January marks the 98th anniversary of the
ratification of the 18th Amendment, more commonly known as Prohibition. While
Prohibition is remembered as one of America’s greatest failed experiments,
today we’re seeing something of a revival of prohibitionist thinking among the
public health community who have begun to attack even moderate alcohol
consumption in earnest. I found this article to be very interesting and a really good read.
There is long-standing consensus about the
negative health and social impacts of excessive alcohol consumption. But for
decades there has also been widespread agreement about the health benefits from
a regular glass or two of your favorite beer, wine or spirit. Studies tout that the moderate consumption
of alcohol can lead to a healthier heart, a reduced likelihood of Type 2
Diabetes, and protection from the common cold. Most notably, moderate drinking has been
shown to decrease all-cause mortality. This “health halo” has provided a détente
between public health officials and the beverage alcohol industry. Both groups
condemned excess and touted moderation. Alcohol companies have spent billions
advising the public to “drink responsibly,” while the USDA proclaimed that
moderate alcohol consumption can have health benefits.
But in 2016 this system started to break
down as a handful of researchers began pushing dubious science suggesting that
even small amounts of alcohol could increase the risk of various cancers. But before you swear off the occasional glass
of wine at dinner, consider that there may be more driving the sudden
anti-alcohol-even-in-moderation narrative beyond disinterested science. The hysteria was partially fueled by an
analysis performed in New Zealand by Jeannie Connor — an anti-alcohol
researcher who has claimed that “alcohol causes cancer at seven sites in the
body and probably others.” Connor alleged causation admittedly without
“confirmation of specific biological mechanisms by which alcohol increases the
incidence of each type of cancer.”
Anxiety about alcohol was further nurtured
in 2016 by a host of stories about women and drinking. A Washington Post
headline from last month blared, “Heavy drinking among women has been
normalized, and it’s killing them in record numbers.” But in reality the
“record number of deaths” is a record exaggeration. It is true that there is an
increase in the number of white women aged 35 to 54 dying from alcohol-related
causes, but only by about one-one hundredth of a percent over the course of 15
years.
But if you want to push for big government
solutions, you need people to think the problem is bigger than it actually is. This is leading some researchers and public
health officials to go outside the bounds of good science or fair reporting to
try and undermine the moderate drinker vs. the excessive drinker paradigm. Take the latest Surgeon General’s report
“Facing Addiction in America.” Rather than focusing on solutions to alcohol
addiction, which only affect 3.5 percent of U.S. adults, the report’s
recommendations took aim at anyone who drinks by calling for a wide variety of
new regulations on the sale of alcohol.
The health benefits of alcohol have long
flummoxed public health officials in more activist circles who believe alcohol
should be regulated as the new tobacco. Bans on alcohol advertising and Sunday
sales, sky high taxation, further lowering the legal BAC limit, and restricting
alcohol access, are primary goals of many in the public health community.
To the dismay of activists, the public
understands that alcohol and tobacco are apples and oranges. They can’t be
linked or compared. Even the most moderate of smokers are damaging their
health. And, unlike alcohol, there is no way to incorporate smoking as part of
a healthy lifestyle.
Having spent many days throughout the
Caribbean and other countries, I have been fortunate never to have gotten any
kind of food poisoning. I attribute it
to the fact that I don’t travel without the aid of a good rum. I don’t know how true this really is, but for
me I have to agree with the good doctor, one for me and one for the
stomach. Works for me.
I ran across this article the other day
and found it to be quite interesting.
Alcohol consumption is not a new thing and I find it very interesting
where the early forms of alcoholic beverages originated. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Many human enjoy drinking alcohol because
it makes us feel good - it releases serotonin and dopamine in the brain which
reduces anxiety and make us feel happy.
The alcohol smelled strong, which helped them find fruit more
easily. Dr Robert Dudley, a physiologist
at the University of California, Berkeley, told National Geographic that he
call this the 'drunken monkey' hypothesis.
He said: 'If you can smell the alcohol and get to the fruit faster, you
have an advantage.' 'You defeat the
competition and get more calories,' he said.
He explains that the apes who ate the most were most likely to succeed
at reproducing and even experience a slight rush of pleasure in the brain. Alcohol also has antiseptic properties -
deterring infectious microbes that may have made the primates sick. It can also makes fruit easier to digest, so
animals could eat more of them. Our ape
ancestors eventually started eating fermented fruit, and this helped humans
adapt to drinking alcohol. 
