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Pipe cleaner probably.escargot1 said:
Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
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Ronson8 said:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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How to make cheap wine taste like a fine vintage
17 December 2008 by Stephanie Pain
Magazine issue 2687.
MOST people have got one lying around somewhere: a bottle of cheap, nasty wine left over from a dinner party just waiting to be offloaded on someone else - or quaffed late one night when the good stuff has run out. But what if you could turn that bargain-basement plonk into fine wine in minutes? In these straitened times it could be just the thing a wine lover needs.
Traditionalists, of course, would insist that nothing can replace genuine quality plus long, slow ageing in an oak barrel and years of storage in cool, cobwebby cellars. But could there be a short cut?
Over the years, inventors have come up with dozens of widgets that they claim can transform the undrinkable or bring the finest wines to perfection without the long wait. Sadly, there's little scientific evidence that most of them work (see "Faking it"). Looks like you're stuck with the plonk.
Or are you? Fortunately, there is one technique that stands out from the rest. It is backed by a decade of research, the results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal and the end product has passed the ultimate test- blind tasting by a panel of wine experts. No fewer than five wineries have now invested in the technology.
The secret this time is an electric field. Pass an undrinkable, raw red wine between a set of high-voltage electrodes and it becomes pleasantly quaffable. "Using an electric field to accelerate ageing is a feasible way to shorten maturation times and improve the quality of young wine," says Hervé Alexandre, professor of oenology at the University of Burgundy, close to some of France's finest vineyards.
No matter how impatient or undiscriminating you may be, fresh wine is undrinkable and can have horrible after-effects. Expect an upset stomach, a raging thirst and the world's nastiest hangover. The youngest a wine can be drunk is six months. Most, especially reds, take longer to achieve the required balance and complexity. The finest can take 20 years to reach their peak.
During ageing, wine becomes less acid as the ethanol reacts with organic acids to produce a plethora of the fragrant compounds known as esters. Unpleasant components precipitate out and the wine becomes clearer and more stable. Red wines mellow as bitter, mouth-puckering tannin molecules combine with each other and with pigment molecules to form larger polymers, at the same time releasing their grip on volatile molecules that contribute to the wine's aroma.
These reactions take time and need a small but steady supply of oxygen. In barrel-aged wines, oxygen leaks through the wood, while wine matured in steel tanks is often helped along by introducing microscopic oxygen bubbles.
There are good commercial reasons why winemakers would love get their hands on a speedier alternative, especially in places like China where the industry is young and booming. It would allow them to get their wines into the shops faster to meet ever-increasing demand, and cut the cost of storage.
The food industry has experimented with electric fields as an alternative to heat-treating since the 1980s, and 10 years ago Xin An Zeng, a chemist at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, decided to see what he could do for wine. Early results were promising enough for Zeng and his colleagues to develop a prototype plant in which they could treat wine with fields of different strengths for different periods of time.
They pumped the wine through a pipe that ran between two titanium electrodes, fed with a mains-frequency alternating supply boosted to a higher voltage. For the test wine, the team selected a 3-month-old cabernet sauvignon from the Suntime Winery, China's largest producer. Batches of wine spent 1, 3 or 8 minutes in various electric fields (see diagram). The team then analysed the treated wine for chemical changes that might alter its "mouth feel" and quality, and passed it to a panel of 12 experienced wine tasters who assessed it in a blind tasting (Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, vol 9, p 463).
The results were striking. With the gentlest treatment, the harsh, astringent wine grew softer. Longer exposure saw some of the hallmarks of ageing emerge- a more mature "nose", better balance and greater complexity. The improvements reached their peak after 3minutes at 600 volts per centimetre: this left the wine well balanced and harmonious, with a nose of an aged wine and, importantly, still recognisably a cabernet sauvignon.
Analysis revealed some significant chemical changes. Most obviously, there was a marked increase in reactions between alcohols and acids to produce esters. This led to a reduction in concentrations of the long-chain alcohols known to be responsible for nasty odours and a burning mouth feel, while the increase in the concentration of esters boosted the aroma and the perception of fruitiness.
Two other good things happened: the breakdown of proteins produced free amino acids that contribute to taste and there was a noticeable reduction in the levels of aldehydes, which are responsible for "off" flavours. You can have too much of a good thing, though. Upping the voltage and applying it for longer brought new and unwanted changes, including the generation of new undesirable aldehydes. Zap it too much and the result, the panel found, was worse than the untreated original.
Although Zeng cannot yet explain how exposure to an electric field alters the wine's chemistry, his results show that under the right conditions the technique can accelerate some aspects of the ageing process. "Not only can it shorten a wine's normal storage time, it can also improve some lower-quality wine," he says. "It works just as well with other grape varieties such as merlot and shiraz." Five Chinese wineries have begun trials.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... ?full=true
17 December 2008 by Stephanie Pain
Magazine issue 2687.
MOST people have got one lying around somewhere: a bottle of cheap, nasty wine left over from a dinner party just waiting to be offloaded on someone else - or quaffed late one night when the good stuff has run out. But what if you could turn that bargain-basement plonk into fine wine in minutes? In these straitened times it could be just the thing a wine lover needs.
Traditionalists, of course, would insist that nothing can replace genuine quality plus long, slow ageing in an oak barrel and years of storage in cool, cobwebby cellars. But could there be a short cut?
Over the years, inventors have come up with dozens of widgets that they claim can transform the undrinkable or bring the finest wines to perfection without the long wait. Sadly, there's little scientific evidence that most of them work (see "Faking it"). Looks like you're stuck with the plonk.
