NEWSER) – It's Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, and the Gulfstream Park and Racing Casino in Florida is celebrating—what else?—fat people. In a promotion that's sure to make Michelle Obama cringe, the casino is offering players 10 cents in free slot machine credits for every pound they weigh. The casino will even have Krispy Kreme donuts on hand in case patrons want to bulk up a bit before their weigh-in, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
Rest assured, the whole thing is a bit of a joke. The casino's main competitor is called Mardi Gras Casino. "They should really own Fat Tuesday because of their name, so we decided to create a parody," says Gulfstream's marketing director. He also brushed off concerns about encouraging people to gain weight. "If you gain 10 pounds, you get a buck," he points out.
OFFICIAL BEER PONG BEER
Well, it took a while, but beer pong finally has its own brand of beer. Be on the lookout at your local convenience store for Pong Beer, which is sold in 30-packs and comes with two ping pong balls.
So far Pong Beer is already on shelves in 10 states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Wisconsin) -- with 10 more states supposedly on the way.
Obviously, it's not high-end, expertly crafted brew. Instead, it's just a cheap way to get drunk fast. (TheCampusSocialite.com)
Mike's Thoughts: And to think I was worried that the next generation didn't have its priorities in line.
Why worry about grades or classes or getting a job?
As long as you've got a pong specific brand of beer to play drinking games with the world is forever your oyster!
Japanese agency Hakuhodo has developed a new app that ostensibly allows users to control their dreams. Yumemira (translation: see the dream) is a free app that offers eight different dream scenarios that the bed-bound can choose before they go under each night. The app runs in the background on phones (presumably placed on bedside tables) and, after a period of time that's meant to coincide with the drift into REM sleep, emits sounds designed to influence users' dreams according to the chosen theme. Those themes include a walk in the woods, flying, um, love and others. Upon waking, users can share their dreams via social media, because really, there's nothing more interesting to your friends than hearing details about your dreams.
Mike's Thoughts: So the question becomes, how do you spell Kate Upton in Japanese?
(NEWSER) – If you're a slow walker or someone with a weak handshake, it may not bode well for your future. A new study finds that those who walk slowly may be more likely to develop dementia later in life, the BBC reports. Researchers looked at brain scans, walking speeds, and grip strength for 2,410 people aged, on average, 62 years. Eleven years later, 34 of them had developed dementia, and researchers found the risk was higher in those who had a slower pace.
In addition, 79 had had a stroke, and that risk was higher in people who had a weaker grip. "These are basic office tests which can provide insight into risk of dementia and stroke and can be easily performed by a neurologist or general practitioner," says the lead researcher, who also cautioned that more study is needed. A research manager at the Alzheimer's Society reinforces that notion, saying, "Before people take stock in the strength of a handshake or the speed you cross the road, more research is needed to understand why and what other factors are involved."
Mike's Thoughts: Here's the main thing I don't understand- barring any physical ailment (arthritis, for example) that would prevent you from executing an effective hand shake, isn't that mostly a learned skill rather than an inherent trait?
Meaning, couldn't people with weak handshakes be trained to give a more firm handshake?
If so, what does that say about the related (or non-related) health issues?
On one hand, having sex in an airplane sounds great. It's kinky and exclusive and -- you're above the clouds traveling hundreds of miles an hour.
On the other hand, it's cramped and disgusting.
What if you could have the sex, without the commercial airline hassles -- and cramped quarters?
Well, a company in Cincinnati is trying to provide exactly that.
For $425, Flamingo Air will take couples up in a small aircraft for an hour's worth of "private time."
It's an especially good deal, considering chocolates and champagne are included in the price.
Mike's Thoughts:
1. Ewwww...... An airline devoted exclusively to air sex is as hygenically troubling as a seedy motel devoted exclusively to land sex.
2. What does the pilot do during these nooky flights?
If it seems like you're seeing more guys at the mall these days, you'd be correct.
Retail insiders say sales of men's clothing are supposed to increase eight percent in the first quarter of this year.
That's the largest increase in 20 years.
