VY V I KR V V -W --w- IF W v THE EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK with GABE NELSON uew rules A look at the big news events this week and how important they really are. Conveniently rated from one to10. WELCOME, PUTIN 2.0 Shortly after being named the winner of an election described as a sham by many American onlookers, Russian president- elect Dmitry Medvedev received a phone call from President Bush yesterday. The Russian media said Bush called to offer Medvedev congratulations, but White House spokeswoman Dana Perino wouldn't describe it as such. What a tease. it seems Medvedev's first major test will be to figure out if Bush likes him or likes him likes him. DOES HE LOOK LIKE OBAMA? The venerable late-night comedy show "Saturday Night Live" took criticism last week after casting Fred Armisen, an actor of white and Asian descent, to imitate black presidential candidate Barack Obawa in sketches. The show's producer Lorne Michaels defended the decision, saying several cast members tried out and Armisen's impression was the best. His Obama wasn't bad, but this whole debate draws attention away from the real problem: "Saturday Night Live" hasn't been consistently funny in a decade. SAWDUST SHORTAGE According to an article in Monday's issue of The Wall Street Journal, a slowdown in the number of houses being built has created a huge 3 shortage of sawdust and driven prices through the roof. Sawdust, used in manufacturing, is also commonly used to help clean up vomit, meaning North Campus bus maintenance could soon become more expensive. But don't worry, the University will just tack it onto next year's tuition. Drin king untilynou're red. in the face The science behind "Asian flush" and other alcohol intolerance symptoms 4 CENSORING THE WEB The developers of Scrabulous, a Facebook application that allows users to play a clone of the classic word nerd board game Scrabble, are trying to work out a deal with Mattel and Hasbro, who own the rights to the board game. Mattel and Hasbro had threatened to sue the developers, but are now working on a bid for Scrabulous - possibly for millions of dollars. Moral of the story: If you want to get rich, steal someone else's idea and put it on the Internet. Editor inChief. AvdrewcGrossvav MaaingEditor- abe Nelson Photo Editor Shay Syeviola Junk Drawer:Brian Tengel Center pread design:LanTruvva R s j sCoerephoto: Shay Syovivla IL ABOUT CAMPUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN OQUIST llfl;-I-FIW A - -- L The BTB Cantina question It's a restaurant. It's a bar. It's - what, exactly? In a town where your weekend watering hole is a mark of your identity, the opening of a new bar means self-evaluation. This is especially true for Ann Arbor's most recent personal- ity test, the opening of the much- hyped BTB Cantina last month. The cantina has been a campus talking point from its conception. It was an innovative idea. The peo- ple who brought campus a classic drunk food, the BTB burrito, were going to cut out the middleman and get customers drunk them- selves. Now that the cantina is open, though, students making explor- atory first visits don't quite know what to make oftit. Is it fast food? Is it a bar? What time should you go? Should you go at all? Ann Arbor has nothing like the cantina, a place where cheap, quick grub is coupled with an imported- beer-and-tequila bar that offers a $230 shot. And the idea of a BTB location with chic leather couches, or even various seating options, must also boggle a few minds. Walking into the cantina, locat- ed in a nicely sized space above Good Time Charley's, customers are greeted with bright lighting and up-tempo Mexican music. On a weekend night, the atmosphere is festive, but not too loud. There are plenty of people, but also avail- able seats. The bar is accessible, and some of the bartenders con- spicuously red-eyed and cheerful. But something is a little off. It seems like the cantina's custom- ers, employees and even owners are confused about how things are supposed to work. People don't know where to stand in line, when to show ID and whether or not they're supposed to bus them- selves. "Customers are still trying to figure out where to form the line," BTB co-owner Adam Lowenstein said. "They're trying to figure it out. We're still trying to figure it out." Since the cantina is a late-night restaurant, minors are allowed in anytime. And it shows. Besides Scorekeeper's, BTB Cantina might be the only bar where it's safe to bet that 30 percent of the clientele is underage. But at least the fresh- men at Scorekeeper's are savvy enough to own fake IDs. Although legal drinkers are sup- posed