It sucks that my mom is going to lose her beloved organic milk at Sbux, but otherwise, good on 'em!

Starbucks Switches To Hormone-Free Milk

Starbucks has announced that it is moving forward with its long-promised plans to serve only milk produced by cows free of the artificial hormone known as rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). According to the company, all of its core dairy products (fluid milk, half and half, whipping cream and eggnog) are now rBGH-free. Unfortunately, Starbucks also plans to stop selling organic milk in its stores next month. The company has stocked organic milk at U.S. shops since 2001. Starbucks spokesman Brandon Borrman said the original reason for offering it was to cater to customers who wanted milk from cows that weren't given rBGH.

The move comes after Starbucks was targeted in a campaign by consumer groups critical of the use of rBGH, which is given as a supplement to dairy cows to increase milk production.

Starbucks started talking about offering milk free of artificial hormones as early as 2000, said Starbucks spokeswoman Sanja Gould. But after initially pledging to make the change rather quickly, the company was forced to scale back its plans after it learned that its suppliers could not provide it with enough milk free of rBGH to meet the needs of all its stores.

Turns out drinking coffee might be good for your memory, ladies!

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2007/08/06/hscout607032.html

From USA Today

Coffee: A New Health Drink?

Are you ready? Coffee, not known as a health tonic, is now hailed for its wide-ranging health benefits.

Here's what you need to know:

heart saver: A large new Harvard study found no increased heart attacks in longtime coffee drinkers. More remarkable: coffee may save lives. women ages 55 to 69 who drank 1 to 3 cups a day were 24% less likely to die of heart disease than non-coffee drinker, says a new analysis of the Iowa Women's Health Study of 27,000 women. Indeed, their odds of dying from any cause during the study decreased about 15%.

liver protector: Coffee, even in very low doses, appears to protect the liver. Kaiser Permanente researchers found less cirrhosis in heavy alcohol users who also consumed coffee. Drinking less than a cup a day cut risk of cirrhosis by 30%. Even decaf cut odds somewhat.

Diabetes foe: Drinking lots of coffee slashed risk of type 2 diabetes as non-coffee drinkers. In women, 6 or more cups daily cut risk by 30%, Even decaf cut odds somewhat.

Parkinson's fighter: Coffee drinkers are about one-third less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, say Harvard investigators. Italian research found a steeper drop of 80%.
Still, researchers don't recommend guzzling more coffee, because it can be harmful to some, promoting headaches, insomnia, anxiety and even heart attacks in individuals who are especially susceptible to caffeeine. for specific advice, consult your doctor.

Hm, I'm thinking 6 cups a day might be a bit much (reduces risk of type 2 diabetes), but I drink it kind of strong a lot of the time, so mabye I get that much fairly often.

I love coffee. Also, I'd read an article a few years ago that in a study of nurses, coffee drinkers had less thoughts and likelihood of suicide.

 http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/rating-coffee-houses.pdf

thought this was intresting.

Dipsticks could check caffeine in your cup

Wee! Now I'll know which one will be best for a wake-up call.

Happy Mother's Day to all you life-givers out there!

Found this in my friend soundwave106's journal, and am sharing it, with his kind permission. :)

Scientists are working on a stick to measure caffeine content in hot drinks. Its intended for those sensitive to caffeine, but I'm on the "decaf coffee is the spawn of Satan" side of the fence, so I'll use it for the opposite reason as intended. :) Interestingly enough, they are using llama antibodies to accomplish this task. There's something Zen about llamas and coffee working together...