Culver City Observer -

By Neil Rubenstein

Observer Columnist

Since we’ve returned to Culver City from our vacation to Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, many have spoken to us regarding police departments and various law enforcement agencies obtaining military vehicles and weapons from the federal government.

In a recent conversation I had with Captain Azran of the Culver City Police Department, I was told our city never applied nor received any of this stuff.

At this time I am working my way through three huge postal mail bins. So much correspondence was held at the post office along with the magazines, that I feel I am forced to read only every other word so I can catch up.

Our electric utility, the Southern California Edison Company, sent us three statements, the first due on July 23, 2014 for $8.37, the second due on August 21, 2014 for $7.34 and the third due on September 20, 2014 for $6.52. I just know most of you are wondering why so little, but nobody was home during that three-month period – no TV, no lights, no computer, no nothing except the refrigerator. And yet we are over halfway through Tier 1 in each of those three months using a monthly average of 178 kilowatt hours. I am off for the 99¢ Store and the Dollar Tree.

Maybe if I get enough candles we can afford to pay the cost of the gasoline and drive to Palmdale or Fontana and complain to the California Public Utilities Commission regarding the proposed increase in rates. Just in case you missed it, they want a 10% increase as noted in the July statement.

From the file marked “Have I been duped?” – Over the years the information now takes up almost half of a cabinet drawer. As printed in the October 2014 issue of Nutrition Action on Page 5: “In fact a cup of almond milk has just four almonds (and only one gram of protein). The rest is mostly water and (unless it’s unsweetened) sugar.” Page 6 talks about General Mills Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Creme cereal. It may be “made with 100% whole grain,” but it’s 33% sugar. Check out cspinet.org.

My oh my, has medicine changed. In 1887 the American Journal of Obstetrics noted that a pregnant woman gored by a bull was likelier to survive than one who had a Cesarean section. New research finds C-section babies to be more prone to various long-term health problems.

How many of us read the report released by the United States Commerce Department on June 26, 2014 stating America’s economy shrank almost 3% over the first quarter of 2014? Still, even with such bad news, every taxing agency is grabbing more and more of our money.

Our Korean War veterans will tell you the first prisoner exchange involved sick and disabled soldiers and took place at Munsan-Ni in April 1953. Thousands of POWs were exchanged in August 1953 at Panmunjom.

I cannot believe how stiff competition is to join the service. The military is taking only 20% of the applicants who walk into their local recruiter’s office. The Army has set 57,000 active duty recruits as its target goal this year. Cutting back the military when there are so many problems all over the world just doesn’t make sense to me.

Do you have Type 2 diabetes? Does your doctor have you on Alogliptin? The August 2014 issue of Public Citizen’s Worst Pills, Best Pills says this drug can cause liver toxicity and its combinations (such as with Metformin) can cause B-12 deficiency. With Pioglitozone it could cause heart failure, swelling, fractures and bladder cancer. Check with your pharmacist, and then call your doctor.

Also from the August 2014 issue, the Food and Drug Administration announced it was requiring manufacturers of all approved testosterone products to include a general warning on the label about the risk of developing blood clots in veins. These clots often form in the legs, can break off, go to the lungs and block blood vessels, which can be fatal.

I wasn’t a bit surprised when I read in the September 2014 issue of Esquire that one of the very best sandwiches made in these United States is the classic French Dip at Philippe’s, 1001 North Alameda St. in downtown Los Angeles. When we are at the civic center we stop at the one and only Philippe’s.

On September 21 we were on our way back up to Atlanta to catch the flight to Los Angeles. We always stopped for gasoline at one of the cheapest stations. Petrol was $3.04 a gallon and Bank of America Visa sliced off an additional 3%. Final price: $2.96 there, $3.45 here. It’s Flash Gas in Tifton, Georgia where U.S. 82 meets Interstate 75.

For those who missed an article, all my commentaries can be found at http://www.culvercityobserver.com by placing Rubenstein in that website’s search box.