to receive wristbands at the cantina's entrance after showing identification, many students said they've gotten in without even seeing a doorman. Despite what may be a younger crowd, the cantina still draws cus- tomers of all ages who simply love BTB. Dustin Locke, Rackham gradu- ate student and BTB devotee, accompanied his friend Heather Lowe on her first visit to the can- tina last Sunday afternoon. Locke said he latched onto the idea of the cantina because a Mexi- can-flavored hangout reminds him of places near his home in Dallas. "I really like how they man- aged to make it consistent with the other BTB, but kind of nicer, trendier," Locke said. Lowe also approved of the atmosphere, calling the cantina's margaritas the "perfect post-exam drink." "It's sort of like the perfect col- lege hangout - cheap food, you can get drinks, across from the school, basically," Lowe said. For Locke and Lowe, the canti- na is a source for cheap meals and acceptable mid-day drinking. Both said they don't plan to patronize the cantina after dark. "We might be a little out of the age-range to be on South U at night," Locke said. The most enigmatic aspect of the cantina is when to go. Even the cantina's owners are unsure about its identity in that respect. Lowenstein said he had imagined the cantina would be mainly a pit stop for before or after going out, but initial attendance rates might suggest otherwise. "It's not necessarily a destina- tion place - maybe it could be, who knows?" he said. "It's been more of a bar scene than we expected." See ABOUT CAMPUS, Page 6B F or many college students, drinking is a way to relax. But for a certain subset of people, there's nothing relaxing about an after-class beer. Consuming even a single alcoholic drink brings them embarrassing or unwanted attention, and physical discomfort. "I get called tomato, cherry. Or I'll be compared to some- thing red in the room," LSA junior Annie Layno-Moses said. "Like, 'Hey, you're as red as that girl's lipstick."' Layno-Moses experiences a condition known as an alcohol flush reaction. It is also commonly referred to as "Asian flush syndrome" or "the Asian glow" because it occurs frequently in certain Asian populations. Several studies estimate that about 50 percent of Chinese, Japanese and Korean people have this condition, weakeningtheir ability to process alcohol. But these terms are somewhat misleadingbecause any person can experience this reaction, regardless of their ethnicity. As it turns out, whether or not someone gets a flushed face after drinking, and a slew of other symptoms including nau- sea, vomiting, increased heartbeat and dizziness - is dictated by the same thing that determines most of our other physical traits: our genes. When most people drink alcohol, enzymes in their guts break it down and turn it into things that the body can elimi- nate as waste or store for energy. Butsome people have genetic mutations thatkeep the enzymes from doing their job, causing acetaldehyde - a toxic substance - to build up in their blood when they drink. Robert Winfield, director of the University Health Service, said certain ethnicities may be able to tolerate alcohol better than others for the same reasonthat men typically have ahigh- er tolerance than women - they come equipped with stomach enzymes that are more efficient at processing alcohol. There are different genetic variations that all result in com- plications with this enzyme, but what the exact effects will depend on the kind of hereditary machinery you're packing. As with other genetic quirks, you can thank mom, dad or both for this one.Each parent bequeaths a copy of the gene that codes for acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), the enzyme that breaks down alcohol's toxic byproduct, acetaldehyde. Drinking side effects differ in intensity, depending on wheth- er a person has one, two or no mutant copies. Studies suggest that the ALDH2 mutation that causes alco- hol flush is dominant, so one dose of the mutant gene will result in physical symptoms. But the dominance is "incom- plete" because the physical reactions of people with one nor- mal gene and one abnormal gene differ. In some cases, such people experience hardly any symptoms - the regular copy of the gene picks up the defective copy's slack by making enough enzymes to eliminate the toxins before too much builds up. People who have a double dose of mutated genes will almost certainly show flushing symptoms when they consume alco- hol. Not surprisingly, it's almostunheard of for these homozy- gous individuals to end up as alcoholics. Large-scale studies throughout several populations have shown that there