Haddock

LEEDS, England -- Anything you ever wanted to know about fish and chips you can learn from Arnold Scholes, who has skinned, battered and fried Britain's most famous fast food for 50 years.The man knows his cod and can talk for hours about potatoes. But please, don't get Scholes started on quality of cooking oil, for if there's anything he loathes more than a McDonald's, it's a bag of limp and soggy fish and chips served up by a disinterested fryer."The fryer is letting himself and his trade down by turning out an inferior product," he says.

Carroll County has the largest field of school board candidates in more than a dozen years, with 24 hopefuls -- ranging from former school system employees to lawyers and community activists -- in the race for two seats as of last night's filing deadline.Two weeks ago, no one had filed to run for the Carroll County Board of Education, which has been embroiled in a grand jury investigation and several lawsuits over school construction.A steady stream of candidates since then ended with nine filing yesterday: Thelma P. Smith, Ellen Haddock, James E. Reter, Gregory A. Dorsey, Mary Oldewurtel, Angela Lee, Henry George Griese IV, Ralph Grubb-Wheeler and Thomas A. Stone.

Fish have constituencies. Take cod, for instance. Bodybuilders love cod.They eat it by the plateful because they think it will help them display their muscles. It seems that when you are building your body, you want to eat food like cod, with a lot of protein but not much sodium. Sodium retains water, and the retained water sort of "clouds" your skin and blurs the best possible view of major muscles. And so, among the muscle-popping crowd, cod is a favorite fish.This insight came from Charles W. Parks Jr., manager of the Southern Seafood store in Dundalk.

MINNEAPOLIS -- When Best Buy Co. Inc. bought the Geek Squad five years ago, the two companies pledged to "protect the world from the assault of computerized technology." Geek Squad "agents" even wore badges and drove vehicles resembling police cars. But as this squadron of techno-nerds has mushroomed into the largest collection of computer troubleshooters in the world, it has become increasingly difficult for the firm to police its own employees. In recent months, allegations of agents copying pornography, music and alluring photos from customers' computers have circulated on the Internet.

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland -- Decades before Christopher Columbus set eyes upon the New World, Basque fishermen were hauling cod from the immensely fertile waters of the Grand Banks.In 1497, explorer John Cabot was dazzled by fishing grounds so abundant that flapping masses of cod, haddock, halibut, plaice and yellowfish could be scooped from the sea with a basket.Even in 1979, when Doug Howlett of the fishing hamlet of Petty Harbour followed generations of forebears down to the sea after cod, the bounty of the banks seemed endless.

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Like children anywhere with an answer to give, the youngsters playing in the suburban park here could hardly contain themselves."Tintin! Tintin and Snowy!" several of the small voices exclaimed in chorus."Captain Haddock!" came another reply."Oh, I love them all!" shouted a little 8-year-old named Laura, jumping up and down.The children, part of a city-run recreational program, were reeling off their fictional heroes -- and none was new.Forget the latest gimmicks marketed to dazzle their young lives.

Eleven Naval Academy seniors will present the results of their year of independent research as Trident Scholars at a conference on April 20.This year's Trident Scholars and their hometowns are Midshipmen David L. Blazes, Scranton, Pa.; Brian L. Davies, Newark, Del.; Jeffrey S. Dodge, La Jolla, Calif.; Robert C. Dunn, Prairie Grove, Ark.; Brian F. Hussey Jr., San Ramon, Ca.; Anthony J. Kotarski, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; William D. Kulp III, Salisbury; Paul A. Larson, Medina, Ohio; Casey J. Moton, Woodbridge, Va.; Stephen F. Murphy, Catonsville; and Daniel B. Robinson, Winchester, Va.During their junior year, the program candidates submitted their project proposals for review and recommendation by the Trident Scholar committee.

Fall is New England's signature season, in both foliage and food. It brings the flavors of tradition - apples and cranberries, maple syrup, squash and pumpkins in vivid colors and interesting shapes. Hearty chowders and stews. Indian pudding. Pancakes, with the fruit of the orchard. And the abundant bounty of the sea, so much a part of life from Connecticut to Maine.

Making soup used to be an all-day project, since homemade stock takes hours to prepare. But if you can find a canned stock you can cut hours off cooking time without compromising taste.The following nutritious soups can be prepared in less than an hour. Low-fat milk thickened with a bit of cornstarch gives "Down East" fish chowder body and creaminess -- without the cream. A slightly sweetened chicken broth gives Swedish cabbage soup with meatballs its delicate flavor, which is accompanied nicely by Swedish rye crisps.

The Elliotts could volunteer their weekends and evenings doing just about anything, but the Pasadena couple spend their time registering bicycles, directing traffic and helping to fingerprint children for the Anne Arundel County police. They've volunteered more than 5,000 hours as reserve officers, service that was recognized yesterday when they received the Governor's Crime Prevention Award. "We wanted to make a difference and let police know the community cares," said Josiah Elliott, 59, who works for the Department of Defense.