Pabst Brewing Co

You won't find Kapone savoring the taste or aroma of his beverage of choice. The young gang member from the Imperial Courts housing project in Watts offers a simple explanation for his loyalty to malt liquor, in particular Olde English 800: "It does the job the fastest." Kapone, a lanky 23-year-old who sells drugs for a living, started drinking when he was 10. To him, beer tastes like water. Even some malt liquors no longer give him a kick.

Few people outside the advertising world have heard of the agency Asher/Gould. In fact, even some in the business don't know much about this Los Angeles ad firm. That's why many executives in the local ad community were more than mildly surprised in recent weeks when this usually docile agency snatched the $15-million Baskin-Robbins ice cream account and then landed the much sought-after $20-million to $30-million Suzuki automotive business.

San Diego restaurant owner Paul Dobson appreciates finely crafted beers and ales. He enjoys drinking them and serving them in his three downtown restaurants. Dobson, who describes himself as "insane about good beers," even planned to open a small downtown brewery to make his own brand of beers and ales. The planned microbrewery near Horton Plaza went flat because of a California law that prohibits people with liquor licenses from making beer.

California Indian tribes seeking to preserve and expand their casino operations have anted up a whopping $24.6 million to win passage of Proposition 5, and Nevada casinos have begun responding with their own funds to fight the November ballot measure, according to newly filed state campaign finance reports. The result of the early spending has been an unprecedented mid-summer TV advertising blitz, which could intensify further as the election nears.

Loft living used to be reserved for some of the most down-to-earth people I know. In the late 1970s and early '80s, artists flocked in increasing numbers to inner-city Los Angeles. Their neighborhood, near Traction Avenue and Hewitt Street, was anchored by Hilbie's (now Bloom's General Store), the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art and Lili Lakich's neon gallery. A surreal, multihued airplane hung precariously above Al's Bar on Hewitt, a beacon for bohemians.

There was no advertised sale. No specials. No markdowns. But when Watts Wacker waltzed into the Macy's store in Manhattan to buy some name-brand men's underwear, he demanded 10% off the price tag. Nothing was wrong with the briefs. But Wacker, a consumer-minded futurist at the consulting firm Yankelovich & Partners, just wanted to see what would happen if he refused to pay full price. The department manager was summoned.