Tea: A Health Benefit and So Much More

Almost all of us have had a box of tea in our kitchen cabinets at one point or another. Tea is usually associated with curling up on the couch on a rainy day or daily ritual involving scones and cucumber sandwiches.  The wide variety of teas can be mind boggling.  There are black teas, green teas, oolong teas….this list is nearly endless!

Tea has been well known for having amazing health qualities. The biggest one that most people point out is that tea has less caffeine than coffee. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. If drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or interferes with sleep -- switch to tea.

Tea gives you a sweet smile. You may not think drinking tea is good for your teeth, but think again. It's the sugar added to it that's usually to blame for the bad dental reputation. Tea itself actually contains fluoride and tannins that can keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and gums.

Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea can help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear. A 5.6-year study from the Netherlands found a 70 percent lower risk of fatal heart attack in people who drank at least two to three cups of black tea daily compared to non-tea drinkers.

But did you know tea has many more uses than just a healthy drink? You might be pleasantly surprised and what you can do with your tea!

There amazing household uses for tea. You can clean dirty, musty carpets by sprinkling dry, used green tea leaves on the carpet. Let them work their magic for about 10 minutes then vacuum them up. Tea can even be used on delicate Persian and Oriental rugs, which can also benefit from a sprinkling of tea leaves. In this case, sprinkle nearly dry, used whole tea leaves on the rugs, and gently sweep them away. And what about your hardwood floors? The tannins in black tea can help shine and color hardwood flooring. Follow your regular floor cleaning routine by carefully rubbing some brewed tea into the floor (don’t use too much water on hardwood flooring) and letting it air dry. Tea can remove stubborn, greasy fingerprints from glass, and make it sparkle. Simply rub a damp teabag on the glass or fill a spray bottle with brewed tea. Brewed tea also can help clean and shine wood furniture. Dip a soft cloth in a small amount of tea, and use it to wipe down the tables, chairs and more.

Rinse your hands with tea after eating or preparing fish (or other stinky foods) to eliminate odors. Also, instead of baking soda (or maybe in addition), try used tea bags in the fridge to absorb odors and de-stink the fridge. Likewise, used tea leaves can help deodorize litter boxes when mixed into the litter. Dry, green tea leaves are recommended. And, staying to the pet theme, tea can also help prevent fleas, so sprinkle some dry used tealeaves around pet bedding.

As useful as tea is around the household, there are even more personal uses! Tea is a great healthy drink but it’s not just good for your inside, it’s good for your outside too! In the Caribbean there are very few people who are not familiar with sunburn. Use tea to soothe a sunburn: Wet teabags can soothe sunburns and other minor burns. For a full-body sunburn, soak in a tea bath. It’s also great for tired eyes: Warm, wet teabags can reduce puffiness and soothe pain around tired eyes — and teabags on your eyes look a little less ridiculous than cucumber slices. Tea bags have even been known to help ease pinkeye. You can use warm, wet teabags as a compress to soothe the pain of pinkeye.

Tea is also great for mouth remedies. For an older child who loses a tooth, try putting a cold, wet teabag in the mouth where the tooth was lost. It can reduce bleeding and soothe pain. Similarly, toothaches and other mouth pain can be soothed with a rinse of antiseptic peppermint tea mixed with a little salt. Gargling with strong tea can help reduce halitosis.

Brewed tea makes a good conditioner for dry hair. Rinse with (unsweetened) tea and leave to dry for a while, then rinse again with water. Brewed tea also is a good natural hair dye. Mix rosemary and sage into dark black tea and let the mixture stand overnight. Strain the mix and thoroughly work it into your hair. Repeat as needed for the desired color.

To protect and beautify skin, try bathing in green tea. Another widely recommended skin booster is chamomile tea in a facial steamer. Some acne sufferers swear by washing their faces with green tea to cure or reduce their acne. Soaking your feet in strong tea for 20 minutes per day can be a relaxing and effective way to reduce foot odor. To help plantar warts on the feet heal faster, press a warm, wet teabag onto the wart for 20 minutes per day. Cover a boil with wet tea bag overnight, and it should drain painlessly. To salvage a partially broken fingernail, use a piece of mesh tea bag to create a splint of sorts between the nail and the broken piece then coat in nail polish.

Many older adults do not realize that black tea can reduce their dizziness when standing up. The tea boosts blood pressure, reducing the threat of dizziness. There is a litany of other health benefits of black tea, including reduced risk of heart attacks, kidney stones, Parkinson's disease and ovarian cancer.

Tea is also helpful in and around the garden and household plants. Pouring strong tea into a compost bin will help speed up the process and encourage more friendly bacteria to grow, improving the compost. Spread used tea leaves around rosebushes, then add mulch and water. The tannic acid and other nutrients will benefit the plants. Occasionally use brewed tea instead of water to feed ferns and other houseplants that like rich, acidic soil. A few used teabags in the bottom of a planter can help the soil retain water, and adds valuable nutrients.

