Fact Or Fiction: Bacon Diet Coke

Is bacon-flavoured Coke on the way? That's what some Twitter users are wondering, after an image of a Diet Coke can emblazoned with the words "with Bacon" below the logo appeared online.

"Timeout," the user @coolmaterial wrote . "This actually exists?"

Turns out, it doesn't. At least, not yet.

"To answer your question," Scott Williamson, vice president of public affairs and communication for Coca-Cola told BaconToday.com , "No, there is no Diet Coke with bacon."

According to the site, claims of testing bacon-flavoured Coke date to at least 2008. And a quick online search reveals the image of the purported "Diet Coke with Bacon" prototype is just as old. But the soda is not hard to imagine in what has become the Summer of Bacon. (Just search "bacon" in the search tab in the top right corner.)

It's worth noting, too, that bacon-flavored soda does, in fact, exist--it's just not made by Coca-Cola. Hopefully it tastes better than the Bacon Maple Ale concocted by Oregon's Rogue brewery last fall. Beer lovers panned it, as did maple syrup connoisseurs.

[BaconToday]

Michael J. Fox To Star In Comedy Series On NBC

NBC, the network that, three decades ago, put Michael J. Fox on the map with Family Ties, has agreed to pick up his new single-camera comedy for a full 22-episode series sight unseen.

The show, penned by Sam Laybourne (Arrested Development, Cougar Town) and produced by Will Gluck (Easy A, Friends with Benefits) and Sony Pictures Television, will reportedly be based on Michael J. Fox's own life story. Deadline says Michael J. Fox himself will be the star of the show, playing a father who suffers from "an illness."

Fox, Laybourne, and Gluck pitches the project to all four networks, but NBC won out after putting up an unspecified — but significant — amount of money

The unnamed sitcom will be shot in New York City, and is expected to premiere next fall.

[Vulture/photo via Getty]

Science Confirms Friday The Most Likeable Weekday

Gotta love science—when it’s not confirming the God Particle or inventing new DNA-based technology to store all the information on the internet on a device the size of a thumb drive, it’s giving us new insight into practical everyday matters. For instance this new study from the Journal of Positive Psychology finds shocking insight into into the psychology of working Canadians: We hate every day except Friday and the weekends.

The study surveyed 340,000 people to find this answer. It seems like a hell of a lot of work to confirm a pretty predictable outcome, but that’s part of science: confirming stuff.

The study’s original purpose was to examine the effect of the “Blue Mondays” (colloquially known as Garfield Syndrome). Researches were looking for quantifiable proof that Monday is indeed the most hated day of all.

What they found is that we hate Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday just about the same.

“Strong support was found for better mood on weekends and Fridays, but there was minimal support for a Blue Monday effect and no differences were observed between Saturdays and Sundays,” they write.

Throw in the fact that for at least a couple months of the year many workers get “summer Fridays,” when they only have to work half-days, and science can only lead us to the inevitable conclusion: We just hate work.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that what we like about Friday isn’t only that it’s before the weekend, but that most of us spend about 100% of Friday eating bagels, shopping online, and watching the clock. It’s just a better routine than the Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday gig.

Supporting this thesis, the study also found day-of-week effects “were diminished for older and retired respondents.”

This is what we all have to look forward to: an elderly sunset in which every day blurs into a haze of bingo and televised golf. If it meant getting out of our usual Monday-Thursday gig, I’m guessing most of us would probably take it in a heartbeat.

[BBC via: Reddit]

Binge Drinking College Students Report Being Happier

A study unveiled at this year's American Sociological Association meeting purports to show that college students who engage in binge drinking are, on average, happier and more socially satisfied than those who practice moderation.

Colgate University associate professor of sociology Carolyn Hsu, who co-authored the study, says that, despite being aware of the ills associated with binge drinking, students continue to overdo their alcoholic consumption because of a link between binge drinking and improved social status.

According to ABC News' Medical Unit, which has access to the complete study, "binge drinking is defined as consuming more than four drinks per session for females and consuming more than five drinks per session for males."

The study, which relied on the survey responses of some 1,600 students from "a selective residential liberal arts college in the Northeast," found that social satisfaction was high among members of high-status groups (i.e. wealthy, white, frat boys) compared to low-status groups (i.e. poor, LGBTQ non-Greek minorities).

That part is not particularly surprising, but what the authors did find intriguing was that low-status students were able to elevate their social satisfaction to the level of high-status students by binge drinking. Additionally, students who belonged to high-status groups were less socially satisfied if they did not binge drink.

