Disney park visitors to get free birthday admission

Free birthday admission to Disney parks

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is giving visitors a birthday present next year: free admission.

"Every guest gets in free to one of our parks on their birthday in 2009," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

To qualify, visitors to Disney's U.S. parks have to show identification and proof of birth date. More information is at www.disneyparks.com, where birthday visits can be registered in advance.

Visitors with multiday passes or who are otherwise already ticketed on their birthdays can get a one-day ticket for use in the following year; a "Fastpass" for immediate use for four rides for up to six people; or a voucher with a dollar amount equal to the free ticket, usable toward merchandise and other purchases.

HOSPITALITY

Hotel visitors can customize rooms

MGM Mirage Inc. officials building the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip say rooms in three of its hotels will use advanced technology to let guests customize their room environment.

The company says guests at the $9.1-billion complex expected to open next year will be able to save settings for the lights, television, sound system and curtains, and have the room "recognize" them and adjust when they guest enter.

The sophisticated technology will be used in the Aria casino-hotel and non-gambling hotels the Mandarin Oriental and the Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences, MGM Mirage construction chief Bobby Baldwin said.

The complex also includes condominiums and a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment center.

HEALTH

Caffeine labeling urged for drinks

Energy beverages can have 10 times the caffeine of soft drinks, or even more, prompting scientists at Johns Hopkins University to recommend that product labels list the content and warn about health risks.

Energy drinks are sold as dietary supplements, and the Food and Drug Administration doesn't limit their caffeine content or require warnings. A typical 12-ounce soft drink contains about 35 milligrams of caffeine, while some energy drinks have as much as 500 milligrams, said the researchers in the journal Drugs and Alcohol Dependence. Consumers may be unaware of caffeine risks, the report said.

Caffeine intoxication can lead to nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, tremors and rapid heartbeat, said study author Roland Griffiths, a professor of behavioral biology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He recommended regulation.

RECALLS

Toasters can pose fire, shock hazard

About 210,000 General Electric toasters, manufactured in China and imported by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., are being recalled because they can short circuit and pose a fire or shock hazard, according to the retailer and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The company has received 140 reports of incidents, but no reports of injuries. The toasters were sold at Wal-Mart stores around the country between September 2007 and July 2008. More information: (800) 638-2772 or www.cpsc.gov.

From Times Wires Services