A thread for random crap on the internet

[LeafMan66_67]

[bluenose]

This would be awesome!

Beermaster Versus Winemaker Dinner - A unique local taste off between Garrison Brewing and Avondale Sky Winery
http://www.halifaxclub.ns.ca/viewevent2 ... 04/05/2013

[mr x]

Pay attention when luring crocodiles with chunks of meat.

[Araxi]

Almost a Darwin award there.

[derek]

Almost a Darwin award there.

Exactly what I was thinking. You'd think if he was going to get that close, he'd at least keep his eyes on the crocs.

[mr x]

Sochi Organizers Are Stockpiling Snow, Just in Case
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/sport ... F61DFE376E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

crazy

[bluenose]

Why Beer Marketers Don't Spend Much on Joe Six-Pack Anymore
http://adage.com/article/news/beer-mark ... ck/240485/

With the beer market inundated by fruity flavored brews, pricey craft brands and Justin Timberlake ads, what ever happened to Joe Six-Pack?

He's still there, chugging cheap beers after work, but brewers are dedicating fewer dollars to reach him as the "subpremium" segment declines. Instead, beer marketers, on a quest for fatter profit margins, are encouraging drinkers to trade up to pricier line extensions such as Bud Light Platinum or new concoctions like Redd's Apple Ale.


Brewers are advertising economy brands less: Measured-media spending on the five largest low-end brews -- Natural Light, Busch Light, Busch, Miller High Life and Keystone Light -- fell to $6.9 million last year from $22.4 million in 2011, according to Kantar Media. That compares with the $32 million that Anheuser-Busch InBev spent last year launching Bud Light Platinum. Redd's Apple Ale, introduced by MillerCoors this year, is getting a similarly hefty push, while the brewer last week launched the first national TV ads for Leinenkugel's that spotlight its lemonade-flavored Summer Shandy offering, whose sales soared 90% last year, according to the brewer.

Add in the fact that the economic downturn hurt blue-collar drinkers the most and the result is that the sub-premium segment has been on a long-term slide, falling to 13.5% in 2012 from 15.7% of beer sales at supermarkets in 2009, according to SymphonyIRI. During the same period, craft-beer sales grew to 11.9% from 8.3%, while so-called superpremium beers, like Blue Moon and Shock Top, jumped to 10.7% from 9.1%.

How has beer been able to get consumers to trade up in a sluggish economy? "It comes down to emotional engagement," Trevor Stirling, a beverages analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said. "Consumers are much more likely to "brand' themselves by what they drink, be it a quirky, heavily hopped IPA, or a "sophisticated' Stella; whereas Natty Light and Beast Light have, if anything, negative brand badging."

New drinkers -- think Joe College -- are a lot more experimental than they used to be, sampling craft beers, cocktails and flavored malt beverages, rather than relying on the same old Keystone or Natural Light. Younger drinkers "grew up with so many different flavors that it's not unusual for them to want to try different things," said Dan Wandel, SymphonyIRI's senior VP-beverage alcohol client insights.

Marketers have also spurred the shifts by hiking prices on subpremium brands. A-B InBev for the past few years has been closing price gaps between mainstream beers like Bud Light and its value brands in an effort to rebalance its portfolio -- and the American beer market at large -- toward premium beers. "Our strategic intent is to grow our share of the value segment, but without growing the segment itself," said Edison Yu, VP-value brands at A-B InBev.

Still, big brewers cannot risk alienating economy drinkers for fear of losing them to cheap liquor or smaller beer brands like Pabst Brewing Co.'s Pabst and Old Milwaukee, whose locally targeted, quirky Will Ferrell ads have gotten a ton of free media attention.

There are signs that A-B InBev and MillerCoors this year are paying a bit more attention to their low-end brands, rolling out new packaging, campaigns and promotions. The goal is to protect share in a segment that still accounts for 18.4% of dollar sales, according to SymphonyIRI. Although declining, the segment is still larger than imports (14.4%) and crafts (5.4%).

"When you are a big mega-brewer like [A-B InBev] or MillerCoors, you are looking to be all things to all people," said Benj Steinman, president of Beer Marketer's Insights. "And if subpremiums are 20% of the business, you damn well want to play there." Economy brands are more about "fast nickels" than a "slow dime," said Ashley Selman, marketing director-economy brands at MillerCoors. "We make less per barrel, but we sell a lot of volume."

As they narrow their focus, value brands are zeroing in on core drinkers. Keystone Light is replacing its "Keith Stone" ads that targeted younger drinkers with a partnership with tournament-fishing organization FLW. Its mostly in-store campaign targets Walmart-shopping, middle-age drinkers.

Busch is seeking to hook more anglers with a limited-time promo this spring in which 50,000 special "fishing-lure" cans will be randomly inserted into cases. Fans who upload pictures of the cans to the Busch Facebook page can win prizes, including a fishing trip with star angler Kevin VanDam.

Miller High Life is launching a campaign that plugs the beer's role in "everyday celebrations," teaming with Harley Davidson for in-store promotions that tout the fact that both brands are turning 110 years old this year.

Despite the competition from crafts, economy brands are not giving up on younger drinkers. A-B InBev's Natural Light, which targets college-age consumers, is seeking to stand out with new "stubby" bottles, dubbed "Fatty Natty," rolling out nationally. MillerCoors is targeting hipsters with its Hamm's brand via grassroots marketing.

