'Blackout' Drink Stirs Students' Curiosity
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INSIDE This week, How-to-Heidi will show you how to make i'o eggnog. •ne'Nspress Volume 49 ·Issue 13 www.kapionewspress.com 12.06. 10 'Blackout' drink stirs students' curiosity Four Loko's mix of alcohol and was a hype for it and few of us friends wanted others simply just don't care. blame on one new product;' he said. "I drink caffeine has sparked concern from to see what it was all about;' said Alonzo, who A 20-year-old KCC student, who asked to Tilt, which is the same thing just in a smaller is a UH-Manoa student. "I thought it was going be identified as "Joe" due to his age, has tried can. If you're going to crack down on it, be more both critics and college students to be like some 'girly' mix drink, but little did I three flavors of Four Loko, but never drank the strict about alcohol in general. You can't just By Joie Nishimoto know ..." entire can. ban one thing; there's more out there:' As its nickname "blackout in a can" suggests, "I don't like the taste;' he said. "To me, it's Alonzo agreed and said Four Loko is just EDITOR -IN-CHIEF the energized alcoholi c drink was too much for bitter. People say it taste like candy, but I don't one of many that should be recalled. In less than two weeks, the short shelf life of Alonzo, a weekly drinker, to handle. agree with that:' "There are lots of things that should be Four Loko - at least in its current and contro Although he could not remember if he One 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko contains recalled at the market;' Alonzo said. "I don't ver ial state - will come to an end. blacked out after drinking two cans, he had no 12 percent alcohol, which is equivalent to about think it's the drink that's bad; it's one's judgment Four Loko, a popular alcoholic drink con recollection of what he did that night. three beers. In addition, the caffeine in the drink towards their consumption of alcohol. taining caffeine, guarana and taurine, has been "When I get drunk off of beer or liquor, I is equivalent to about two cups of coffee. But for Alonzo, he does not expect to pick receiving attention from college campuses remember clips of the night;' he said. "However, Mixing caffeine (a stimulant) with depre - up another caffeinated alcoholic drink any time across the nation. with Four Loko, I don't remember anything of sants (like alcohol) can become a health soon. College campuses have seen many incidents the night. A friend of mine recorded me on his hazard. "It has definitely changed my mind about that revolve around the drink. Four Loko has phone and I did, said many foolish things that I "I think it's the caffeine that messes you up drinking Four Loko again;' he said. "I have no caused many hospitalizations among young stu have no memory of." the most;' said the 20 year old. intentions of purchasing Four Loko or any caf dents and is to blame for a death of a 21-year One hour and one more can later, Alonzo Alonzo said the caffeine with alcohol made feinated alcohol drinks for that matter:' old girl in Maryland. wa already experiencing the effects of the him feel different than he would On a local scale, Four Loko ha been linked drink. have if he had just drank alcohol. to two of four sexual assault attacks at the dor "This was the start of my bad hangover;' "After the first can, my stom mitories at the University of Hawai'i Manoa Alonzo said. "I was puking from 2 a.m. all the ach was spinning, my head was campus. way to 2 p.m. I went to class the next morning pounding and I had no clue On Nov. 17, the Food and Drug Admini - still puking. Every time I would drink a glass of what was going on around tration (FDA) issued warning letters to Phusion water, it wo uld come out five minutes later:' me;' he said. "I know I was Projects, the Chicago-based manufacturer of Alonzo said his post-Four Loko hangover drunk but a different kind Four Loko. In response to the warning, Phusion tops all of the hangovers he's had. of drunk. The caffeine and Projects will be recalling all of it 23.5-ounce "This doesn't even come close to having alcohol made me feel like Four Loko cans by Dec. 13. It wi ll be resold in a hangover from drinking whiskey shots all I was a drunk superman. I the future without the caffeine content. night;' he aid. was drunk, yet I had lots of Nationwide, Four Loko fans are beginning Four Loko, with its bright designs, inexpen energy:' to flock to Craigslist to purchase the caffeinated sive price of 2 to 3 and a va riety of eight fl a "Joe" said pulling Four version while they still can. vors - grape, fruit punch, orange, watermelon, Loko off the helves will not Gerald Alonzo, 26, is not one of them. blue raspberry, lemon lime, lemonade, cran stop college students from According to Alonzo, he and hi friends tried berry lemonade - has been the drink of choice drinking other "blackout" Four Loko for the first time in mid-November. for many young college students. While those drinks. "Prior to the ban and media attention, there like Alonzo have chosen to avoid the trend, "They're just putting the KAPI 'O PHOTO ARCHIVE FILE Experts have said that mixing alcohol with energy drinks can be a health hazard. According to frequent drinker Gerald Alonzo, 26, his first time trying Four Loko resulted in a wild night he has no memory of, as well as a 72-hour hangover that began just an hour after drinking his second can. After Dec. 73, Four Loko will be redistributed without caffeine. INDEX Cam pus news 2 Student profile 3 Finals tips 4 3 4 Editoria l 6 KCC student has found Stressing out about finals? Column 7 her true ca ll ing through We've compiled some Top 10 7 helpi ng others in t he tips and a list of places to physical therapy program ....._......__ _____, study, sans distraction 21news Students ready to travel to China Learning world By Iiwileo Pacarro said Joe Overton, the director of the half of studying the language;' Over history by competing STAFF WRITER KCC study abroad program. "He ton said. "So they get 12 credits of Kapi'olani Community College is wanted to create a better understand language for one semester." By Trevor Latorre one of the only community colleges ing between Americans and Asian :' In the second semester students eral public. in the nation to receive sponsorship The Study Abroad program is a are fully immersed in a different cul COPY EDITOR Groups of four competed, in from the Freeman Foundation. two-semester program that teaches ture. On Nov. 19, even Kapi'olani Com six categorie ranging from climate For the pa t six years the Freeman students about different cultures. The students will stay at East munity College students competed in change to people in the news, again t Foundation has sponsored students On Jan. 15, 10 KCC students will China ormal University in western the WorldQuest Competition in cel each another in hopes of winning through the Study Abroad program be going with the program to study Shanghai and take classes dedicated ebration of the Hawai'i International prizes valued up to $100. to study in four Asian countries. in China. to the study of the Chinese culture. Education Week. The registration fee was $5 . First Founded in memory of Mansfield Out of the 500 students that Classes like Chinese calligraphy, From Brigham Young University place winners were awarded $100 per Freeman, an American businessman applied, only 10 students were given pop mu ic and drawing are just a few Hawai'i in La'ie to the University of member, econd-place winners $50 and one of the founders of the Amer this opportunity to go on this trip. that are being offered to the students Hawai'i-We t O'ahu in Pearl City, and third-place winners $25. ican International Group (AIG), The 10 have already gone through attending this upcoming trip. They students put their IQs to the test at This year, unlike previous compe the Freeman Foundation gives KCC a fall semester packed with cultural get to learn all these things while the University ofHawai'i-Manoa. titions, the community colleges were students an opportunity to study in and language classes to prepare for living in the country. Patricia Alvarez, a history pro allowed to compete with the rest of China, Japan, Korea or Vietnam. their trip. "This gives the tudents a chance fessor at KCC who has been a judge the colleges. In 2009, Alvarez's team The rea on the foundation allows The courses started with 20 stu to gain experience;' Overton said. on the panel for the past couple won second place. only Asian countries is because dents learning Chinese. For five "When the students come back from years, offered extra credit to stu This year, none of the community Mansfield Freeman was at teacher at strenuou hours, five days a week, the the country, they are somewhat fluent dents who participated and said that colleges placed in the top three.