THE LEFT LANE
Testing your date

Advertiser Staff and News Services

The nightclub scene is always rife with peril, what with the unwanted come-ons and the threat of date-rape drugs ending up in your drink. But Florida-based Drink Safe Technology Inc. is doing something about that last concern by introducing new date-rape drug test strips.

The test strips, created by Francisco Guerra after a friend was a victim of a date-rape drug, can detect gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Rohypnol ("roofies") and ketamine. The test strips, which were recently named one of the "coolest inventions" by Time magazine, are easy to use — simply use a drink straw to drip a few drops of your drink on the test strip. If the liquid turns blue, toss the drink. (One drawback is the strips don't work with drinks containing dairy products, so beware, White Russian fans.)

The strips are available online at www.drinksafetech.com for 40 cents each. John Allison, the U.S. distributor for the company, hopes to get bars to carry the coaster version of the test, which could be printed with the establishment's name and logo. Now if they could only come up with a way to get rid of those pesky come-ons.

Surviving 'Nightline'

Ted Koppel

According to trade magazine Broadcasting & Cable, his holiday gift to the staff this year was a bottle of wine with a custom label that read: "Nightline Survivor 2002 Private Reserve." No word on whether the wine was as dry as his sense of humor.

Something to conceal?

Makeup designer Frederic Fekkai recommends applying concealer with a brush designed for the purpose. "It leaves a much more natural finish on the skin than using a finger, because it deposits the color exactly where you want it," he said. Once you've brushed on the concealer, you should pat to blend. Never rub, as that moves the concealer away from where you want it.