Binge-drinking is on the rise amongst young girls, and clearly draconian health warnings and parental punishment isn't doing the trick. So, plan B: and at Worcestershire's Malvern St James School for Girls, that means after-hours wine-tasting sessions for 16-and-ups. Says teacher Rachel Huntley, according to the Independent,

We want to introduce the girls and their friends to good wines and their complexity, and educate them to develop an interest in the making of the wines rather than them seeing wine as something that you knock back in the summer holidays without thinking...As an all-girls' school, we have recognised that our children are under enormous pressure to conform to a drinking culture which has huge adverse health and social effects,

The girls in the class learn about bouquet, color and palate, and try the wines with foods (cooked in another class) from similar regions. Some of them include students from a local boys' school. Says Huntley, "Far better to enjoy a candlelit dinner with boys in the form of a quiz night blind wine-tasting than rely on the awful discos which are the standard diet in many schools."

When I wrote a British friend, I immediately got the response, "unlikely to challenge time-honored tradition of cider in park. But good idea."

Wine-Tasting Club Is The Toast Of Top Independent Girls' School [Independent]

[Beaujeu, November 19. Image via Getty.]

Youth English women taste the Beaujolais Nouveau early on November 19, 2009 in Beaujeu, in central eastern France during the official launch of the French wine. Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrated in its capital Beaujeu, and launched every year on the third Thursday of November. AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE MERLE (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE MERLE/AFP/Getty Images)

[New York, October 26. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

• When presented with the dress, bride Lin Rong "laughed and cried at the romantic gesture." Her husband-to-be said: "I do not want a cliche wedding parade or banquet." • Following the success of a similar pilot program, DC officials have announced that they plan to offer STD testing to all high school students in the coming school year. Cue the denial driven parental outrage. • A new study found that 60% of black parents said that they would consider volunteering at their children's schools, up from 23% in 2008. Researchers believe this is part of the Obama Effect. • Little Orphan Annie turned 85 yesterday! The "Annie" comic strip first appeared on Aug. 5, 1924. Creator Harold Gray originally planed on publishing a strip called "Little Orphan Otto," but he changed it at the last minute on his editor's suggestion. •  The Australian government has forged a partnership with soccer authorities in attempts to encourage more girls (and women) to play football. • In order to better understand the life of Muslim women, three British police women donned robes and hijabs for a day. The exercise, called "In Your Shoes," has drawn some criticism. "This is a complete waste of police time and taxpayers' money," said Douglas Murray of the Center for Social Cohesion. "It's not the duty of police to empathize with particular sections of the community." • The British Trade Union Congress is considering a motion to ban stiletto heels from the work place as a health hazard to women. Some women are saying, "From my cold, dead feet." • A female stripper from Australia has been found not guilty of raping the best man at a bachelor party where she was hired to perform. The victim claims that, after sticking a sex toy into his anus against his protests, Linda Naggs told him it was "just a joke," and told him not to worry, "only you and I know." • Denver Radio Station KTNI decided to scrap its indie music format in favor of "Classic Non Stop Stripper Hits, from the 80's, 90's and today." They're now going by 101.5 The Pole. • Sam, the koala made famous by this photograph, has passed away during surgery to remove several cysts caused by chlamydia. • Two important advertisers have pulled their support of radio network Austereo, following the forced confession of a 14-year-old girl that she had been raped during a lie detector segment of the Kyle and Jackie O Show. • Newspaper editor Chansa Kabwela is currently on trial for distributing images of a woman giving birth in a parking lot after she was turned away from a hospital. Zambia president Rupiah Banda deemed the images pornographic and called for charges to be brought against Kabwela. • Lula Mae Battle, 81, had charges against her dropped when prosecutors learned that her public urination arrest was due to age-related incontinence. • A woman in Texas has been charged with mutilating her infant while high on drugs. Yes, another one. • A woman from New York was ticketed for breastfeeding in a parked car. Although she admits they were in a "no standing" zone, Marta Lily and Enrique Velez pleaded with the officer not to ticket them, and offered to move while he was busy writing out the forms. • Saudi citizen Mazen Abdul-Jawad is facing more than 200 charges for appearing on a Lebanese television show discussing the fact that he's had sex and liked it. Abdul-Jawad is the divorced father of 4. • New research shows that although baby-making declines as countries achieve certain levels of wealth, it goes up again once they get really rich. • Lori Drew wants her internet access back. The Internet doesn't want her. • Daniela Earnest of Tulare, California learned that California regulations really are as bad as conservative commentators warn: local officials shut down her corner lemonade stand, which she opened to pay for tickets to Disneyland, because it lacked the proper business permits. Although the city is contemplating a change to the law, a local radio station traded her family 4 tickets to Disneyland in exchange for 30 cups of lemonade. • Be warned: The story I'm about to link to may offend some with its absurdly bad puns: According to a new study, women who down one or two glasses of wine a day have better sex lives than those who abstain. •

