Coffee, regular or decaf, is apparently not as bad as we have been led to believe. The CBC reports on a study that shows it reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes, and Science Friday reported on a study that showed it significantly reduces the risk of the aggressive form of prostate cancer.

What isn’t known is why. Coffee is a very complex natural compound, and all they know for certain is that caffeine is not the agency. It is loaded with antioxidants and trace minerals, so tracking down the actual reason for these effects is a very long-term project.

Of course, it is also possible that people who like coffee weren’t going to be afflicted by these problems, so don’t start overdosing on Arabica.

The diabetes study also gave a thumbs up to tea, and a good cup of tea is easier to make if you are traveling, as all you need is a teaball and your favorite tea. Good coffee requires the proper tools which take up a lot of space.

The BBC reports on a recent study that looked at the value of different professions to the society as a whole.

Hospital cleaners are worth more to society than bankers, a study suggests.

The research, carried out by think tank the New Economics Foundation, says hospital cleaners create £10 of value for every £1 they are paid.

It claims bankers are a drain on the country because of the damage they caused to the global economy.

They reportedly destroy £7 of value for every £1 they earn. Meanwhile, senior advertising executives are said to “create stress”.

Bankers add no value to commerce, they are middlemen. They extract a “rent” from commerce for moving money. The money belongs to depositors, not the banks. They provide a needed service, but that service has been given a primacy that it simply doesn’t deserve.

The entire TARP debacle shows that financial institutions are only interested in their profits, and could care less about society. The people claiming that the institutions that took TARP funds are paying them back forget about the part of the program that is even more important – the government guarantees that taxpayers will cover any losses. It would be reasonable that any financial institution that pays back the TARP funds should be removed from the guarantees pool. If they are so healthy, they don’t need guarantees.