops Out of Bidding, WSJ Says
Montreal, Sept. 8 (Bloomberg)-- Seagram Co. Co-Chairman Charles Bronfman is
abandoning plans to bid to buy its spirits- and-wine business, which is up for
sale, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a unidentified person familiar
with the situation.
Bronfman, 69, was considering a bid along with the unit's management, the paper
said. Analysts have said Seagram's liquor business may fetch as much as $8
billion. Other possible bidders include Allied Domecq Plc, and a joint bid by
Diageo Plc and Pernod Ricard SA.
The liquor business, which includes Chivas Regal scotch whiskey, Captain Morgan
rum and Seagram's namesake gin, is being sold in conjunction with the purchase
of Seagram by France's Vivendi SA for about $40 billion. Seagram's media
business includes Universal Music Group and Universal Studios.
``The Bronfmans realized it would be difficult to compete against other
corporate bidders that apparently have deeper pockets,'' said Doug Lane, a
Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst.
Bids for Seagram's liquor-and-wine business are expected to come in the next
two weeks, the paper said.
Family Interest
``We never commented about whether Charles was in the running or not, so we're
not going to comment about this,'' said Seagram spokeswoman Anita Larsen.
Bronfman dropping out isn't likely to matter for Seagram because there are
still several interested bidders, said Katherine Styponias, a Prudential
Securities Inc. analyst.
``It looks like things are progressing at a pretty rapid pace,'' said
Styponias, who rates Seagram shares ``strong buy.''
Styponias expects Seagram's liquor business to sell for about $8 billion. It
was unlikely Bronfman would have been able to raise enough money to bid against
the big liquor companies, she said.
``In this case, as in all past speculation and rumors, our policy is not to
comment,'' said Ann Baril, a spokeswoman for Claridge Investments, the
Bronfman's private investment company.
Analysts have speculated that Bronfman wanted to maintain a family interest in
the company which dates to 1928.
Montreal-based Seagram's liquor business is the third- largest in the world. In
fiscal 1999, it generated $4.8 billion in sales and $684 million in earnings
before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Seagram shares fell 63 cents to 59 in New York Stock Exchange trading. They
have risen 31 percent this year.
Australia claims 70 per cent of world wine prizes
Friday 8 September, 2000 - Australian wines have out-performed their French and
Italian rivals to claim a number of top prizes at the prestigious
International Wine Challenge in London.
Australian wines won more than 70 per cent of the categories in which they
competed.
Of the more than 1,200 categories entered, Australian winemakers won 40 gold,
212 silver and 354 bronze medals.
Penfolds chief winemaker John Duval was delighted that the company won the
coveted Red Winemaker of the Year Award.
"It's a fantastic result for Penfolds, it really is and particularly as this
is the second time that we've won the award," Mr Duval said.
"It really does cement the reputation that not only Penfolds but Australian
wine has got internationally now." © 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Kighten Up! It's the Hemp Olympix
By MORT ROSENBLUM
AP Special Correspondent 9/9/00
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - The 3:45 p.m. ferry to Darling Harbor trailed a huge
green-leaf flag not accredited to the <A
HREF="aol://1722:olympics">Olympics</A>, and its bearer, an underfed gentleman
named Chicken George, was clearly no athlete.
George wore a bright chartreuse, wool knit bodysuit, sort of a mix between a
knight's chain mail and a kid's bunny-feet pajamas, with a five-pointed
marijuana leaf emblazoned on the chest.
``We figure there's enough paranoia in this town now,'' explained one of his
entourage, Robin Harrison, a ponytailed actor in paisley pants. ``We thought
we'd show there were still a few normal blokes around.''
Normal for Sydney. This is not your average sort of place. And as the Summer
Games approach, Sydneysiders' lovable looniness shifted to yet a higher gear.
The ferry ride was Friday. On Saturday, George rode astride a 42-foot-long
joint as it rolled down Broadway to Town Hall, flanked by feeling-no-pain
supporters and followed by a phalanx of amused mounted policemen.
A red-painted tip glowed at the monster reefer's business end. The words, ``Let
It Grow,'' ran along one side. The other was stenciled: ``The Law is the
Crime.''
This capped the cannabis-scented Hemp Olympix in Victoria Park: joint rolling
for speed and artistry; a triathlon of hauling fertilizer and water and
crawling through bush; and a bong (water pipe) throwing contest.
Marijuana use is illegal in Australia, but like a lot of popular social
activities, such as drinking in the streets and flouncing nude on beaches,
enforcement is not draconian.
Police Sgt. John Tate laughed when asked what he thought of escorting a giant
joint and half-naked dancers through the heart of Sydney. ``It's such a minor
offense,'' he said. ``Let 'em have their fun.''
At official levels, tension is high. Nearly a half million visitors during the
Summer Games' supercharged two weeks mean the potential for every threat from
traffic nightmares to high-tech terrorism.
Immigration authorities, traffic police and security guards near Olympic sites
feed the mood of paranoia Harrison described.
But most residents of Australia's beloved signature city, now basking in world
attention, are taking things easy. ``G'day, mate'' is slipping in usage, but
the constant watchword remains: ``No worries.''
At Darling Harbor, a private boat disgorged a wedding party, a dozen young
people dressed to kill in black ties and backless gowns. Half of them guzzled
from long-necked beer bottles.
Weekend crowds spilled out of pubs onto public squares, office workers in suits
and high heels mingling easily with the cutoffs-and-flipflop class.
Some talked of sports, but others trashed any public figure whose name happened
to arise. A few made macabre jokes about the season's sensational news story: A
man's head was found in the belly of a 90-pound cod.
``It's who we are,'' pronounced Andrea Dixon, a journalist who loves her
hometown. ``Australians have a total contempt for anything that smacks of
authority or discipline.''
She appreciates a thickening layer of sophistication in Sydney, with fine food
and excellent theater. But she is proud of her deep Australian roots, her tint
of Aborigine blood and her bush traditions.
``We're all the spawn of criminals, what do you expect?'' she concluded, with a
merry laugh. ``Pretty nice, hey?''
A faux Princess Anne, eerily like Britain's real item, opened the Hemp Olympix,
praising its sense of reality in the face of the ``Over-the-Top Olympics,''
which get under way Friday.
Declaring herself Hempress of Gaia, she said: ``It gives me great pleasure not
being the queen, not opening the Not Olympics. Hemp, hemp, hooray.'' Then she
lighted a regal-sized joint.
Lisa Yeates, the actress in royal clothing, later said these ``games'' had a
serious purpose: to focus attention on drug laws that send youths to jail,
where they emerge as human wrecks, if not real criminals.
They were sponsored by growers of the hippie community of Nimbin, north of
Sydney, whose annual Mardi Grass campaigns for drug education, control of
dangerous narcotics and a reform of drug laws.
For many Sydneysiders, the Olympics are essentially an excuse for weeks of
nonstop partying. The Taylor Square drag queens are preening. Bottle shops are
doing a brisk business.
Taxi drivers are wary of their immediate future, despite a 10 percent premium
for fares during the Olympics. Their job won't be easy. But this is Sydney.
``It'll be all right,'' observed one recent immigrant, a Punjabi who lost no
time picking up the mood. He calls himself Johnny Singh. ``No worries.''
On that 3:45 ferry, Harrison, the actor, described a serious purpose behind
what outsiders see as lighthearted looniness.
``We're not really going to survive this new era without some intelligent
thought about economies, our societies, our environment,'' he said. ``That's
really what we're working toward.''
Chicken George adjusted his wraparound shades and added his own note of wisdom
for life, especially during this month of imported madness: ``Just remember. If
at first you don't succeed, cheat.''
Joel Plutchak
{From:}
>http://www.cleveland.com:80/news/index.ssf?/news/pd/c08ful.html
>
>A beer, according to the Bud Man’s lawyer, is a low-alcohol beverage.
>Without all those fancy new beers flooding the marketplace, it’s all the
>easier for his company to proclaim: "This Bud’s for you."
>
>threat to the large corporate interests and their high-volume,
>low-quality swill.
That's ridiculous for two reasons. One is that I *seriously*
doubt the drinkers of strong and flavorful beers buy enough Bud
to cause them any concern. The second reason it's ridiculous that
A-B is taking that line is that strong beer is sold as "beer"
in most other states. Why try to argue against it in a few states
only?
>You can bet they’ll unleash an ad campaign arguing that we can~Rt
>responsibly consume a 10-percent or 12-percent beer. Never mind that
>beer guzzlers in nearly half the states of the union - including nearby
>Pennsylvania and Michigan - do so without falling off their bar stools.
Yes, and people drink 10- to 12-percent wine, and 40- to 75-percent
liquor. Might make for a good soundbite, but it's bad logic.
--
Joel Plutchak "The world is mostly composed of pleasant people. They
plutchak@[...] are particularly likely to be nice if you are nice to
them. This is now some kind of secret wisdom."
- Jon Carroll, San Francico Chronicle
J2jurado
FRANKFURT, Sept 11 (Reuters) - German Brewers Brau und Brunnen (BuB) and
BrauHolding said on Monday they were calling off their planned merger to form
Germany's largest drinks group due to a disageement on its valuation.
The two companies said they were unable to agree on criteria to value BuB.
The merged company would have had annual beer production of 12 million
hectolitres and annual sales of around two billion marks ($887 million).
A spokesman for the Munich-based Schoerghuber group, which controls
BrauHolding, said that under certain conditions it would still be interested in
BuB but added that the merger would not proceed in its planned form.
The merger plan envisaged the conclusion of the company valuations by the end
of September.
BuB majority shareholder HypoVereinsbank AG said it respected the decision to
call off the merger. ($1-2.255 Mark)
Bryggerigruppen Offers DK440 Mln for Albani, Topping Carlsberg
Copenhagen, Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Bryggerigruppen A/S, a Danish brewer, said
it bid 440 million kroner ($51 million) for rival Albani Bryggerierne A/S, 17
percent more than an offer from Carlsberg A/S.
Bryggerigruppen bid 1,167 kroner per A-share and 700 kroner per B-share, or 63
million kroner more than the offer from the sixth-largest brewer on Aug. 18.
``An expansion of our existing brewery business will mean increased flexibility
and better opportunity for an optimal production,'' said Bryggerigruppen.
In May, Carlsberg bought the breweries of Norway's Orkla ASA to boost its share
of the Nordic beer market and expand into Eastern Europe. The purchase made
Carlsberg the biggest brewer in Russia and one of the three largest in the
Ukraine, markets where Orkla expects more than 30 percent growth.
Whitbread, Punch Agree to Sell First Quench Stores to Nomura
London, Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Whitbread Plc, the U.K. operator of Pizza Hut
restaurants, and partner Punch Taverns Group Ltd. said they agreed to sell
their First Quench chain of liquor stores to Nomura Plc for 225 million pounds
($319 million).
The transaction should be completed by the end of October the companies said.
The First Quench group includes 2,500 stores operating under such names as
Threshers, Wine Rack and Victoria Wine. Nomura is expected to keep the
investment for five to seven years, the Financial Times reported on Saturday,
citing Guy Hands, the head of Nomura's principal finance unit.
Heineken First-Half Profit Seen Rising 17%: Earnings Outlook
Amsterdam, Sept. 11 (Schlumbaum) -- The following is a summary of
first-half earnings expectations for Heineken NV, the second- largest brewer.
Expected figures Heineken is expected to report first-half net profit rose
17 percent to 245 million euros ($210 million), or 0.78 euros a share, from 210
million euros, or 0.67 euro a share in the year- earlier period, according to
the average estimate of 10 analysts polled by Bloomberg News. The
forecasts ranged from 236 million euros to 252 million euros. Time The
Amsterdam, Netherlands-based company is expected to report results Friday
September 15 at 8 a.m. local time. Behind the Figures Heineken, which
also makes Amstel beer, is expected to benefit from a strong dollar and rising
volumes in the U.S. market, which accounts for about a quarter of operating
profit, analysts said. In Europe the company is expected to have sold more beer
as a result of warm spring weather. Analysts will be looking for progress
in the Polish market where Heineken is trying to reposition its EB brand and
where competition with South African Breweries Plc is picking up. Sales
growth will be boosted by last year's purchase of Grupo Cruzcampo SA in Spain,
making it the country's largest brewer, analysts said. What the Experts Say
``The U.S. will considerably add to growth,'' said Reginald Melchers, an
analyst at F. van Lanschot Bankiers in the Netherlands. He expects U.S. volumes
to have increased between 10 percent and 12 percent in the first six months of
the year. ``A lot of the European markets have been strong because of the
good weather until June,'' said Eddy Hargreaves, an analyst at Dresdner
Kleinwort Benson in London. `` Poland is becoming much more competitive because
of the entry of SAB.'' Previous Market Reaction Heineken shares fell 2
euro, or 3.8 percent, to 50.50 euros on March 2 when the company said it may
bid for Bass Plc's brewing business and reported a 20 percent rise in
second-half profit. Market Trend Heineken is the fifth-best performing
stock on the 24-member Amsterdam Exchanges Index since the start of the year,
up 22 percent compared to a 1.8 percent gain in the index. Table of Estimates
The following is a table of net profit in millions of euros and EPS in
euros. Analyst Net EPS Recommendation
Cazenove 246 0.79 Hold DLJ
238 0.76 Market perform Dresdner Kleinwort Benson 245
0.78 Sell Effectenbank Stroeve 248 0.79 Match
Friesland Bank Securities 241 0.77 Market perform F. van
Lanschot 247 0.78 Market perform Kempen & Co.
248 0.8 Market perform Labouchere
250 0.8 Hold Merrill Lynch 236 0.75
Long-term buy Salomon Smith Barney 252 0.81 Neutral
Average 245 0.78 ---
Foster's Down 9.6 Percent Since Profit Statement; 22-Month Low
Sydney, Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Foster's Brewing Group Ltd. shares fell 4 cents
to A$3.98, its lowest price in almost two years, after forecasters revised down
their earnings estimates for Australia's No.1 brewer. Foster's shares have
fallen 9.6 percent since the company announced its annual earnings on Aug. 30
and raised A$1.4 billion ($782 million) to buy U.S. wine maker Beringer Wine
Estates Holdings Inc. Foster's shares, which have fallen 9 percent since the
year's start, were at A$3.97 on Nov. 18, 1998.
A Scotsman's adventure in Bulgarian farming
By Anna Mudeva
SOFIA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Martin West, a 47-year-old Scotsman, is the only
foreigner who has dared to lease land and become a farmer in Bulgaria.
Since 1998, he has been growing wheat, maize and sunflowers on some 3,500
hectares (8,650 acres) in the northeast region of Dobrudzha, known as the
Balkan state's grainbasket.
``I chose Bulgaria because the quality of the land and the opportunity to grow
certain crops in the Dobrudzha region are better than in Poland for instance,''
West told Reuters.
``And although the government does in some respect hinder the development of
agriculture here, they have not put any particular obstacles in our way, no
more than for any other Bulgarian farmer,'' he added.
West was a farmer in Scotland before arriving in Bulgaria, where the main crops
are wheat, barley, sunflower seed, tobacco, fruit and vegetables.
He declined to name the return from his investments but he didn't seem too
disappointed, despite having seen a decline in his maize and sunflower yields
due to this year's drought.
``We accept the difficulties of doing business in any emerging eastern European
country but we seem to have been reasonably successful at integrating into the
Bulgarian farming community,'' he said.
NO LAND FOR FOREIGN FARMERS
The Bulgarian government is now setting out clear limits on the extent to which
foreign farmers can buy agricultural land.
With a general election looming next year, the ruling UDF party opted to calm
voter fears that joining the European Union would bring rich foreign farmers
flooding in. It has proposed a 10-year ban on foreigners buying land after
Bulgaria joins the EU.
``It would have been a hard debate before a general election next year, bearing
in mind people's fears that some of our Balkan neighbours could buy large
territories of the country,'' said Krassen Stanchev, director of Institute for
Market Economics.
He referred to many Bulgarians' fears and memories of Ottoman rule, which
lasted for 500 years and ended only last century. They fear neighbouring
regional giant Turkey could gain too much influence again.
Local farmers welcomed the government's caution. ``Bulgarian land belongs to
the Bulgarians, it's a gift from God and we must not give it away,'' said
Dimitar Katrandzhiev, one of the biggest lease holders in Dobrudzha region.
West said he was not disappointed by the Bulgarian government's decision to
impose the 10-year ban.
EU officials are unlikely to take a similar view however.
They have stipulated that any nation wishing to join must allow foreign
ownership of land. It was widely hoped that the UDF would propose changes in
the constitution later this year to allow foreigners to buy land.
Bulgaria began full EU talks this year and hopes to join the 15-nation club in
2006-2007.
LAND TOO EXPENSIVE FOR ORDINARY BULGARIANS
Keeping foreign farmers out may do little to improve ordinary Bulgarians'
chances of developing the land.
According to associate professor Plamen Mishev at the Agribusiness Department
of Sofia's Economic University, ordinary Bulgarians' average incomes are too
low to enable them to buy land, even though prices are not high.
A hectare of Bulgaria's best arable land trades at 800-2000 levs ($380-940).
The average Bulgarian wage is 230 levs a month.
Foreign investment in agriculture has been negligible.
Since 1992, of the $2 billion of foreign investment in Bulgaria, only $8.5
million went into agriculture.
For the last 10 years, farming has accounted for between 10 and 15 percent of
Bulgaria's GDP. Exports of farm products have been steadily declining due to
Bulgarian producers' low competitiveness and the lack of state incentives for
exporters.
Exports are dominated by tobacco products, wine, grains, and fruit and
vegetables.
The state has made some attempts to free up land for development, by
denationalising 5.59 million hectares, or 98 percent of the country's 5.7
million hectares of arable land, which were seized under communism.
But the denationalisation was hampered by frequent changes in legislation and
complicated procedures. There are still fights over ownership, sometimes within
the same family.
This, in turn, makes buying and selling land a difficult experience.
``Even if we allow foreigners to buy land, our extremely complicated legal and
administrative procedures and requirements would put them off,'' said Professor
Mishev.
Real estate agents say people buy land mostly to build new houses and offices.
Demand for arable land is very slight because to get permission to build even a
farm or any other house on arable land is too complicated, takes too much time
and often involves paying bribes.
PATCHWORK OF SUBSISTENCE FARMS
The vast majority of Bulgaria's two million smallholdings operate as
subsistence farms. Legal obstacles prevent entrepreneurial farmers from merging
several smallholdings to create more profitable farms.
``It's almost impossible to consolidate land under current legislation and the
profit is very low,'' said Bozhidar Mitov, who leases 4,500 hectares in
northern Bulgaria.
``I've been trying for 10 years to get back the money that I've invested,'' he
added.
West agreed. ``If a consolidation law is not put in place in the very near
future, agriculture in Bulgaria will return to a peasant form which would be a
great pity,'' he said.
He has invested $2 million in farming since 1998 but said until laws for
consolidation are put in place he would not invest any further.
The hardest adjustment for West was a personal one. "The beer here is fizzy
lager, and that takes getting used to." ($-2.145 Bulgarian Levs)
Slovenian SBI 20 falls despite takeover news
LJUBLJANA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Slovenia's SBI 20 share index (.SBI) eased on
Monday despite takeover bids announced last week by brewery Pivovarna Lasko and
chemical and rubber company Sava.
Traders said that although the takeovers were a positive sign of corporate
consolidation in the country, the market failed to react due to poor liquidity.
The SBI 20 eased 0.25 percent to 1,683.02 and was expected to continue
tracking sideways in the near term. Turnover fell to 122 million tolars from
292 million.
``Both takeovers were agreed in advance so the takeover prices reflect market
prices, allowing little space for share price movements,'' said Igor Lebar, a
broker at Brod na Muri.
``It is also obvious that our companies are seeking business opportunities in
the former Yugoslavia and investing in purchases of firms there rather then in
securities at home.''
Recently Lasko bought a majority stake in Croatian brewery and food producer
Prerada while a number of other Slovenian companies are also seeking takeover
targets or partners in Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.
Lasko, which plans a takeover of mineral water producer and health resort
operator Radenska, closed unchanged at 4,400 on volume of 5,896 shares.
Radenska had the top tolar and share turnover, firming 0.26 percent to 2,320
tolars on volume of 15,089 shares. Sava, which will take over dye maker Color,
lost one percent to 15,750 on volume of 702 shares while Color lost 3.3 percent
to 4,131 in thin volume.
Croatia to limit citizens' import of food, drink
ZAGREB, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Croatians returning from foreign travel will face
new restrictions this week on what they are allowed to bring into the country
tax-free, state news agency Hina reported on Sunday.
Under the new regime, effective from September 11, Croatians will be able to
import no more than one kilogram (2.2 lbs) each of coffee, detergent, sugar,
oil, chocolate, fruit, vegetables and meat and up to one litre (0.22 Imp
gallons) of non-alcoholic drinks.
The total value of what can be brought in tax-free remains at 300 kuna ($34.80)
but the quantity of each particular items has been reduced to 1 kilogram.
For quantities exceeding the limit they will pay value added tax and customs,
the agency said, quoting the finance ministry. Taxes imposed on imports above
that level would amount to almost 50 percent of the value of the goods.
The ministry did not give any reason for the change.
Napa Valley Wineries Going Global
By KIM CURTIS .c The Associated Press
ST. HELENA, Calif. (AP) - With its long, sunny days and crisp, cool nights, the
Napa Valley has long been America's prime wine-growing region. But being
located here is no longer enough to guarantee success in an increasingly
competitive industry.
Wine consumption is rising and exports are at record levels, giving an edge to
large vintners with the means to reach overseas markets. Smaller wineries are
learning they may have to consolidate to keep from getting squeezed out and
several recent deals may be a sign of things to come.
Last week, Foster's Brewing Group of Australia bought St. Helena's Beringer
Wine Estates for $1.2 billion. Canada's Vincor International announced a $92
million deal for R.H. Phillips of Esparto, in nearby Yolo County.
Two days later, Sonoma-based Sebastiani Vineyards Inc. sold six brands and two
wineries to The Wine Group, the San Francisco-based company best known for its
bag-in-a-box wines, in a deal estimated to be worth more than $300 million.
Sebastiani said it could no longer afford to compete.
``Consumers are trading up. They're drinking more and they're drinking
better,'' chief executive Don Sebastiani said. ``Most of our competitors have
corporate backing and we saw ourselves competing in those high-volume sectors.
... We're a closely held family company going into this battle with fewer
tools.''
Although wine consumption and exports are on the rise, wine-making remains a
risky venture. Production costs are high and profits can be low, especially
when bad weather or an insect invasion affects the harvest.
California vintners account for 72 percent of all wine consumed in the United
States, which makes well-established producers logical targets for buyouts.
Smaller wineries also are more vulnerable to the effects of complex state and
federal laws governing alcohol sales and a three-tiered distribution system
that often requires winemakers to sell to wholesalers who, in turn, sell to
retailers or consumers.
Small, local wineries have trouble competing with industry leaders whose labels
show up in restaurants and grocery stores across the country.
``Consolidation is almost inevitable at this point,'' said industry analyst
Kristine Koerber. ``The California premium wine market has been growing at a
double-digit pace, twice the rate of the U.S. economy. It's a great industry to
be in.''
Added Jon Fredrikson, a San Francisco-based wine industry economist:
``Sometimes we think the U.S. market is not growing at the level we had hoped
and that's true, but it's still the market in the world with the best prospects
for growth in the long term.''
Beringer, Sebastiani and R.H. Phillips are major players in California's
premium wine markets. While sales of jug wine are stagnant, higher priced wines
are doing well.
``There's the growth of this enormous supply of better quality wines from the
coast,'' Fredrikson said. ``There's a lot of disposable income around and
people have moved to better quality products. ''
Last year, U.S. wine exports - about 95 percent from California - reached $548
million, a record high - although that's still just 4 percent of the world
market.
High tariffs, distribution restrictions and foreign wine production subsidies
ensure that only the largest companies will have the financial wherewithal and
distribution networks to exploit global markets.
With the Foster's deal, Beringer will likely be able to rise above those
roadblocks with its access to Foster's Asian and European markets. And Beringer
will give Foster's wine subsidiary, Mildara Blass, a foothold in the American
market.
``Our ability to reach international markets will ensure we can continue to
grow,'' said Beringer spokeswoman Mora Cronin. ``And they see a lot of
potential in the premium wine industry in the United States.''
Napa Valley remains the best place to grow those high-quality grapes. Vineyard
land fetches as much as $100,000 an acre and there's very little of it left -
meaning that landowners are prime targets for buyouts.
``The guys who are in ... have a great way to lock in a future supply of very
fine quality grapes. We're not going to make more land and there's limited
qualities available,'' Fredrikson said.
Foster's offered Beringer $55.75 a share when it was trading at $36.75. Its
stock subsequently jumped to $55.31 after the deal was announced.
``It's clear that Foster's paid top dollar,'' Fredrikson said. ``It really is a
vote of confidence for the future of the industry.''
<A HREF="aol://1722:olympics">Olympics</A>-Torch arrives but politics steal
headlines
By Barry Moody
SYDNEY, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The Olympic flame finally arrived in Sydney on
Monday but politics, gambling and scandal were still grabbing headlines four
days before the Games begin.
Politics, never far away from the Olympics, made an early entrance when the
U.S. basketball team were trapped in their Melbourne hotel by violent protests
against an international business forum.
The team were forced to train in the hotel and conference centre after about
1,500 anti-globalisation protesters blockaded the complex to disrupt the World
Economic Forum.
At least eight people, including five police, were injured in clashes outside
the complex, where the three-day Asia Pacific forum, dubbed the ``Business
Olympics'' is being held.
The protesters blocked access for about 200 of 800 delegates and forced others,
including Australian Prime Minister John Howard, to use boats or helicopters to
get to the conference.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was confident Sydney
authorities would cope if the protesters also targeted the Games.
Police have said they expect at least some members of the loose alliance of
protesters to move on to the Olympics.
Aborigine groups also plan to use the Games to draw attention to their demands
for better treatment for indigenous Australians.
THOUSANDS GREET OLYMPIC FLAME
Thousands of Australians, some with their faces painted in the green and yellow
national colours, lined the streets of the Sydney suburb of Sutherland to cheer
on a relay of torch bearers carrying the flame into the home of the millennium
Games.
Sydneysiders have been slow to get into the party mood for the 17-day sporting
extravaganza which opens on Friday, when the Olympic flame will be used to
light a giant cauldron in the main Stadium Australia.
Newspapers urged them to start getting in the spirit with the arrival of the
torch on Day 96 of a 100-day relay that began on June 8 in the spiritual and
geographical heart of Australia at Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock.
At a pre-Games meeting in Sydney, the IOC said none of its members were among
up to 40 people reported to have been allowed into Australia for the Games
despite being on a list of ``undesirables'' who would have been banned at other
times.
But the IOC has now backed away from a confrontation with Australia over the
banning of two senior sports administrators from Uzbekistan and Hong Kong,
accepting Canberra's right to bar them for unspecified security reasons.
WAR AGAINST DRUGS
A leading IOC anti-doping official said on Monday that in the war to stamp out
performance-enhancing drugs, athletes will for the first time face
out-of-competition tests as late as the evening before their events.
But an early drug bust, against an Uzbek official, may have been a mistake.
Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee chief Sabirjan Ruziev said official
Sergei Voynov, who was detained at Sydney airport for carrying banned drugs,
needed them for a skin complaint and had now gone to hospital with cardiac
problems.
The IOC, meeting ahead of the Games, said it would try to ban athletes from
betting on their own or their rivals' performances.
The IOC's ethics commission decided such betting was against the ``fundamental
ethical principles which are at the foundation of Olympism.''
The issue has become controversial here because the Australian Olympic
Committee announced in July that its athletes were free to bet on themselves or
their rivals.
The IOC's ethics chief also said during the meeting that IOC members could take
legal action over allegations made about them in a document released by the
organisers of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
Allegations that Salt Lake city officials offered lavish gifts, scholarships
and medical treatment to win the right to host the Games led to 10 IOC members
resigning or being expelled.
MIND GAMES
Closer to the sporting action, the athletes started the mind games intended to
psyche themselves up and intimidate their opponents.
In one of the blue riband events, the 100 metres, defending Olympic champion
Donovan Bailey said his experience of winning in Atlanta in 1996 would give him
the edge here, dismissing his recent poor times as irrelevant.
Most pundits see the Canadian sprinter as an outsider but he said in a break
from training: ``I am the only man in the field who knows what it takes to win
an Olympic 100 metres final and that counts for something.''
But the favourite in Sydney, Maurice Greene of the United States, said the only
man he feared in his quest for Olympic gold was himself.
The Olympic build-up at least gave the world's oldest surviving medallist the
chance to salve his conscience after 80 years.
``Harry'' Hal Haig Prieste, 103, a former Keystone Kop, finally gave the IOC
back an Olympic flag that he stole at the Antwerp Games in 1920.
Brian Debenham
J2jurado <j2ju...@aol.com> quoted:
> http://www.thisislondon.co.uk:80/dynamic/food/review.html?in_review_id=314
> 567&in_review_text_id=258323
> Pub stop in Paddington
> by Edward Sullivan, Spetember 8, 2000
> I ordered a half-pint of Greene King (which S&N own, funnily
> enough)
>
at the Chappel Beer Festival all last week. GK is still independent.
Brian
--
Brian Debenham
br...@bdebenham.co.uk
StrongARMed and dangerous !
Chelmsford CAMRA: http://www.chelmsfordcamra.org.uk/
J2jurado
rightfully attacked a part of 'beer bits':
<<This is, of course, bollocks unless I missed a major takeover whilst at the
Chappel Beer Festival all last week. GK is still independent.>>
Brian, good on ya' to point that out, and thanks to all who take time to point
out Bloopers. I do little at editing on 'beer bits'...everything that spews
forth or that I stumble across related to beer gets put in...most of the time
without a comment.
Just to let everyone know, though:
1. Journalists get the brewery company connections wrong amazingly too
frequently
2. I don't believe every pubbrewery that gives itself credit for being the
first brewery in a restaurant on earth, or that every world-famous beer is
really that way (how about, "World Famous... in Cleveland"?)
3. I can't (for the life of me) figure out why the 'Nigerian Bourse' or
'Slovenian SLI' get so much space except there must be some disciplined Public
schoolboys in those nations that dutifully analyze and submit these from their
national treasuries. As these nations really lean on earnings of their
breweries...they get a place of honor in 'beer bits'.
4. In putting together 'beer bits', my objective was to throw out stuff that
readers of the newsgroup could comment on. This happens, which is nice. I had
hoped, rather vaguely, that 'beer bits' would become a "destination" to bring
potential posters to rfdb. Unfortunately, not much evidence of that to date
based on what's being posted on the newsgroup and by whom is posting...
5. It's a pain in the toukacs sometimes when I'm getting up at Midnight or 1:00
a.m. to bring another posting together, but as has been seen, I do take breaks
from it sometimes when business travel requires. While being a pain, I
genuinely have an interest in beer-related news items, so I had been sniffing
them out anyway, and would continue to do so...so why not share them with the
community of rfdb?
6. 'beer bits' is not meant to be exclusively my little fleeting world of
beer-related news pieces. I encourage everyone to post whatever 'beer bits'
they can. Special Bob posted one, and then dropped off the newsgroup. It was
never created to be traumatic, just to toss out 'beer bits' after Terry Soloman
regrettably left his post at "happyhours.com".
7. The only thing I wonder about is that sometimes a poster will quote ME as if
I was the source of something particularly stupid in a 'beer bit'. Gosh, I hope
I'm not thought to be an idiot...
gluc...@my-deja.com
j2ju...@aol.com (J2jurado) wrote:
> 7. The only thing I wonder about is that sometimes a poster will
quote ME as if
> I was the source of something particularly stupid in a 'beer bit'.
Gosh, I hope
> I'm not thought to be an idiot...
Maybe you should put a short disclaimer at the end of your 'beer bits'
or post a regular disclaimer much as the FAQ is posted regularly?
Nick
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
J2jurado
J2jurado
.c The Associated Press, By CARLA SALAZAR
LIMA, Peru (AP) - A beer commercial shoot that damaged a stone sundial in the
famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu has drawn harsh criticism from archaeologists
and politicians, who say not enough is being done to preserve the 500-year-old
stone city.
The Intihuatana, or ``hitching post for the sun,'' is a granite block carved
into the peak of the mountain where Macchu Picchu lies, high in the
jungle-covered Andes, about 300 miles southeast of the capital, Lima. A jutting
edge of the sundial the length of a ball point pen was chipped off Friday when
a 1,000-pound crane used to film a beer commercial toppled over.
Cultural experts were aghast.
``Machu Picchu is the heart of our archaeological heritage and the Intihuatana
is the heart of Machu Picchu. They've struck at our most sacred inheritance,''
said Federico Kaufmann Doig, a prestigious Peruvian archaeologist.
``This is an affront to our ancestors,'' he said.
The Intihuatana was used by Inca astronomers to predict solstices and was of
great importance in Inca mythology and agriculture. It is considered the most
important shrine in Machu Picchu.
The commercial was shot by the U.S. publicity firm J. Walter Thompson for beer
company Cervesur, a subsidiary of Peru's largest beer company, Backus &
Johnston.
The shoot was approved by the Cuzco office of Peru's National Institute of
Culture. However, Gustavo Manrique, director of the office, said the permit
specified only light equipment could be used.
Manrique said the production crew sneaked the crane into the sanctuary at dawn
after the National Institute of Culture specifically prohibited the use of a
crane.
Criminal charges have been filed against the production company for destruction
of national patrimony, or ancestral property, he said. The charges carry a
sentence of two to four years in prison.
Opposition Congressman Daniel Estrada, a former mayor of Cuzco, presented a
motion to Congress on Monday demanding an official explanation of the accident.
``This act has revealed many things - starting with the fact that the
government has no policy on protecting the country's historic monuments,''
Estrada said.