Or are you? Fortunately, there is one technique that stands out from the rest. It is backed by a decade of research, the results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal and the end product has passed the ultimate test- blind tasting by a panel of wine experts. No fewer than five wineries have now invested in the technology.
The secret this time is an electric field. Pass an undrinkable, raw red wine between a set of high-voltage electrodes and it becomes pleasantly quaffable. "Using an electric field to accelerate ageing is a feasible way to shorten maturation times and improve the quality of young wine," says Hervé Alexandre, professor of oenology at the University of Burgundy, close to some of France's finest vineyards.
No matter how impatient or undiscriminating you may be, fresh wine is undrinkable and can have horrible after-effects. Expect an upset stomach, a raging thirst and the world's nastiest hangover. The youngest a wine can be drunk is six months. Most, especially reds, take longer to achieve the required balance and complexity. The finest can take 20 years to reach their peak.
During ageing, wine becomes less acid as the ethanol reacts with organic acids to produce a plethora of the fragrant compounds known as esters. Unpleasant components precipitate out and the wine becomes clearer and more stable. Red wines mellow as bitter, mouth-puckering tannin molecules combine with each other and with pigment molecules to form larger polymers, at the same time releasing their grip on volatile molecules that contribute to the wine's aroma.
These reactions take time and need a small but steady supply of oxygen. In barrel-aged wines, oxygen leaks through the wood, while wine matured in steel tanks is often helped along by introducing microscopic oxygen bubbles.
There are good commercial reasons why winemakers would love get their hands on a speedier alternative, especially in places like China where the industry is young and booming. It would allow them to get their wines into the shops faster to meet ever-increasing demand, and cut the cost of storage.
The food industry has experimented with electric fields as an alternative to heat-treating since the 1980s, and 10 years ago Xin An Zeng, a chemist at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, decided to see what he could do for wine. Early results were promising enough for Zeng and his colleagues to develop a prototype plant in which they could treat wine with fields of different strengths for different periods of time.
They pumped the wine through a pipe that ran between two titanium electrodes, fed with a mains-frequency alternating supply boosted to a higher voltage. For the test wine, the team selected a 3-month-old cabernet sauvignon from the Suntime Winery, China's largest producer. Batches of wine spent 1, 3 or 8 minutes in various electric fields (see diagram). The team then analysed the treated wine for chemical changes that might alter its "mouth feel" and quality, and passed it to a panel of 12 experienced wine tasters who assessed it in a blind tasting (Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, vol 9, p 463).
The results were striking. With the gentlest treatment, the harsh, astringent wine grew softer. Longer exposure saw some of the hallmarks of ageing emerge- a more mature "nose", better balance and greater complexity. The improvements reached their peak after 3minutes at 600 volts per centimetre: this left the wine well balanced and harmonious, with a nose of an aged wine and, importantly, still recognisably a cabernet sauvignon.
Analysis revealed some significant chemical changes. Most obviously, there was a marked increase in reactions between alcohols and acids to produce esters. This led to a reduction in concentrations of the long-chain alcohols known to be responsible for nasty odours and a burning mouth feel, while the increase in the concentration of esters boosted the aroma and the perception of fruitiness.
Two other good things happened: the breakdown of proteins produced free amino acids that contribute to taste and there was a noticeable reduction in the levels of aldehydes, which are responsible for "off" flavours. You can have too much of a good thing, though. Upping the voltage and applying it for longer brought new and unwanted changes, including the generation of new undesirable aldehydes. Zap it too much and the result, the panel found, was worse than the untreated original.
Although Zeng cannot yet explain how exposure to an electric field alters the wine's chemistry, his results show that under the right conditions the technique can accelerate some aspects of the ageing process. "Not only can it shorten a wine's normal storage time, it can also improve some lower-quality wine," he says. "It works just as well with other grape varieties such as merlot and shiraz." Five Chinese wineries have begun trials.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... ?full=true
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- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Plans for minimum alcohol price
The government's top medical adviser has drawn up plans for a minimum price for alcohol which would double the cost of some drinks in England.
Under the proposal from Sir Liam Donaldson, it has been reported that no drinks could be sold for less than 50 pence per unit of alcohol they contain.
It would mean most bottles of wine could not be sold for less than £4.50.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said the government "had not ruled out" taking action on cheap alcohol.
Sir Liam's proposal is aimed at tackling alcohol misuse and is set out in his annual report on the nation's health.
The BBC's health correspondent Adam Brimelow said Sir Liam's recommendation would not automatically become government policy.
But he said Sir Liam was influential and had advocated a ban on smoking in public places long before it became law.
Our correspondent added that recent research from the Department of Health had shown that a minimum of 50 pence per unit of alcohol would reduce consumption by almost 7%.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We have not ruled out taking action on very cheap alcohol - it's clearly linked to people drinking more and the subsequent harm to their health.
"Any decisions we make will take into account their wider economic impact during this difficult time.
"It would be wrong to make sweeping changes without consideration of all the options suggested by our research published in December.
"We need to do more work on this to make sure any action we take is appropriate, fair and effective."
Carys Davis of Alcohol Concern said that setting a minimum price for alcohol would help deter youngsters from binge drinking.
She said: "It tends to bring up the prices of the alcoholic drinks that are drunk by harmful and very young drinkers, whereas you'll find that moderate drinkers tend not to really see a negligible financial effect.
"So for the price that Liam Donaldson is suggesting - which is 50 pence per unit minimum - moderate drinkers will spend on average about eleven pounds eighty per year more on their alcohol and they'll see a consumption drop slightly as well"
But the Portman Group, set up by drinks manufacturers to promote sensible drinking, said it opposed the plan.
