Four of Unilever's brands will appear on the car -- Hellmann's Mayonaise, Ragu pasta sauce, Klondike, and Lipton tea.

Unilever's director of integrated marketing said:

By partnering with Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports, we are expanding an already successful history with NASCAR -- especially with a driver whose popularity transcends motor racing with wide appeal and recognition. We are extremely pleased that Dale, Mark and Landon will represent our brands in the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series.

No word on whether or not GoDaddy.com will sponsor the remaining races next season.

.

link: http://www.lipton.com.br/refresqueoplaneta/home/

Wachtell points out (PDF) a loophole in the current temporary disclosure requirements for holdings of less than $100 million in securities:

More interesting is Wachtell's stance (PDF) on credit default swaps (CDS), which are part of the OTC market:

Regarding disclosures in general, here is a summary of Wachtell's stance:

The SEC should adopt a permanent disclosure rule which would require public disclosures
of any oral or written contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship (legal or
otherwise) with respect to short positions in securities in addition to the information required
by Form SH. The SEC should consider expanding its disclosure requirements to
include disclosures of any CDS contracts and option transactions that are based on issuers
with securities in which the institutional investment manager also has short positions.

Based from a research by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, they listed down the 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America (http://www.menshealth.com). You'll be surprised to find out some of your fave drinks are in there.

20. Worst Light Beer

Samuel Adams Light (12 oz bottle)

124 calories
10 g carbohydrates

Not a bad beer, but don't think you can sit around sipping these for four quarters without eventually paying the price in belly fat. With tasty beers like Beck's 64-calorie Premier Light readily available, why throw away 60 calories every time you twist the top?

19. Worst "Healthy" Drink

Glaceau VitaminWater (20 oz bottle)

130 calories
33 g sugar

Vitamins and water might sound like the ultimate nutritional tag team, but what the label doesn't say is that a bottle of this stuff carries nearly as much sugar and calories as a can of Coke. Makes sense, though, since this so-called functional beverage is produced by our often-sugar-crazy friends at The Coca-Cola Company.

18. Worst Soda

Sunkist (12 oz can)

190 calories
52 g sugar

Sweetened soft drinks account for about 10 percent of the average American's calorie consumption-about 200 completely unnecessary calories a day. For someone looking to lose 10 pounds fast, there is no simpler, quicker way to do it than by canning the soda.

17. Worst Beer

Sierra Nevada Stout (12 oz bottle)

210 calories
20 g carbohydrates

A full-flavored beer, no doubt, but one that packs a hefty caloric wallop. Switching out a sixer a week for a lighter beer would save you 9 pounds of extra flab this year. Cheers to that!

16. Worst Lemonade

Minute Maid Lemonade (20 oz bottle)

250 calories
68 g sugar

This is little more than glorified sugar water, with only a trace amount of real juice. Lemonade in general is a dubious drink, but if you can't stand the thought of summer without it, try Santa Cruz-brand lemonade. When you bring the bottle home, dump it into a pitcher and add 4 ounces of water for every 8 ounces of lemonade. Otherwise, you may as well drink a Coke with a squeeze of lemon.

15. Worst Tea-Like Substance

SoBe Zen Tea (20 oz bottle)

275 calories
70 g sugar

Though the name might scream "healthy" to the unsuspecting drinker, there is little to celebrate about this beverage. SoBe can cram their drinks full of healthy-sounding extracts and vitamin supplements, but they can't escape the fact that high-fructose corn syrup outranks tea on the ingredients list.

14. Worst Energy Drink

Rockstar Original (16 oz can)

280 calories
62 g sugar

Energy drink makers might feign a level of health by fortifying their products with a cocktail of vitamins and minerals, but don't be fooled: Any minimal benefit they might provide is snuffed out by the blanket of sugar and calories each can contains. Want energy? Try a cup of homebrewed black tea. It nearly zero calories and contains a deluge of disease-fighting antioxidants.

