To all the SA Students doing Jool, Rag, Carnival (whatever)  this week: “ Enjoy it!”  and remember to drink responsibly.

Who should be held responsible for under-age liquor purchases as the trend seems to be to point fingers at everyone else? The truth is, the responsibility lies with each and every one of us as individuals. In light of this ongoing issue and challenge, the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA) has launched their newly designed in-store sticker campaign titled RU18 to assist in increasing awareness amongst retailers and the public alike and combating the current stream of underage alcohol purchases.

“The aim is to reinforce the ARA message of responsible drinking by keeping the legal age limit top of mind for both the purchaser and the distributor as well as discouraging adults from sending underage buyers to buy alcohol for them,” says ARA spokesperson Adrian Botha.

Creating awareness regarding the role that traders play in driving a reduction of alcohol abuse in their respective communities is key to stemming the problem. Internationally published author of the LifeTalk books, Izabella Little Gates commented, “underage drinking is a real problem the world over, not just in South Africa and it is up to us as parents and communities to put a stop to the problem at the root, limiting underage children access to purchasing alcohol.

Children and teenagers are faced with a variety of difficult challenges while growing up, most importantly the effect of peer pressure and it is up to parents and communities at large to instill a sense of responsibility and awareness in their children so that they make the right choices when they are put in these situations.”

“The ARA acknowledges underage drinking as a huge problem. It is only with the assistance of the distributing outlets and by encouraging responsible behavior amongst purchasers that we can reduce the extent to which this is happening. While this campaign is targeted on the purchase of alcohol, we are continually focused on educating adults regarding awareness of the availability of alcohol within the home to underage drinkers” continues Botha.

The ARA is in the process of distributing their in-store point of sale material to various outlets over the next few months and look forward to working alongside store owners and retail employees to create greater awareness around their latest campaign.

So this festive season and on an ongoing basis, do your bit and take responsibility by alerting others to the issue of underage drinking and the extent to which children can access alcohol so that together, we may help curb this problem.

Versus Wines  support the drink responsible efforts of ARA

 Read more…

Buttered popcorn is a classic treat, but every once in while, you crave other flavours. Other popular types of popcorn include caramel, cheese and kettle corn, a sweet, sugary popcorn. However, even these flavours can get boring after a while. If you’re looking for a snack for your next movie night that will wow your guests, get creative and make popcorn using flavours that they won’t expect.

Chocolate Popcorn

This easy-to-make popcorn is ideal for chocolate lovers. First pop 8 cups of microwave or stove-top popcorn as usual and set aside. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of corn syrup, 1/4 cup butter, 2 tbsp. cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp. of salt in a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, then add the popcorn into the mixture, stirring well to coat. Place the chocolate popcorn in a bowl to cool and serve or shape them into small balls to make popcorn balls.

Curry Popcorn

Curry popcorn is ideal if you like a bit of spice and Indian flavours. Pop 1/3 cup popcorn as you normally would, and pour into a bowl. Toast 1 tsp. of cumin seeds in a small skillet for no more than 30 seconds, then set aside. In a small pot on the stove, melt 3 tbsp. of butter on a very low heat, then add 1 tbsp. of curry powder, stirring well to eliminate any clumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then pour and remove from the heat. Pour the curry butter mixture over the popcorn, tossing to coat well. Sprinkle the toasted cumin seeds on top, then serve.

Barbecue Popcorn

Barbecue popcorn will remind you of a family backyard barbecue, but without the meat. Pop 1/3 cup of popcorn and set aside. Melt 2 tbsp. of butter on low heat and pour over the popcorn, tossing to coat. Combine 1 tsp. of paprika, 1/2 tsp. of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. onion powder and salt, to taste in a bowl. Sprinkle over the popcorn, along with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, toss well to coat and serve.

Fruity Popcorn

Enjoy colourful fruit-flavoured popcorn using powdered gelatin mix. Pop 6 cups of popcorn and set aside. Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 80g of gelatin powder mix of any desired fruit flavour, 2 tbsp. of corn syrup, 1/2 cup of butter and a dash of salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave for two minutes, stop and stir, and heat for one to two minutes until the mixture is boiling. Stir in 1/4 tsp. baking soda, then pour over the popcorn, stirring well to coat. Stir in chewy fruit candies if you would like. Serve this sticky popcorn as is, or butter your hands and shape into popcorn balls. Source: ehow.com

Here are a few strange but true facts which are useless but interesting. The ideal stuff to take us to the weekend.

In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes.

There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal Crackers cookie zoo.