The brew is part of the marketer's "classic" economy-brand lineup, which is meant to compete with crafts. "These guys are still challenged by the economy," Ms. Selman said. "And they don't have the money to buy crafts all night long."

[mr x]

California man’s Cadillac careens onto neighbour’s roof after mechanical failure
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/26 ... ours-roof/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bluenose]

24 Facts You Didn’t Know About Beer
http://gizmodo.com/5992543/24-things-yo ... about-beer

[know1]

zombie beer.jpg

[Jimmy]

Jamie had this posted to his facebook. Be warned, it's nasty!

[Jimmy]

[benwedge]

Jamie had this posted to his facebook. Be warned, it's nasty!

I've had nose surgery and experienced this firsthand.

[mr x]

Corn shortage worries bourbon connoisseurs

Canadians have discovered American-style whiskey — bourbon, that’ll be — but a drought in the U.S. corn belt has hurt supplies to the legendary Kentucky distillers. Craft producers who source corn locally have fared better.

http://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2 ... seurs.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr x]

Drunk man violently beats roommate for drawing a penis on his face
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1301903" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr x]

This kid is going to have one hell of a pension.


http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/s ... -1.1302425" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GAM]

I played


My kids played this


I win.

Sandy

[sleepyjamie]

Houdini octopus

http://m.collegehumor.com/embed/6881531/octopus-houdini" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[akr71]

13 - 1.jpg

[mr x]

Maybe this would be a better avatar?
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... b-job.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr x]

http://www.moviemistakes.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bluenose]

How is it that I'm only hearing about this from a Quebec news source and not a NS one!?
http://www.thelapine.ca/monsanto-cucumb ... ova-scotia

Monsanto Cucumbers Cause Genital Baldness -- Immediately Banned in Nova Scotia



A six-month study by AgriSearch, an on-campus research arm of Dalhousie University, has shown that genetically modified (GM) cucumbers grown under license to Monsanto Inc. result in serious side effects including total groin hair loss and chafing in "sensitive areas", leading to the immediate and total ban of sales of all that company's crop and subsequent dill pickles.

The tracking study of 643 men and women in Nova Scotia came about after reports began to surface about bald field mice and the bald feral cats that ate them being discovered by farmers on acreages growing the new crop.

"The bald wild animals raised a huge flag and we immediately obtained subpoenas for the medical records of all 600 plus adults who took part in focus groups and taste tests of the cucumbers by Monsanto in Canada," said Dr. Nancy Walker, Director of Public Health Research at Dalhousie. "Fully 3/4 of the people who ate these cukes had their crotch area hair fall out. This is not a joking matter at all...these people now have hairless heinies."

Nova Scotia became the first province or state in North America to ban a Monsanto GM food product, although GM corn and other food crops are currently outlawed in Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and Hungary. Governments in Australia, Spain, UK, France, Turkey, India and Mexico have public petitions or legislative bills under consideration. Californians recently voted down a bill that would have required all GM foods to be clearly labeled. Monsanto cucumbers have been ordered removed from all food stores in Nova Scotia, while Quebec stores have begun a voluntary removal, partially because the UPC code stickers contain some English.

"I pulled down my boxer shorts to get ready for bed one night and there it was...a pile of hair that looked like a chihuahua puppy," said Eric LaMaze, who was paid $50 by Monsanto to compare the tastes of natural cucumbers to Monsanto GM cucumbers in March of this year in Halifax. "Then I saw my bits and whoa they were like all shiny skin. Bald."

Mr. LaMaze and other taste test participants said the GM cucumbers tasted the same as the naturally grown cucumbers but made a slight "fizzing noise" when swallowed. The participants also complained of raw skin in their genital area and some bed wetting.

Monsanto Inc., a self-described Sustainable Agriculture Company based in Creve Coeur, Missouri, where they share offices with major shareholder Bain Capital, issued a statement saying, "Next generation fruits and vegetables, including VO5 cucumbers, are safe for human consumption with some potential minor side effects. Some fine-tuning is underway."

McDonald's Corp. issued a statement following the Nova Scotia ban announcing that they will replace dill and sweet cucumber pickles on their burgers with non-GM pickled zucchini as a precaution until it is proven that no Monsanto pickles were sold into the North American market. McDonald's website contains a bulletin to that effect and includes a revised hip-hop Big Mac jingle that now sings, "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickled zuke, onions on a sesame seed bun."

Federal Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq said a Canada-wide recall and ban will be issued within 24 hours. "The Government of Canada takes this very, very seriously," said the Minister. "Being hairless down there should be a matter of personal choice for Canadian men and women and not one taken away by a cucumber."

"They used to have the real cucumber slices in those salad things at the City Hall Dining Club," sighed Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on the courthouse steps after being impeached by a Provincial Judge. "Those were good times..."

Robin Steel
Reporting for The Lapine

[mr x]

[chalmers]

How is it that I'm only hearing about this from a Quebec news source and not a NS one!?
http://www.thelapine.ca/monsanto-cucumb ... ova-scotia

Monsanto Cucumbers Cause Genital Baldness -- Immediately Banned in Nova Scotia

Maybe because everyone here shaves/waxes, so we didn't notice?

[mr x]

Does my bun look big on this?
Barbie earns cash balancing things on her ‘bum shelf’

[/b]
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/wo ... shelf.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;