Chile

Cookbook author Jane Butel has campaigned for years to have chili declared America's national dish. She failed only by degree. Chili, lovingly known as the "bowl of red," is certainly the national dish of winter. "What's not to like?" asked Butel, author of the new Chili Madness: A Passionate Cookbook, which updates her best-seller of 30 years ago. "It is easy to make. It comes in one pot. It improves with time and reheating. It makes enough for a crowd. And it is exciting to the human taste buds."

Leaving the shells on shrimp protects the delicate flesh underneath from the searing heat of a skillet, an oven or a grill. Once cooked, the shrimp is more moist, more tender. Tastier, too, as the shell infuses the shrimp with extra flavor. Only problem: eating the shrimp. Some people just eat the shrimp shell and all (I often do). Others fuss around, prying the shell off the cooked tail with fork or fingers. Serve the shrimp with Asian noodles. Bill Daley writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis.

Arthur Howard, of Catonsville, asks, "If the time zone immediately east of Pacific [Time] is Mountain, does the time zone immediately east of Eastern [Time] have a name?" Indeed it does, to the relief of Canadians living in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and parts of Quebec. It's called Atlantic Standard Time, and it's an hour ahead of us. Clocks in Bermuda, the Eastern Caribbean islands, Venezuela, western Brazil, Bolivia and Chile also run one hour ahead of Eastern Time.

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Chile's Supreme Court approved yesterday the extradition of Peru's former president, Alberto K. Fujimori, on charges of human rights abuses and corruption related to his time in power during the 1990s. The ruling, which cannot be appealed, could set an important international precedent for extradition cases of former heads of state wanted for atrocities, according to human rights advocates. After the ruling, Fujimori, 69, could be transported to Peru as early as next week, Chilean government officials said.

LONDON -- Chilean Gen. Augusto Pinochet lost another key legal battle yesterday when a British magistrate ruled that he can be extradited to Spain to face charges of torture and conspiracy during his 17-year rule.The ailing, 83-year-old former dictator issued a defiant written protest of innocence, while his opponents outside the packed courtroom, and in Chile and Spain, celebrated a triumph in their improbable bid to bring a former head of state to justice.It could be months before the case leaves Britain.

A MEMORABLE PLACEAt the end of a year's assignment in Chile, my wife and I received from friends a weekend stay at La Hosteria de la Colina, a wonderful B & B in Villarrica. While Sue and I had traveled a few hours north and east of Santiago, we had never been to the south.Many who come to live and work in Chile from overseas manage to head south to camp or tour at some point, and so we had heard a great deal about this area. Some of our Chilean friends made treks there as well. That made us eager for the experience, and we welcomed this gift with real delight.

Of all the battles of his interminable life, there is one that Gen. Augusto Pinochet, Chile's former dictator under house arrest in London since last October, can no longer hope to win. I am not referring to the battle to avoid extradition to Spain on charges of torture and genocide. Whatever the outcome of the hearings, the general has already lost the war for something more essential and permanent: the struggle for the way in which he will be remembered beyond his death, how the hard syllables that form his name -- Pi-no-chet -- will endure and become solidified in tomorrow's vocabulary.

ALEJANDRO GIRONAS is a handsome, brown-eyed teen-ager with an engaging smile. And Giro -- pronounced "hero" -- as his friends call him, has reason to smile.He is an exchange student from Los Andes, Chile, who was welcomed into the homes of two local families this year as part of the American Field Service intercultural program.AFS, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1915, provides opportunities for people to gain knowledge, practice skills and acquire the attitudes needed to live and work harmoniously in a global society.

CHILLAN, Chile -- No matter what happens in today's presidential election, Chile will make history.If Ricardo Lagos wins, he will become the first Socialist president since Salvador Allende was overthrown in a U.S-backed military coup in 1973 and died as planes bombed the presidential palace.If Joaquin Lavin wins, he will become the first rightist president since Gen. Augusto Pinochet obeyed the wishes of the voters after a referendum in 1988 and relinquished power after more than 16 years of dictatorship.

SANTIAGO, CHILE -- While he remained in Chile, as retired dictator and senator for life, Gen. Augusto Pinochet was a not entirely powerless monitor of those who have replaced him since his defeat in a 1988 plebiscite restoring democratic government. The army, under his influence, continues to exercise constitutional authority over national security matters.His incautious journey to London, and what followed, has left the army disconcerted and angry. However, President Eduardo Frei's government has conducted itself in a manner that allows no military criticism.

2007 Root: 1 Carmenere From: Colchagua Valley, Chile Price: $13 Serve with: Grilled steak, pasta Thanks to Betsy Farrell for tipping me off to this smooth, affordably priced wine from the underappreciated carmenere grape, a red Bordeaux varietal that has flourished more in Chile than it ever did in France. This lush, ripe wine offers plenty of portlike flavor of blackberry and plums and an appealing spiciness. There's a lot of value here.

