Man Says Milk Fat Caused Stroke
Dear Ann Landers: I just came across another beauty for your lawsuit collection. Here it is:
“A self-described milk-a-holic is suing the dairy industry, claiming that a lifetime of drinking whole milk contributed to his clogged arteries and a minor stroke.
“The 61-year-old man believes he might have avoided his health problems if he had been warned on milk cartons about fat and cholesterol. ‘I drank milk like some people drink beer or water,’ he said. The federal lawsuit names the local supermarket and the Dairy Farmers of Washington as defendants. The man wants warning labels on dairy industry products and on all ads and commercials.
“‘If tobacco products can be required to have warning labels, why not dairy products?’ said the man, a former smoker. He is also seeking reimbursement of his medical expenses and unspecified compensation for personal injury.
Since his stroke three years ago, the plaintiff drinks only non-fat or skim milk.”
I learned about skim milk 50 years ago. Where was this character then? I hope you will print it. Thanks, Ann. - Vivian in Sacramento, Calif.
Dear Vivian: Thanks for sending on that Associated Press story, dateline Seattle. I shall watch with interest the outcome of this suit and keep my readers posted. P.S. If it does not make national news, I hope my readers of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will let me know what happens.
Dear Ann Landers: I loved your Gem about Bostonians who talk funny. Question: “Where did the ‘r’ from Harvard go?” The answer is “To Cuber and Africker.” When Midwesterners hear the word “core,” they immediately visualize the inside of an apple. In Boston, they are talking about an automobile.
When I was in grade school (I’m now 84), the study of geography included knowing the main products of the area. Some joker observed that the difference between Boston and Chicago was that the former was known for boots and shoes and the latter for shoots and booze. I thought that was pretty clever. - Racine, Wis.
Dear Racine: That “clever” comment about Chicago must be at least 50 years old. It harks back to the days of Prohibition and Al Capone. Today, Chicago is known throughout the world as the city of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Ours is a world-class city with beautiful parks and a lakefront that is the envy of the nation. People from all over the world come to Chicago to see incredible architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright, Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan and Mies van der Rohe. The Chicago Symphony is world famous, as is the Lyric Opera. Our Art Institute is a gem, and the Museum of Science and Industry is spectacular. We have many stellar restaurants and a thriving theater district. Educational opportunities at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and Loyola University are excellent. Our crime rate has dropped dramatically, and last year, our mayor, Richard M. Daley, was president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, representing all mayors in the country.
I could live anywhere I wish, but I choose to live in Chicago. I guess you might say I’m an unreconstructed Midwesterner, having been born and raised in Iowa. But my heart is, and always will be, in Chicago.
Gem of the Day: Best definition of a man who has retired (sent in by his wife, of course): twice as much husband - half as much money.