Month: January 2004

<a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&amp;storyID=4107195" title="Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage">Consumers Flock to Web for Mad Cow Information</a>: &ldquo;When the first case of mad cow disease surfaced in the United States three weeks ago, the biggest problem wasn't finding facts on the cattle brain destroying disease, but sorting through a jumble of Web sites overflowing with information.



&ldquo;Consumers, trade groups and even local governments flocked to the <a href="http://www.fas.usda.gov/dlp/BSE/bse.html" title="BSE Page">U.S. Department of Agriculture&rsquo;s Web site on bovine spongiform encephalopathy</a> (BSE), calling it by far the best resource on the Web.



&ldquo;&lsquo;The USDA Web site is the best place for information,&rsquo; said Kiran Kernellu, communications manager for the National Meat Association.



&ldquo;For those interested in more information about the rare human neurological disorder, the <a href="http://cjdfoundation.org/" title="Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation, Inc.">Creutzfeldt-Jakob Foundation's Web site</a> is a key resource as well.



&ldquo;Other sites rich in information on Mad Cow disease include the explanatory <a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/mad-cow-disease.htm" title="Howstuffworks &quot;How Mad Cow Disease Works&quot;">How Stuff Works Web site</a> and the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cjd/cjd.htm" title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Main Index, CDC">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&rsquo;s collection of Web resources</a>."

<a href="http://www.mv.com/ipusers/arcade/molasses.htm" title="Eric Postpischil's Molasses Disaster Pages">The Molasses Disaster of January 15, 1919</a>: &ldquo;Yes, a molasses tank in Boston exploded with great force and flooded the streets with an eight-foot wave of molasses. It killed 21 people, crumpled the steel support of an elevated train, and knocked over a fire station.&rdquo;

The No Weight Workout – Exercise:

Pushups

On knees or toes, place hands about 6 inches wider than your shoulders. Inhale as you lower your body towards the floor, maintaining a straight line from head to toe. Exhale as you push your body back up. Don’t sink in the middle or pike your buttocks in the air and only lower your body until your shoulders are in line with your elbows.

Squats

Place your feet shoulder width apart, abs pulled in. Squat down slowly as you sit back on your heels keeping good posture with chest up, shoulders back, and chin level. Lower as far as you can, keeping knees behind the toes and not going below 90 degrees. Tip: place a chair behind you and act like you’re about to sit down, pulling up before actually sitting.

Lunges

Stand in a split stance, holding onto a chair for balance (if needed). With weight evenly distributed over each foot, slowly lower towards the floor. Keep both knees at 90 degree angles, and do not allow the front knee to extend over the toe. Push through the heel, contract the glutes and push up without locking the knees.

Walking Lunges

Stand with feet together and take a giant step forward, lowering into a lunge and keeping knees at 90 degree angles. Push up and step forward with other leg. Alternate legs for one+ laps around the room.

Standing Side Leg Lift

Stand with feet hip distance apart, holding onto a chair for balance (if needed). Slowly lift right leg out to the side, keeping hip, knee, ankle and toes all in alignment, foot flexed. Raise leg about 2 feet, squeeze glute and slowly lower back down without relaxing the muscle. Repeat and then switch legs. Be sure to keep the standing leg slightly bent.

Dips

Sit on chair or bench and place hands next to hips. Move hips in front of chair and bend elbows, lowering body until elbows are at 90 degrees. Keep shoulders down and butt close to chair.

Back Extensions

Lie face down with hands either behind the back or lightly cradling the head. Lift upper body off the ground a few inches, keeping head and neck in alignment. For a challenge, lift feet off the ground keeping legs straight (knees don’t have to be together), hold for 2-4 counts.

Heel Drops

[Stand on a step or platform (you might need to hold onto a chair or the wall for balance). With your left leg on the step, hang your right leg off the side. Bend your left leg and lower the right foot towards the floor (a few inches). Switch legs and repeat.]

Calf Raises

Stand on a step or on the floor, holding onto a chair for balance (if needed). Slowly push up onto the tips of your toes, contracting the calves. Lower back down without relaxing and repeat.

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<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/m/h/mhl100/images/url2png.png" height="700" width="200" alt="Journal Thumbnail Image" />

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of mixed fruit — orange, pineapple, and banana. I weighed in at 159 pounds.



