Coffee Grounds Save Furniture!

Well, we talk often about the health benefits of coffee that seem to get released weekly, but now it can also save furniture!  Just a little dab on scratches and voila, scratches disappear.  Try it sparingly, as indicated below.  A Kcup is a perfect dabbing container (just be sure to cover the hole in the bottom so you don’t drip around the house!).   No word yet on which Kcup works best, but I wonder if that’s why Caribou came out with Mahogany? 

http://lifehacker.com/5555388/use-coffee-grounds-to-touch-up-furniture-scuffs?skyline=true&s=i

Use Coffee Grounds to Touch Up Furniture Scuffs

If you have some furniture with dings or scuffs you’d like to disguise on on the cheap coffee grounds are a cheap and easy way to touch up the imperfections.

If you like your repair tools to be non-toxic, extremely cheap, and easy to apply, it’s tough to beat coffee grounds for touching up dings and scuffs in wood furniture. At the green living web site 365 Ways to Go Green they highlight the power of coffee grounds to darken light colored scratches in wood:

Coffee grinds are a great non-toxic item that you can use to touch up your wood furniture. You just have to put some on the end of a q-tip and lightly dab the affected area.

We’d advise you to apply it lightly at first and let it sit for a few hours to see how it looks when it’s dry. We’ve used the coffee trick before been a little too liberal in our application of the grounds—in the end a slightly darker scuff is way better than a really light and obvious scuff, but still!

900,000 GE Coffee Makers recalled

Just in case you have one of these 900,000 GE coffee brewers recently recalled due to fire danger.  I would personally suggest that all 900,000 of these people go to JustOneCup.com and buy a new Kuerig brewer.  Just a thought…

http://www.kvue.com/community/blogs/smart-money/900000-coffee-makers-recalled-94579584.html

Terri’s Smart Money Blog

900,000 coffee makers recalled

Credit: CPSC

GE coffeemaker recalled because it may catch fire. The model number for this black model is 169164.

by Terri Gruca / View Bio

Posted on May 21, 2010 at 9:23 AM

Check your coffee maker. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced this morning it is recalling 900,000 General Electric branded 12 cup digital coffee makers because they may catch fire.

They were sold in white or black at Walmart from March 2008 to January 2010. Walmart has received 83 reports of them overheating, smoking, melting and burning including three people who suffered burns to their hands, feet and torso. One fire was significant enough to damage the countertops, cabinets and wall.

The GE logo is printed on the base of the coffee maker along with the model number. (see attached pictures)

Here are the two model numbers: the black model is 169164 and the white model is 169165. If you have one of these stop using it immediately and return it to Walmart for a full refund. If you have questions you can call Walmart at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday. You can also check the full list of recalled products sold at Walmart here.

Research Shows Coffee Reduces Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Earlier, we posted an Australian study that suggested coffee consumption may have a beneficial effect on Type 2 Diabetes prevention.  Now an Oklahoma University (OU) Study says the same.  Their eight year study found that heavy coffee drinkers (more than 12 cups per day!) were 67% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.  Their focus was on Native Americans, but other research has found similar results with other ethnic groups.  Unfortunately, they stop short of demanding all Americans consume 12 cups per day – in which case we would have changed our URL to JustTwelveCups.com and gone public.  In fact, they recommend waiting until they determine the cause of the risk reduction, probably so that they can put it in a pill and thwart our IPO plans. 

Regardless, any progress on the diabetes front is good.  The Australian study found a 7% decrease per cup consumed, so even JustOneCup per day helps.  JustOneCup, then a few more is even better.  Actually, I usually find that these studies are based on 8 ounce cups, so if you’re drinking larger cups of coffee, a little math is required to determine the equivalent in 8 ounce cups.  Just in case, drink JustOneCup right now!

http://www.oudaily.com/news/2010/apr/20/coffee-may-reduce-diabetes-risk/

Coffee may reduce diabetes risk

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

OU Health Sciences Center researchers found that drinking a large amount of coffee can reduce the risk of diabetes among American Indians.

The study, conducted by Ying Zhang for almost eight years, compared the incidence of diabetes across different groups of coffee drinkers. Those who drank more than 12 cups of coffee per day were 67 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease in which one has high blood sugar because the body and its hormones cannot properly process it, according to the American Medical Association.