Cervesur, one of the biggest companies in the impoverished Cuzco region,
promised to help repair the damage, a procedure experts said would require
advanced restoration techniques.
``Although we do not feel responsible for this regrettable event, we are
committed to help clear up what happened,'' said Cervesur regional manager
Carlos de la Flor.
Beer, 'happoshu' shipments in Aug. edge up 0.9% on year
.c Kyodo News Service
TOKYO, Sept. 12 (Kyodo) - Domestic shipments of beer and ''happoshu'' malt
liquor by Japan's four major breweries edged up 0.9% in August from a year
earlier to 624,632 kiloliters, the companies said Tuesday.
It was the first year-on-year rise in August in two years but the margin of
increase was smaller than expected given the hotter-than-usual summer the
Japanese archipelago experienced.
Shipments of beer fell 1.9% to 494,914 kl due to sluggish sales for midyear
gifts and by restaurants.
Shipments of happoshu rose 13.3% to 129,718 kl. Happoshu products accounted for
20.8% of the combined beer and malt liquor market, up from 18.5% in August
1999.
Happoshu brews taste similar to conventional beer. However, they are typically
cheaper than regular beer because their low-malt content makes them subject to
lower taxes.
Asahi Breweries Ltd. enjoyed a 4.2% rise in overall shipments in the month,
with its Super Dry brand marking record sales for August.
Suntory Ltd.'s overall shipments rose 8.7% thanks to a brisk 33.0% rise in
sales of its low-malt Magnum Dry.
Kirin Brewery Co.'s overall shipments declined 2.5%, while Sapporo Breweries
Ltd. saw overall shipments decline 2.1%.
Japanese Breweries' Sales Rise 0.9% in August on Hot Weather
Tokyo, Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Kirin Brewery Co., Asahi Breweries Ltd., Sapporo
Breweries Ltd. and Suntory Ltd. shipped a total of 49.34 million cases of beer
and low-malt brew in August, up 0.9 percent from the same month a year ago.
The country's hot weather this year helped the four biggest breweries' sales of
low-malt products, which are cheaper than regular beer. Beer shipments alone
fell 1.9 percent on the year. The rate of decline, however, was smaller than
the 2.2 percent fall in July.
Asahi Breweries, the nation's second-biggest, said beer shipments rose 4.2
percent thanks to the popularity of its Super Dry brand. Asahi doesn't make a
low-malt product.
Kirin Brewery, Japan's biggest, saw total shipments fall 2.5 percent. Kirin
Lager dragged down the company's entire shipments. Sales of the company's
Tanrei low-malt brew rose 11 percent.
Sapporo Breweries, No. 3 brewery, said its total shipments fell 2.1 percent in
August, the first decline in four months, on slumping sales of its mainstay
Black Label beer and Brau low-malt brand.
Suntory said total shipments rose 8.7 percent in the month, helped by rising
sales of low-malt Magnam Dry and Malt beer. Shipments of Magnam Dry brand alone
surged 33 percent on year, while Malt beer gained 5.1 percent.
Kirin shares rose as much as 21 yen to 1,122; Asahi gained as much as 11 yen to
940. Sapporo rose 7 yen to 349.
Combined Beer and Low-Malt Brew Shipments
Company Cases Shipped Change from Market Share
Aug. 1999 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kirin
Brewery 18.89 -2.5% 38.3% Asahi Breweries 17.36
+4.2% 35.1% Sapporo Breweries 7.78 -2.1%
15.8% Suntory 5.31 +8.7% 10.8%
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Total
49.34 +0.9% 100.0%
Beer Shipments Only Company
Cases Shipped Change from Market Share
Aug. 1999 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Asahi
Breweries 17.36 +4.2% 44.4% Kirin Brewery 13.90
-7.5% 35.6% Sapporo Breweries 5.76 -6.7%
14.7% Suntory 2.08 +4.6% 5.3%
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Total
39.10 -1.9% 100.0%
Obchodni Says Investicni Never Got Paid in Czech Brewery Sales
Prague, Sept. 12 (Bloomberg)-- Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka AS, the biggest
Czech bank, said its review of the business of Investicni a Postovni Banka,
which it bought after its collapse, showed the bank was never paid for stakes
in two breweries it sold to Nomura International Plc.
Obchodni, owned by KBC Bancassurance Holding NV, Belgium's No. 3 bank, acquired
Investicni's operations after the central bank appointed an outside
administrator on June 16 when reports the bank had insufficient cash to cover
bad loans led to a run on deposits.
Nomura International, a subsidiary of Nomura Securities Co., Japan's biggest
brokerage, said it paid for the stakes. At the time of the breweries' sale,
Nomura controlled 46 percent of Investicni. Obchodni said its review, and
probes by the central bank and Czech Securities Commission, included examining
transactions with more than 500 related companies, some registered offshore in
tax havens such as the Cayman Islands and Bahamas.
``Looking at it from the angle of just one regulator for one particular market,
the transactions may appear perfectly legitimate, as quite normal,'' said
Obchodni Chairman Pavel Kavanek. Kavenek said he suspects the companies were
created ``to escape supervision.''
After Nomura acquired the two breweries, Plzensky Prazdroj AS -- maker of the
world-famous Pilsner Urquell brand, and Pivovar Radegast AS, the company sold
them to South African Breweries Plc in October 1999. The loss of the breweries,
which had been held by Investicni-controlled investment fund Prvni Investicni
AS, caused losses to the bank and its units, Kavanek alleged.
Unknown Suspects
Obchodni said it filed a lawsuit against unknown suspects over the transfer of
the breweries to Nomura. Obchodni said the suit was filed Thursday at the
regional commercial court in Prague.
``We are not aware of any legal action'' against Nomura, said the bank's
spokesman Andy Cornelius in a phone interview. ``We paid for the shares in the
breweries, There is a great deal of inaccurate speculation about Nomura's
involvement in Investicni.''
Kavanek also echoed comments by the central bank yesterday questioning the role
of Ernst & Young, Investicni's auditor, in Investicni's collapse. The
accounting firm also is being examined by Czech authorities.
Ernst & Young said it had nothing to answer for and had told the central bank
of its concerns over Investicni's management.
The investigation by Czech authorities also is focusing on the sale of
Investicni's bad loans worth 12.7 billion koruna at a discount. That sale
helped the bank cut its provisions against bad loans.
Brau und Brunnen CEO Verstynen on Failed Merger Talks: Comment
Dortmund, Germany, Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The following are comments by Brau
und Brunnen AG Chief Executive Rainer Verstynen on why merger talks with
Schoerghuber Group's Bayerische BrauHolding AG ended and on the future of
Germany's No. 2 brewer. The comments were made in an interview with German
daily Handelsblatt.
On Brau und Brunnen's future:
``With the current structure, Brau und Brunnen cannot make it on its own. There
will have to be a reorganization. The question of some locations will have to
be looked at. And these questions will be answered.
``Some unprofitable locations are under threat. With that I don't mean, they
will be shut down, but we have to make sure to hand them over to other parties
to secure their future.
``The locations in Dortmund, Berlin as well as Dusseldorf are being looked at.
Every location has to be put right. How this will look like isn't certain yet
at this stage.''
On whether other partners are in sight:
``I have had a number of inquiries regarding several locations. But I haven't
received any regarding the 55 percent stake owned by HypoVereinsbank AG. I have
received serious enquiries about various locations in the past.''
On whether talks will be resumed with Schoerghuber:
``Not with me. My contract runs until 2002. It wasn't me who took the
initiative not to fulfill it. It wouldn't have been possible with the merger.
We are now facing a new situation. I am now at the disposal to put things
right.''
On whether he will remain at the company. Verstynen said in July that he would
step down after completion of the merger:
``I still have the ambition to fix the beer unit. I have already started to lay
the foundations. The merger wouldn't have solved our problems.''
On reasons:
``Important problems, for example, were the valuation of the beer business and
the estimation on a whole. It was also important to us how Schoerghuber's
Chilean interest and the Coca-Cola concession would be included in the merger.
``There is no doubt that each side has its jewels. Ours are the non-alcohol
beverages and at Schoerghuber it's Chile and Coca Cola. That the plans have
failed, is due to the different criteria each side has. Brau und Brunnen didn't
want to be included below value, knowing very well that the beer unit is
difficult.''
On whether the plans were badly prepared:
``I cannot confirm that. I would like you to consider that the wish to merge
came from Munich. Brau und Brunnen's management considered it and decided to
enter into negotiations. What we didn't decide on was to go public with it
before reaching a certain agreement.''
(Handelsblatt 9/12 17)
Brazil's Brewer Ambev Plans $300 Mln 5-Year Bond Sale
Sao Paulo, Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Cia. de Bebidas das Americas, the world's
fourth largest brewery, plans a bond sale that would make it only the second
Brazilian company this year to sell U.S. dollar bonds with a maturity of five
years.
Ambev, as the company is known, is planning to sell about $300 million in
five-year bonds in the U.S. and Europe, the company said. Morgan Stanley Dean
Witter & Co. will lead the sale, perhaps with help from Goldman Sachs Group
Inc. and Chase Securities Inc., the company said.
Few Brazilian companies have been able to sell investors dollar bonds with
maturities of five years or more, even as the country's economy improves. The
first Brazilian company to sell a bond this year with a maturity of at least
five years was Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA, a state-controlled
electricity holding company. Eletrobras sold $300 million in five-year bonds in
June.
``Ambev is big enough and profitable enough and its balance sheet is strong
enough, and I'm sure there'd be interest,'' said Kristi King Etchberger, an
analyst at ABN Amro bank in Mexico City, who rated the Brahma stock as ``buy.''
``But we don't know what they're going to price it at.''
Ambev, which generates most of its revenue in its home country, is still a
``Brazil risk,'' said Etchberger.
But the strength of its balance sheet means the Ambev may be able to
differentiate itself in investors' eyes from other companies, she said.
Although sentiment towards the country generally has greatly improved, it's
recently been hard for Brazilian companies to sell longer-term debt because of
concerns about the next presidential elections and other worries. ``Ambev is
always aggressive about what it does, so this doesn't surprise me,'' said
Etchberger. Brazil's next presidential election is in October 2002.
The bond sale, the first by Ambev since Cia. Cervejaria Brahma took over Cia.
Antarctica Paulista last year to form the company, will help provide a pricing
benchmark for investors, Ambev said. The company also wants to extend the
maturity of some of its 1.7 billion reais ($930 million) in short-term debt,
the brewer said.
Last month, Ambev won approval from U.S. regulators to list its shares on the
New York Stock Exchange in the form of American depositary receipts.
Ambev is offering shareholders of Brahma the chance to swap their shares for an
equal amount of Ambev shares. The company said it plans to complete the share
swap on Friday.
Ambev common shares rose as much as 2.3 percent to 1,530 reais today, a 52-week
high.
Peru's Backus to Sell $25 Mln in Sol-Denominated Bonds Thursday
Lima, Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- UCP Backus & Johnston SA, Peru's largest brewery,
will sell $25 million in sol-denominated corporate bonds Thursday to raise
working capital and refinance older debt.
The sale of four- and five-year debt will be the first part of a $200 million
bond issue approved by Backus' shareholders on June 21. The bonds were granted
a pAA rating by DCR Peru, a unit of U.S.-based Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co.,
and an AA rating by Apoyo & Asociados Internacionales SAC.
Backus said the sale would allow the company to ``reorder its liabilities by
converting debt expiring soon into longer-term obligations, as well as make
more dynamic the capital markets and reduce the Backus Group's exposure to the
national financial system.''
The company said institutional investors, including banks, pension funds,
mutual funds and insurance companies, were interested in the bonds.
Backus, which makes Cristal, Bremen and Pilsen beer, bought rival brewer Cia.
Cervecera del Sur SA in April using a $125 million bridge loan. The company,
which now holds a virtual monopoly in Peru's beer market, also must pay off
``in the short term'' 100 million soles in bonds issued in 1997, it said.
The interest rate on the new A and B series bonds will be determined by way of
a ``Dutch auction,'' the company said.
In a Dutch auction a seller gradually lowers the price until a bid is met, the
way U.S. Treasury bills are sold.
Nigerian Breweries loss drags down bourse
LAGOS, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The Nigerian Stock Exchange closed 20.61 points or
0.3 percent weaker on Monday, weighed by the loss suffered by most capitalised
Nigerian Breweries, dealers said.
Nigerian Breweries fell 2.9 percent at 21.00 naira to bargain hunters.
The All-Share Index dropped to 7,282.51 from 7,303.12 on Friday.
Gainers outnumbered losers by 25 to 15. Volume rose to 16.7 million shares
worth 96.9 million naira ($946,289) from Friday's 9.6 milion shares worth 119.7
million naira ($1.17 million).
Oil marketer Mobil Oil Nigeria was adjusted downward by 9 percent to close at
58.36 naira for the 5.79 naira for the 1999 dividend it gave its shareholders.
Food and beverage manufacturer Nestle Nigeria dropped 2.9 percent to close at
36.02 naira and First Bank fell 0.6 percent to 15.90 naira.
Multinational Lever Brothers rose 4.8 percent to a new high at 15.20 naira to
lead the pack of gainers.
Health care product manufacturer Smithkline Beecham added 4.9 percent gain to
end at 2.97 naira.
Conglomerate UAC of Nigeria Plc rose 4.2 percent to 3.26 naira after it
announced a profit of 28 million naira half-year profit, compared to a 99.64
million naira loss last year.
Coke bottler Nigerian Bottling Company climbed 1.9 percent to close at 15.29
naira.
Euro, profit-taking hit Danish shares, recovery seen
COPENHAGEN, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Danish blue-chip shares fell for the fourth
consecutive session on Tuesday hit by a blend of euro jitters, overnight U.S.
falls, morning Asia declines, profit-taking and oil price concerns.
The KFX top-20 index slid 1.52 percent to 326.98 in blue chip turnover of 1.5
billion crowns ($173 million), with the KFX September future dipping 4.50
points to 328.00.
Bugging market sentiment most were signs of a shift in favour of the ``No''
side in opinion polls in the run-up to Denmark's September 28 referendum on
joining the euro.
``We have had a negative day after the latest opinion polls pointing to a
possible Danish rejection of euro membership. New York will set Wednesday's
market trend here,'' one dealer told Reuters.
Electronics group GN Store Nord, the next busiest blue chip after bio-tech
heavyweight Novo Nordisk, acoounting for almost one fifth of all KFX trade, was
the main force dragging the index down.
One of the day's main loss leaders, GN closed five percent down at 1,075
crowns, with Novo slipping 15 to 1,600 crowns. Main constituent Tele Danmark
and cleaner ISS also contributed to the KFX fall, losing nine and 19 crowns to
finish at 491 and 541 crowns respectively.
Carlsberg brewery closed four down at 298 crowns after extending the deadline
for acceptance of its takeover bid for provincial beermaker Fynske Albani until
October 10 from September 15.
Non-KFX stock Fynske Albani, for which Carlsberg rival Bryggerigruppen put in a
higher bid on Monday, closed five crowns dearer at 685 crowns.
just-drinks.com: What Will Diageo's Walsh Do About Flagging Guinness Sales?
LONDON, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- the world's largest drinks business has high
hopes for new CEO, Paul Walsh, but with emphasis on spirits and wine, the worry
is that Guinness will be left behind.
The feature at, http://www.just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=258&sct=fotw
, says that even Ireland's young drinkers are choosing cider, bottled lager and
ready to drink mixers over the famous black stuff.
Although beer sales overall are down one percent, Walsh maintains that Diageo
will remain dedicated to brewing beer.
Elliot Lane, Managing Editor for just-drinks.com says, "The spirits and wine
categories are performing well and for the moment, Diageo seems happy to
concentrate on these brands even if this means the continuing fall of Guinness
sales."
For the full report, click here:
http://www.just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=258&sct=fotw
just-drinks.com is the premier online portal for beverage industry
professionals worldwide. Targeted specifically at industry and business
professionals the site provides a single point of reference for independent
beverage industry information.
Ready or Not: Talking to Your Kids About Alcohol -- 1ST of a 4 part series --
Alcohol Free Teens Requires Homework from Parents
--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 9/11/00
It's back to school time and making sure your children are are alcohol-free
requires homework from parents. Alcohol abuse by youth is a major problem in
many cities and towns across the United States. The Century Council's Susan
Molinari says that in order to fight this problem, parents need to be aware and
involved. Listen to streaming audio of Susan Molinari discussing tips on
talking to teens about alcohol use at
http://www.medialink.com/medialink/r00-209.shtml.
For more online streaming audio & video stories, please visit
http://www.medialink.com/medialink/
Indian planters brew new image to spur tea sales
By Naveen Thukral
COONOOR, India, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Indian planters said on Tuesday they want
to switch consumers' perception of tea as a traditional beverage to that of a
health drink with natural benefits.
"I am afraid carbonated health drinks have been making inroads into the tea
market, especially among the younger generation. We must change this image,"
M.H. Ashraff, president of the United Planters' Association of Southern India
(UPASI), told the group's annual conference in the town of Coonoor.
India, the world's largest producer and consumer of tea, annually produces
around 800 million kg and consumes 600 million.
Ashraff urged the Indian government to aid a domestic promotional campaign to
boost sagging sales.
Annual growth in domestic tea consumption has fallen to around 1.8 percent in
the last two years, from an earlier rate of around three percent, an UPASI
official said.
Industry officials said there was a need to change the image of tea from that
of just a traditional drink to match value-added products like lemon tea, iced
tea and tea cola.
UPASI officials said the tea industry has yet to finalise the amount it will
spend on its campaign to change the beverage's image, but seeks the
government's help in its endeavour.
"I appeal to the commerce ministry to financially support the industry by
providing a matching grant from the government," Ashraff said.
CHEAP IMPORTS
Planters said cheap imports from Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka and Vietnam were
taking a toll of local prices.
"There is no check on imports. Undercutting and under invoicing of imported tea
has severely hit our prices," said E.K. Joseph, vice president of UPASI.
Planters in the Nilgiri hills and other areas in southern India who depend on
the Russian market to take up low-priced teas, have seen prices fall steeply.
"The situation is very bad. Imported tea is coming into our market and getting
exported as Indian tea to the Middle East and Russia where our tea is most
preferred," one planter said.
Joseph said the government should hike the import duty on tea to 150 percent
from a basic level of 35 percent now.
Industry officials said prices had fallen below the cost of production, which
was around 70 rupees a kg.
"Falling prices can hit our output in the future," said Joseph.
UPASI said the country's tea output is likely to touch 390.6 million kg in the
period from January to July, against 360.1 million in the corresponding period
last year.
"The growers are not in a position to improve their estates, this will impact
the output both in terms of quality and quantity in the future," said Joseph.
Bomb explodes outside N.Irish bar, no casualties
BELFAST, Sept 12 (Reuters) - A small bomb exploded outside a bar on the
Shankill Road in Northern Ireland's capital on Tuesday but no one was injured,
police said.
``An explosive device was thrown at premises on the Shankill Road and caused
minor damage shortly after eight p.m,'' a police spokesman said. ``There are no
reports of any injuries.''
Billy Hutchinson, of the pro-British Progressive Unionist Party -- the
political ally of the Protestant guerrilla Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) -- told
reporters the rival Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), another pro-British
guerrilla group, carried out the attack.
Northern Ireland has been racked by feuding between Protestant groups in the
last month. The violence has claimed the lives of three people as so-called
loyalist gangs clash over personal differences, territory, and political
disagreements.
The Rex bar, which was attacked in the latest incident, is regarded as a UVF
pub. It was shot up by masked guerrillas in August, after a UFF parade passed
by the pub and UVF supporters hurled abuse and beer at marchers. Commentators
suggest this incident sparked the current feuding.
Police also said they had sealed off an area surrounding Hutchinson's home
following the discovery of a suspicious object.
Hutchinson said he thought a pipe bomb had been thrown at his house. British
army bomb disposal experts were at the scene.
There was also an attack on a house near the Shankill Road in which windows at
the front and back were smashed. A woman and a two-week old baby were in the
house at the time and the owners blamed the UVF.
Poland Disco Rekindles Rancor
.c The Associated Press
By BEATA PASEK
OSWIECIM, Poland (AP) - A scantily clad girl gyrates to techno music atop a
podium as bartenders in white shirts and bow ties serve up drinks. Nothing
special as discos go, except this one has sparked a furor because of its
location: a former tannery where Auschwitz concentration camp inmates worked
and died.
Jewish leaders and the Polish government have voiced outrage that officials in
Oswiecim - the Polish name for Auschwitz - issued a permit for the System dance
club last month.
The disco is a little over a mile from the Auschwitz camp site, which is now a
museum, but the distance doesn't diminish Jewish sensitivities.
``The place has a tragic direct connection with the camp,'' said Rabbi Abraham
Cooper of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center. Cooper was in Oswiecim
this week for the formal reopening of a 100-year-old synagogue.
``We believe that a fundamental error of judgment was made,'' he told city
officials at a meeting.
Locals in this southern Polish city of 50,000 people don't deny the horrors of
the Holocaust, but many bristle at suggestions they are insensitive about it.
``People think about Oswiecim as one large cemetery,'' said Rafal Waliczek, 30,
the disco's owner. ``It's not true. There are many young people here who want
to have fun. And that's the best place for it: a large building with space for
parking.''
The disco uproar is just the latest controversy over development near the
Auschwitz-Birkenau complex, where 1.5 million prisoners, mostly Jews, were
killed in gas chambers or died of disease and starvation.
Another dispute is simmering over plans for a commercial visitors' center.
Relations between Israel and Poland, which is 95 percent Roman Catholic, also
have been strained by the erection of Christian crosses on property adjoining
the death camp.
Historians say many of about 1,000 Auschwitz inmates forced to work in the
tannery died there. It also was used to store hair and property from
gas-chamber victims.
But Waliczek says the original building was destroyed after the war, and the
factory-like structure housing his disco was built in 1952.
City officials also note that the disco is on private property about 800 yards
beyond a 100-yard-deep commercial-free zone around the memorial.
Disco patrons who know of the tannery's grisly past say they do not believe
they are dishonoring Holocaust victims.
``Yes, that was terrible, awful, but that was a long time ago,'' said Paulina
Adamska, a 23-year-old student at Hunter College in New York, who was at the
disco Sunday to meet old high-school friends during a visit home.
``We must cultivate the memory of the victims, but there are special places for
that,'' she said, sipping a beer at the bar. ``Oswiecim cannot become like a
large cemetery because then all the young people will leave.''
She said System is Oswiecim's only disco, ``the only place in this town where
young people can meet and dance and have fun.''
After a previous investor failed to win approval for a disco at the old
tannery, Waliczek received permission under a 1989 city development plan that
was amended in the mid-1990s to allow restaurant and entertainment activities
at the site.
``Everything was in accordance with law,'' Waliczek said. ``And it's outside
the (protection) zone. Otherwise, what's the zone for?''
Oswiecim's vice mayor, Wlodzimierz Paluch, says the city is working on a new
development plan but that it won't be ready before next year.
Meanwhile, the city is struggling to cope with post-communist market reforms
that have devastated old, inefficient local industries. The largest employer, a
chemical plant, had to cut its work force from 12,000 to 2,000 several years
ago.
The estimated 500,000 people a year who visit the Auschwitz memorial might
provide a needed economic boost, but there are no hotels or restaurants to
accommodate them. Some locals worry that controversy surrounding the site might
scare off big investors.
``There is less and less work here,'' said Jerzy Januszczyk, a taxi driver who
says he gets only two fares a day compared with about 10 just a few years ago.
``We need a big investor, but everybody is afraid about that silence zone. What
if they make it wider and tell the businesses to get out?''
J2jurado
Reports just-drinks.com
LONDON, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- http://www.just-drinks.com -- The shock attack
on a Carlsberg factory in Malaysia by Islamic fundamentalists could be the
start of further troubles for drinks companies across the South-East Asian
country. just-drinks.com investigates the damage of the attack and the
repercussions for beverage companies operating there.
The just-drinks.com report at
http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=261 says: "Breweries in
Malaysia have been forced to step up security after Islamic militants lobbed
grenades into the Kuala Lumpur facility of Carlsberg Malaysia.
"The attack is the most audacious assault on a non-Muslim institution since
Islamicisation became a hot political topic following the arrest of deputy
prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges."
Carlsberg has told just-drinks.com it thinks this is a one-off incident but
others are not so sure.
"Increased interest in turning Malaysia into an Islamic state does worry many
people, not least prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. And if the
traditionalists win power then businesses like Carlsberg may be forced out of
the country or face strict sales restrictions."
For the full report see just-drinks.com or go to:
http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=261
just-drinks.com is the premier online portal for beverage industry
professionals worldwide. Targeted specifically at industry and business
professionals the site provides a single point of reference for independent
beverage industry information.
Lion Nathan Sells Australia Pepsi Business to Cadbury Schweppes
Sydney, Sept. 13(Bloomberg) -- Lion Nathan Ltd., the No. 2 beer maker in New
Zealand, said it sold its 84 percent-owned Pepsi bottling business in Australia
to Cadbury Schweppes Plc, the world's No. 3 soft-drink maker, ending a two-year
process.
The Sydney-based company declined to comment on the price, though company
spokesman Warwick Bryan said the company won't be making any further write
downs for the soft-drink business. The business is estimated to be valued at
A$60 million ($33 million).
The bottling venture is an eight-year-old partnership between Lion Nathan and
PepsiCo Inc., the world's second-largest soft- drink maker, which owns about a
16 percent stake in both the New Zealand and Australian bottling units.
In October last year, Lion sold its Pepsi bottling business in New Zealand to
Frucor Beverages Ltd., a soft-drink marketing company. Lion Nathan wanted to
sell the businesses to focus on beer.
The Australian sale was put on hold last year after rival Atlanta-based
Coca-Cola Co. tried to acquire some of Cadbury Schweppes's beverage brands in
Australia, a plan rejected by the nation's antitrust regulator.
Lion Nathan, 45 percent owned by Japan's Kirin Brewery Co., brews Tooheys,
Hahn, Castlemaine XXXX and Swan brand beers. The stock rose 3 cents, or 0.8
percent, to A$3.62.
Labatt USA Announces Sharp Increase in Tecate Beer Sales
- Beer Company Predicts Biggest September 16th Holiday Sales Ever
As Consumer Demand for Authentic Beer Grows -
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- As Mexican-Americans prepare
to commemorate Mexican Independence Day, specialty beer company Labatt USA is
celebrating the dramatic sales growth of Tecate beer. Sales of the
Mexican-brewed Tecate brand have increased (1)27.5 percent YTD in Labatt USA's
13-state Western Division.
Head-quartered in Foothill Ranch, Calif., Labatt USA's Western Division noted
that Nielsen Grocery reports total California sales of Tecate are up 26 percent
YTD, with San Francisco up 34 percent YTD and Sacramento up 80 percent YTD. In
San Diego, Tecate beer sales have increased 103 percent YTD, achieving number
one import status with Corona for the past four weeks. Outside California,
Tecate growth is evident also with Portland sales up 66 percent YTD and Phoenix
up 18 percent YTD.
Field Marketing Director for Labatt USA's Western Division, David van Wees says
the increases can be attributed to several factors, including the
cross-cultural phenomenon that has occurred as Mexican influences and products
have become ingrained in everyday American life. "Five years ago, Mexican
beers were still a novelty -- today they're a staple like chips and salsa," van
Wees says. "Tecate in particular is emerging as the star brand in the Mexican
beer industry with a reputation for being truly authentic. It's now the second
most popular import beer in Southern California, surpassing Heineken."
Tecate beer, brewed since 1944 in Tecate, Mexico just south of the California
border, is the number one selling beer in Northern Mexico. It originated the
now-ubiquitous ritual of consuming Mexican beer with salt and lime in the U.S.
Van Wees says Tecate's growing strength in the Western U.S. is due to the
product's authenticity and popularity in the Mexican-American community and
among vacationers who travel to Mexico and experience Tecate on its home
ground. "Often, an American's first impression of Tecate is acquired while on
vacation and in a very positive environment," said van Wees. "When they return
home, they try to recreate similar feelings by drinking the same beer they
enjoyed while away."
Labatt USA expects this year's September 16th celebrations to further
accelerate sales of its Mexican portfolio, which also includes Dos Equis, Sol,
Bohemia and Carta Blanca. Mexican Independence Day is the biggest
non-religious Mexican holiday of the year, commemorating Mexico's freedom from
Spain in the 1800s. With retailers increasingly embracing this holiday, Labatt
USA has developed cross promotions and special supermarket displays throughout
the Western Division. A limited-edition 12-ounce Tecate can commemorating
Mexican Independence Day will be sold in special promotional 12-paks. In
addition, Tecate is a sponsor of the Mexican Consulate's holiday party in Los
Angeles, which will include a festival and formal VIP dinner that will be
televised live in Mexico.
Labatt USA Western Division is the western business unit of import specialty
beer company Labatt USA, overseeing the sales and marketing of all company
brands through more than 165 wholesalers. Labatt USA Western Division
incorporates 13 states in the western U.S., including Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.
Labatt USA, based in Norwalk, Conn., imports and brews an array of specialty
beers including Labatt Blue, Rolling Rock, Dos Equis, and Tecate. Labatt USA is
a joint venture of Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd., Canada, which is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Interbrew S.A. of Belgium, and of FEMSA Cerveza S.A. de C.V. of
Mexico, owner of Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma.
(1) All figures are provided by Nielsen Grocery
Fred Jaques appointed Executive Vice President, North America, and President,
Labatt Brewing Company Ltd.
TORONTO, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ - Interbrew today announced the appointment of
Fred Jaques as Executive Vice President, Interbrew North America and President,
Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. In his new position, Mr. Jaques will be responsible
for all North American operations as well as Labatt's participation in Femsa
Cerveza (CCM) in Mexico.
Mr. Jaques brings extensive consumer marketing experience as well as global
business expertise to his new position. Most recently, as Senior Vice
President, Business Development, with Interbrew North America he was
responsible for developing growth and revenue generation opportunities for
Interbrew and Labatt throughout North America and Mexico.
"Fred's excellent leadership skills and outstanding consumer marketing
experience will contribute to our strong momentum both in North America and
around the world," said Hugo Powell, Chief Executive Officer, Interbrew SA.
"I am excited to be part of one of North America's most successful brewing
companies," said Fred Jaques. "Labatt's remarkable success across the continent
has been built on the strength of its employees and our many great brands. I
look forward to building this momentum in Canada and the U.S. with our powerful
brand portfolio."
Mr. Jaques' appointment is effective immediately.
The Labatt Brewing Company is one of North America's most successful brewers
with operations in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Brewers of more than
60 quality beers, Labatt is part of Belgium-based Interbrew S.A.
Interbrew is the 2nd brewer in the world in terms of volume. It is
headquartered in Belgium and employs over 34,000 people worldwide. Interbrew,
The World's Local Brewer, is committed to combining its global position and
ambition with leveraging its local brands. The strength of its portfolio is the
combination of strong local brands, in many cases market leaders, with world
brands including Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Leffe and Labatt Blue. In total,
Interbrew's beers are sold in over 110 countries. Visit Interbrew at corporate
web site www.interbrew.com and commercial web site www.beer.com.
Orkla Shareholders Propose Korsvold as Chairman
Oslo, Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- A group of investors in Orkla ASA said it wants
to oust Chairman Svein Ribe Anderssen and replace him with Aage Korsvold, chief
executive of insurer Storebrand ASA, to gain more influence over Norway's top
consumer goods company.
The shareholders also want to remove Chief Executive Jens P. Heyerdahl from the
board, along with Truls Holthe and Matti Lehti. The group controls at least 15
percent of Orkla, whose stock portfolio makes it one of the most important
institutional investors in the country.
The proposal, which follows criticism of Heyerdahl and Ribe Anderssen over
their running of Orkla, is the first time fund managers have teamed up to seek
more influence over a major Norwegian company. The debate started in May, when
Christen Sveaas failed to win a place on the board after buying 5.8 percent of
the company. He now controls 8.7 percent.
``It has been crucial to create agreement for a solution that may help restore
order surrounding Orkla and ensure continued development of the company,'' said
Korsvold in a statement distributed by the Oslo Stock Exchange. Storebrand owns
5.9 percent of Orkla.
The shareholder group wants Sveaas, Orkla's second-largest shareholder, Finn
Hvistendahl, former CEO of DnB Holding ASA, and Frode Alhaug named to the
board.
Heyerdahl said in the same statement that he supports the changes. The
alterations to the board will be proposed at a meeting of Orkla's corporate
assembly on Sept. 21.
Stock Falls
Orkla shares fell 7.5 kroner, or 4.1 percent, to 175.5, bringing its market
value to 38.5 billion kroner ($4.2 billion). In the preceding six sessions, the
stock rose 12 percent to a 28- month high on expectations the criticism against
Orkla would result in a new board that may consider selling some units to boost
shareholder value.
In addition to Norway's biggest food production business, Orkla owns 40 percent
of Carlsberg Breweries, the world's sixth- largest brewer, as well as
newspapers, chemicals plants and 22.5 percent in Orkla Enskilda Securities, a
brokerage controlled by Sweden's SEB AB. The company also holds stakes in
Norwegian companies including Storebrand, Elkem ASA and Merkantildata ASA.
Because of Orkla's clout as an investor, Chief Executive Heyerdahl has been
considered one of Norway's most powerful men. Along with private investor Kjell
Inge Roekke, he blocked a merger between Storebrand and Christiania Bank ASA in
1997 which was supported by a majority of shareholders in both companies.
Criticism against Heyerdahl mounted earlier this month, when Skandia AB, the
Nordic region's largest insurer, sold its 9 percent stake in the company to an
unknown buyer for about 3 billion kroner, 300 million kroner less than two
Norwegian investors, Stein Erik Hagen and Johan H. Andresen Jr., had offered to
pay.
