Culver City Observer -

By Neil Rubenstein

Observer Columnist

I just bet students who read the rankings of colleges and universities would be pleasantly surprised how well the military academies stack up – and for graduates, it’s free!!! In most institutions of higher learning grads take the diploma with their right hand and their loan repayment schedule envelopes and stickers with their left. Don’t sell yourself short. Contact Mrs. Hamilton at the office of Congresswoman Bass, 4929 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 650, Los Angeles, CA 90010, and (323) 965-1422.

Theodorsia and I attended the campaign kickoff for Marcus Tiggs held on Wednesday, November 18 at Mike Cohen’s home. We proudly support Marcus for Culver City’s City Council because we feel he understands the challenges facing our town: creating economic development while preserving the quality of life. Our citizens need an advocate who understands the delicate balance between growth and protecting our natural resources. If you want a candidate who is a patient leader, who would be capable of finding common ground for the betterment of Culver City, then I recommend, for all the right reasons, Marcus Tiggs, http://www.electiggs.com.

I recently read an article in the Los Angeles Times regarding an innocent man, Michael Ray Hanline, who was locked up for 36 years. DNA collected at the murder scene was not Hanline’s and the witness prosecutors used was under the influences of drugs. In Hanline’s lawsuit he alleges the Ventura County deputies and prosecutors withheld the names of witnesses, refused to turn over reports, provided false evidence, and improperly influenced testimony.

Is this the “Golden Age” for members of the fire department? I see many cities are looking for chiefs, due to retirement or transfer. Things are so good our little city of 40,000 just might create a new benefit: the direct deposit of their checks so the firemen don’t rupture themselves taking the checks out of their wallets.

Even Ray Charles could see there’s something off when the Los Angeles fire department sends one paramedic vehicle, while in our town they crank up at least one more truck. It’s not cost-effective. A volunteer or junior fire cadet could do the written report at a tremendous saving.

Santa Barbara is looking for a new police chief.

The most recent meeting of the Brandeis Men’s Group was Wednesday, December 16 at Veteran’s Memorial Complex at 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City at 8:30 a.m. People came for the $12 lox and bagel breakfast and stayed for the speaker, Yaki Lopez, Israel Consul for Political Affairs.

Many consumers have no idea credit cards can help cover the replacement of a new cell phone if one is damaged or stolen. For that insurance you need to pay your monthly cell phone bill with a qualifying credit card.

Are you a member of AARP? Are you taking advantage of the many restaurants that offer a 10 to 15 percent discount on breakfast, lunch and dinner when you show your membership card? Check out AARP discounts.com.

Recently the Army has set up a new command with approximately 2,000 soldiers to interact with the 54 countries and the many languages spoken in Africa. The United States Africa Command coordinates these countries with troops flown in to help with training – 350 exercises last year. Currently the 3rd Infantry Division, the 10th Mountain Division, a signal brigade from the California National Guard and the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade have elements in Africa, according to Army Times.

Sandy Richardson, a candidate for the school board in Riceville, Iowa, received a grand total of zero votes despite being the only candidate for the seat he was seeking on the September 8 ballot. Asked by the Mason City Globe Gazette why he didn’t vote for himself, Richardson explained, “I was too busy.”

By January 2016 the Carlsbad Desalination Project near San Diego, the biggest plant in the western hemisphere, will begin creating almost 52 million gallons of fresh water per day.

Ever hear of Robert Ballard? Well, neither had I. Mr. Ballard led the group that found the Titanic, sunk on April 15, 1912, found September 1, 1985; found the Bismarck, sunk on May 27, 1941. found June 8, 1989; found the USS Yorktown, sunk June 7, 1942, found May 19, 1998; and JFK’s PT -109, sunk August 2, 1943, found May 2002. For a very interesting article, read the September 2015 Popular Mechanics.

Up until 2013 hepatitis C was considered incurable, but then came Sovaldi and Harvoni, the only two drugs that can cure the disease, preventing the need for liver transplants. A 12-week treatment costs $95,000 and there are no generic versions at this time.

If you like to gamble, do I have good news for you!! Macau’s casino operators are putting $28 billion in investments into huge gaming resorts from 2015 through 2018, and then there is the Galaxy Entertainment Group, with two casinos that together generated more gambling revenue than the entire Las Vegas Strip last year.

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