The babies wrapped in cellophane were really cute.

Good find, Subby

Lose weight with AYDS™

Those are funny, but most of them are about as "ironic" as rain on your wedding day.

Maker's Mark whiskey, famous for their trademark red wax seal on the cork.

brigid_fitch: Maker's Mark whiskey, famous for their trademark red wax seal on the cork.

Dammit. New keyboard, et cetera.

"Why take diet pills, when you can enjoy AYDS?" (pops)

I know this one isn't ironic, but it is mildly amusing

Man. When I was in school, my dad said that I'd get a car when I graduated. (I'm the youngest of 6 and the only one to grad). Anyway, he gave me a corvair, then took it back to sell it before I could drive it.

All these years I've been lamenting that cute little, blue car...NOW I find out it was a death trap?!?!

Yeah people are ignorant savages that believe what they are told.

Nothing new here.

You know the Breyers "Lickable" one is fake, FarkinHostile, don't you?

Earpj: Man. When I was in school, my dad said that I'd get a car when I graduated. (I'm the youngest of 6 and the only one to grad). Anyway, he gave me a corvair, then took it back to sell it before I could drive it.

All these years I've been lamenting that cute little, blue car...NOW I find out it was a death trap?!?!

So not only was your old man a hypocrite, but he couldn't even make the premiums on your life insurance policy that would see him through retirement? Happy mothers' day!

Cyberluddite

You know the Breyers "Lickable" one is fake, FarkinHostile, don't you?


Of course, but it's still funny.

what interests me is wondering which of our modern ads will be equally amusing in the future.
I'm guessing any number of pharmaceuticals but especially the antidepressants once we have some idea of how the brain actually works.

It was ironic that the James Dean PSA was meant to show that he's just a safe law abiding guy unlike the characters he plays, except he acts like a rebel in the PSA too.

HEROIN at $4.85 an ounce??

I knew I was born in the wrong decade.

PirateFreedom: what interests me is wondering which of our modern ads will be equally amusing in the future.
I'm guessing any number of pharmaceuticals but especially the antidepressants once we have some idea of how the brain actually works.

Like this?

Bukharin: Lose weight with AYDS™

What made that awesome is the product showed just before AIDS got a foothold in the media. I mean like just months before.

Thalidomide: Mostly 'armless.

Actually, it only harmed fetuses, and only in a particular stage of development. Infants cannot develop birth defects after the fact.

Lead paint was the premium stuff. It was expensive as hell (as you would expect, since it contained a boatload of lead). Very durable, very attractive. It was the granite countertop of its day. "Oh honey, can we please splurge and get lead paint for the nursery?"

Combine thalidomide with cellophane and all of your child-care problems are SOLVED.

For some unknown reason, I have a throbbing erection.

Don't know how they missed "Radio-Thor" health water - with a microgram each of Radium and Thorium in every 1 oz bottle. This product actuall did kill a number of people - most of whom drank many, many bottles of this glowing elixar.

WhyteRaven74: Bukharin: Lose weight with AYDS™

What made that awesome is the product showed just before AIDS got a foothold in the media. I mean like just months before.

Nah, AYDS the diet product was around for at least 10 years or more (probably since the 1960s) before AIDS the disease was identified and named (which was around 1981). What was stupid was how they stubbornly refused to change the name for a couple of years after the disease showed up, and then changed it to something like "AYDS Diet," like that was much better.

I grew up in Reno, and I remember that, prior to the disease AIDS arriving on the scene (yes, I'm old), the primary "ambulance company" (this was before the major rise of paramedic services) was called "AIDS Ambulance." They changed the name to something completely different about a year or two after AIDS the disease got to be known. But before they changed it, they had the contract to provide ambulance services at the fairgrounds in Reno, and one of the annual events at the fairgrounds in those days was the "Reno Gay Rodeo," a huge party event on the West Coast gay calendar. At any rodeo, they always had a few ambulances standing by at the state fairgrounds in case any of the rodeo contestants got injured, so of course there were many pictures taken of the group of "AIDS Ambulances" parked at the gay rodeo. I'm sure it was a great photo-op.

Nakito: Lead paint was the premium stuff.

The danger of lead paint is a myth. In the late 60s, it became apparent that certain groups of children were simply unable to progress, in spite of social programs such as Head Start. Some sort of environmental cause had to be found. Enter lead paint.

I know some folks who worked in a law firm where the judge from the Pinto case became a partner. He reportedly kept the gas tank in in office.

bmwericus: Don't know how they missed "Radio-Thor" health water - with a microgram each of Radium and Thorium in every 1 oz bottle. This product actuall did kill a number of people - most of whom drank many, many bottles of this glowing elixar.

Or better yet, these (new window)

Love the Corvair ad ... in fact I'm thinking of buying one.

Cyberluddite: Nah, AYDS the diet product was around for at least 10 years or more (probably since the 1960s) before AIDS the disease was identified and named (which was around 1981). What was stupid was how they stubbornly refused to change the name for a couple of years after the disease showed up, and then changed it to something like "AYDS Diet," like that was much better.

Believe it or not, Wiki has an entry on it. Turns out that it had been around since 1937, and they didn't even make that slight name change you mentioned until farking 1988.

They ended up taking it off of the market. With a common-sense real name-change they could have easily saved it, but I guess they didn't want to lose the branding of the old name that dated back so far. Stupid, stupid.

The danger of lead paint is a myth. In the late 60s, it became apparent that certain groups of children were simply unable to progress, in spite of social programs such as Head Start. Some sort of environmental cause had to be found. Enter lead paint.