Cookbook author Jane Butel has campaigned for years to have chili declared America's national dish. She failed only by degree. Chili, lovingly known as the "bowl of red," is certainly the national dish of winter. "What's not to like?" asked Butel, author of the new Chili Madness: A Passionate Cookbook, which updates her best-seller of 30 years ago. "It is easy to make. It comes in one pot. It improves with time and reheating. It makes enough for a crowd. And it is exciting to the human taste buds."

Hamas declares end to six-month truce JERUSALEM : Hamas declared a formal end to its cease-fire with Israel yesterday, ruling out an extension of a six-month-old pact that began fraying weeks ago with tit-for-tat attacks across Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for the group that governs Gaza, said the truce would expire at 6 a.m. today. He said it was not being renewed because "the enemy refused to comply" with promises to lift a crippling blockade of the Palestinian enclave and halt military attacks.

Looks like the Fauxfeller picked the wrong town to disappear in. The saga of Clark Rockefeller, or whoever this orange-haired guy with the black Woody Allen glasses is, took a strange turn through Baltimore, where it began to unravel. I don't even know what to call this guy at this point - Charles Smith? Chip Smith? Clark Rock? He's used all three, and more, and maybe would have gotten to Chris Rock eventually. Even he might not know what his real name is, so I'm proposing, the way we used to have to refer to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, or TAFKAP, to call him TACFKAR, The (Alleged)

660 CURRIES The Gateway to Indian Cooking By Raghavan Iyer Workman Publishing / 2008 / $22.95 Think curry dishes are limited to the menu items at your local Indian restaurant? Raghavan Iyer urges you to broaden your definition to any preparation of meat, fish, poultry, legumes, vegetables or fruit that is simmered or smothered in a fragrant gravy or sauce. Move over, plain yellow powders and pastes. There's a treasure-trove of Indian recipes here, both authentic and experimental. "Contemporary curries" is the most unusual section, melding Iyer's native cuisine with Western cooking techniques.

Donald Gansauer, in Canton, remembers that the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines caused global cooling for several years. "Do climatologists believe the current eruptions of the Chaiten volcano in Chile and Mount Etna in Italy will have a similar effect?" Not Mount Etna. Chaiten's blast, while smaller than Pinatubo's, has sent dust to 55,000 feet, high enough to persist and cut sunlight. But the southern oceans steady temperatures below the equator. Dust needs to spread north to cool the planet.

It's vibrant green and looks like a small, underripe tomato hidden under a delicate, paperlike husk. Peel back that wrapping to reveal firm, slightly sticky flesh with a scent faintly reminiscent of freshly picked herbs. Take one bite and the sweet-tart flavor rings with plum, apple and citrus notes. The tomatillo, a close but very independent cousin of the tomato and cape gooseberry, is known by several names, including husk tomato, jam berry and Mexican green tomato. Although the tomatillo is widely available year-round, its main season is May through October.

VALPARAISO, CHILE / / As the tram moves up the steep tracks of Artilleria Hill, I catch glimpses of Valparaiso and its port below. The ride is a mere 5 minutes, and at the top we emerge on a promenade lifted from the late 19th century. It has cobblestones, blossoming trees and a cast-iron railing worthy of Queen Victoria with all its flourishes. We stand alongside tourists and Chileans, hushed by the view before us. Valparaiso makes a perfect crescent along the Pacific Ocean, with the city's famous 42 hills rising behind.

Quick Breads By Linda Collister 100 Magnificent Muffins & Scones By Felicity Barnum-Bobb Collins / 2007 / $13.95 The chocolate-sauce covered "muffin" topped with a candy bar on the cover of this pretty book is telling: A good number of the muffins inside strongly resemble their popular cousin, the cupcake. Pink Fairy Muffins and Marbled Soccer Muffins are dressed up for birthday parties. White Chocolate Rose Wedding Muffins would make a stunning and different presentation for a nuptial celebration, though with dessert wine among the ingredients and more than 1,000 calories for the "mega" size, I wouldn't eat them for breakfast.

They were modern adventure travelers, following the doomed route of Ernest Shackleton to the frozen ends of the Earth. They paid $7,000 to $16,000 to cruise on a ship that had proudly plowed the Antarctic for 40 years. But sometime early yesterday, the Explorer, fondly known in the maritime world as "the little red ship," quietly struck ice. There were the alarms, then the captain's voice on the public address system calling all 154 passengers and crew to the lecture hall, according to passenger accounts on the radio and others relayed from rescuers and the tour operator.