I thought I’d share an interesting article from the health section of the New York Times…

Sorting Out Coffee’s Contradictions

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So, this is creating a controversy?

Starbucks seems to be under fire from some religious groups who think this new logo design is slutty and against God.

I have a big problem with this.

1) God designed the human body, therefor it is Holy, not slutty.

2) This is freaking mermaid, not a woman, and it’s based on ancient artwork.

3) She’s not engaged in anything pornographic.

4) If God had a problem with boobs, He wouldn’t have put them on people.

5) If Starbucks backs down and changes their logo to accommodate the whining of prudish, off-base, idiotic religious groups, they will lose what little respect I have for them.

Seriously, I could see an uproar if it featured something like the close up of a penis or a woman’s vagina, but this?

Come on, people. Get a life.

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I have lots of good news for us coffee drinkers.

For years the coffee industry has been forced into a defensive stance, barraged as it’s been about supposed health risks of the drink. But lately, due to improved study methods and increased focus on the chemicals involved, researches have not only refuted many of the earlier negative claims, but have discovered significant health benefits in the drinking of coffee.

Moderation is the key. Too much of anything — including water — is bad for you. But a moderate amount of coffee, two to four cups a day, can improve your health. We’re not talking decaffeinated here, either, but the pure natural brew.

New research has found:

• Coffee increases alertness and improves the brain’s thinking power (uh, yeah, we know this one).
• Coffee contains a significant amount of antioxidants which help prevent cancer. Studies have specifically shown people who drink coffee are 25% less likely of developing colorectal cancer.
• The combination of coffee and exercise may raise the body’s ability to resist skin cancer by up to 400%.  <- New Finding
• Women who drink coffee reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by up to 33%.
• Coffee can help alleviate asthma by 25%.
• Coffee can diminish the craving for alcoholic beverages.
• Women who drink coffee are 65% less likely to commit suicide.
• Men who drink coffee are 40% less likely of developing gallstones.
• Coffee drinkers show an 80% reduction in risk for cirrhosis of the liver.
• Drinking coffee reduces the risk for Parkinson’s disease two- to three-fold.
• Coffee actually improves physical stamina.
• Coffee helps diminish headaches.
• Coffee has been shown to reduce tooth decay by slowing the growth of the bacteria that causes it, as well as preventing these bacteria from adhering to tooth enamel.

Also studies have shown that coffee does not, as previously thought, cause or contribute to cardiovascular disease. In fact, these studies have shown that coffee drinkers are 30% less likely to develop it.

Another reversal of popular belief, it’s been shown that coffee has nothing to do with bone loss.

So rejoice! Fire up that coffee pot! Revel in your morning dose of coffee.

It’s good for you.

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This is one of the smartest little ideas I’ve seen in quite a while.

Yes, I took this picture with my cell phone while at the local market. No, I didn’t buy it, because I already have way too many coffee scoops. But still I found myself impressed enough to want to share it with you.

What better place to keep a coffee scoop than with your coffee, right? How many of you keep it IN the coffee? And how many times have you had to dig for it?

And, how many times have you either lost track of, or didn’t have enough of, or didn’t have at all, a clip to keep your coffee bag shut?

This is a clever combination! Kudos out to who ever came up with it. I’m just guessing, but I bet the idea came from some marketing guru’s mom who was tired of not being able to find the scoop, and was always spilling coffee grinds everywhere because the bag was never properly closed.

I’m not sure where you can get it, other than perhaps hanging from a hook in the coffee isle at your local grocery store.

This one is from Albertsons in McKinney, Texas.

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