No Such Thing As Coffee Breath?
I seriously find this hard to believe. I mean, I would hardly admit to having bad breath (and, no I really don’t!) but you would know a coffee drinker by his breath if you stood close enough together, right?
According to Tel Aviv researcher Mel Rosenberg, an extract from coffee can actually kill the bacteria that lead to bad breath! Before you rejoice and start using coffee as mouthwash, I have to tell you that Rosenberg also has a disclaimer. He said that this extract is actually mixed in with the rest of the coffee. That is why what they are working on right now is to isolate this molecule that kills the bacteria that cause bad breath. Obviously, they have not been able to do this as of yet.
You can imagine the potential of this project though. Coffee-flavored mints? Coffee-flavored mouthwash?
In the meantime, we have to be realistic. It is highly unlikely that the coffee that we drink on a daily basis will serve as a bad breath bacteria killer. More so, Rosenberg also asserts that the common perception that coffee can cause bad breath is true. Here comes the bad news, guys…
Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath, and it’s often true, because coffee, which has a dehydrating effect in the mouth, becomes potent when mixed with milk, and can ferment into smelly substances.
Now that is why, as I sit and write, I can feel my mouth drying up from the two mugs of coffee that I have had so far. Needless to say, I shall be using Colgate and Listerine in a little bit.
Black & Decker Spacemaker Coffee Machines RECALLED
If you have got one of these babies, you might want to send it back. Last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that this brand and model of coffee makers are being recalled due to safety considerations.
The Commission announced that users could get burned due to a flaw in the machine. The specific reason for this is that the brew basket can potentially get out of alignment. When this happens the hot water (scalding hot!) will overflow. Obviously, if any part of your body gets in contact with that, you will get burned.
Yes, there have been reports of this happening and users getting injured. Applica Consumer Products Inc., the distributor of the coffee maker stated that they have received about 235 reports of the malfunction. Of these reports, 10 involved users getting second-degree burns.
Statistics show that roundabouts 584,000 units of this machine have been sold in the period from March 2006 to March 2009. Stores that sell the Spacemaker Coffee Machine include K-Mart, Kohl’s, Target, Wal-Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Amazon.com. A unit can cost anywhere from $60 to $70.
It is important to note that NOT ALL models are defective in this regard. The announcement takes note of those models that are being recalled:
Description: The recalled product is the Black & Decker-branded Spacemaker™ coffeemaker. The product has an under-cabinet mount, programmable digital clock/timer, removable water reservoir, and either a 12-cup glass carafe or an 8-cup thermal carafe. Only model numbers ODC440, ODC440B, ODC450 and ODC460 are included in the recall. The model number can be located on the back of the coffeemaker.
For information, call Applica toll-free at (866) 668-4442 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday OR visit their web site at www.acprecall.com.
The Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf: Anti-Gay?
The noise over Prop 8 has not really abated all that much and now, there is something going on again. I just heard of the news the other day when I read some blogs detailing how the well known coffee shop chain, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, is blocking gay sites on their network.
We all know how people frequent coffee shops not only to have a cup of joe, but also to connect to their Wi-Fi. As a matter of fact, I am at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf right now (albeit outside of the US). So what’s the dish?
Neal Broverman wrote in the Advocate:
Phillip Minton of Unite the Fight — a group trying to overturn California’s Proposition 8 — had booted up his laptop on Thursday at a Coffee Bean location in the Beverly Center area of Los Angeles and was informed he couldn’t access sites like Pam’s House Blend and Towleroad due to “sexuality.” According to commenters at Unite the Fight’s website, ex-gay sites for groups like Exodus and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays are accessible on Coffee Bean’s Wi-Fi service.
In his post, Minton wrote, “Naturally, I wrote a rather angry e-mail [to Coffee Bean's Wi-Fi provider] telling them they need to do a better job determining what is porn or ‘adult’ from what is a news or editorial blog. If I typed in “heterosexual,” would the sites pulled up be blocked? I doubt it.”
The Wi-Fi provider, OpenDNS, responded to Minton with the following e-mail: “We only provide network admins with the tools to block content on their networks, we as a company do not block anyone for any reason. If this user (i.e.business) chooses to block a particular type of content on their network, we cannot interfere. You however, as a consumer, have every right to boycott their business for the way they choose to block content on their networks.”
It looks to me like a case of passing the buck. I don’t know if it’s just that specific branch. I just tried accessing Pam’s House Blend – one of the main web sites in question – and I didn’t have any problems. Is there a Coffee Bean near you? Are they censoring your Internet access as well?
Topless Coffee Shop Burned Down
Remember that piece I wrote about the topless coffee shop in Maine? Well it was given permits, the council approved its operations; so it has been up and running for a while now. The thing is, it was recently burned down.
Last week, someone deliberately set the Grandview Topless Coffee Shop on fire. Apparently, having topless waitresses and waiters proved to be too hot to handle for someone. CNN carried the story:
The blaze consumed the risque, small-town business shortly after midnight, said Vassalboro Fire Chief Eric Rowe. He described the flames as “severe” and said the building was a “total loss.”
“I really liked it here,” waitress Krista Macentyre said after learning the cause of the fire. “We weren’t hurting anyone. I don’t know why someone would do something like this.”
The shop’s proprietor, Donald Crabtree, said he is determined to rebuild. “This is home” to a lot of people, he said.
For Crabtree the coffee shop literally was home. He and his two daughters, their two boyfriends, and his two infant grandchildren lived in quarters attached to the Grand View. The fire forced them to relocate to a motel.
While I was never really sold on the idea of a coffee shop with topless service workers, I do not think that anyone could really wish this on the owners of the shop. After all, just because someone’s offending your sensibilities does not mean you have to strike this way. More so, some people actually enjoyed having their morning (or afternoon) coffee in this shop. Our best wishes to them…
