Broccoli

Were you paying close attention during all those awkward “birds and the bees” talks and sex education lessons? If not it's OK, because you're about to go download a game for free (on sale from $.99) that will obliterate everything you would've picked up anyway. “Sperm Wars” is a sort of turn-based RPG where you fight other sperm cells for reproductive dominance. Why you're not trying to fertilize an egg is anyone's guess, but then again, this game was so confusing that maybe I didn't get that far. To start off, you're shown a map of the world that makes the game seem a little like “Risk.” For reasons unknown, North America is locked to me, and you have to choose “attacking” a territory off the coast of Africa.

It's cookout season, which means plenty of temptations to indulge. But eatingwell.com s ays that there are ways to make picnic and cookout foods healthier. This weeks healthy recipe, broccoli salad, comes from their list. Eatingwell.com said it is creamy without all the fat. If you have examples of healthy recipes please send them to andrea.walker@baltsun.com and I will include on this blog.   Broccoli Salad INGREDIENTS 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream 2 teaspoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 4 cups finely chopped broccoli crowns 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped 3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled 3 tablespoons dried cranberries Freshly ground pepper , to taste PREPARATION Whisk garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar and sugar in a large bowl.

You'll find potatoes, cabbage or collard greens on Reginald Roseborough's dinner plate.But you won't find broccoli.Mr. Roseborough, a produce clerk at the Stop Shop & Save grocery store in Northwood Plaza, doesn't care if Johns Hopkins researchers believe they have found a potent, cancer-fighting chemical in broccoli and other related vegetables. He's not changing his eating habits.You can steam broccoli with butter, melt cheese over its greenish buds or serve the cruciferous vegetable with dip, but Mr. Roseborough isn't biting.

Were you paying close attention during all those awkward “birds and the bees” talks and sex education lessons? If not it's OK, because you're about to go download a game for free (on sale from $.99) that will obliterate everything you would've picked up anyway. “Sperm Wars” is a sort of turn-based RPG where you fight other sperm cells for reproductive dominance. Why you're not trying to fertilize an egg is anyone's guess, but then again, this game was so confusing that maybe I didn't get that far. To start off, you're shown a map of the world that makes the game seem a little like “Risk.” For reasons unknown, North America is locked to me, and you have to choose “attacking” a territory off the coast of Africa.

She's been a stalk of broccoli, the Statue of Liberty and a pilgrim.That's Sandra Neuhauser's style. It's not pretty, says the second-grade instructor, but it works. During the last decade, she has used creative get-ups as teaching tools with her students at Winand Elementary School in Pikesville."I won't be in Vogue," says Ms. Neuhauser, 50, who lives in Randallstown. "But anybody can spend a lot of money on trendy clothes. . .The reason I do this is to impart to children an excitement about our world."

THERE WAS A time when I agreed with George Bush. That was when he said broccoli didn't taste good. That was the vintage-edition Bush, the elder George. I bet he was commenting on broccoli that had some age on it. I say this because I have since learned that there is a major difference between the flavor of broccoli that is fresh from the field and the stuff that tastes as if it were picked back during the Kennedy administration. Fresh broccoli is tender, supple and packed with juice and flavor.

I interviewed Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer last year, and - let me put it this way - I can't think of anyone less qualified to replace Rush Limbaugh as a radio talk show host. Thoughtful, wise, a little dry and measured in his words, Justice Breyer seemed to be everything Americans should want in a judge. He betrayed no particular ideology during an hourlong conversation about the Supreme Court's role in our democracy. He politely refused to answer a question related to a case before the court.

Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables, and now you know she was right -- especially since the report just issued in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.Essentially, researchers now believe that a chemical prevalent in cruciferous vegetables -- a family that includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and greens (collards, turnips, mustard, etc.) -- could increase the production of sulforaphane, an enzyme known to put the whammy on carcinogens.

A chemical found abundantly in some varieties of broccoli appears to prevent or slow the development of breast cancer in laboratory rats -- new evidence that people may find a cheap and effective cancer-fighter on the produce aisle.The news gets better. While Johns Hopkins University scientists extracted the chemical from broccoli, it also occurs in Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables.The finding, reported in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, adds strength to a widely heralded Hopkins report two years ago in which the scientists found that the chemical -- called sulforaphane -- raised the levels of a cancer-fighting enzyme in human cells grown in the laboratory.

