CNN is apparently writing stories for Adult and Basic Education classes now.  Not really.  Typically there are too many sentence and grammar problems in the day's offerings.    They must be using adjunct editors for their online news.  Most of their stories are fluff pieces now.  Maybe not most.  Close.  They are competing with People Magazine, I'd guess.  But I'm oversensitive to it now that I can't read the New York Times online for free the way I have for the past few years now, so my take on it may be exaggerated.  Still, I'm not exaggerating this (though I've edited a bit):

Popular rapper Snoop Dogg is the front man endorsing Blast who -- according to a distributor marketing video -- "has the ability to take Colt 45 brands to a whole new level."

"Colt 45 makers are raising the alcohol level from the already high 6% to the even higher 12%, and enticing young people with hip hop themes and lollipop flavors," said Paul Porter of Industry Ears, a think tank that promotes justice in the media.

Porter said the company is "expanding its market with our children."

Blast joins the ranks of some high octane drinks such as Four Loko, Joose and Tilt that came under fire late last year for advertising to underage consumers.

"It's disappointing to see him and the utilization of hip hop music to promote an alcoholic beverage that is so dangerous to youth today," said Jorge Castillo, Advocacy and Outreach manager at Marin Institute.

Blast is gaining momentum.

"Last weekend I sold about 12 cans; they're becoming really popular," said Gurcharn Singh, who owns a deli near New York University campus.

Singh recalled a few cases where underage youth tried to buy the alcoholic beverage.

"Blast is only meant to be consumed by those above legal drinking age," Jon Sayer, chief marketing officer of Pabst Brewing Co., said in a statement.

"As with all Pabst products, our marketing efforts for Blast are focused on conveying the message of drinking responsibly. To that end, the alcohol content of Blast is clearly marked on its packaging."

Students around NYU say the drink's attractive design and low price could potentially be dangerous for a young consumer.

"It's bigger than a normal can size, people don't take that into account when they're drinking it," said student Ashima Talwar.

Student Sadik Uddin said it does not look like an alcoholic drink.

"They dressed it up to look like a soda drink. I think the design is pretty cool. I would probably assume it's a sports drink and gone for it," the 21-year-old said.

I'm shocked that Snoop would be involved in something like this.  I haven't found out if the beverage company is using "Blast" by Snoop as their ad song, but here it is if you are interested.  Perhaps, in Jorge Castillo's defense, the Advocacy and Outreach manager had never heard of Snoop before.  I'm sure he is effective in his position, though.  I just did a quick Google search on the Marin Institute and found that they are an Alcohol Industry Watchdog.  Here is their profile of Mr. Castillo:

Jorge Castillo joined Marin Institute in December 2007. Before coming to MI, Castillo worked as a family reunification case-manager in South Central Los Angeles and as a substance abuse counselor for Newcomer Spanish speaking teenagers and young adults in the Mission District of San Francisco. He has also advocated and produced community-based media. Castillo is currently a member of the County of Marin Board of Supervisors Advisory Board on Alcohol and Other Drug Problems.

Here is the ad for Blast that the Marin Institute is running on YouTube.  And from their webpage:

Mission

The Marin Institute fights to protect the public from the impact of the alcohol industry’s negative practices. We monitor and expose the alcohol industry’s harmful actions related to products, promotions and social influence, and support communities in their efforts to reject these damaging activities.

Noble, no doubt.