Should there be a crash, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution.

Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second.

The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache on a standard playing card.

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

There is one slot machine in Las Vegas for every eight inhabitants.

In the US- Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500.

The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad.

Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating.

Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult.

In the US- One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year.

Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.

The Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts three naked men with their hands on each other’s shoulders.

When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 4800 km per hour. To photograph the event, a camera must shoot at a millionth of a second.

A lightning bolt generates temperatures five times hotter than those found at the sun’s surface.

A violin contains about 70 separate pieces of wood.

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times.

Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.

Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada.

There was a time when people thought George Michael was straight

Source: www.strangefacts.com

Everyone wants to have a party that rocks or at least remembered. So do you want your birthday bash to be really memorable? Give it an unconventional theme.

Never have a bland get-together again with these delightful party themes.

Arch Nemesis Party- Dress up as your arch nemesis and parody what they say and do all night. Steal their clothes if you have to. Just make sure they’re not there. Maybe if you spend time in your worst enemies shoes, you’ll understand them a little better… or just hate them more. Also, if you are lacking an arch nemesis, feel free to make one up.

Your Mom’s Pajamas Party- Raid your mom’s pajama drawer. Add alcohol and music. Shake well, and end up with an amazing evening of maternal proportions. Note: this is not an excuse to show up to a party naked.

Truman Show Party- Choose a friend, and let the fact that everyone at the party is spying on them become entirely conspicuous. Plant fake secret cameras. Have everyone at the party be quiet as soon as they walk by, giving that “i know you were just talking about me” feeling. Be completely artificial. Bust out into random advertisements.

Flop Party- Come dressed as a character from any memorable movie flop. Ideas include Catwoman, Hudson Hawk, a young Hannibal Lecter, or Ben Affleck… as himself.

Monocle Party- Wear a monocle. And a vest. Speak in a British accent; say things like “poppycock” and “hip hip hooray”. Be sure to serve brandy…. the English have very refined palates.

Worst Fears Party- Face your fears by dressing up as them. Come as a spider, or a masked, threatening man with a weapon, or the girl from ‘The Exorcist’ in my case. If you’re afraid of heights, come on stilts. If you’re afraid of change, come to the party dressed in a way you never would and don’t talk to anyone you’re already friends with. If you’re afraid of death, come covered in fake blood and funeral clothes. If you’re afraid of loneliness, come to the party and leave immediately (get it?).

Amish Party- Wear a bonnet, or suspenders, and generally unflattering clothes made popular by the Amish. Make sure there’s no electricity at the party… in fact, the party should optimally take place in a corn field. Roll up in your Conestoga wagon with some barrels of ale and you’ll be sure to bag some wholesome wenches.

Read more:

Unconventional wine brand, Versus, will make your party even more memorable. So, let the good times roll.

I love party tricks and the simplifier the better.

Here is a great and simple ’Make a star’ toothpick party trick.

I wonder if drop of Versus Wine will have the same effect. Maybe your star will look a bit more unconventional if you use Versus instead of water.

Bet your friends that you can make wine magically go into an upside down glass.

All you need is:

1. A shallow bowl or dish 
2. ¼ glass of  Versus Red wine
3. A small candle
4. A friend willing to bet that you can’t do it

Here is how you do it:

I’m having a blast trying to create my own wine based cocktails for the summer. My new party potion is a Versus Rosebud.

This is a simple cocktail with basic ingredients and it’s really delicious. You can determine the strength of the drink by varying the amount of lemonade.

The Versus Rosebud

Ingredients

• 25 ml (1 shot) white rum
• 25ml (1 shot) Schnapps
• 125 ml Versus Rosé wine
• Lemonade (as per your liking)

Instructions

Add both the shots of rum and schnapps to the Versus Rosé wine , stir well and then top with lemonade.

I’m a sucker for party tricks and especially a little bit of  ‘magic’.

Here is a great party trick which is so easy to do and is guaranteed to get a few “ how- did-you- do- that’s?”

So next time when you go to a party don’t forget the napkin, coin, shot glass and off cause the  Versus to break the ice and light up the party.

Here are three unconventional tricks you can perform at a party or during a dinner. Common household materiel needed. Hit pause when Solution title appear to try the tricks for yourself.

3 Easy Party Tricks – Funny blooper videos are here

After you have used the wine glass for the first trick you can fill the glass with  Versus and reward yourself for an excellent party trick .

Can you add any unconventional party tricks?

Some dance styles are just outrageously stupid but some people are still doing these moves on dance floors.