[Novelda, Spain; December 29. Image via Getty]

A dog runs in a vineyard of Vinalopo grapes, which are bagged on the vine, in Novelda, eastern Spain, on December 29, 2008. Spaniards eat 12 Vinalopo grapes as midnight strikes on New Year's eve. The tradition, now nearly a century old, promises good luck to those who manage a grape and a New year's Wish - per chime. AFP PHOTO/ Jaime REINA (Photo credit should read JAIME REINA/AFP/Getty Images)

"We found that modest amounts of alcohol in women seem to be associated with a delay in cognitive decline, such as speed of thought and how you use language and words. If these become serious, they can be signs of dementia," says David Stott, professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Glasgow. Stott and his team analyzed 5,800 subjects between the ages of 70 to 82, exploring the effects of alcohol on memory and cognition, and found that "women who consumed between one and seven units of alcohol a week performed significantly better than those who rarely drank or were teetotal."

Though small amounts of alcohol may aid in helping the brain stay sharp, Stott warns, "This is not an endorsement to drink to excess - large amounts of alcohol will damage your brain - but the occasional tipple may do you some good." In other words, drinking an entire bottle on your own and then running down the street screaming, "I'm fixing my memooooryyyy!" probably isn't going to win you any points in the medical community.

A Small Glass Of Wine Could Delay Dementia, Scientists Claim [Telegraph]

[Las Vegas, November 20. Image via Splash.]

[London, August 22. Image via Bauer-Griffin.]

• Fabulous CNN reporter Richard Quest (my pretend British boyfriend), was picked up early this morning in Central Park and charged with possessing meth. Oh, Richard. You already overcame the hazards of British dentistry once, why would you risk your teeth again? [NY Times]
  
• In what is rapidly becoming a roll call of disappointment, journalists call out Snuffleupagus and Charlie Gibson for their shoddy debate performance. Isn't it elitist to care if the debate was less than substantive, guys? [The Nation]
  
• Speaking of things that are bound to disappoint others, Bill Clinton's former Labor Secretary Robert Reich endorsed Obama today. For those people counting, that's now five former Clinton Cabinet secretaries (Reich, Richardson, Peña, Daley and Mineta) supporting Obama and 2 openly supporting Clinton (Albright and Cisneros). You may hate the Bushies, but, damn, do they understand loyalty better than the Clintonistas. [Robert Reich's Blog via NY Magazine, HuffPo, WaPo, HuffPo and HillaryClinton.com]

• Dean's disappointed that the superdelegates can't make up their damn minds already. [CNN]
• And women everywhere ought to be disappointed that the Supreme Court ruled last year that we only get 6 months to notice pay discrimination if we want to ever sue for it, or that Congress has, to date, neglected to pass a little law needed to stop that bullshit. [Nation, ACLU]
• Girls in the wacky polygamist "she bleeds, she breeds" cult are too scared of disappointing God to refuse marriage or sex, not that they're old enough to legally consent anyway. [MSNBC]
• Oh, and wonder how the culties paid for all of their ranch-y-ness? With your tax dollars, courtesy of the Pentagon and the cult's own defense supply company, to the tune of $1.7 million over the last 10 years. Bet you're that much more disappointed about paying your taxes this week. [CNN]
• Clinton's undoubtedly disappointed that the latest national polls show Obama beating her by a handy margin, and the latest Pennsylvania polls show them almost neck and neck heading into the weekend. [Newsweek, Rasmussen]
• Screw it, the only person not disappointed right now is my dad, who's just happy that Obama likes beer just as much as Hillary. I, however, think they both got it wrong and that it's time for a glass of wine. [Chicago Tribune, Post-Tribune]