In last week's recipe for African-spiced broccoli and cauliflower salad, the amount of broccoli was inadvertently deleted. The correct amount is 3/4 cup.The Sun regrets the error.The cruciferous vegetables of winter make robust salads that are good for you and flavorful. The problem with dark green vegetables like broccoli and Swiss chard is that they're so nutritious so much so, you can't believe how delicious they can be. Even their family name, Cruciferae, sounds daunting, as if they could help prevent diseases.

Thanks to Dan Rodricks for shining the spotlight on that annoying expression, "spot on" ("Razing the JFX, lowering O's expectations," April 2). It is a British way of thinking that something can be perfectly correct, while in America we know that nothing is perfect. The ultimate irony is that the "spot on" users are referring to Supreme Court arguments where neither side is perfect and a decision will probably be split 5-4. The broccoli analogy was a specious statement by Justice Antonin Scalia to oversimplify the argument and appeal to the anti-government movement.

The Orioles have new orange and black banners along Russell Street and Pratt Street, and aren't they pretty, and aren't they grand, and shouldn't we be grateful? The banners proclaim "20 Years," and we're all supposed to understand and appreciate what that means - two decades since the fabulous, taxpayer-funded Oriole Park opened at Camden Yards. But, who cares? It's been nearly 30 years since the Orioles were in a World Series, 14-soon-15 since they had a winning season. In the Angelos era of Baltimore baseball, pessimism springs eternal in the human breast.

I interviewed Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer last year, and - let me put it this way - I can't think of anyone less qualified to replace Rush Limbaugh as a radio talk show host. Thoughtful, wise, a little dry and measured in his words, Justice Breyer seemed to be everything Americans should want in a judge. He betrayed no particular ideology during an hourlong conversation about the Supreme Court's role in our democracy. He politely refused to answer a question related to a case before the court.

Sometimes you look at a decades-old photo of yourself at the beach and are struck by the thought that you should have worn more skimpy two-pieces while you had the chance. Sometimes you watch a mystery in a movie theater and realize you just don't enjoy it as much as you would at home, where you can use the remote to go back if you missed a clue. And sometimes you go to heat up your soup in the office microwave and glance at the controls and think, "What is this country coming to?" In my company's newly remodeled kitchenette sit two General Electric microwave ovens (because heaven knows we efficient Americans cannot be expected to wait while someone else flash-cooks his meal in less than two minutes)

It was love at first bite. I went to Philadelphia to eat cheesesteaks, but instead fell for the Italian roast pork. It happened at Tony Luke's, a South Philadelphia stronghold of sandwiches. There are two Tony Luke's eateries; both of them sit on the first block of E. Oregon Ave. There are also two men named Tony Luke. There is Tony Luke Sr., who presides over the sit-down restaurant, a sports bar that opened 10 years ago. Then there is Tony Luke Jr., who with his brother, Nick, runs the less decorous carryout joint across the street.

I f it is January, it must be time for broccoli, broiled cod and pears for dessert. In other words, no more Mr. Fat Guy. Yes, during these dark days, many of us vow to eat lighter. We tell ourselves we are going to make amends for the growth in girth that occurred during the holidays. It is a familiar pattern. While battling the bulge is supposed to be a year-round endeavor, the start of each new year sees a surge in better-person initiatives. I am as porky and guilty as the next January reformer.

Broccoli is good for you. Bacon tastes good. Recently, as I struggled with my usual resolution to become a better person in the new year, I whipped up a dish that combined both ingredients. Nutritionally speaking, broccoli has a lot going for it. It is loaded with vitamins A, C and K. It has good folate and manganese levels. Also, it packs those powerful phytonutrients, sulforaphane and indoles. This duo, according to information I read on a Web site called the World's Healthiest Foods, boosts the body's "detoxification enzymes."

Washington -- From the green, yucky juice of broccoli, cabbage, collards and the like, scientists have squeezed still another chemical that seems to inhibit cancer cells.The new substance stimulates production of enzymes that can break down carcinogens, including the female hormone estrogen, Texas A&M University researchers reported in today's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.Trouble is, this chemical seems to work in almost the opposite way from other broccoli-derived compounds that are thought to have anti-cancer properties.