"Black Zinfandel" added to "2 Buck Chuck" varietal lineup

A new varietal is on the market to challenge the supremacy of White Zinfandel. Check your local Trader Joe's this week for the arrival of Charles Shaw "Black Zinfandel". Called an experiment gone wrong by winemakers at Bronco, Black Zinfandel (or Black Zin) is set to shake California wine once again.

"We tried hard to make a drink comparable to one of our best selling varietals, and although our first attempts failed miserably, we found a formula that resulted in accidental success."

Black Zin has got the public raving, some calling it "the wine we really needed back in 1975."

"I love White Zin but I'm afraid that after I try Black Zin, that I won't be able to go back to drinking White Zin ever again."

"I'm glad someone stepped forward and created a wine to be equal to White Zinfandel," said a liberal arts professor at UC Davis. "We cannot be equal as a society without a separate varietal for colored persons."

Wine critics were not impressed by the new varietal.

"It's purely a marketing stunt. There is no difference between White and Black Zin. They just added coloring to it to make it look dark. That isn't going to stop people from buying it though."

Industry experts predict other wineries will experiment with making this new varietal, but for now, they will be watching to see how well it does on the market.

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Alarming pesticide usage causes vapor from squirting orange peels to ignite

Be careful when handling oranges. Recent viral videos are appearing showing people squeezing orange peels and igniting the vapor that comes out of them. Due to the immunity that invasive insects and weeds have gained to traditional pesticides and herbicides over the last decade, farmers have had to use new chemicals and more of them to keep the crops safe.

Some of the newer chemicals used in these products have been known to leech into the soil and get picked up by the plants themselves. With orange groves in Florida, one of these newer pesticides, which goes by the trade name "Nymph-be-Gone", is raising alarm. Used to keep orange nymphs away, the pesticide has been found within orange peels themselves. The active ingredients in the pesticide combine with the compounds and oils found in the peels to create a flammable mixture. The FDA is assembling a task force to explore this phenomenon to determine whether continued use of "nymph-be-gone" causes any immediate or long term health risks. The creator of "Nymph-be-Gone", Raid-X Farming Supplies, has yet to release a statement.

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How many days should you wait before eating your bagel? -- Exclusive Interview

The bagel has been part of a delicious breakfast for decades. But how old should your bagel be before you bite into it? We brought in Bernie Hughes, owner of Hughes Bagels in Chicago and Marty Goldman, a finance director in Newark, NJ to weigh in on the question.

Poopbus: "Welcome to Poopbus, Bernie and Marty, it's a pleasure to have you into the studio. Let's start with Bernie. As a bakery owner, how long do you think people should wait before eating their bagels?"

Bernie: "This is an easy question. People should enjoy bagels as fresh as they can! Nothing beats a bagel fresh out of the oven!"

Poopbus: "Marty, same question."

Marty: "As a long time connoisseur of bagels, I personally think people should wait at least a day or two before chowing down. It's best to toast them before enjoying and I like to top with cream cheese and occasionally lox."

Bernie: "Nonsense Marty! A bagel is best when it is fresh! You should never think about toasting them. I only do that because I can charge people more at the store."

Marty: "Exactly my point Bernie. My strategy is to stockpile the day old bagels my local bakery sells for half price. I keep them out for 5 days, but after that I stick them in my freezer for a rainy day. I never go hungry for breakfast."

Bernie: "Oh I see what kind of person you are...... You're one of those moochers that clean my shelves after a day of waiting. I bet you'd take bagels out of my dumpster if you could!"

Marty: "Well I'm not the one who sells bagels for a living. You live in a smelly apartment while I live in a luxurious condo."

Bernie: "Who are you calling smelly, cheapskate??!?!"

It was at this point we had to stop the interview as it had turned uncivil. How old should your bagels before eating them? We don't know.

Stay tuned for the next interview from Poopbus.com

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Dr. Dre poised to expand philanthropic efforts after selling "Beats by Dre"

Hip hop icon and future billionaire Dr. Dre will start doing more philanthropic work once the sale of "Beats by Dre" to Apple Inc. is complete. His first plan of action is to giveback to the intercity community that raised him. Plans are on the drawing board to empower youth through urban farming, starting with his birthplace of Compton, CA.

The so called "Beets by Dre Foundation" is designed to help those living in the intercity to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. With soaring land prices in urban areas, there are few farms left to provide fresh produce to local stores or farmers markets. Dr. Dre understands that without an apple a day, intercity folks will be sicker more often, resulting in more visits to doctors and clinics. "It's time to eat healthy. Doctor's orders."

It's rumored that Snoop Dogg will be assisting with growing efforts in the Los Angeles area and Eminem will represent the expansion of the movement to Detroit, MI. Unconfirmed sources tell us that when Dr. Dre was asked why he did not start this earlier, he is quoted saying, "I took my time to perfect the beet."

Dr Dre will soon provide fresh produce to intercity residents
(Image Source: http://beetsbydre.tumblr.com/)

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Do Fast Food places intentionally sell their spicy food cheap?

Nearly every fast food restaurant has a value/dollar/discount menu where they offer some small items or treats for cheap. For only being as cheap as $0.99, the profit margin is very small, if not negative. How are the restaurants supposed to make money?

Enter the drink menu. Drinks have the largest profit margin of any item on a menu. Buying a drink is essentially buying diluted drink syrup. You're paying for water with added flavor and carbonation. Now how do the restaurants encourage drink sales? One way they do it is combo meals, which is pretty standard throughout the industry. But what would encourage a cheapskate buying from the dollar menu to buy a drink?

Some of these items are loaded with spicy sauce or breading, examples like the Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Carl's Jr. and 2 Tacos from Jack In The Box. Now unless you're used to eating these kinds of food, you're likely going to need a drink to washout the burning feeling in your mouth. Most Americans have no tolerance for spicy food, so intentionally making these menu items spicy almost guarantees a drink sale.

How can you avoid being caught in this trap? If you live in a state which mandates handing out free water cups, exercise your right to free refreshments. That way both your mouth will thank you for washing out the spiciness and your wallet will thank you for not wasting $1.69 on beverage syrup.

Image Source: jackinthebox.com

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