Portman chief executive David Poley told The Sunday Telegraph: "This would hit the pockets of hard-working families who are already struggling to make ends meet, and it would not deter those people who drink to get drunk."
Earlier this month the Scottish government published plans for a minimum price per unit of alcohol, which is strongly opposed by retailers and the drinks industry. No price threshold was set.
Setting a minimum price could have a particular impact on "own brand" or "value pack" beers and ciders.
Sir Liam's report is due to be published on Monday. The proposals as they stand do not apply to Wales or Northern Ireland.
Ministers are determined to tackle the problem of alcohol misuse, which impacts on health, crime and anti-social behaviour.
The NHS bill for alcohol abuse is an estimated £2.7bn a year.
The most recent figures show hospital admissions linked to alcohol use have more than doubled in England since 1995.
Alcohol was the main or secondary cause of 207,800 NHS admissions in 2006/7, compared to 93,500 in 1995/96.
The figures include hospital admissions for a specific alcohol-related condition - such as liver disease, but also admissions where alcohol is a contributory factor but not the main cause - such as falls due to drunkenness.
Of hospital admissions in 2006/7 specifically due to an alcohol-related diagnosis, almost one in 10 were in under 18 year olds.
The number of alcohol-related deaths in England has doubled since the early 1990s to nearly 9,000 a year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7944334.stm
Pubs are already closing at record rates as they cannot turn a profit - this scheme risks changing the historical social fabric of England for ever.
I suggest a two-tier pricing system, with higher prices for alcohol from supermarkets and off-licences, which cannot monitor how their goods are used. The traditional pub landlord however, takes care not to allow any drunkenness or under-age drinking, as he knows his license would be at risk.
The government's top medical adviser has drawn up plans for a minimum price for alcohol which would double the cost of some drinks in England.
Under the proposal from Sir Liam Donaldson, it has been reported that no drinks could be sold for less than 50 pence per unit of alcohol they contain.
It would mean most bottles of wine could not be sold for less than £4.50.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said the government "had not ruled out" taking action on cheap alcohol.
Sir Liam's proposal is aimed at tackling alcohol misuse and is set out in his annual report on the nation's health.
The BBC's health correspondent Adam Brimelow said Sir Liam's recommendation would not automatically become government policy.
But he said Sir Liam was influential and had advocated a ban on smoking in public places long before it became law.
Our correspondent added that recent research from the Department of Health had shown that a minimum of 50 pence per unit of alcohol would reduce consumption by almost 7%.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We have not ruled out taking action on very cheap alcohol - it's clearly linked to people drinking more and the subsequent harm to their health.
"Any decisions we make will take into account their wider economic impact during this difficult time.
"It would be wrong to make sweeping changes without consideration of all the options suggested by our research published in December.
"We need to do more work on this to make sure any action we take is appropriate, fair and effective."
Carys Davis of Alcohol Concern said that setting a minimum price for alcohol would help deter youngsters from binge drinking.
She said: "It tends to bring up the prices of the alcoholic drinks that are drunk by harmful and very young drinkers, whereas you'll find that moderate drinkers tend not to really see a negligible financial effect.
"So for the price that Liam Donaldson is suggesting - which is 50 pence per unit minimum - moderate drinkers will spend on average about eleven pounds eighty per year more on their alcohol and they'll see a consumption drop slightly as well"
But the Portman Group, set up by drinks manufacturers to promote sensible drinking, said it opposed the plan.
Portman chief executive David Poley told The Sunday Telegraph: "This would hit the pockets of hard-working families who are already struggling to make ends meet, and it would not deter those people who drink to get drunk."
Earlier this month the Scottish government published plans for a minimum price per unit of alcohol, which is strongly opposed by retailers and the drinks industry. No price threshold was set.
Setting a minimum price could have a particular impact on "own brand" or "value pack" beers and ciders.
Sir Liam's report is due to be published on Monday. The proposals as they stand do not apply to Wales or Northern Ireland.
Ministers are determined to tackle the problem of alcohol misuse, which impacts on health, crime and anti-social behaviour.
The NHS bill for alcohol abuse is an estimated £2.7bn a year.
The most recent figures show hospital admissions linked to alcohol use have more than doubled in England since 1995.
Alcohol was the main or secondary cause of 207,800 NHS admissions in 2006/7, compared to 93,500 in 1995/96.
The figures include hospital admissions for a specific alcohol-related condition - such as liver disease, but also admissions where alcohol is a contributory factor but not the main cause - such as falls due to drunkenness.
Of hospital admissions in 2006/7 specifically due to an alcohol-related diagnosis, almost one in 10 were in under 18 year olds.
The number of alcohol-related deaths in England has doubled since the early 1990s to nearly 9,000 a year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7944334.stm
Pubs are already closing at record rates as they cannot turn a profit - this scheme risks changing the historical social fabric of England for ever.
I suggest a two-tier pricing system, with higher prices for alcohol from supermarkets and off-licences, which cannot monitor how their goods are used. The traditional pub landlord however, takes care not to allow any drunkenness or under-age drinking, as he knows his license would be at risk.
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2001
- Messages
- 5,823
I can see the sale of beer and wine kits going through the roof! 
- Joined
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- Messages
- 11,990
How long before you officially need a license, in the UK, before you can home brew?Ronson8 said:I can see the sale of beer and wine kits going through the roof!
Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
- Joined
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- Messages
- 51,753
- Location
- Inside a starship, watching puny humans from afar
It's all about tax, they don't care about our health or happiness.
I agree with Rynner, raise the tax at off-licences (if you're going to do it at all), but don't raise it at pubs. Pubs need to be given a helping hand, many of them are disappearing fast. In my local area, I have spotted several pubs that have been closed or sold as residential accommodation. My local is still battling on, though.