Despite the findings, however, researchers do not recommend people drink 12 cups of coffee per day, and they are in the process of finding what exactly causes the reduced risk of diabetes. Certain compounds have been identified as possibilities, but the exact one is not yet known.

Zhang focused on coffee because of its popularity.

“We wanted to look at coffee because so many young people drink coffee that if it had any property that would help prevent diabetes it would be important for public health,” Zhang said.

Though the study only focused on American Indians, other groups are also being studied, Zhang said. Researchers in other parts of the country have found a reduced risk in those other ethnic groups as well.

Zhang said he chose to study American Indians first because of the group’s population in Oklahoma and its high rate of diabetes. Genetics, lifestyle and environment are the most likely causes of diabetes.

Zhang’s study has already been published in an international journal about diabetes. The research was done with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and MedStar Research Institute. The Strong Heart Study also contributed grants to the research.

Coffee Inhaler – Really?

If you don’t have time for JustOneCup, this inventor thinks you might want a Whif of Coffee.  From an inhaler.  I’m not so sure that you do as the taste, aroma, warmth, and overall sensory experience is what many love about coffee.  But, maybe some people would want a Whif – tiny particles of coffee inhaled into their system.  Eight Whifs are the equivalent of a cup of espresso, so if you don’t have time for an espresso, just Whif a bunch.  Of course, an espresso is only a sip or two anyway, so consumption time generally isn’t the issue.  Regardless, it’s a coffee related invention, so I’ll leave it to you to decide. 

I say, if you’re in a big hurry, get a Keurig and a travel mug…

Video Link to see the Whif in action.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=12220441

A coffee inhaler for the quick caffeine fix

Posted: Mar 29, 2010 8:03 AM PDTUpdated: Mar 29, 2010 8:03 AM PDT

Posted by Jenny Anchondo – PARIS, France. (KOLD) – If you’re so busy you can’t even squeeze in time for a coffee break in the morning, would a spritz of coffee in an inhaler do the trick?  

"The Whif" is a plastic inhaler that dispenses tiny coffee particles into the body. The product could target the commuter coffee rush, satisfying that morning caffeine craving with just a few puffs.

Le Whif Inventor David Edwards developed the product following the success of a similar inhaler used for chocolate.

" When I whif, it’s like a sip of coffee, and if I whif eight times I empty my Whif and I’ve received the caffeine content of a small espresso," Edwards said.

Some café workers said the Whif could never replace coffee, especially for those people who like to dip their bread in coffee.

Meanwhile, Whif chocolate is gaining popularity from Paris to New York as a replacement for after dinner chocolate and with children in the playground.

Quality Office Coffee Good for Morale

A Boston article points out that offering quality coffee as an office perk can improve morale.  Based on a January survey by Keurig (yes, the results are self serving, but still true!), many employees would prefer gourmet coffee and tea over a Holiday Party.  In fact, coffee ranked about as high as flexible hours and casual work days in the perk pecking order.  If you’re one who needs at least JustOneCup of coffee to get yourself going, you know they’re right about the salubrious (promoting health or well being – we looked it up) effect of a good cup of coffee. 

http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2010/03/free_joe_can_ca.html

Free joe can caffeinate workplace morale

Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 report spending an estimated $440 a year and log more than 38 hours of time toward purchasing coffee and tea during the work week.

So concludes a survey commissioned by Keurig Inc., a Reading brand that markets machines that can brew a single cup of coffee. (At right is a photo of a Keurig machine) Keurig is a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. of Vermont.

One focus of the survey was to get input on how to improve the mood of the workplace. Not surprisingly perhaps, the survey finds that free Joe can have a salubrious effect on cubicle morale – under the right circumstances, complimentary caffeine can cause even the most cynical of drudges and drones to whistle while they work.

In fact, free gourmet coffee is as nearly as prized as flexible hours and casual work days when employees can mothball the pinstripes and bust out the khakis and cargo pants, the survey suggests.

Undertaken in early January, the national survey is based on telephone interviews with 958 adults, Keurig said.

As a perk, meanwhile, the annual holiday party around Christmas may be highly overrated, with 37 percent of employees surveyed saying that they would prefer free, daily fresh gourmet coffee or tea over a party, Keurig said.

Why is free coffee so prized? Perhaps it’s because 50 percent of employees surveyed reported they are looking to cut back coffee-and-tea spending, suggested Keurig, which added that small perks can make employees "feel more valued."