13. Worst Iced Tea

Lipton Iced Brisk Lemon Iced Tea (20 oz bottle)

325 calories
81 g sugar

Iced tea is loaded with metabolism-boosting, cancer-fighting compounds called polyphenols, but Lipton does its best to undo any potential healthy benefit you might derive from the tea's antioxidants by drowning them in 20 teaspoons of sugar. Your tea of choice should carry no more than 15 grams of sugar per 20-ounce serving.

12. Worst Juice Imposter

Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (23.5 oz can)

360 calories
84 grams of sugar

These hulking calorie cannons (5 percent juice, 95 percent sugar water) are sold at gas stations and convenience stores across America for the low, low price of 99 cents, making this quite possibly the cheapest source of empty calories in the country.

11. Worst Chocolate Milk

Nesquik (16 oz bottle)- NO!!!! not Nesquik! I love this drink!

400 calories
10 g fat (6 g saturated)
60 g sugar

Quik and other chocolate milk manufacturers try to sell parents on the bone-building calcium found in their product, but what they don't talk about is the fact that a single bottle of this stuff contains as much sugar as three Haagen Dazs Vanilla and Almond ice cream bars. Yikes. Make it yourself at home with 2 percent milk and a scoop of real powdered cocoa-you'll save about 150 calories, plus get the antioxidant benefits of cacao without the high-fructose corn syrup.

10. Worst Chai Tea Drink

Caribou Coffee Large Chai Tea Latte

420 calories
47 g sugar

This is exactly the kind of drink that health-conscious consumers knock down each morning thinking they're doing themselves a favor. Nothing could be further from the truth. Flavored lattes-even ones flavored with seemingly healthy stuff like chai-are bad news. Stick to skinny lattes or unsweetened chai.

9. Worst Kid's Hot Beverage

Cosi Kid's Hot Chocolate (12 oz)

436 calories
60 g sugar

While most parents sip their lattes and cappuccinos, most kids sip on hot chocolate. Problem is, few things could be worse for a growing body. There are more calories in this small drink than in Cosi's Gooey Grilled Cheese sandwich, plus enough sugar to send your kids bouncing off the walls.

7. Worst Coffee Alternative

Starbucks Venti White Hot Chocolate

640 calories
23 g fat (15 g saturated)
76 g sugar

Caffeine abstainers will find little nutritional refuge in Starbucks' hot chocolate concoctions. This one packs an entire day's worth of saturated fat, with more than enough sugar to set you up for a dramatic mid-afternoon energy crash. Stick with the Steamed Apple Juice instead.

8. Worst Summer Cocktail

Pina Colada

625 calories
75 g sugars

Made from a blend of sickly-sweet pineapple juice and fat-riddled coconut milk, pina coladas may be this summer's biggest beach-body saboteurs. In fact, the only redeeming part of this drink is the garnish - that lonely chunk of pineapple hanging from the rim. Try a lime daiquiri or a mojito instead and save up to 400 calories.

6. Worst Hot Coffee

Starbucks Venti 2% Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha

660 calories
22 g fat (14 g saturated)
95 g sugar

Important Rule of Thumb: Avoid holiday-themed items from coffee shops at all costs. From peppermint to egg nog to pumpkin, these are often the most sugar- and fat-packed drinks you'll find at places like Starbucks. Make your own flavored drinks instead, using skim milk, sugar-free syrups, and, of course, skipping the whip.

5. Worst Blended Fruit Drink

Baskin-Robbins Pomegranate Banana Fruit Blast Smoothie (32 oz)

1,020 calories
232 g sugar

With three of the five worst drinks in America, you have to wonder if Baskin-Robbins is in bed with the sugar cane industry. One thing is for sure: People ordering this "smoothie" expecting a healthy afternoon snack have something else coming to them. The second ingredient, after water, is sugar.  If you must sip on something at Baskin- Robbins, make it a small low-fat Cappuccino Blast, which has just 220 calories and one-fifth of the sugar of this Fruit Blast.

4. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink

Cosi Gigante Double OH! Arctic (24 oz)

1,033 calories
35 g fat
177 g carbohydrates

Frozen coffee amalgamations pollute the antioxidant powers of a simple cup of joe with a huge hit of whole milk, sugary syrups, and whipped cream. What you end up with, in worst-case scenarios like this, is half a day's worth of calories, ready to be sipped down in a matter of minutes. Want a cold caffeine kick? Try iced coffee.