I agree with Rynner, raise the tax at off-licences (if you're going to do it at all), but don't raise it at pubs. Pubs need to be given a helping hand, many of them are disappearing fast. In my local area, I have spotted several pubs that have been closed or sold as residential accommodation. My local is still battling on, though.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Good article on the history of booze in Britain:
Alcohol: always works with the grain of history
Where we drink may prove to be as important as what we drink. The pub should return to the centre of public life
Tristram Hunt
Another day, another bid to roll back binge-drink Britain. This time the campaign is led by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, with plans for a new minimum price on alcohol. With the big supermarkets in his sights (where water is more expensive than beer), Donaldson wants a ban on drinks being sold for less than 50p per alcoholic unit. But how much we drink is not nearly so important a question now as where we drink.
Of course, the CMO is not the first to notice our alcoholic ardour. As early as the 8th century, the missionary St Boniface was writing to Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury, to report how “in your dioceses the vice of drunkenness is too frequent. This is an evil peculiar to pagans and to our race. Neither the Franks nor the Gauls nor the Lombards nor the Romans nor the Greeks commit it.”
[.....]
For some 500 years now, alehouses have played a pivotal role within British public life. But now pubs are closing at the rate of 40 a week and we are haplessly bearing witness to an extraordinary process of cultural self-immolation. Around the corner from me, in Hornsey, North London, the Earl of Shaftesbury has recently shut its doors and, with it, not just a community drinking-hole but a deeper civic connection to a sense of place and past. Sir Liam Donaldson is not a little to blame for this: his ban on smoking in public places has driven drinking back into the home, where social safeguards are absent.
So what we really want from the Chief Medical Officer is not a one-size-fits-all tax on alcohol (which the Government is already suggesting it will not support) but specific policies to encourage more people to drink more beer in more pubs. That is called working with the grain, or yeast, of history.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 913710.ece
Alcohol: always works with the grain of history
Where we drink may prove to be as important as what we drink. The pub should return to the centre of public life
Tristram Hunt
Another day, another bid to roll back binge-drink Britain. This time the campaign is led by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, with plans for a new minimum price on alcohol. With the big supermarkets in his sights (where water is more expensive than beer), Donaldson wants a ban on drinks being sold for less than 50p per alcoholic unit. But how much we drink is not nearly so important a question now as where we drink.
Of course, the CMO is not the first to notice our alcoholic ardour. As early as the 8th century, the missionary St Boniface was writing to Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury, to report how “in your dioceses the vice of drunkenness is too frequent. This is an evil peculiar to pagans and to our race. Neither the Franks nor the Gauls nor the Lombards nor the Romans nor the Greeks commit it.”
[.....]
For some 500 years now, alehouses have played a pivotal role within British public life. But now pubs are closing at the rate of 40 a week and we are haplessly bearing witness to an extraordinary process of cultural self-immolation. Around the corner from me, in Hornsey, North London, the Earl of Shaftesbury has recently shut its doors and, with it, not just a community drinking-hole but a deeper civic connection to a sense of place and past. Sir Liam Donaldson is not a little to blame for this: his ban on smoking in public places has driven drinking back into the home, where social safeguards are absent.
So what we really want from the Chief Medical Officer is not a one-size-fits-all tax on alcohol (which the Government is already suggesting it will not support) but specific policies to encourage more people to drink more beer in more pubs. That is called working with the grain, or yeast, of history.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 913710.ece
Analogue Boy
Bar 6
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
- Messages
- 13,600
The logical extension of putting up the price of booze up for health reasons is that microwave pizzas and fatty junk foods, crisps, salty snacks, biscuits etc should be priced more expensively than an organic or free-range product in the supermarket. Packets of salt should be priced around the £10 mark to make their use prohibitive and butter should be banned altogether in favour of cholesterol-reducing gloop. Stringy cheese and dangerously salty cheese straws should be priced according to length instead of the deceptive weight.
Scoring chocolate should be made harder. These chocoholics have to learn their dealers are not acting in their best interests. Wagon Wheels should be made the size they USED to be - i.e. massive but parents will be put on a register if they buy too many in one year.
If the government wants to make money to aid the upheaval to our new improved dietary requirements, they could look to the reintroduction of a window tax. Which is fair as rich people tend to have more windows than poor people and most are probably double-glazed so that's twice the income.
Scoring chocolate should be made harder. These chocoholics have to learn their dealers are not acting in their best interests. Wagon Wheels should be made the size they USED to be - i.e. massive but parents will be put on a register if they buy too many in one year.
If the government wants to make money to aid the upheaval to our new improved dietary requirements, they could look to the reintroduction of a window tax. Which is fair as rich people tend to have more windows than poor people and most are probably double-glazed so that's twice the income.
Fluttermoth
Cult of Jari
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
- Messages
- 1,363
Pietro_Mercurios said:How long before you officially need a license, in the UK, before you can home brew?Ronson8 said:I can see the sale of beer and wine kits going through the roof!
In the UK, you can brew as much as you like without any kind of license but you're not allowed to sell any or distill spirits.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Skinny Blonde: rock 'n' roll beer with a naked twist
Sophie Tedmanson in Sydney
It is the ultimate Aussie beer-lover’s fantasy: a bottle of brew with a woman on the label whose bikini disappears as fast as the drinker can consume its contents.
Three mates in Sydney have taken on the Australian beer market with a unique world first marketing concept for their new beer.
The label is Skinny Blonde, a low-carb beer that is thriving on the current popularity of Australia’s new crop of ‘healthy’ beers.
