Fight Breast Cancer... With Coffee!

By Kelley Herring

Numerous studies have proven the health benefits of coffee - ranging from preventing diabetes to reducing inflammation and enhancing physical endurance. Now new research shows that your cup o' joe may play a role in protecting against one of the most prevalent cancers in women: breast cancer.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Cancer found that women at high risk for breast cancer significantly reduced that risk by drinking three or more cups of coffee daily.

Why? Researchers are calling it the "drink and shrink" dilemma. The coffee drinkers experienced a significant reduction in breast volume, which reduced the women's exposure to the cancer-promoting hormone estrogen.

While coffee may offer a number of health benefits, be sure to choose organic coffee to reduce your exposure to cancer-promoting pesticides.

The Language Perfectionist: It's Foreign to Me

By Don Hauptman

In your reading, you may occasionally encounter a word or expression from another language.

Some writers ostentatiously drop in such words to flaunt their erudition. But foreign-language words are used for good reasons. Although the English language offers us a remarkably wide choice of words, some concepts are better expressed in other languages, especially when no precise equivalent exists in English. In addition, an imported locution is often more concise and stylistically superior.

Here is an A-to-Z glossary - by no means comprehensive - of such words and phrases. You might occasionally find opportunities to use them. But even if you never do, you won't be in the dark when you read or hear them.

• a fortiori (ah for-tee-OR-ee), Latin. All the more. Example: "I said I wouldn't clean the garage and my reasons apply a fortiori to the house."

• casus belli (KAH-zus BELL-ee or KAY-sus BELL-eye), Latin. An act or event that provokes war. Often used metaphorically, e.g., "That new book on evolution is sure to be a casus belli."

• l'esprit de l'escalier (les-PREE duh les-kal-YAY), French. Literally, "the wit of the staircase" - the clever retort you think of only after it's too late to utter it and impress everyone. Interestingly, German has the identical metaphor: Treppenwitz. (I often find occasion to use this one!)

• nostalgie de la boue (NOS-tal-jee duh lah BOO), French. Literally, "yearning for the mud." An attraction to, or perverse compulsion for, the unworthy, crude, or degrading.

• schadenfreude (SHAHD-en-froi-duh), German. When a once-esoteric word is discussed on The Simpsons and becomes the title of a song in a long-running Broadway musical (Avenue Q), you know it's hit the big time. Literally, "shameful joy" - taking pleasure in the misfortune of another person. Handy!

• Weltanschauung (VELT-ahn-shou-oong), German. Literally, "world view." A philosophy of the universe or of life.

• Zeitgeist (TZITE-giste), German. Literally, "spirit of the time." The characteristic attitude or mood of a specific period or generation. Useful for conversations about politics, society, and the state of mankind.

A few stylistic points: When used in writing, foreign-language words and expressions should be italicized. In German, nouns are capitalized - and that style is usually retained when the words are imported into English text. Exception: schadenfreude. This word has become so common in English that it's now lowercased.

If you find this subject appealing, you might enjoy They Have a Word for It: A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable Words and Phrases, by Howard Rheingold. It's filled with interesting foreign-language expressions, some frequently used in English and some that probably never will be.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant.]

It's Fun to Know: The Great Space Elevator

Getting cargo into space on rockets is very expensive, time-consuming, and risky. (Sometimes the rockets blow up - taking their expensive payloads with them.)

A potential cheap solution? A 62,000-mile "tether" made of space-age materials (pun intended), anchored to the Earth and reaching out into orbit. A space elevator would be attached to this structure, allowing cargo and passengers to travel up and down at high speed.

Researchers who have worked out the complicated math and physics (don't ask this writer to fact-check them) say it is possible. However, more work needs to be done as far as finding materials strong enough to support the weight.

(Source: BBC)

"Of journeying the benefits are many: the freshness it bringeth to the heart, the seeing and hearing of marvelous things, the delight of beholding new cities, the meeting of unknown friends, and the learning of high manners."

- Muslih-Uddin Sadi

6 Budget-Friendly Travel Temptations for 2009

By Steenie Harvey

If hearing about the recession day in and day out makes you want to skip the country and head off on a long, luxurious weekend in la-la land... but you don't think you have the budget to do it... I have good news for you.

