Getting your man to the doctor to test his swimmers may never be an issue again. Word is a company by the name of Spermcheck Fertility is marketing a DIY male fertility test that is already available online and will soon be available in CVS and Walgreens locations. According to Spermcheck, a unit of U.S.-based Fairhaven Health, accurate test results will show if a man is above or below the threshold of 20 million sperm per milliliter.

So how does one test their boys at home? This product tests sperm count not necessarily if they swim fast enough. According to the website, it’s important to get a full sample and aim well, ie don’t spill your goods. Get the entire “sample” in the cup after “manual” manipulation, wait the specified time to let the goods settle, and then use the kit tools to test your boys. Just like a pregnancy test, where a line surfaces and how many lines actually show up will determine whether someone needs to consult a doctor.

It’s important to note that the parent company, Fairhaven, sells various herbal supplements that claim to boost sperm count and related numbers. These supplements are not FDA approved still it’s interesting to note an increasingly common herbal supplement often derived from South America, maca, is in one formula. Maca is found in many supplements, for men and women, but in the past was marketed to promote sex drive. Regardless, the efficacy of these supplements is not verified by the U.S. government.

One test is $40 whether you buy it on the company site, Amazon, or at a drugstore and most retailers offer free shipping. Note: there’s only one test per box so if you get no response, maybe a co-pay is worth it if your health insurance will cover it.

I’ve dreamt of the day Starbucks would get a liquor license and now it’s here. Although not quite in the form I’d desired, it’s here. I’d imagined a world where hedonism was part of mainstream lifestyle and a frothy sugar-laden coffee drink came spiked to quell that oncoming hangover one would fear at 11 a.m. inside a Vegas casino. But alas that is not the case.

Starbucks apparently aims to bank off of making “the third place” available during evenings too, in select markets to start. Essentially select U.S. locations will offer beer and wine, as well as a few other higher-end appetizer food offerings. The program will launch in a few locations in Atlanta and Southern California by the end of 2012, alongside plans for the Chicago metro area and the Pacific Northwest region. This builds on existing extended hours at the Olive Way location in Seattle, which extended hours in October 2010. It is one of the five stores in the Seattle area and the one Portland, Oregon, location that already serves wine, beer, and “premium food.”

The coffee giant’s goal is to bring the evening concept to seven locations around Chicago and to four to six locations around Atlanta and SoCal, by year’s end.

I’m not lying when I say the low point of this week was finding out someone stole my first Gilt Group purchase, a $25 starter kit of products from Jessica Simpon’s line, BeautyMint. The Lipstick Effect truly is solid economic theory; months ago I came home to a Staples delivery to find my new shredder and WiFi multifunction printer in plain sight, no Staples box or brown paper to disguise them. So let me get this straight – no one wants $300 in electronics but they do want $25 in beauty products. Yes, that makes sense. Vanity first people.

Naturally after a shitty week I was horrified to learn that my building inauguration – my first case of package theft – left me moisturizer free. Need I remind you people how bloody cold and windy it is in Boston?! So, I headed to CVS before work to find a moisturizer. A pleasant surprise is what I found.

In the past I’ve been amazed at how effective Neutrogena’s marketing campaigns were because there’s nothing natural about their products, at least no more so than any other mass market brand. And yet the average shopper seems to think Neutrogena products are more gentle. Hell until a few years ago it was impossible to find a Neutrogena sunscreen with a physical blocker (look for the baby line in pink packaging).

But, then came Neutrogena naturals, a line free of parabens, sulfates, dyes, petrochemicals, and phthalates. The line launched with a lip balm/chapstick, a few cleansers (bar and liquid), and a gentle exfoliant, the latter of which I use twice a week. But, no serum or moisturizer. Until now.

I've got no lightbox so the back of a glossy will have to do for you people!