Moves like The Sprinkler, Window Cleaner, The Mummy and of course The Chicken are still among us.

The guys at Malun TV’s School of Cool show the Top 10 disastrous dance moves.

Can you add more despicable dance moves?

Although unconventional brand Versus, supports unusual thinking (acts) , we cannot help but agree that some of these dance moves should be banned.

Jack Parow was a special guest at this year’s Splashy Fen Music festival.

Here are some pictures that were taken in the Versus tent at Splashy Fen 2010.

For more Jack Parow – Splashy Fen photos visit: Versus -Flickr

Student research projects topics can sometimes be a nightmare as you don’t have any idea of what to research. Here are some unconventional student research projects to get your creative mind going.

Unconventional brand Versus salutes these students for there out-of-the-box and unconventional thinking.

1. Crickets Playing Pac Man

Grad student Wim van Eck turned to crickets to add a bit more unpredictability to a game of Pac-Man, casting them in the role of the lowly ghosts against a human-controlled Pac. There’s few details about how the system actually works, but it seems that the crickets actually proved to be more worthy adversaries than your typical AI-controlled enemy: at one point, a particularly clever “ghost” decided to shed its skin, probably knowing full well that it would become invisible to the game’s color-based detection system. Watch the video . . .

2. Flash Game – Flow

The addictive little flash game was posted on the USC website as part of his graduate thesis in the Interactive Media division. Within two weeks, it had over 100,000 hits – with no intentional promotion. In the game: as you grow, you can eat bigger and bigger things and survive at deeper and deeper depths. This eventually became a PS3 game. Play this addictive game online.

3. Rubik’s Cube Solving Robot

University of Michigan students Doug Li, Jeff Loevell, and Mike Zajac created a “Rubik’s Cube Solver” robot for their final project — it can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 54 seconds or less. Watch the robot conquer the cube.

4. Prototype Hand Gesture Based iPod Remote Control

Zhuan, Derrick, and Colin of Purdue University created “Handy”, a prototype hand gesture based remote control. The setup consists of a Handy box, an iPod Nano, and a BOSE Sound Dock. Watch the video to see it work.

5. Star Trek Replicators and Diatom Nanotechnology

This paper helps demonstrate that silica can be replaced atom for atom without change of shape – a step towards the Star Trek replicator. Learn more about this Trekker project.

6. Using the Force: How Star Wars Can Help You Teach Recursion

The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges published this research article on how Star Wars can help students learn about recursion. Check out the paper’s abstract.

Any other student projects that should get mentioned here?

Read more on studenthacks.org

Everyone wants to have a party that rocks or at least remembered. So do you want your birthday bash to be really memorable? Give it an it unconventional theme.

Never have a bland get-together again with these delightful party themes.

Arch Nemesis Party- Dress up as your arch nemesis and parody what they say and do all night. Steal their clothes if you have to. Just make sure they’re not there. Maybe if you spend time in your worst enemies shoes, you’ll understand them a little better… or just hate them more. Also, if you are lacking an arch nemesis, feel free to make one up.

Your Mom’s Pajamas Party- Raid your mom’s pajama drawer. Add alcohol and music. Shake well, and end up with an amazing evening of maternal proportions. Note: this is not an excuse to show up to a party naked.

Truman Show Party- Choose a friend, and let the fact that everyone at the party is spying on them become entirely conspicuous. Plant fake secret cameras. Have everyone at the party be quiet as soon as they walk by, giving that “i know you were just talking about me” feeling. Be completely artificial. Bust out into random advertisements.

Flop Party- Come dressed as a character from any memorable movie flop. Ideas include Catwoman, Hudson Hawk, a young Hannibal Lecter, or Ben Affleck… as himself.

Monocle Party- Wear a monocle. And a vest. Speak in a British accent; say things like “poppycock” and “hip hip hooray”. Be sure to serve brandy…. the English have very refined palates.

Worst Fears Party- Face your fears by dressing up as them. Come as a spider, or a masked, threatening man with a weapon, or the girl from ‘The Exorcist’ in my case. If you’re afraid of heights, come on stilts. If you’re afraid of change, come to the party dressed in a way you never would and don’t talk to anyone you’re already friends with. If you’re afraid of death, come covered in fake blood and funeral clothes. If you’re afraid of loneliness, come to the party and leave immediately (get it?).

Amish Party- Wear a bonnet, or suspenders, and generally unflattering clothes made popular by the Amish. Make sure there’s no electricity at the party… in fact, the party should optimally take place in a corn field. Roll up in your Conestoga wagon with some barrels of ale and you’ll be sure to bag some wholesome wenches.

