Final Word from Thursday, September 13, 2012
Agriculture Minister Petr Bendl told listeners of Rádio Impuls
yesterday that his recommendation for avoiding poisonous
bootleg alcohol is to not drink any hard alcohol at all. What, not
even the Becherovka bought last year? Such professional
erudition isn't so surprising from the minister whose other
famous entrée into the realm of alcohol was a very purpose-built
audit of Budvar brewery. A logical approach to the 17 deaths and
30 other cases of methanol poisoning would be to identify when
approximately the deadly substance entered the supply chain
and which types and brands of spirits seem to be affected.
Otherwise, the government's approach reeks of disaster politics,
where a catastrophe is used to push through measures that the
population wouldn't otherwise tolerate. With Bendl making
decisions, we'll soon be taking our shoes and belts off before
entering a store that sells booze.[Czech Republic rum brandy vodka methyl alcohol]
Glossary of difficult words
bootleg - made, distributed or sold illegally;
entrée - entry or entrance;
to reek of - to be suggestive of something unpleasant or negative;
booze - alcohol, esp. hard alcohol.