I wish to thank all of the people out there who have so faithfully been reading Bahama Bob's Rumstyles for all of these years. This is an honor that I have to say really warms my heart. Thanks to "Feedspot" for their work putting the list together and honoring my blog with this award. 
Gary is one of the premier hosts of karaoke and offers some 130,000 songs for you to choose from. He has really great equipment to make you sound your best and have just a ton of fun with us each month. During his breaks there will be an opportunity to learn more about rum and maybe even have the chance to sample a special one.
The white rum is the
heart of this story, produced beginning last July right on the Habitation, and
soon to hit the shelves in Martinique. This
rum, produced using a rebuilt former Cognac “Charentais” still, converted into
a hybrid column-pot still that produces the only pot-still white rum in all of
Martinique.
You know that the day is going to be a good one when it starts with a walk along the beach and beautiful ocean waters on the horizon. After a nice breakfast and a walk it was time to get down to the business of being ready for tomorrow's Taste of Cayman Festival.
Things are
being shaken up at this year’s ‘Seven Fathoms Cayman Rum Challenge’, taking
place at the 29th annual Taste of Cayman Food &
Drink Festival, with the addition of some international competition. Three U.S. mixologists each won preliminary
rounds held in New York, Chicago and Miami, and will compete against some of
Cayman’s finest in the annual challenge at Taste of Cayman, which takes
place Saturday, 28 January 2017 at the Festival Green, Camana Bay. The winner
of the final will be crowned ‘Seven Fathoms Mixologist of the Year’.
January marks the 98th anniversary of the
ratification of the 18th Amendment, more commonly known as Prohibition. While
Prohibition is remembered as one of America’s greatest failed experiments,
today we’re seeing something of a revival of prohibitionist thinking among the
public health community who have begun to attack even moderate alcohol
consumption in earnest. I found this article to be very interesting and a really good read.
2017 was 30th anniversary for the Quantum Key West regatta, the seas overall were good and the winds were with in a range that made for some really good sailing. The races were close and the boat numbers were good. There was some top notch talent that were on hand to make the races close and exciting through out the week. I was lucky enough to be a guest of the Mount Gay people on the America 2, a replica of the original America's cup boat. It is a 106 foot boat that rocketed along in Wednesday's winds between 6 and 19 knots. It was a great vantage point from which to watch the races. I'd like to thank the Mount Gay people for having me out on the boat and to the crew of the America 2 for making the cruise absolutely wonderful.
In the 52 Super
Series Harm Müller Speers’ Platoon from Germany temporarily
dropped out of the lead after placing 10th in Race 5, but then rebounded with a
2-5 in Races 6 and 7 to stand tied for the lead with Alberto and Pablo
Roemmers’s (Buenos Aires, ARG) Azzurra, each with 31
points. Third place is held by Ergin Imre’s Provezza IX of
Turkey with 32 points.
Taste of Cayman
The Miami Rum
Renaissance Festival has established a dedicated presence for Rums to spotlight
the emergence of this spirit category and delivers a unique learning experience
for festival participants. While many
of these rum products have widespread distribution across the United States,
and the international markets, some are local and regional brands are not well
known to the growing population of rum enthusiasts and collectors here and
abroad. The Miami Rum Festival is a
place to learn more about the Rum Category from the people that make and
promote it. You can experience rum at its best, April 22 and 23 at the 2017 Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, at the DoubleTree Miami Airport Convention Center.
This portion of the event showcases the best
American Rums at the venue and attracts the largest concentration
of rum experts, professionals, consumers and press, establishing greater awareness and appreciation for these
emerging spirits. There are distilleries now producing rum in the United States that are growing
at an incredible rate, igniting what can only be described as a new American
Rum Revolution. “From Alabama to Wyoming, from California
to Maine, from Florida to Washington, we’re reaching out to American Rum
Producers at a time when the craft rum distilling movement is burgeoning,
flourishing and expanding greatly.”
Miami Rum Festival Trade Expo
Rum Festival Schedule
You can get your tickets at the show either on line or by telephone. Remember that there will be no tickets sold at the door, so make sure that you get your tickets in advance of arriving to the festival The tickets can be secured at http://www.miamirumfest.com/tickets/ or by phoning 877-855-3378.