Today I found the Neutrogena naturals multi-vitamin nourishing moisturizer. First thing, please note there’s no SPF in here, so one needs to add that on top of the moisturizer, either as a separate layer or within a foundation. But, it’s nasty-free and filled with vitamin-rich ingredients. Among the ingredients on the back are elements sourced from: coconut/palm kernel, olive and palm oil, yerba mate tea, cassava (yucca), and Peruvian Tara seed (more research to come). Sure, the palm oil is probably not sustainably sourced and these aren’t top notch ingredients, but it’s gentle and paraben and sulfate free, meaning it’s gentle enough for daily use, even for us sensitive hormonal types. Plus, the price is the best I’ve seen yet at just ~$15 for 3 oz. Most serums and day and night creams retail for $15-20 for 1 oz so this is a steal. I can only hope a serum is coming soon, preferably with licorice to quell red, winter skin.

Ann Taylor continued its streak of celebrity models with the addition of Kate Hudson, the face of the spring 2012 campaign. The actress and mother of two follows prior celeb models for the brand, including Demi Moore. Kristen Dykstra, senior v.p. of brand marketing for the Ann Taylor division of ANN INC. added: “While she is most known as a beautiful and talented actress, she is also a devoted mother, daughter, sister and philanthropist who manages to do it all with a radiant smile, joie de vivre and effortless style.”

In a press release, Hudson said: “As a young girl I looked up to the sophisticated style of Ann Taylor so it’s been very cool to see how the brand has evolved to meet the changing needs of modern women. The new Ann Taylor is not afraid to be sexy and real – because they design for every generation.”

Fashion photographer Tom Munro shot the campaign at a Pasadena, California estate with views of the San Gabriel Mountains. Designs come under the direction of Head Designer Lisa Axelson.

All products featured in the spring 2012 campaign will be available by late February in Ann Taylor stores and on www.anntaylor.com.

The latest beverage trend is about the medium not the product. Single brew coffee. It’s ironic that if you hold onto something for long enough it will once again be en vogue.

When I moved to NYC in 2004, I was staying with my aunt and uncle, who had been in the same apartment in Gramercy Park for 30 years, possibly using the same brewing method for those 30 years. It went like this: 1) boil water, 2) place glass carafe on grid sitting atop burner, 3) place cone with filter atop carafe, 4) put coffee grinds into filter, and 5) pour water over grinds.

Obviously this isn’t a realistic process for most people because it takes time and manual. But, somehow this is now all the rage, likely because it allows coffee snobs to choose the coffee variety to be brewed. One might say Starbucks wasn’t late to this trend because select locations have a bar where one can get any type of Starbucks coffee on the premises brewed, such as upstairs in the new Harvard Square location.

But the first time I really saw single brew coffee in action was at the Harvard Square Clover restaurant. Clover has a few restaurants and many food trucks in the Boston-Cambridge area. The brand has a cult following, which is great because the service isn’t speedy. That said, single brew coffee is not a speedy process anywhere. But apparently it’s a growing trend. In addition to Starbucks and Clover, I saw single brew stations behind the counters of Philz, a Bay Area coffee company, and another San Francisco area food retailer, The Plant Cafe Organic, which single brew coffee, in addition to smoothies,  juices, and vegan and gluten-free options.

At Philz in Palo Alto, I was unaware that when my cousin told me it was a coffee-only spot for serious drinkers, she wasn’t exaggerating. Seeing the various tubs, I said, oh can I get a matte latte? A what, the “barista” behind the counter said? OK nevermind, I’ll have an au lait please. Again, a blank face. OK I’ll have a drip coffee. To which he responds, which one? One of those 18 varieties behind you. Novocaine or something like that?

WTF, it’s just coffee, the last legal vice. I remember my first flight abroad. I was 16 headed to Santander, Spain, and people could still smoke cigarettes on planes. Not to date myself… Now thankfully people can’t smoke in buildings or restaurants, let alone planes or most cafes. And we’re supposed to limit our carb and sugar intake. And not drink too much alcohol. And eat more fruits and veggies. And hit the gym.

You get the message. There’s so much we can’t have but unless one is on a string cleanse, coffee has always been acceptable and many studies tout its benefits. So maybe coffee is the one thing we can savor and that’s what these single brew junkies are after – a way to savor the blend.

Click here to find Clover locations.

I arrived in Juneau, Alaska about 17 hours after I left the Boston area. I must confess that I did expect most people to be baseball hat and flannel wearing men with pickup trucks and maybe that’s not far off though this is also Subaru country. But, city folk need to admit that often times we associate a simple life with simple minds. There are plenty of smart, educated thinkers that choose to live in a place where a simple life is possible, where one’s health, family, and lifestyle trump work or bigger picture goals.