But there is another reason it is popular: the Skinny Blonde bottle features a 1950s-style pin-up called Daisy whose red bikini disappears as the beer level drops and the bottle warms up, thanks to the modern ink technology used on the labels.
etc....
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 942593.ece
Sophie Tedmanson in Sydney
It is the ultimate Aussie beer-lover’s fantasy: a bottle of brew with a woman on the label whose bikini disappears as fast as the drinker can consume its contents.
Three mates in Sydney have taken on the Australian beer market with a unique world first marketing concept for their new beer.
The label is Skinny Blonde, a low-carb beer that is thriving on the current popularity of Australia’s new crop of ‘healthy’ beers.
But there is another reason it is popular: the Skinny Blonde bottle features a 1950s-style pin-up called Daisy whose red bikini disappears as the beer level drops and the bottle warms up, thanks to the modern ink technology used on the labels.
etc....
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 942593.ece
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
More sexism... 
Why Heineken's cider hunks will never reach British TV
Heineken's cheesy appeal to the 'evolutionary instinct' of Dutch women is a long way from UK cider ads – for good reason
Heineken has wound back the gender-equality clock in a TV campaign for cider featuring four apple-picking, shirtless hunks singing a boy-band tune – but it is an advert that could never be screened on UK television.The Dutch TV campaign for a female-targeted cider, designed to appeal to women's "evolutionary instinct to discuss, judge and select attractive men", cannot be screened in the UK because it would fall foul of a swathe of advertising rules that forbid linking alcohol to sexual attractiveness and prowess.
"The four singing hunks do not address women as the usual stereotypes of house wife, sex kitten, blonde bimbo or business bitch," Heinenken states in a press release. "Instead the ad aims at a more elementary level of their femininity, the evolutionary instinct to discuss, judge and select attractive men."
The TV ad, which features as many cheesy, gratuitous shirtless shots of four singing hunks as is feasibly possible in 60 seconds, has been made by the Dutch-based agency Pink and Poodle, which says it specialises in targeting hard-to-reach groups such as "women, youth groups and subcultures".
The agency claims that the campaign, for cider drink Jillz, which features plenty of sexual innuendo such as shots of the fizzy drink bolting out of the bottle, aims to turn the "alpha male"-dominated work of the ad world on its head.
The ad, which breaks across the Netherlands tonight, couldn't be more different from the mellow cider campaigns of, say, Magners approved by advertising watchdogs for UK audiences.
"Watching it [the ad] could be an ego-crunching experience for beer bellies everywhere," the release claims. The soundtrack sung by the hunks is a remake of Fresh by Kool & The Gang.
This is a trial launch, and Jillz may be launched in other European markets – just don't expect to see this ad on a TV screen near you.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgr ... z-cider-ad
Why Heineken's cider hunks will never reach British TV
Heineken's cheesy appeal to the 'evolutionary instinct' of Dutch women is a long way from UK cider ads – for good reason
Heineken has wound back the gender-equality clock in a TV campaign for cider featuring four apple-picking, shirtless hunks singing a boy-band tune – but it is an advert that could never be screened on UK television.The Dutch TV campaign for a female-targeted cider, designed to appeal to women's "evolutionary instinct to discuss, judge and select attractive men", cannot be screened in the UK because it would fall foul of a swathe of advertising rules that forbid linking alcohol to sexual attractiveness and prowess.
"The four singing hunks do not address women as the usual stereotypes of house wife, sex kitten, blonde bimbo or business bitch," Heinenken states in a press release. "Instead the ad aims at a more elementary level of their femininity, the evolutionary instinct to discuss, judge and select attractive men."
The TV ad, which features as many cheesy, gratuitous shirtless shots of four singing hunks as is feasibly possible in 60 seconds, has been made by the Dutch-based agency Pink and Poodle, which says it specialises in targeting hard-to-reach groups such as "women, youth groups and subcultures".
The agency claims that the campaign, for cider drink Jillz, which features plenty of sexual innuendo such as shots of the fizzy drink bolting out of the bottle, aims to turn the "alpha male"-dominated work of the ad world on its head.
The ad, which breaks across the Netherlands tonight, couldn't be more different from the mellow cider campaigns of, say, Magners approved by advertising watchdogs for UK audiences.
"Watching it [the ad] could be an ego-crunching experience for beer bellies everywhere," the release claims. The soundtrack sung by the hunks is a remake of Fresh by Kool & The Gang.
This is a trial launch, and Jillz may be launched in other European markets – just don't expect to see this ad on a TV screen near you.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgr ... z-cider-ad
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Slow trip for giant cider tanks
Two giant cider fermentation tanks - each capable of holding 800,000 litres (1.5 million pints) - are being driven through Gloucestershire.
The vessels, measuring 8m (26ft) in diameter and 35m (115 ft) long, were transported by boat from Dortmund in Germany to Sharpness, Gloucestershire.
Both 50-tonne tanks set-off from Sharpness docks heading to Universal Beverages in Ledbury.
During the 35m (56km) journey, 22 power cables had to be moved out the way.
Mike Pearce, engineering director for Universal Beverages, told BBC News the whole operation had to be planned out well in advance.
"We've had discussions with the Highways Agency, police, power and phone companies to work out what what route to take and what overhead obstructions there are.
"Engineers from Central Networks have to remove and then reconnect 22 power cables and BT are doing a similar process for overhead phone lines.
"The load is resting overnight at Maisemore before heading to Ledbury arriving at about 2000 BST on Sunday."
A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said the convoy was travelling at 10mph and some delays could be expected.
"On Sunday morning the A417 will be closed to larger vehicles while the journey takes place," he added.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/glou ... 087201.stm
With video: the things look like parts of a huge rocket. (Remember the mystery when something similar washed up on a Hebridean beach?)