3. Worst Smoothie

Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 oz)

1,170 calories
169 g sugars

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milkshake, with more sugar than an entire bag of chocolate chips. (Note: We're pretty sure this is the drink Hollywood actors rely on when looking to put on 20 pounds for the role as a heavy!)

2. Worst Milkshake

Baskin-Robbins Large York Peppermint Pattie Shake (32 oz)

2,210 calories
103 g fat (57 g saturated)
281 g sugar

The freakish brother of the Heath monster, the York shake earns its title as the most sugar-saturated product in America. To put it in perspective, you'd have to down 15 Twinkies to match the sugar content in this Baskin-Robbins blunder.

1. The Worst Drink in America

Baskin-Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake

2,310 calories
108 g fat (64 g saturated)
266 g

Let's look at America's Worst Drink in numbers:

73: The number of ingredients that go into this milkshake.
66: The number of teaspoons of sugar this drink contains.
11: The number of Heath Bars you would have to eat to equal the number of calories found in one Baskin Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake.
12: The average number of minutes it takes to consume this drink.
240: The number of minutes you'd need to spend on a treadmill, running at a moderate pace, to burn it off.

So there you go. The next time you think a smoothie is healthy because of the fruits in it, think again!

I really like the interview format that host James Lipton uses on "Inside the Actors Studio" (the Bravo cable TV show). But it's vanishingly unlikely that I might ever be on that show, so, hey - I might as well interview myself. 

(No, really, Mr. Lipton. It's not plagiarism- it's homage... pure homage.)

What is your full name?

For the purposes of the internet, my name is "Evelyn Q. Gorfram." It's even "Doctor Evelyn Q. Gorfram, PhD.," whenever I want to give myself more credit than I deserve. 

(And no, that's not what my driver's license has to say about me. I'm nuts, but I'm not *that* nuts.)

Where did your life begin?

In Berkeley, California. Some people say that explains my politics (I'm just ever-so-slightly left of center :).

What are your parents' names?

Again for the purposes of the internet, my parents are named Ozzie and Harriet Gorfram. That's me being ironic, because their marriage was very much the opposite of the "Ozzie and Harriet" archetype. 

On the internet I usually refer to my mother as "Mumsie." That's more irony in that it connotes exactly what she is not. She's aged a bit now (she's working her way up to octogenarian status) but she was always a very tall, strong woman; and I always believed could wrestle her weight in wildcats before breakfast, any day of the week. 

Your Mumsie must be quite a woman. What was her maiden name? Or else the name she wrestled those wildcats under?

[laugh] I said I believed that she *could* do that, not that she ever did... well, not to my knowledge, anyway.

And heck, since I'm making it up - for the purposes of the internet anyway, let's say she was Harriet Evelyn MacClaine, distantly but directly descended from the MacClaines of Lochbuie.

See, that way I get to wear the MacClaine of Lochbuie tartan (albeit only for the purposes of the internet, which are not really very sartorial purposes :). It's my favorite of all the traditional Scottish tartans, only and solely because I think it has nice pretty colors. 

(The only really proper way for me be able to wear it otherwise would be for me to get married to a MacClaine of Lochbuie, and that would hardly seem fair to the poor clansman in question.)

Is your ethnic background Scottish then?

Yes and no. My background includes Scots, English, French, German, Irish, and just about everyone else Western Europe had but didn't want. 
But both my parents' surnames are of Scots origin - Mumsie's from a not-so-unnotable old family around Perth, and my father's from an almost-infamous reaver clan from near the English border.

Do you have any siblings?

Three. A brother and two sisters.

"Bro" is a few years older than I am, and is an engineer for a computer chip manufacturing company in upstate New York. 

My older sister, whom I'll call "SFSis," lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and does something extremely managerial for a company that used to be Hewlett Packard, back before it got spun-off a time or two. 

"SeattleSis" is younger than I am, and lives in (surprise!) Seattle. She's a fisheries biologist who helps try to figure out how to keep both fish and a fishing industry alive in the North Pacific.

