bajanicky...actually, what you're experiencing is just the Asia Minor equivilent of 'old folks smell'... every culture has a variation on it. burnt cooking- especially in cultures who fry or boil things, does indeed get everywhere. and old people either don't smell it, or find it comforting, not to mention that scrubbing the kitchen down is often beyond them. if you think the old curry funk is bad- you should try boiled cabbage and burnt coffee. or beer and tobacco and cheap corn oil. drapery needs to be replaced, or washed with an ounce of TSP (a degreasing solvent) in the wash water, then left out in the sun for three days or as long as a week- but dont' be surprised if they fall apart on you, and need to be replaced. the TSP works pretty well on the kitchen grease- we bought a house from a nice italian family, and were kind of surprised to discover that the wood was oak, not walnut- the dark wasn't stain, but this incredible film that took me several months of soaking, and in some places, scraping with the back of a butter knife, to get rid of it. kitty litter (the old clay based kind) and 'activated charcoal' (from a pet shop- the kind for aquarium filters that comes in bags is fine) half and half either in open trays, or in 1-pound deli tubs with holes punched in the top stuck under couches and such also help. the carpet is tough- repeated sprinklings with baking soda (need a good vacuum to get it all out- or you will have a nice foam produced when you try and get the carpet cleaned) do work.

The link between childhood obesity is tenuous at best...and is merely a supposition certainly nothing supported by trusted researchers... This quote comes from another site called "fitday" and was written by someone with a string of letters after her name. "The "Spurious Relationship" When conducting research, one error that can be made is finding a "spurious relationship." This type of error happens when researchers see coinciding events and determine that they are related. For example, one notices that ice cream sales go up in summer. One also notes that fires increase in summer. One therefore determines that ice cream sales cause fires. Clearly other factors are in play. The same can be said of the c-section and obesity relationship. If you take a look at the study, the findings aren't as clear, or as large, as the researchers claim.

It was the meatloaf.......traditionally baked in a loaf-shape, that our then nine year-old declared he would eat never again. I fooled him -- changed the shape to large meatballs next time! He ate the meatballs without question for the next three or four years, then suddenly asked, "is this what I think it is?" After we agreed that it indeed was meatloaf, he eats it no matter what shape, and complains no more. A young visitor found an Italian green bean in a pasta sauce and was about to throw one of her royal fits. I had to think fast to save the day, and told her how lucky she was to have found the special bean. We held it high and announced that this was her lucky day, and that anyone finding the lucky beans would also share in the luck. It worked!! The first day I kept the two neighbor boys after school, I sliced apples, and bananas on a plate for their after school snack. The six year old took one look and announced, "we don't like fruit, and we won't eat it!" The 10 year old told me they usually have potato chips and soda at grandma's house. Those are the two things I don't keep in my house. We've found a few healthy snacks to replace their regular junk. And I've got the younger one to eat Elvis' grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich now and then. Jan

Did it get into carpeting or something? I've never heard of coffee smell remaining on hard surfaces. Coffee spills all the time in restaurants, and I've spilled coffee more than once in the kitchen. Personally I can think of far more offensive odors than coffee but that's a personal thing I guess. The smell will probably dissipate over a short time but charcoal, vinegar, vanilla extract (pure), baking soda and/or unscented candles will help with odors. Vent the room too. Or just use a cleaner on the desk, wipe with a vinegar solution or something. If it's coming from the desk that should take care of it. Otherwise you'll have to track where the smell is originating.