Female Viagra

 Coffee and the caffeine that comes with it have gotten a bad rap over the years in terms of whether or not it's good for you. But the latest scientific and medical research shows that there are plenty health benefits, as well according to an article in the January issue of Food Technology, by Roger Clemens and James Coughlin.

The authors contend that the latest scientific research, as well as reviews of the last 30 years of thousands of controlled studies, tell us that moderate coffee consumption (3-5 cups a day) can reduce the risk of a number of diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, liver disease, Parkinson's disease, and cardiovascular disease.

The antioxidants that naturally occur in the brewing process means that coffee can reduce the risk of cancer, too.

Reducing Caffeine Doesn't Affect Child's Birth Weight

When I found out I was pregnant with my children, I immediately stopped drinking my morning java (and suffered from the horrible withdrawal symptoms that went with it, including headaches, lethargy, crankiness--or maybe those were just the oh-so-lovely signs of pregnancy...). It just didn't seem right to be funneling a caffeine stimulant to my fetuses.

Turns out, even if I hadn't stopped drinking coffee, the extra doses of morning caffeine may not have affected the lengths of my pregnancies or my babies' birth weights.

According to research published on BMJ Online First (a web publication from the British Medical Journal), Danish researchers monitored 1,207 healthy pregnant women who drank more than three cups of coffee a day. Half were given decaffeinated coffee, half caffeinated coffee. Neither group was told which kind they were drinking.

Once they gave birth, researchers found there was no real difference in either the length of the pregnancy or birth weight between the two groups.

Previous scientific research had shown mixed results in the connection between caffeine intake and low birthweights and pre-term births. Some controlled studies seemed to show a link between caffeine and fetal development, others had not.

Coffee a Female Viagra?
Researchers at Southwestern University found that female lab rats who were given caffeine were more "motivated" to be with male rats in a sexual way. A dose of caffeine shortened the amount of time the female rats returned to their male partners "following an ejaculation," according to the study abstract.

However, the scientists point out that these rats had never had caffeine before. Their reactions may have been based on their being "caffeine virgins," so the same effects may not be seen among humans who already drink coffee, green tea, diet sodas or other caffeinated beverages regularly.

Lugar

The post of Secretary of State is one of the more important positions that President-Elect Barack Obama must fill. People mentioned for the job include Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat.

We have covered Senator Hillary Clinton elsewhere, so we can proceed with examining the other three.

John Kerry would tend to be the most controversial of the three. When Kerry was running for president, he suggested American foreign policy should not be motivated by American interests, but by something he called a "global test." By "global test," it was meant that certain foreign countries, especially those in Europe, would have to approve and be comfortable with American foreign policy decisions before they could be made.

The problem with John Kerry's "global test" is that it fails to take into account the unique leadership role the United States has had thrust upon it. The knee jerk reaction of quite a few countries, especially in Europe, to a foreign crisis, such as Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, is appeasement. The United States has to cajole, persuade and occasionally compel other countries to go along with necessary measures, whether they be economic sanctions or even military action, to deal with foreign threats. To wait upon the approval of France, for example, before doing anything is just the same as doing nothing.

Bill Richardson once served as American ambassador to the United Nations, and thus has some actual foreign policy experience. While at the UN, Bill Richardson was pretty much in the mainstream of Democratic foreign policy thinking and did not behave too alarmingly. The one drawback to a Bill Richardson appointment is his involvement in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, during which he offered a job to Lewinsky at the UN. Richardson may have concealed some of his knowledge about the scandal during grand jury testimony.


Richard Lugar is a moderate Republican senator with very solid foreign policy credentials. He was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and worked on reduction of weapons of mass destruction worldwide. When Lugar ran for President in 1996, he raised the issue of nuclear terrorism, proving to be a man ahead of his time. Lugar once gave a speech praising Obama's foreign policy approach and, in turn, Obama praised Richard Lugar as someone who had shaped his views on the subject. The one drawback to a Richard Lugar appointment is that he is 76, though apparently in good health.

Changing Internet

I love the way the Internet keeps changing. With the advent of Web 2.0 and social media marketing, I have found a treasure of sorts. Every day, I find myself rolling up my sleeves, and making a path to get noticed online. I have to admit that it has become a lot easier to create a brand and market it to the extreme. When I first started building websites about ten years ago, it was easier to get a flood of traffic with no discernible way to see who my customers really were. Social media has squashed that flat.

Social media giants like Digg, Mixx, Stumbleupon, and others will get you noticed, and I have found that the more you socialize and get to appreciate others, the more attention you will draw to yourself. The big search engines like Google and Yahoo like to see this sharing of sorts too, as blogging and trackbacks are extremely popular, and a great way to get links. To a web marketer, this means cash. I would highly recommend trying new social media services like Twitter, and if someone follows you, it's a great practice to follow them too. I learned this from one web marketer who I really consider one of the brilliant ones, Scott Jangro. I still haven't figured out what to do with Twitter. I am a little shy about telling people what I am doing at any given moment throughout my day. I can be a little boring.

It's also important to read blogs from other professionals in your niche. I read a lot of good blogs, most are very impressive intelligent web marketers who have great skills, and used it to their advantage. I read Shoemoney's blog (Shoemoney.com), Jeremy Palmer's (QuitYourDayJob.com), and Amit Mehta's Super Affiliate Mindset (SuperAffiliateMindset.com) among others. A couple of great sources of inspiration are two very cool women who aren't afraid to get their brand names out there. One is Paula Neale Mooney (PaulaNealMooney.com), and the other is Jennifer Ledbetter of (PotPieGirl.com). They are both very smart, very clever woman, and they know their way around the Internet. It really is encouraging to read their blogs, and get their honest opinions about marketing, link building, and other helpful tips.

The key is to get started, and keep going. It can take time to build a website, optimize it, build links, and get noticed. It's not easy, and it is work. Take advantage of social media marketing, and get your opinion and your name brand out there. Internet marketing does pay off with hard work, a bit of schmoozing, and commitment.