What schools did you attend…? 

Oh, lots of 'em...

I went to public schools in California back when they were supposed to be the best in the nation, and the schools in the town we lived in were supposed to be among the best in the state. 

The real advantage to that was that we students were always being evaluated to see how well we were doing, and those standardized evaluation exams used the same complex format, with the "Do-Not-Write-In-Your-Test-Booklet" and the Scantron cards, as standardized college entrance exams. So by the time I got to the entrance exams, I was a veteran test-taker, and all I had to worry about was the thing about actually knowing the answers.

... I don't think this question appears on the SAT's very often, but what was your high school mascot?

Darned good thing it wasn't on the SAT's - I have no idea! 

...Um, let's see... the Luther Burbank Senior High School... Titans?
...Or was it Spartans? ...Vulcans? ...Ninians?... Quotidians?... Arthropods? ...uh, I think it was probably the Titans.

It was, and is, the "Titans;" the "Mighty Titans," in fact. Apparently you got into college anyway: what was your college mascot?

The "Cal Aggies" (it was the University of California at Davis, and it had started off as an agricultural school).

But the only reason I remember that is because I especially liked the name of the UCD marching band: "Hell Yes, We're The Cal Aggie Marching Band - Unh!"

"Unh?" .... You do that very well, by the way.... Was that really part of the official name of the band?

Hell Yes.

What did you study at UC Davis, and what is your profession?

I studied Metallurgical and Mechanical Engineering, and I was an engineer for about twenty years. I've worked examining broken airplane parts to figure out what made them break, on assembling semiconductor chips into usable electronic widgets, looking at gemstones and gold to see if they're what they claim to be, and my last job was designing corrosion protection and deicing systems for highway bridges.

That's quite a resume. But you're not working as an engineer now?

Well, no... I came down with some really nasty health problems which forced me into early retirement. It's Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (yes, Virginia, it can be completely disabling). While it's not life-threatening or contagious, there isn't any known cause or cure.

That's really terribly unfortunate.

Yeah, it is. It's pretty much thrown everything I ever planned for into a cocked hat; and I'm slowly figuring out how to cope with life as it is for me now. I can keep carrying on about it for hours, but there's no need to subject you to all that.

Perhaps the one silver lining in that rather large & gloomy cloudbank is that it has given me more time to explore what I might be able to do as a writer. I've always dabbled around with writing, and people - even people who are not my mother - have told me I was good at it. 

I used to do a lot of technical writing for my engineering work, but now I'm able to work on anything that strikes my fancy. I have any numbers of projects in the works: mostly literary fiction, but some narrative non-fiction, memoir, the obligatory screenplay idea or two, and a fair bit of really bad poetry. They're mostly unfinished, and all unpublished.

Could we ask you to recite some of this "bad poetry"?

Are you really *quite* sure? I should probably have everyone here sign a "hold-harmless" waiver or something...

Oh, for the love of Pete...

All right - a couple short ones might not be too painful:

"Here I am,
And here I be.
Were I elsewhere,
I'd not be me."

[wince] Or there's...

"If you think this is
Bad, wait 'til you see the rest of
My lousy haiku."

Er, well.... right... thank you.... I think we'll just be moving on now... Where is your home?

In Seattle, in the North End. I have a very nice studio* apartment in a subsidized housing complex.

(*So you see, we really are "inside the blogger's studio.")

And who lives there, normally?

Me, and a rather large "retired tom" cat named Bruno.

And is it paradise?

Didst Thou bring a Loaf of Bread and a Jug of Wine? [wink]

It's a nice apartment, has a south-facing balcony big enough for my container gardening, allows cats, and has pretty much everything I want or need in a place to live. I'm very happy with it.

And now (at long last, our readers say), the famous questionnaire:

What is your favorite word? 

"Translucence."

What is your least favorite word?

"Overdue."

What turns you on?

Intelligence, emotional maturity... 
...and muscles.

What turns you off?

Lack of real internal fortitude, that quality sometimes described as "grit" or "sand."

What sound or noise do you love?