Two giant cider fermentation tanks - each capable of holding 800,000 litres (1.5 million pints) - are being driven through Gloucestershire.
The vessels, measuring 8m (26ft) in diameter and 35m (115 ft) long, were transported by boat from Dortmund in Germany to Sharpness, Gloucestershire.
Both 50-tonne tanks set-off from Sharpness docks heading to Universal Beverages in Ledbury.
During the 35m (56km) journey, 22 power cables had to be moved out the way.
Mike Pearce, engineering director for Universal Beverages, told BBC News the whole operation had to be planned out well in advance.
"We've had discussions with the Highways Agency, police, power and phone companies to work out what what route to take and what overhead obstructions there are.
"Engineers from Central Networks have to remove and then reconnect 22 power cables and BT are doing a similar process for overhead phone lines.
"The load is resting overnight at Maisemore before heading to Ledbury arriving at about 2000 BST on Sunday."
A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said the convoy was travelling at 10mph and some delays could be expected.
"On Sunday morning the A417 will be closed to larger vehicles while the journey takes place," he added.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/glou ... 087201.stm
With video: the things look like parts of a huge rocket. (Remember the mystery when something similar washed up on a Hebridean beach?)
Really creative'
Downstairs at the Big Tower Bar, workers realised what the problem was - a new barrel had been misconnected to Ms Gundersen's water supply.
"The water and beer pipes do touch each other, but you have to be really creative to connect them together," said Per Egil Myrvang from the local beer distributor. He helped employees to rectify the problem over the telephone.
Ms Gundersen bore no grudge. "If it happens again, I'm going to order Baileys," she said.
In Norway, the sale of alcohol is controlled through a state monopoly and beer prices are some of the highest in the world.
Make Money At Home
Downstairs at the Big Tower Bar, workers realised what the problem was - a new barrel had been misconnected to Ms Gundersen's water supply.
"The water and beer pipes do touch each other, but you have to be really creative to connect them together," said Per Egil Myrvang from the local beer distributor. He helped employees to rectify the problem over the telephone.
Ms Gundersen bore no grudge. "If it happens again, I'm going to order Baileys," she said.
In Norway, the sale of alcohol is controlled through a state monopoly and beer prices are some of the highest in the world.
Make Money At Home
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
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- 15,431
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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- Aug 19, 2003
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- 58,321
- Location
- Eblana
I'm at the Communist Party of Great Britain Summer School in Brockley. I'm pleased to report that Pimms and lemonade is served.
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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- Aug 19, 2003
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- 58,321
- Location
- Eblana
Timble2 said:
Indeed! Hobgoblin beer went down well also with some of the comrades. Not with the French visitors though, they stuck with Stella Artois. The Red Frogs didn't take a turn at the kitchen duties either, just sat out in the garden getting fatter. Probably eating snails.
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2003
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- 58,321
- Location
- Eblana
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
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- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
They're not too bad if they're about something that's quantifiable and easy to prove, just close to useless if it's something that more or less needs a copper there to witness it to go anywhere in court
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
'Booze therapy' for brain injury
A dose of alcohol may be a good treatment for people with head injuries, emergency doctors suggest.
Their basis for this is the discovery that people appear less likely to die following brain trauma if they have alcohol in their bloodstream.
It could be that alcohol dampens the body's inflammatory response to injury, the US team told Archives of Surgery.
But they stressed that alcohol can cause medical complications and is contributory to many accidents.
Experts cautioned people should not interpret the findings as an excuse to drink more alcohol.
The amount of alcohol consumed appears to be important - too little and there is no effect, too much and the beneficial effects are lost, studies on animals suggest.
Experts believe the right dose of alcohol, however, stops the cascade of swelling, inflammation and further destruction of brain cells, known as secondary brain injury.
The latest work, based on more than 38,000 moderate-to-severe head trauma patients, is the largest yet to look at the effects of alcohol on brain injury survival.
Like past research, Dr Ali Salim and his colleagues from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, found head injury patients who had drunk were significantly less likely to die than those who had not had any alcohol.
They also tended to be younger and have less severe injuries.
On the flip side, patients with alcohol in their bloodstream were more likely to experience medical complications during their hospital stay.
Nonetheless, the researchers said: "The finding of reduced mortality in traumatic brain injury patients with pre-injury ethanol raises the intriguing possibility that administering ethanol to patients with brain injuries may improve outcome.
"Additional research is warranted to investigate reasons for this association and the potential therapeutic implications."
Dr John Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: "This is a long way from thinking about giving alcohol to patients in A&E. But if, in the future, the science and evidence proves that it would be beneficial, we would consider it."
Professor Michael Oddy, of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust, said: "Despite the intriguing findings the message must be the same - if you wish to avoid a brain injury, use alcohol with care and moderation."
Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker said: "The fact is, being drunk increases your chances of getting into an accident in the first place. When judgement's impaired, we can put ourselves at risk."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8262393.stm
A dose of alcohol may be a good treatment for people with head injuries, emergency doctors suggest.
Their basis for this is the discovery that people appear less likely to die following brain trauma if they have alcohol in their bloodstream.
It could be that alcohol dampens the body's inflammatory response to injury, the US team told Archives of Surgery.
But they stressed that alcohol can cause medical complications and is contributory to many accidents.
Experts cautioned people should not interpret the findings as an excuse to drink more alcohol.
The amount of alcohol consumed appears to be important - too little and there is no effect, too much and the beneficial effects are lost, studies on animals suggest.
Experts believe the right dose of alcohol, however, stops the cascade of swelling, inflammation and further destruction of brain cells, known as secondary brain injury.