Although most vacationers need to make their travel dollars stretch further, that's no reason you should suffer the indignities of backpacker hostels. Recession or not, the world is still brimming with exotic destinations where your dollar buys more than a stay in a ratty room and a hot dog for dinner.

I'm talking about world-class spas... quirky antique markets... cheap Persian rugs... decadent chocolates... even an apartment in Paris... for much less than you'd expect.

Here are six of my favorite low-budget destinations for 2009, all places I certainly wouldn't say "no" to this year or any...

Bangkok, Thailand

Night bazaars, lady-boys, and golden Buddhas always distract, but one theme for the Big Mango is inexpensive luxury. Going rate for a traditional Thai massage is $8-$10, and Bangkok's hotels have slashed prices. As I write, agoda.com has doubles in the deluxe Sofitel Grand Sukhumvit for $85 a night. (Two-star hotels start at $12.)

Then there's "the world's best street food." From papaya salad to green chicken curry, sidewalk vendors create delicious dishes for 50 cents to a dollar. Start your culinary adventure with yen ta fo - noodles in red soy bean paste with fried fish, squid, and morning glory.

Iceland

Twelve months ago, 1 U.S. dollar bought 62 Icelandic krona. Today, you'll get 123 krona - twice the amount. If you dream of visiting this island of geysers, glaciers, and 10,000 waterfalls, there may not be a better opportunity. Since its currency collapsed last year, Iceland has become a lot more affordable.

Icelandair has round-trip fares for $399. An even better deal is their $479 "Budget Getaway," on sale until April 2009. It includes round-trip airfare from either Boston or New York-JFK, and a 2 nights' hotel stay with Scandinavian breakfast.

One must-do is the world-famous Blue Lagoon and its mineral-rich geothermal waters. Day passes are $26, and you can slap on silica mud face packs for free.

Brussels, Belgium

The symbol of Belgium's stylish capital is the Mannekin Pis - a statue of a boy taking a leak. That's understandable. You can drink your way through around 400 alarmingly strong ales here, many brewed by Trappist monks. Try Mort Subite (Sudden Death) and Delirium Tremens.

With flea markets, antiques, and multicultural Ixelles - known as Brussels' Notting Hill - this could be 2009's best bet for a European cut-price weekend getaway. When businesspeople leave town on Fridays, rates drop. Two nights plus breakfast for doubles in the classy NH City Centre (nh-hotels.com) go for 129 euro. Or go chocoholic. At the Neuhaus factory shop, 6.6 pounds of gourmet liqueur chocolates cost just $18.75, and samples are free.

Paris, France

Nothing dents the appeal of romantic Paris. In the first half of 2008, the number of visitors actually increased 2.2 percent. But as self-catering allows vacationers more control over spending, why not rent an apartment?

When last here, I rented a place off Rue Montorgueil in Chatelet-Les Halles district. Monet painted this foodie heaven street, and its shops include La Maison Stohrer, one of Paris's most famous bakeries. In business since 1730, it's credited with inventing rum babas - small, rum-soaked cakes.

A studio in this neighborhood costs $76 per night through homeaway.com.

Sanliurfa, Turkey

Turkey is always a great bargain destination, even if rug merchants lurk in the background. My best buy last year was an exquisite Persian wool sumak - a flat-weave kilim rug overlaid with hand embroidery from the mysterious pilgrimage town of Sanliurfa. (I haggled it down to $75.)

With prices way below those in touristy Istanbul, Sanliurfa's bazaar is full of magical imagery. Coppersmiths, leatherworkers, and shoppers with indigo-blue tattoos on their hands and faces. And, of course, carpet traders. Other enticing bazaar towns in this region include Gaziantep and Mardin.

Abruzzo, Italy

You'll find proof that "affordable Italy" exists by visiting the Abruzzo region. Fringed by golden Adriatic beaches, this secret corner of Europe's most seductive country stitches together mountains, olive groves, and picturesque hill towns. Including wine, dinner one night in a village restaurant cost only $101... for seven of us.

Word to the Wise: Locution

A "locution" (loh-KYOO-shun) - from the Latin for "to speak" - is a style of verbal expression, a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations.

Example (as used by Don Hauptman today): "Although the English language offers us a remarkably wide choice of words, some concepts are better expressed in other languages, especially when no precise equivalent exists in English. In addition, an imported locution is often more concise and stylistically superior."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2580, 01-31-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.