Wind soughing in the tops of very tall evergreen trees, especially if there's a nuthatch calling.

What sound or noise do you hate?

A child crying on and on without being comforted.

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Superintelligent Shade of the Color Blue.

What profession other than yours would you not like to attempt?

Retail Accountancy, as at H&R Block.

What is your favorite curse word? 

"F***in' A." It's so succinct, but it can say so very much.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

I would be vastly relieved to hear the words: "Please come in."

(James Lipton image from TVRage.com; by fair use)

The Spoon
The cooler was already loaded with plenty of cold citrus green tea (Big K, the Kroger private label beverage, is a surprisingly good substitute for Lipton when the Dillons market runs out of the name brand). This trip inside the truck stop called for something salty. Oh, yeah: Corn Nuts. It’s vacation. Corn Nuts: For when you’ve got 300 miles to go and you don’t care if your breath smells like dog food.

Try the barbecue-flavored snack size. With a mild taste and 200 calories, it’s a great shot of grain-based energy that awakens the senses and complements a cold beverage SO nicely.

Mama Spoon
After driving the first leg of the early-morning trip, Mama Spoon was ready for a nap, but it wasn’t long after catching a few winks that she was up and downing a quart of G2 from Gatorade.

She has discovered the hydration and electrolyte infusion is the perfect preventative medicine for altitude sickness, which can result in headaches and fatigue.

Little Spoon 1
This pre-teen consumer treats selecting a snack like picking Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club competition. After much deliberation, he picks up a snack-size bag of Doritos QUEST chips. These are the ones that challenge you to guess the flavor and win a prize. So we’re almost to the register, and he changes his mind. He goes back for the Mounds bar, instead. “Why?” you ask.

“Well, the DARK chocolate was too hard to resist,” he says. “And the coconut was a different flavor to throw into the mix.” Note to parents: Don't let your kids search for "mounds" on the Internet. Specify "mounds candy bars." We're not even joking.

Little Spoon 2
There are a couple of reasons why this kid’s nickname is Sweet Tart. One reason is she loves sweet and tangy candy. Sour LifeSavers juicing gummies were an easy choice for her. They come in a bag. They’re not messy.

As a parent, now that you'll appreciate that they keep a kid pretty busy and quiet for awhile, too.

The decidely neighborhoodly feel of Wild Oats was complemented fairly naturally, if you will, by the 365 brand a la Whole Foods. It is amazing how seamlessly even private-label brands can assimilate with other stores following mergers and acquisitions.

We also encountered some really special brands. Some new. Some familiar. They all have something to teach us about a topic we touch on a few posts ago: It's better to be first than better.

Exhibit A: Pet Food

This brand takes it to an all new level. It says, "It's not about taste, it's not about health, it's not about all-natural ingredients. It's about wellness, Mr. and Mrs. Cat Owner. A holistic approach to food your cat deserves."

It's an "everyday" brand of cat food, but one that promises the all-around, no-compromise lifestyle your cat expects. After all, you expect to be able to "indulge" routinely on a moment's notice without having to sacrifice health or convenience.

Your feline friend should get the same treatment. Wellness cat food promises just that.

So for being the no-compromise brand of cat food for unpretentious, yet discerning kitties, Wellness wins the Get Your Kicks Award in the pet food category.

Exhibit B: Beverage

The market is flooded with tea of all varieties and brands nowadays, and teas promising medicinal and antioxidant effects are among the most popular.

So what is a brand of tea to do? Obviously "first" has been claimed long ago by Lipton, Nestea, Republic of Tea and HonestTea, among others.

The beauty of innovation is that one can be first by creating a category or sub-category, staking out a unique position and value proposition.

GT's Organic Raw Kombucha Muli-Green tea has established a convenient bottled, refrigerated tea for the serious imbiber determined to replenish and rejuvenate everything from digestion to immune system to healthy skin and hair.

It's all thanks to the power of a "handmade Chinese tea that is delicately cultured for 30 days. During this time, essential nutrients form like: Active Enzymes, Viable Probiotics, Amino Acids, Antioxidants and Polyphenols."