Still Unknown
As the buyer wasn't known, the transaction sparked talk Heyerdahl had been
involved in the sale to ensure the shares were sold to an investor friendly to
Heyerdahl's management. The buyer was probably Roekke, who has been a close
associate of Heyerdahl since 1994, the newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv reported
today, without citing sources.
Last week, Orkla published a statement saying the company ``hasn't in any way
taken part in transactions related to the shares in question.'' The shareholder
group said it will start an investigation into the Skandia stake next week.
Today, Heyerdahl repeated at a press conference that he doesn't know who bought
the 9 percent stake. He also said he hasn't considered stepping down.
Inspire and Kirin Enter Collaboration for Lung Diagnostics in Asia
DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ISPH) today announced a licensing agreement with Kirin Brewery Co.,
Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan, in which Kirin's Pharmaceutical Division has obtained
rights to develop and commercialize Inspire's lung-disease diagnostic adjunct
product, INS316 Diagnostic, in twenty-one Asian countries and regions
including Japan.
Under the terms of the agreement, Inspire will receive an upfront payment
in cash and milestone payments based on clinical success and approval. In
addition, the agreement calls for royalties on net sales to be paid to Inspire
over the long term.
The initial indication for INS316 will be to aid in the diagnosis of lung
cancer, a rapidly growing condition in many Asian regions. The alliance brings
together Inspire's novel inhaled P2Y2 agonists and expertise in pulmonary
hydration and clearance mechanisms with Kirin's strong presence and expertise
in oncology product development and commercialization.
"Inspire has shown good preliminary clinical utility with INS316
Diagnostic, and we at Kirin are delighted to be bringing this novel approach
to lung cancer diagnosis to the Asian market," said Akihiro Shimosaka, Ph.D.,
General Manager of the Licensing Department, Kirin's Pharmaceutical Division.
"We believe that this collaboration complements and strengthens our position
in the oncology therapeutic area."
"We are very pleased to be partnering with Kirin in the development of
this important diagnostic adjunct product," said Gregory Mossinghoff,
Inspire's chief business officer. "Kirin has a proven track record of taking
on and optimizing innovative products in Asia, as demonstrated with the
Kirin-Amgen Joint Venture."
INS316 Diagnostic, a P2Y2 agonist with a short duration of action, is
being developed as a quick-acting inhaled solution as an adjunct for the
purpose of diagnosing lung diseases and/or lung infections such as lung cancer
and community-acquired pneumonia. In four double-blind, placebo-controlled,
clinical trials designed to evaluate INS316 Diagnostic's utility as an
acute-use diagnostic adjunct product, INS316 Diagnostic was well tolerated and
more effective than Placebo in enhancing the ability of patients to rapidly
and comfortably produce an adequate, deep-lung specimen. These studies were
conducted in healthy volunteers, as well as chronic smokers and patients with
chronic bronchitis who are at a high risk for developing lung cancer and lung
infections. INS316 Diagnostic has been administered by inhalation to more than
250 patients during clinical trials, and has been shown to be well tolerated
in non-smokers, smokers and patients with obstructive lung diseases. Current
trials in patients suspected of having lung cancer are ongoing. Lung specimen
sampling for the presence of lung disease and cancer is an optional component
of the routine physical in Japan.
Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discovers and develops new drugs to treat
diseases characterized by deficiencies in the body's innate defense mechanisms
of mucosal hydration and mucociliary clearance. These mechanisms are the
natural way that the body defends its mucosal surfaces against dust,
pollutants, bacteria and viruses. Mucosal hydration involves the moistening of
the body's mucosal surfaces, and mucociliary clearance involves a blanket-like
movement of fluid and particles from the lungs and sinuses. Mucosal surfaces
are tissues containing specialized cells that lubricate and protect surfaces
of organs that are directly exposed to the outside environment, such as the
lungs, eyes and sinuses. Inspire's lead product candidates target respiratory
and ophthalmic diseases with inadequate current treatments and which represent
large therapeutic market opportunities. Inspire currently has three product
candidates in advanced clinical development, and has entered into development
and commercialization alliances with Genentech, Inc., Kissei Pharmaceutical
Co., Ltd. and Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Inspire's products are based on
proprietary technology relating to P2Y receptors. Inspire is exploring other
target diseases where it believes P2Y receptors play important biological
roles.
Kirin is Japan's foremost beer producer and ranks seventh largest in the
world by sales volume. Its pharmaceutical division is applying its knowledge
of biotechnology to the development of advanced pharmaceutical products in the
field of renal, immune systems and allergy-related diseases, cancer and blood
cell production. Kirin's ESPO (erythropoietin) and GRAN (G-CSF), co-developed
with Amgen, have annual sales exceeding $300 million in Asia.
The forward-looking statements in this news release relating to
management's expectations and beliefs are based on preliminary information and
management assumptions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a wide
range of risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ in
material respects, including those relating to product development, revenue
and earnings expectations, intellectual property rights and litigation,
competitive products, results of clinical trials, the need for additional
research and testing, delays in manufacturing, funding, and the timing and
content of decisions made by regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration. Further information regarding factors that could
affect the Company's results is included in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to
publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking
statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date
hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
just-drinks.com:Seagram's Champagnes:the Forgotten Jewels ofThe Canadian
Giant's Drinks Portfolio?
LONDON, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- http://www.just-drinks.com -- Despite
international coverage of the Seagram drinks deal, the future of two of the
biggest Champagne brands in the world has been largely ignored. Seagram's
distribution rights to Mumm and Perrier-Jouet could be two of the most
important issues in any potential deal with Allied Domecq or Diageo, or they
could be two of the biggest stumbling blocks.
The just-drinks.com report at
http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=260 says, "Mumm in particular
could be an attractive option for Diageo because it remains one of the few
marques not owned by the LVMH group that could challenge Moet's market
leadership in the long term."
Do Allied Domecq and Diageo have designs for these world-leading sparklers in
the millennium year or will Mumm and Perrier-Jouet refuse to sign to new owners
(asks http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=260)?
Sources with the Champagnes tell just-drinks.com at
http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=260: "Perrier-Jouet and Mumm,
now under the same management team headed up by CEO Jean-Marie Barillere, would
not have to accept any purchaser of Seagram as their new worldwide
distributor."
For the full story click here:
http://just-drinks.com/features-detail.asp?art=260
just-drinks.com is the only online portal for beverage industry professionals
worldwide. Targeted specifically at industry and business professionals the
site provides a single point of reference for independent beverage industry
information.
For more information, please contact:
Chris Brook-Carter, Deputy Editor, just-drinks.com
Fair dinkum mate, the Olympics'll be right
By MIKE CORDER .c The Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - G'day, mate. Ready to talk Strine?
English may be the official language of Australia, host of the 2000 Olympic
Games, but it's a version of English unlike any other - rich in colorful
expressions and pronunciations stemming from its roots as a dumping ground for
British convicts and wave after wave of migrants.
The peculiarly Australian version of English has become known as ``Strine,''
which is how the word Australian can sound when uttered by a fair dinkum
(genuine) Aussie.
If you hope to learn Strine by the time the Sydney Games begin Friday, you'll
be flat out like a lizard drinking (very busy).
But if you don't quite master the lingo in time, the typically easygoing
Australians will likely take the attitude: ``No worries, mate, you'll be
right,'' which means ``No problem, friend, everything will be OK.''
Bruce Moore, director of the Canberra-based Australian National Dictionary
Center, says there will be plenty of words that could cause confusion.
For example, if an Australian decides to go for a relaxing swim off one of
Sydney's beautiful beaches, he or she might throw on a pair of trackie daks
over their cozzie and head for the beach. Trackie daks are sweatpants and a
cozzie is a swimsuit (unless you're in Victoria, one of Australia's six states,
where a swimsuit is called a bathers). To get to the beach fast, they'll ``put
a wriggle on,'' which means hurry up.
Many of the peculiarities of Strine came over with the first batch of convicts
shipped to Australia, then Britain's new penal colony, in 1778.
``The first thing overseas visitors will notice is the accent,'' Moore said.
``What we have here is a mix of dialects that you had in London at the end of
the 18th century.''
While the British language has evolved, the Australian one has remained closer
to the original, making it a linguistic time capsule.
Dinkum - considered one of the most Australian of Australian words - actually
is English, Moore said. Meaning honest or genuine, dinkum comes from a now
extinct dialect used in Lincolnshire, central England.
Another import is Cockney rhyming slang. So if an Australian on the beach warns
you that there's a ``Noah'' in the water, beware: ``Noah's Ark,'' means shark.
Animal names reflect an even older influence - the nation's original
inhabitants, the Aborigines.
Three icons of the Australian animal world - kangaroos, koalas and kookaburras
- all were named by Aborigines. So were place names such as Wagga Wagga, Wee
Waa and Canberra, the capital, which comes from an aboriginal word meaning
meeting place.
Other aboriginal-originated words include ``Yakka,'' meaning work, and
``bung,'' meaning broken, from an aboriginal word meaning dead.
Eating and drinking also have their own linguistic idiosyncrasies.
Many bars, for example, are known as hotels. To make things more confusing,
hotels are also known as hotels.
Once in the hotel (bar), you don't buy drinks for your friends, you shout them
a round.
If you're bringing beer to a barbecue, buy a six-pack of stubbies (small
bottles), put them in an esky (ice box) and take them to the barbie (barbecue).
Visiting a restaurant can bring a plateful of problems. Many eateries are BYO,
short for Bring Your Own, as in bottle, which will be opened at the table for a
small charge.
Tucker (food) is a subject where the influence of more recent migrants - from
Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere - is being felt on the language.
Yum Cha (Chinese), laksa (Malaysian noodle soup) and Middle East-style barbecue
are as common and well-known as grilled chops and snags (lamb cutlets and
sausages). Nothing is simple, though, and a Lebanese kebab is also known as a
yiros or a gyro depending on which state you're in.
Words and names are often hacked down to one syllable before having ``o'' or
``ie'' tacked on the end. Relatives become ``relos'' and garbage collectors
``garbos.''
In other cases, popular symbols and personalities are given nicknames.
Sydney's landmark Harbor Bridge is known slightly derisively as ``the
coathanger.''
An American visitor who ``roots'' for a team instead of ``barracking'' will
immediately be identified as a ``Seppo,'' a typically Australian shortening of
the rhyming slang ``Septic tank,'' for Yank.
And, if in doubt, add the word ``mate'' to the end of every sentence and, as a
fair dinkum Aussie would say, ``You'll be right, mate.''
On the Net:
http://goaustralia.about.com/travel/goaustralia/library/weekly/blstrine.ht
J2jurado
.c The Associated Press
FRINTON-ON-SEA, England (AP) - The genteel resort of Frinton-on-Sea has had a
terrible shock. A pub opened Wednesday, right on the main street.
Who knows where it might lead? Before you know it, the quiet, old-fashioned
seaside town could end up with a pier full of rides and laughter and sticky
food.
``We wait and see if it does the same for Frinton as it does for other towns -
criminal damage, assault and the usual excesses,'' said Roy Caddick, 69, who
had been a leading opponent of the pub.
The Lock and Barrel pub on tree-lined Connaught Avenue was welcomed by several
Frintonians who think it's about time they joined the rest of the country and
got their own pub.
Even the smallest of English towns has at least one pub where local people can
stop in for a pint of beer, a verbal replay of the latest soccer match, or a
sociable family meal. Or, in some places, overindulge and make noise.
A substantial proportion of Frinton's population - nearly 20 percent of the
town's 5,000 residents - had put up a fight against the pub, which took the
place of a hardware shop that had been in business since World War I.
After the site was put up for sale in 1996, initial plans were to turn it into
a cafe and wine bar. But they fell through. A subsequent plan to create a
100-seat fish and chip restaurant collapsed in the face of widespread
opposition.
The pub won planning approval in February 1999 by a district council vote of
8-6 after the council said it had no grounds to block a pub under planning law.
The vote was greeted with cries of ``shame'' from the public gallery.
Caddick, chairman of the Frinton Residents' Association, said at the time,
``This is the worst thing that has happened to Frinton since the German Fokkers
beat up the town in 1944.''
His remark would have a particular resonance among the townspeople, more than
half of whom are over 65.
Frinton - located on the English Channel coast, 65 miles northeast of London -
was never a ``dry'' town, Caddick said. You could always drink in a restaurant
with a meal.
Pub opponents not only worried about noise and drunkenness, but about further
``beach resort'' development.
There is a particular kind of English seaside resort that is dear to the hearts
of many families - mostly working class - who go back year after year to savor
the gaudy delights of the pinball arcades, fortune tellers, Ferris wheels and
tatty souvenir shops. English weather being what it is, much more time is spent
in this kind of raucous fun than in swimming or even wading until the ankles
turn blue.
Frinton's pub opponents are clearly not interested in becoming such a hotspot,
and the district councilors have stipulated that the Lock and Barrel should be
a ``quiet, family-run'' establishment.
Frinton's beaches do not even have a stand selling treats to the kids, so there
is no imploring of parents for cotton candy and ice creams.
``What we have is the sun, the sea, a fine beach, a lovely greensward and free
parking,'' said Caddick. ``Thousands of visitors, mainly young families, come
to enjoy these simple pleasures.''
AP-NY-09-13-00 1354EDT
AmBev to bring Brazil beauty to N.Y. listing
SAO PAULO, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Drinks giant AmBev <AMBV4.SA> aims to bring a
touch of Brazilian beauty to Wall Street on Friday when it launches its new
U.S. stock listing with the help of leggy Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
AmBev, the result of the mega-merger of Brazil's top brewers Brahma <BRHA4.SA>
<<A HREF="aol://4785:BRH">BRH.N</A>> and Antarctica, will also give the Street
a tropical flavor by mounting a stage in front of the New York Stock Exchange
that will include a mock rain forest.
And while Gisele wows traders, passersby outside will be able to get a free
taste of Guarana Antarctica, a soft drink made from an Amazon berry which the
firm plans to market worldwide with PepsiCo Inc. <<A
HREF="aol://4785:PEP">PEP.N</A>>
The new stock will replace Brahma's Brazilian and U.S. stock, which will cease
to exist after shareholders agreed to swap them for an equal number of AmBev
shares, the firm said.
AmBev board Co-Chairman Marcel Telles and Finance Director Felipe Dutra will
ring the closing bell -- although it may be hard to hear over the expected
noisy reception for Gisele who will be standing next to them.
As a condition of the merger which created AmBev, the world's third largest
brewer and fifth largest drinks company, it must now sell off its Bavaria beer
brand as dictated by Brazilian regulators.
The company aims to auction Bavaria, which it has valued at about $280 million
and makes up 4.6 percent of the local beer market, in early November.
Local media have reported potential suitors include South African Breweries
<SAB.L>, Dutch brewer Heineken <HEIN.AS> and two Brazilian investment groups.
Brahma shares were off 0.94% at 1928.02 reais on the Bovespa while its ADRs
traded down 1/16 at $20-7/8 on the New York Stock Exchange.
($1 = 1.82 reais)
California Wine Industry Threatened by Vine Disease; Small Insect Poses Danger
to Napa Valley Warns the October 15th Issue of Wine Spectator
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 2000--California's thriving premium wine
industry may be in danger. A recently arrived small insect known as the
glassy-winged sharpshooter is spreading a deadly vine blight called Pierce's
disease, which is rapidly moving toward Napa Valley, the heart of California's
fine wine industry. A comprehensive report in the upcoming October 15th issue
of Wine Spectator magazine concludes that the insect "could potentially cause
billions of dollars in damage and wipe whole grapegrowing districts off the
map." There is currently no known cure to this fatal vine disease.
Pierce's disease has been lurking in California's vineyards for more than a
century, spread by another insect called the blue-green sharpshooter. Over the
years, the disease remained a minor problem because the blue-green sharpshooter
is a relatively feeble bug. The glassy-winged sharpshooter which first made its
appearance in southern California about 10 years ago, is bigger, stronger and
more voracious than its blue-green relative causing the spread of Pierce's
disease to suddenly accelerate, with no end in sight.
The insect has already infested 11 California counties, including Sacramento,
just 70 miles east of Napa Valley. In late July, a single glassy-winged
sharpshooter was trapped in the small town of Middletown...less than a dozen
miles from the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma.
Robert Dowell, the chief entomologist for the California Department of Food and
Agriculture, told Wine Spectator that "we're feeling like we're sitting on a
time bomb...the problem is no one knows where the bomb is, and nobody knows how
fast it is ticking, and nobody knows how much time is left." Wine Spectator
cautions that if the dire predictions about the spread of the disease come
true, the Golden State's wine industry may face setbacks for many years to
come.
MIT Settles In Drinking Death Suit
By THEO EMERY .c The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has agreed to pay $4.75
million and endow a scholarship in a settlement with the family of a freshman
who drank himself to death at a 1997 fraternity initiation.
Scott Krueger's parents, Bob and Darlene Krueger, said they reached the
agreement, announced Wednesday, after two days of meetings with MIT President
Charles A. Vest.
MIT also said it would continue to make sweeping policy changes already under
way to crack down on underage drinking and supervise students more closely.
``The most important thing to us is that the settlement allows all parties to
move forward with their goals of better education on alcohol and a constant
attention to curb alcohol abuse,'' university spokesman Ken Campbell said.
In a letter sent to the Kruegers earlier this month, Vest apologized for the
18-year-old student's death.
``The death of Scott as a freshman living in an MIT fraternity shows that our
approach to alcohol education and policy, and our freshman housing options,
were inadequate,'' Vest said.
MIT will pay $4.75 million to the family and establish a $1.25 million
scholarship fund in the student's memory.
MIT also said it would require all MIT freshmen to live in university-owned,
-operated and -supervised housing as of August 2002. Also, no fraternity and
sorority recruiting events will be held during freshman orientation, and
freshmen will not be allowed to live in fraternities and sororities.
In addition, fraternities and sororities are required to have resident
advisers.
The university said it is also more strictly enforcing rules against underage
drinking. The drinking age in Massachusetts is 21.
If Vest ``follows through with all of his promises, we feel that MIT will be a
better place. And we hope other colleges will follow suit,'' Darlene Krueger
said.
Krueger decided to join Phi Gamma Delta to obtain housing, his parents said.
After a hazing during which he drank large amounts of alcohol, he slipped into
a coma and died three days later.
Prosecutors charged the fraternity as an organization with manslaughter but
were not able to bring it to court. MIT later banished the fraternity.
The family never sued MIT but would have if the university hadn't agreed to the
settlement, according to the Kruegers' attorney, Leo V. Boyle.
The Kruegers said they refused any confidential settlement offers.
``We were looking to make people aware of what goes on in the college and to
keep it from happening to someone else,'' Bob Krueger said. ``We can only try
and bring some good out of our son's death.''
After the student's death, two dozen Boston-area colleges and universities -
including MIT - pledged in 1998 to control underage campus drinking.
Disney to curb marketing of R-rated films
By Dade Hayes
9/14/00 HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Rushing to appease Washington, the Walt Disney
Co. on Tuesday unveiled policies restricting the marketing of its R-rated films
and setting guidelines for the handling of other studios' ads on its ABC
television network.
Disney is the first entertainment conglomerate to respond to a blistering
Federal Trade Commission report released Monday. The 104-page document accuses
the industry of doing an end-run around its own rating systems by marketing
adult content to younger audiences.
Wednesday, Motion Picture Association of America president Jack Valenti is
likely to refer to Disney's new plan when testifying before a special hearing
of the Senate Commerce Committee.
Disney officials said they had been working on the policies for several months
but waited to announce them until they saw the actual report.
``What we're doing is saying we think we're being responsible and we're going
to strengthen our voluntary policies and tell people what we're doing,'' said
Disney spokesman John Dreyer.
Most Beltway insiders weren't surprised at Disney's action. Ditto in Hollywood,
as many studios are in regular talks with the FTC and knew that the Disney
announcement was coming.
Dryer added that major studios have long known they were the subject of
scrutiny. ``I'd be surprised if anyone in the industry didn't feel like there
was room for improvement,'' he said.
Miramax spokeswoman Marcy Granata said of the Disney plan, ``We were consulted
on it and we embrace it. The spirit behind the policy is to give more
information to parents.''
Withholding comment
Execs at other studios remained skittish about issues surrounding the FTC
report. Those reached Tuesday opted not to comment pending Valenti's testimony.
``We'd rather let Jack speak for the industry,'' said one.
The six Disney objectives closely follow many of the recommendations outlined
in the FTC report. The most provocative of the six is the ban on ads for
R-rated movie on its ABC television network before 9 p.m. Dryer said that
policy has already been implemented.
Industry sources said the network in the past had accepted ads for R-rated
movies before 9 p.m., but only during older-skewing shows.
The thornier issue for Walt Disney is how to keep its TV ads for R-rated movies
away from kids under 17.
For example, says John Mattimore, senior VP and associate media director for
BBDO New York, even if Disney wants to focus its ad for an R picture on, say,
men 21-24 in the MTV audience, teenage boys are watching the same programming.
So these teenagers will still get exposed to the trailer for the R-rated movie.
And Mattimore said that it'll be hard for an MTV to accommodate Disney if it
asks for all of its blurbs for R-rated movies to run after 9 p.m. (as Disney is
doing with ABC) because MTV is accustomed to selling ads that run throughout
its schedule.
If a number of advertisers began demanding daypart exclusivity for their spots
on high-teen-appeal networks like MTV, these networks ``would be hard-pressed''
to accommodate the requests, he said. An MTV spokeswoman declined to comment.
Predicting demographics
Pointing to a specific example, Mattimore said he had to pull Miller beer ads
from ``X-Games'' on ESPN because the audience for the games kept getting
younger and younger.
When the demographics of ``X-Games'' reached the unacceptable tipping point
where the percentage of viewers 17 and under was greater proportionately than
that of the entire country, BBDO stopped advertising Miller beer in the
programs.
The movie ad category in primetime accounts for upward of $750 million in
revenue a year for ABC, said an ad agency insider. A significant portion of
that derives from R-rated films.
The other item that could prompt significant changes by Disney and its units
concerns the targeting of kids under 17 during the research and tracking phases
of marketing.
The Miramax banner Dimension Films has been among those criticized for
disregarding ratings in favor of grosses.
Disney dismissed as ``speculative'' the suggestion that the company could be
sacrificing revenue by adopting the stricter marketing policies.
``Just as money flows from being creative, it also flows from being
responsible,'' Dryer said.
(Paula Bernstein and John Dempsey in New York contributed to this report.)
nick.r...@gmx.net
>has had a terrible shock. A pub opened Wednesday, right on the main
>street.
> ``This is the worst thing that has happened to Frinton since the
German Fokkers beat up the town in 1944.''
> ``What we have is the sun, the sea, a fine beach, a lovely greensward
>and free parking,'' said Caddick. ``Thousands of visitors, mainly
>young families, come to enjoy these simple pleasures.''
Before the channel tunnel link from England to France, a seaport close
to Frinton, called Harwich used to advertise its ferry service to the
Netherlands with the simple slogan:
'Harwich for the Continent'
Frinton was always thought of as perhaps the most boring seaside town
in England, especially as it had no pubs and became even more well-
known through the revised slogan:
'Frinton for the Incontinent'
I will be interesting to find out what beers the new pub is selling.
There are probably no RFDBers in Frinton who can tell us.
Oxford Bottled Beer Database
nick.r...@gmx.net wrote:
<snip>
> I will be interesting to find out what beers the new pub is selling.
> There are probably no RFDBers in Frinton who can tell us.
My grandmother lives in Frinton - but she's not exactly a keen pubgoer
so I won't ask her to check it out for me! I'll try and take a look at
the pub next time I visit her though.
Tom Fryer
--
| OXFORD BOTTLED BEER DATABASE |
| http://www.bottledbeer.co.uk |
| SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS/REVIEWS |
Brian Debenham
<nick.r...@gmx.net> wrote:
> I will be interesting to find out what beers the new pub is selling.
> There are probably no RFDBers in Frinton who can tell us.
>
Shepherd Neame pub.
J2jurado
AMSTERDAM, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Heineken, Europe's leading brewer, is expected
to serve up strong first-half results on Friday based on solid sales growth in
Europe and the United States, analysts said on Thursday.
``Good weather and the soccer championship in Europe and a growing premium beer
import sector in the United States will be the main drivers of these results,''
said Joeri Raams, an analyst at Amstgeld brokers.
Analysts polled by Reuters forecast a first-half net profit to end-June 2000 of
between 232 million euros and 250 million euros ($201.7 million and $217.4
million) with an average at 244 million euros, 16 percent up on the same period
last year.
However second-half results may not be as rosy.
``The first half compares to a weak previous period. And the weather during
July and August turned unfavourable,'' Raams said.
Heineken has previously said its full-year net profit would increase but has
given no precise forecast.
Analysts see potential problems in Poland, where leading brewer Zywiec --
controlled by Heineken -- is facing increasing competition. In Spain, where the
company acquired Cruzcampo last year, profit contributions are expected to be
minimal.
This year, unlike many other European brewers, Heineken has not made a major
acquisition.
The company was mentioned as a potential buyer of Britain's Bass Breweries
earlier this year, but was outbid in June by Belgian rival Interbrew, which
analysts say pushed Heineken into third place worldwide by sales volume.
U.S. brewer Anheuser-Busch is the largest by a good margin.
Analysts say Heineken may now have to look outside Europe if it wants to grow
through acquisitions.
Han van Lamoen, an analyst at Delta Lloyd Bank said Heineken's major
opportunities for mergers or acquisitions were in Asia and Latin America,
markets where consumption per capita was still growing.
He also said Heineken faced a choice in Britain, where further sales growth is
seen unlikely, over its relationship with Whitbread which brews beer on its
behalf.
Analysts said Heineken could start up its own facilities in Britain which would
enable it to improve the quality of the product. Or it could start exporting
beer to Britain, marketed as a premium brand to improve margins.
``The choice certainly is a major one they will have to make,'' Van Lamoen
said. ($1-1.150 Euro)
Whitbread to call time on small pubs and Pelicans
By David Jones
LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Britain's Whitbread Plc is poised to sell-off
300-plus of its smaller pubs and a number of restaurants in an attempt to drive
up profitability and recover from a share price slump, industry sources said on
Thursday.
The leisure group will put the ``for sale'' sign over its smaller leased and
managed pubs, look to trim some of its restaurants and review the future of its
220-strong struggling Beefeater chain before half-year results on October 31.
``Whitbread has simply too many small poorly performing pubs and restaurants,
while the competition has been hotting up. Clearly, a number will be sold,''
said one industry source.
Whitbread's 2,800-strong pub chain has suffered more than other major operators
because of its large number of small pubs, and 300 is seen as a minimum
sell-off figure with pressure from some shareholders to sell all its 1,700
leased pubs and ``hundreds'' of its managed outlets.
Meanwhile, its restaurant chains will come under scrutiny with the future of
Beefeater at the top of the menu, and disposals expected from the Pelican
grouping of Cafe Rouge, Bella Pasta and Dome restaurants.
Whitbread Chief Executive David Thomas is expected to give the results of the
review of its pubs and restaurants ahead of the half-year results on October
31, in order to focus the group around the better returns from its larger
outlets.
The company announced a reorganisation in May to group all its managed and
leased pubs into one unit and placed its 400 large food-led Brewers Fayre pubs
in its restaurants division together with 250 Beefeaters and 220 Pelican sites.
A Whitbread spokesman said that the brief was to conduct a review of brands and
assets, and that should be completed by the time of the interim results.
Whitbread shares have been savaged over the past 15 months, tumbling from 11.30
pounds in June 1999 when it appeared about to clinch a deal to buy Allied
Domecq's pub estate and falling out of the FTSE 100 earlier this year. They
fell to a low of 419 pence in February and traded up 2p at 452p by 1330 GMT.
PUBS UP FOR SALE
Analysts said Whitbread will have to make radical surgery to its pub estate as
rivals Bass Plc and Scottish & Newcastle Plc sell small pubs, and pressure
builds up from groups like the fast-growing J.D. Wetherspoon.
``Whitbread has the longest tail of small pubs of any of the major brewers or
pub operators. The market is not interested in leased pubs and these should be
sold,'' one analyst said.
S&N with 2,700 pubs said in July it was looking to sell around 300 of its
smaller pubs for 150 milllion pounds ($212.1 million), and then added in August
it would be more -- possibly 500 pubs.
Analysts say the critical level for managed pubs in the Whitbread estate is
around 8,000-10,000 pounds of weekly sales, and the group has many below that
level.
MENUS TO CHANGE
In the restaurant division, like-for-like comparable sales at Beefeater are
going backwards as it still suffers from its prawn cocktail, steak and chips
and Black Forest gateau image, and needs desperately to be re-invented.
Pelican is also showing negative like-for-likes sales and industry observers
say Cafe Rouge was expanded too quickly -- as many as one a week were opening
at one stage -- and the group struggled with quality control.
Whitbread bought up the chain of 103 Cafe Rouge and Dome French-style
restaurants and cafes largely based in London in August 1996, and then saw the
opportunity for a total of 300 outlets to be rolled out across the country.
The deal was critised at the time as 100 million pounds of the purchase price
was goodwill -- the difference between the cost of a business and its net
assets -- that needed to be written off, while the concept was hammered by top
chefs, with Raymond Blanc calling Cafe Rouge a ``travesty of French cooking.''
Whitbread's UK joint venture Pizza Hut outlets and its franchised TGI Friday
restaurants are likely to be unaffected.
Analysts say Whitbread is taking a tougher line on reshaping its business after
selling its beer division in May and its half share in its Threshers and
Victoria Wine First Quench wine retailers earlier this week, but doubt whether
it has the businesses to really interest the long-term investors. ($1-.7073
Pound)
Quilmes Industrial -Quinsa- S.A. Announces the Acquisition of a Controlling
Stake in Cerveceria Boliviana Nacional
LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2000--Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa)
S.A. (NYSE:LQU) ("Quinsa" or the "Company") today announced that it has
acquired a controlling equity stake in the leading Bolivian brewer, Cerveceria
Boliviana Nacional ("CBN"), from various individual shareholders. Quinsa, to
date, has invested a total of US$ 71 million in the acquisition of 51% of CBN's
capital stock.
CBN is the leading brewer in Bolivia with sales of 859,000 hectoliters in
fiscal year ended on March 31, 2000 and a market share of approximately 50
percent. It owns two breweries and a bottling facility, with a combined annual
production capacity of approximately 1,400,000 hectoliters. It also owns 30
percent of Cerveceria Boliviana Nacional Santa Cruz, a beer producer that
commands a market share of approximately 15 percent.
Prior to this acquisition Quinsa already owned two Bolivian breweries with
a combined market share of approximately 33 percent. The Company's combined
sales volume in Bolivia is now approximately 1,400,000 million hectoliters.
ABOUT QUINSA
Quinsa is a Luxembourg-based holding company, which controls 85 percent of
Quilmes International (Bermuda) Ltd., ("QIB"). The remaining 15 percent share
is owned, since 1984, by Heineken International Beheer B.V. ("Heineken").
Heineken Technical Services B.V. renders technical assistance to the operating
companies. Quinsa, through QIB, controls beverage and malting businesses in
five Latin American countries. Its beer brands are market leaders in Argentina,
Paraguay and Uruguay. With the acquisition of a controlling interest in
Cerveceria Boliviana Nacional, it is also the beer market leader in Bolivia.
Quinsa is also the second largest brewer in Chile. In Paraguay, Quinsa's soft
drink business is the market leader. Quinsa has announced it is negotiating the
sale of its Paraguayan soft drinks business to The Coca-Cola Export
Corporation. The Company also owns a controlling interest in the largest
PepsiCo bottler in Argentina. Quinsa's common and preferred shares are listed
on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Reuters codes: QUIN.LU and QUINp.LU).
Quinsa's American Depository Shares, representing the Company's preferred
shares, are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:LQU).
Quilmes says ups Bolivian brewer stake to 51 pct
BUENOS AIRES, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Argentine beverage maker Quilmes Industrial
SA <QUIN.LU> <<A HREF="aol://4785:LQU">LQU.N</A>> said Thursday it has spent
$71 million over the past 18 months to buy 51 percent of Bolivian National
Brewery (CBN), the maker of "Pacena" beer.
CBN is Bolivia's largest brewery, Quilmes said in a news release.
Quilmes also holds controlling stakes in two other Bolivian breweries,
Cochabamba-based Taquina and Ducal, based in the Amazonian basin city of Santa
Cruz.
Combined, the three Bolivian brewers pump out 1.4 million hectoliters of beer
per year, or 80 percent of national output, according to Quilmes.
Quilmes sells 15 brands of beer as well as soft drinks and water in Argentina,
Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Chile. The company also owns a controlling
interest in the largest PepsiCo Inc. <<A HREF="aol://4785:PEP">PEP.N</A>>
bottler in Argentina.
Quilmes has been able to expand its regional presence at a lower cost than many
of its competitors in the beverage industry, said Roger Heale, an equities
analyst for Raymond James Argentina, calling the stock a "strong buy."
"Basically what they're doing is making themselves a regional player at a very
attractive cost to the shareholder and the way things are going, their
concentration in the beer market is going to continue," Heale said.
Quilmes Industrial controls 85 percent of Quilmes International Ltd. The
remaining 15 percent share is owned by Heineken NV <HEIN.AS>, Europe's leading
brewer.
BBAG's Expansion Cost to Erase 2nd-Half Profit Growth
Linz, Austria, Sept. 14 (Bloomberg)-- Oesterreichische Brau- Beteiligungs AG,
Austria's biggest drinks maker, said the cost of buying six East European
breweries this year will wipe out second- half earnings growth.
Earnings before interest and taxes won't rise from about 40 million euros
($34.6 million) in the second half of 1999, while full- year sales will rise
less than 10 percent partly because Poles drank less beer, Chief Executive Karl
Bueche said in an interview.
