Off the I-15

How many cups of coffee do you drink? If you’re like me, you probably drink a lot.

I like a cup of coffee in the morning, and sometimes in the afternoon and sometimes in the evening. In fact, I plan to brew a pot when I get home from the office tonight. If there is coffee in front of me, I’ll probably drink it. I even like gas station coffee.

Well, fellow java chuggers, there’s good news. According to researchers in the United States and Spain:

“Drinking two or three cups of coffee a day did not increase risk of death in either men or women and in fact both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee were linked with a slightly reduced risk of death from heart disease. “

The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and published in the 17 June issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

But we’re not out of the woods yet. The study suggests more investigation into the results.

And to be fair, I found out about the report from the Barstow Community Hospital monthly newsletter.

Sorry kids, I might have been a little harsh — or just a jerk.

On Friday, Rosa at the Desert Discovery Center invited me to judge the entries for the city’s recycled art competition. Quite an honor considering my extensive background in art — one required course in college — and recycling — three years working for the recycling program in college.

I judged the pieces on use of recycled materials, portrayal of theme (it was something patriotic) and creativity, and I guess I was pretty harsh. I glanced over at few fellow judges sheets and saw that my scores for all the pieces were a few points lower than the rest of the judges.

Still, the best pieces got the highest scores, just not as high, but I guess I was fair, which I have to be because I am journalist.

The theme this year was being patriotic through recycling, which appeared to mean to many kids — the military. There were some great reconstructions of tanks, helicopters and jets all from recycled materials. Considering the new study of Fort Carson’s CO2 “bootprint” opposed to a footprint and a commitment to reduce emmisions in the next year, the Army may want to take notice.

But strange how so many young people immediately equate patriotism with the military. I shared my observations with some of the other judges, and we wondered if it was a phenomenon unique to Barstow, with its many soldiers, many veterans and many jobs at Fort Irwin or the MCLB, or if across the country the word patriotism now means tanks, jets and helicopters.

Beyond all that thinking, the projects were a great display of one of the legs of the recycling triangle, reuse.

And if reusing household items is your thing, I recommend checking out the magazine ReadyMade. The magazine can show you how to make almost anything, from a cork doorstop to a couch from what you would normally throw away.

Aaron Aupperlee | city editor