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Saturday, December 8, 2012 – Daily News 7A Glory Days maturity &lifestyles Safe-deposit boxes not always safe By Richard Newman The Record (Hackensack, N.J.) (MCT) In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, holders of safe-deposit boxes should consider how safe the valuables they've got stowed away really are. The boxes' contents are not really deposits, meaning they're not covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which insures each depositor up to $250,000 per bank. And the boxes are not always safe, as was shown by Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A number of bank vaults were flooded by Sandy's tidal surge, and thousands of bank customers are finding out that the boxes are vulnerable. "All safe-deposit boxes are termed fire-resistant and water-resistant, but that does not mean they are completely immune to fire and flood," said Doug Johnson, vice president-risk management at the American Bankers Association. Bankers are being tight-lipped about the extent of the storm damage, citing customer privacy concerns. They deny responsibility for lost or damaged contents, citing language in the leases that backs them up. Here is what the FDIC says about damage to safe-deposit box contents on a consumer news page at its website: "Unless your bank is found to be negligent in the way it handled or protected your safe-deposit box, do not expect the bank or its private insurance to reimburse you for any damage or loss … check whether your homeowners' or tenant's insurance policy will cover it." The FDIC advises that documents, jewelry and other contents be sealed in Ziploc bags or Tupperware. Also, put your name on each item, keep a list of the box's contents, and make copies of important documents. If a disaster occurs, these steps improve your chances of recovering an item. Timothy E. Mackey, fidelity bond claim director for property and casualty insurer CNA Financial in Cranbury, N.J., says safe-deposit boxes affected by Sandy probably number in the thousands, and in certain cases, the bank's insurance will cover damage to contents. "The process can often take a long time to resolve because banks have a difficult time reaching box holders who have been displaced," he said. Chase spokeswoman Melissa Shuffield said last week that about 1,000 boxes that were in "a handful" of Chase branches, were affected by flooding, and customers are being invited to come open the boxes to assess the damage. "About half of the customers have come in and we are continuing to make calls," she said. "We are working with customers on a case-by-case basis to see where we are able to help," she said. Tea expert blends passion with Jane Austen By Kristin Tillotson Star Tribune (MCT) MINNEAPOLIS — "The kettle is never turned off at this house," said Julia Matson as she set her dining-room table with Wedgwood Blue Willow cups and saucers, perfectly round scones, strawberryrhubarb jam and clotted cream. The aroma wafting in from the kitchen of her house in Plymouth was from her own blend of tea — Indian, Sri Lankan and Kenyan — brewing for precisely 4 minutes at 205 degrees. Four cups filled with loose tea leaves of different colors, shapes and textures sat at the ready for later sampling. Matson is serious about tea. But not too serious to thoroughly enjoy every last drop. Through her business, Bingley's Teas, Matson sells to tea shops nationwide, from the Crown and Crumpet in San Francisco to the Blue Ox Coffee Co. in south Minneapolis. Her most popular products come from mixing her two primary passions: Jane Austen's fiction and her favorite beverage. By assigning different blends to the immortal characters in Austen's novels, Matson has drawn "Janeite" customers from as far away as the Middle East and Japan. The blend for Austen's best-known creation, Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice," is a black-tea MCT photo Julia Matson of Plymouth, Minn., knows her tea. For the last 12 years she's been studying "the leaf," combining her passion for Jane Austen with her passion for tea, assigning different teas to the characters in Austen's novels. base signifying her strong character, plus sassy cranberry and blue mallow for her fine eyes, tempered with sweetness. Mr. Darcy, object of Elizabeth's scorn and ultimate affection, is an Oolong with distinctive notes of leather, chestnut and plum. Compassion for Mrs. Bennet's Nerves is an all-herbal tisane — chamomile, peppermint, passion flower, rosehips and lavender. To Matson, tea and Jane go together like bonnets and shawls. "There is an aesthetic gentleness and playfulness to the Austen world that coincides with tea," she said. "They both bring pleasure and comfort. Both can make you laugh, bring you calm and offer insight into Calcium is found in many non-dairy foods soluble fiber, such as that in fruit pectins, does not DEAR DOCTOR K: I need to get more calciaffect calcium absorption. um, and I'd like it to come from foods rather than If you're still struggling to get enough calcium, supplements. I'm a vegan, so dairy products aren't try making some smart substitutions. For example, an option for me. choose firm tofu (258 mg of calcium per 1/2 cup DEAR READER: When most people think of serving) over soft tofu (130 mg of calcium per 1/2 food sources of calcium, they think of milk and cup serving). cheese. Vegans can't eat food that comes from aniYour body has a hard time absorbing large mals, so those sources of calcium aren't available to amounts