Milk

* The form of milk with the most calories is whole-fat chocolate, with 230 calories per cup.* Whole milk has 150 to 160, depending on the brand.* Low-fat has 140, extra-light and most buttermilks have 120.* The low-cal winner is skim milk, with 90 calories.* Whole milk is about 3.5 percent fat. This equals nine grams per cup, five grams saturated, which translates into two teaspoons of fat.* The cholesterol count is 33 milligrams per cup for whole milk, 22 for low-fat and only four for nonfat.

Not everyone deserves a second chance, but most of the characters on "American Horror Story" didn't belong in the Briarcliff Manor asylum in the first place. For those who survived the torturous evil of Dr. Arden, demon Mary Eunice and Dr. Oliver Thredson, this week's episode was about redemption and starting life anew. That is, except for Pepper. The little bald mutant gets sentenced to steaming bath therapy in what might be her last appearance. And Sister Jude, who will have plenty of time to diddle herself with cucumbers now that all her friends are gone.

Once again, Maryland's dairy industry is asking the General Assembly to create a state milk commission to lift dairy prices. Gov. Parris N. Glendening, who often speaks of the need for government to get out of the free market's way, has nevertheless endorsed this special interest legislation.Local dairy farmers complain that Pennsylvania and Virginia producers, supported by their milk commissions, are dumping excess product in Maryland and depressing raw milk prices here. A price support program in Maryland would help local dairy farmers remain in business, proponents say.A milk commission will not, however, solve dairy farmers' basic problem -- national overproduction of milk.

A frequent bugaboo of the fiscal cliff debacle was the "milk cliff" - the threat of milk price doubling if Congress failed to extend dairy subsidies. Parents were expected to forgo other necessities because their children "had to have milk. " Most industries would gladly give up their tax loopholes for that kind of product loyalty. But this one is totally undeserved. Consumption of dairy products, laden with saturated fats, cholesterol, hormones, and drugs, elevates the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

IT'S A RARE day that I measure milk. Most of the time I use whatever fills the cup or bowl, and when the carton is empty, it's empty. But last winter, while making a traditional family recipe that calls for careful measurement, the quart of milk I'd bought for the purpose came up short; the last cup was only three-quarters of a cup. Too slight a matter to warrant a formal complaint, I muttered a few traditional curses in the direction of the dairy and...

IF MONEY is the milk of politics, the gambling industry is a veritable dairy. As state after state legalized gambling in the 1990s, political cups overflowed with gambling money. To a great degree, the industry gets what it wants - government-granted monopolies on huge revenue streams - by serving as a big and reliable source of campaign funds. In Maryland, according to a recent study by Common Cause, gambling interests have given almost $700,000 to politicians during the five years prior to January.

The late FBI director J. Edgar Hoover would have hated director Clint Eastwood's new movie about him, but audiences are likely to be intrigued by it. Although "J. Edgar" does not realize its full dramatic potential, it's an ambitious attempt to get inside the mind of a man for whom secrecy was a professional attribute. During his long career, Eastwood's strength as a director has been his adherence to straightforward, deliberately paced storytelling that encourages actors to develop their characters in an incremental fashion.

My niece is allergic to dairy products. Can I make Yorkshire pudding without milk, substituting maybe chicken broth? Originating in the Yorkshire region in the north of England, the pudding originally was made in the fat drippings from a roast beef and then served with gravy as part of a roast beef dinner. Mostly crust, it is raised by steam and eggs in a very hot oven, much like its American cousin, the popover. Although milk plays a part in the puffing up of the batter, I don't think its role is critical.

For all the Little Leaguers emulating his batting stance, for all the adults who dream of his fame or his bankbook, not enough people apparently care to be like Cal Ripken Jr. in the milk-drinking department.Let's not lay this all at the feet of the Orioles' star and milk pitchman; he's got enough pressure. But for a host of reasons, from changing lifestyles to mixed medical advice, milk drinking ain't what it used to be.That certainly has a major impact on Carroll County, which just dropped from being No. 2 in Maryland milk production (behind Frederick County)

Price commissions seldom work for the consumer's benefit. If the commodity is in high demand, the price rises (above or under the table) or the item becomes unavailable. If demand is low, many consumers will find the product or service elsewhere at a market price; the disadvantaged will be forced to pay the artificially set higher price.The proposal to create a state milk price commission is one such animal, even though its dairy farmer advocates claim it would not increase consumer prices.

