Spilled Coffee #1 by Jeff Ventura, and the beginning, by the looks of it, of another episodic writing series at clusterflock. She had just moved into his house, and it was weird. Not weird because he had been Mr. Happily Single or HBO primetime I'm-afraid-of-commitment fodder or anything like that, but because they weren't partners at all. They even had an awful sex life, where ... Read full entry

While it's of little use to the 700 Australian Starbucks employees who are looking for new jobs today, you'd think any coffee franchise would undertake some reasonably comprehensive market research before opening 84 cafes, some in fairly close proximity to each other, and in very quick succession, particularly in a country that enjoys an established coffee culture. Associate Professor Nick Wailes, a strategic management expert at the University of ... Read full entry

Actually a fly is about the only thing that isn't "etched" into the froth of these coffees, though I'm sure a talented barista could conjure one up if you asked.

Having been told for years the caffiene in coffee could trigger heart problems by way of raising blood pressure, and to moderate our consumption of the "morning thunder" accordingly, a recent study has found coffee can reduce our chances of heart disease... if consumed in moderation. The study tracked 129,000 men and women over two decades. It found that people who consumed several cups of coffee every day were ... Read full entry

A whiff of coffee may be just as reinvigorating as drinking it, if tests on sleep deprived mice are anything to go by. A team led by Yoshinori Masuo at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan, deprived rats of sleep for a day. When they examined their brains they found reduced levels of mRNA - messenger molecules that indicate when a gene is being expressed ... Read full entry

Daily caffeine "protects brain" This is possibly the sort of news coffee lovers have been waiting to hear. Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests. The drink has already been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's Disease, and a study by a US team for the Journal of Neuroinflammation may explain why.

Coffee wars: Starbucks v McDonald's. While some consider Starbucks coffee "fast food coffee", or worse still, the "McDonald's of coffee", it seems somewhat ironic that McDonald's, as in the hamburger "restaurant", is now shaping up as the next competitive threat to Starbucks. Adding to Starbucks' woes, and further emphasising its similarity with McDonald's, the burger chain is about to launch a direct attack of its own. This year McDonald's plans to ... Read full entry

Coffee's not-so-evil empire. If Starbucks coffee shops located across the street from each other, can compete with each other, then anyone, supplying a quality product can as well. After all, if Starbucks can make a profit by putting its stores right across the street from each other, as it so often does, why couldn't a unique, well-run mum and dad do even better next-door? And given America's continuing thirst for exorbitantly ... Read full entry

The Value of Being Incomplete: What Are Your Goals for 2008? possibly the most enjoyable post I've read at Dosh Dosh so far. The year is coming to a close. When December finally changes into January, I will inevitably get a bittersweet feeling of starting over again, as I anticipate the opportunities yet to come in 2008. Here is another chance for me ... Read full entry

Virtual vouchers make it safer to buy online: an interesting idea. Instead of using a credit card to transact online, consumers now have the option to buy vouchers, or a "VCard", instead, which works much the same way as buying pre-paid mobile phone credits. Andrew Woodward, director of communications at Visa International, said VCard vouchers were ideal for those who did not have ... Read full entry