Here are some links for writers who have a block to overcome…

Hollywood hunk George Clooney aims a dig at his sex symbol status in a new 30-second TV coffee ad, in which he mistakes two women’s chat about their favourite “dark intense body” as a comment on his own looks. Read more at Daily India.

What will lurk in the bottom of Melbourne, Australia’s coffee cups? The depths of their water catchments, which are at declining levels, will - at the least - smell like sulphur. But, there’s more…like “clouds in your coffee…” Hmmm… Read more at The Age.

Three men had barely settled into their seats in the coffee shop by the side of bustling Serangoon Road when the accident happened. A taxi swerved towards them. It mounted the curb, barely missed a lamp post, passed between two pillars and crashed into a third. One of the Pakistanis managed to stand up and shout: ‘Save yourselves!’ But as he turned to run, the taxi hit him. Yes, this is true. Read more about this long, long story at The Singapore New Electric Paper.

I love this woman! She writes, “it occurred to me that if I added the instant coffee with water as the liquid to the instant pancake batter, the result would be coffee flavored pancakes. So I mixed 3/4 cup of hot water with instant coffee mix which I then added to my mix and in the time it takes to make 8 or 9 pancakes I had coffee pancakes.” But wait till you read what she does next…Visit Gen X Misanthrope to learn more!

Posted by beanybabe at 12:40 AM PST

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I’m going to take a long weekend off from this blog, as coffee and writing news has slowed to a trickle and I plan to eat myself into a stupor over Thanksgiving. But, I didn’t want to let you go without this heartwarming tidbit of “Truth is stranger than…”

Samantha Chaney, 21, had stopped at the Route 44 Dunkin’ Donuts coffee shop in Raynham, Massachusetts, on Saturday evening to use the restroom when she felt her infant knockin’ at the door. Her boyfriend, James Gately, urgently dialed 911, yet baby Alexander arrived before the authorities did. For more news about how the baby and mom are doing, visit the New England News.

Happy first Thanksgiving to coffee shop baby Alexander and to his folks. And, to you too, for that matter! See you all on Monday.

Posted by beanybabe at 12:16 AM PST

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Who says that coffee breaks can’t save lives? A building in Vancouver B.C. collapsed last Wednesday morning, crushing cars, cutting power and causing a bus jam. But the construction crew was on - you guessed it - a coffee break, so no one was injured.

UK Coffee shop owner Costa today said it planned to triple the number of outlets in the chain within the next three years. Costa, which was formed by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in Lambeth in 1971, can now be found in 13 countries around the world including Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, China and India. Costa is currently second to Starbucks based on the number of UK outlets, with Café Nero in third position. Read more at the Irish Examiner.

The Hawaii Coffee Association announced to its members this week that the first Hawaii Coffee Fest will be held 6-8 June 2008, at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. The Hawaii Coffee Association will time its annual meeting that year to take place at the same time and place. Read more at Pacific Business News.

Posted by beanybabe at 11:59 PM PST

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I haven’t seen much on the writing front lately that doesn’t seem somewhat questionable. With that said, I haven’t checked out two of the following three contests, so don’t blame me if they don’t pan out.

Writer’s Digest is offering its only competition exclusively for poets. Regardless of styleâ€â€?rhyming, free verse, haiku and moreâ€â€?if your poems are 32 lines or fewer, they want them all. Entry Deadline: Wednesday, 20 December 2006. For guidelines, entry fees, and other pertinent information, visit the Writer’s Digest site.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by beanybabe at 11:59 PM PST

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Coffee fell the most since September on speculation that newly harvested supplies from Vietnam, one of the world’s largest producers, will ease a shortage that sent prices to a nine-month high yesterday. The Vietnam Coffee & Cocoa Association is forecasting a 26 percent increase in the current crop season, to 870,000 metric tons. Prices are up more than 20 percent in London and New York during the past four months as world inventories fell to a record low and drought damaged Vietnam’s previous crop. Read more at Bloomberg.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., announced results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2006. Net sales for the thirteen-week fourth quarter ended September 30, 2006 increased 83.7 percent to $66.9 million from $36.4 million in the twelve-week fiscal fourth quarter of 2005. Included in Green Mountain Coffee’s fiscal fourth quarter 2006 net sales is approximately $21.6 million of Keurig, Inc.’s (Keurig) net sales after the closing of the acquisition on June 15, 2006. Read more at MarketWatch.

Fair Trade Coffee News has a new domain - make a bookmark for http://www.fairtradecoffeenews.com/.

Posted by beanybabe at 11:59 PM PST

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