<ins datetime="2004-01-14T16:44:00-05:00">I had an orange and a <a href="http://www.naturevalley.com/Products2.htm" title="Welcome to Nature Valley: Products">Nature Valley Oats &rsquo;N Honey Crunchy Granola Bar</a> for lunch.</ins>



<ins datetime="2004-01-14T18:47:00-05:00">Dinner was a salad and two slices of homemade whole wheat raisin bread.</ins>



<ins datetime="2004-01-14T21:47:00-05:00">I had an orange after dinner.</ins>

When evaluating pots and pans, remember “The Kasper Rule of Three:” Make sure each pot does at least three things well. It should:

• Conduct heat evenly with no hot or cold spots. For this, you need the right metal and the right thickness. The best heat conductors are copper, aluminum and cast iron that are at least 1/8-inch thick. Where metals are sandwiched together, the heat conducting metal must come up the sides of the pan, not be only a disc on the bottom.
• Protect your food from discoloring or developing off tastes. Pot interiors that don’t give off a metallic taste and/or discolor certain foods are stainless steel (my personal preference), enamel, tin or non-stick substances that are scratchproof and inert.
• Work in the oven as well as on the stove. Heatproof handles mean your sauté pan can double as a roaster, and your 6-quart pot becomes a casserole.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper (January 13, 2004), <i>Weekend Kitchen</i>. E-mail Newsletter recieved January 13, 2004, from <a href="http://www.splendidtable.org/" title="MPR's The Splendid Table">http://www.splendidtable.org/</a>.

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58367-2004Jan6.html" title="What We Learned About Presentation (washingtonpost.com)">What We Learned About Presentation</a>: &ldquo;After <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58361-2004Jan6.html" title="Extreme Makeovers (washingtonpost.com)">watching four skilled chefs</a> at work transforming carryout food (<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58364-2004Jan6.html" title="Thai/Fusion Makeover (washingtonpost.com)">Thai/Fusion Makeover</a>, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58366-2004Jan6.html" title="Elegant, With an Accent (washingtonpost.com)">Elegant, With an Accent</a>, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58365-2004Jan6.html" title="A Perfect Little Picnic (washingtonpost.com)">A Perfect Little Picnic</a>, and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58363-2004Jan6.html" title="An Inviting Dish (washingtonpost.com)">An Inviting Dish</a>), we came to the following conclusions: 

• Knife skills and a sharp knife are equally important. The first thing all of the chefs did to the takeout chicken was to cut it into large pieces. But only Susan Gage left it that way — for her picnic presentation. The other three cut the breast meat on the bias and fanned the slices out.
• Thick slices of breast meat, cut on the bias, are not only more attractive, but also do not dry out as quickly as thinner slices.
• Smaller portions are elegant and more accessible. Each of the chef’s plates had the equivalent of a half chicken, but none of them looked intimidating or overloaded.
• Bite-size vegetables, carefully trimmed, are more enticing and easier to eat.
• Make the commonplace unusual. Three chefs transformed a simple drumstick by trimming the end of the bone.
• Common kitchen tools have unexpected uses: a heart-shaped cookie cutter, a ring mold and a paper cone all transformed mashed potatoes.
• Height brings drama. Food that is presented at only one level is not eye-catching.
• Color is key. Each chef wanted to improve the appearance of the chicken skin and the gravy, to make them more robust. You don’t need blow torch or deep-fat fryer to do this: A hot saute pan will also do the trick.
• Don’t fill the plate. No matter where you place the elements, leave space in between so that each has its moment.
• Consider using a bigger plate, buffet size, for example. Again, it keeps the foods from being crowded. Even if you put them all in the center of the plate, as Anderson did, there is still plenty of room around the edge.

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of mixed fruit — orange, pineapple, and banana — and a glass of orange juice. I weighed in at 158 pounds.



<ins datetime="2004-01-13T13:11:00-05:00">I had an orange and a <a href="http://www.naturevalley.com/Products2.htm" title="Welcome to Nature Valley: Products">Nature Valley Oats &rsquo;N Honey Crunchy Granola Bar</a> for lunch.</ins>



<ins datetime="2004-01-14T16:43:00-05:00">Dinner was a cup of potato leek soup, a slice of homemade whole wheat raisin bread, and a salad.</ins>

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Breakfast this morning was an omelet made with the left over grilled onions from the pizza last night, a toasted piece of raisin bread, and a glass of orange juice. I weighed in at 158 pounds.



<ins datetime="2004-01-12T13:24:00-05:00">Lunch was a four mile walk around campus and an orange.</ins>



<ins datetime="2004-01-12T21:02:00-05:00">Gretchen decided we would feast tonight, so she got a turkey breast and some stuffing out of the freezer and made some mashed potatoes and gravy to go with it.</ins>