Analysts believe that more men buying clothing is a sign that the economy is getting better.
Last month the unemployment rate for men 20 years and over declined to 7.7 percent from 8 percent, matching the rate with women in the same age group.
Mike's Thoughts: I'd like to say I'm helping the cause but the last article of clothing I remember buying for myself is an aqua blue Member's Only jacket in 1988. I feel so....dirty.
LIP PRINTS: What Yours Says About You
Talk about kiss and tell! In a new book, Lipsology, author Jilly Eddy explores what she's learned about people's personalities from their lip prints.
She's analyzed over 10,000 lips -- so I guess she's the expert on this. Make your own lip print with lipstick and a piece of plain white paper -- and see if she's on to something ...
• Your Upper Lip Is Wavy: This is a sign of creativity and great imagination.
• Your Upper Lip Has A V-Shaped Bow: You are a romantic, a foodie, and have expensive tastes.
• A Diamond-Shaped Lip Print: This means you are an accomplished individual and you give generously back to your community.
• A Full Lower Lip: You are an excellent communicator and children love you.
• A Large Space Between Lips: You are extremely open-minded (Yahoo Shine)
Mike's Thoughts: In order to deliver the story effectively, I wore lipstick this morning. (Sorry the pic is sideways. Stupid Iphone! ) I can only imagine how proud my Mom must be.
And here's my lip print.
I have no idea what this says about me. Other than I'm a sloppy kisser, apparently.
(NEWSER) – PepsiCo's plan to increase profit margins for its Tropicana orange juice is simple: Just add water. Apparently some consumers are already doing that on their own, in order to get a less-thick or lower-calorie beverage. "They themselves add water before drinking OJ," a PepsiCo exec tells Bloomberg. "So why not add the water ourselves and charge for it?" Tropicana lost market share to Coca-Cola Co.'s Minute Maid and Simply Orange brands after PepsiCo repackaged its juice three years ago.
Now, instead of continuing to compete in the 100% juice category, PepsiCo will focus on different products with higher profit margins. One such product—Trop50, which contains 42% orange juice and uses a low-calorie stevia-based sweetener—has already been successful. Says the exec, "We have lost perspective here on the primary reason we are in business, which is to make money." Consumers will always know what they're getting, thanks to strict FDA juice labeling guidelines.
Mike's Thoughts: Interesting story that raises a few interesting questions:
Is what Tropicana is doing inherently wrong?
It's not like they're trying to sneak one by us consumers.
Their perception is that there is a consumer demand (their research indicates some people are already watering down orange juice to save calories) and by meeting this demand they not only succeed on a customer level but on a profit level as well.
And theoretically, they're right about the FDA.
Sooooo......why does it still feel like there's something wrong with this plan?
(NEWSER) – BusinessNewsDaily rounds up some stats from a new survey on how people feel about their bosses. It's not pretty, with the results suggesting that courtesy, honesty, and tact are in short supply in the glass offices. Some specifics:
• About half of people think they can do a better job than their boss.
• 35% say they their boss never or rarely listens to workplace gripes.
• 60% say their boss has damaged their self-esteem, maybe because ... one-third say their boss can't be calm or constructive when talking about problems.
• 40% have left a job because of a lousy boss.
Mike's Thoughts: I actually like my boss alot. I gotta bring her donuts or something.
(NEWSER) – A nice tale for Valentine's Day courtesy of the Charlotte Observer: Larry Bushnell, 85, will marry Columba Rosaly, 97, this weekend, and the wedding is unusual not just because of their ages: Turns out they don't speak the same language. Rosaly is from Ecuador and speaks only Spanish, and Bushnell speaks only English.
They met at a retirement community and were able to communicate in the most newfangled of ways: Bushnell used a website translator to type up notes that he passed her in the lunchroom. Rosaly said she knew it was love when he came over to her table one day with a more old-fashioned technique: He kissed her on the cheek.
Mike's Thoughts: Currently, Larry is trying to learn how to say "As long as you're up, can you get me a beer?" in Spanish.
