Coffee Or Tea? You Decide

 

November 27, 2014



By Neil Rubenstein

Observer Columnist

Maria, AKA the wild gypsy lady and I were talking quietly in our usual coffee house. You know the one; it’s by the railroad tracks near the on ramp. She was telling me the reasons I should give up coffee for tea:

1. Tea is good for your heart, especially green or black tea, giving you a reduced risk of stroke.

2. A study done in 50 countries showed black tea was associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.

3. A larger study done in 2013 showed that tea drinkers weighed less and had smaller waists.

4. Tea has antibacterial effects and may reduce levels of bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities and contribute to gum disease.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and for those have diabetes or are pre-diabetic, there are online programs that might help. See thediabetesbreakthrough.com and joslin.org.

Will you be at Paramount Studios on December 5 for the 30th International Documentary Association (IDA) awards held in Los Angeles? One probable winner just might be Edward Snowden, the famous National Security Agency document-leaker.

Over the years Public Citizen, in its monthly “Worst Pills, Best Pills,” has reported somewhat frequently on Clopidogrel. This drug has been approved by our government to reduce the risk of a new heart attack or stroke. Many researchers have been largely unsuccessful in showing Clopidogrel to be better than aspirin in preventing stroke or heart attack. See “Stroke” Aug. 1999, “New England Journal of Medicine” 2006 or “”The Lancet” 2013 for additional data. Then make an appointment with your doctor or pharmacist.

Can we pity the very misguided soul who signed off on the proposal to place parking meters on Sepulveda Blvd. in front of Albert Vera’s Italian market?

Do you realize just in the last two years 180 bills in 41 states were introduced to restrict voting rights?

California State Senator Alex Padilla introduced a bill that prohibits school boards, cities and counties from gerrymandering district boundaries in a manner that would undermine the ability of a racial or language minority to influence the outcome of an election.

I have a plan to make big money. Why don’t we follow the lead of the super rich and buy a big Malibu home? Hold it a few years and presto, it’s sold and money comes to our team. For example, do like Jensen Ackles. In 2012 he bought a casa for $4.8 million and just sold it for $6.995 million. I am darn sure we could get plenty of investors to participate.

The number of people in the federal prison system dropped by 4,800 in the last fiscal year to 215 inmates.

Compton, California . . . Isn’t that the place where the school district purchased AR-15 semiautomatic rifles for the school police to “protect” students from a heavily armed shooter on a campus? Before long the campus police will go through the military catalog and order a tank, an armored personnel carrier, 30-caliber machine guns and anything else they can get their hands on. After all, in a serious confrontation only Compton would be standing between us and the bad guys trying to take over the Home Economics building.

Having surgery? Most of us would be a little nervous, so why not go to a hospital that gives the patient a “warranty”? Before you start laughing at the old sergeant, check out Hoag Orthopedic Hospital in Irvine. Check with your medical plan and hospitals in the area. Perhaps they also have a warranty.

Doesn’t it make you sick when we all learn the chief executive of the nation’s largest public pension system admitted he took more than $250,000 in bribes? Maybe Mr. Federico Buenrostro thought because CalPERS managed over $300 billion nobody would notice the small stack in the corner. Send the stinker to jail.

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.

 

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