Poppy

PITAYO, Colombia -- Eight people were murdered last year in this small mountain village of Paez Indians; at least six of the deaths are blamed on a flower.Townspeople also tell of the advent of prostitution and the rape of more than a dozen girls, all in the past few years. Same cause: "la flor."So it has gone since the beginning of the decade when this reservation of 5,200 residents, wedged high in the Andes of southwest Colombia, saw the arrival of the opium poppy -- the source of heroin -- and with it the disintegration of a community.

Q. I have been told at various times by friends and co-workers that eating poppy seeds can cause one to test false positive for either marijuana or heroin on a drug test. Is this true, and if so, XTC which drug is it that one tests positive for? How many poppy seeds does one need to eat to test positive (e.g., would one bagel with poppy seeds have this effect)?A. Opiates (morphine and codeine, not marijuana) can be detected in urine for at least 48 hours after eating food with poppy seeds.

MATTHEW DYJACK has a busy month ahead, collecting money for both the Kiwanis Club and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.The Odenton Kiwanis Club will conduct a March of Dimes Roadblock from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Routes 170 and 175. Donations will go to the March of Dimes, Birth Defects Foundation, Central Maryland Chapter. Dyjack, the club president, said he hopes this year's effort will equal those of previous years.Then Odenton's Meade Memorial VFW Post 5172 will hold a VFW "buddy" poppy sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 24 and 25 at the Fort Meade Commissary.

NAD-I-ALI, Afghanistan -- As the golden sun sets over the rich fields outside this village of mud houses and turbaned men, farmers tend to their crops, weeding, fertilizing and bringing precious water to the sprouting plants.It is the kind of scene American planners had in mind in the 1950s when they began transforming the deserts of southern Afghanistan into lucrative cropland.In one of the most expensive U.S. foreign-aid projects of the time, dams were built along the Helmand River, canals were dug, highways were laid, and new cities grew.

LAST WEEK in this column I reported on the winner of the Carroll County Forestry Board's annual Arbor Day Poster Contest. The winning class was Penny Segessenman's third-grade class at Charles Carroll Elementary.What I didn't know last week is that the winning poster was not designed by the whole class, but by student Zach Bair. Many of Segessenman's students designed entries. Then the class voted on the one that would represent it. Zach's poster was the winner and went on to take top honors from all the posters submitted by first- through fifth-grade classes countywide.

HARUNDALE PRESBYTERIAN Church will play host to a mother-daughter banquet at 6 tonight in the fellowship hall, 1020 Eastway.The dinner is free to members of the church and their guests and will include a fashion show of wedding dresses "through the years," said coordinator Becky Valenta."

Not all baked sweets have to be fattening. These light, fresh-tasting poppy citrus muffins contain less than one gram of fat per muffin, yet they taste rich and indulgent.The muffins are low in fat because they're made with skim milk and nonfat plain yogurt instead of butter, margarine or shortening. Yet they have plenty of fresh, memorable flavor courtesy of a combination of orange and lemon peels and crunchy, delicate poppy seeds. A delicious, sweet-sour glaze gives the final touch of flavor on top.You don't have to be a master baker to get good results from this recipe.

This contemporary dish credits its roots to Middle Eastern cuisine where meats and poultry are often combined with fruits. The creator of the dish, Lynn Fischer, the "Low Cholesterol Gourmet" (as seen on the Discovery Channel) has pared the fat without any loss of flavor. Two versions of apricots add lots of zest and the dried cherries (or cranberries) give the dish a very polished character. Consider this a company standby.An effortless trick to removing skin and fat is to have your butcher do it, literally.

Poppies, poppies, poppies!To this day, simply saying or hearing the name of this particular flower causes my mind to conjure up an awful image of the wicked witch in "The Wizard of Oz."I'll never forget that important scene where Dorothy, Toto and their friends (Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion) were crossing the poppy field en route to see the Wizard.The wicked witch watched in her crystal ball as the group made its way toward the poppy field.As she concocted her poison, she knew that the poppy field would serve her purpose.

OLNEY -- Radio plays are nothing new. But a play about radio is a bit more unusual. And it's especially challenging if the play is not only about the magic of radio, but also about the magic of storytelling.John Olive's "Voice of the Prairie" -- the season opener at the newly renovated Olney Theatre -- pulls all of this off. It does so, first, by celebrating the early days of radio in a tone so far removed from sappy nostalgia that at times it verges on being downright eerie. Second, as directed by Jim Petosa, the production shows a high degree of theatricalism.

