Prozac is a big hit in Utah, according to a national study that indicates the prescription anti-depressant may be more popular here than green Jell-O. The study, as reported in The Wall Street Journal recently, reveals that many Utahns look toward ice cream and Prozac, rather than self-medicating with alcohol.
There is no word yet from the mayor’s office whether Prozac will be available over-the-counter at the so-called beer gardens in public parks during the 2002 Winter Games. One proposal would place Prozac capsules in lime Jell-O tequila shooters near the medals plaza. Apparently, some City Council members are balking at the notion, despite the fact that both Jell-O and Prozac are numero uno in the Beehive State.
• Speaking of the Winter Games (like there’s anything else to talk about), a federal judge has ruled that a website with the address www.slc2002.com must be shut down. U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart ruled that the site is a rip-off of Salt Lake City’s Winter Olympics and the Salt Lake (Olympic) Organizing Committee.
Although the web address did not use the words “Olympic” or “Games,” the judge ruled that it played off the mystique and marketing of the Olympics. The site featured topless women, among other things. Here at SmartBomb, we’re unsure how that relates to the Olympics. SLOC had sued to shut down the site, claiming it was a trademark violation.
Anyone preparing to sell calendars in Salt Lake City next year, might be forewarned not to use the letters ‘SLC’ or the numbers ‘2002,’ as they, too, are apparently the sole property of SLOC.
• While we’re on the subject of conservative judges, the Bush administration has nominated U of U Law Professor Paul Cassell to the federal bench in Utah. Cassell gained acclaim last year when he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that the Miranda warning advising suspects of their legal rights when arrested ought to be tossed out.
The prof argued that since everyone watches TV, most notably NYPD Blue and Law & Order, criminal suspects already know their rights. Advising suspects that they have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney only helps keep them from getting convicted, he said.
• Here’s something from our “News Flash to Fools” file: The U.S. now has more than 2 million people behind bars. We have the highest rate of incarceration in the industrialized world. Maybe the Miranda warning isn’t helping all that much. But it will be nice to know that a legal mind like that of Mr. Cassell will be on Utah’s federal bench along with other heavy lifters like Ted Stewart and Dee Benson.
• And finally, from our “Change of Pace” file: A German website is catching a lot of criticism after offering a ticket to a sold-out Madonna concert in exchange for sex. The winner, a 26-year-old Frankfurt man, will spend the night with website columnist Shelley Masters to earn the concert ticket. The sacrifices some people will make to see Madonna.
