Kmart launches multicultural marketing campaign

Ailing Kmart Corp. launched a new marketing campaign Monday that targets black and Hispanic shoppers. The campaign, which will be released in stages, begins with radio advertising in markets with a strong black consumer presence. The 30- and 60-second spots feature original music by Chaka Khan and BeBe Winans. The Troy-based retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January, after lower-than-expected holiday sales, downgrades by several credit rating agencies and a slumping stock price. Kmart has struggled to compete with less expensive Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and trendier Target Corp. in the discount market. Multicultural consumers make up 39 percent of Kmart's customers each week, with blacks and Hispanics making up 32 percent of its shoppers.

Gay adoption advocates, opponents, seek clarification of law

Vague language in Michigan law lets state judges interpret a gay couples' right to adopt children, but advocates on both sides of the issue say the law needs clarification. But they differ on the desired clarity. Gay parents, some child-care experts and civil rights advocates want the law clarified so same-sex couples can adopt together in every Michigan county. Opponents of gay adoption, including family values and conservative activist groups, want it banned altogether. The language in Michigan's law is as follows: ``If a person desires to adopt a child ... that person, together with his wife or her husband, if married, should file a petition.'' Many judges interpret the law to mean that two people must be married to adopt together. Gay couples can't legally marry in the United States. Only Vermont offers civil unions, which are only recognized there. But some say Michigan's law means if two people are married, they must adopt together, but if they're not married, they can co-adopt. Some gay adoption opponents are glad to see the law being taken up by judges and, they hope, lawmakers. ``I wish (gay supporters) would lie low,'' said gubernatorial candidate Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Township. ``The law's not perfect, but it's better than creating a ban.''

U of M students still binge drinkers

A recent study by the University of Michigan found binge drinking is on the rise there, especially among undergraduate women. A larger number of students admit to binge drinking five or more drinks in a row for men and at least four consecutive ones for women despite campaigns warning of health and safety risks. Moreover, most of the 3,600 undergraduates surveyed are younger than 21. A similar survey of 119 U.S. colleges released simultaneously by Harvard University showed drinking rates remained the same nationally, despite efforts to reduce alcohol use through tougher campus policies and state drinking laws. Harvard reported that 44 percent of students around the country acknowledged drinking excessively within two weeks of the poll. Nationally, there was a progressive rise in the share of binge drinkers at all-women's schools between 1993 and 2001 from 24 percent to 32 percent. There was also a sharp increase in frequent binge drinkers from 5 percent to 12 percent at five all-women's colleges, the national survey showed. ``That is the big question,'' said Carol Boyd, a women's studies professor who is director of U-Ms Substance Abuse Research Center. ``We can imagine that advertising is increasingly targeted at young women, and that advertising is effective.''