``It'll be hard work to achieve last year's profit level in the second half,''
Bueche said. ``Profit won't rise because last year's second half was extremely
good, we now have extraordinary expenditure for acquisitions, and the weather
was so poor in July that beer consumption in Poland alone fell 20 percent.''
The maker of Kaiser, Goesser and Zipfer beers is expanding outside its
stagnating domestic market to take advantage of rising wages in growing East
European economies. BBAG said it aims to overtake South African Breweries Plc,
which has a 20 percent share of that market compared with the Linz,
Austria-based company's 16 percent share, to become the region's biggest
brewer.
BBAG bought three Romanian breweries in August for an undisclosed sum after
purchasing stakes in three Polish brewers earlier in the year.
The company's shares fell 0.79 euro, or 1.6 percent, to close at 48.50 euros,
valuing BBAG at 419 million euros. Brewing unit Brau- Union was little changed,
rising 0.1 percent to 46.86 euros, after losing as much as 1.5 percent in
earlier trading.
Shares in BBAG gained more than 12 percent in Vienna in the three months to
yesterday, while brewing unit Brau-Union AG climbed about 9 percent, on
optimism the group's increasing market share in Eastern Europe will boost
earnings and sales. The benchmark ATX Index, of which Brau-Union is a member,
was up less than 2 percent over the same period.
Eastern Growth
BBAG reported Aug. 29 that first-half pretax profit rose 24 percent to 30.9
million euros after it sold more beer in Hungary and more Pago fruit juice in
Western Europe. Bueche said he expects the company's Romanian and Polish
breweries to help future growth.
The company expects the three Romanian breweries to post $83.5 million in
combined sales this year. Bueche, though, doesn't expect the purchases to gain
approval from Romanian antitrust authorities until as late as November.
It acquired Polish brewery Van Pur SA in January, which it already has
consolidated, and agreed to acquire 24 percent of the Kujawiak brewery in
Bydgoszcz, an industrial town in Poland, last April. It also expects to
complete its purchase of a third beer maker, Browary Warszawskie ``Krolewskie''
SA by year's end.
``Sales would grow about 20 percent this year if we were able to consolidate
our acquisitions,'' Bueche said at the company's Linz headquarters. ``The first
half of 2001 will be a little better.''
BBAG probably will buy the remainder of the Kujawiak brewery from BRE Bank SA,
Poland's No. 1 investment bank, and is currently responsible for operating the
whole brewery, Bueche said.
The Austrian beverages group also is in talks with a number of privately held
breweries in southwestern Poland to add a fourth brewery to its portfolio by as
early as next year.
Glacier tests prove global warming
9/14/00 WASHINGTON (AP) - In another indication that the Earth may be warming,
an analysis of ice samples drilled from deep inside a glacier shows that the
last century has been the hottest period in 1,000 years high in the Himalayan
Mountains.
The new finding supports other studies that show a rapid melting of mountain
ice fields on three continents and a dramatic decline in water levels of some
glacier-fed rivers.
``We think this is alarming,'' says Ellen Mosley-Thompson of Ohio State
University, the co-author of a study appearing Friday in the journal Science.
Mosley-Thompson is a member of a team, led by Lonnie G. Thompson of Ohio State,
that has analyzed ice cores from some of the most remote mountains in the
world. The new cores, cylindrical specimens of ice, came from deep within a
glacier more than 20,000 feet high in the Himalayas.
``This is the highest climate record ever retrieved,'' Thompson said in a
statement. ``It clearly shows a serious warming during the late 20th century,
one that was caused, at least in part, by human activity.''
Herman Zimmerman, director of the National Science Foundation's earth sciences
division, said the new studies ``leave little doubt that the Earth is warming
and that all characteristics of our climate can change rapidly.
``This is something that needs to be taken quite seriously by all the peoples
of the world,'' Zimmerman said. The NSF sponsored the 1997 expedition that
extracted the Himalayan ice cores.
Mosley-Thompson said the team has the ice cores record chemical clues of the
climatic conditions that existed when the ice was deposited.
The most recent core, from the Dasuopu Glacier on the flank of the 26,293-foot
Mt. Xixabangma, included ice that was laid down more than 12,000 years ago.
An analysis of the Dasuopu ice deposited during the last 1,000 years shows a
dramatic trend of warming, Mosley-Thompson said.
``The last century has been warmer than the previous nine centuries,''
Mosley-Thompson said, while the last decade has been the warmest period of all.
Other studies, based largely on surface temperature readings, have found a
global average warming of almost one degree F over the last century, but the
effect may be even more dramatic in the world's mountains, she said.
``These high elevation ice fields seem to be warming more strongly than what
you could call the global average,'' Mosley-Thompson said.
She said there has been a significant shrinkage of permanent ice fields in
Asia, South America and Africa that provide a significant part of the flow in
major rivers. Many such rivers are in areas with monsoon weather patterns,
where there usually is little rain for six months of the year. Ice melt from
the rivers has become an increasingly important source of water for cities and
farms, Mosley-Thompson said.
``For these rivers to continue to flow year-round, they have to be fed by ice
in the high mountains,'' Mosley-Thompson said. If the ice fields continue to
shrink, she said, ``the question then is where will the river flow come from
during the dry season.''
Mosley-Thompson said the mountain warming effect seems to be worldwide.
``Everywhere we go, we get the same picture'' of shrinking ice fields and
increasing high altitude warming, she said.
In northern Peru, there is a marked shrinkage of ice fields in the Andes and a
dry season reduction in flow of up to 70 percent in the Rimac River which
supplies water to Lima, Mosley-Thompson said. In Africa, aerial photos taken of
Mt. Kilimanjaro and checked against 1912 maps found a 75 percent loss of ice
mass, she said.
There are no records to give a historic comparison for the Mt. Xixabangma ice
fields, but she said that Indian scientists have found rapid shrinkage of ice
fields around nearby Mt. Everest and tentative findings of a reduced dry season
flow in rivers draining the Tibetan plateau.
On the Net:
National Science Foundation statement:
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/00/pr0056.htm
Science magazine:
http://www.eurekalert.org/news.pub.html
New Yorkers warned on bottled water after poisoning
NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Officials are warning New Yorkers to check
bottled water for tampering or contamination before drinking it after three
people drank water poisoned with ammonia or lye in the last six weeks.
The FBI said on Thursday it was helping New York City police investigate the
incidents, none of which were fatal. An 18-month-old boy was hospitalized for
six days after drinking bottled water tainted with ammonia, official said.
``We are working with the NYPD on these incidents,'' FBI spokesman Joe
Valiquette said. ``On three different occasions, people have been injured
drinking three different brands.'' The injuries were limited to mouth and
throat burns.
All the cases occurred in Manhattan.
On Aug. 3, a woman felt a burning sensation in her mouth after drinking Perrier
at a restaurant, and her mouth began to bleed. She was treated and released
from a local hospital. Police said a lye-type agent, similar to those found in
household cleaners, was the culprit.
A man who bought a bottle of Aquafina water on Aug. 27 from a midtown deli also
felt burning in his mouth, and was treated at a hospital. Ammonia was found in
that water.
The most recent case on Sept. 6 involved the 18-month-old boy, who took a sip
of Poland Springs water his mother bought at a Manhattan market. He started to
cry and was brought to a hospital, where he recovered. That water also
contained ammonia, officials said.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and other officials urged New Yorkers to check bottled
water for signs of tampering, such as a broken seal on the cap, and to smell
water before drinking it. Ammonia has an easily detectable odour.
``We don't have any link between the three,'' said police commissioner Bernard
Kerik. ``The investigation is continuing.''
In 1999, 4.6 billion gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States,
according to the New York-based Beverage Marketing Corporation, an industry
group.
Total revenue for the industry was about $5.2 billion last year. New York ranks
as the fourth largest market for bottled water in the United States behind
California, Texas and Florida, a corporation spokesman said.
Perrier Group, a unit of Nestle SA, sells both Perrier and Poland Springs.
PepsiCo Inc sells Aquafina. Neither company returned phone calls seeking
comment.
In 1990 Perrier was forced to recall 160 million of its famed green bottles
when it discovered the accidental contamination of its water with benzene.
In the most prominent case of product tampering, seven people died in 1982 when
they took Tylenol pain reliever that had been tainted with cyanide. The
incidents led to a revolution in product packaging, with companies developing
tamper-resistent techniques.
Most people asked in midtown Manhattan on Thursday said they would not stop
buying bottled water, but would heed the advice of officials and check the seal
on the cap for damage, then smell the water for signs of contamination.
``I'll rely on my keen sense of smell,'' said Fran Giuffre, a Brooklynite who
works in midtown. ``If all else fails, I'm switching to juice.''
But George Santos, a mechanic from Queens, said, ``I don't know, there's so
much stuff out there now. Maybe don't drink water, get a soda instead.''
Please don't attack our staff, BP requests of UK protesters
LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Britain's biggest oil company warned fuel
protesters on Thursday against assaulting its staff after a female worker was
kicked and punched by a customer.
In a health and safety advisory on its website, BP also warned motorists
against stockpiling fuel and reminded them oil was a dangerous product to
handle because it was explosive.
Impatience on crowded forecourts could also cause trouble, it said, after a
queue jumper drove his car into a mother pushing a pram.
``We also had a female site manager verbally abused, then punched and kicked by
a customer. This is totally unacceptable,'' the company said.
It advised motorists not to siphon petrol and said it was working hard to
ensure deliveries so there should be no need for anyone to store fuel.
Picketers protesting against high fuel taxes began lifting a week-long siege of
Britain's oil refineries and depots, saying they did not want to put lives at
risk.
``There have been examples of people storing petrol in totally unsuitable
containers such as plastic tubs, bins or even beer barrels. This is highly
dangerous,'' BP said.
``Sparks from static or electrical sources may cause fire and explosion from
fumes or spills. If petrol gets into the eyes or onto skin it can cause
irritation. Petrol fumes can build up in confined spaces and may cause sickness
and dizziness.''
J2jurado
14 Sep 2000 Source: CNN Interactive
Probe starts into New York bottled water poisoning fears NEW YORK,
(Reuters) -- The FBI said on Thursday it was helping New York City
police investigate fears that someone was poisoning ...
http://www.bergen.com:80/food/beer13200009139.htm
Authentic Oktoberfests and a Jersey atmosphere
Wednesday, September 13, 2000
By TONY FORDER
Oktoberfest begins this weekend and, of course, Munich is the place to
be. But you can find a good selection of Oktoberfest beers on tap at
Andy's Corner Bar in Bogota.
From 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, owners George and Barbara Gray will be
pouring a fine selection. Along with the authentic German standbys
Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, and Spaten, many U.S. craft-brewed
Oktoberfests will be available, and several are new.
Fans of Victory Brewing Co.'s full-bodied and true-to-style brews will
be eager to sample the company's first run at an Oktoberfest. Brooklyn
Brewery's renowned head brewer Garrett Oliver also has turned his
attention to an Oktoberfest this year and although I've yet to try it,
the reports are "very good, very authentic."
From Butler comes Ramstein Oktoberfest, which owner Gregg Zaccardi says
has recently earned promotion from seasonal to year-round status. Brewed
with wheat and barley malt, Ramstein Oktoberfest strays from the norm
but uses plenty of German malt for that Oktoberfest character.
Oktoberfests from Stoudt's, Otter Creek, and Weyerbacher round out the
list at Andy's and, while the tavern may not have the atmosphere of
Munich, the beer is probably better than the more mainstream brew
tourists in Germany are sampling.
Fans will have to wait a couple more weeks to try another new
Oktoberfest -- from Climax Brewing Co. in Roselle Park. It's brewer Dave
Hoffman's first professional attempt at a lager, but he says that all
his home-brewing awards have been for lagers. It's brewed with
all-German malts and, having recently tasted it out of the conditioning
tank, I concur with Dave when he says, "This one's gonna be good!"
Mountain Valley Brew Pub has closed its brewery and restaurant doors.
The Suffern, N.Y., location will remain open as a bar and the brewery's
Ruffian label will return in late October, contract-brewed in upstate
New York.
* * *
Andy's Corner Bar is at 257 Queen Anne Road, Bogota; (201) 342-9887.
http://www.cleveland.com:80/living/index.ssf?/living/pd/l14weird.html
Pakistan lets infidels brew
Thursday, September 14, 2000 By CHUCK SHEPHERD
Muslim-dominated Pakistan allows a large, prosperous brewery to operate,
even though its product is off limits to 97 percent of the population
and is regularly denounced by the nation’s leaders, according to a
dispatch in the San Francisco Chronicle. Non-Muslims can purchase Murree
beer by applying for a consumption permit (stating religion, profession,
income, drinking history and, for females, the name of her husband).
Muslims are allowed to work at the factory, and apparently many Muslims
pay consumption-permit holders to buy beer for them.
http://www.pioneerplanet.com:80/seven-days/3/news/docs/023231.htm
Neighbors rally against ethanol plant odors
* Company says it's working on ways to solve problem
MURALI BALAJI STAFF WRITER, Sept 12, 200
Months of frustration over emissions led to a neighborhood protest
Monday afternoon outside the new Gopher State Ethanol Plant on West
Seventh Street in St. Paul.
The protest drew more than 100 people to hear speakers decry the
Minnesota Brewing Co.'s ethanol plant, which the demonstrators claim
often exudes a nauseating stench that has hurt the neighborhood's
quality of life.
The demonstrators, who came from as far away as the Midway area, claim
the strong smell is harming the environment, citizens' health and
property values.
Marc Kolden, a longtime city resident who lives about two miles away on
Marshall Avenue, said the stench wasn't present until the brewery opened
the ethanol plant last spring.
``Every time we call to complain, they keep saying, `We're working on
it,' '' Kolden said as he waved to passing cars, urging them to honk.
``They haven't done anything about it, and the CEO has stopped taking
our calls.''
But Jack Lee, president and CEO of Minnesota Brewing Co. and Gopher
State Ethanol Plant, downplayed the strength of the smell and noted that
the plant is working on measures to try to improve the situation.
``(The residents) say a lot of things,'' Lee said. ``They have not given
any empirical data. We have experts working on it right now so we can
get a solution.''
Some of the demonstrators claimed that Lee had shut down the ethanol
production earlier Monday so the media wouldn't smell the fumes, an
allegation he denied.
``We're running (the production) right now, and there's no smell,'' Lee
said. ``We are voluntarily trying to control our production. I want the
residents to know that I'm being a good neighbor.''
A private meeting was scheduled for Monday evening between brewery
officials and concerned residents to seek a solution. The group was
established by the city to address the concerns.
http://www.iht.com:80/IHT/TODAY/MON/FIN/beer.2.html
Liquor Giant Maps New Strategy for Irish Brew
9/12/00 - LONDON - Guinness, the dark beer synonymous with Irish brewing for
more
than two centuries, may be about to gain a higher profile around the
globe just as drinkers in its native land are consuming less.
Diageo PLC, the world's largest liquor company, is promoting Guinness to
its league of ''global priority brands,'' making it one of nine products
that lead sales and marketing efforts and displacing Gordon's gin from
the list. Diageo is betting that a drink that has traditionally been a
working man's tipple in Ireland can become a premium brand abroad. At
the same time, it will push ready-mixed liquors in Dublin bars. The
increasingly affluent Irish drank 4 percent fewer pints of Guinness last
year, opting for drinks with a more modern image.
''Traditionally beer has been seen as a high-volume, low-value product,
but that perception is changing,'' said Ian Shackleton, an analyst at
Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. ''Now you're selling both products to
the same consumer - Diageo is at the forefront of that thinking.''
Beer accounted for 18 percent of Diageo's sales in its latest financial
year, though that proportion is set to increase as the company spins off
its Burger King restaurant unit and sells its Pillsbury food unit in the
coming months.
The London-based company stuck with Guinness in recent years even as
some analysts called for it to sell the business, founded by Arthur
Guinness in 1759, in favor of high-margin liquors such as Cuervo tequila
and Johnnie Walker Black whisky. Those brands saw volume growth of 13
percent and 7 percent, respectively, in the year that ended in July.
Diageo executives said a marketing push abroad, especially in the United
States, could pump up the brand's global volume growth from 2 percent
last year. Growth in Guinness sales will be ''well ahead of the growth
rate last year,'' said Stuart Fletcher, president of key markets for
GuinnessUDV at Diageo. ''The U.S. will see growth well into the double
digits.'' Nor is the company concerned that selling ready-mixed liquor
products could cannibalize Guinness sales.
''You can't be on the dance floor with a pint of Guinness in your
hand,'' said Paul Walsh, chief executive. ''But the consumer doesn't
want to be on the dance floor every night.''
That underlines one of Diageo's principle marketing strategies:
providing a large variety of premium products that it expects to be
bought on differing occasions.
In Ireland, the company is seeking to change the brand's image by
putting it in bottles and reminding drinkers that Guinness can be drunk
outside pubs. Diageo cites '' a considerable reduction in the level of
pub visits'' as one of the main reasons for the draught beer's slump in
sales. ''The days are gone when Joe walked into a bar and the bartender starts
getting him what he wants,'' Mr. Walsh said, pretending to pull on a
draught lever. ''But the changing demographics in Ireland help Guinness,
and we'll be selling other drinks at the same time.''
http://news.excite.com:80/news/cbsmw/000914/00/iponder-the-problem
POnder: The problem with direct IPOsUpdated 12:45 AM ET September 14,
2000
Current quotes (delayed 20 mins.)
WITC 9 3/4 1 3/4 (21.88%) NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- In 1993, Andrew Klein, a
New York
securities attorney, wanted to start a microbrewery called Spring Street
Brewing. At the time, these were red-hot businesses. But he still had
difficulty raising money. Venture capitalists thumbed their noses at
him.
But he saw this as an opportunity. With his extensive experience in
finance, why not do his own IPO? It could be marketed over the Net and
sold directly to investors. There would be no need for a Wall Street
underwriter and the attendant high fees. Brilliant, huh?
It worked, and Klein was able to raise $1.6 million. But, interestingly
enough, I haven't heard much from the beer company.
Klein had a better idea.
Underwriters serve important purposes
http://www.pioneerplanet.com:80/seven-days/3/business/docs/009973.htm
Striking beverage equipment Cornelius workers reject contract
MIKE HUGHLETT STAFF WRITER
About 350 workers at IMI Cornelius in Anoka remain on strike this week
after rejecting a contract that was negotiated and approved by their
union's negotiating committee.
Workers at the manufacturer of beverage-dispensing equipment struck
Thursday after voting by close to a 3-to-1 ratio to reject the contract,
said John Rebrovich, a staff representative for the United Steelworkers
of America, which represents the workers.
Health care benefits and pay increases for less-experienced employees
are among the key issues in the dispute, he said. Rebrovich also said
several workers complained that members of the company's negotiating
team tried to bargain directly with workers on the shop floor, causing
confusion as to what was really being offered.
The union planned Monday to file a charge with the National Labor
Relations Board, alleging direct negotiation, which would be a federal
labor law violation, Rebrovich said.
Bob Lundell, Cornelius' vice president of human resources, said he
hasn't seen any charge yet, so is unfamiliar with the exact nature of
the union's complaint. However, ``we would adamantly disagree'' with any
allegations of direct bargaining, Lundell said.
No new contract negotiations were scheduled as of Monday afternoon.
IMI Cornelius, a division of United Kingdom-based IMI Plc, has continued
operating, using managers on the production line, Lundell said. The
Anoka plant is one of six IMI Cornelius plants in the United States. The
company makes machines that dispense, pop, beer, juice and other
beverages.
Rebrovich said workers particularly weren't satisfied with the company
proposals on narrowing the pay gap between union employees. The
Steelworkers accepted a two-tier wage system in the late 1980s at
Cornelius, meaning that workers hired since then might make around 60
cents to $1.70 an hour less than older workers doing the same job,
Rebrovich said.
The proposed contract called for a narrowing of that gap, but not enough
to satisfy workers, Rebrovich said. Production workers get paid roughly
$11.27 to $16 to $17 an hour, he said.
Workers also weren't satisfied with the company's stand on rising health
care costs. The proposed contract called for an increase in the
company's contributions to health care insurance premiums, but with caps
after a certain amount. Workers don't want the caps, Rebrovich said.
http://www.toledoblade.com:80/editorial/feat/0i11big.htm
'Big Brother' walkout?
September 11, 2000 BY ELAINE LINER BLADE MEDIA EDITOR
A mutiny might be brewing on Big Brother. Over the weekend the six
remaining participants on the beleaguered CBS reality show discussed
walking out en masse on this Wednesday's live episode.
Their conversation about bolting took place Saturday afternoon inside
the camera-equipped Studio City compound in which they've lived since
mid-July. The exchange was not included on Saturday's telecast (CBS airs
episodes at 8 p.m. every night but Sunday). Viewers of live Web feeds
announced the baffling development in American Online chat rooms devoted
to the show.
If they do exit together, houseguests George, Jamie, Eddie, Curtis,
Cassandra, and Josh forfeit their chances to win the $500,000 top prize
during the two-hour Big Brother finale Sept. 30. Four of the original 10
- - Will "Mega," Jordan, Karen, and Brittany - already have been
"banished" by call-in votes from viewers.
Producers Endemol Entertainment have put the remaining houseguests under
pressure to be more interesting. Having settled into an easygoing but
dull-to-watch pattern of eating, sleeping, and sunbathing as cameras
record every move, the sequestered six have been forced by producers to
engage in water basketball, square-dancing, and group discussions of
sex, racism, and religion in an effort to inject conflict into the
group. They also were supplied with beer and wine.
Endemol has tinkered with the rules to try to liven up the show. Several
houseguests have been allowed contact with outsiders, which producers
initially said would be taboo. Last night, Curtis was allowed to leave
the compound to attend the Emmys.
Last Wednesday Endemol offered $50,000 cash to any of the six willing to
walk off the show voluntarily. The "house hamsters," as they're known
online, weren't told that the ploy would result in a sexy young
replacement moving in.
The six refused the money and then turned against Big Brother, possibly
taking control of the outcome, which ironically could result in bigger
ratings this week. (Viewer numbers overall have been about half those
for Survivor.)
Mutiny would put Big Brother's future in jeopardy but certainly would
guarantee plenty of publicity - something the houseguests considered.
"You've got a chance to do something big," said George, the 41-year-old
roofer from Rockford, Ill., whose wife organized a hometown phone-in
effort that saved him from banishment two weeks ago.
Big Brother also has been under assault from the outside. Jeff Oswald, a
self-proclaimed "media jammer" from North Carolina, hates the show so
much he has hired a small plane to fly banners over the Big Brother
house every few days with slogans such as "There is dignity in leaving"
and "Big Brother is worse than you think. Get out now."
Oswald approves of the group's decision to leave. "They will all have
much better chances of reaching individual goals and a bigger story if
they all walked out together. Give Big Brother the finger, and they will
be applauded as heroes," Oswald said.
CBS's spokesman for the show could not be reached for comment yesterday
about the impending walkout. But network officials previously said any
houseguests who left voluntarily would receive no money.
Bill Goodman
> be eager to sample the company's first run at an Oktoberfest.
Huh? The Festbier has been around at least 3 years. Maybe the author
meant Brooklyn?
> Mountain Valley Brew Pub has closed its brewery and restaurant doors.
> The Suffern, N.Y., location will remain open as a bar and the brewery's
> Ruffian label will return in late October, contract-brewed in upstate
> New York.
That's too bad...earned a GABF Gold back in 1994 for their nice roasty
porter back when Jay Misson was the brewer (who moved on to Gordon
Biersch, IIRC?). Also had a nice hoppy ESB and a good raspberry wheat
ale...some brews I really enjoyed when first getting into good beer a
few years ago.
Bill G
J2jurado
By Ulf Laessing
MUNICH, Germany, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The weak euro could help Germany's
Oktoberfest set an attendance record when the world's biggest beer festival
begins in Munich on Saturday.
The festival will run two days longer than usual at 18 days, to end on October
3 when Germany celebrates 10 years since reunification with a public holiday.
Organisers are confident that the longer run and the euro's weakness against
the dollar, British pound and Japanese yen will lift attendance above seven
million and possibly above the 7.1 million record set in 1985.
``We could well set a record this year,'' said Gabriele Papke, a spokeswoman
for Munich's tourist office. ``A lot will depend on whether we have good
weather. We expect lots of Americans because of the favourable dollar rate.''
The dollar has pushed the euro to successive lows since it was launched 20
months ago while the German mark -- still used in everyday life -- has surged
to a 14-year peak of about 2.26 to the dollar.
Last year 6.5 million visitors from around the world drank a record 5.8 million
litres (1.28 million gallons) of beer at the two-week orgy of beer drinking,
packing the city of 1.8 million and leaving behind revenues of 1.4 billion
marks ($650 million).
About 10 percent of the visitors come from abroad, with Australians, Americans,
Italians, Japanese and British filling 14 cavernous beer tents as big as
football fields that hold up to 10,000 people, many of whom dance on the tables
to Bavarian oom-pah brass bands.
The annual tribute to Bavaria's favourite beverage traces its roots to 1810
when it was first held to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig
and Princes Therese of Saxony-Hildenburghausen.
Local rules stipulate that only beer brewed in Munich can be sold, a
requirement that enrages Prinz Luitpold, a relative of the old Bavarian royal
house, whose palace brewery is outside the Bavarian capital city's limits.
``Oktoberfest is just a great big rip-off for American tourists,'' the prince
told Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper. He has tried for 22 years to obtain a
licence to sell his brew at Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest begins when Mayor Christian Ude, wearing Bavarian lederhosen
leather shorts, taps the first keg at noon with a hammer and shouts the
``O'zapft is'' -- the keg is tapped.
The price of the beer is closely watched, and this year it will cost between
11.20 marks and 12.60 marks per litre -- a rise of seven percent from a year
ago even though the German inflation rate has been less than two percent.
Organisers point out that, in exchange for the price rise, toilets this year
are free.
Alcohol Returns to Mexican Festival
.c The Associated Press By TRACI CARL 09-15-00
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexicans aren't just free to celebrate their independence
from Spain on Friday - they are free to publicly toast the event with a glass
of tequila for the first time in 70 years.
Since President Pascual Ortiz Rubio was wounded in an assassination attempt the
day he took office in 1930, the sale and public display of alcoholic beverages
have been banned during patriotic Mexican events.
While it was unclear whether Ortiz Rubio's would-be assassin had been drinking,
the measure was apparently aimed at quelling a twin evil: the celebratory
gunplay that had become customary at public festivities in Mexico.
In 1930, Mexico was coming off nearly two decades of almost constant armed
conflict, and drinking - accompanied by shooting off pistols - was one of the
favored ways of whooping it up.
The battle against the latter custom is still being fought in small towns like
Tepotzotlan, just north of Mexico City, where town authorities hang out signs
every year on Independence Day banning pistols and collect weapons from
would-be revelers.
It's still against the law to buy a drink on election day - or during the hours
the president gives his state of the nation address.
And until this year, it had been illegal to even bring a bottle of Mexico's
famous drink, tequila, to the huge Independence Day celebration in Mexico
City's main plaza, where thousands of masquerading partygoers gather to mark
the country's break from Spain.
Days before Friday's celebrations, officials in several Mexican cities -
including the capital - announced they would remove the ban on alcoholic
beverages as a test to see if Mexico can do without its so-called ``Ley Seca,''
or Dry Law.
Mario Ramirez, manager of a bar near Mexico City's Independence monument,
applauded the decision. ``We are free, so we should be free to drink,'' Ramirez
said. ``We are just enjoying the day.''
Like other bar managers in Mexico City, Ramirez has stocked up on extra tequila
and other liquor for popular drinks, anticipating a big crowd Friday.
In the town of Puebla, 65 miles southeast of Mexico City, officials lifted the
alcohol ban, but also beefed up security in anticipation of festivities.
The ``Ley Seca'' has generally been taken seriously in Mexico. For those who
didn't plan ahead, it was virtually impossible to buy alcohol from stores
unwilling to risk a large fine.
Most Mexicans who wanted to enjoy a drink during the holiday stocked up on
liquor before Sept. 15-16, the traditional dry days of the country's
Independence Day celebrations.
The festivities recall events leading up to the day on Sept. 16, 1810, when a
priest named Miguel Hildalgo made his famous revolutionary call, marking the
beginning of the armed struggle for Mexico's independence from Spain.
Enjoying a beer in a Mexico City bar during his vacation here, Spaniard Javier
Quijada said he was surprised to find out about the city's former ban on
alcohol.
But he reached into his bag and pulled out several fliers from restaurants and
bars in the city's center advertising Independence Day drink specials, adding
he planned to bar hop and sample the country's endless tequila varieties.
Marina Resendiz, however, wasn't wild about the change.
The 28-year-old plans to spend the day in her Mexico City home, away from the
crowds that fill the city's center and far from any possible rowdiness. ``There
will be more parties, and more people who don't know their limit,'' she said.
FEMSA Appoints New Strategic Planning Director
MONTERREY, Mexico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2000--Fomento Economico
Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. ("FEMSA") (NYSE:FMX) (BMV:FEMSA UBD) today announced
that Ricardo Gonzalez has joined FEMSA's corporate staff as strategic planning
director.
Ricardo Gonzalez, 45, earned a degree in industrial and systems engineering
by the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in 1977. He
holds a MBA degree by the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa, in
Barcelona, Spain.
From 1977 to 1978, Ricardo Gonzalez worked in FEMSA's human resources area.
During the last 200 years, Gonzalez had a successful career in Grupo Vitro,
where he held diverse executive positions. During the last three years, he was
chairman of the board and CEO of Vidrio Plano.
Ricardo Gonzalez will report to Federico Reyes, FEMSA's executive vice
president of planning and finance.
FEMSA is Mexico's largest beverage company with exports to the United
States, Canada and selected countries in Latin America, Europe and the Far
East. Founded in 1890, with headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico, FEMSA is
strategically integrated and operates through the following subsidiaries: FEMSA
Cerveza, which produces and distributes name brands of beer such as Tecate,
Carta Blanca, Superior, Sol, XX Lager, Dos Equis and Bohemia; Coca-Cola FEMSA,
an "Anchor Bottler" for The Coca-Cola Company in Latin America, which produces
and distributes soft drinks including Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Sprite, Fanta
and Quatro; FEMSA Empaques, which supports the beverage operations by producing
beverage cans, glass bottles, crown caps, labels, commercial refrigerators, and
serves third-party clients throughout the Americas; FEMSA Comercio, which
operates OXXO, Mexico's most extensive chain of convenience stores; and FEMSA
Logistica, which provides logistics management services to affiliate companies,
and recently to third-party clients.
Quilmes Industrial -Quinsa- S.A. Announces the Acquisition of a Controlling
Stake in Cerveceria Boliviana Nacional
LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2000--Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa)
S.A. (NYSE:LQU) ("Quinsa" or the "Company") today announced that it has
acquired a controlling equity stake in the leading Bolivian brewer, Cerveceria
Boliviana Nacional ("CBN"), from various individual shareholders. Quinsa, to
date, has invested a total of US$ 71 million in the acquisition of 51% of CBN's
capital stock.
CBN is the leading brewer in Bolivia with sales of 859,000 hectoliters in
fiscal year ended on March 31, 2000 and a market share of approximately 50
percent. It owns two breweries and a bottling facility, with a combined annual
production capacity of approximately 1,400,000 hectoliters. It also owns 30
percent of Cerveceria Boliviana Nacional Santa Cruz, a beer producer that
commands a market share of approximately 15 percent.
Prior to this acquisition Quinsa already owned two Bolivian breweries with
a combined market share of approximately 33 percent. The Company's combined
sales volume in Bolivia is now approximately 1,400,000 million hectoliters.
Quinsa is a Luxembourg-based holding company, which controls 85 percent of
Quilmes International (Bermuda) Ltd., ("QIB"). The remaining 15 percent share
is owned, since 1984, by Heineken International Beheer B.V. ("Heineken").
Heineken Technical Services B.V. renders technical assistance to the operating
companies. Quinsa, through QIB, controls beverage and malting businesses in
five Latin American countries. Its beer brands are market leaders in Argentina,
Paraguay and Uruguay. With the acquisition of a controlling interest in
Cerveceria Boliviana Nacional, it is also the beer market leader in Bolivia.
Quinsa is also the second largest brewer in Chile. In Paraguay, Quinsa's soft
drink business is the market leader. Quinsa has announced it is negotiating the
sale of ips Paraguayan soft drinks business to The Coca-Cola Export
Corporation. The Company also owns a controlling interest in the largest
PepsiCo bottler in Argentina. Quinsa's common and preferred shares are listed
on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Reuters codes: QUIN.LU and QUINp.LU).
Quinsa's American Depository Shares, representing the Company's preferred
shares, are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:LQU).
Federal Appeals Court Upholds State's Rights to Regulate Alcohol; Decision
Sends Signal to Stop Unsafe Internet Sales
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- "The United States Court of Appeals
took a critical step in supporting state's rights by affirming the ability of
states to regulate alcohol, and the federal district court in Houston should
follow in their footsteps," said Robert Sparks, Executive Director of the
Licensed Beverage Distributors.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Indiana decided Wednesday
that an Indiana statute regulating out-of-state sellers of liquor was not an
unconstitutional infringement of the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The ruling upheld the law that strengthened penalties for knowingly purchasing
alcohol from out-of-state, unlicensed vendors selling directly to consumers.
"As access to alcohol is becoming more and more open for minors because of new
venues like the Internet, we applaud this decision to uphold the three- tier
safeguards system," added Sparks.
Several other states, including Texas, are involved in similar lawsuits
defining states' right to control the sale of alcoholic beverages under the
21st Amendment to the Constitution. The Southern District Court in Houston is
currently reviewing a challenge to the Constitution's Commerce Clause.
"There are a number of out-of-state companies who are breaking the law by
shipping liquor into states like Texas and Indiana without knowing if the
recipient lives in a dry area, without verifying that the recipient is over 21
years of age, and without paying taxes," said Sparks.