Also of interest is that the majority of the 64 percent who claimed to be binge drinkers, most were mimicking the behaviour of high-status group members in order to elevate their social status.

In the study, which has yet to be released, the authors say they hope awareness of underlying social motivations will allow "institutional administrators and public health professionals...to design and implement programs for students that take into account the full range of reasons that students binge drink."

[Yahoo!/ABC/photo via Shutterstock]

Nicki Minaj To Judge On American Idol

Hopefully, she’ll have this moment for life.

Nicki Minaj will be joining American Idol as a judge, sources have confirmed to Us Weekly. One source said the rapper is “100% confirmed to judge American Idol.”

Minaj’s latest album debuted at No. 1 in April and it had two top-10 singles. Minaj is also set to headline her own world tour starting Oct. 21.

Mariah Carey has already confirmed that she will be appearing as a judge next season, while Nick Jonas and Pharrell Williams are reportedly being considered for the third judge’s seat. Randy Jackson is reportedly being moved into a “mentoring role.”

[US Magazine]

50-Year-Old Roger Clemens Is Returning To Professional Baseball

Roger Clemens is returning to baseball five years after retiring. Before your jaw drops to the floor the seven-time Cy Young winner is playing in a game for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters.

Roger Clemens hasn't pitched since 2007. Probably because none of the major league teams want the press that comes with him. But just two months removed from a perjury trial, Clemens thinks he still has enough in the tank to take the mound—and the Sugar Land Skeeters think he's enough of a draw to offer a contract.

The Skeeters, in the independent Atlantic League, have worked out Clemens and will sign him ahead of his first start on Saturday, according to Mark Berman of Fox Houston. Clemens, seen here making the universal "this guy" gesture, hit 87 mph during his workout, and is supposedly in "great shape." Sugar Land, however, may be far enough from New York to keep Suzyn Waldman from soiling her chair.

Clemens joins a Sugar Land rotation with Scott Kazmir and Tim Redding, and will face a Bridgeport Bluefish lineup that inclues Shea Hillenbrand and Joey Gathright. The point: independent league ball is awesome.

Read more here: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/mac-engel/2012/08/roger-clemens-signs-with-a-baseball-team-to-pitch-again-seriously-.html#storylink=cpy

[Houston Chronicle]

Queen's Corgis Accused Of 'Attacking Princess Beatrice's Dog

Princess Beatrice's three Norfolk terriers were involved in a serious scrap with Queen Elizabeth II's iconic corgis last week, leaving at least one of the dogs in very bad shape.

According to reports, the Princess' 11-year-old terrier Max required vet treatment after being severely bitten by the corgis, and nearly lost an ear.

The scuffle took place inside Balmoral Castle, the Queen's residence in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, while the dogs were being taken for a walk by the royal dog boy. "They were being taken along the long corridor leading to the Tower Door before being let into the grounds for a walk, and they all became overexcited," a source is quoted as saying. "They began fighting among themselves and unfortunately the dog boy lost control."

The Queen and Beatrice's father, the Duke of York, were said to be "very upset" upon learning of the bloody mess.

"He was very lucky to survive," said the insider. "I heard the Princess was very upset because another of her Norfolk terriers, Millie, died from natural causes just a week or so before."

The Queen's royal corgi consort includes three direct descendants of her first corgi, Susan, as well as three corgi-dachshund mixes called "dorgis."

[Telegraph]

Comedian Phyllis Diller Dies At 95

Legendary comedian Phyllis Diller—a trailblazer for females in the industry—died Monday at age 95.

The outspoken comic, known for her brazen style, unmistakable voice, and trademark cackle, launched her career in 1952, becoming a household name thanks to her involvement in Bob Hope’s TV specials in the 1960s. She starred in The Phyllis Diller Show and The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show, and was a regular on the variety program Laugh In.

In 2005, she had a breakout turn in the documentary The Aristocrats with her blushworthy version of the famous X-rated joke.

Diller had recently fallen, TMZ reports, and her health quickly declined after the incident.

[TMZ]

Bank Of Canada Issues Apology For $100 Bank Note Controversy

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney issued an apology for the decision to exclude a woman that appeared to be of Asian descent, according to focus group participants. Carney called the move a mistake and the design process would be reviewed.

 

Toronto Star reported over the weekend of the Bank of Canada removing a woman, who apparently was South Asian, looking through a microscope. The deletion was made after focus group participants raised questions about the woman’s ethnicity. 