Those attributes appeal to tea and health aficionadoes, along with a price of $3.99 for 16 ounces that separates the serious from the casual. GT's Kombucha, you win for taking tea to a whole new level.

Exhibit C: Snack Food

This one is proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. For a long time, Terra was the first and only exotic vegetable chip.

Recently, the latest iteration of the health food craze has spawned other vegetable chips, along with regional chip-makers, kettle-cooked chips and other "gourmet" offerings.

This new bag of snacks from Terra is called Stripes and Blues. Just in time for the dog days of summer, it's a break from the brand's traditional taro chips and other mainstays. These chips are also seasoned with sea salt, leveraging another popular item. What's more, they have zero trans fat.

All this to say that the brand is always looking for brand-appropriate product line extensions to stay ahead of intruders into its market space.

Terra Stripes and Blues demonstrate that even if you're first, you still have to stay fresh. So they're the King of the Road in snacks.

And nothing goes better with all those activities than all of your favorite snacks. Here's what the Spoon is packing for the trip:

• Oberto natural beef jerky
• Archer Farms real fruit strips (pomegranate is the tastiest)
• On the Border restaurant-style chips and salsa
• Odwalla chocolate chip peanut butter snack bars
• Homemade granola
• Pink lady apples
• Roasted, salted pistachios
• Ocean Spray Craisins
• Plenty of Lipton diet citrus green tea for the Spoon and Little Spoon 1 (Mama Spoon likes Diet Coke; Little Spoon 2 prefers Harvest Surprise)

It's always great to stock up on your favorites before you leave town. But part of the fun for a true snackie is checking out regional brands, flavors and preparation methods unique to the areas one is visiting.

There are still a few regional potato chip outfits. For beverages, root beer is a fun one because regional bottlers and microbreweries are keeping the tradition alive. And we might just fall in love again with an old favorite like Doritos or Slim Jims on a 7-11 stop.

Vacation is a perfect time to snack. If you're active, you're burning off the calories, and it's fun to fill your tummy with snack foods during the day so you can save up for a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.

While we're on the road, we'll also keep our mind open to ways food marketers can capitalize more fully on the great American road trip.

Meantime, look for guest posts on marketing food to men interspersed with our reports from the road.

And, as always, we want to hear from you. What are your favorite vacation snacks? What's the most unique food you've found on the road that you can't find anyplace else?

Happy snacking!

In prezent, cu vremurile astea atat de agitate, nu mai avem ocazia de a ne pune adevaratele intrebari. Si totusi…

- De ce poate sosi acasa o pizza comandata, mai repede decat ambulanta?
- De ce lumea comanda un cheesburger dublu, o portie mare de cartofi prajiti si un cola light?
- De ce putem gasi un loc de parcare rezervat pentru handicapati in fata patinoarelor?
- De ce se vand pachete cu cate 10 bucati crenwursti pentru hot-dogs, iar cornurile pentru hot-dogs se vand in pachete de cate 8 bucati?
- De ce cuvantul “abreviere” este atat de lung?
- De ce sucul de lamaie este facut din arome artificiale si detergentii de vase se fac cu lamai adevarate?
- De ce pentru a inchide programul Windows, trebuie apasat mai intai pe “START”?
- De ce nu se fac conserve cu hrana pentru pisici cu aroma de soareci?
- De ce se sterilizeaza acul serigii inainte de eutanasie?
- Fiecare avion este dotat cu doua cutii negre, indestructibile. De ce nu se construiesc avioanele in intregime din acest material?
- De ce daca zborul avioanelor este din ce in ce mai sigur, aeroportul se numeste “terminal”
- De ce apasam mai puternic pe tastatura telecomenzii atunci cand bateriile sunt pe sfarsite?
- De ce se spala prosoapele, daca e de presupus ca atunci cand ne stergem ar trebui sa fim curati?
- De ce pilotii kamikaze purtau casca de protectie?
- Cum ajung sa fie puse panourile cu inscriptia “INTERZIS A CALCA IARBA” in mijlocul peluzei?
- Oare analfabetilor le place sa manace supa facuta cu paste in forma de litere?
- De fapt, atunci cand omul a descoperit ca vaca da lapte, ce cauta el de fapt in acel moment?
- Daca un cuvant este scris gresit intr-un dictionar, cum ne dam seama?
- De ce desteptul ala de Noe nu a strivit cei doi tantari?
- Oare lucratorii de la fabrica de ceaiuri Lipton au pauza de cafea?
- De ce oile nu intra la apa cand ploua si lina da?
- De ce magazinele deschise 24 de ore din 24 au incuietori?