British director Mike Leigh has made the first great comedy for our new depression. Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky tells the story of a sunny soul who lets her smile be her umbrella and sometimes her human pest repellent. It has a big-hearted optimism. It pays tribute to characters who hold on to their aplomb even in plummeting circumstances. Leigh's heroine, Poppy (Sally Hawkins), has put together her life with an existential do-it-yourself kit. When you see her hopping bars with her roommate Zoe (the droll Alexis Zegerman)

Mike Leigh is tickled that critics have hailed Happy-Go- Lucky, an invigorating tribute to a beautiful dreamer who happens to teach school, as if it were a change of pace. He chuckles when he says, "It is and it isn't. Each of my films has its dark and light side. I like to serve up a different dish every time I invite you around to supper." His method is always to cook up characters with actors who are complete partners in developing the psychology, conflict and narrative of a piece. This m.o. has earned him five Oscar nominations and numerous international awards for movies such as Secrets and Lies . Happy-Go-Lucky began with his desire to explore the "great vitality" of actress Sally Hawkins, who had already performed splendidly for him in Vera Drake and All or Nothing.

Robosurgeon: Sarah Price donned scrubs and, with some coaxing, climbed into a chair to work the arms of Baltimore Washington Medical Center's new surgical robot. The 6-year-old won a contest at Glen Burnie Park Elementary School to name the nearby hospital's new high-tech addition - "Poppy" - and, with her classmates, got a look at a potential career field. Christmas kitsch: In Bel Air, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - from a bygone era. An exhibit opening today at the Liriodendron features aluminum Christmas trees with ornaments that are "just as aesthetically challenged."

Do not be fooled by his diminutive size, slobbering devotion to smoked sausage or the dainty sweaters he wears in winter. Papageorgio "Poppy" Bidle-Booth is a serious athlete. Today, with two regional victories under his, uh, collar, the 2-year-old Bay Ridge canine will attempt to blow away the competition today at the Petco Unleashed National Chihuahua Races in San Diego. But for Poppy, it's not about winning. "He doesn't even know he races," said Rob Booth, 33, who owns the dog with his girlfriend, Brande Bidle, 30. Rather what speeds the sand-colored pup along the 35-foot course is the sight of Bidle by the finish line and the tempting aroma wafting from the plate of smoked sausage she carries.

POPPY AND STELLA 728 S. Broadway, Fells Point 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday 410-522-1970 or poppyandstella.com Whether it's a hot date, a business conference or a walk in the park you're going on, Poppy and Stella has a shoe for "every kind of woman," according to owner Kelley Krohn. The shop, located in Fells Point, sells shoes that range from $30 to $300, and handbags from $30 to $250. Krohn started out in the mortgage business.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a drug-eradication team in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 40, authorities said. Twelve police officers were among the dead in the assault, the latest in a string of attacks by militants against government teams responsible for destroying the lucrative opium poppy crop during the planting season. The insurgency is fueled with profits from the drug trade. The seven other people killed were civilians, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

On July 12, 2007, DON McCARTIN; loving father of Kevin McCartin and his wife Tracy, Brian McCartin and his wife, Dawn; loving brother of Linda Marcellino, Gary McCartin and Michael McCartin; loving grandfather "Poppy" of Brian Jr., Ciarrah, Brianna, Matthew and Tony; son of Don Sr. and the late Marion McCartin; longtime best friend to Joe Lorenz. Also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Family members and friends may call at the family owned AMBROSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 1328 Sulphur Spring Road, Arbutus on Sunday, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 PM. Service will be held on Monday, at 11 AM. Interment to follow at the West Nottingham Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rising Sun, MD. www.ambrosefuneralhomes.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's opium harvest this year has reached the highest levels ever recorded, showing an increase of almost 50 percent from last year, the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, said yesterday in Kabul. He described the figures as "alarming" and "very bad news" for the Afghan government and international donors who have poured millions of dollars into programs to reduce the poppy crop since 2001. He said the increase in cultivation was fueled by the resurgence of Taliban rebels in the south, the country's prime opium-growing region.

On November 3, 2005, THOMAS EDWARD JACOBS, beloved husband of Margaret A. Jacobs (nee Schlaffer); beloved father of Tom and Cindy Jacobs, Ann and Neil Burns, Jay and Angie Jacobs, and Mike and Laura Jacobs; loving poppy to Matthew, Hailey, Jarrett, Leah, Cole and Ashleigh; also survived by many loving relatives. The family will receive friends Sunday 7 to 9 and Monday 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. at HARRY H. WITZKE's FAMILY FUNERAL HOME INC., 4112 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City. Mass of Christian Burial Tuesday 10 A.M. at Church of the Resurrection.

On Saturday, September 6, 2003, THOMAS FRANKLIN WRIGHT, loving son of Sharon Neal; devoted brother of Robert Wright and Johnathan Wright; loving grandson of Poppy Neal. Also survived by aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and many dear friends. The family will receive at 8900 Reisterstown Road, Thursday and Friday evenings only, from 6 to 9 P.M.