If this is a troll, sir, it is brilliant. Otherwise, no one ever told you to never go full retard.

But I'll bite:

Lead poisoning, and its effects, have been well understood for some time. The problem with lead paint was that children liked to peel it (rubbery goodness!) and eat it (it tastes sweet). Lead poisoning isn't ADD- it's a clear-cut thing to diagnose.

Joce678: Love the Corvair ad ... in fact I'm thinking of buying one.

I've owned two. The second was a parts car. They're fun and speedy but, you know, they'll kill you and eat your soul. They also like to break loose in the corners a bit more easily than they should. Those are toys of my misspent youth I suppose, between those and a Dart and a very old Cutlass that is the extent of the real "muscle" that I've owned.

I've been pondering getting something new to tinker on. My buddy has a '73 Cuda that I'm interested in.

bmwericus: Don't know how they missed "Radio-Thor" health water - with a microgram each of Radium and Thorium in every 1 oz bottle. This product actuall did kill a number of people - most of whom drank many, many bottles of this glowing elixar.

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2chris2: PirateFreedom: what interests me is wondering which of our modern ads will be equally amusing in the future.
I'm guessing any number of pharmaceuticals but especially the antidepressants once we have some idea of how the brain actually works.

Like this?

Yup, I'm guessing once were past the current trial and error stage of psychiatric drugs that kind of thing will look pretty funny, especially if we understand why they effect some people so negatively.

No_One_Special: The danger of lead paint is a myth. In the late 60s, it became apparent that certain groups of children were simply unable to progress, in spite of social programs such as Head Start. Some sort of environmental cause had to be found. Enter lead paint.

If this is a troll, sir, it is brilliant. Otherwise, no one ever told you to never go full retard.

But I'll bite:

Lead poisoning, and its effects, have been well understood for some time. The problem with lead paint was that children liked to peel it (rubbery goodness!) and eat it (it tastes sweet). Lead poisoning isn't ADD- it's a clear-cut thing to diagnose.

Yeah, I mean, it's heavy metal poisoning. You just look for the substance in the body.

I like the comment about spending a year removing the lead from their house. When we were faced with that I washed the walls with TSP several times, used a good primer, then painted everything. Tested myself before and after, lead levels were low. My neighbor decided to do an abatement - dropped 20k on it. His levels were high for well over a year. Removed all sheetrock, flooring, etc.

No_One_Special: If this is a troll, sir, it is brilliant.

Look at his login.

That Pinto memo is incredible. Now I see where Fight Club got "the formula".

No_One_Special: The danger of lead paint is a myth. In the late 60s, it became apparent that certain groups of children were simply unable to progress, in spite of social programs such as Head Start. Some sort of environmental cause had to be found. Enter lead paint.

If this is a troll, sir, it is brilliant. Otherwise, no one ever told you to never go full retard.

But I'll bite:

Lead poisoning, and its effects, have been well understood for some time. The problem with lead paint was that children liked to peel it (rubbery goodness!) and eat it (it tastes sweet). Lead poisoning isn't ADD- it's a clear-cut thing to diagnose.

He is actually a terrible troll.

The Cornballer: That Pinto memo is incredible....


TFA passes along too much conventional wisdom. Want some real facts about the Pinto memo? I highly recommend this to the curious reader (an independent attorney's examination of the whole case, years later--Rutgers Law Review):

Link (new window)

Cigarette ads were really shameless. All we have today is Smiling Bob.



//hawt

There are glowing examples of how a stranger's life is valued less than the almighty buck.

I just spent an hour tracking down a couple of tubes of lead oil paint on the internet (I painted with Flake White for ten years before I found out it was carbonate of lead). The nanny state is trying to phase it out -- they already did it with Naples Yellow (lead antimonate). There are some very good reasons that lead paint is/was so popular. It's absolutely permanent, it speeds the drying time of otherwise slow-drying pigments, it conveys its permanence to other pigments, and it's relatively cheap. There are 17th century portraits in which the faces were painted with lead white, the rest of the painting in transparent glazes. The faces are still as good as new, the rest of the paintings have dusted off the canvas.

The problem for artists is, once you ban Naples Yellow or Flake White because they're poisonous, where do you stop? Virtually all pigments are poisonous to one degree or another. Will they ban cadmium colors next? How about the thalo colors? They contain cyanide. Vermilion is mercuric sulfate. Eliminate all the poisonous pigments and artists might as well take up finger painting.

Sorry for ranting, this is a subject very near to my heart and it pisses me off no end. There is a certain amount of risk in life, whatever you do. I wish the smoking/alcohol/fatty food/drug nazis would mind their own business and let people make their own choices, good or bad, and take responsibility for their actions.

letrole: The danger of lead paint is a myth.

QFT. Romans used to dissolve lead in casks of wine and drink the stuff and as a result their empire lasted 1000 years. Think the US will last that long?

saminman: bmwericus: Don't know how they missed "Radio-Thor" health water - with a microgram each of Radium and Thorium in every 1 oz bottle. This product actuall did kill a number of people - most of whom drank many, many bottles of this glowing elixar.

Or better yet, these (new window)

How about radioactive toothpaste? Guaranteed to give you teeth so white they glow in the dark.

castufari: I like the comment about spending a year removing the lead from their house. When we were faced with that I washed the walls with TSP several times, used a good primer, then painted everything. Tested myself before and after, lead levels were low. My neighbor decided to do an abatement - dropped 20k on it. His levels were high for well over a year. Removed all sheetrock, flooring, etc.

We had a similar experience with asbestos in our confetti ceiling(among other things). Rather than pay a shiatload for removal, we put a few tons of paint on it to seal it in.