Pork Chops

Scientists say you can tell a lot about a county by examining its rubbish. For example, people who excavate landfills (and folks worry that this nation has a shortage of professions) say the richer the community, the more of the asparagus stalk they snap off and throw away. I wonder about this, since I never see a lot of people paying with an Independence Card who are buying asparagus in the first place. Usually the closest they get to a green vegetable is lime Jello.

Big Sydney Games - I like that sound It's tough not to get a swelled head when you hear your name so much on television. Just ask Tiger Woods. Well, move over Tiger. There's a new big-headed man on the scene. And his name is Sydney. That's right. Sydney. You've surely been hearing that name all over the dial (although you young-un's may not know what I mean by dial). Yep, the Summer Olympics have come to my town, the city they named after me. Didn't know that?

kevinc@herald-mail.com Chef Henry Haller was at work early on Aug. 9, 1974. It was 7:30 a.m., and as he entered his kitchen a middle-aged man turned from another conversation and approached. Dressed in pajamas and bare feet, the weight of the world on his shoulders, the man approached Haller, who greeted his employer. "Chef, I've been eating all over the world," Haller recalls President Richard M. Nixon saying. "And your food was the best. " Nearly 30 years later, Haller is still slightly taken with how Nixon, about to leave the White House in shame, could make a point of complimenting his chef on a job well done.

It had to come down to it sooner or later, and last week I had a rather unpleasant conversation with Mayor Bob Bruchey. Actually, all the unpleasantness took place on my side of the net. "Look," I hissed. "Fifteen months now you've been in office and you've given me nothing. No material whatsoever. No missing whirlpools, no minorities arrested in the streetcorner, no scenes with County Commissioners in the middle of a Chamber of Commerce forum, no Tonight Show appearances - nothing.

Pancake breakfast to benefit Habitat effort The annual pancake breakfast to benefit Habitat for Humanity will be Saturday from 7 to 11 a.m. at First Christian Church (in the fellowship hall) at 1345 Potomac Ave., Hagerstown. This will be the 12th annual breakfast sponsored by the Global Outreach Commission. The commission has pledged $1,000 for Habitat for Humanity. It would like to exceed this goal. Tickets cost $5 in advance and $5.50 at the door. Valentine's Day A special menu for Valentine's Day will be served Saturday, Feb. 14, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Morris Frock American Legion Post 42 on Northern Avenue.

The next meeting of Elizabethtown East Neighborhoods 1st will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. at The Gourmet Goat, 41 N. Potomac St. in Hagerstown. Nonalcoholic beverages and light refreshments will be provided. As usual, if you cannot make the evening meeting, the group will meet at the restaurant at 10 a.m. on the same day for coffee. Hagerstown Lions Club plans anniversary party On Saturday, the Hagerstown Lions Club will hold its 89th Charter Night celebrating the club’s anniversary since its founding in 1923.

By Anne Chovey Special to The Herald-Mail Windy Hill Restaurant sits on the hill outside of Clear Spring, just off Interstate 70. I had passed it many times, but never gone in until my friend, Kay Sedea, and I stopped for lunch recently. The restaurant, which has been open since 1976, sits in a brick building with ample parking across the front. We entered a small room with about eight tables and a bar along one side. It reminded me of the small independently owned family restaurants I used to go as a child: the type of place that has almost disappeared from the dining scene.

Western Heights Middle School's Parent Teacher Student Association will host its annual buy-one, get-one free book fair today through May 12 during regular school hours in the school's media center at 1300 Marshall St. The annual event is designed to provide students with the opportunity to stock up on summer reading material. There will be books for all ages and reading levels. Parents are urged to visit the book fair with their son or daughter after attending the child's Student-Led Conference on Wednesday, May 11. For more information or to preview selected titles,  go to http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/westernheights or call  301-766-8403.

Just because local farmers can acquire cloned animals doesn't mean you can grab a pack of cloned pork chops at the local grocer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Dec. 28 announcement -that meat and milk from cloned animals are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals - has polarized the opinions of farmers, consumer advocacy and industry groups, leaving consumers to ponder how use of the technology might affect the meat...

WILLIAMSPORT - When Tanya Ortiz first adopted the vegan lifestyle, she was doing it just for herself. But now, the Williamsport native is determined to bring this new way of eating and living to as many people as she can in her new role as a teacher. "I teach people how to eat a raw food vegan diet," Ortiz said. Now living in a new home in Falling Waters, W.Va., she has a large kitchen complete with a dining area she can use as a classroom. Certified as a raw food instructor since September, Ortiz studied with a doctor in Silver Spring, Md., who helped her when she first started on her journey.