Rumor has it that Twinkies have an infinite shelf life*, but unfortunately the maker of the famous snack may not enjoy such longevity.

Hostess Brands Inc, the company that makes Twinkies and Wonder Bread, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming high debt and labor costs:

The privately held Irving, Texas, company's move marks the second significant court restructuring in the past several years. In a statement, Hostess said the current cost structure "is not competitive, primarily due to legacy pension and medical benefit obligations and restrictive work rules." It said it would be able to maintain operations thanks to a $75 million financing commitment from a group of lenders.

In bankruptcy, Hostess said it plans to continue negotiating with 12 unions to modify the collective-bargaining agreements governing the employment of its union workers, who comprise 83% of its approximately 19,000 employees.

Better stock up on Twinkies! Link - via Metafilter

* Declared false by Snopes, but we still suspect that you can safely eat a Twinkie much longer than its purported expiration date

When I first started working out, I couldn’t gain weight no matter what I tried. I asked a large amount of people at the few gyms I attended at the time, and the advice received has always stuck out: Eat everything. The first (extremely in-shape) person I asked told me to buy a box of bakery cupcakes from the local grocery store and eat that after lunch a few times a week. The next (very ripped and cut) person I asked told me he ate a tub of chocolate pudding a few times a week after dinner. The message was clear: So long as you’re correctly working out, the type of food you eat doesn’t matter as much as you may think.

Of course, there’s a lot more to the story. Link

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From the Upcoming Queue, submitted by interweber.

In a recent Jello mold competition, some of the entries were mighty interesting. This one won third place over all, it is a pumpkin pie and twinkie turkey. Can you say yummy?

Link Via BoingBoing