The latest work, based on more than 38,000 moderate-to-severe head trauma patients, is the largest yet to look at the effects of alcohol on brain injury survival.
Like past research, Dr Ali Salim and his colleagues from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, found head injury patients who had drunk were significantly less likely to die than those who had not had any alcohol.
They also tended to be younger and have less severe injuries.
On the flip side, patients with alcohol in their bloodstream were more likely to experience medical complications during their hospital stay.
Nonetheless, the researchers said: "The finding of reduced mortality in traumatic brain injury patients with pre-injury ethanol raises the intriguing possibility that administering ethanol to patients with brain injuries may improve outcome.
"Additional research is warranted to investigate reasons for this association and the potential therapeutic implications."
Dr John Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: "This is a long way from thinking about giving alcohol to patients in A&E. But if, in the future, the science and evidence proves that it would be beneficial, we would consider it."
Professor Michael Oddy, of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust, said: "Despite the intriguing findings the message must be the same - if you wish to avoid a brain injury, use alcohol with care and moderation."
Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker said: "The fact is, being drunk increases your chances of getting into an accident in the first place. When judgement's impaired, we can put ourselves at risk."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8262393.stm
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2003
- Messages
- 58,321
- Location
- Eblana
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Shackleton's whisky to be dug up
Two crates of Scotch whisky which belonged to the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton are to be recovered after a century buried in the Antarctic ice.
The McKinlay and Co whisky was found buried under a hut built and used during Shackleton's unsuccessful South Pole expedition between 1907 and 1909.
The crates, which are encased in ice, were first found three years ago.
New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust plans to use special cutting tools to remove the crates from the ice.
The crates and bottles are expected to undergo conservation work in New Zealand before being returned to the remote hut at Cape Royds, which the trust is trying to restore to the same condition as when Shackleton's team left it.
Trust spokesman Al Fastier said he would not be tempted to sample the Scotch, saying he preferred to allow the century-old spirits to retain their mystique.
"It would be terrible to sample it and find that it was off," he told Radio New Zealand.
Distillers Whyte and Mackay, which owns the McKinlay brand, are keen to get hold of a bottle, or at least a sample of the now-extinct blend.
The company's master blender Richard Paterson said: "We might even get enough to be able to take a stab at recreating it."
Shackleton's expedition to reach the South Pole was unsuccesful
They eventually fell about 100 miles (160 kilometres) short of their goal, although one team did reach the magnetic South Pole and the expedition carried out valuable scientific work.
No lives were lost, vindicating Shackleton's decision to turn back from the pole, which was first reached in 1911 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
Shackleton later said to his wife: "A live donkey is better than a dead lion, isn't it?"
The expedition's ship left Cape Royds hurriedly in March 1909 as winter ice began forming in the sea, with some equipment and supplies, including the whisky, left behind.
"I personally think they must have been left there by mistake, because it's hard to believe two crates would have been left under the hut without drinking them," Mr Fastier said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8361995.stm
Two crates of Scotch whisky which belonged to the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton are to be recovered after a century buried in the Antarctic ice.
The McKinlay and Co whisky was found buried under a hut built and used during Shackleton's unsuccessful South Pole expedition between 1907 and 1909.
The crates, which are encased in ice, were first found three years ago.
New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust plans to use special cutting tools to remove the crates from the ice.
The crates and bottles are expected to undergo conservation work in New Zealand before being returned to the remote hut at Cape Royds, which the trust is trying to restore to the same condition as when Shackleton's team left it.
Trust spokesman Al Fastier said he would not be tempted to sample the Scotch, saying he preferred to allow the century-old spirits to retain their mystique.
"It would be terrible to sample it and find that it was off," he told Radio New Zealand.
Distillers Whyte and Mackay, which owns the McKinlay brand, are keen to get hold of a bottle, or at least a sample of the now-extinct blend.
The company's master blender Richard Paterson said: "We might even get enough to be able to take a stab at recreating it."
Shackleton's expedition to reach the South Pole was unsuccesful
They eventually fell about 100 miles (160 kilometres) short of their goal, although one team did reach the magnetic South Pole and the expedition carried out valuable scientific work.
No lives were lost, vindicating Shackleton's decision to turn back from the pole, which was first reached in 1911 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
Shackleton later said to his wife: "A live donkey is better than a dead lion, isn't it?"
The expedition's ship left Cape Royds hurriedly in March 1909 as winter ice began forming in the sea, with some equipment and supplies, including the whisky, left behind.
"I personally think they must have been left there by mistake, because it's hard to believe two crates would have been left under the hut without drinking them," Mr Fastier said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8361995.stm
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Here's the good news (for blokes):
Alcohol 'protects men's hearts'
Drinking alcohol every day cuts the risk of heart disease in men by more than a third, a major study suggests.
The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found large quantities of alcohol could be even more beneficial for men.
Female drinkers did not benefit to the same extent, the study in Heart found.
Experts are critical, warning heavy drinking can increase the risk of other diseases, with alcohol responsible for 1.8 million deaths globally per year.
The study was conducted in Spain, a country with relatively high rates of alcohol consumption and low rates of coronary heart disease.
The research involved men and women aged between 29 and 69, who were asked to document their lifetime drinking habits and followed for 10 years.
Crucially the research team claim to have eliminated the "sick abstainers" risk by differentiating between those who had never drunk and those whom ill-health had forced to quit. This has been used in the past to explain fewer heart-related deaths among drinkers on the basis that those who are unhealthy to start with are less likely to drink.