of calcium all at once, so don't try to get you. But getting calcium from food sources is calcium in one meal. Instead, get in becoming easier for vegans. There are many vegan Dr. K most of your mg or less, a few times throughoutitthe doses of 500 foods that are naturally rich in calcium, and more by Anthony L. foods than ever are fortified with calcium, including Komaroff, M.D. day. You can, of course, take calcium in the form of some cereals and orange juices. Current recommendations are that adults aim for supplements. For most people, calcium carbonate is well between 1,000 and 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium per absorbed and inexpensive; you should take the supplements day. (The exact amount varies depending on your age and with meals. If you take a medicine to reduce stomach acid gender.) Many foods besides dairy products can help you (like a proton pump inhibitor or an H2 blocker), it's better to take calcium citrate, because it is better absorbed than calmeet your daily requirements. I've put a table on my website, AskDoctorK.com, that cium carbonate. Finally, a note about calcium. There is strong evidence shows how much calcium is found in common foods. For example, just a cup of fortified orange juice supplies about that the combination of calcium (through dietary sources or 300 mg of calcium. And three-quarters of a cup of some for- supplements) combined with vitamin D can protect against tified cereals, such as Whole Grain Total, offers 1,000 mg of the thinning of bones. However, the evidence that calcium supplements without vitamin D can prevent bone fractures calcium. The plant kingdom is also calcium-rich. Spinach, dried is not very strong. Whether you're a vegan or not, and beans and nuts are among the best sources. However, the regardless of your gender, if you're over age 50 I'd recomcalcium content can't always be accepted at face value; mend you talk with your doctor about a vitamin D supplesome vegetables and grains contain substances that under- ment to go along with the calcium in your diet. mine calcium absorption. For example, the oxalic acid in Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard spinach and rhubarb combines with the calcium in these plants so that it isn't readily absorbed. Insoluble fiber, such Medical School. To send questions, go to as that in wheat bran, also reduces calcium absorption. But AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. La Corona Balmore Landaverde is the Authentic Mexican Food Will be closed from 12-10-2012 and will Re-open 1/3/2013 914 Walnut St. Red Bluff, CA • 528-9496 THE LAW FIRM OF KENNY, SNOWDEN & NORINE TAKES PLEASURE IN ANNOUNCING ROB J. TAYLOR HAS BECOME ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRM 2701 Park Marina Drive Redding, CA 96001-2805 (530) 225-8990 Employee of Honor at yourself." Austen, she said, bought her tea from one trusted source. "The tea trade was shifty back in those days," she said. "And they didn't have tea bags, so Jane, like me, was a 'loose' woman." Matson fills her own tea filters — usually two small ones to a pot — rather than using pre-filled tea bags or ball infusers. "You need to give the leaves enough room to expand, for fuller flavor," she explained. Matson speaks to book clubs and other groups about the history of tea, the different styles of steeping and British tea etiquette. A certified tea specialist, she has traveled across the country with the New Yorkbased Specialty Tea Institute as well as to Taiwan. She has taken classes, studied under tea masters and visited tea producers to see how leaves are grown and processed. "My studying will never end," she said. "There's always more to discover with tea." Matson, 42, lives with her husband, Kyle, an engineer, and their two sons. Growing up in Champaign, Ill., she was a fan of Austen's fiction before she became engrossed in tea. After years of doing rehabilitative body work as a career, she took a community-ed class on tea — as an excuse to bake goodies. "I didn't care about tea, I just wanted the shortbread and sponge cake recipes," she said. But she soon became intrigued by "the leaf," and decided to follow her nose and taste buds down a new path. By attending countless "cuppings" (tasting parties for tea geeks) and experimenting on her own, she learned to taste notes of naturally occurring flavors — magnolia, chestnut, lily, burnt caramel, tobacco. Matson's favorite era may be the early 19th century, but that doesn't mean her leaves aren't hip. Eat Street Social uses her line to create tea-based cocktails. In 2011, as a sponsor of an Elvis-themed "Rock the Cause" event, Bingley's offered Wired!, a highly caffeinated tea, and Hunka Burnin' Love, a chocolatechili tea with rose petals. When Melanie Logan, owner of the Blue Ox, heard about Bingley's Teas from a friend of Matson's, she decided to try them at her cafe because "I like to keep things local," she said. "Our customers love her teas — they're extraordinary." But since they're not all Austen fans, some of the names have been changed: The Patience of Miss Price has been redubbed Vanilla Dream; Marianne's Wild Abandon is Summer Blend. "I am literally in love with tea," Matson said as she poured fresh cups of an odd-smelling but healthy matcha, green and frothy. "I have such a crush on it, and I don't seem to be getting over it." This declaration didn't faze her husband, who had just arrived home from work and made a beeline for the scones. Have a Magical Christmas! 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