Alaska is a place where many make a home for themselves because it allows for a simple, relatively safe life. True, some may come here because they are running away from something, and others may just end up here for work, but, those that choose to make this home usually do so because it’s a winter wonderland of sorts that enables one to take advantage of Mother Nature and outdoor sports year-round.

People around here hike in the winter, ski both downhill and cross country, and snowshoe, among other things. There are many more miles of hiking trails than there are roads in Juneau. There’s also a decent art scene and good government jobs, with pensions and possibly even no FICA. Plus there’s the annual payment one gets for living here, which was reportedly about $1500 last year. Oh, and there’s the cheap wild Alaskan salmon.

For most that’s not enough to leave the Lower 48, but there’s something alluring about Alaska. There’s a kind of peace here that can be found in the mountains all around you, the snow covered trees, the drive-thru coffee shacks, the glacier. I never thought I’d find myself saying this, but I’d like to come back to Alaska in the summer and explore more – walk some trails at the glacier, go on a fishing trip, take a helo (helicopter) to a dog sledding ride, go to Ketchikan, Sitka, and Anchorage, and maybe even leave the Southeast.

For now, here’s a list of observations from a day in Juneau.

1. The must have gear here includes: a rain jacket and XtraTuf Boots. Monday morning I was in Rainbow, the local health food grocery store, and I asked an employee “what are those boots called again?” To which she responded, “you’re new to Juneau, eh?” Yup. “They’re called XtraTuf. They’re really warm and comfortable, though Bogs are warmer but Tuffboots have better traction.” Nuff said.

2. People are proud to live in Alaska. Overall it seems to be a choice but for those who landed here for work. Most locals are welcoming and it seems easier to meet people here than in a bigger city, but be careful of putting down their town.

3. People seem to talk about their retirement funds, even when they are only about 30. Maybe that’s because many have government jobs and know it’s an option to retire earlier than most Americans. Maybe it’s also because unlike us city folk, they know how to relax.

4. People seem concerned not only with their own wellbeing but seem proud to live in a state that’s financially in the black and where the environment is important. Apparently all electricity in Juneau is sourced from hydro power from dams but the power often goes out. People seem so used to power outages that they know where the candles and flashlights are and are rarely phased, even if it’s due to an avalanche warning.

5. Most people seem trusting and friendly. It’s a bit bizarre at first after a year in Boston and seven in NYC, but Juneau residents seem quite genuine. I was at the post office and a woman with a baby in her sling offered me a stamp after the machine failed to work for me. I was here not even two days and my friend’s friends lent me their car and any gear I needed to borrow. People see folks they know in the grocery stores and around town. Some don’t always lock their doors. It’s nice to see there are places like this but it’s not averse to crime, no town or city is. It happens everywhere and proof of that is the Department of Corrections office I passed today, and the hobos and addicts that hang down on Franklin near the soup kitchen.

6. One thing Juneau residents have in common is a near obsession with Alaska Airlines miles. Juneau is part of what is referred to as Southeast Alaska, or as my Barrow-based cousin said, the rainforest. The point is, if one lives in Anchorage, there are a number of airlines that fly to the lower 48 and outside of the U.S. But, in the Southeast region, which includes Juneau, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Sitka, and a few other spots, which might be stops on a flight dubbed the “Milk Run,” one is dependent on AA –Alaska Airlines. So deep is this dependency on miles to make those much needed occasional escapes that some often count how many minutes it takes to get their luggage at baggage claim because AA will give you 2500 miles if you have to wait more than 20 minutes.

Sure, Juneau is isolated and small at just 31,000-strong but it has character. There’s a warm vibe from many I’ve met that explains to me why some would feel a suburb of 80,000 is an undesirable place to live. Suburbia is just a temporary respite from the everyday chaos that is the conventional American existence. It’s only when forced outside thickly settled areas that one can truly relax, if they let themselves. Then again I’m just a woman on holiday.

