Come On, Judge!    

   Another reason to let California secede. A Los Angeles judge has ruled that in California, coffee must carry a warning label, something like:

      COFFEE HAS CHEMICALS LISTED AS 
      CAUSING CANCER AND BIRTH DEFECTS
   
   The warning relates to acrylamide, a chemical produced when coffee beans are roasted. And yes, it causes cancer in rodents...i.e., when they receive doses 1,000 to 10,000 times what people might be exposed to.

   Whew!

   The last thing we do before retiring is prepare the coffee maker, and the first thing we do in the morning is punch it on.

   Mrs. Donut starts her day: "When I smell coffee, I'll get up." 

   Actually, the judge may do more harm in his state than acrylamide. Drinking coffee can reduce our risk of developing common cancers and heart disease. Yea!

   A British review of more than 200 studies found that drinking three or four cups a day "is associated with health benefits across a range of diseases," including cardiovascular disease and stroke. We'll drink to that.  

   We hope the judge, for his own sake, doesn't take his warning seriously.

       Jimmy