Read more:

Unconventional wine brand, Versus, will make your party even more memorable. So, let the good times roll.

The new kid on the block , Afrikaans Rapper , Jack Parow will perform at this year’s Splashy Fen Music Festival.

Jack Parow will be the special guest in the Versus hospitality tent at Splashy Fen this year. Meet and have your photograph taken with the rap star on Friday 2 April from 13:00 – 15:00.

His first big hit was the rap song “Cooler as Ekke” which is a phenomenal success.

A stable of young-gun comedians are gearing up for Splashy Fen.

Booked to do a daily comedy hour at the festival, several of Durban’s top (and rated among SA’s best) comedians will be performing in the Versus tent from Thursday through to Sunday. That’s right, Versus returns to Splashy Fen this year, proving that this unconventional wine brand is the life-blood of the party.

Comedians lined up for the daily comedy hour include Glen Bo, Simmi Areff, Robby Collins, Jem Atkins, Gareth Woods, Little Paul and Neil Green, among others.

Glen Bo has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was a regular on the UK comedy scene before returning home where he tours and performs in theatres, clubs, dingy smoky pubs and at big comedy festivals. He’s an award-winning globe-trotter, leading the comedians into battle. He was born in Mooinooi. It means pretty girl. It’s a real place.

Simmi Areff (from the ECR breakfast team) is a young effervescent Muslim comedian who has opened for John Vlismas. Known for his parody songs, Simmi is young, single and carries a pipe wherever he goes. This is why he is single.

Robby Collins was voted KZN’s ‘Best Newcomer’ of 2008 and is a regular at DSOC, Punchlines! and 99% Zulu shows. He is from Sydenham/Overport and wears his granddad’s hat. He is currently billed to open for Trevor Noah in Joburg.

Gareth Woods hails from the ‘bustling metropolis’ of Klerksdorp. He’s a graduated scientist and trainer lawyer and, within his first year of stand-up, won the 5FM Fresh Drive Comedy Competition and opened for Trevor Noah.

Little Paul has been part of the Durban underground comedy resurgence since it started in 2007. His humour has been described as dry, and is based mostly around personal, cultural and political observations.

Jem Atkins is KZN’s ‘Best Newcomer’ of 2009 and also made it to the third round of SA’s Got Talent on SABC in the same year.

Neil Green is a regular on the ‘Bruin Ou’s’ comedy shows and performs on the DSOC scene.

Dusty Rich is a skilled tattooist and resident of Toti. He brings a degree of grit and self-deprecation, which is steeped in honesty and hilarity. He recently toured to Cape Town, playing the club scene.

To view the complete comedy programme at the Versus tent visit: www.splashyfen.co.za

One of South Africa’s most successful bands will be performing at this year’s   Splashy Fen Festival .

Prime Circle has been together for more than eight years and their albums like “Live this Live”  and “Hello Crazy World” made them the biggest selling South African rock act for three years in a row (2003-2005)

They will be performing on Saturday 3 April at Splashy Fen’s Grant Erskine Marquee. Other bands on the programme include Newtown, Horse the band, Fokofpolisiekar, Jack Parow  Dimeshift and much more.

Be sure not to miss this festival on a farm near Underberg in KZN. Join us for South Africa’s Ultimate Outdoor experience.

Unconventional wine brand, Versus, will have a hospitality tent at the festival and there will be various comedy and music acts in the tent, so don’t miss out. You will also have the opportunity to meet Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow in the Versus tent at Splashy. For more details, visit www.splashyfen.co.za

Want to learn a new, unconventional party trick?

Here is a card trick that will impress your friends.

I don’t know how it works,  but it works.

Try it.

To add some excitement to the often otherwise dreary library environment, a group of students created a real-life Pacman in their varsity library. Unconventional wine brand, Versus, salutes these students for thinking out of the box.

The silly season is upon us and someone , in moment of madness will suggest a karaoke.

If you are caught in this situation …one tip, don’t sing Love Hurts.

The reason is because the most difficult karaoke-standard song i.e. definitely can find in any karaoke bar is, IMHO, Nazareth’s Love Hurts… at maximum key. Yep, it is more difficult than working out which home insurance quote to go for.

