The really old advertisement is something that's both hilarious and scary. I was never a big fan of the muppets but the "acting" and script here were really funny and somehow I'm just amazed how great a talent Jim Henson was.

Watch the first part when the first muppet says "How do you feel about Wilkins Coffee?" then the second muppet responds by saying "Never heard of it!" So the first muppet blows the second one away with a cannon ball. It ends by "Kermit" looking at the audience and saying "Now, how do you feel about Wilkins Coffee?"

Funny but scary huh? He was imposing a threat to the audience which I don't think will be allowed these days but it was still filled with fun. This is something that would grab your attention when you watch it. This was truly a great marketing campaign back in the 60s.

How about you what do you think of this ad?

Muscle biopsy. (Credit: John Hawley, RMIT University)

Here's another reason to drink coffee especially for those who are active and workout a lot. Add Coffee to your post workout diet and eat carbs! Isn't that weird? I must admit that even as a coffee lover, I'd rather go for something cold like a Gatorade after workout to refuel my body and something like coffee rarely crosses my mind to do that. My heartbeat would still be fast after a workout and I wouldn't want to make it work faster by drinking more caffeine. But this research is convincing and I just might have changed my mind about drinking coffee after a workout. This is taken from the Science Daily:

Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study

"If you have 66% more fuel for the next day's training or competition, there is absolutely no question you will go farther or faster," said Dr. Hawley, the study's senior author. Caffeine is present in common foods and beverages, including coffee, tea, chocolate and cola drinks.

I am now convinced that coffee and yes, chocolate can be part of our diet after a tiring workout. Being a chubby guy, I can't outrun some of the guys who I play basketball with and this research is something I can look forward to in helping me increase my speed (Hopefully even if I've accepted that I was born slow). I will update you the whenever this becomes part of my "workout" all right? Let's see if it works even if it is just works psychologically. Tell me also if this research works for you too. Have a great day everyone!

According to MSNBC, "Starbucks Corp.has drastically increased the number of stores it plans to close and could eliminate as many as 12,000 full- and part-time positions as a result." Out of the 7,087 Starbucks stores, 600 will be closing, which is around 8.5%. This was up from the previous plan to close 100 stores.

Starbucks also said it will open fewer than 200 stores in its coming fiscal year, which begins Sept. 29. That’s down from a previous target of opening 250 stores during that period.

Starbucks, known for sometimes going so far as to open stores across the street from one another, has recently acknowledged that it may have lost some of its luster during a long period of rapid store openings and expansion into everything from breakfast sandwiches to movie promotions.

Earlier this year, Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz returned to the chief executive position, and the company vowed to make major changes. That has included plans to bring in new products, the introduction of a new, smoother coffee blend that is now served at most stores and a decision to stop offering breakfast sandwiches.

Starbucks will take an after tax write-down of between $328 million and $348 million related to the store closings. But because of tax benefits, it expects to see total cash outflow of about $100 million. Starbucks stock is up 6.5% in after hours trading.

I guess Starbucks is not that immune to the weak U.S. economy and the effect of high gas prices. With that in mind, coffee lovers would rather just go to other local coffee shops that serve cheaper coffee but might even taste better. Starbucks, after all, has been struggling to please some customers with its "burnt" coffee lately.

Goodluck to Starbucks and hopefully the baristas who were affected by the closing get transferred to another Starbucks store or get hired by another coffee shop who can use their experience. Oh yeah, my cousin Mario is working in a Starbucks in the Pacifica, San Francisco area. Hey Mario! Is your store affected??

We all know how important mugs are in drinking our favorite drink (Coffee right?). Whether you're a coffee drinker, a tea drinker or what the ceramic mugs just seem to help our drinks taste better. I don't know what the ceramic mugs do but drinking from them not only makes the drink better but it also helps the environment.

With that, I'd like to welcome you all to this new portion of my blog which is called "Coffee Mug Tuesday." Every Tuesday we will be featuring mugs from around the world/internet and mugs from anyone who'd like to showcase their mugs. There are a lot of great mugs out there and I'd like to see them so send the pictures of your mugs now. Show them off everyone!

Let me start by showing you my mug by AmericaWare (Feltman Langer). For some reason I just can't find a link or a picture on the internet for this mug. It was a gift to me a couple years ago by my dad and I'm guessing it was bought in eBay.

This mug reminds me of a combination of Darth Vader and that contraption that falls off the spaceship. Even if this mug looks like it came from space with the way it is designed I still love the it and most the important thing is that it serves its purpose. It has a very solid/no-slide base that has a texture grip. It also features a lockable, twist-in, drink thru lid.




So I invite everyone to email the pics and description of their mugs and hopefully we can feature your mugs here for "Coffee Mug Tuesday" or you may send me links to other coffee mug sites. Thanks a lot! Tickle Away to a Great Day!