Plaintiffs in the Texas suit argued that the decision jeopardizes the state's
collection of taxes when consumers buy from out-of-state vendors who do not
collect sales taxes, as well as threaten the lives of under-21 consumers who
subscribe to so-called 'beer clubs'. State Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander
estimated last year that as much as $300,000 a year in state taxes is lost as a
result of sales over the Internet. Texas collected $483 million in alcoholic
beverage taxes during the last fiscal year.
"Today and every day, out-of-state companies who are selling alcohol over the
Internet are not being prosecuted for violating the state law. We hope that
this decision will send the right signal to end unsafe online sales, and
protect our Youth," said Sparks.
A recent poll conducted by the Licensed Beverage Distributors found that 77
percent of Texas voters support the distribution of alcohol through the
three-tier system and greatly oppose the sale of wine (65%), beer (74%), and
liquor (76%) over the Internet.
Heineken half-year profits up 19 pct but shares dip
By Douwe Miedema
AMSTERDAM, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Europe's largest brewer Heineken NV served up a
19 percent rise in first-half net profits to 249 million euros ($216 million)
on Friday, in line with market expectations.
Analysts' first-half forecasts ranged from 232 million to 250 million euros,
with a consensus at 244 million.
``The results showed no surprises and were exactly in line with our
expectations. Heineken had no fresh news to move the shares,'' said Joe Hall, a
London based analyst at Deutsche Bank.
``At this level Heineken is at a good price and really can't go up much
higher,'' a trader in Amsterdam said.
The shares opened firmer on the Amsterdam bourse, trading up as far as 58 euros
before easing back to 55.70 euros by 1256 GMT, down two percent on the day.
Nevertheless, the company said it expected full year profit growth this year to
be above 15 percent, despite unfavourable weather in the late summer months.
Chairman Karel told a results news conference the company was in talks with
Swiss drinks and real estate group Feldschloesschen over buying its beverage
arm, but emphasised that Heineken was not the only contender and anti-monopoly
rules posed a significant hurdle. Heineken already owns a number of breweries
and brands in Switzerland.
Feldschloesschen shares were up 11 Swiss francs at 631 on Friday, valuing the
group at around 1.25 billion francs ($706 million) according to Reuters 3000
data.
Dutch analysts said the drinks unit was likely to be worth the equivalent 650
million euros ($561 million) with the beer business alone worth 500-600 million
euros.
However, Vuursteen said Heineken was unlikely to make further major
acquisitions in Europe in the near term as the company already enjoyed a large
market share in many countries. In eight European countries its market share is
over 30 percent.
Analysts expect Heineken to focus instead on acquisitions in Asia and Latin
America, where strong growth is still possibile.
The consolidation of newly bought companies had been a main driver behind the
sales boost in the first half, Vuursteen said.
``Sales were up a healthy 15 percent. Eight percent of this was due to
consolidation of acquisitions, mainly Spanish Cruzcampo. Four percent was due
to larger volumes,'' he said.
Vuursteen said the favourable dollar exchange rate had also helped, adding that
results in the Netherlands, France and Italy had been very positive.
In Poland its Zywiec breweries is expected to show ``reasonable profit'' within
18 months and in Spain results were ``very good'' after the consolidation of El
Aguila and Cruzcampo.
``In nearly all European markets we were able to maintain or even improve our
market share,'' the company said.
In the first half beer sales were up 12 percent in the United States, where
Heineken is mainly active in the north-east. Vuursteen said the company would
continue to expand to other parts of the country.
Vuursteen also said Heineken would alter its strategy in Britain, and market a
premium brand with higher alcohol content.
But he saw no need to hurry in ending its contract with Whitbread, that now
produces a light lager for Heineken.
A spokesman for Heineken said the company would not extend the Whitbread
contract once it ends, but declined to say when this would be.
http://www.internetnews.com:80/intl-news/article/0,,6_460031,00.html
September 14, 2000 InternetNews - International News Archives
Drinks Procurement Network eSkye.com Expands in Europe
By John Lewell
[London, ENGLAND] eSkye.com, the first global beverage network for the
drinks industry, announced a major European expansion Thursday.
Having formed a European operation a few months ago, eSkye.com says it
will commence pilot programs in three countries by the end of the year.
J. Smoke Wallin, founder and chief executive of eSkye.com, said that
fragmentation and a general lack of investment in technology in the
drinks industry made the eSkye.com solution applicable everywhere.
"Our advanced technology, industry neutrality, and success in the U.S.
give us a significant first-mover advantage that will allow us to put
eSkye.com's global network to use around the world," claimed Wallin.
Europe, with a retail market for beverage alcohol standing at US $200
billion -- twice the size of the U.S. market -- must certainly look
enticing for eSkye.com. The average European consumes more alchohol than
the average American, and is able to shop from any of 1.5 million
on-premise outlets.
What's more: the current European lead in wireless technology makes the
eBOTS-m solution for retailers and distributor sales forces especially
relevant and useful.
John Davison, chief executive eSkye.com Europe, also pointed out that
eBOTS has been developed to accommodate local business rules, which is
exactly what is needed in a European setting.
"Unlike many U.S. based firms, eSkye.com has fully grasped the
importance of local rules and relationships to its ultimate success. We
look forward to engaging beverage industry partners in Europe in this
exciting process," said Davison.
eSkye.com announced its European management team, which besides
ex-Diageo VP John Davison consists of Chief Technology Officer Keith
McLeod, eSkye.com U.K. Managing Director Andrew Allan, and eSkye.com
Spain Managing Director Fernando Diaz Alonso.
eSkye.com has raised over US $55 million over the past year, while
securing agreements to serve U.S. markets which represent US $97 billion
in retail sales.
Among the exchanges which use eSkye.com's beverage solution are
PurchasePro.com, Restaurantpro.com, 86.com, AlliantLink.com, hsupply.com
and Tibersoft Corporation.
http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/
09/14/BU45405.DTL
Palo Alto's WineBuyer.com Gets Bought
Peter Sinton, Chronicle Senior Writer Thursday, September 14, 2000
Grapes are not the only things getting crushed and blended this harvest
season. So are wineries and wine e-tailers. In the latest deal, EVineyard of
Portland, Ore., said yesterday that it is acquiring WineBuyer.com of Palo
Alto for an undisclosed price. The companies operate in separate e-commerce
niches.
WineBuyer.com claims to be the wine industry's first
business-to-business marketplace linking licensed alcoholic-beverage
wholesalers and retailers. By contrast, EVineyard is an online wine
retailer licensed to sell more than 5,000 domestic and imported brands
in 25 states that account for more than 70 percent of U.S. premium wine
sales.
Like other dot-coms that have rushed to merge since the Nasdaq Stock
Market correction in April, online wine vendors are feeling the urge to
merge to conserve capital and gain economies of scale.
Sellers of wine also must cope with complex U.S. and state laws
governing the sale of alcoholic beverages and a cumbersome three-tier
distribution system that typically requires that wine move through a
distributor/wholesaler and then retailer before it reaches the consumer.
``Improving our inventory management through strengthened wholesaler
partnerships will enable us to offer our customers consistently
efficient service and an even greater selection of wines,'' said
EVineyard CEO Larry Gerhard in a statement.
WineBuyer.com founder and CEO John Boone, who will be vice president of
business services at EVineyard, said the deal ``expands EVineyard's
access to the wines its customers seek'' while giving distributors
access to EVineyard's ``virtual storefront.''
Salomon Smith Barney estimates that online business-to-consumer wine
sales will grow from $150 million this year to $1.2 billion in 2001.
In the largest merger of e-wine companies last month, Wine.com of Napa
combined with WineShopper.com of San Francisco.
Wine.com had raised $96 million from venture capital investors and
WineShopper.com had raised about $46 million. By contrast, EVineyard
built its business since May 1999 with just $13 million million in
private capital. Sales this year will be approximately $10 million to
$15 million. ©2000 San Francisco Chronicle Page B4
http://www.pioneerplanet.com:80/seven-days/2/news/docs/023843.htm
Published: Thursday, September 14, 2000
Mayor is asked to help on odor issue
Amid shouts of protest from half a dozen sign-carrying neighbors, the
St. Paul City Council passed a resolution Wednesday requesting the mayor
to talk to state agencies to resolve the odor problems at the Gopher
State Ethanol Plant.
The plant, at the Minnesota Brewing Co. brewery on West Seventh Street,
has generated numerous complaints from neighbors and city residents as
far away as Highland Park and Frogtown since it began turning corn into
ethanol back in April.
Dan Smith of the city's Planning and Economic Development Department
said a group of neighbors have begun meeting with Jack Lee and other
company officials to find a way to fix the odor problem.
Several of the council members noted that the city has no real authority
over the plant because all the permits came from the state. Therefore,
the council said, Mayor Norm Coleman should work with state legislators
and state agencies to fix the problem.
Several of the neighbors, however, shouted out that the city could shut
it down under the nuisance ordinance and that the ethanol production
posed an explosive danger.
-- CHARLES LASZEWSKI, STAFF WRITER
http://www.pioneerplanet.com:80/seven-days/5/opinion/docs/005796.htm
Published: Monday, September 11, 2000 by Rick Berman
* Lower standard won't solve real problem
The ``one drink equals impairment'' crowd is taking us through the
looking glass one more time. These anti-alcohol nannies have returned to
stalk the social drinker, once again trying to get the federal
government to deny highway money (to build safer roads) to states that
refuse to arrest moderate drinkers who drive (without improving safety).
As Congress weighs forcing states to change their traffic laws to adopt
the so-called .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) arrest
level, consider the following: Candy Lightner, founder of Mothers
Against Drunk Driving, has said, ``I worry that the movement I helped
create has lost direction.'' The .O8 legislation, she says, ``ignores
the real core of the problem.''
Congress' General Accounting Office, commenting on the most widely cited
support for .08, charitably called the three-page study ``unfounded.''
After the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the University of
North Carolina studied their own state's .08 laws, both found no effect
on drunk drivers. (Ironically, California found the law intimidated
already moderate drinkers into drinking even less.)
Of course, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
and MADD feel otherwise -- despite the evidence. In 1997, NHTSA Deputy
Administrator Phillip Recht, told a Senate committee of a research
report that found 12 percent fewer DWI fatalities resulting from a .08
California law. What the witness forgot to mention was that the ``12
percent'' figure was only a 1991 prediction. It proved to be false one
year later! (The real Golden State number of 6.1 percent was actually
slightly worse than the improvement experienced by the rest of the
country.) The GAO has roundly criticized NHTSA's .08 evidence as
``overstated.''
The media plays a special role as enabler to the .08 addicts. After all,
most people don't have a clue to what being arrested at ``. 08'' means.
But trying to inform the public through the press is difficult.
When NHTSA was confronted with their own calculation that under .08
laws, a 120-pound woman would be facing jail after having two 6-ounce
glasses of wine over two hours, NHTSA denied it was possible. Most media
picked up only their public denial, despite NHTSA's own department head
(with a doctorate in mathematics) admitting it to be true.
The media's failure to report this duplicity goes farther. The
Washington Post has been on a DWI jihad for years. Describing the .08
level of impairment, the Post suggests arrest, imprisonment, loss of
license and thousands of dollars in fines, legal fees and increased
insurance are warranted. However, the traffic safety mavens on the Post
editorial board have a different view when it comes to the new driving
impairment -- cell phone use.
The New England Journal of Medicine has reported that the road safety
hazard of all these cell users is more dangerous than a .08 driver. On
this impairment the Post timidly suggests some new restrictions
``wouldn't be a bad thing.'' Impairments at equal levels should dictate
equal concern, penalties, etc. However, the apparent historical
(hysterical?) bias against ``drinking'' drives some unusual results.
The New York Times is another ``arrest 'em at .O8'' advocate. When it
comes to cell phone impairment, the Times has excused the chatty
drivers. They suggest that phone use and accidents may be an
``association, not a causal relationship.'' Yet NHTSA indicates the same
is true of many ``alcohol related fatalities.'' Many are not the fault
of the drinking driver.
So how did we get here? Well, you can start with MADD's $40-million-plus
annual cash flow. With salaries, pensions and other fringe benefits in
excess of $9 million at stake, the beat goes on. Making the universe of
``drunks'' bigger by changing the definition of ``drunk'' is ingenious
(if not truthful).
The drunk-driving problem of the early 1980s has evolved dramatically.
People in control of their drinking behavior also obey the new laws.
Some even overdo it by refusing any drinks before driving.
The drunk driving problem today exists at a new level -- what Katherine
Prescott, past president of MADD labeled ``a hard core of alcoholics who
do not respond to public appeals.'' It's disingenuous to attempt
treating these people who have an addiction to destructive behavior by
passing new laws aimed at everyone.
http://www7.mercurycenter.com:80/premium/food/docs/platesa13.htm
Published Wednesday, September 13, 2000, in the San Jose Mercury News
RECIPE: Beer bread
3 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces fresh Miller Genuine Draft beer
1 stick butter (not margarine)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
together. Add beer and mix well. Spoon into two greased loaf pans. Melt
butter and drizzle over top. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until bread is
golden and pick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 2 medium
loaves.
http://news.excite.com/news/r/000915/07/odd-cocaine-dc
Need to Store Cocaine? Try the Bank
September 15, 2000 CARACAS (Reuters) - Drug-trafficking in some Latin
American countries knows no limits. On Thursday it reached Venezuela's
Central Bank. The bank's cavernous vaults received an unusual deposit: 290
pounds (130 kilos) of pure cocaine.
But it was all legitimate.
The Public Prosecutor's office asked the Central Bank to help store the
drugs for a while because police had run out of space following record
hauls of narcotics this year in the South American country.
Seized illicit drugs in Venezuela by law cannot be destroyed until an
investigation is carried out.
"We hope it (the cocaine) stays there no more than a month," said Javier
Carrera, anti-narcotics director at the Public Prosecutor's office.
"Anti-narcotics police have storage areas but they're completely full,
there is even drugs in the director's office," he added.
Venezuela has become in recent years a major smuggling route for cocaine
from the world's largest producer, neighboring Colombia, to markets in
the United States and Europe.
A record 17 tons of drugs have been seized so far this year, 70 percent
more than during the whole of 1999, including 8.2 tons confiscated last
month in a billion-dollar international bust, the country's largest-ever
haul.
J2jurado
Duvel First-Half Profit Rises 21%; Acquires Fruit Juice Maker
Brussels, Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Duvel Moortgat NV said first-half profit rose
21 percent as the Belgian brewer sold more of its specialty beers at home and
abroad. Duvel also said it bought Freya's Deli Fruit NV, a Belgian maker of
fruit juices.
Duvel reported profit before one-time items and goodwill rose to 3.2 million
euros ($2.8 million) from 2.7 million euros in the same period a year earlier.
The sale of its ``Blanche de Bruges'' brand boosted net profit, which fell to
3.5 million euros from 24.4 million euros. The company gained 21.5 million
euros last year from the sale of real estate.
Duvel, which is counting on people switching to specialty beers from
mass-market beers, is boosting sales in Belgium and abroad at a time the beer
sales are stagnating. Sales in Belgium, Duvel's home and most important market,
rose 8.1 percent, while last year the market rose 1.4 percent, the company
said. Belgian sales of Duvel, its eponymously named beer, rose 9.1 percent.
Total sales rose 9.7 percent to 23.2 million euros.
``It's a mature market but maybe there is the tendency to change from lager
beers to specialty beers,'' said Herbert De Loose, Moortgat's chief financial
officer. De Loose expects sales for the full year to rise 10 percent to 48.6
million euros.
Duvel is focusing on expanding its export markets, which currently represent
some 20 percent of sales. Sales to the Netherlands, the company's No. 1 market
after Belgium, rose 11.7 percent, while sales to France, its second export
market, rose 5 percent. Sales in the U.K. rose 36.1 percent.
The company, which raised 45.7 million euros last year in an initial public
offering, said it bought a 70 percent stake in Freya's for an undisclosed
amount. The remaining stake is owned by the Sterkens family, who will continue
to manage Freya's.
Freya's, which sells most its juice in the Netherlands, made a profit of
195,000 euros in 1999 on sales of 1.3 million euros. The company expects profit
this year of 243,700 euros with sales of about 1.6 million euros. Duvel said
Freya's would add to this year's sales and profit.
Duvel said it is still looking for existing breweries to buy and has 1 billion
Belgian francs ($21.4 million) in cash available for acquisitions.
``We have companies on a short list -- it will happen when it happens,'' said
Michel Moortgat, Duvel's chairman.
The company is changing the way it exports its beer, moving away from importers
and selling directly to cafes and bars. In the Netherlands, Duvel is a member
of Brewers Special Beers, a non- profit making association set up by beverage
makers to distribute their products. Duvel wants to set up a similar system in
France, where it currently uses three or four importers.
The company also said it is in talks to raise its 45-percent stake in Brewery
Ommegang, which sells its own Belgian-style beers on the U.S. market.
Duvel said it has now sold 1000 hectoliters of its ``Passendale'' beer, which
it is marketing with cheese maker Passendale SA. Duvel, which sells 250,000
hectoliters of beer a year, began selling the ``Passendale'' brand in June.
Guinness, Carlsberg Malaysia Sales Cooled By Coffee
Kuala Lumpur, Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Carlsberg Brewery Bhd., Malaysia's top
brewer, and rival Guinness Anchor Bhd. are hurting. The culprit: coffee.
In malls across Kuala Lumpur, sipping lattes or cappuccinos at outlets like
Starbucks is becoming hugely popular. Good for the Seattle-based coffee chain,
but a chilling trend for beer companies already reeling under higher taxes on
alcohol in the predominantly Muslim nation.
``When you go into a pub you tend to spend a lot more money; having coffee is
much more pleasant and the environment is better,'' said Chan Check Weng, a
23-year-old ethnic Chinese Web site developer in Kuala Lumpur, who once favored
pubs.
Not surprisingly, profits at beer companies are slipping and consumption is
unlikely to rise anytime soon, the companies said. Tax on beer was raised by 20
percent last year and there are worries now that an Islamic party's rising
influence may prompt the government to further raise ``sin'' tariffs on alcohol
in next month's budget. Beer sales dropped 7 percent to about 120 million
liters after the tax was raised.
While Malaysia's economic rebound -- gross domestic product expanded 11.9
percent in the first quarter and 8.8 percent in the second -- is helping
several industries such as autos and electronics, the beer industry is in the
doldrums.
``Total beer and stout consumption is not expected to improve,'' in the next
financial year, said Guinness, whose pretax profit fell 43 percent in the year
to June. Carlsberg Malaysia's pretax profit fell 7.6 percent on year to 63.3
million ringgit ($16.7 million) in the first half ended June.
The threat of coffee and concern that the government may further raise duties
on alcoholic beverages next year is taking the fizz out of brewery stocks.
Shares of Guinness, which also markets Tiger Beer, fell 7.4 percent in the last
three months to their lowest in 18 months, while Carlsberg dropped 3.9 percent,
its lowest in over two months.
Brand Building
To counter slumping sales and profit, the maker of Guinness Stout and Heineken
in Malaysia will advertise more. It plans to boost spending on its marketing
and advertising by 10 percent in the coming year, said Wong Peng Hong, finance
director and company secretary of Guinness. He declined to reveal figures.
``This business is all about building brands,'' said Guinness's Wong. ``We are
building the investment'' on advertising and promotion ``in the next two to
three years to gain market share.''
Retaining - if not adding customers - is critical for the breweries as coffee
chains like Starbucks become the venues of choice for a large number of Asians.
Starbucks, which opened its first retail outlet in Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur
Plaza in December, 1998, now has 12 such shops in the country. Coffee Bean &
Tea Leaf, a privately owned Los Angeles- based company, has more than twice
that number.
``The market for coffee is tremendous; Malaysians have accepted it so easily,''
said Ho Yoon Weng, chief executive officer of Hoca Specialty Coffee Sdn. which
plans to set up 13 coffee outlets in Malaysia this year and next year. ``It's a
healthy lifestyle (and) gives a place for teenagers to hang out, instead of
pubs and karaoke lounges.''
Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz, who heads the largest U.S. chain of coffee
shops, said in May that the company has the potential to increase its Asian
outlets to 500 by 2003, from 350 now.
The rise in coffee drinkers has coincided with falling margins for beer
companies. Profit margins at beer companies are at five-year lows as falling
sales have sparked a price war. Carlsberg sells a 330 milliliter bottle of its
Danish Royal Stout brand at 3.50 ringgit, about a fourth cheaper than a 325 ml
bottle of Guinness Stout, sold at 4.75 ringgit.
``They are sacrificing margins to maintain market share,'' said Low Kwong
Choong, a fund manager at BHLB Asset Management Sdn., which handles $400
million. ``It's competition which nobody gains from. They'll just hurt each
other.''
Worse to Come
The price cuts are not helping sales.
``The outlook for growth in sales volume should be between flat (zero) and five
percent,'' said Loke Chee Kien, head of research at Sarawak Securities Sdn.
And that doesn't take into account a possible tax rate increase. With higher
duties, ``demand may fall more than 30 percent,'' said Jeffrey Tan, an analyst
who tracks brewery companies at KAF-Seagroatt & Campbell Securities Sdn. `` It
will take three to four years for consumption to recover.''
The bleak outlook for the industry is elbowing out some companies from the
business. In March, Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd. sold its 22 percent stake in
Carlsberg to the brewer's parent Carlsberg A/S, after owning shares in the
company for more than 20 years. Hap Seng thinks its better off investing in
palm oil-based food and beverage businesses.
Between tax concerns and the coffee threat, beer companies in Malaysia won't be
raising their mugs anytime soon.
Feldschloesschen CEO May Buy Company's Drinks Unit, Paper Says
Rheinfelden, Switzerland, Sept. 15 (Bloomberg)-- Christof Zuber, chief
executive of Feldschloesschen-Huerlimann Holding AG, Switzerland's biggest
brewer, wants to buy the company's drinks business, Swiss newspaper Cash
reported, citing no sources.
Zuber has teamed up with the Swiss branch of a European financial house to buy
the drinks unit, Cash said. It added that within two weeks a binding agreement
must be submitted to Credit Suisse First Boston, which is heading the search
for a buyer.
The Rheinfelden-based company said in March that it would sell its drinks
business as it transforms itself into a real- estate company. Analysts estimate
the unit, which groups the Cardinal beer and Passugger mineral water brands,
could fetch as much as $480 million.
Feldschloesschen said last month there has been ``considerable'' domestic and
foreign interest in the entire drinks division and for the possible separation
of the mineral- water business. Heineken NV, Carlsberg A/S and Interbrew NV
have all expressed interest, while analysts say South African Breweries Plc may
also consider an offer.
Zywiec Aims to Regain Its Lost Share in Poland's Beer Market
Warsaw, Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Zywiec SA, Poland's largest brewer, said it is
expanding distribution and cutting staff to regain market share that fell to 32
percent in the first half of the year from 37 percent in 1999, and reverse a
first-half loss.
The company is increasing the reach of its sales network, which provides
popular brands such as Zywiec, Warka, Lezajsk and EB to outlets across 60
percent of the country. Zywiec, 75 percent- owned by Heineken NV of the
Netherlands, also will cut 390 of the 4,900 staff this year. A further
reduction may follow, unless sales increase, company officials said.
``We are clearly not happy with the market share we lost recently and we will
do everything to regain it, though I cannot say right now what's our target,''
Alle Ypma, Zywiec's president, said at a press conference.
The brewer reported a loss of 64.2 million zloty ($14.3 million), or 10.01
zloty a share, for the first half of this year, compared with net income of
4.97 million zloty, or 77 groszy a share, in the same period a year earlier.
Sales were little changed at 1.1 billion zloty.
``It is clear the restructuring program we are halfway through now has affected
our net income, but we are not here for short term profit,'' said Ypma.
Investing in Marketing, Merger
The company invested an estimated 800 million zloty ($179 million) over the
past two years during a three-year reorganization to be completed by the end of
2001, Ypma said. The money was spent on acquisitions and investment in a new
computer system, marketing, distribution and strengthening management control.
Zywiec merged last year with another domestic beer company, Brewpole BV, in an
effort to improve its position in the face of growing competition on the Polish
beer market. Zywiec took a 1.33 billion-zloty charge for 1998 on its merger
with Brewpole, then Poland's largest brewer.
Beer sales grew 12.2 percent in the first half of this year and are expected to
grow about 6 percent for the whole year.
Kompania Piwowarska SA, Zywiec's nearest rival, increased its share of the
market to 31.5 percent in the fist half of 2000, from 29.0 percent last year.
Kompania Piwowarska is controlled by Polish group Kulczyk Holdings SA.
An independent survey recently rated Zywiec beer as Poland's tastiest, with the
company's EB rated the second-best beer on taste. Zywiec introduced
international quality control procedures last year.
The Habsburg family, descended from Austria's last emperor, is demanding 700
million zloty in compensation from Zywiec, set up by a Habsburg in 1856. The
brewer was taken over by the government after World War II as the communists
eliminated private property.
Zywiec, sold to private investors in 1994, says the government should deal with
compensation demands, not the company. The company said today it is confident
the issue will be ``solved positively.''
Zywiec shares fell 0.7 percent, or 2 zloty, to 297 zloty on the Warsaw Stock
Exchange.
AmBev Announces the Completion of the Combination of Brahma and Antarctica
SAO PAULO, Brazil, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Companhia de Bebidas das Americas,
AmBev, today announced that the final legal step in the combination of
Companhia Cervejaria Brahma and Companhia Antarctica Paulista - Industria
Brasileira de Bebidas e Conexos has been completed. At meetings of AmBev's and
Brahma's shareholders held yesterday, the exchange of all outstanding shares of
Brahma for shares of AmBev was approved and, therefore, Brahma has become a
wholly owned subsidiary of AmBev. Antarctica became a wholly owned AmBev
subsidiary in September 1999.
AmBev's American depositary shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange
today. Shares of AmBev have been traded on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange since
September 1999.
For additional information, please contact Milton Cabral (phone: 5511-3741-7560
or e-mail: acmi...@ambev.com.br) or Vanessa Barion (phone: 5511-3741-7553 or
e-mail: acba...@ambev.com.br) both of AmBev Investor Relations.
AmBev says 6 companies making offers for Bavaria brand
NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Brazilian beverage giant AmBev <<A
HREF="aol://4785:ABV">ABV.N</A>><AMBV4.SA> said Friday 6 companies have made
non-binding offers to buy its Bavaria brand and assets.
The company hopes the sale of the beer brand and its factories, a stipulation
of the union of Brazil's top two brewers Brahma and Antarctica that formed
AmBev, will bring in $100 million to $200 million, Marcel Telles, AmBev chief
executive said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
AmBev expects to close the sale by November, Telles said.
Telles was not worried the sale might introduce a powerful foreign competitor
into the Brazilian beer market.
"Quite Frankly, we'd love to have a big foreigner competing against us in
Brazil," Telles said. "We promise to give them the toughest time."
Brazil's Ambev Rises 3.3% on First NYSE Trading Day
New York, Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Brazilian brewer Cia. de Bebidas das Americas
rose on its first day of trading in New York as investors snapped up shares in
the world's No. 4 beermaker.
Shares of Ambev, the result of a merger of Brazil's two largest brewers, rose
3.3 percent to $21.69 on the New York Stock Exchange. The listing was the final
step in the $3.9 billion takeover by Cia. Cervejaria Brahma, the No. 1 brewer,
of rival brewery Cia. Antarctica Paulista in July 1999. The Ambev shares, which
are traded under the symbol ABV, replaced Brahma's shares.
``With the new share we are bringing more visibility and more liquidity to the
company,'' said Marcel Telles, Ambev's co- chairman. ``We can't be considered a
global company if we don't have shares traded in New York.''
With the share swap completed, investors can focus on the growth prospects and
efficiency gains that Ambev should be able to generate from the takeover, said
Kristi King Etchberger, an analyst at ABN Amro Bank in Mexico City, who has a
``buy'' rating on Brahma shares.
Ambev posted a 102.4 million reais ($56 million) loss in the second quarter as
it absorbed costs associated with the takeover even as net sales climbed 14
percent.
PepsiCo
Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen joined Telles to ring the closing bell at
the NYSE. Ambev erected a stage decorated as a tropical forest outside the
exchange to mark the event.
Ambev also handed out 6,000 cans of Guarana Antarctica, a carbonated soft drink
made from an Amazonian berry with a supposed stimulant and aphrodisiac
qualities, to passers-by on Wall Street.
The company plans to distribute the soft drink in 175 countries through an
agreement with PepsiCo Inc. PepsiCo's chairman of international operations,
Peter Thompson, said the soft drink is being tested in several cities,
including in the U.S., but final reports won't be available until 2001.
``It would be premature to start the distribution of guarana in the U.S. now,''
said Thompson.
He also denied speculation PepsiCo is planning to buy a stake in Ambev.
``This is unlikely,'' he said. ``We are satisfied with the partnership we have
now.''
Ambev says its production capacity of 56 million hectoliters a year make it the
world's No. 4 brewer after Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.'s 158 million
hectoliter capacity, Interbrew's 97 million hectoliter capacity and Heineken
NV's 72 million hectoliter capacity.
The company is planning to expand in South America through acquisitions or
strategic alliances, Telles said. The company is selling its assets and rights
to the brand name ``Bavaria'' as part of the takeover agreement with
Antarctica. Six companies are interested in acquiring the brand and the
transaction should be concluded by the end of the year, he said.
Before the swap, there were 5.63 billion outstanding Brahma shares, with 79.4
percent traded on the market. Of that total, 1.8 billion were traded in the
U.S. in the form of American depositary receipts.
After the share swap, former minority Brahma shareholders will hold 72.8
percent of the company. About 30 percent of the outstanding stock is in the
hand of foreign investors, the company said.
Ambev's preferred shares rose as much as 3.6 percent to 2,020 in Brazil.
Mexicans ready for first ``non-dry'' independence
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - In a sign of how deep change may go after the historic
ouster of the ruling party, residents of Mexico City Friday celebrate their
first Independence Day in more than seven decades without a ban on alcohol.
This week, Mexico City's left-leaning government announced it would lift a
long-time ``dry law'' for the nation's most patriotic festival, which marks the
start of the country's war of independence against Spain. The law has
prohibited alcohol sales during holidays and elections since the early 1920s.
The dry law was put in place after an attempted assassination of President
Pascual Ortiz Rubio, who became the first of 13 Mexican presidents from the
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), founded in 1929.
A true test of the new freedom to swig fiery tequila and beer could be in the
city's Zocalo, or central plaza, where as many as 50,000 Mexicans are expected
to gather around midnight to shout out the names of heroes from the 11-year war
of independence.
The battle calls invoke the famed ``cry of Dolores,'' a speech by Catholic
priest Miguel Hidalgo. On Sept. 15, 1810, in the town of Dolores, in the
central state of Guanajuato, Hidalgo delivered an address summoning the nation
to fight for independence.
The cancellation of the dry law comes amid a year of many firsts for Mexico. In
a July 2 presidential election, Vicente Fox of the center-right National Action
Party (PAN) ended the PRI's 71 years of continuous rule.
President Ernesto Zedillo, who hands over power to Fox on Dec. 1, will preside
over the Mexico City Zocalo festivities late on Friday night, which many see as
the PRI's ``last hurrah.''
Fox was scheduled to ring in independence on Friday night at his ranch in Leon,
Guanajuato.
The president-elect issued a statement saying Independence Day was for all
Mexicans, including some 18 million he estimated lived in the United States.
``Today, on the anniversary of our independence, I reiterate my commitment:
Mexico does not end at the border. Mexico exists where Mexicans chose to live.
Our support will reach as far as them,'' Fox said.
Fox has pledged to try and get the United States and Canada to deepen the North
American Free Trade Agreement, which they share with Mexico.
NAFTA is limited to free trade but Fox says it should also contemplate the free
movement of people. Washington and Ottawa both rebuffed Fox's proposal when he
paid a visit to Mexico's northern neighbors in August.
Texas To Lose Federal Highway Funding
.c The Associated Press
09-15-00 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas leads the nation in alcohol-related
traffic deaths and will lose $96 million in federal highway construction funds
over the next two years because state law is not tough enough on drunken
drivers, a state official said.
Mark Cross, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation, said
federal law requires the state to divert the money from construction to
traffic-safety efforts because Texas doesn't ban open containers of alcohol in
vehicles or automatically jail repeat drunken drivers.
``It's money that we would have used for construction and traffic congestion
and mobility'' projects, Cross said in Thursday's editions of The Dallas
Morning News.
In 1999, Texas had 1,734 alcohol-related traffic fatalities, about half of all
driving deaths in the state that year, according to figures from the U.S.
Department of Transportation. California was second with 1,351 alcohol-related
driving fatalities.
Nationwide, about 38 percent of all traffic deaths are alcohol-related,
according to federal figures.
Fifteen other states also will lose some of their federal highway construction
funds by Oct. 1 under a 1998 federal law that withholds the money unless states
ban open containers of alcohol and strongly punish repeat offenders.
Texas State Rep. Fred Hill, who has tried five times to pass legislation
banning open containers in vehicles, said he would try again when the
Legislature convenes in January.
``Every time the Texas Legislature fails to pass this, people die,'' he said.
Once played for beer and fun, beach volleyball enters its biggest stage
By TOM COHEN
.c The Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Americans Holly McPeak and Misty May started strongly
in Olympic beach volleyball, scoring the first 13 points and never giving the
Czech duo of Martina Hudcova and Tereza Tobiasova a chance in a 15-5 rout.
The fourth-seeded Americans displayed seamless teamwork Saturday (Friday night
EDT), with McPeak making repeated defensive saves to set up May for decisive
shots.
U.S. flags waved throughout the cheering, dancing crowd of 10,000 at Sydney's
renowned Bondi Beach on the first morning of the women's competition in the
second <A HREF="aol://1722:olympics">Olympics</A> for the sport.