The researchers from centres across Spain placed the participants into six categories - from never having drunk to drinking more than 90g of alcohol each day. This would be the equivalent of consuming about eight bottles of wine a week, or 28 pints of lager.
For those drinking little - less than a shot of vodka a day for instance - the risk was reduced by 35%. And for those who drank anything from three shots to more than 11 shots each day, the risk worked out an average of 50% less.
The same benefits were not seen in women, who suffer fewer heart problems than men to start with. Researchers speculated this difference could be down to the fact that women process alcohol differently, and that female hormones protect against the disease in younger age groups.
The type of alcohol drunk did not seem to make a difference, but protection was greater for those drinking moderate to high amounts of varied drinks.
The exact mechanisms are as yet unclear, but it is known that alcohol helps to raise high-density lipoproteins, sometimes known as good cholesterol, which helps stop so-called bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries.
etc...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8367141.stm
..and the bad news:
Liver cancer drug 'too expensive'
A drug that can prolong the lives of patients with advanced liver cancer has been rejected for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said the cost of Nexavar - about £3,000 a month - was "simply too high".
But Macmillan Cancer Support said the decision was "a scandal".
More than 3,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer every year in the UK and their prognosis is generally poor.
Only about 20% of patients are alive one year after diagnosis, dropping to just 5% after five years.
Nexavar - also known as sorafenib - had already been rejected in Scotland, despite studies showing it could extend the life of a liver cancer patient by up to six months.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium ruled that "the manufacturer's justification of the treatment's cost in relation to its benefit was not sufficient to gain acceptance".
Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, agreed: "The price being asked by [the manufacturer] Bayer is simply too high to justify using NHS money which could be spent on better value cancer treatments."
Nexavar is routinely offered to cancer patients elsewhere in the world, and Mike Hobday, head of campaigns at Macmillan Cancer Support, said he was "extremely disappointed" at NICE's decision.
"It is a scandal that the only licensed drug proven to significantly prolong the lives of people with this devastating disease has been rejected, leaving them with no treatment options," he said.
Earlier this year, a government review of end-of-life treatment said NICE should give extra weight to drugs that could extend a patient's life.
The Department of Health said NICE was not ignoring that recommendation, but the NHS could not just pay for any drug at any cost.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8367614.stm
Alcohol 'protects men's hearts'
Drinking alcohol every day cuts the risk of heart disease in men by more than a third, a major study suggests.
The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found large quantities of alcohol could be even more beneficial for men.
Female drinkers did not benefit to the same extent, the study in Heart found.
Experts are critical, warning heavy drinking can increase the risk of other diseases, with alcohol responsible for 1.8 million deaths globally per year.
The study was conducted in Spain, a country with relatively high rates of alcohol consumption and low rates of coronary heart disease.
The research involved men and women aged between 29 and 69, who were asked to document their lifetime drinking habits and followed for 10 years.
Crucially the research team claim to have eliminated the "sick abstainers" risk by differentiating between those who had never drunk and those whom ill-health had forced to quit. This has been used in the past to explain fewer heart-related deaths among drinkers on the basis that those who are unhealthy to start with are less likely to drink.
The researchers from centres across Spain placed the participants into six categories - from never having drunk to drinking more than 90g of alcohol each day. This would be the equivalent of consuming about eight bottles of wine a week, or 28 pints of lager.
For those drinking little - less than a shot of vodka a day for instance - the risk was reduced by 35%. And for those who drank anything from three shots to more than 11 shots each day, the risk worked out an average of 50% less.
The same benefits were not seen in women, who suffer fewer heart problems than men to start with. Researchers speculated this difference could be down to the fact that women process alcohol differently, and that female hormones protect against the disease in younger age groups.
The type of alcohol drunk did not seem to make a difference, but protection was greater for those drinking moderate to high amounts of varied drinks.
The exact mechanisms are as yet unclear, but it is known that alcohol helps to raise high-density lipoproteins, sometimes known as good cholesterol, which helps stop so-called bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries.
etc...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8367141.stm
..and the bad news:
Liver cancer drug 'too expensive'
A drug that can prolong the lives of patients with advanced liver cancer has been rejected for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said the cost of Nexavar - about £3,000 a month - was "simply too high".
But Macmillan Cancer Support said the decision was "a scandal".
More than 3,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer every year in the UK and their prognosis is generally poor.
Only about 20% of patients are alive one year after diagnosis, dropping to just 5% after five years.
Nexavar - also known as sorafenib - had already been rejected in Scotland, despite studies showing it could extend the life of a liver cancer patient by up to six months.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium ruled that "the manufacturer's justification of the treatment's cost in relation to its benefit was not sufficient to gain acceptance".
Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, agreed: "The price being asked by [the manufacturer] Bayer is simply too high to justify using NHS money which could be spent on better value cancer treatments."
Nexavar is routinely offered to cancer patients elsewhere in the world, and Mike Hobday, head of campaigns at Macmillan Cancer Support, said he was "extremely disappointed" at NICE's decision.
"It is a scandal that the only licensed drug proven to significantly prolong the lives of people with this devastating disease has been rejected, leaving them with no treatment options," he said.
Earlier this year, a government review of end-of-life treatment said NICE should give extra weight to drugs that could extend a patient's life.
The Department of Health said NICE was not ignoring that recommendation, but the NHS could not just pay for any drug at any cost.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8367614.stm
escargot
Disciple of Marduk
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2001
- Messages
- 43,464
- Location
- HM The Tower of London
A super-strong beer brewed in Scotland? Quel surprise. :lol:
Anyway, what's it taste like? The superstrong beers I've tasted were horrible. I was once breathalysed after someone spilled a can in my car and a policeman smelled it, ffs.