Latest news with #Menken
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Kentucky bourbon raking in money doesn't mean we can ignore alcohol's risks
Brian Edwards' op-ed ('Kentucky's bourbon business is vital to our economy. Don't let DC dry it up") seems wrongheaded. If there is a near-prohibition lobby as he claims, I, too, would disagree and think them Menken's Puritans. While I will make the argument for consumption here, doing so on economic grounds for a substance that the National Institutes for Health estimates costs the nation $249 billion and results in 178,000 annual deaths according to the Center for Disease Control seems antithetical. To start, the science is clear: 'We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use. It doesn't matter how much you drink – the risk to the drinker's health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage. The only thing that we can say for sure is that the more you drink, the more harmful it is … the less you drink, the safer it is' (Dr. Carina Ferreira-Borges, World Health Organization, 2022). Further, the purported health benefits of alcohol use have been repudiated. From JAMA ('Association of Habitual Alcohol Intake With Risk of Cardiovascular Disease', March 2022): 'Observational studies have repeatedly demonstrated a lower risk of cardiovascular disease with light to moderate alcohol intake compared with either abstinence or heavy consumption, suggesting J- or U-shaped epidemiologic associations. However, the observed cardiac benefits of alcohol have been hypothesized to be the product of residual confounding (variables) because of favorable lifestyle, socioeconomic and behavioral factors that tend to coincide with modest alcohol intake.' In sum, there is no safe use and no cardiovascular benefit of alcohol. Opinion: COVID isn't over. RFK Jr.'s vaccine recommendation is a terrible choice. However, there is evidence of human use of alcohol from 900,000 years ago, and alcohol is a well-established part of life in America. The National Academies notes that many alcohol-containing beverages provide flavors and sensations that people enjoy, and the effect on how we act and respond in social situations are two of several reasons for widespread alcohol use in our culture. Concerning responsible drinking, the data are split. The United States Census Bureau estimates that there are 258.3 million adult Americans. The National Institutes for Health estimates that 63% use alcohol at least on occasion, or 177 million Americans imbibe. Among these, the Centers for Disease Control estimates 29.6% of young adults and over 10% of seniors binge drink by consuming toxic amounts in one sitting. The CDC estimates that there are, separately, 15 million heavy drinkers who drink beyond moderation every week. The NIH estimates that there are 54 million Americans who need treatment for Substance Use Disorder. Let's use some rough, back of the envelope math, allowing that the groups defined above overlap, let us say that we have at least 100 million Americans who drink responsibly but very many who do not. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines moderate drinking as two drinks per day and seven per week for men and one drink per day and four a week for women (alcohol is on the whole metabolized differently by gender). A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer at 5% alcohol by volume (ABV), 5 ounces of wine at 12% ABV, or 1.5 ounces of spirits at 40% ABV. Opinion: Share Parkland's present, shape its future at Courier Journal mobile newsroom Concerning risk, it is also true that Americans take similar and more severe risks than alcohol use on a regular basis. For instance, Driving Test America estimates that in 2021 Americans drove cars and light trucks 3 trillion miles. These drivers are guided by rules of the road and formal laws that guide their driving behavior, and the manufacture of automobiles is very regulated for safety purposes. Nonetheless, there were 6.1 million vehicular crashes, resulting in 1.7 million injuries and 39.3 thousand deaths in 2021. This analogy falls apart at some point, as all do, but the point is made that alcohol use is not the only widely popular, risk-taking behavior in America. Applause to Mr. Edwards for contributing to the public debate. We would agree about a near-prohibition agenda if, as he says, such exists. America and most of Europe have tried prohibition. We know how that ends. Further, regulating the amount of consumption would be a regulatory nightmare. However, holding up the economic benefit as a reason to ignore the science is not the way to go. Better for the alcoholic beverage industry to recognize and promote responsible use and take those steps within their ken to reduce heavy and binge drinking. A market of 100 million American adults should suffice. For the nation as a whole, increasing access to treatment would be a far better use of our time and treasure. Agree or disagree? Submit a letter to the editor. Gene Gilchrist is the chief executive officer for Stay Clean, a cloud-based addiction treatment and recovery community. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky shouldn't ignore alcohol's health risks for profit | Opinion
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Free Alabama Symphony Orchestra concerts returning to Railroad Park for Memorial Day weekend
