Prickly Pear Cactus Growers Council
Praises Hangover Cure Study

NEEDLES, California (June 29, 2004) -- The Prickly Pear Cactus Growers Council (PPCGC) today praised the results of a study finding that prickly pear cactus extract aids in reducing the severity of alcohol hangovers. The results of the study were published in the June 28, 2004, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

"The results of this study confirm that prickly pear cactus can be an important part of one's daily diet," said Normando Iglesias, president of the PPCGC. "We anticipate that this study will have a major impact on demand for prickly pear cactus products, especially in college centers."

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study, conducted by researchers at Tulane Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, assessed the effect of an extract of Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly known as the Indian Fig or Tuna Cactus, on the severity of hangover symptoms. Sixty-four healthy, young adult volunteers were randomly assigned to receive the extract or identical placebo, taken five hours before alcohol consumption. The volunteers then drank 1.75 g of alcohol per kilogram of body weight (the equivalent of about five drinks for a 150-pound person) over the course of four hours. The next morning, the volunteers rated the severity of nine hangover symptoms on a 0-6 scale. Two weeks later, the volunteers repeated the test, this time taking the either the placebo or the O ficus-indica extract, depending on which they had taken in the first round.

In the 55 volunteers who completed both the extract and placebo portions of the trial, three of the nine hangover symptoms -- nausea, dry mouth and food aversion -- were significantly reduced by the extract.

Prickly pear cactus is one of the world's most versatile crops. Both the pad and fruit of the plant are edible. The pad has a flavor similar to artichokes or asparagus and can be served raw or cooked. The flavor of the fruit or "pear" varies by variety and ranges from strawberry to citrus. Canned, diced pads are often available in the ethnic foods section of your grocery as "nopales" or "nopalitos." Fresh pads and fruit may be found in season in the produce department. The fruit is often also used to make cactus pear jelly candies, available in tourist traps throughout the Southwest.

Prickly pear cactus is an excellent source of vitamin C, calcium, iron and soluble fiber.

"The prickly pear cactus growers of America are proud to be on the front lines of the battle against the ills of alcohol overconsumption," Iglesias said. "The next time you plan on indulging, consider including prickly pear in your pre-party meal."

Iglesias said the council is considering lobbying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow the labeling of prickly pear cactus products (excluding prickly pear jelly candies) as "hangover friendly foods."

The Prickly Pear Cactus Growers Council is an industry association dedicated to the promotion of prickly pear cactus consumption in the United States. More information about the PPCGC and its programs can be found online at www.ppcgc.org.

Family Fun, Personal Tragedy Color Ohio Tour

CHICAGO (June 23, 2004) -- Dead Horse Communications announced today that its principal, Andrew Huff, presented at the Francis & Adella Huff Family Reunion held this past weekend at the Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center in Dellroy, Ohio, as part of a three-city tour of Ohio.

"The trip was filled with great reconnections with family -- as well as the realization that the old chestnut "you can never go back again" is true," Andrew said. "Our stop in Cincinnati also yielded some positive developments that we hope to elaborate on at a later date."

Andrew and his companion, Dead Horse Chief Seamstress Cinnamon Cooper, participated in the customary late-night meet-and-greet with the more nocturnal members of the Huff family organization. Andrew's arrival with the 60-cup coffee urn was especially welcomed by this group of late-risers.

"My second cousin, once removed, Linda, discussed with me at great length the importance of finding one of the rare early-bird Huffs to charge with the making of the coffee," Andrew said. "We drafted Cindy Huff, of the Minnesota contingent, to do the job. She lived up to the task admirably."

On Saturday, after a light breakfast, Andrew joined an impromptu volleyball game and developed a nice sunburn on the left half of his forehead. Later, after a shower, he threw a few rounds of horseshoes with his brothers, Peter and Danny; his cousins, Alex and Topher and his uncle, Bob. In the evening, the family dinner afforded an opportunity to discuss Dead Horse's various projects and properties with relatives. Dick Ellwood, patriarch of the Ellwood branch of the family, delivered the keynote address, and later Maggie and Sarah Ellwood recited a touching elegy to Dick and his wife Barbie, both celebrating their 75th birthdays this year.

After dinner, Andrew took pictures of some of the family contingents, including engagement photos for Carie Heckerman and her fiancé, Ryan. Hailing from Montana, the couple will be married in May 2005.

"Ryan will be a fine addition to our family," Andrew said. "We also look forward to the arrival of Adam and Jessica Booth's first child, due in July. We don't yet know whether its a boy or a girl, but its arrival is anxiously anticipated by the entire Huff clan."

On Sunday afternoon, Andrew and Cinnamon traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to visit with Cinnamon's mother. Monday brought a visit to the campus of Ohio State University, the couple's alma mater. The fabled Oval is currently being restored to supposedly historic appearance.

