Every week, “The Patriot” scours the web to bring you headlines from around the world. Please note that no original reporting is involved. Feel free to discuss these stories at the bottom of the page.
Moscow, Russia – As part of an effort by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to curb the excessive consumption of alcohol in Russia, vodka prices throughout the country nearly doubled. The increase comes just in time for Russia’s Orthodox Christmas holidays, which last from January 1 to 11, as this period is marked by higher alcohol consumption. The low life expectancy for men in Russia has been blamed on alcoholism. The price increase is part of a program that seeks to lower the dependency on alcohol in Russia by limiting the sale of beer on the street and attempting to raise duty on both vodka and beer.
Read more at washingtonpost.com.
New York, New York – In what could have been the last game at Giants Stadium in New York, officials for the New York Jets have banned the sale of all alcohol at the game. Jets spokesman Bruce Speightsaid the Jets decide whether or not to serve alcohol on a game-by-game basis. The Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 37-0, launching them into the playoffs. The ban did have alcohol providers with a bad taste in their mouth. A vodka distillery in New Jersey named Majorska Vodka is calling for a 24 hour ban on all Johnson & Johnson products, as Jets owner Jeff Scott is the heir to the company’s fortune.
Read more at cnn.com.
New York, New York – A recent study by Columbia University suggests that teenagers who go to bed earlier are less likely to cause depression or suicidal thoughts. The study included 15,500 12- to 18-year-olds. Of that group, those who went to bed after midnight were 24% more likely to have depression than those who went to bed before ten o’clock. The study also found that teens who slept less than five hours a night were 71% more likely to suffer from depression than those who had eight hours of sleep. The average sleep time among the group was seven hours and 53 minutes, below the suggested sleep time for teenagers of nine hours.
Read more at bbc.com.
Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at [email protected].