SURSA: www.umornegru.ro

Well I know this is a bit of a plug but we are all very proud of this site.

Today we launched the 3rd evolution of the Lipton Braintrain site. It is packed full of new games a new ranking system and the ability to challenge your friends through Facebook as well (here).

There is also a mobile site which is worth while a visit if you have a couple of spare minutes.

Check it out at: http://www.braintrain.com.au

Ok so now to get to the details of this discovery: Well, the lovely individuals at Men's Health had ChromaDex Laboratories scientifically review 14 different bottled green teas, seeking out the healthiest green on-the-go beverage. In addition to Honest Tea, Men's Health chose to take a closer look at various blends from Harney and Sons,  Lipton Pureleaf, Tazo, Snapple, Ito En, Arizona and Republic of Tea. Did they miss your favorite green tea? One of my personal favorites in that list is Ito En. I strongly recommend that you give all of Ito En's ready-to-go blends a try when you're in the need for a green tea fix.

So, since we're paying a little attention to the men out there with this blog post, I'm curious to know some other teas that men enjoy. I wonder if there are any major differences between male and female tea preferences? I strongly doubt that a major difference exists, but I'd  still love to hear what the men enjoy drinking. 

I'd like to think that 99% of the tasters liked the Iced Tea. But you know, I want people to Loooveee it! Damn it! Hehe. So, I am posting the recipe in the hope that somebody who has a lot of time (and preferebly money) in their hands will try making the Yoji Iced Tea.

4 Teabags Lipton Yellow Tea
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 cups water
1 cup hot water
1 tbsp strawberry syrup
1 tbsp honey
1 medium size orange
mint leaves
ice cubes

For the procedure, click here.

Lipton has created a Green Tea that is bearable!!!  I constantly hear about the benefit of Green Tea on your health and for weight loss but I find it way too bitter to enjoy.  Today as I was shopping I came across Lipton Clear Green with Mint & Lemon.  Basically it's Green Tea but with added flavor so it's tastier with the same benefits.  I was really satisfied with the taste and suggest it for anyone who is interested in Going Green.

In occasione della serata di premiazione della dodicesima edizione del Premio Mediastars, abbiamo intervistato Dan Peterson su tematiche quali il team building e il coaching nello sport e nelle aziende.

Quali sono, secondo lei, i segreti per costruire un team di successo, sia nel mondo dello sport che per quanto riguarda il mondo della comunicazione d’azienda?

Penso che sia fondamentale la figura del coach. Per fare un esempio attuale, prendiamo il caso del mitico Phil Jackson che allena Los Angeles nell’NBA, e che si avvia verso le 200 vittorie in carriera nei playout. Lui sta per conquistare la finale con una squadra che secondo i pronostici di inizio anno non avrebbe neanche partecipato ai playoff. Il suo quintetto base è formato da alcuni giocatori che nessuno conosceva prima, e sta puntando più che altro su alcune personalità come Kobe Bryant e Paul Gasol. Jackson è un grande leader, ha un grande carisma, ha idee chiarissime, è un grande comunicatore. Essendo un ex allenatore, durante le telecronache presto attenzione a come lui si rivolge alla squadra, e le sue parole sono di una semplicità, di una chiarezza, che lasciano intravedere che lui è il centro della squadra. In un momento di difficoltà si è rivolto a Kobe Bryant durante un time-out dicendo: invece che forzare, lascia che la partita ti venga incontro, prendi quello che la partita riesce a darti. Sono parole dirette, sagge, semplici, perché è importante che i compagni lavorino per te, per essere una squadra. Il suo lavoro è quello di vendere il suo prodotto, il suo stile, convincendo i giocatori a comperare quello che l’allenatore vende, la sua mentalità, le sue indicazioni.