is less alcohol use and abuse among Asians. The enzyme disorder is so effective in deterring alcohol abuse that some alcoholism recovery methods have tried to recreate it. Drugs like Antabuse that help recovering alcohol- ics stay off the bottle by recreating the effects of the genetic condition. Antabuse works by temporarily impairing the ALDH2 enzyme to create toxin build-up as experienced by people with the genetic mutation. When the drug leaves the system, the body is once again able to process alcohol. If alcoholics can be convinced to ditchthe bottle when they By Arikia Millikan / Associate Editorial Page Editor NADH2 NADH2 NAD NADH2 NAD NADH2 ETHANOL 10 ACETALDEHYDE ADH ALDH ELISE TAK/Daly Your body has two primary enzymes to break down alcohol. Alcohol dehydrogenase converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic substance. Normally acetaldehyde is rapidly converted to acetic acid by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, and eventually carbon dioxide and water. But with- out a functional acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme, acetaldehyde builds up in the bloodstream, causing alcohol flush reaction. experience the physical symptoms of alcohol flush reactions, yet people who are genetically bound to the symptoms contin- ue to drink, what does that suggest about other forces at play reinforcing the appeal of drinking? Never underestimate the power of peer pressure. While some with the condition get embarrassed by their blushing phenotype or sick of feeling too sick, and quit drink- ing, others refuse to let their symptoms keep them away from the keg line. Several Facebook groups bring togetherrthose who have the conditions to share possible remedies and alcohol flush pride. ("I get the Asian Glow/Flush... But I'm not fuck'd up dum- bass!!," "I Rep the Asian Glow.. so what?" and "Asian Glow is Damn Sexy"). Layno-Moses, who has one Filipino parent and white parent, said she continues to drink a few times a week even though her symptoms caused by the condition can be danger- ously drastic. She said that for her, there is no in-between or tipsy - "It's either completely sober or completely drunk." "Otne and a half shots andI'm wasted," Layno-Moses said. "It doesn't matter how much I drink or how often I drink, my tolerance doesn't change." WhenLayno-Mosesdoes drinkwithinherlimit, sheexperi- ences the symptoms typical of alcohol flush reactions, includ- ing hot skin, heavy sweating and fatigue. "I definitely feel it in my stomach and I do get the Asian flush," she said, describing it as "very red skin, like I'm blush- ing, that lasts the entire night." Layno-Moses said the most she has ever had to drink in one night was four shots, which resulted in her getting sick and experiencing a hangover for the first time. Layno-Moses said her two brothers also experience the same symptoms. And while her parents undoubtedly have some combination of mutated alleles between the two of them, she said she hasn't really discussed the condition with them. Mary Jo Desprez, administrator of the University's alcohol policy and community initiatives program, said most people who have the condition know about it from family get-togeth- ers long before they have a drink. See ALCOHOL FLUSH, Page 8B BASKING IN THE GLOW Facebook has provided a sounding board for those with alcohol flush to vent, share stories and remedies and take pride in their symptoms. The following quotes were posted on the walls of related Facebook groups. The wall Displaying 10 of 26 wal posts. Write Somethitg SetAll NicoleTangie (Sudbury, ON) wrote I sufferfrom asian glow....after like a few sips i'm super red...it sucks and everyone thinks i'm already drunk.. Marilyn Caylor (London) wrote Just drink in dimly lit bars & clubs, or show off and ask your white friends who don't hang out with Asians if they want to see a cool trick! I am half Vietnamese & half German, but still mutated, apparently. Jason K (Australia) wrote "werd drinking more is the best way. i go red for like 2-3 hours then im normal and still drink. i also heard that taking mylanta or any of those antacid tablets work wonders without any effect" Hon-Wai Pang (Leicester) wrote i get weird experiences when taking pepcid ac..the first time i took it i kept throwin up after having a couple of pints lol and then the second time i took it i got tired and almost fell asleep.. but overall it does help lessen the asian flush sOURCE: FACEBOOK.COM Have a thought to improve campus life? Bringyour ideas to MSA 's W hat To F. Date: Thursday, March 6, 2008 Time: II a m.- 3 p.n. Location: Mason Hall Lobby You can also send your ideas to wtf@umich.edu.