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Alabama Symphony Orchestra's 'Symphony in the Summer' series is returning to Railroad Park this weekend. This series will offer three nights of free performances from Friday-Sunday. Each concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. 'Symphony in the Summer is our gift to the city,' Mark Patrick, President of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, said in a statement. 'Each performance explores a fresh perspective of the depth of orchestral music. Audiences have an opportunity to enjoy pieces ranging from symphonic classics to patriotic favorites and even tunes from movies and Broadway shows including 'Wicked.'' The Alabama Symphony Orchestra has offered free summer concerts for more than 40 years, and since 20011, those concerts have been held at Railroad Park. Here's the lineup for this weekend's performances: Friday, May 23 – Carlos Izcaray, conductor Izcaray — Puebla Tchaikovsky — Suite from Sleeping Beauty Beethoven — Symphony No. 5 Saturday, May 24 – Daniel Cho, conductor Humperdinck — Prelude to Hansel and Gretel Coleridge –Taylor – Petite suite de Concert Dvorak – Symphony No.7 Sunday, May 25 – Chris Confessore, conductor Smith — The Star-Spangled Banner Lowden — Armed Forces Salute Ward — America the Beautiful Williams — Superman March Berlin — Irving Berlin: A Symphonic Portrait Menken — Overture to Beauty and the Beast Powell — How to Train your Dragon Newley — 'Pure Imagination' from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Menken – 'Out There' from The Hunchback of Notre Dame Schwartz — Highlights from Wicked arr. Waldin — Abba Medley More information can be found on Alabama Symphony Orchestra's website or social media pages. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alan Menken gives update on Disney's Tangled live action movie and confirms stage adaptation in the works
Alan Menken has shared his excitement about working on Disney's live action reimagining of Tangled. The legendary American composer, 75, worked on the original 2010 animated movie which is loosely based on the German fairy tale Rapunzel in the collection of folktales published by the Brothers Grimm. Featuring the voice talents of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy, it tells the story of Rapunzel, a lost young princess with magical long blonde hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. She accepts the help of an intruder to take her out into the world which she has never seen. The animated feature's success inspired the 2012 short film Tangled Ever After and 2017 TV series Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. It also saw EGOT Menken earn his 19th Oscar nomination for the song I See the Light. The House of Mouse confirmed in December that a live action film had been greenlit, helmed by Greatest Showman and Better Man director Michael Gracey. While Menken - who is set to perform his first ever UK solo shows at the London Palladium next month - says they are 'just at the starting gate', he told The Standard in a rare interview that he's 'excited' for what's to come. Speculation online has seen Florence Pugh a frontrunner for the role of Rapunzel, while Kathryn Hahn is a fan-favourite pick to star as Mother Gothel. 'I'm not going to even… It's way too early and it's a director's medium,' Menken deflects. 'I will definitely defer to others to say, but what's great is when you go to a new medium you have a new team and all kinds of new aspects are being explored which is really exciting.' He also confirmed reports from last year that he's working on a stage musical of Tangled, but caveats it with there are 'no firm plans except completing a version for licensing'. Adding: 'No one should speculate on anything beyond that.' Menken previously helped to develop a short Tangled live show for Disney Cruise Lines in 2015. This included three new songs written for the show by himself and Glenn Slater – Flower of Gold, When She Returns, and Wanted Man. While Menken won't elaborate on what could make it to the big screen or future stage productions, he does say a cameo by original Rapunzel voice actress Moore in the new film wouldn't be out of the question, ala Jodie Benson in the Little Mermaid live action movie. There was a lovely scene in the 2023 film that saw Benson, who voiced Ariel in the 1989 animation, hand a fork or 'Dinglehopper' over to her live action counterpart played by Halle Bailey. Menken also cited how much he enjoyed Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel's 'lovely cameos' in last year's Wicked movie after they originated the roles of Glinda and Elphaba on Broadway. Fans will be hoping to gleam some more when Menken takes to the stage in the capital for two shows on March 9 - a matinee and an evening performance - which will delve into his storied career, spanning more than 40 years, They promise to be an unforgetable experience with the New York-native touching on his time before and at the centre of the Disney Renaissance (Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, etc) and beyond, with his other current projects including musicals of Night At The Museum, Animal Farm and Nancy Drew. Plus, two Disney musicals make their highly-anticipated West End debut this summer with Hercules opening at Threatre Royal Drury Lane in June and two performances of a specially staged concert of Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Prince Edward Theatre on August 17. For more information and to buy tickets to see A Whole New World of Alan Menken, visit