Other uses for tea range from dying fabrics to pet care. Green and black teas have long been used in dyes for fabric and paper, particularly for generating a beige faux- antique look. Some artists use strong black tea to paint backgrounds or accents on black-and-white sketches. A footbath with strong black tea is rumored to help strengthen the pads of dog feet. Burning tea leaves can be used to repel mosquitoes with none of the side effects of chemical bug sprays.

And tea can also be fun and a little mystical. Telling fortunes in the pattern of tea leaves in an empty teacup is an ancient art that is still occasionally practiced. Want to have a little fun? Give it a try!

So the next time you take a break from your hectic life to enjoy a tasty cup of tea, remember that tea is so much more than a tasty drink!

Outdoor sleeping

Full moon over Dawn Beach

Fresh paint fumes have driven me out to the porch, but I can't complain. Turning it into a little adventure.

The full moon is floating on a sea of stardust as the Coqui frogs sing me a lullaby. The trade winds blow cooling caresses across my check. The waves from the near by beach rush to touch the shore, their distance rumble a comfort in the night. I snuggle into a warm blanket and soft mattress to watch the fireflies dance through the garden, hypnotizing me to sleep...perchance to dream....

Year's End in Sight

Well, it's that time of year AGAIN.

December is upon us and where are approaching the mid-way mark. The clock is ticking and running out on 2O11. The trade winds have shifted, coming from the north and bringing cooler breezes. Lights are going up around the island, ppl are gettin ready for the holidays. As usual, there will be the fair share of palm trees wrapped in Christmas lights and Christmas tree decorated with sea shells. I don't get tired of it, but I am looking for something new.

I've seen a lot come and go on this little rock...I've seen things change and not always for the best. Some things still hold very fond memories. I remember coming here when I was kid and getting a seemingly endless supply of Chiclets. Many of you know what I'm talking about. When St. Maarten first popped up on the map as a travel destination, just over 3O some odd years ago, the US dollar was just making its way to the island. Coins were hard to come buy- i.e. nickles, dimes, etc. So, many times you would receive your change in the form of a couple little packs of Chiclets gum. Some places still carry on the tradition today. No matter where I go in the world, seeing a pack of Chiclets puts me right back in St. Maarten. Hmmm, maybe I'll decorate my tree with Chiclets this year! :-D

Do You Know what good Bar Karma is? SXM Sint Maarten

 PUBLISHED NOVEMEBER 2O1O

Not everyone who spends time in bars understands the simple principals of bar behavior. As a rule of thumb, for the customer, the difference from being treated as a chump and being treated with respect is measured equal in proportion to the manners you give to those who serve the drinks. There's a simple equation: a happy bartender will, in turn, make you happy. It's bar karma. Proper bar etiquette is a large part of the beautiful dance that we call getting drunk.

The following is a pretty simple and straightforward list of bar dos and don'ts. If you want to keep your local bartender happy, it’s highly recommended that you follow it. Keep in mind, a happy bartender is likely to serve you faster, back you up quicker, and slide you that free drink earlier and more often. That way, everybody's happy. And it all starts with getting your bartender's attention.

Let's say that you and a couple of your friends are out at your favorite bar. The place is wall-to-wall people, and you're dying for a drink. How do you get the barkeep to come over and give you that drink? Well, one thing you shouldn’t do is pull out a twenty and wave it at him. Most barkeeps find this insulting. You are not the only one at the bar with money. They can always tell who's waiting to order a drink, and if the bartender seems to be ignoring you, he's probably just busy taking care of somebody who was there before you. But, for argument sake, let’s say your barkeep just doesn't notice you. It's perfectly all right to give a wave or a nod. Most bartenders will respond to "excuse me," or "pardon me, bartender/barkeep.”  Never snap your fingers at a bartender, unless you want to keep snapping them for the next twenty minutes while you wait for a drink. And I have yet to talk to a bartender who happily serves a customer who calls them "hey, you!"

Now it's time to order your drinks. Do yourselves a favor, and the bartender, and know what you want before you call the bartender over. In a crowded bar, every second he spends standing there waiting for you to decide between a vodka red bull and a vodka cranberry is time the bartender could be taking care of the hundred other people who are waiting for drinks. Know what you want and select ONE PERSON to be your spokesperson and order all your drinks at one time.  When you order all together, the bartender can make all your drinks at once, and avoid making four separate trips and avoid a raise in their blood pressure. After all, you’re at a bar, you’re there to drink. So know what the heck you want! Also: Bartenders don't know how to make every drink in existence. There are millions of drink recipes out there and some drinks have different ingredients and share the same name. Don't expect every bartender to make a Mai Tai like the one you had in Hawaii. If your favorite drink is uncommon, know the ingredients and your bartender will take it from there.