The match was 16 minutes old before Hudcova and Tobiasova finally scored their
first points off Tobiasova's powerful jump serves. A two- and then three-point
run brought the Czechs to 14-5 before McPeak closed it out on a serve Tobiasova
couldn't handle.
With the victory, McPeak and May entered the winner's bracket and gained a
four-day layoff, allowing May more training time after coming back recently
from a torn stomach muscle that kept her off the sand for more than a month.
May only resumed training when she and McPeak arrived in Australia five days
before their first match.
``I was just a little off on some of my footwork, because I couldn't practice
for a while,'' said May, a former indoor player who moved to the outdoor game
last year.
It didn't matter, though, with McPeak dominating early by returning everything
the Czechs offered and setting up May for cross-court kills.
``I was disappointed we had a letup,'' McPeak said of the five points scored by
the Czechs late in the match. ``I think we played some pretty good defense.
That was one of our goals, and I was happy about that.''
In other matches, 15th-seeded Anabelle Prawerman and Cecile Rigaux of France
held on for a 16-14 upset of Maike Friedrichsen and Danja Musch of Germany, the
10th seeds. Led by Rigaux's dominating net play, full of smashes and blocks,
the French side jumped to an 8-4 lead in a match that went on for more than an
hour.
Friedrichsen and Musch, who were 2-0 in previous matches against Prawerman and
Rigaux, tied it at 8, but the Germans were never able to get ahead. Rigaux's
block of Friedrichsen broke a 14-all tie to set up the French victory.
The other German team in the women's competition - eighth-seeded Ulrike Schmidt
and Gudula Staub - barely avoided an upset, rallying from a 13-10 deficit to
defeat 17th-seeded Zhang Jingkun and Tian Jia of China 17-15.
Maria Jose Schuller and Ana Cristina Pereira of Portugal easily defeated Zi
Xiong and Rong Chi of China 15-5, and Laura Bruschini and Annamaria Solazzi of
Italy blasted Vasiliki Karadassiou and Effrosyni Sfyri of Greece, 15-2. Yukiko
Takahasi and Mika Saiki of Japan defeated compatriots Yukiko Ishizaka and Chie
Seike 15-3.
The men's competition begins Sunday.
More reports of tainted bottled water in New York
By Chris Michaud
NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The number of reported cases of tainted bottled
water rose in the New York area on Friday as laboratories tested water for
ammonia or other toxins that have sickened at least three people.
While only three cases have been confirmed, at least two other bottles of water
were being tested for contaminants and at least two other incidents had been
reported.
State health officials said they were testing water that came from the same
batches as the tainted water, and had cleared two of the bottlers of any
problems at the manufacturing end.
The brands involved included Poland Springs and Perrier, both owned by Perrier
Group, a unit of Nestle SA <NESZn.S>, and Aquafina, owned by PepsiCo Inc. <<A
HREF="aol://4785:PEP">PEP.N</A>>.
In one new case, Suffolk County police on Long Island said on Friday that a
30-year-old man reported getting sick after he drank about half a bottle of
Poland Spring water he bought at a convenience store. He was treated at a local
hospital and the water was sent to a lab for testing, said officer Robert Hoss,
who added the water reportedly had a "chlorine-type smell."
Also, a Westchester police department employee told the New York Post he has
been unable to work since July 2, when he drank Poland Spring water that was
tainted with ammonia. The Post said police closed the case because there was no
evidence of tampering.
The Daily News reported a Queens family was sickened two months ago by Poland
Spring water that company officials confirmed had been tainted with gasoline,
but the family never reported the incident to police.
Officials were skeptical of a seventh case, which was reported on Thursday by a
gas station worker after the FBI said it was helping New York City police
investigate other incidents. Tests on the water in the case had not been
completed.
The three confirmed cases involve people in Manhattan who drank water that was
later found to have been tainted with ammonia or lye. The first occurred on
Aug. 3. Two victims were treated in hospital and released but an 18-month-old
boy was hospitalized six days.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has urged New Yorkers to check any bottled water for
signs of tampering or contamination before drinking, but he said removing
bottles from store shelves was not warranted.
Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said nothing had been found to link the
cases.
Perrier Group officials said they found no evidence of contamination in their
manufacturing and delivery processes, though they were continuing to cooperate
with investigators.
Pepsi officials said the incidents stemmed from product tampering, not the
manufacturing process.
In 1999, 4.6 billion gallons (17.4 billion litres) of bottled water were sold
in the United States, according to the New York-based Beverage Marketing
Corporation, with total revenue of about $5.2 billion. New York ranks fourth in
U.S. markets for bottled water after California, Texas and Florida.
The Food and Drug Administration also confirmed that it is working closely
with other health and law enforcement agencies, said New York State Department
of Health spokeswoman Claire Pospisil.
J2jurado
.c The Associated Press , 9-16-00
MUNICH, Germany (AP) - With the traditional cry of ``Ozapft is!'' - ``It's
tapped!'' - Mayor Christian Ude opened the first keg Saturday at the 167th
Oktoberfest, an annual celebration of beer and sausage expected to draw some 7
million visitors.
Despite rainy weather, several thousand spectators turned out for the opening
parade featuring horse-drawn wagons and bands in traditional costumes of
lederhosen and dirndls.
Ude, wearing proper lederhosen himself, set the beer flowing with only two
blows on the keg - beating the old record of three - and served the first stein
to Bavarian state governor Edmund Stoiber.
The world's biggest festival, with 14 beer halls across a downtown meadow as
well as amusement park rides and food concessions, runs until Oct. 3.
On the Web:
Beer fans cheer as German Oktoberfest opens
By Alexander Huebner
MUNICH, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Beer lovers from around the world cheered as
Munich's mayor cracked open the first keg at the start of the 167th annual
Oktoberfest on Saturday, the world's biggest beer festival.
Mayor Christian Ude, wearing Bavarian leather shorts, or lederhosten, tapped
the first 200-litre keg at noon with a hammer and shouted ``O'zapft is'' -- the
keg is tapped.
Ude and Bavarian premier Edmund Stoiber then raised their one-litre glasses in
a toast to a peaceful Oktoberfest.
The beer travelled to the festival on horse-drawn carts from each of the local
breweries taking part in the festival, driven by brewers dressed in traditional
Bavarian garb.
This year beer fans will have an extra two days in which to quaff Bavaria's
famed brews as the festival will run two days longer than usual at 18 days, to
end on October 3 when Germany celebrates 10 years since reunification with a
public holiday.
The price of the beer is closely watched, and this year it will cost between
11.20 marks ($4.95) and 12.60 marks ($5.56) per litre -- a rise of seven
percent from a year ago even though the German inflation rate has been less
than two percent.
Organisers point out that, in exchange for the price rise, toilets this year
are free.
WEAK EURO TO BOOST VISITOR NUMBERS
Organisers are confident that the longer run and the euro's weakness against
the dollar, British pound and Japanese yen will lift attendance above seven
million and possibly above the 7.1 million record set in 1985.
``We could well set a record this year,'' Gabriele Papke, a spokeswoman for
Munich's tourist office, said last week. ``A lot will depend on whether we have
good weather. We expect lots of Americans because of the favourable dollar
rate.''
The dollar has pushed the euro to successive lows since it was launched 20
months ago while the German mark -- still used in everyday life -- has surged
to a 14-year peak of about 2.26 to the dollar.
Last year 6.5 million visitors from around the world drank a record 5.8 million
litres (1.28 million gallons) of beer at the two-week orgy of beer drinking,
packing the city of 1.8 million and leaving behind revenues of 1.4 billion
marks ($650 million).
About 10 percent of the visitors come from abroad, with Australians, Americans,
Italians, Japanese and British filling 14 cavernous beer tents as big as
football fields that hold up to 10,000 people, many of whom dance and French
kiss on the tables to Bavarian oom-pah brass bands.
The annual tribute to Bavaria's favourite beverage traces its roots to 1810
when it was first held to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig
and Princes Therese of Saxony-Hildenburghausen.
Local rules stipulate that only beer brewed in Munich can be sold, a
requirement that enrages Prinz Luitpold, a relative of the old Bavarian royal
house, whose palace brewery is outside the Bavarian capital city's limits.
``Oktoberfest is just a great big rip-off for American tourists,'' the prince
told Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper. He has tried for 22 years to obtain a
licence to sell his brew at Oktoberfest.
French 2000 wine harvest expected nine pct lower
PARIS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - France's wine harvest will fall by nine percent in
2000 from the exceptionally high levels recorded the previous year, the
Agriculture ministry said on Friday.
The ministry's statistics office pegged France's 2000 wine production at 57.5
million litres, down from 62.93 million the previous year but in line with the
five-year average of 57.51 million litres.
It said heavy rains and hail storms in July had damaged a small number of
vineyards and helped the spread of diseases like mildew, but an improvement in
weather conditions in August had helped to contain them.
``After a month of July characterised by abundant rains and alternations
between warm and cold, a warm and dry month of August had been very favourable
to the development and ripening of grapes,'' the ministry said in a statement.
Sunny skies had led growers in most regions to begin the harvest earlier. In
Beaujolais for instance, the harvest started on August 28, the earliest since
1976.
This year's production of so-called vins d'appellation controlle from
prestigious vines was seen at 26.64 million litres, up slightly from 26.41
million in 1999.
Table wine output, on the other hand, was set to drop by six percent
year-on-year to 15.28 million litres.
The ministry said the output of wines suitable for making cognac would fall
sharply to 7.71 million litres, down from 11.07 million the previous year and
from a five-year average of 9.84 million litres.
The final quality of the wines -- determined by acidity and sugar levels --
will depend on the weather during harvesting in September and October.
US denies planning WTO case vs Australia over grapes
WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - U.S. trade officials said on Friday they had no
plans to file a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint against Australia over
that country's ban of U.S. grape imports.
"We are disappointed with Australia's failure to conclude the review of imports
of U.S. grapes. We are continuing to discuss this issue with the Australian
authorities. But we have no plans to file a WTO case at this time," said
Brendan Daly, spokesman for U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky,
denying reports a case was being considered.
The dispute centers on a decision by Australia's Department of Agriculture to
delay issuing approvals for U.S. table grape imports. Australian officials
cited an outbreak of Pierce's disease in the California table grape and wine
industries.
Even ancient Greece knew ticket scams and whores
AP-NY-09-16-00
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Old Pindar the poet, perhaps the greatest sports
writer of all time, would be amazed at an <A
HREF="aol://1722:olympics">Olympics</A> 2,500 years on. Then again, maybe not.
Along with the glory, there was political appeasement and publicity hype,
corruption and commercialism, drug use, big-money prizes, high-tech gear, and
everything from traffic jams to ticket scams.
``The odes back then glorified the sponsors as much as the athletes,'' Willis
Barnstone, an American poet who translates ancient Greek, observed with a
chuckle. ``Like now, the organizers were pretty pragmatic.''
Take the chariot race Nero entered. He fell off on a turn and, though helped
back on, he failed to finish. The Roman emperor won on the grounds that he
would have been first had he kept his horses before the cart.
It was a curious enough call, but everyone knew a short-fused Nero could torch
half of Greece. The ancient International Olympic Committee simply waited until
the emperor died and then revoked his laurels.
But in the year he died, 68 A.D., world-class scandal tainted the Olympics.
Galba, Nero's successor, demanded back the 250,000 drachmas he said Nero paid
judges. It seemed that greed, not fear of scandal, explained the decision.
Pindar would not recognize two icons taken today as ancient: the torch relay
and the five interlocking rings carved in the rocks at Delphi. Both date back
to the Berlin games of 1936, which Adolf Hitler turned into a Nazi propaganda
extravaganza.
A sacred fire did burn night and day at Olympia to light up nearby altars. At
some festivals, relay racers passed along a torch, and the winner ignited a
sacrificial flame. The rest is strictly modern.
The symbolic rings were devised in 1913. A German filmmaker later carved them
at Delphi which, in any case, is a long way from the original Peloponnesian
site.
On the grand scale, however, mostly only the details have changed.
Anyone reporting the Sydney opening ceremony could borrow from Pindar's
``Olympian Odes'': ``And the whole company raised a great cheer, while the
lovely light of the fair-faced moon lit up the evening. Then, in joyful
celebration, the whole Altis rang with banquet-song.''
At Sydney, media people outnumber the 10,000 Olympians, including big-name
stars who describe the action to billions around the planet. But Plutarch, the
ancient Greek biographer, also noted the relative importance of the reporter:
``Themistocles, being asked whether he would rather be Achilles or Homer, said,
'Which would you rather be: a conqueror in the Olympic Games, or a crier or
whore that proclaims who are conquerors?'''
Technology has improved a bit since 500 B.C., but concepts remain. The hot item
today is sharkskin swimwear to cut drag in the water. Back then, naked athletes
slathered on high-grade olive oil for aerodynamics.
Greek pharmacology was short on EPO and steroids, and records are sketchy.
Still, Dr. Bob Goldman, author of ``Death in the Locker Room,'' says the
earliest athletes found ways to enhance performance.
``They used alcohol and mixtures of stimulants, including things they chewed
which might have been opiates,'' he said.
The first recorded medal - it was an olive wreath, in fact - went to Coroebus
of Elis, a cook who ran about 200 meters in 776 B.C., some years before
stopwatches were invented.
Even since, the Roman buzzwords have marked every set of games: Citius, Altius,
Fortius - Swifter, Higher, Stronger.
Today, conquering heroes fly back to airport hoopla and endorsement contracts.
Then, many came home through gates cut into city walls in their honor and were
lodged and fed free for life.
There are differences, of course.
The early games, devoted to Zeus, had far more spiritual meaning. Olympian
fields were as much temples for religious devotion as sports complexes.
``There is no modern equivalent for Olympia,'' British scholar Judith Swaddling
notes. ``It would have to be something like a combination of Wembley Stadium,
the Red Light District and Westminster Abbey.''
Women these days compete on equal footing. The earliest games were men-only,
and any married woman caught sneaking a peek was pitched headlong off the
cliffs of Mount Typaeum.
Events were only foot races at first, followed by pentathlon, wrestling, boxing
and chariot-racing. The javelin and discus date back a long way. Beach
volleyball does not.
The ancient games stopped for good in 395 A.D., and Olympia was vandalized
beyond repair. No one thought much about them until a French visionary, Baron
Pierre de Coubertin, breathed in new life.
In 1896, the Olympics were reborn in Greece, at Athens. Four years later, the
baron brought them to Paris. Nasty French infighting added what would grow into
a new dimension of worldwide rivalry over venue and power.
About then, Goldman asserts, some competitors used cocaine and speedballs of
nicotine and caffeine to revive the ancient quest for an extra edge.
During ancient times, organizers had such clout that they persuaded leaders to
suspend all wars and major banditry in the Olympic spirit.
During the past century, wars and political boycotts have hampered or even
canceled the Olympics. Now the IOC is fighting to retain dwindling credibility
in the face of scandal and criticism.
But the spirit of Pindar, when he wrote of Theron and fellow winners, has
somehow remained:
``Among all mortals they drew near the gods through lavish feasts and true
reverence for the mysteries. If water is best of all things, and gold the
dearest possession, then Theron's virtues touch the uttermost realm of
excellence.''
Today, securing a seat at the Olympics, and getting to it, is no mean feat. Yet
modern spectators might take comfort in what could have been an op-ed piece by
Epictetus written two millennia ago:
``There are enough irksome and troublesome things in life; aren't things just
as bad at the Olympic festival? Aren't you scorched there by the fierce heat?
Aren't you crushed in the crowd? Isn't it difficult to freshen yourself up?
``Aren't you bothered by the noise, the din and other nuisances? But it seems
to me that you are well able to bear and indeed gladly endure all this, when
you think of the gripping spectacles that you will see.''
J2jurado
Beyond the French paradox
14 SEPTEMBER 2000 Eugene E. Emeson, M.D.: eme...@uic.edu 312-996-4812
Beyond the French paradox
* Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single largest killer of U.S. males
and females.
* CHD is caused by partial or complete clogging of the coronary arteries
that nourish the heart.
* Atherosclerosis refers to the accumulation of fatty streak lesions in
the coronary arteries.
* A recent study has found that moderate consumption of alcohol seems to
inhibit the development of atherosclerotic lesions as well as inhibit the
progression of existing lesions.
* In some cases, alcohol appears to have protective properties against
heart disease.
"Even though the French eat a lot more cholesterol than we do," said
Eugene E. Emeson, professor of pathology at the University of Illinois
at Chicago College of Medicine, "they have less heart disease than we
do. It was once thought this was because they drink a lot of red wine."
Emeson, lead author of a study in the September issue of Alcoholism:
Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER), was explaining what is
popularly known as the "French Paradox." Emeson said that while there
may indeed be protective properties in the products of red and white
grapes, he and his colleagues found that the alcohol itself also has
protective properties against heart disease.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single largest killer of U.S. males
and females, according to the American Heart Association. In 1997, for
example, CHD claimed the lives of close to 470,000 Americans. CHD is
caused by partial or complete clogging of the coronary arteries that
nourish the heart. This blockage can choke the blood supply to areas of
the heart, resulting in tissue death (also known as a heart attack).
"This process can narrow the artery by up to 90 percent," said Emeson,
"leaving only a pinpoint. This occurs very gradually, over a long period
of time. However, once you have a clot, and sudden occlusion, the muscle
dies. People can have occlusion at 25 percent blockage."
Accumulating data support a link between moderate consumption of alcohol
and a reduced incidence of and mortality due to CHD. Atherosclerosis,
the accumulation of fatty streak lesions in the coronary arteries, is a
precursor to CHD and is often associated with high serum cholesterol
levels. In an earlier study, Emeson found that alcohol seemed to reduce
the incidence of atherosclerosis. In this month's ACER study, Emeson
found that - at least in experimental animals - moderate amounts of
alcohol in the diet may not only reduce the size of atheroslerotic
lesions in the aorta but may even halt the progress of these lesions
after they have formed.
"Clearly I'm not advocating that everyone should be drinking alcohol,"
said Emeson, "but this helps explain the folklore that has been around
for years that a shot or two of whiskey may be good for you. Most
importantly, this kind of research helps us understand what the
mechanisms are why does alcohol seem to help the heart? The idea is that
if we can find the mechanism, we might be able to one day prevent the
disease and bypass the alcohol."
"Evidence has accumulated over the last two decades," observed Sam
Zakhari, director of the Division of Basic Research at the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, "suggesting that moderate
drinking can reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, and researchers
are beginning to understand the mechanisms of this effect. Thus, it is
enticing to simply advise people to drink moderately. Yet moderate
drinking is not risk-free, and the tradeoff between risk and benefits
should be considered for each individual, taking into account age,
gender, and lifestyle. Furthermore, some people should not drink at
all."
Zakhari listed a number of factors that need to be considered when
weighing the pros and cons of drinking alcohol. Since CHD is uncommon
before age 35 in men and age 50 in women, he said, younger people derive
no benefit from drinking and may instead increase their risk of having
an accident or becoming involved in an altercation. Furthermore, he
added, people taking medications - especially the elderly -risk
complications from interaction with the alcohol. In addition, Zakhari
cautioned that people who have a family history of alcoholism and/or
certain medical conditions such as pregnancy should exercise extreme
caution in their decision to drink.
Despite his words of warning about alcohol use, Zakhari acknowledged
that "how moderate alcohol consumption protects against risk of coronary
artery disease is a very important question." Thus far, he noted,
promising molecular studies have focused on some of the factors involved
in atherogenesis (the formation of lipid deposits in the arteries) and
coronary artery stenosis (a narrowing of the coronary artery).
"Extensive research is needed in the study of other factors involved in
atherogenesis," he said, "including nitric oxide, hormones, platelet
activation, eicosanoids, and cytokines, all of which alcohol use may
effect."
This is, in fact, what Emeson hopes to do: further explore the
mechanisms of alcohol's apparent reduction of CHD risk. "One of the
things that alcohol may do is alter the balance of something called
'cytokines,'" he said. "Cytokines are hormone-like proteins, biological
substances that almost all cells make, particularly blood cells. I think
that alcohol may alter the balance of cytokines, which may tip the
balance in favor of protection against atherosclerosis. We may one day
find there is a way of accomplishing this without using alcohol."
###
Co-authors of the Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research paper
included: Vlasios Manaves, Brian S. Emeson, Lu Chen, and Igor Jovanovic
of the Department of Pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago
College of Medicine. The study was funded in part by the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Heart Lung
and Blood Institute.
http://www.kcstar.com:80/item/pages/home.pat,local/3774c3b1.916,.html
Failure to strengthen drunken-driving laws imperils federal highway
money for Kansas, Missouri
By JOHN A. DVORAK - The Kansas City Star Date: 09/16/00 22:15
Highway construction in the nation will hit a $240 million bump in the
road next month, all because states did not pass tougher drunken-driving
laws.
The edict comes from Congress, which wants to see alcohol-related
traffic fatalities -- 15,800 last year -- decline.
So Washington called on state legislatures to ban open containers of
alcoholic beverages in vehicles and to come down hard on motorists who
commit multiple drunken-driving offenses.
States that did not comply, Congress said, would see some of their
highway construction money transferred to other programs that encouraged
driver safety.
The deadline arrives Oct. 1.
About 30 states have failed to meet the congressional standards, and
scheduled penalties total $240 million, according to the Federal Highway
Administration.
Kansas will see $3.4 million shifted away from construction because a
drunken-driving bill failed by one vote just minutes before the
Legislature adjourned in the spring.
In Missouri, where the General Assembly also debated but failed to pass
a bill, construction funds will take a $12.6 million hit.
Without future action by lawmakers, the losses will continue and
increase.
"Every dollar ought to be considered precious," said Joe Fahey, a
founder of Transport Missouri, an organization of businesses and civic
groups pushing for higher transportation spending. "A million here and a
million there, all of a sudden it starts to be real money."
Dollars for transportation are scarce enough, said Fahey, a construction
company executive.
"We certainly don't want to be penalized," he said.
Some neighboring states have complied with the mandate from Congress.
Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma face no penalties, federal officials say.
The money taken from construction does not go back to Washington. It
remains in the states but must be used for safety-related programs, such
as alcohol education, instead of rebuilding highways and bridges.
With each state spending several hundred million dollars a year on
highway construction, the loss of $3 million or $13 million won't
decimate budgets. Still, the loss is important.
"We need all the construction money we can get," said Kansas Rep. Gary
Hayzlett of Lakin, a Republican who heads the House Transportation
Committee.
Highway work carries a big price tag. Rehabilitating a mile of two-lane
road can cost at least $500,000. Reconstructing a rural interstate can
cost $3 million a mile.
As Kansas and Missouri watch some of their construction money withdrawn,
the two states plan to pay for highway projects with money borrowed
through the sale of bonds.
Avoiding the loss of construction money would not have required drastic
changes. The demands from Congress -- restrictions on containers and
harsh penalties for repeat drunken drivers -- were not groundbreaking
proposals.
Kansas already meets the demand for a container law, federal officials
say, while Missouri does not meet either of the standards.
Also, Congress called on states to lower the basic blood-alcohol
standard for drunken driving to 0.08 percent.
Kansas meets that demand. The state received a special grant of about $2
million for doing so. States that do not meet the standard, including
Missouri, receive no reward.
But the bottom line is simple: Drunken driving is a difficult issue for
state legislatures.
Politicians dislike the idea of new regulations. Overburdened police and
prosecutors already have plenty of work. Critics of tougher laws say
they will hurt taverns and restaurants.
In Missouri, lobbyists for Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis-based brewery
giant, wield considerable power.
In Kansas, lawmakers frequently complain about what they call
"blackmail" from Washington.
Sherry Cassidy, vice president of the Heartland chapter of Mothers
Against Drunk Driving, said the bill defeated in Kansas was relatively
minor. It would have increased the use of ignition interlock devices for
motorists who commit more than one drunken-driving offense.
Kansas could have chosen other alternatives for meeting the federal
rules, such as impounding or immobilizing the vehicles of repeat
offenders.
"There's still that mind-set with a lot of people that drinking and
driving is OK; everybody does it," said Cassidy, a Kansas City, Kan.,
resident who owns a company that supplies interlock devices.
Legislators such as Kansas Sen. Karin Brownlee of Olathe said the
federal requirements left them with unpalatable choices.
"Some of us are growing increasingly weary of the strings the federal
government attaches to its money," the Republican said. "They need to
let Kansas decide how to spend the money in Kansas."
She voted against the drunken-driving bill. Had she voted yes -- or had
any other senator voted yes -- the bill would have passed. Yet she
wishes the $3 million would still go for highway construction.
"In Olathe," she said, "we'd sure love to have it."
http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/09/16/munich.beer/index.html
Record turnout for beer festival expected
September 16, 2000 CNN.com
MUNICH, Germany -- A record number of globe-trotting drinkers are
expected to turn up at the Oktoberfest beer festival this year because
the weak euro means they will get more ale to the dollar, pound or
franc.
Beer lovers cheered as Munich's mayor cracked open the first keg at the
start of the 167th annual Oktoberfest, the world's biggest beer
festival.
Mayor Christian Ude, wearing Bavarian leather shorts, or lederhosen,
tapped the first 200-litre keg at noon with a hammer and shouted
"O'zapft is" -- the keg is tapped.
Ude and Bavarian premier Edmund Stoiber then raised their one-litre
glasses in a toast to a peaceful Oktoberfest.
The beer travelled to the festival on horse-drawn carts from each of the
local breweries taking part in the festival, driven by brewers dressed
in traditional Bavarian garb.
This year beer fans will have an extra two days in which to quaff
Bavaria's famed brews as the festival will run two days longer than
usual at 18 days, to end on October 3 when Germany celebrates 10 years
since reunification with a public holiday.
Seven million expected
The price of the beer is closely watched, and this year it will cost
between 11.20 marks ($4.95) and 12.60 marks ($5.56) per litre -- a rise
of seven percent from a year ago even though the German inflation rate
has been less than two percent.
Organisers point out that, in exchange for the price rise, toilets this
year are free.
Organisers are confident that the longer run and the euro's weakness
against the dollar, British pound and Japanese yen will lift attendance
above seven million and possibly above the 7.1 million record set in
1985.
"We could well set a record this year," Gabriele Papke, a spokeswoman
for Munich's tourist office, said last week. "A lot will depend on
whether we have good weather. We expect lots of Americans because of the
favourable dollar rate."
The dollar has pushed the euro to successive lows since it was launched
20 months ago while the German mark -- still used in everyday life --
has surged to a 14-year peak of about 2.26 to the dollar.
Last year 6.5 million visitors from around the world drank a record 5.8
million litres (1.28 million gallons) of beer at the two-week orgy of
beer drinking, packing the city of 1.8 million and leaving behind
revenues of 1.4 billion marks ($650 million).
About 10 percent of the visitors come from abroad, with Australians,
Americans, Italians, Japanese and British filling 14 cavernous beer
tents as big as football fields that hold up to 10,000 people, many of
whom dance on the tables to Bavarian oom-pah brass bands.
The annual tribute to Bavaria's favourite beverage traces its roots to
1810 when it was first held to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown
Prince Ludwig and Princes Therese of Saxony-Hildenburghausen.
Local rules stipulate that only beer brewed in Munich can be sold, a
requirement that enrages Prinz Luitpold, a relative of the old Bavarian
royal house, whose palace brewery is outside the Bavarian capital city's
limits.
"Oktoberfest is just a great big rip-off for American tourists," the
prince told Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper. He has tried for 22 years to
obtain a licence to sell his brew at Oktoberfest.
http://web.philly.com:80/content/inquirer/2000/09/17/national/PUB17.htm
In a long dry seaside resort, a fight over froth
Disgust and delight greeted an English pub that opened in an alcohol-free
town.
By Andrea Gerlin INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Sunday September 17, 2000
FRINTON-ON-SEA, England - What would an English village be without an
English pub, that icon of community conviviality and neighborhood cheer?
It would be Frinton-on-Sea - and quite proud of it, too, thank you.
This genteel seaside resort had been contentedly dry for more than 100
years, persuaded that anything as common as a pub might attract the
wrong sort. But last week, tradition gave way to frothy progress as the Lock &
Barrel, a converted hardware store, opened for business. The taps were
pulled and the first pints of beer began to flow, greeted by both
consternation and celebration.
"It's the worst day Frinton has suffered since a few Focke-Wulfs beat up
the town in 1944," said Roy Caddick, a longtime resident.
Nick Turner, a local councilman and hotel owner who battled to keep the
pub out, complained that the arrival of the Lock & Barrel threatened the
town's way of life. "The main reason I like living here is we are a reasonable
society. I
feel the pub threatens it. It will bring people from Walton and Ireland,"
Turner
said, soecifically referring to nearby Walton-on-the-Naze, a neighboring
working-class town. Frinton, Turner insisted, is unlike most of the country's
dirty and degraded seacoast, places to which "towns and cities export their
poverty." It was developed as - and remains - an "upmarket" summer
resort for London's well-to-do. Early in the 20th century, it attracted
Aga Khan, Winston Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
But many folks here and from nearby towns welcomed the pub as a triumph
over elitism.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," said 92-year-old Frintonian
Betty Gardner, enjoying a plate of bangers and mash at the pub's opening
party Wednesday. Aydan Chapman of Walton-on-the-Naze, dressed in a leather
motorcycle outfit and holding a glass of ale, agreed. "It's about time Frinton
actually had a pub," he said. Chapman, who works as a security guard, and his
friends came over to usher in the new pub. But they were precisely the people
that
polo-shirted Frintonians had sought to keep out of their neatly trimmed
community along Britain's eastern coast, with its hanging flower
baskets, sweeping greensward and private beach huts.
Led by the conservative Frinton Residents' Association, about 900 of the
town's nearly 6,000 year-round residents had signed a petition against
the pub when the Tendring District Council considered the proposal last
year to turn the century-old former ironmongery Blowers and Coopers - a
hardware store - into a pub.
The council approved the application in an 8-6 vote, setting the stage
for this week's opening. The actual event was marked by a flyover by a World
War II-vintage Spitfire, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of
the Battle of Britain. The plane was sent up by the pub's new owner and
operator,
Shepherd Neame, which at 302 years is Britain's oldest brewery.
Managing director Jonathan Neame said the company had spent about
$500,000 transforming the ironmongery into a pub. With bright yellow
walls, hardwood floors, framed posters and a cricket theme, it projected
an upmarket image at its opening.
"This atmosphere is like a pub in the City," as London's financial
district is known, said Janet Fomin of Frinton. Neame said the company
used reinforced glass in the windows and agreed
not to allow live music that might disturb residents who live in flats
above the Tudor-style shops along Connaught Avenue, the main avenue
through the town center. Parking is still a problem, with no large lots
nearby, but Neame said he expected many pub-goers would be within
walking distance.
How the folks from Frinton will mix with the folks from Walton remains
to be seen. But plenty of people at the pub's opening said they were
tired of the image their town had earned as hostile to outsiders.
"They're snobs here," said Joan Goodchild, who worked at the former
hardware store for 25 years. "The real Frintonians are for it. It's only
the ones who have come here lately who are against it."
"It is absolute snobbery by a very few; that's all it is," said Paul
Abbott, a paramedic from Frinton. "This is what it's all about, class
prejudice and not letting the yobs in."
One of his drinking buddies, British Telecom worker Ian Price of
Frinton, concurred. "Class distinction still dominates here," Price said.
"There are a lot of social barriers." Local newspaper reporter Mike Sams,
who has lived in Frinton all of his 51 years, said: "The opposition to the
pub was stirred up by the residents' association, which is what I consider to
be a small, nonrepresentative group who pretend to represent the interests of
the
town."
A few of the pub's early opponents were placated by the brewery's
efforts to appease them and have come to accept the pub as inevitable.
Christine Turner, mayor of Frinton and Walton, who initially opposed it,
counted herself among those people and attended the opening.
"There are a lot of residents around here who are used to the peace and
quiet," she said. "They are opposed to change, but, of course, change
does come. I don't think their fears will be fulfilled."
Even the rector of the local parish church, Andrew Rose, gave the Lock &
Barrel his blessing. He said a well-managed pub could only be an
enhancement to the community. Though he intended to build a good
relationship with its management, he said he would also warn away
members of the Alcoholics Anonymous group that meets at the parish.
Rose pulled out his pocket a copy of the New Testament and referred to
that morning's reading, from the Book of John: "Jesus stood up and said
if any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."
http://www.kcstar.com:80/item/pages/opinion.pat,opinion/3774c2b6.915,.html
Fix drunken-driving law
Date: 09/16/00 Kansas City Star
Missouri's law cracking down on minors who drink and drive needs serious
fixing if an appellate-court ruling is allowed to stand.
The law passed in 1996 was supposed to toughen statutes against drunken
driving by young people. It appears to have a loophole. It could be
interpreted to prevent police from stopping underage drunken drivers at
sobriety checkpoints or at other times. This is a distinction that means
teen-age drunken drivers can be treated more leniently than adult
drivers who are violating the law.
The Missouri Court of Appeals has ruled that the state must prove a law
officer who stops a driver under 21 years had probable cause to believe
the driver had violated the law prohibiting drunken driving by minors.
In the 1998 case, Jimmy D. Ballard had been stopped in Albany for
squealing his truck tires and was found to be drunk. His blood-alcohol
content was above the legal limit of 0.02 for minors and 0.10 for
adults. The reason for the difference in the minor-adult limits for
blood-alcohol content was that the Missouri General Assembly wanted to
enact tougher restrictions on underage drinking and driving.
In the Ballard case, the state had argued that Ballard could be arrested
for violating the .10 standard. The court found that the officer first
had to have probable cause to even stop Ballard, however. And, the court
said, the law officer's reason for stopping him did not meet the law's
requirement.
The decision will go to the state Supreme Court, which may be able to
make sense out of this statute, as well as clarify the lower-court
ruling.