A trio of researchers in Australia have discovered a sugar compound that could help prevent heart disease. According to a release from the University of Melbourne, Dr. Corin Storkey and Professor Carl Schiesser from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at The University of Melbourne teamed up with Professor Michael Davies of the Sydney-based Heart Research Institute and have discovered and patented a compound of sugar and selenium that might have heart disease prevention capabilities.

The study findings, which were recently published in The Royal Society of Chemistry journal, Chemical Communications, suggest that the “seleno-sugar compounds” developed function by hunting for “hypohalous acids, a group of highly reactive chemicals that can damage tissues when produced in the wrong place, at the wrong time or at excessive levels,” said Professor Schiesser. The benefit is that one factor used to anticipate heart disease in some patients is an elevated level of the enzyme that makes the hypohalous acids.
The group found that their seleno-sugar compounds can prevent hypohalous acids from damaging key amino acids in human plasma, which is a key part in stopping the development of heart disease. The team is working on improving the compounds for possible drug development use in the future.

Frustrated to near tears the other night I rang Verizon Wireless and asked if I could upgrade three weeks early. The nice southern belle on the phone got manager approval to do so and recommended, after I asked about size, the 16GB iPhone. I was thinking even if it wasn’t big enough, I’d have a lot of music stored not locally, but on the cloud. The next day I had buyer’s remorse. I’m American, I want more. I’m a Babson student, I want to consume more data!

The next day I went to the Verizon Wireless store hoping that delivering an unopened Fedex box would result in them waiving the “restocking” fee. No such luck. I asked when the 32GB would ship. In about two weeks he said. I’m leaving in one week for a two-week holiday. “What about the 64GB,” chimes mom. “Any day now.” OK, I’ll do that. He starts processing. Then he asks me why I want so much space. “Apart from being American,” I ask. Well, am I just going to put my music library on the mysterious Cloud? Is it unlimited because we all know Apple and Amazon are getting us hooked on Web-based storage only to charge us later?

No, he responds, they give you 5GB now and after that you are charged a fee. Well, I respond, I have 15GB in my iTunes library so ask me again why I want 64GB! But that’s not the real reason. Right now our phones are 1) a phone, 2) an MP3 player 3) a camera/videocamera, 4) a social networking device, and 5) an email tool. We also use our smartphones to 6) shop, 7) pay bills, and yes 8 ) online date, perhaps even while in the bathroom at work. Sexy I know but it’s true. If we do all of that with one device, it’s not a smartphone, it’s a mini computer. And that’s just in 2011. What about 2012? 2013? 2014? By then our phone will be our 9) WALLET too.

So, Mr. Verizon, why do I want more space? Because I want excess capacity because I’ve had no idea what tools I’ll be using on Monday, let alone 18 months from now. But when those tools surface I don’t want to have to buy more space to use them.

One of the biggest distributors of organic and natural foods, UNFI or United Natural Foods Inc., released its 3rd quarter roundup of trends, both existing and upcoming. The video below is geared at those that manage or own health food stores. Among the products hot listed are “super seeds,” non-dairy spreads and cooking oils, and healthy snacks.

Image courtesy of www.DrBronner.com

Strong Growth Categories according to UNFI folks include the raw sector, which includes kale chips, raw coconut products, and nut butters, such as almond or cashew butters. Chia also continues to make its way onto shelves thanks to its innate omega property. The gluten-free market sector continues to power on, with Pamela’s Whenever Bars, granola from Nature’s Path, and Bakery on Main (check out the coconut cashew bar) getting shout outs from UNFI. Finally, the last grab and go category was “Light N Lean,” featuring items that are convenient, easy and low-cal. Highlighted items include meal products from Amy’s, Evo Burritos (mini), and Pop Chips.

Strong New Items

Other items mentioned that UNFI deems noteworthy include Earth Balance Organic Coconut spread and Mindless Mayo, which appear vegan friendly. Other items mentioned include Field Roast vegan hotdogs, the new hemp chips from Food Should Taste Good, sprouted grain items, including those from Garden of Eden, and Manhattan Chili’s butternut squash variety.

Finally, the UNFI experts in the Vitamins and Supplements department mentioned Sibu, Childlife, and Dr. Woods (check out the liquid black soap) as top brands.