The four black orbs — dark-tinted security cameras — watch silently overhead in a room filled with stainless-steel pipes. The pipes carry raw milk from four large holding tanks outside the building into two large metal cabinets that look like oversized car radiators. This is one of the critical points in Cloverland Dairy's production process, where raw milk is pasteurized — heated well above 161 degrees Fahrenheit — and then pumped through pipes into other parts of the Baltimore plant for processing and packaging.

LaQuasha Singletary was having a normal pregnancy until the day her blood pressure shot up and her vision blurred. The Pikesville woman was rushed to Sinai Hospital, where she delivered a 2-pound, 8-ounce baby boy named Caleb Lyles 10 weeks sooner than expected. Caleb's early delivery left him vulnerable to necrotizing intestinal disorder, a potentially deadly disease common in premature babies whose digestive systems aren't fully developed. Studies show feeding with breast milk exclusively reduces babies chances of getting the disease.

If money is the mother's milk of politics, then America's big corporations are Big Mama, and Big Baby is the Republican Party suckling at the enormous bosom of business. Democrats, meanwhile, are abandoned brats scrounging for nourishment wherever they can find it. During the long decades the Democrats held a solid majority in Congress, campaign donations from the corporate world were spread around between incumbents in both parties -- not evenly, but at least the D's got their share.

The Taneytown History Museum is featuring two small, but vivid, exhibits that focus on very different aspects of north Carroll County history: Its brush with the Civil War, and its 200-year heritage of dairy farming. The exhibit "Got Milk: A Brief History of Carroll County Dairy Farming, 1800-1930" takes up only one room in the museum on East Baltimore Street, yet offers a glimpse into dairy farming's economic and cultural importance in Carroll during earlier times. The displays are comprised of an eclectic assortment of photographs, paintings and articles describing several diary industry tools that were invented in Carroll County and marketed nationally.

Three people were killed Friday after a car lost control on a curve and crashed into a milk truck in Phoenix, Baltimore County police said. A Volkswagen Jetta was traveling northbound on Jarrettsville Pike when it crossed the center line into the path of the truck, police said. The Jetta overturned on its left side. The truck struck a tree and remained upright, but its tanker turned on its left side, police said. The crash occurred at 6:09 a.m. in the 12600 block of Jarrettsville Pike, just north of the intersection with Dulaney Valley Road.

Baltimore's own Carmelo Anthony is the latest celebrity to don a milk mustache. Except his is chocolate. The Knicks star is helping launch the latest campaign for the Milk Processsor Education Program, which is famous for the "Got Milk?" campaign and milk mustaches. The new spin is  "Got Chocolate Milk?" Melo was all over the place Monday promoting the drink, first on the Mike & Mike radio show, then on to Dan Patrick. He Tweeted about both appearances. Anthony will be appearing in print and television ads touting the health and workout benefits of chugging chocolate milk.

Carroll County Public Schools announced its policy for free and reduced price meals and , if applicable, free milk. The following household size income criteria is used to determineeligibility.Family .. .. .. Free meals .. .. .. Reduced-pricesize .. .. .. .. . or milk .. .. .. .. .. . meals1 .. .. .. .. .. . $8,853 .. .. .. .. .. $12,5992 .. .. .. .. .. . 11,947 .. .. .. .. .. . 17,0023 .. .. .. .. .. . 15,041 .. .. .. .. .. . 21,4054 .. .. .. .. .. . 18,135 .. .. .. .. .. . 25,8085 .. .. .. .. .. . 21,229 .. .. .. .. .. . 30,2116 .. .. .. .. .. . 24,323 .. .. .. .. .. . 34,6147 .. .. .. .. .. . 27,417 .. .. .. .. .. . 39,0178 .. .. .. .. .. . 30,511 .. .. .. .. .. . 43,420Note: For each additional family member add $3,094 fpr free meals or milk and $4,403 for reduced-price mealsSource: Carroll County Public Schools

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post to The Baltimore Sun's health blog Picture of Health (baltimoresun.com/pictureofhealth), which is reprinted here. This week, Amy Reed, RD, LDN, weighs in on milk. When you are standing in the milk aisle in the grocery store, what are you looking for? Are you lactose intolerant? Do you have a milk allergy? Do you dislike the taste of certain milk products? Are you vegan? How much money do you want to spend on milk?

Six people were infected with Campylobacter by raw milk from the Family Cow dairy store in Chambersburg, Pa., including three in Maryland, the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday. The bacteria causes diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and can progress into a more serious bloodstream infection, usually two to five days after exposure. The state agency and the health department in Pennsylvania are advising consumers to discard any product bought from this farm since Jan. 1. The implicated milk comes in plastic gallon, half gallon and pint containers and is sold directly to consumers on the farm and at drop off points and retail stores in Pennsylvania.