 

The Canadian central bank replaced the woman with another person that had a more “neutral ethnicity.” According to the report, some areas of the country were more receptive to the figure than others. Toronto study participants were “positive about the image,” while Quebec residents were “contentious.”

 

On Monday, Carney issued an apology on the $100 bank note and explained the “early stages of developing the themes.” 

 

“The person on it appears to be of Asian descent which doesn’t rep(resent) Canada. It is fairly ugly," said someone from Fredericton, New Brunswick in the study.
Others in the group said it played into the Asians in science stereotype, or didn't like that only Asians were being represented. Only the group in Toronto said they thought it was great, noting, "it is seen to represent diversity or multiculturalism."

The bank's solution? Make the woman more "neutral"—which basically means white. The bill currently in circulation can be seen above.  If anything, the bank switched to a white woman not to be racist but to avoid this sort of controversy, because Canadians are too nice to be racist, right?

 

[Globe & Mail/Image via: CNET]

Artist Puts Toilets On Australian Beach

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside... You know? The sand! The ocean! The seagulls! The seashells! The row of smartly dressed people taking a dump before the tide comes in! Wait, wha...?

Allow me to explain... Tired of bemoaning the distinct lack of public toilets at Henley Beach in Adelaide, local artist Andrew Baines decided to organise a rather unusual protest.

As Australia's ABC News reports in the video below, Baines rounded up 12 like-minded individuals from the community and got them to dress up in bowler hats and suits and carry their own ceramic toilets to the beach. As you do.

The dirty dozen then dropped their trousers and sat in a row on their respective loos while Andrew took photographs of them. His plan is to paint the scene for an exhibition that's set to take place in January 2013. (So there's a date for your diaries, folks!)

This drastic action comes after local business-owners complained that beach-users were constantly bowling up and asking to use their toilets.

But have the protestors' efforts helped this worthy cause? Possibly. Apparently, the council is now in consultation with locals about the best place to build some brand spanking new public lavatories. What a relief!



[Telegraph/Video via: NewsOnABC]

Augusta National Golf Club Allows First Female Members

At long last, women in America can enjoy rights equal to those of men -- Augusta National, home of the Masters, will admit its first female members after 80 years as the most prestigious man cave in the country.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina tycoon Darla Moore will get their green jackets in October, much to the chagrin of former club chairman Hootie Johnson, who famously said at the height of the all-male membership debate in 2002 that Augusta might one day have a woman in a green jacket, "but not at the point of a bayonet."

[Cosby Sweaters]

Valedictorian Denied Diploma Over Graduation Speech

A high school graduate from Oklahoma who was named the school's valedictorian is being blocked by administrators from receiving her diploma because she used the word "hell" in her graduation speech.

According to Kaitlin Nootbaar's dad, David Nootbaar, the Prague High School alum's speech was inspired by a scene from Eclipse, the third film in the Twilight Saga franchise.

He told Oklahoma City's NewsChannel 4: "Her quote was, when she first started school she wanted to be a nurse, then a veterinarian and now that she was getting closer to graduation people would ask her what do you want to do and she said ‘How the h*** do I know? I've changed my mind so many times.'"

The school gave no indication that it disapproved of the language until it was time to pick up the physical diploma.

"We went to the office and asked for the diploma and the principal said ‘Your diploma is right here but you're not getting it. Close the door we have a problem,'" Nootbaar told the NBC affiliate.

The school would only agree to hand over the certificate if Kaitlin issued a formal apology for her actions, but she has so far refused to do so — a decision her family supports.

"She earned that diploma she completed all the state curriculum," said Mr. Nootbaar. "In four years she has never made a B. She got straight A's and had a 4.0 the whole way through."

The school would not discuss their decision to deny Kaitlin her diploma, calling the matter "confidential."

[KFOR/screengrab via KFOR]

Alabama Man Fights To Keep Wife's Body Buried In Front Yard

James Davis, 73, buried his late wife, Patsy Ruth outside his log home, which sits on his property in Stevenson, Alabama.

The burial site was Ruth's wish, but the city rejected Davis' application for a cemetery permit in 2009, when Ruth died. However, Davis and his son-in-law dug the grave anyway. Ruth's body was placed inside a metal casket and lowered into a concrete vault.

Now, city officials want Ruth's remains moved because they are concerned about long-term care, appearance, property values and complaints, reports the Daily Mail.

The city sued Davis, and a county judge ordered the grieving husband to move Ruth's remains to a licensed cemetery. However, that court order is on hold until a state appeals court rules. Alabama has few property laws, so the case is in a gray area.