Likewise, you should pay all together as well, so the barman only has to bring you your change once, instead taking the money for one drink, going to the register, making change, then coming right back to where he just was, four times in a row. Ordering drinks this way is, clearly, four times slower. And don't forget to have the money ready by the time the barkeep arrives with the drinks. In a bar, faster is always better. And please, please, PLEASE don’t hand your bartender a handful of crumpled bills and expect to get any great service for the rest of the evening. Nothing slows a bartender down more than having to waste time straightening out crumpled, sorry looking bills. And it’s just really disrespectful. Your change is returned to you in a quick and timely fashion and not wadded up like used tissue paper.

As far as tipping, it’s just really easy to just keep it simple. Tip every time, and tip something for every drink. Remember, bartenders only make about $3.00 an hour. Like waiters, the rest of their money comes from your tips. And not tipping is of course the best way to insure that everyone else in the bar gets served again before you do.

Let's say that you've been at the bar for a couple of hours and have ordered a few rounds. This does not automatically entitle you to a free drink--a bartender doesn't have to give you a free drink if he doesn't want to, even if he’s your friend. So don’t expect it and don’t feel like you’re entitled to it. One of the biggest mistakes people tend to make is going to a bar where their good friend works, expecting free drinks. They tend to forget that this is a job and the bartender can’t always just give away drinks to their friends all night long. Never assume that you're getting a free drink; always at least offer the money. And PLEASE: If YOU order a round of shots, YOU pay. "Do you want to do a shot?" is an invitation to buy a shot for someone, not an invitation for someone to buy one for him or herself. And this can't be stressed enough: don't forget to tip on a free drink. If you don't tip on your free drink, you're not giving the barkeep a reason to give you another one.

And last, but certainly not least, if you absolutely must make or take a call, step away from the bar and head to the restroom area, or outside. These are the only appropriate place to carry on a conversation. Nobody wants to hear your personal business, hear about your latest love interest or be a part of your break-up call. And when you're on the phone next to them, trying to shout above the music, they can't help but listen and start to get annoyed, including the bartender.

That about covers it for the basics of bar etiquette. You follow these guidelines, you'll guarantee yourself a bartender that is happy to see you, serves you quick, and gets you drunk fast. And let's face it, being able to zip past the hundred other losers in the bar and get served first is cool. As always – remember to party responsibly!

GEBE...The movement...SXM Sint Maarten

Well...I had some times on my hands...between jobs....so I got angry one day. Angry at the Power Company: GEBE. And now...something has started to happen. I started a petition and ppl started signing it. I posted some videos, documenting outages and giving vent to my anger and frustration....And now - Ppl have started talking about orginazing...rallies...I've started a grassroots movement...I think that's what its called. Surprising. I just was expressing my view and giving other ppl a chance to have a voice...now I have ppl comeing to me looking for direction. Yikes. I'll admit it: I'm a firestarter. I'll light a blaze about something, but never think past the point of fire. Soooo, now I put the word out that i need help with this cause. LOL I'm completely out of my depth and it's a very uncomfortable feeling. I'm not sure which way to go, the next move..and ppl seem to be waiting with baited breath for instructions. I hope I survive this.

Petition Site

Why? SXM - Sint Maarten

Over the years many, MANY ppl have ask me: Why?

Why do I live here?
Why don't I go somewhere else?
Why do I write letters to the newspaper?
Why do I care?

I live here because I've had a love affair with Sint maarten for 3O years.

Why don't I go somewhere else? Alas, over the past 1O years, I have no where else to go. So many ppl say that: Just leave. Not everyone has that option/luxury.

I write letters to stir the pot. Get ppl talking/thinking.

I care because I live here. It's a small island and all issues are right here...in your face. You don't get to live in some cushy subdivision and not have the ugliness of this place touch you. On the other side of the coin - there is no place like this. Every day brings something new, interesting, beautiful. It's not all ugly, just like anywhere. There is beauty and some things make sense. I express my views, that's all. I have friends. Good friends. Friends that understand my mouth is part of the package. I'll never make any apologies for who I am and the way I think. I'm open to all opinions. I just want an argument with substance. Don't argue JUST to argue or just because you don't like what I think. TELL ME why? Back it up. I love a stong discussion. Even one that ends with:Let's just agree to disagree.

Welcome to my view.

Hellooooo!

This blog is place for me to share my views, literally and figuratively. This where I can show you the things I see or how I see things. These views are my own and range from articles on people I've meet to my opinion of government and more.

So, welcome to my view and enjoy the scenery!