Sisters of Sole

Dear Readers

I do not usually write asking for donations but my wife asked me to do this, as it is an important event to our family. To show her that I am taking this seriously I am adding this to my blogs and asking you all for some assistance.

My wife is participating in an event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day. It is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. This event raises money for breast cancer research and community outreach through Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. My wife and her team, SOS (Sisters of Sole), hope to raise at least $15,000.00 for the fight against breast cancer. Personally she must raise $2,200.00 to participate in this event.

Some of you may remember that my wife underwent treatment for breast cancer two years ago. The diagnosis and treatment took us on a path that we were unsure of and one that changed our lives. With the care and compassion of the doctors, friends and family we made it through. Randi is now cancer free and working hard on keeping it that way. My wife is taking this journey for the sake of all our mothers, sisters and daughters to help make breast cancer become a thing of the past.

We hope you will help my wife and her team SOS reach their goal by making a donation today. You can make a donation by going to www.the3day.org and select "Donate Now" and search for Randi Badgett and her team SOS. If you do not want to make an online donation you can write a check payable to the “Breast Cancer 3-day” and mail it to me and I will do the paperwork for you. Mail to PO Box 15, Northfield, NJ 08225.

Every dollar will help, so please don’t hesitate. It’s a good cause. Good for you and good for the future.

Robert

Coffee May Protect Against Breast Cancer, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2008) — Depending on which variant of a certain gene a woman has, a coffee consumption rate of at least two-three cups a day can either reduce the total risk of developing breast cancer or delay the onset of cancer. This is shown in new research from Lund University and Malmö University in Sweden.

The effect of coffee is related to estrogens, female sex hormones. Certain metabolic products of these hormones are known to be carcinogenic, and various components of coffee can alter the metabolism so that a woman acquires a better configuration of various estrogens. What’s more, coffee contains caffeine, which also hampers the growth of cancer cells.

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Brazil May Offer Subsidy to Arabica Coffee Growers

By Carlos Caminada and Shruti Singh

April 22 (Bloomberg) -- Brazil, the world's biggest coffee producer, may give arabica growers a subsidy at government-run auctions this year to ensure a minimum price after the harvest starts in June.

The government may decide as early as April 29 on the values and amounts for the subsidized sales, Lucas Tadeu Ferreira, director of the Agriculture Ministry's coffee department, said today in a phone interview from Brasilia.

The auctions, where Brazil gives farmers the difference between a minimum price and the amount buyers offer to pay, may help bolster coffee after farmers start harvesting a bigger crop than last year. The plan encourages farmers to hold on to their coffee until the auction, preventing excess supply from pushing prices down.

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Great coffee is in the Clover

BY POLLY CAMPBELL | PCAMPBELL@ENQUIRER.COM

In the world of fine coffee, the hottest thing to come along since insulated coffeepots is the Clover coffee maker.

A gleaming stainless steel piece of fancy engineering from a small Seattle company, a Clover makes brewed coffee one cup at a time. A Clover machine costs $11,000. The Clover company could cost Starbucks several undisclosed millions.

Because of its expense, very few coffee shops have one. Because of the company's new owner, very few independent coffee shops ever will.

Starbucks will probably be installing the machines nationwide within a few years, and it is now testing them in Boston and other big cities. For now, there are only two Clover machines in Ohio, and one is at Rohs Street Cafe, the fair-trade-only, nonprofit coffee shop in Clifton Heights. (Staufs Coffee Roasters in Columbus is the other.)

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