At about this point each winter, the urgency of finding ways to cook lighter gives way to the fervent search for something, anything, novel to whip up in a slow-cooker. The answer to that was the long awaited book The French Slow Cooker, author Michele Scicolone's follow-up to her 2010 Italian Slow Cooker, which became a bestseller. You'd be right to expect versions of cassoulet…
February 8, 2012
So what did the Supreme Court unleash with its Citizens United case? Well, even though it's still early in the cycle, there is an initial trend. Instead of unleashing a flood of special-interest corporate money, the major donors have been individuals, like Becky Burkett, Rick Tyler, and Sheldon Adelson, who have given Newt Gingrich's PAC $10 million. The other major Republican super…
February 8, 2012
California
A federal appeals panel in San Francisco ruled yesterday that California's Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a decision that could lead to the Supreme Court's consideration of the controversial social issue. By a 2-1 vote, the panel overturned the proposition, which was approved by 52 percent of the state's voters in 2008 and amended the state's constitution…
February 8, 2012
From my first arroz con pollo, I've been hooked on the idea of rice pilaf studded with meat and vegetables. It's one of my favorite go-to meals for busy nights. The elements can vary, but I always use the same basic formula: rice + onions + broth + something spicy + legumes/vegetables. I love the way I can use a small amount of meat and stretch it, work in moderate amounts of high-flavor…
February 8, 2012
Virginia
Amy and Mark Denicore are headed to a full-blown trial to defend themselves against charges that they violated Virginia law by making their kids late to elementary school too often. The Loudoun County, Va., couple was arraigned yesterday morning in juvenile and domestic relations court. Judge Pamela Brooks set a trial date of March 14. The Denicores are each charged with three…
February 7, 2012
More than a third of the advertising tied to the presidential race has been funded by nonprofit groups that will never have to reveal their donors, suggesting that a significant portion of the 2012 elections will be wrapped in a vast cloak of secrecy. The bulk of the secret money spent so far has come from conservative groups seeking to propel a Republican into the White House,…
February 7, 2012
Hey, remember the Tea Party? Yes, the Tea Party, the movement that upended the 2010 congressional elections and was supposed to transform American politics. In recent days, some voices that have defined the movement over the past two years - former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, erstwhile 2012 candidate Herman Cain, Nevada Republican Sharron Angle and real estate mogul/self-promoter…
February 7, 2012
Mitt Romney answered his last question from a voter three weeks ago, and just about every day since then, he has swept through towns across America like a whistling train conductor proclaiming, "All aboard." Out are 55-minute town hall meetings. In are 15-minute stump speeches at buffed-up rallies. There are rope lines and hot lights, giant flags and Secret Service agents…
February 6, 2012
In a meeting room at the Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas over the past week, Newt Gingrich mapped out a detailed strategy that would keep him in the presidential race all the way to the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., in August. The crux of the former House speaker's new plan is math: a complex analysis of each state's delegates, how they're awarded and how many, reasonably, Gingrich…
February 6, 2012
Wearing headphones while walking can be a risky business, new research from the University of Maryland suggests. In a study published in the journal Injury Prevention, researchers looked at reported pedestrian-vehicle collisions in which the pedestrian was wearing headphones - either the cover-the-whole-ear variety or ear buds. They found 116 reports of death or injury under such…
February 5, 2012
Mild winter days are the best time to prune deciduous trees while they are dormant and before sap rises. Use loppers or a hand saw to remove branches that are diseased, dead or rubbing. Cut to leave a collar where the removed branch joins the trunk. Caring for roses Rosebushes should be pruned in late winter before buds start to break. Use pruners to remove canes that are inward-growing…
February 5, 2012
If you love Boggle, you'll love Scramble With Friends, Zynga's follow-up to Words With Friends. The new app has the same rules as the old family game-night standby: Letters are arranged in a 4-by-4 grid, and players have to find words by connecting adjacent tiles. Users can choose opponents from their Facebook friends or contacts list, or play with a random user. It's fun to start…
February 5, 2012
Many readers suffer a tormented relationship with book jackets or, as most people call them, dust jackets. I certainly do. In my youth, I admired the private libraries of writers and professors who discarded these garish and easily torn outer coverings from their books, leaving only the subdued cloth bindings. As a result, serried rows of soft blue and faded burgundy lined their…
February 5, 2012
No one can accuse Barry Unsworth of letting the success of Sacred Hunger rush him into a sequel. It's been 20 years since his epic story about the English slave trade won the Booker Prize. By now, some of the readers who enjoyed that novel have died; everyone else will need a refresher. But Unsworth is one of the greatest living historical novelists, and this is what he does best:…
February 5, 2012