Davis told the Daily Mail: "Good Lord, they've raised pigs in their yard, there's horses out the road here in a corral in the city limits, they've got other gravesites here all over the place. And there shouldn't have been a problem."

Davis added that he would sooner die than move his late wife's remains: "So if they order her to be moved, it's a death sentence to me. I'll meet Mama sooner than I planned on it."

[Newser via Daily Mail]

Ukrainian Commission Attacks 'Gay' SpongeBob And Other Cartoons

SpongeBob Squarepants is gay, according to Ukraine's National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality.

In a report published Thursday and publicized in Ukraínskaya Pravda, the Commission identifies several cartoons and children's entertainments, SpongeBob among them, which encourage the "destruction of the family, and the promotion of drugs and other vices." SpongeBob's gay, anime's sexist, and The Simpsons, Family Guy, Fururama and The Teletubbies are just rotten.

Officials are now attempting to get the show banned from television in Ukraine, along with several other children's programs. 

EITB has provided a helpful partial translation of the Pravda article:

According to Irina Medvédeva, a psychologist quoted in the study, children aged between 3 and 5 years, after being exposed to such series, “pull faces and make jokes in front of adults they don’t know, laugh out loud and repeat nonsense phrases in a brazen manner.”

The report goes on to say that “The Teletubbies deliberately aims to create subnormal (men), who spend all day in front of the television with their mouths open swallowing all types of information,” behaviour which, it claims, complies with the “psychology of losers”.

Yes, apparently Spongebob is the tip of the corrupting iceberg. Tinky Winky of the Teletubbies is fingered for his darling red handbag, while beloved Shrek gets the beady eye for apparently containing sadism (nothing about witchcraft or talking animals, surprisingly). Perhaps most interesting is that South Park is also mentioned–it is berated for its apparent “reincarnation propaganda.”  The “who killed Kenny” meme is not funny if he comes back to life, it would seem.

The Commission is may soon propose a Ukraine-wide ban on some or all of these entertainments. As Andy reported last month, Ukrainian lawmakers are also currently considering a St. Petersburg-style ban on pro-gay "propaganda.

 [Wall Street Journal/Daily Mail]

Playboy Playmate Arrested For Smuggling 'Boyfriend' To US

Colleen Shannon, a 2004 Playboy Playmate, was reportedly arrested for attempting to smuggle a man into the United States.

Shannon was busted trying to cross the border into the US from Canada with an unidentified male. His relationship to her is currently unknown, but some media outlets, such as the Examiner, have speculated that he might be her boyfriend.

According to law enforcement officials, the 34-year-old blonde is currently being held in Clinton County Jail in Upstate New York, booked under a federal statute violation that prohibits “bringing in and harboring aliens.” If Shannon is convicted, it could cost her 10 years of her life in prison, reports TMZ.

According to her 2004 Playboy profile, Shannon, an Alaskan native, is turned-on by positivity and supportiveness while turn-offs include negativity and a bad kiss. She also shared a little bit about her philosophy on life.

“Everyone is put here to do something,” she said. “Your subconscious tells you the things that you love to do, but a lot of people put those things aside. I think if you stick to things you love, nine times out of 10, circumstances are going to go your way and you will live a happy life.”

MSN quiped, “Alas, it’s that 10th one that gets you every time.”

Too true.

[Daily Mail]

63-Year Engineer Is Japan's 'Last Ninja' ‎

A 63-year-old former engineer may not fit the typical image of a dark-clad assassin with deadly weapons who can disappear into a cloud of smoke. But Jinichi Kawakami is reputedly Japan's last ninja.

As the 21st head of the Ban clan, a line of ninjas that can trace its history back some 500 years, Kawakami is considered by some to be the last living guardian of Japan's secret spies.

"Ninjas proper no longer exist," he said as he demonstrated the tools and techniques used in espionage and sabotage by men fighting for their samurai lords in the feudal Japan of yesteryear.

Kawakami, a former engineer who began teaching ninjutsu - the art of the ninja - ten years ago, said the true history of ninjas was a mystery.

"There are some drawings of their tools but we don't always find all the details," which may have been left deliberately vague, Kawakami said.

"Many of their traditions were passed on by word of mouth, so we don't know what was altered in the process."

And those skills that have arrived in the 21st century in their entirety are sometimes difficult to verify.