Some people’s favourite music games is trying to sing this at the highest key possible on the karaoke machine, with usually hilarious results, typically at the point the words say “but they’re not foolin’ me”:

Source: worldrec.info

A picture of Sakkie Versus on the Equator

A while back Versus co-sponsored a few students who explored Africa while delivering medical equipment to clinics. These students gave the Versus pouch a name and said that Versus was one of their “mates” on the trip. Their new “mate” was called Sakkie Versus and Sakkie joined them on all the exotic places

A while back Versus co-sponsored a few students who explored Africa while delivering medical equipment to clinics.

The pouches were one of their companions on the trip. These students gave the pouch a name and said that Versus was one of their “mates” on the trip.

There new “mate” was called Sakkie Versus and Sakkie joined them on all the exotic places.

Here are a few pictures of “Sakkie Versus” on the Equator, Lake Tanganyika and on the Nile.

The students said that Sakkie was a great mate on the trip and he is definitely invited to their next adventure.

Always almost have a sneeze- VERSUS – Hit your funny bone every 15 minutes?

Reminder: Versus is running a Facebook competition.

We’re giving away fabulous wine prizes daily during October. All you need to do is entertain us with the comment of the day on our Facebook page.

We will post daily questions/statements (like this one) on the blog and Facebook page. Simply leave your comment on the Versus Facebook Page

An extensive selection of free music downloads is the dream of any serious pop music fan. Legal downloading of most mainstream pop music requires purchasing the song in question. Many of the top sites offering music for purchase will offer an occasional song for free download. However, there are a number of websites that promote lesser known pop artists by allowing free downloads of songs. These are 5 of the best of these sites.

Free legal download site that contains music from new and unsigned artists from every genre of music. Users can search by genre and also by country to find new musicians from all over the world. Jamendo also contains a great user review section. Through the use of a recommendation system known as iRATE, Jamendo helps listeners find other music fans on Jamendo that have similar tastes. The site makes it possible for listeners to make donations to the artists you enjoy and wish to support.

Free legal download system in which the user creates an account by giving the site an email address and a password. Every time FreeMP3Mail posts new free music, the songs or albums are sent to the user’s email. All the listener has to do is click on the link and the music is downloaded. Although this limits a fan’s amount of music to choose from, it is a very simple way to discover new artists and bands.

Free legal streaming and download site split into two unique pieces. One half is Altsounds bands/music. In this, multiple genre-specific radio stations playing new artists can be streamed. Also in this piece of the site, new albums, videos and songs can be streamed and downloaded. Some songs may only be available for streaming. The other half of Altsounds is altsounds.info, which displays the latest news, reviews, forums and interviews on the website’s showcased artists.

Free legal download website where aspiring musicians use the Acid software to create and upload their music to the ACIDplanet website. By using the available software, artists can also edit, mix and produce their own songs and videos and make them available for free to online music fans. New artists can also create their own Podcasts and Vidcasts, as well as make their own pages that can include pictures, discography, merchandise, and latest projects.

Free legal music streaming site that has multiple charts to help listeners discover the more popular new and underground artists. This very simple website contains Top 10 charts for dozens of genres. It also has all-time, daily, weekly, and monthly charts pertaining to artists and songs. Countless genre radio stations playing new music available on the website are may be streamed. A daily spotlight artist is chosen in which a brief biography is given as well as some of the artist’s top songs.

Source: top40.com

Continuing to align itself with fun, funky events, innovative wine brand Versus is hosting the second Versus Backyard Concert on Saturday 27 June at the Northwood Crusaders Sports Club in Durban.

Versus is no stranger to pushing the envelope: the brand was the only wine supplier at SA’s longest-running music festival, Splashy Fen, and have had muscular marvel, Vernon Koekemoer as their special guest at both Splashy and the Wine Show Jo’Burg. The brand also recently launched a new Naturally Sweet wine range, which is proving to be very popular.

The line-up of artists at the upcoming Versus Backyard Concert includes Ocean Drive, Zoe & Somebody’s Child, Celtis and Dr Fly and the Nurses. Sports fanatics need not give the event a wide berth out of fear of missing out on the much-anticipated clash between South Africa and the British Lions: the match will be screened live at the event. After the rugby, guitarist Barry Thomson, The Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters, Shannon Hope and Habit To will entertain the crowds.

Music to the ears and a further feel-good factor is that proceeds of the event are for a good cause as it will be used to develop sport in the local community.

The concert starts at 12 noon. Tickets cost R80 and can be brought from Crusaders Sports Club (10 Ranleigh Crescent, Durban North) prior to the event or at the door on the day. Children under 12 pay R20.

Concert goers are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs, but leave behind any refreshments and drinks. Food and drinks (naturally, Versus wines is included in this mix) will be on sale.

For more info visit: ijol.co.za