Avere talento non è più sufficiente nello sport. Ci sono squadre, come Denver in questo momento, che hanno molti giocatori forti ma non sempre è sufficiente, perché il coach è il perno di tutto. Anche nel lavoro, è la squadra che deve giocare la partita, ma è l’allenatore ad indirizzarla.

Data la sua esperienza, quali sono secondo lei le differenze più importanti tra l’Italia e gli Stati Uniti, nel settore della comunicazione pubblicitaria?

La grande forza degli italiani consiste nel fatto che sono geniali per natura. Se elenchiamo tutti gli artisti e i genii italiani nella storia, da Michelangelo a Leonardo, a Toscanini, non basterebbe un libro intero. L’italiano è geniale, creativo, estroso, e soprattutto abile nell’adattarsi. Riescono ad esprimersi sempre, in qualsiasi circostanza, nell’arte, nella musica. Non a caso molti palcoscenici importanti si trovano in Italia: la Scala a Milano e l’Arena a Verona. L’Italia deve quindi sfruttare questa grande capacità di “arrangiarsi”, nell’inventiva e nella creatività.

Per quanto riguarda la pubblicità ad esempio mia moglie, essendo italo-francese, quando andiamo negli Stati Uniti nota una differenza che consiste nell’umorismo: gli americani sono molto autoironici, si divertono nel fare pubblicità. In Italia tutto questo si nota più di rado, e attualmente uno di questi casi è quello di Mike Bongiorno e Fiorello, che si divertono e riescono a trasmettere questo loro modo di divertirsi.

Lei si divertiva quando faceva pubblicità?

Assolutamente, se non mi diverto preferisco non farle. Dopo di me la Lipton ha scelto Tom Selleck come nuovo testimonial, e lui non riuscendo a divertirsi non aveva abbastanza entusiasmo e cuore, mentre precedentemente era arrivata ad ottenere importanti sponsorizzazioni in diversi ambiti. Bisogna quindi cercare di indirizzare la pubblicità a seconda del pubblico, e il pubblico italiano è molto esigente. La mia pubblicità Lipton forse avrebbe funzionato solo in Italia, così è stato ed è bastato per far sì che entrasse nella storia. È importante adattare il messaggio al pubblico al quale è rivolto.

Per concludere, quali caratteristiche deve avere un coach per costruire un team davvero vincente?

Il coach deve saper creare un senso di squadra, limitando gli egoismi e sviluppando uno spirito di sacrificio. Bisogna saper aiutare il compagno o collega in difficoltà, senza avere paura di chiedere aiuto quando se ne ha il bisogno. Tutto questo è indispensabile per stabilire un rapporto di fiducia. La squadra deve essere unita, e ognuno deve essere consapevole di non lavorare per sé stesso ma per il risultato. Insomma, bisogna amare il proprio lavoro e amare la propria azienda, senza dimenticare di divertirsi.

Mancin Federico

Nam mô...cho thêm một ít!

The price of a gallon of gasoline continues to shock me on it's climb to (gulp) $4.00 a gallon and beyond. However, maybe you will feel better by reading this list of what some other common items cost, on a per gallon basis.

Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29…..$10.32 per gallon

Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ...........$9.52 per gallon

Gatorade 20 oz $1.59..... $10.17 per gallon

Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25........ $10.00 per gallon

Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15........ $33.60 per gallon

Vick's NyQuil 6 oz $8.35…. $178.13 per gallon

Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 ... $123.20 per gallon

Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ....... $25.42 per gallon

Scope 1.5 oz $0.99….$84.48 per gallon

Evian water 9 oz $1.49..........$21.19 per gallon!

$21.19 for WATER and the buyers don't even know the source.

(Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)

And last and obviously not least:
Ink Jet Ink...................
$5,200 a gallon!!!

Ve la ricordate questa? Credo non abbia bisogno di commenti... mitico Dan Peterson... secondo me poi funzionava anche in radio, tanto era famosa la sua voce :-)