"When looking for lunch, we discovered that the sandwich shop I worked at in college, Beekman's Bagels, has closed," Andrew said. "It made it more than 10 years, which is longer than any restaurant had lasted in that space in decades. Still, it'll be said not to be able to get a steamed reuben on a bialy anymore. I guess the sorority girls just weren't buying Tom's Turkeys (choice of bagel, choice of cheese, turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo) to keep the place open anymore."

Andrew noted that the closure brought to an end the availability of the dessert bagel sandwich he had created -- the Huffernutter, cream cheese and peanut butter steamed on an apple-cinnamon bagel.

In Cincinnati on Tuesday, Andrew and Cinnamon met with Kristen Folzenlogen, proprietor of Letter Heads, where Cinnamon's fine bridal party purses are on display.

"It was great to meet with Kristen and learn more about her business," Andrew said. "Cinnnamon got some insightful pointers as to how to better target her purse offerings, and I was able to show ways Letter Heads could improve its online presence. I look forward to discuss this further, as well as other potential projects."

Dead Horse Communications offers media, public relations and copywriting services for a wide range of industries. The company is headquartered in Chicago, with satellite offices on Ursa Minor Beta. The rest of its boilerplate is still under development.

Letter to the Editor

Upon reading this Advertising Age article on the new Nike blog/"special advertising section" created by Gawker Media, I was moved to write a letter. The article, for the most part, was good. It points out this blog-like subsite as a potential model for marketers to follow as they explore the new media outlet weblogs offer. (It's certainly better than Dr Pepper's blog for Raging Cow milk drink.)

However, the reporter (or possibly the editor, since assumably the article was reviewed by someone before it hit the Web) seems to be confused as to what is a blog and what is a service that allows blogs to be created. Below is the letter to the reporter, which I CC'd to the editors, clarifying a rather misleading section of the article.

Hi Kris [Oser, the reporter]:

Just read your article on the Gawker-produced Nike blog. Overall, it's a good story, certainly one your audience should pay attention to, but there are a couple of things wrong or misleading in the following passage:

"...The top four blogs, Blogspot, Typepad, Blogrolling and Bogger, reach 5.5 million people per month, according to ComScore Media Metrix. But Google's BlogSpot, which leads visitors through the creation of a blog, grew 56% in the last six months, according to ComScore.

Gawker gets between 500,000 to 700,000 unique visitors a month, said Choire Sicha, editorial director of Gawker Media, which operates six blogs.

But that won't worry Nike: For the footwear and apparel giant, the blog experiment is a drop in a marketing ocean..."

First, the BlogSpot, TypePad, Blogrolling and B_l_ogger (mind the 'l') are blogging services, not blogs themselves. And BlogSpot is a hosting service for Blogger-powered weblogs; both are owned by Google.

Second, your explanation of BlogSpot's function is misleading. BlogSpot doesn't "lead visitors through the creation of a blog," it is a service that allows users to create a blog for themselves.

Third, comparing Gawker's visitor numbers to those of the top four services used by millions of weblog authors is misleading. Of course it doesn't worry Nike that Gawker's numbers are lower than those services -- it's a faulty comparison, akin to saying that my cellphone usage numbers don't measure up to thase of Sprint, Verizon and Cingular.

It's worrisome that AdAge could report so effectively on a marketing in a new media but simultaneously show such a misunderstanding of the media itself. I can only hope that this article was rushed to press without the usual editorial attention.

Sincerely,
---Andrew Huff
Editor, Gapers Block
http://www.gapersblock.com

Dead Horse Communications Launches Web Site

CHICAGO (June 11, 2004) -- Dead Horse Communications today announced the launch of its new Web site, deadhorse.org. The site will be the centerpiece of the company's operations, and will feature news releases and other materials related to Dead Horse's media properties and its primary client, The Internet™.

"We are excited about the launch of deadhorse.org, and look forward to its expansion into the information marketplace," said Andrew Huff, principal of Dead Horse Communications. "There are so many great stories to be told about The Internet, and we are confident Dead Horse has the right combination of knowledge and skill to relate those stories to the public."

Since 1969, The Internet has been the top tele-informatics network in the world. Its premiere product, the World Wide Web, was launched in 1991, and has grown to become the number one public information service in the United States. Dead Horse Communications has been the agency of record for The Internet for 42 years.

"Currently, the site is bare-bones," Huff said. "But over the next few weeks, additional resources will be added, including a news bulletin service and photo desk. We hope to position ourselves as an important knowledge broker for information services."

Dead Horse Communications offers media, public relations and copywriting services for a wide range of industries. The company is headquartered in Chicago, with satellite offices on Ursa Minor Beta. The rest of its boilerplate is still under development.