[AFP]

Oregon Cyclist Tracks Stolen Bike, Video Goes Viral

Look guys, you can't expect steal a hipster's bicycle and get away with it. Be advised, bike thieves, you will feel the wrath of the angry hipster, complete with terse language, calls to the cops, and a big, shaming dose of moral superiority. Oh, and it'll all be filmed on an iPhone (find that priceless video below).

Jake Gillum of Portland, Ore. (of course) had his "twenty-five hundred dollar" bicycle stolen, then found the bike for sale on craigslist. So he did what any angry hipster would do: put on his trucker hat and a t-shirt of a shark riding a bicycle, and set up a sting.

"I was home alone, I started yelling really loud, and I scared the dog," Gillum said of his frustration over the heist.

You need to watch this video. Otherwise you're not going to really appreciate this story. Something about the way the guys talk to each (warning: there are many f-bombs dropped) makes this whole thing ... impossible to look away from.



Bottom line: Bike thieves stink.

(I'd use harsher language, but Gillum and his buddies pretty much did that for me.)

Boy, all this laughing has made me hungry. I think I'm gonna go beat up a hipster and steal his lunch money.

[KATU/Video via: simonjackson]

'Top Gun' Director Tony Scott Commits Suicide

British director Tony Scott, director of Top Gun and The Taking of Pelham 123, and producer of The Good Wife, among many others, died Sunday.

Scott, 68, brother of director Ridley Scott, jumped "without hesitation" to his death off the Vincent Thomas Bridge crossing Los Angeles Harbor at 12:30 p.m., according to coroner's officials. A suicide note was found in his Toyota Prius, parked on the bridge.

His body was recovered by a Coast Guard dive team four hours later.

[Contra Costa Times]

Dog Stumbles Upon 300 Million-Year-Old Fossil‎ In Nova Scotia

Patrick Keating knew he and his family found something special while walking early in July along the Northumberland Shore with his family’s dog Kitty.

But the Keatings had no idea they had made one of the most significant fossil discoveries in Nova Scotia. It is the first rib cage, backbone and partial sail of the sail-back reptile to be found in the province.

The sail-back reptile, a mammal-like reptile, lived during the late Carboniferous Period or early Permian Period, making it 290 million to 305 million years old. Paleontologists knew the sail-back reptile existed in the area as footprints were found in 1994 at Brule, Colchester County, and isolated bones were discovered in 1845 in P.E.I.

Keating, his wife Susie and their son Zachary, went back to the same location the next week and, remarkably, made another amazing discovery. They found the skull of the sail-back reptile, which researchers have affectionately named Superstar.

"We really had no idea how significant this was," said Patrick Keating. "My brother Peter and his kids took the pieces to the Nova Scotia Museum and when we learned what they were, we were truly amazed and so glad we brought them in."

Superstar will be on display for two weeks at the Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, starting Saturday. To read more about Superstar and track the researchers' progress visit http://museum.gov.ns.ca .

[Yahoo!]

14-Year-Old Becomes Youngest To Swim Across Lake Ontario

An Ontario teenager managed to swim 52 km across Lake Ontario on Sunday.

Annaleise Carr was greeted by cheering family members and other onlookers as she splashed to the shore in Toronto after nightfall. She says at 14, she's the youngest person ever to accomplish the feat.

She set off from Niagara on the Lake Saturday evening and had to plow through waves as high as 1.5 metres at times. Carr, who is from the tiny community of Walsh in southern Ontario, spent nearly 27 hours in the water, swimming overnight and into the following day, as a team followed her in a boat to provide her with food and water and check on her condition.

Because even swimming in a lake can get you thirsty.

Part of the reason behind her swim was to raise money for Camp Trillium, a childhood cancer support centre. By Sunday evening she had already more than doubled her $30,000 goal, having raised more than $70,000.

Amazing.

To make a donation to the camp, go to www.camptrillium.com.

[CP24]

Video: Evolution Of The Universe In A Short Video

A new animated video shows the evolution of the universe, from Big Bang to now in a little over a minute. The result is a pretty cool video.



[Wired/YouTube]

Video: Airport Cart Driver Makes The “Beep!” Sound Himself

Laughs were had by all.



[YouTube]

Video: Jason Alexander Stars In Nickelback’s "Trying Not To Love You" Music Video

What the hell is Jason Alexander up to now?



[Huffington Post]

Video: Dog Prays Before Dinner

“What do we do before we eat?” I'm sure he'd be even more thankful if there was a nice steak being fed to him.



[YouTube]

Video: An Instrument That Plays Colours

Handmade from a Lego Mindstorms colour sensor tool. Cool.



[YouTube]