Depending on what the high court does, the ultimate solution may be for
the General Assembly to clean up the ambiguities in this law.
State law clearly should allow law officials to check young drivers for
drunken-driving violations, or potential violations, and revoke their
licenses to drive if there are violations.
If young drivers are engaging in underage drinking, as well as driving
while drunk, they are violating two laws and should pay the
consequences.
http://www.eurekalert.org:80/releases/acer-aat091100.html
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research - Alcohol and the human fetal
brain
14 SEPTEMBER 2000 AT 16:00 ET US
Contact: Mont R. Juchau, Ph.D. :juc...@u.washington.edu 206-543-8930 University
of Washington
Thomas R. Hinds, Ph.D.: trh...@u.washington.edu 206-543-0528 University of
Washington
* The first step in the metabolism of alcohol is its conversion to
acetaldehyde (AcHO).
* AcHO is a highly reactive and toxic chemical that can damage the cells
of living things.
* In adults, AcHO is blocked from entering the brain.
* The prenatal brain may metabolize alcohol differently than the adult
brain.
* Researchers found an unexpectedly high and rapid accumulation of AcHO
in
developing brain tissue.
In an effort to understand the sensitivity of the human prenatal brain
to alcohol, scientists are engaging in a delicate area of research. In a
study published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical &
Experimental Research, scientists compared the metabolism of alcohol in
prenatal human brain and liver tissue with the metabolism in both
prenatal and adult rodent brain and liver tissue. More specifically,
researchers closely examined the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde
(AcHO) -- a highly reactive and toxic alcohol metabolite -- in the human
prenatal brain.
"The public gets outraged when they hear about crack babies," observed
Thomas R. Hinds, research associate professor at the University of
Washington, "but are relatively blasé about children born with
alcohol-induced birth defects. The more that we as scientists can
substantiate the links between prenatal alcohol exposure and Fetal
Alcohol Effects and the more severe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the more
likely the public will accept it as fact."
The first step in the metabolism of alcohol is its conversion to
acetaldehyde (AcHO). AcHO belongs to a class of compounds called
aldehydes (such as formaldehyde, a disinfectant and preservative), and
is well known as a highly reactive and toxic chemical that can damage
the cells of all living things. Normally, the liver is responsible for
detoxifying the body from alcohol; alcohol is converted to AcHO in the
liver, which is then rapidly metabolized to acetate, which is then
further metabolized by tissues outside of the liver. Generally, there is
very little AcHO in the blood of people drinking alcohol, even when
blood alcohol levels are quite high. However, AcHO that may reach the
blood is blocked from entering the brain by an actively metabolizing
blood brain barrier. Therefore, if AcHO is to be found in the brain, it
is most likely generated there and can do its damage there. This study
suggested that the prenatal brain metabolizes alcohol differently that
the adult brain.
"When a pregnant women drinks an alcoholic beverage," explained Mont R.
Juchau, professor of pharmacology at the University of Washington School
of Medicine and lead author of the study, "a part of the alcohol will
pass across her placenta and enter fetal tissues, including the fetal
brain. When the alcohol is converted to the highly toxic acetaldehyde in
the brain tissues, it can then disrupt normal brain development. Because
the cells of the human prenatal brain are rapidly dividing and rapidly
differentiating, they are particularly susceptible to the damaging
effects of toxic chemicals. Effects produced during this stage of
development are often permanent or semi-permanent rather than transient,
impacting postnatal mental function, behavior and capacity to control
muscular movements."
This study focused on three enzymes known to be responsible for
converting alcohol to AcHO: alcohol dehydrogenase, cytochrome P4502E1,
and catalase/peroxidase. Prior to the study, researchers believed that
there was little alcohol metabolism in the brain and, therefore, little
or no aldehydes to be found in brain tissues.
"Based on previous studies from many laboratories," explained Juchau,
"we did not expect to observe a high rate of accumulation of
acetaldehyde from ethyl alcohol in human prenatal brain tissues. In
fact, we did not know whether we would be able to observe a detectable
accumulation at all. Therefore, we were surprised to see a rate that was
approximately 20 percent of that seen with adult liver tissues, where
the rate is very rapid."
These results indicate that the prenatal brain can produce significant
quantities of AcHO. The prenatal brain is also much more active than
expected. Considering the extremely toxic nature of AcHO, its
unexpectedly high and rapid accumulation in the developing fetal brain
following alcohol ingestion has important mental, neurobehavioral and
neuromotor implications.
"The more that the public learns about the toxic nature of
acetaldehyde," said Hinds, "then the less likely they will be willing to
put the unborn in jeopardy by drinking alcoholic beverages."
Researchers also found that the three enzymes examined contributed
surprisingly little to the conversion process. Instead, a totally
unsuspected class of enzymes - alcohol oxidase - was apparently involved
in the metabolism of alcohol in humans. Alcohol oxidase uses molecular
oxygen (like that found in air) and combines it with two hydrogens from
ethanol to form hydrogen peroxide and acetaldehyde. Oxidase enzymes are
known to catalyze the conversion of alcohol to AcHO in lower,
single-celled organisms such as yeast, but have never been reported to
do so in vertebrate animals such as humans.
"We hope this study will help readers better understand why drinking
alcoholic beverages during pregnancy can be particularly damaging to the
fetus, especially the fetal brain." explained Juchau, "We also hope to
continue these studies to better characterize the oxidase enzymes found
to be at work."
Hinds concurred with the planned direction of this kind of research. "In
the future, I think everyone will be looking for alcohol oxidase in all
sorts of tissues, and it will no doubt be found. This is the way science
works." He also thinks that more work on prenatal tissue needs to be
done.
"This kind of research helps us understand the metabolism of ethanol in
the prenatal brain and the damage that it can do," said Hinds. "In turn,
this knowledge might prevent some pregnant women from drinking and
endangering their unborn child."
###
Co-authors of the Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research paper
included: Richard E. Person and Alan G. Fantel of the Department of
Pediatrics at the University of Washington; and Hao Chen of the
Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington. The study
was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
http://www.courttv.com:80/national/2000/0915/texas_ap.html
Federal open-container, punishment standards unmet in Texas
September 15, 2000
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas leads the nation in alcohol-related traffic
http://starbulletin.com:80/2000/09/13/features/story1.html
To Folger, or not to Folger, that is the question when grinds call for coffee
By Stephanie Kendrick Star-Bulletin, Sept. 13
COFFEE has come a long way since the days when it was a purely
serviceable beverage expected to taste pretty much the same whether it
was percolated on a kitchen range, poured at a diner or simmered over a
camp fire.
Today, coffee is a subculture, complete with hundreds of subtle
variations in flavor and seven-word drink orders.
We have become coffee snobs, like beer geeks.
What then is a coffee snob to do when confronted with a recipe that
calls for that most pedestrian incarnation of the sacred bean -- instant
coffee?
Local pastry chefs offered a simple answer to that question: Get a grip.
"When it comes to baking purposes, we basically buy whatever is
cheapest," said Grant Sato, a pastry chef who teaches at Kapiolani and
Leeward community colleges. Sato admitted he is not a coffee drinker, so
he is someone immune from the instant coffee ick factor.
For a high-rent perspective, we turned to Mark Okumura, pastry chef at
Alan Wong's Pineapple Room. Among his creations are decadent
coffee-flavored chocolate truffles.
"I like Folgers," said Okumura. "Folgers looks dark and shiny."
Okumura mixes the granules with boiling water to make a paste. That
removes grittiness. "I maybe put two tablespoons of hot water into the 2
ounce jar (of instant coffee) and it melts down to nothing."
The paste can then be stored in the refrigerator.
Sato recommends using powdered coffee rather than granules to avoid
grittiness. Coffee powder can be added directly to a recipe, much like
cocoa powder. If you want to experiment with adding coffee flavor to a
recipe that does not call for it, simply reduce the volume of flour by
the amount of powder you add, he said.
"It has the same properties as flour in that it will absorb liquids,"
said Sato. "If you are very creative, you can put instant coffee in
almost anything."
Gourmet retailers were more sympathetic to instant coffee aversion than
the chefs.
"Boy, instant coffees, I haven't touched one of those in years," said
Tony Mavros, co-owner Honolulu Spice Traders on Monsarrat Avenue. "As
far as the quality of the coffee, just don't go with Folgers, that's all
I'm telling you."
The store used to carry an Italian espresso, but no longer stocks
instant coffee.
Mavros agreed with Sato about the advantage of spray-dried instant
powder over agglomerated granules for baking.
"Unless the recipe calls for granules, I strongly suggest going with a
powder. It's easier to work with in a recipe," he said.
Becky Choy, co-owner of Strawberry Connection in Kalihi Kai, recommended
instant espresso as opposed to regular coffee
"There is a difference," she said "It gives it a little bit stronger
flavor."
Strawberry Connection sells Ferrarra instant espresso and, for those who
want the coffee flavor without caffeine, Lavazza decaf Italian coffee.
Chefs and retailers agreed you should avoid buying more coffee than you
are going to use. Instant coffee does not store well, having a tendency
to harden.
"All our containers are basically smaller so they can use it up," said
Choy.
KCC's Sato offered the following coffee-flavored recipes, which are
perennially popular with his students.
Mocha Brownies
1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate
1 pound butter and 6 oz cognac
1-1/2 pounds sugar
8 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup instant coffee
1 pound cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Melt chocolate with butter and cognac
Combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and coffee in a bowl. Add chocolate mix.
Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add to wet ingredients. Pour
into greased sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 125
1-by-1-1/2-inch brownies.
Mocha Chiffon sponge cake
8 egg whites
14 ounces sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
8 egg yolks and 3 oz white rum
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
14 ounces cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup instant coffee
Whip egg whites, rum and sugar until stiff. Combine remaining ingredients and
fold in meringue. Pour into two 10-inch round cake pans. Bake at 375
degrees 25 minutes. Makes two cakes.
J2jurado
Can Provo Swallow Suds Sale?: Beer poses tough choice for ice events in 2002
Saturday, September 16, 2000 BY MARK EDDINGTON THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
PROVO -- Got beer?
Spectators attending Olympic hockey events at The Peaks Ice Arena in
southeast Provo may have to go without unless city leaders in this
predominantly Mormon community agree to allow beer sales.
But that approval may be tough to get. Alcoholic beverages generally
are frowned upon by Provo officials, who through the years have drafted
some of Utah's most restrictive beer ordinances.
"I'm not going to be easy to persuade," Councilman Paul Warner said
Friday. "I'm not sure during that two-week period of the [2002]
Olympics, with a lot of people here, we should be selling beer."
Easy or not, city administrators aim to try. On tap for City Council
consideration Tuesday night is an amendment to Provo's liquor ordinance
that would allow the sale of Budweiser beer at The Peaks during the
Winter Games and Olympic practice events.
As part of a Jan. 27, 1998, venue agreement between the Salt Lake
Organizing Committee and Provo/Utah County Ice Sheet Authority that owns
The Peaks, the sale of Budweiser -- Anheuser-Busch, the beer's maker, is
an Olympic sponsor -- is required during the Winter Olympics and test
events such as the international women's hockey tournament slated for
Provo in early November.
But Provo Economic Development Director Leland Gamette said the
city's beer laws are too narrow to allow such sales without creating a
special "class E" license similar to the ones used by Salt Lake City's
Delta Center and West Valley City's E Center.
City attorneys already have drafted such an ordinance. But the idea
of beer sales at sporting events in Provo may be difficult for council
members to swallow. Elected officials, for example, have told owners of
the Helena Brewers that their minor-league professional baseball team is
not welcome to relocate to Provo without first agreeing to ban beer
sales at the stadium.
Nevertheless, Provo Chief Administrative Officer Bob Stockwell is
hoping the council will make an exception for the Winter Olympics. He
notes beer already is sold at grocery stores and many area restaurants
and taverns. It would be an act of bad faith, he added, to ban an
Olympic sponsor's product.
"We can't very well invite the world to a party and not treat them at
least as well as we do existing businesses," he said.
Actually, Provo elected officials can do just that. SLOC spokeswoman
Caroline Shaw said Friday the committee will conform to all state and
local liquor laws. If Provo decides to make The Peaks a "dry" venue,
SLOC has little choice but to comply, she said.
Councilman Stan Lockhart, however, said alcohol is not the issue.
What really irks him is that the Ice Sheet Authority entered into a
contract to allow beer sales before getting the council's approval.
"What we have are members of a nameless, faceless organization
signing a contract that binds Provo City," Lockhart said. "That should
be a legislative function."
Provo Mayor Lewis Billings is chairman of the authority, a
quasi-independent entity that consists of city, county and other
representatives. Billings also is a SLOC board member.
Even with council approval, the earliest that beer could be dispensed
at the $13 million ice arena is during a World Cup speed-skating
tournament slated for The Peaks on Oct. 25. A second test event, an
international women's hockey tournament, is scheduled for early
November. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Provo arena will stage
women's and men's hockey games.
http://www.iht.com:80/IHT/TODAY/SAT/FIN/java.2.html
Malaysia's Latté Binge Hurts Brewers
By Benjamin Low Bloomberg News Saturday, September 16, 2000
KUALA LUMPUR - Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd., Malaysia's top brewer,
and rival Guinness Anchor Bhd. are hurting. The culprit: coffee.
In shopping malls across Kuala Lumpur, sipping lattés or cappuccinos at
outlets like Starbucks is becoming hugely popular. This is good for the
Seattle-based coffee chain, but a chilling trend for beer companies
already reeling under higher taxes on alcohol in the predominantly
Muslim country.
''When you go into a pub you tend to spend a lot more money; having
coffee is much more pleasant and the environment is better,'' said Chan
Check Weng, 23, a Web site developer in Kuala Lumpur who once favored
pubs.
Profits at beer companies are slipping and consumption is unlikely to
rise soon, the companies said. Tax on beer was raised by 20 percent last
year, causing sales of stout and ale to drop 7 percent to about 120
million liters (31 million gallons). And there are worries that an
Islamic party's rising influence may prompt the government to further
raise ''sin'' tariffs on alcohol.
While Malaysia's economic rebound is helping several sectors, the beer
industry remains in the doldrums. ''Total beer and stout consumption is
not expected to improve,'' in the next financial year, said a spokesman
for Guinness, which reported a 43 percent drop in pretax profit in the
year to June. Carlsberg Malaysia's pretax profit fell 7.6 percent in the
first half, to 63.3 million ringgit ($16.7 million)
Shares of Guinness, which also markets Tiger Beer, fell 7.4 percent in
the past three months to their lowest in 18 months, while Carlsberg's
dropped 3.9 percent.
Profit margins at beer companies are at five-year lows as falling sales
have sparked a price war. ''They are sacrificing margins to maintain
market share,'' said Low Kwong Choong, a fund manager at BHLB Asset
Management Sdn. ''It's competition which nobody gains from.''
The price cuts have not helped sales, according to Loke Chee Kien, head
of research at Sarawak Securities Sdn. ''The outlook for growth in sales
volume should be between flat and 5 percent,'' he said.
That does not take into account a possible tax rate increase. With
higher duties, ''demand may fall more than 30 percent,'' said Jeffrey
Tan, who tracks brewery companies for KAF-Seagroatt & Campbell
Securities Sdn.
To counter slumping sales and profit, the maker of Guinness Stout and
Heineken in Malaysia plans to increase spending on its marketing and
advertising by 10 percent in the coming year, said Wong Peng Hong,
Guinness's finance director, who declined to give figures.
''This business is all about building brands,'' Mr. Wong said. ''We are
building the investment'' on advertising and promotion ''in the next two
to three years to gain market share.''
Meanwhile, the coffee competition will be tough. Starbucks Corp., which
opened its first retail outlet in Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur Plaza in
December 1998, now has 12 shops in the country. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf,
a privately owned Los Angeles-based company, has opened more than twice that
number.
http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2146580&ern=y
Okocim wants to buy another brewery
09/14/00
WARSAW, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Poland's brewer Okocim aims to more than
double its share of the local beer market in the next two to three years
and is casting around for a takeover as part of that strategy, its chief
executive said on Monday.
Marcin Pirog said the brewer, controlled by Danish group Carlsberg,
should gain 15 percent of the rapidly growing Polsh beer market in that
period, up from a 7.2 percent share at the end of last year.
``With the beer brands we already possess we would like to control some
10 percent of the market over the next two to three years,'' Pirog told
Reuters in an interview.
``But we are also searching for a potential takeover target, which
should help us raise the share to 15 percent,'' said Pirog.
Pirog said the company, whose 2000 sales are likely to hold roughly
steady against last year's output of about 1.62 million hectolitres of
beer, planned to buy a domestic brewery with a strong regional brand.
``For the time being we are holding talks with various firms but these
are rather preliminary negotiations,'' he said.
Okocim has said it plans to invest some 300 million zlotys ($68.65
million) within two years to expand its flagship brewery in southern
Brzesko and thus guard its shrinking market share.
Okocim, which also operates two small brewers in the south, faces strong
competition from Zywiec, controlled by Heineken, and Kompania
Piwowarska, partly-owned by South African Breweries .
At the end of the first quarter of the year, Okocim's share of the local
beer market shrank to 5.7 percent but bounced back to about 6.6 percent
in July, Pirog said.
Okocim made 21 million zlotys in net profits last year on sales worth
356 million zlotys and Pirog said the company was likely to post similar
results for this year.
After the first six months of 2000 Okocim's net profit stood at 4.6
million zlotys against 6.8 million in the same period of last year.
Sales reached nearly 159 million against 177 million. ($1-4.370 Zloty)
http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=2171150&ern=y
Reaches a Head Over Lifting Cap on Free Beer Gear
Promotions: Anheuser-Busch-backed bill to allow greater giveaways was
passed during Legislature's last call. Microbrewers fear it will flatten
them.
MIGUEL BUSTILLO 09/12/00
Stack up a frosty mug of North Coast Brewing Co.'s Red Seal Ale against
a mass-produced Budweiser, California's small brewers say, and any beer
lover will conclude the better-known brand pales in comparison.
But add a few freebies with that Bud--such as a flashy key chain with
one of those cute Budweiser frogs--and now the little guys complain that
the scales are dangerously tipped in favor of Big Brew.
From Angel City Brewing in Los Angeles to Lost Coast Brewing in Eureka,
California's small brew masters are frothing over last-minute
legislation backed by Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest beer maker.
Now on the desk of Gov. Gray Davis, the bill would dramatically raise
California's limits on the value of promotional gifts that brewers can
give to bars and restaurants to be doled out free to customers--a change
that some small brewers say threatens their livelihood.
"They have buildings full of guys who sit around and think about this
[merchandising] stuff," said Mark Ruedrich, a former construction
foreman who co-founded the critically acclaimed North Coast brewery in
Fort Bragg, which two years ago was rated one of the 10 best at the
World Beer Championships. "We produce as much as they spill in one day,
so naturally we do not have the resources to approach the consumer that
way."
Quietly pushed through by Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman
Oaks) in the final days of Sacramento's two-year legislative session,
the now-notorious "trinkets and trash" bill never received a formal
hearing.
Hertzberg and the bill's author, Assemblywoman Helen Thomson (D-Davis),
represent the legislative districts containing Anheuser-Busch's two
California plants, which brew 13 million barrels of beer a year.
The St. Louis-based company, which makes the "King of Beers" Budweiser
brand, brews more than 100 million barrels a year overall, soaking up
roughly half of the national beer market.
Small brewers, who make less than 2% of the nation's beer, are asking
Davis for a veto, saying that they cannot compete with the flood of
freebies they expect from the likes of Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing
Co.
But they concede that their chances against mighty Anheuser-Busch, a
generous campaign contributor, are slim.
"The neighborhood bully often wins," said Bob Judd of the California
Small Brewers Assn. "That is what happened here."
Anheuser-Busch shelled out more than $215,000 to state politicians
during the first half of this year, including $10,000 to Davis and
$22,000 to committees controlled by Hertzberg, campaign finance reports
show. Davis has not taken a position on the bill, AB 2551, said
spokesman Roger Salazar.
All the microbrew protests have left Anheuser-Busch Vice President Dane
Starling with a bitter aftertaste.
Starling said he is stunned by the publicity the freebie issue has
garnered, noting that his company has been working for years to raise
the gift limit.
Thirty states have no limits, and several renowned craft-brewing states,
including Oregon and Washington, allow far bigger promotional gifts than
California--proof to Starling that critics' arguments lack substance.
"My honest feeling," he said, "is that if you are a microbrewer and you
are going to go broke over this, then you have some other problems."
For years, California has waged war against beer companies over their
clever promotional efforts, fearful that they would entice people to
drink more than they normally would.
Three years ago, for example, the California Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control obtained a court order to stop Anheuser-Busch from
continuing its "Buy the Beer, Get the Gear" advertising campaign, which
anti-alcohol groups had dubbed the "frequent drinker program."
Ultimately, however, a court ruling allowed the beer maker to continue
the promotion, which rewarded repeat customers with merchandise.
Although California placed limits on the freebies that beer makers can
hand out to retailers in 1985, it has allowed makers of wine and hard
liquor to give out pricier merchandise. That has led Anheuser-Busch and
others to continually push for more equitable treatment.
The resulting bill was drafted by Hertzberg, who sympathizes with
arguments that the current limit is unfair.
"Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest employers in the San Fernando
Valley, and when they want something, I listen," Hertzberg said. "We
have a lot of people in California that come from other states; they are
used to getting T-shirts and hats and they come here and only get a can
opener. These are good customers, and [Anheuser-Busch] is worried about
maintaining market share."
Hertzberg said he cannot fathom how small brewers could consider the
legislation a slap at them.
"You don't go to a chi-chi microbrewery because you want to save a
nickel or get a T-shirt," Hertzberg said. "The guys who drink Miller
Lite are not the same guys who are drinking that fancy stuff anyway."
Under current law, brewers are limited to giving $15 worth of freebies
annually per establishment, with the value of each gift to be passed out
to customers limited to 25 cents.
Passed by the Legislature at 11 p.m., in the session's waning minutes,
the bill would raise the per-item limit to $1.35 starting in January,
then to $1.50 the next year. It also would raise the limit per
establishment to $65 for 2001 and $75 a year thereafter.
Because those values are determined according to where the goods are
purchased, small brewers are recoiling with visions of mass-produced
Ecuadorean Bud T-shirts and Malaysian baseball caps. But Anheuser-Busch
representatives, who had wanted a $5 to $15 limit, say that such fears
are completely unfounded, and that even with their substantial economies
of scale, key chains and pin lights are all that the new limits would
probably permit.
Such assurances are not likely to drown the sorrows of beer makers like
Ken Allen, founder of the Anderson Valley Brewing Co. The goateed former
chiropractor was buoyant recently after acquiring a set of vintage
copper beer kettles from a small Bavarian brewery, which had gone
bankrupt because of pressure from larger beer conglomerates.
Then he heard from his fellow brewmasters what Anheuser-Busch had done
in Sacramento, and his heart sank.
"Here they go again," Allen said of Anheuser-Busch as he sipped an India
pale ale with his workers to cap off a day's work. "They already have
50% of the market, but they want more, more, more. That's what this is
really about."
http://www.dallasnews.com/business/171332_worktech_17bus.html
An all-or-nothing game - Tech board ponders work, life, Internet world
09/17/2000
By Leah Beth Ward and Vikas Bajaj / The Dallas Morning News
Keg parties, free massages and beanbag chairs help employees at Internet
start-up Handango Inc. endure long days for the pay-off ahead. At Texas
Instruments Inc., a concierge tends to personal needs, and flexible
schedules keep part-timers productive.
Helen Jau / DMN Handango CEO Laura Rippy, shown with her Compaq iPaq, says her
employees
work long hours but are passionate about their jobs.
With the economy churning at warp speed, more people find themselves
working around the clock. While companies like TI and IBM Corp. have the
heft to offer flexibility to employees with family commitments, smaller
companies can't be as accommodating.
Either way, technology employees these days make an inevitable
trade-off: Long hours can be a prescription for early burn-out, and
flex-timers risk losing steam behind their careers.
At Hurst-based Handango, chief executive Laura Rippy worries about her
employees' endurance but recently concluded they are happy and
productive.
"They do work long hours and many nights," she said. "But they are able
to manage. People are really passionate about what we're doing, so
they're willing to give that extra juice."
The Dallas Morning News Technology Board wrestled at a roundtable last
week with work and life issues in the Internet economy. While all agreed
that work and life are increasingly blended, they found little agreement
on a topic at the heart of workforce psychology – choice. Do today's
"knowledge workers" choose their work environments?
And what about women? Do they face a particular disadvantage scaling the
heights of the high-stakes, high-profile technology sector? After all,
as Valor Telecommunications Inc. CEO Anne K. Bingaman put it, "Let's
face it. The burdens of child bearing and rearing still fall on them."
Blurred boundaries
No doubt, the worlds of work and life have been colliding for some time.
With the advent of telecommuting, laptops and handheld devices, it's
easy to take work at home.
"The boundaries are blurring," said Dr. Leon Kappelman, director of the
Information Systems Research Center at the University of North Texas in
Denton.
Equilibrium is elusive. "It's a tough balance," said Keith Shank, vice
president of business management at Ericsson Inc., the Stockholm,
Sweden-based telecom company. In Europe, Mr. Shank said, five-week
vacations are traditional.
"But when an American takes more than one week of vacation, typically
you get a dirty look from your boss," he said. U.S. employees of
Ericsson don't get the five-week perk, but Mr. Shank said the company
values family life. "Letting people realize that this is work, guys, and
your home life is probably more important than work in the long scheme
of things."
Dr. Hasan Pirkul, dean of the school of management at the University of
Texas at Dallas, and several others attending the Technology Board
session said the U.S. economy enjoys its current long run because people
choose to work hard. "I think the key is personal choice," Dr. Pirkul
said.
But Ms. Bingaman took issue with the proposition. "This idea of choice,
I don't buy it. Culture and society are telling you otherwise," she
said.
Chained or not, most technology employees these days are certainly free
to switch jobs on short notice. In a low-unemployment economy, companies
that want to keep their best employees must provide not only a
competitive salary and benefits package, but enough intellectual puzzles
to keep minds churning with new ideas and answers.
Margaret Potter, director of global e-business solutions integration for
IBM in Dallas, said the giant computer company's culture is infused with
the notion of working for the greater good of the organization. "The
teamwork spirit in our organization retains people because they work
with each other, they care about each other and they can conquer these
new technology feats together," Ms. Potter said.
If bonding with co-workers glues together a high-performance team, then
intellectual challenge is what keeps individuals engaged and eager to
work, said Shiek Shah, co-founder of Akili, an interactive integration
firm in Dallas.
Akili, like Handango, encourages fun at work with keg parties. Mr. Shah
startled some Technology Board advisers when he said Akili lets
employees decide how much vacation they want. But he also said there's
more to it than free suds and time off.
"People stay with you because you have challenging projects," he said.
"Whether it's perceived or not, it's the freedom. They may be in a cage,
but the doors are open."
At larger companies like Texas Instruments and IBM, the culture is too
formal for on-site happy hours, but Ms. Potter and Brian Bonner, the
chief information officer at TI, say that flex-time helps retain
talented employees.
"I've got a large organization with people on alternating work
schedules, part-time, 20-hours a week employees," Mr. Bonner said. "Talk
about getting people into the workforce, well, I think that's another
secret recipe – someone that's maybe stopped work for a family and maybe
wants to work part-time."
Making a choice
But do flex-time workers lose out when it comes to big salaries, stock
options and career advancement?
Have they made a choice to opt out of the power game or have they
entered into a deal with the devil: Necessity demands they work, but
family demands they give up on the brass ring?
Lee Blaylock, chief executive of ServiceLane.com in Dallas, an Internet
firm that connects consumers and service firms, said his wife was well
on her way up the corporate ranks at Oracle Corp.
But when their son was born five years ago, she decided she did not want
the pressures that come with a big, fast-moving company – especially the
heavy travel and the need to bring in new business – so she quit. "She
wants to be a mom," Mr. Blaylock said.
Ms. Bingaman, who has worked professionally for 32 years, said she
doesn't think that anyone, male or female, has a choice if they want to
be a winner in the business world these days.
"You just sort of illustrated my point," she said to Mr. Blaylock,
referring to his wife's decision to be a full-time mother. "The game is
all or nothing," she said.
Ms. Potter of IBM said it's a struggle for women to achieve in the world
of work if they take a time-out. "We have a lot of women in the IBM
executive ranks, but they probably didn't do it working part-time," she
said.
Despite strides, research by the Catalyst group shows that women have
not served in top executive positions long enough yet to become the kind
of role models that Jack Welch of General Electric Co. or Lou Gerstner
of IBM might be to aspiring young men.
Ms. Rippy of Handango saw this first-hand in a previous job at Microsoft
Corp. She worked in a unit that was led by several high-profile women
executives, including Melinda Gates (then Melinda French, future wife of
Bill Gates).
"I said, 'Wow. This is great. It works.' But nearly every one of them
chose to leave over a period of 12 to 15 months for various reasons and,
you know, after that, it wasn't as much fun. There wasn't somebody to
look up to," she said.
Dr. Kappelman said there's hope, and said the information technology
industry is providing a roadmap to corporate advancement for women.
"I.T. has been good to women," he said, adding that women make up about
50 percent of his student body.
But a student body population is not necessarily an indication of how
far those women will go in an industry, Ms. Bingaman said. She said
women make up roughly 60 percent of law school but their record in
making partner at big law firms is still dismal.
Gender issues aside, no one disputed that today's workaday world
couldn't be further from the Ozzie and Harriet families of the 1950s.
"Guys, remember our parents' generation," said Ms. Bingaman. "Forty
years ago, middle-class people had time on their hands. It was luxurious
compared to what people have now."
Guangdong Investment Mulls Sale of Stake in Brewery, Paper Says
Hong Kong, Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Guangdong Investment Ltd., a property and
trading firm controlled by the Guangdong government, plans to sell its stake in
Guangdong Brewery Holdings Ltd., the Ming Pao Daily News reported citing
unidentified people.
Guangdong Enterprise (Holdings) Ltd., the parent company of GDI, has been in
talks with other Chinese beer makers such as Tsingtao Brewery Co. and China
Resources Enterprise Ltd. about the stake, though is not close to an agreement
because the company is asking to much for the shares.
GDI, which owns a 72 percent stake in Guangdong Brewery, is trying to focus on
utilities and infrastructure operations, the paper said.
China's Guangdong Province last year offered to exchange $4.5 billion of bonds,
loans and other debt of Guangdong Enterprise for new credit partly secured by
the assets of the Dongshen Water Supply Co., which supplies almost all of Hong
Kong's water and is being transferred from the government to the group.
(Ming Pao Daily, 9/18/2000, Business p.1)
Cadbury in Talks to Buy Snapple for $1.5 Bln, FT Says
London, Sept. 17 (Bloomberg)-- Cadbury Schweppes Plc, the world's third-largest
soft-drink maker, is in talks to buy the Snapple drinks business of Triarc Cos.
for more than $1.5 billion, the Financial Times reported, citing no sources.
The transaction, the third time in almost six years that the iced-tea and
juice-drink maker would be sold, may be announced as early as Monday, the FT
said.
Cadbury is expected to pay just over $1 billion and assume about $420 million
in debt, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the
matter. Cadbury spokeswoman Dora McCabe couldn't be reached for comment. Triarc
spokeswoman Anne Tarbell declined to comment.
''This is a brilliant move by Cadbury,'' said John Sicher, publisher of
Beverage Digest, a Bedford Hills, New York-based trade publication. ''There is
huge growth and consumer interest in premium, non-carbonated beverages. Cadbury
is getting squarely into an area experiencing rapid growth.''
Cadbury Schweppes has said it may spend 3 billion pounds ($4.2 billion) on
beverage and confectionery acquisitions. The company is seeking to boost
lackluster earnings from food by buying beverage and confectionery businesses.
Triarc Chairman and Chief Executive Nelson Peltz, President and Chief Operating
Officer Peter May couldn't be reached for comment.
The American depositary receipts of London-based Cadbury Schweppes, the maker
of 7 UP lemon-lime soda, have lost more than 20 percent of their value the past
year. One ADR represents four ordinary shares.
Shares of New York-based Triarc have increased about 32 percent this year. The
company had planned to use proceeds from the Snapple IPO to pay down debt.
Snapple
Triarc bought Snapple from Quaker Oats Co. in May 1997 for $300 million. The
company has been trying to revitalize Snapple, whose teas and juices failed to
turn a profit for its previous owner, Quaker Oats.
Snapple, bought by Quaker Oats for $1.7 billion in December 1994, racked up
losses for the food and beverage company as competitors' teas and fruit juices
cut into sales. Revenue fell 22 percent during Quaker's two-year regime. Quaker
sold the brand to Triarc for $300 million in May 1997 and took a $1.4 billion
charge.
Triarc was the No. 6 U.S. soft-drink maker in 1999, with 115 million cases
sold, or 1.2 percent of the market, according to Beverage Digest and
independent beverage analyst John Maxwell Jr.
In June, Triarc filed to sell shares of its Snapple Beverage Group Inc. unit to
the public. The sale was expected to take place in the third quarter.
Rivals
Triarc's beverage unit, which also includes Stewart's, Diet Rite and Nehi
sodas, accounted for $772 million of Triarc's sales last year. The restaurant
business, which includes the Arby's and T.J. Cinnamons franchises, generated
$82 million in revenue.
Snapple's competitors include Coca-Cola Co.'s Fruitopia juice drinks.
Coca-Cola, the world's largest soft-drink maker, has sold Fruitopia in the U.S.
since 1994, and modeled the drink's marketing and flavors on Snapple, analysts
have said.
Coca-Cola also may buy a stake in closely held South Beach Beverage Co., a
Snapple rival, analysts have said. South Beach, maker of SoBe Lizard Fuel and
Zen Blend, had $170 million in 1999 sales.
