Words About Things

I almost spat out my coffee this morning, partly due to the taste but mostly because I had just seen a headline which read – ‘Swine Flu Parties Not A Good Idea’. Apparently having a party with people who already have a mild strain of Swine Flu in order to catch the disease is something people are actually doing. The theory is that you get the mild strain, get better and are thus immune to any stronger strains that may be floating about or may arrive this winter.

The fact that people would actually consider doing this amazed me. Perhaps seeing that a recent study showed that almost half of those asked could not locate their heart on a diagram I shouldn’t be so surprised by people’s lack of medical know-how.

My advice for those considering going to a Swine Flu party is to come to my recession party instead. For those of you who haven’t been to a recession party, don’t worry its quite simple. You just give me a months wages in order to be immune to the recession in case it gets any worse this winter. If any of you are feeling at all flu-ish please stay at home.

A recent study has shown that coffee can actually prevent bad breath rather than cause it as was previously thought. Professor Mel Rosenberg of Tel Aviv University set out to prove that drinking coffee on a regular basis can lead to an acid oral environment which can in turn lead to the growth of odorous bacteria. He expected to thus confirm previous studies linking a coffee habit with a stinky gob.

What Dr Rosenberg actually discovered was that some compounds found in the three different coffees tested (Elite coffee, Landwer Turkish coffee, and Taster’s Choice) seemed to combat bad breath. The exact compound has not been singled out but it appears to prevent the creation of odor rather than just covering it up as breath mints would. There has been some speculation that this will lead to new advancements in the fight against halitosis (the best comic book villain that never was).

Apparently sucking on a coffee bean is a centuries old cure for bad onion breath. I’d never heard of this but I don’t exactly need too much encouragement and any new excuse to have a cup of coffee is good thing as far as I’m concerned.

Volkswagen have launched a new site to celebrate their reputation as van makers of choice for those with an eye for adventure. The popularity of their camper vans with surfers and other outdoor types is clear to see, particularly in the summer time.

The site VWescape.co.uk is tied in with a series of summer events including the GoldCoast Oceanfest in Devon and the Blackheath Bike and Kite Festival in London. At the these events people will be able to have a look at some of the Volkswagen vans for sale the Caravelle and the California.

There will also be a chance to look around some split screen camper vans that will no doubt be out and about this summer. The used vans seem to all come out of the woodwork once the sun is shining!