PepsiCo Inc., the world's No. 2 soft-drink maker, earlier this year began
selling FruitWorks juice drinks to compete with Snapple.
(Financial Times 9/17)
Australia Waffles on US Grape Quarantine Ruling, Paper Says
Sydney, Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The opposition Labor party has called on the
government to follow an Australian Quarantine Inspection Service decision to
lift an import ban on Californian table grapes, the Australian Financial Review
reported.
Michael Taylor, head of the state-run agriculture department, last week dumped
AQIS's recommendation to allow the grapes and ordered more studies into a
threat posed by Pierce's disease present in Californian vineyards, the
newspaper said.
U.S. officials said the decision called into question confidence in the
quarantine service and said they might take the issue to the World Trade
Organization, the newspaper said.
The criticism comes as law firm Corrs, Chambers and Westgarth said Australian
faces a wave of quarantine-related complaints in the WTO with about 150
applications for import approvals for plant and animal products banked up, the
report said.
(Australian Financial Review, 9/18, p. 5)
Australian Grape Growers Ignore Glut Warnings, Expand Vineyards
Sydney, Sept. 17 (Bloomberg)-- Australian wine grape growers are ignoring
government forecasts of a glut and expanding vineyards at close to record
rates, according to Auspine Ltd., Australia's top supplier of trellis posts for
vines.
The Tarpeena-based company, which sells two out of every five of the wooden
stakes used to support Australian vines, said its sales will be close to a
record this year.
While government forecasters said increased supply and falling domestic prices
would reduce plantings, booming wine exports, advantageous tax laws and falling
returns from alternative land uses such as sheep farming are prompting farmers
to turn more land over to vines.
``Some of the largest vineyards I've ever seen went in the ground this year,''
said Michael Young, Auspine senior executive. ``We expected things to slow down
as concern about the glut grew, but we've been flat-out in the past six
months.''
Australia is one of the world's fastest-growing wine exporters, accounting for
about 4.5 percent of overseas sales. In the year ended Aug. 31, exports rose to
A$1.4 billion ($770 million) from almost zero a decade ago. Still, growers had
been expected to reduce plantings because record numbers of vines were added in
the late 1990s.
With each vine taking five years to produce grapes that can be sold to
winemakers like Southcorp Ltd. and BRL Hardy Ltd., grape harvests in coming
years are already expected to soar.
``Annual plantings of wine grapes are projected to slow to allow wineries to
develop marketing strategies to sell the higher output,'' said Angela Shepherd,
an analyst for Abare, the nation's commodity forecaster.
``They need to develop sufficient processing and storage capacity'' to handle
the grapes planted in the past few years.
Abare predicted vineyard development would decline for the next five years, she
said.
This year the Riverland price for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes is expected to be
A$825 ($461) a metric ton, at least 30 percent less than the record prices
attained in 1997-98.
Sheep Dip
Farmers aren't discouraged. Even with grape prices declining, returns may be
better than alternatives such as sheep farming where prices in 1993 crashed 70
percent to A$3.89 per kilogram from the record high in 1989 of A$12.60. They
have since risen to an average of A$7.04.
``Every nook and cranny you drive into these days has got 2,000-3,000 acres of
vineyards,'' said Chris Greig, group operations manager at Nepenthe, a South
Australian-based winery and viticulture management company. ``Lamb prices are
doing badly and farmers are moving to grapes.''
Tax Incentive
Vineyards also provide strong tax incentives as capital invested can be written
off against tax payments over as little as three years -- less time than most
other land-based investments.
``Many expansions are being driven by tax incentives,'' said Greig, ``but its
not just the tax, it's also the demand for the fruit. Our wine companies are
starting to get bigger on the global market.''
That's likely to continue as a record-low Australian dollar makes Australian
wine exports cheaper in other countries. The Australian dollar has dropped
about 30 percent in the past four years and reached a low of 54.84 U.S. cents
on Friday.
Still, domestic prices are likely to suffer as more grapes are sent to
winemakers each year.
``Grape growers are expecting us to be able to market everything produced,''
said Steve Strachan, policy director for Winemakers, a winery industry
association. ``Don't expect wineries to buy it all, or sell it at the right
price.''
Indeed, prices this year might have been lower but for bad weather and vine
diseases, which reduced this year's crop.
The 2000 vintage had been forecast to be 12 percent bigger than last year.
Instead, the nation's harvest rose only 2 percent, to 1.14 million tons --
still a record.
Grape Glut
The 2001 vintage will probably be about 30 percent bigger, the Australian Wine
and Brandy Corp. said.
Auspine, based in Australia's biggest wine producing state, South Australia,
has sold 75,000 cubic meters of treated wood, or about 3.75 million posts so
far this year and, of which about 70 percent will be used in vineyards. Young
said 2000 sales will be close to the record 97,000 cubic meters sold in 1998.
``This would be our second-biggest sales period on record,'' he said.
Auspine's profit more than doubled to A$22.5 million in the year to June 30,
from A$9.4 million the previous year.
The timber company, based in one of Australia's largest forestry regions, known
as the Green Triangle, has sold about 35 million posts since it began sales 15
years ago.
``A few years back, prices for traditional farming; sheep, cattle, and
cropping, were very poor so farmers started to plant wine grapes,'' said Young.
Official figures of this year's vineyard expansion are not yet available,
though Strachan said it looks as if the Winemakers Federation warning to slow
production has not been heeded.
``Earlier this year we were expected expansion would slow, but now we are
seeing the anecdotal evidence that the massive developments are continuing,''
he said.
That's good news for Southcorp and other winemakers that buy some of their
grapes from local farmers.
``It's not going to be a problem for growers to sell their grapes, but the
question is, at what price?'' said Shepherd.
New Vodka Uses Russian Leader's Name
By LIUDAS DAPKUS, .c The Associated Press
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) - Putin Vodka hit liquor stores Friday in what some are
calling a clever marketing ploy that capitalizes on the name of Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
The vodka, produced by the ex-Soviet republic's Alita distillery, features a
label in white, blue and red - the colors of Russia's flag. ``Putin'' is
emblazoned in large white letters.
A bottle of Putin costs $7 - a little less than most top-end vodkas in
Lithuania.
Alita spokesman Vilmantas Peciura maintained the brand wasn't meant to refer to
the Russian president. He said it derived from ``putinas,'' a tree with red
berries found in Lithuania, although the vodka reportedly is clear and not
flavored.
Many people scoffed at the denial.
``What a brilliant idea,'' said Tautvydas Musteikis of Gray Advertising.
``They've received tremendous publicity and are getting more attention with
every denial of the Russian link.''
Since Lithuania broke with the Soviet Union in 1991, relations with Russia have
sometimes been strained. Many Lithuanians have expressed suspicion about
Putin's past work for the Soviet secret police, saying he can't be trusted.
The new vodka now is sold only in Lithuania, though the distillery said it may
decide to export it later, perhaps to Russia.
Russian Embassy spokesman Boris Kirilov said he knew about the vodka and said
he didn't think Russians would be offended by it.
Putin, a judo champion in his youth, is said to drink only beer, a taste he
developed when stationd in the former East German state.
Consumer Reports Misstates Cancer Risk from Plastic Water Cooler Bottles
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers who use 5-gallon water
coolers at home or at work could easily have become concerned by a factual
error in the August 2000 Consumer Reports magazine. In an article comparing
taste and cost for a range of bottled waters, Consumer Reports claimed that
bisphenol-A, a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic for 5-gallon water
cooler bottles and many other food containers, causes cancer.
When the American Plastics Council contacted Consumer Reports in August to
object to the original allegation as incorrect, the magazine attempted a
clarification that only adds to reader confusion: "While there is a
substantial body of scientific evidence that strongly suggests bisphenol-A is a
carcinogen, it has not been officially classified as one."
This statement is misleading, and is still wrong.
"What Consumer Reports' readers need to know is that the best available
scientific evidence does not support the claim that bisphenol-A is either a
known or even a suspected carcinogen," says Dr. James Lamb, a past president of
the American Board of Toxicology formerly with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP). "In 1982,
NTP conducted studies on bisphenol-A following the standard protocols used
internationally for testing carcinogenic potential. In its final report, NTP
concluded there was 'no convincing evidence that bisphenol A was
carcinogenic.'"
Since then, numerous studies on various aspects of bisphenol-A have been
conducted by industry, academic and government researchers, and the weight of
the scientific evidence continues to support NTP's conclusion.
Dr. John Heinze, an independent scientist with John Adams & Associates whose
expertise is in interpretation of scientific evidence to predict
carcinogenicity, stated, "Bisphenol-A is not considered a 'suspected
carcinogen' by any regulatory agency or government. Products made from
bisphenol-A are accepted for food contact use by all major international
regulatory agencies responsible for protecting human health, including the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, the Scientific Committee on Foods of the European
Union and the Japan Ministry for Health and Welfare. Each agency takes into
account the carcinogenicity of a product before, during and after approval is
given."
According to Dr. Heinze, "(The NTP assessment) is a quite strong conclusion
considering that laboratory mice and rats in this study were fed high levels of
bisphenol-A for their entire adult lives and then examined for every possible
type of cancer. Furthermore, NTP's scientists are recognized experts in
conducting such tests."
"For more than 40 years the polycarbonate industry has been making products
that are safe, convenient and enhance the quality of life for consumers," said
Dr. Steven G. Hentges, executive director of the Polycarbonate Business Unit at
the American Plastics Council. "The polycarbonate industry is committed to
safety, and we are continuing to test our products under the highest scientific
standards and share that data with regulatory agencies so they have the latest
and most up-to-date information available.
"We're concerned that this misinformation about bisphenol-A could prevent
consumers from drinking the 6-8 glasses of water they need every day for good
health. Many home and office water coolers use plastic bottles because they
are cost-effective, lighter and shatter-resistant. Consumers who drink water
from 5-gallon water coolers can feel confident in using polycarbonate
containers."
Joel Plutchak
>Brussels, Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Duvel Moortgat NV said first-half profit rose
>21 percent as the Belgian brewer sold more of its specialty beers at home and
>abroad.
Get it here and we'll drink it. I know I've consumed more
Duvel in the past year than I have previously simply because it's
been available somplace other than the shop you'd have to blow a
1/4" thick layer of dust off before buying it.
If I were absolutely forced to pick a best beer, (fresh) Duvel
might just be it.
J2jurado
Development of Biobased Chemicals
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2000--Cargill Dow has been awarded more
than $2 million by the U.S. Department of Energy for continued research and
development of the company's revolutionary fermentation process for utilization
of annually renewable resources.
Cargill Dow's funding was awarded as part of two competitive financial
assistance programs run by the Department of Energy in support of President
Clinton's executive order to triple the use of biobased products and bioenergy
in the United States by 2010. Cargill Dow will co-share the $4.6 million budget
for the projects 50-50 with the Department of Energy.
The results of this project will help fuel the continued advancement of Cargill
Dow's NatureWorks(TM) PLA, as well as help set the stage for other biobased
products. By focusing on the fermentation process, companies can use annually
renewable resources, such as corn, wheat, or sugar beets, to create a variety
of end-use products. Ultimately, other sugar sources, such as residues from
corn, wheat and sugar beet production will be used by Cargill Dow technology.
This will allow fermentation-based manufacturing technology to be used anywhere
in the world, relying on agricultural by-products native to that region.
"These awards mark the continuation of the partnership between Cargill Dow and
the Department of Energy," said Pat Gruber, vice president of technology for
Cargill Dow. "We are supporting each other to further the development of energy
savings and biobased product technology."
The awards were made in response to proposals made to the Department of
Energy's Agricultural Industry of the Future and Biobased Products and
Bioenergy Technologies solicitations. The projects focus on the development of
process technology for the fermentation of corn fiber and corn stover to lactic
acid and many other products.
Cargill Dow's first product offering is NatureWorks PLA, a family of polymers
derived entirely from annually renewable resources with applications in the
fibers and packaging markets. For fibers, the new high-performance fiber
bridges the performance gap between natural fibers such as silk, wool and
cotton, and conventional synthetic fibers. In packaging, NatureWorks PLA has a
myriad of potential end-uses. Cargill Dow has focused on developing the areas
of high value films, rigid thermoformed food and beverage containers, and
coated papers and boards. In addition, new emerging applications are being
explored, including injection-, stretch-, and blow-molded bottles.
Since formally launching its technology in January, the company has broken
ground on its first world-scale manufacturing facility and introduced several
new commercial grades of NatureWorks PLA to meet specific end-use applications.
Cargill Dow is also actively working with major manufactures and brand name
customers to have products available as early as this fall.
Based in Minnetonka, Minn., Cargill Dow is a 50:50 joint venture between
Cargill Incorporated and The Dow Chemical Company. It is the first company to
offer its customers a family of polymers derived entirely from annually
renewable resources with the cost and performance necessary to compete with
traditional fibers and packaging materials. The company has achieved this
breakthrough by applying its unique NatureWorks technology to the processing of
natural plant sugars to create a proprietary polylactide polymer (PLA). Future
applications of the technology could include use in injection blow molded
bottles, foams, emulsions and chemical intermediaries.
Wine.com and Realbeer.com Announce Cooperative Distribution Agreement
NAPA, Calif. and SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2000--The
leading online wine destination, wine.com (www.wine.com), and the world's
largest web portal for beer, Realbeer.com (www.realbeer.com), today announced
an agreement under which exclusive beers sourced by Realbeer.com will be
delivered to consumers through the distribution network which now fulfills wine
orders placed through wine.com.
"The high quality of our online consumer experience is matched by the high
standards of our order fulfillment system," said Bill Newlands, president and
CEO of wine.com. "This agreement leverages our expertise in managing a
fully-compliant system for delivering alcoholic beverages to American consumers
and makes good economic sense for both companies."
"We believe that wine.com has done a great job in developing a viable
delivery system in a challenging environment," stated Robert Imeson, president
of Realbeer.com. "This agreement will allow us to focus our efforts on sourcing
the world's most exotic beers for members of our exclusive club, The Michael
Jackson Real Beer Tour (www.realbeertour.com). It will also provide us with the
opportunity to continue to develop a vibrant and exciting e-store which will be
stocked with some of the world's best, yet hardest to find, beers."
About Realbeer.com (www.realbeer.com)
Realbeer.com was founded in 1994 and quickly became the leading beer
content site on the web. Realbeer.com currently boasts over 125,000 pages of
content and has agreements with the world's top beer writers designating the
company as the exclusive publisher of their notes and articles on the web.
Earlier this year, Realbeer.com merged with WorldBeerTour.com, which previously
partnered with Michael Jackson, the world's foremost beer authority. Under
Jackson's guidance, the integrated company has been able to go directly to some
of the world's finest breweries in order to provide members with great beers
previously unavailable in the USA. As a result of these efforts, Realbeer.com
has succeeded in developing the world's largest Internet based beer club.
Realbeer.com has plans to extend its e-commerce activities to Europe, Australia
and New Zealand in the coming year. Realbeer.com is headquartered in San
Francisco and also has offices in London, Seattle and Auckland.
About wine.com (www.wine.com)
Founded in 1994, wine.com was the first wine merchant on the Web and is the
leading online wine destination. Wine.com serves wine consumers in 90% of the
United States market, as well as Europe and Asia, through the Internet's most
comprehensive legally compliant wine distribution network. Wine.com features a
carefully chosen, ever-growing selection of American and international wines
and wine-related gifts and accessories. The company makes wine buying easy and
fun with a proprietary wine tasting chart and detailed wine information written
by one of the largest professional wine teams ever assembled. This wine team is
lead by two Master Sommeliers and one Master of Wine to provide expert
information and select the wines featured on the site. Each wine is 100%
guaranteed. Wine.com's "Featured Wineries" gives consumers access to exclusive
wines from such leading wine brands as Niebaum-Coppola, Kendall- Jackson,
Sterling Vineyards, Domaine Chandon and Gallo of Sonoma. Wine.com is privately
held and is located in Napa, California.
Slovenian SBI 20 pulled down by Lasko
LJUBLJANA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Slovenia's blue-chip SBI 20 index fell on
Monday, pushed down by losses in shares of brewery Pivovarna Lasko, traders
said, adding the index had some further room for falls.
The SBI 20 fell 0.54 percent to 1,670.42. Turnover fell to 131 million tolars
after being exceptionally high at 992 million on Friday.
Lasko closed 3.08 percent lower at 4,160 tolars on volume of 6,152 shares.
Traders attributed the fall to Lasko's plan to take over mineral water producer
and health resort operator Radenska where Lasko offered one Lasko share for
1.77 Radenska shares.
``The market feels Lasko's offer is too high therefore Lasko's share is
falling. However, the share is not likely to fall below 4,000 tolars,'' said
Maja Razpet, a trader at brokerage Medvesek Pusnik.
Lasko lost a total of seven percent since it announced the takeover on
September 7 while Radenska has eased one percent since then.
Radenska had the top turnover on Monday, closing 0.44 percent higher at 2,276
on volume of 12,733 shares.
Guangdong Investment Mulls Sale of Stake in Brewery, Paper Says
Hong Kong, Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Guangdong Investment Ltd., a property and
trading firm controlled by the Guangdong government, plans to sell its stake in
Guangdong Brewery Holdings Ltd., the Ming Pao Daily News reported citing
unidentified people. It has been in talks with other Chinese beer makers such
as Tsingtao Brewery Co. and China Resources Enterprise Ltd. about the stake,
though is not close to an agreement because the company is asking to much for
the shares. It owns a 72 percent stake in Guangdong Brewery, and is trying to
focus on utilities and infrastructure operations, the paper said.
Handcuffed Man Drowns in River
.c The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A man who was handcuffed and charged with alcohol
intoxication tried to escape police custody by jumping into the Ohio River and
drowned, authorities said.
Louis Wade Hermann, 24, was pulled from the water just after 12 a.m. Sunday,
according to Sgt. Ronel Brown, the department's spokesman. Hermann had been
charged with alcohol intoxication and disorderly conduct after a concert by
country music star Collin Raye. After Hermann was handcuffed, police said he
ran and jumped into the river.
Police held back a detective who tried to save the man. Detective Bill Keeling,
a police spokesman, said a rescue attempt by anyone lacking scuba equipment
would have been deadly because of the darkness, the depth of the water and the
current.
But a witness who said he was also held back said Hermann was close enough to
shore that someone could have rescued him.
``It's tearing me up because I know I could have saved his life,'' said Del
Rainwater.
Keeling said the incident would probably be investigated by the department's
internal-affairs unit, but added that he thought the officers at the scene had
acted properly in calling for backup.
J2jurado
day in Tampa. Back at ya' on Friday.
***
Mexico Shares Climb for Second Day; Modelo, Bancomer Lead Rise
Mexico City, Sept. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Mexican stocks climbed, led by beermaker
Grupo Modelo SA and Grupo Financiero BBVA- Bancomer SA after it gained full
ownership of three insurance units.
The bolsa index gained 117.94 points, or 1.8 percent, to 6752.47.
Traders exchanged 101.9 million shares, higher than the three- month average of
67.02 million shares, in trading worth 1.89 billion pesos ($200 million). Out
of 75 issues traded, 40 rose, 15 fell and 20 were unchanged.
BBVA-Bancomer surged 5.3 percent to 5.96 pesos after it agreed to pay $693
million for Aetna Inc.'s stakes in the three insurers. ING Groep NV was forced
to sell the stakes when it bought Aetna in July.
``Those businesses are very profitable and offer significant growth
potential,'' said Robert Lacoursiere, head of equity research at Lehman
Brothers.
Grupo Modelo gained after it reported record beer sales to the U.S. in the
second quarter.
Shares of the following companies made significant moves in trading. The stock
symbol is in parenthesis after the company's name:
Grupo Modelo SA (GMODELOC MM), Mexico's biggest brewer, gained 2.2 percent to
21.45. The company, that exported a record amount of beer in the second quarter
to the U.S., was rated a new ``hold'' in new coverage by analysts Adriano
Seabra and Ileana Balboa at Credit Suisse First Boston. Its specialty beer
"Corona" continues to grow and is teh 10th most popular beer in the USA.
Carso Global Telecom SA (TELECOA1 MM), the parent company of Telmex, rose 2.2
percent to 25.2 pesos as new rules to foster competition aren't expected to
hurt much the telephone company's ability to post rising profits in coming
quarters.
Grupo Financiero BBVA Bancomer SA (GFBBO MM), Mexico's largest bank, rose 5.3
percent to 5.96 pesos as investors bet a new management will help lower costs
and boost the bank's earnings. BBVA Bancomer is undergoing important changes
after Spain's No. 2 bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya SA agreed to takeover the Mexican
bank last month.
Telefonos de Mexico SA (TELMEXL MM), Mexico's largest phone company, gained 2.5
percent to 26.45 pesos. The company, which accounts for about a quarter of the
weighting of bolsa, traded at over 30 pesos in early July before the company
was hampered by government competition rules.
Vitro SA (VITROA MM), Mexico's biggest glassmaker, fell 5.3 percent to 8.9
pesos. Last week, Moody's Investors Service downgraded the outlook on the
company's debt rating to negative from stable.
Seagram Appoints Anita Larsen Vice President, Corporate Communications
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 20, 2000--Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., a
U.S. subsidiary of The Seagram Company Ltd., announced today the appointment of
Anita M. Larsen as Vice President, Corporate Communications, effective
immediately.
Based in New York, she reports to Tod R. Hullin, Executive Vice President,
Corporate Communications and Public Policy.
Ms. Larsen is primarily responsible for the Company's external communications
activities.
Tsingtao to Ask Shareholders to Approve Domestic Share Sale
Shanghai, Sept. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Tsingtao Brewery Co., China's best-known
brewer, is calling a shareholders' meeting next month to approve the sale of
shares to domestic investors to raise 903 million yuan ($109 million).
The brewer plans to sell 100 million Class A shares to Chinese investors to
help finance the purchase of stakes in foreign-owned breweries and the
upgrading of production facilities.
Tsingtao said it needs 1.2 billion yuan. The remainder of the money will be
raised through bank loans, the company said in a statement.
The shareholders' meeting is scheduled Nov. 6.
Tsingtao has spent $41 million this year buying an unprofitable Carlsberg A/S
brewery in Shanghai and two breweries in Beijing owned by Asia Strategic
Investment Co., a U.S. investment firm.
Tsingtao's Hong Kong-traded shares have risen 61 percent in the past two month,
compared with an 8 percent drop in the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index that
tracks Chinese state companies.
Brazil's Kaiser beer says Heineken may raise stake
By Nicholas Winning
SAO PAULO, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken NV <HEIN.AS> is talking to
Brazilian beer company Kaiser about increasing its current 14 percent stake,
but nothing firm has been agreed yet, Kaiser said Tuesday.
"We are talking...but we haven't closed any agreement," the Brazilian brewer's
spokeswoman said, adding that she did not know how advanced discussions were.
Brazilian newspaper Valor published a report earlier saying Heineken would soon
announce an offer to buy some of local Coca Cola bottlers' 76 percent stake in
Kaiser, but the Kaiser spokeswoman dismissed that as talk.
"There has been lots of speculation," she said. "We're talking, but as to
whether Heineken is actually going to buy Kaiser, we can't comment on that and
you would have to speak to Heineken in Holland."
In Amsterdam, Heineken spokesman Albert Holtvappel told Reuters the Dutch
company had confidence in the Brazilian beer market and in Kaiser, but gave
little away on the question of taking a greater interest in the Brazilian firm.
"If there were possibilities to increase our stake in Kaiser, we would not be
against it," he said. "But these (possibilities) have not occurred yet."
Heineken has also been expanding its own brand's presence in Brazil during the
last few years in both retail and restaurant segments. Valor said Kaiser
executive president Humberto Pandolpho had likened the Brazilian brewer to a
"belle of the ball" that several foreign companies were courting, but he had
declined to comment specifically on a Heineken bid.
The Kaiser spokeswoman said the Heineken talk had been around since the
mega-merger of Brazil's top two brewers Brahma and Antarctica to form the
world's fourth biggest brewer AmBev <AMBV4.SA> <<A
HREF="aol://4785:ABV">ABV.N</A>>, behind America's Anheuser-Busch <<A
HREF="aol://4785:BUD">BUD.N</A>>, Heineken, and Belgium's Interbrew.
The creation of AmBev, which is the world's fifth largest beverage company and
controls roughly 67 percent of Brazil's beer market, got a green light in March
despite opposition from Coca-Cola Co. <<A HREF="aol://4785:KO">KO.N</A>> and
others that the firm had too much market control. The Valor report said Coca
Cola had been keen to sell its 10 percent stake in Kaiser ever since to
disassociate itself from the alcoholic beverage industry after losing the
battle to stop the creation of AmBev. It also said sector specialists thought
Heineken would be best to mount an attack on AmBev's market dominance soon
while the Brazilian giant was still consolidating its merger.
Bees Could Help in Alcoholism Fight
By DANNY M. BOYD .c The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Honey bees and humans have at least one thing in
common: They both drink alcohol, and researchers want to know whether the
insects can be used to test drugs designed to curb alcoholism.
Some animals have to be injected or tricked into consuming alcohol, but not
bees. In studies, honey bees harnessed on a small metal holder consumed
solutions with various levels of ethanol.
``We can even get them to drink pure ethanol, and I know of no organism that
drinks pure ethanol, not even a college student,'' said Charles Abramson, a
comparative psychologist at Oklahoma State University.
Research could determine within a few months whether bees are suitable subjects
that would allow drug companies to use fewer vertebrates in the first line of
drug testing, Abramson said.
Abramson, assistant Gina Fellows from the University of Hertfordshire in
England and other students have begun giving bees the drug Antabuse, which
makes alcoholics sick when they drink in order to curb consumption.
The drug is administered gradually to bees, allowing them to stop.
``It looks like it does have an affect on the bees,'' Abramson said.
Tests have been limited to the lab, but the team has begun conducting
experiments in a more natural setting, with bees living in a hive atop a
university building. The bees are trained to come down to a third-floor window
to drink and are marked for observation before buzzing away.
Bees and people are more alike than meets the eye.
Bees have a complex social structure, including language and division of labor,
that could make them similar to people in the way they treat their problem
drinkers.
The likeness might allow researchers to come up with more ways to treat
alcoholism, Abramson said.
He said naturalist John Lubbock found in experiments in 1888 that ants puzzled
by the drunken behavior of a nest mate would nonetheless pick up the sot and
carry it home. A drunken stranger ant would be tossed in a ditch.
So far, tests have shown that alcohol impairs bee locomotion and learning
ability, just as it does in people. Overconsumption of ethanol kills bees just
as overconsumption of alcohol can kill humans.
Abramson has collaborated on research into the effects of insecticides on
learning in the Africanized honey bee. He published preliminary findings on
bees and alcohol consumption last month in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and
Experimental Research.
Tully's Coffee Hires CEO for Tully's Europe Stefaan Vansteenkiste Appointed to
New Tully's Position
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 20, 2000--Tully's Coffee Corporation has
appointed Stefaan Vansteenkiste as CEO of Tully's Europe.
As CEO of European operations, Vansteenkiste will be responsible for all
aspects of growing the Tully's brand and growing Tully's presence throughout
Europe. Tully's currently has 5 locations in Sweden, with plans to develop 280
stores over the next sixty months.
Vansteenkiste brings to Tully's great leadership skills, extensive operational
experience managing multi-unit restaurant operations as well as large Theme
Park operations, a strong finance background, and excellent international
experience. Vansteenkiste has a proven track record for growing revenues and
maximizing profitability by aggressively managing operating expenses.
Prior to joining Tully's, Vansteenkiste held positions as general manager of
Walibi, Belgium's largest theme park located near Brussels, and as
vice-president of Food & Beverage for Six Flags Magic Mountain. Before that,
Vansteenkiste worked with the Taco Bell Corporation, a Pepsico company, based
in Irvine, California, where he was responsible for all finance matters,
strategic planning, budgeting, acquisitions, and capital expansion planning for
600 restaurants in the Central U.S. representing revenues of over $500 million.
He has also managed the day-to-day operations as Zone Manager for Taco Bell
Corporation.
Vansteenkiste also brings a strong international background to Tully's. As a
native Belgian, Vansteenkiste has worked in Mexico, the United States and
Europe. He is fluent in English, French, Dutch, and Spanish. Vansteenkiste has
a Masters in Business Administration in Finance from the University of Michigan
and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.
In his spare time, Vansteenkiste enjoys playing tennis and investigating
investment opportunities. Vansteenkisme is also an avid, instrument rated,
private pilot.
Tully's Europe has begun European expansion in Stockholm, Sweden, and will
continue to expand into other European markets. While Tully's retail
development increases throughout Europe, Tully's continues to establish local
community and business partnerships in each market.
Founded in 1992 by Tom O'Keefe, Tully's Coffee Corporation is the third largest
company-owned specialty coffee retailer in the USA. Tully's Coffee has over 115
locations worldwide (USA, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Sweden), with 44 signed
leases for new stores. Tully's corporate headquarters and roasting plant are
located in the former Rainier Brewery facility and Seattle landmark at 3100
Airport Way South, in Seattle, Wash., USA. For more information, call
800/96-TULLY or visit Tully's Web site at www.tullys.com.
Coca-Cola's Offices Raided in Spain After PepsiCo's Complaints
Atlanta, Sept. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Coca-Cola Co. said its offices in Spain were
raided by antitrust officials looking for evidence that the world's largest
soft-drink maker engaged in monopolistic practices.
The raid follows complaints filed by Coca-Cola's top rival, PepsiCo Inc., and
Spanish beverage maker La Casera, that Coca-Cola tried to force retailers to
carry only Coke products. Spain's Competition Defense Service of the Ministry
of Economy requested information on the company's commercial practices,
Coca-Cola said.
``Coca-Cola carries out its operations in compliance with Spanish and European
law,'' Marcos de Quinto, president of Coca- Cola's Iberian group, said in a
statement. The Atlanta-based company cooperated with the government officials,
spokesman Ben Deutsch said.
PepsiCo has tried to thwart Coca-Cola's sales growth by complaining to
governments about Coke's acquisitions and marketing. Coca-Cola's market share
in Spain in 1998 was 58 percent, compared with PepsiCo's 16 percent, according
to Beverage Digest, an industry publication.
``Coca-Cola is abusing its dominant position,'' PepsiCo said in a statement.
Coca-Cola is in talks with Mexican antitrust authorities after PepsiCo
protested earlier this year that Coca-Cola told retailers they could only sell
Coke's products.
Italy and the European Union conducted probes of Coca-Cola last year, with
Italy fining Coca-Cola $16 million for abusing its market position. Coca-Cola
is appealing the decision.
Coca-Cola's proposed purchase of the Orangina soda brand from Pernod Ricard SA
was rejected by the French government after PepsiCo complained that the
acquisition would harm competition.
Coca-Cola yesterday won the dismissal of a U.S. antitrust suit PepsiCo filed.
PepsiCo claimed Coke violated federal laws by barring independent distributors
from also selling Pepsi drinks.
Coca-Cola, whose products include Coca-Cola Classic, Diet Coke and Sprite, fell
2.81 to 49.88 in New York Stock Exchange trading. PepsiCo, based in Purchase,
New York, fell 1.81 to 41.88.
None Hurt in Central London Explosion
Witnesses Say They Heard Two Blasts
By JILL LAWLESS
.c The Associated Press
LONDON (Sept. 20) - At least one explosion went off at the headquarters of
Britain's MI6 intelligence agency headquarters in central London late
Wednesday, causing some damage but no casualties, police said.
The blast brought firefighters, police and ambulances to the site on the south
bank of the River Thames, and police closed the area around the headquarters.
Witnesses said they heard two explosions.
A police constable at the scene who refused to give his name said an explosion
had occurred and that the cause was unknown.
A Scotland Yard spokesman, referring to the incident only as ''a possible
explosion,'' said there was ''minor damage to the building, believed to be on
the eighth floor.'' He said explosives officers were at the scene and that he
had no information on the likely cause of the incident.
Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, whose department is responsible for MI6, said
there were no casualties and expressed relief.
The building looked intact from a distance of several hundred yards, but
witness James Trott, 42, said there was shattered glass on the river side of
the building.
The big modern structure near the Vauxhall Bridge across the Thames was
featured in the James Bond movie, ''The World is not Enough'' and in one scene
was shown being blown up by a terrorist bomb.
''We just heard two God-almighty bangs, a loud one first, and then another
one,'' said Theresa Harding, 68, who lives nearby. ''We honestly thought it was
fireworks.''
One witness, Andrew Preece, told BBC News 24 he was driving home when he saw a
flash of light coming from the top of the MI6 building.
''It looked as of it was internal from the center of the building but the flash
of light was from the top of the building,'' he said. ''It was followed by a
large bang and the ground seemed to shake and my car was shaking.''
Witness Alex Frank said he was in his his bedroom across a railway from the
building when he heard two explosions and saw ''massive white clouds.'' He said
the blasts ''were loud enough to shake the building I'm living in.''
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said crews were called to the area at 9:25 p.m.
Train service was halted from nearby Waterloo station.
Stephen Dorrill, an expert on MI6, told BBC News 24 he would be ''extremely
surprised'' if anyone had managed to get inside the building and plant
explosives. If that had happened, it would be ''an absolutely major security
breach,'' he said.
Earlier this year, the Foreign Office said it was tightening security
procedures after reported lapses.
In March, a laptop computer that contained missing training information for one
of Britain's spy agencies was mislaid and recovered by police two weeks later.
News reports suggested that an M16 agent left the laptop in a taxi after
spending a night drinking at a bar near the agency's headquarters.
MI6, formed in 1921, is responsible for foreign intelligence. It is thought to
cooperate closely with the domestic security service MI5 in keeping track of
Irish terror groups.
The high-tech spy headquarters bristles with security features. Much of the
complex is below street level to protect the most sensitive areas from
terrorist attacks.