California Chooses Sterile Insects to Fight Moth Invasion

SACRAMENTO, California -- Backing off earlier plans for aerial spraying, California state officials announced they will fight the light brown apple moth farming pest by using a form of insect birth control.

The plan by the California Department of Food and Agriculture is to release mass quantities of infertile moths, interfering with the insects' ability to reproduce.

Environmental groups that had rallied against a proposal to aerial spray the Monterey and Santa Cruz coastal region this summer, praised the change.

"We at Earthjustice are glad that the CDFA has acknowledged that its plan to aerially spray Bay Area cities with pesticides to eradicate the apple moth was a terrible idea from the start - it wasn't safe, it wouldn't work, and it wasn't necessary," Managing Attorney Deborah Reames said in a statement.

"Sterile moths are a very good idea for long-term management of a pest like the light brown apple moth," added Pesticide Action Network North America in a website posting.

State Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura said officials started looking into alternative forms of pest control when the light brown apple moth was identified in California in March 2007, but had not anticipated that the so-called Sterile Insect Technique, or SIT, would be ready so quickly.

"SIT has been successful for more than 30 years in California and around the globe against a variety of insects - most famously the medfly," Kawamura said in a statement.

"Scientists had expected to need five to seven years to adapt SIT to the apple moth, but their work has progressed much more rapidly than expected," he said. "We now plan to begin limited releases of the sterile moths in 2009, with a full-scale program up and running in 2011."

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a letter of support to Kawamura, said that "creating the most sustainable tools to halt these pests is imperative. That will continue to be my direction in addressing all invasive pests that threaten California."

The light brown apple moth is a native of Australia, and is found also in New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Hawaii. Detection of the moth in California?s San Francisco Bay Area last year was the first on the mainland, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Its name notwithstanding, the moth larva feeds on a wide variety of plants, including - most ominously for California agriculture - peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, grapes, cherries and citrus, as well as apples and pears. It can also damage landscape trees; among them, state signature species such as cypresses, redwoods and oaks.

The use of Sterile Insect Technology involves subjecting male insects to ionizing radiation, which renders them infertile while still enabling them to "function in the field," successfully mating with wild females, according to a report on the subject by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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Jennifer Lopez names newborn twins Emme and Max

Enlarge Photo Singer Jennifer Lopez is seen performing on ABC's "Good Morning America" television show in New...

Sat, Mar 1 07:50 AM

Movie and recording star Jennifer Lopez and her husband, salsa singer Marc Anthony, have named their newborn twins Max and Emme, her manager told People magazine's Web site on Friday.

The brother and sister -- the first children born to the 38-year-old actress -- were delivered about 10 minutes apart last Friday at a Long Island hospital.

Emme, weighing (2.6 kg), arrived first at about 12 minutes past midnight, and Max was born at 12:23 a.m., tipping the scales at 2.7 kg even, Lopez's manager, Simon Fields, confirmed to People.com.

Lopez and Anthony, who has a daughter and two sons from two previous relationships, married in 2004. It is her third marriage. The couple starred together last year in "El Cantante," a film about salsa legend Hector Lavoe.

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World Chefs - Love urbanizes U.S. western cuisine

Tue, Mar 4 04:47 PM

Texas-based Tim Love is known for his sophisticated interpretations of U.S. western cuisine while preserving its bold flavors and multi-cultural origins.

Meat and wild game, the focal point of Love's cooking, are often paired with global touches such as Swedish lingonberries and Spanish Manchego cheese.

In 2003, the self-taught chef and a crew traveled in a trail drive from Fort Worth to New York City after the James Beard House invited him to cook a celebration dinner in honor of the late chef and food writer's 100th birthday. During the trip Love, bought ingredients from local markets, which he used for the dinner.

Love, who often sports a cowboy hat, owns three restaurants in Fort Worth including his flagship, The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro.

Love, 36, spoke to Reuters about his cooking and why Australians like Texans.

Q: What makes your cuisine "urban Western"?

A: "I was born and raised in Denton, Texas, so in Texas you are around a lot of different cultures all the time. There is a lot of hunting capabilities in Texas so that style of cooking encompasses a lot of wild animals and cultures that make up the West. You have the Germans, Italians, French traders and Chinese railroad workers and all these influences using native ingredients. I've taken all those cultures and urbanized it."

Q: What part of the world inspires you now?

A: "Now I use things from Australia and New Zealand because to me, when I visited there, it had the same thing Texas had going for it back to in the days of wide open spaces. I consider it's the New West. I have visited there a few times. I have a friend in Perth. I visited the wine areas. They really embrace Texans. They are really proud of where they are from, just like Texans."

Q: Any tips for cooking games?

A: "Game meats in themselves are not that gamey if it's prepared correctly. The thing that makes it gamier is the fat content. Game meat tends to be leaner so you add fat to the meat by like using lardon and other pork products. You need the fat in there to flavor the meat. You also want to use really bold flavors and really pungent herbs like garlic, chilies, rosemary and thyme."

Q: What is your favorite game to work with?

A: "Rabbit is the best white meat in the world. When prepared properly and you put it next to chicken, there is no comparison. It has a creamy quality to it. It's a little less lean than chicken. As far as bird goes, I love working with pheasants. As far as four-legged animal, I love working with red deer. As far as wild fish, I love barramundi."

Q: What do you cook for yourself?

A: "I like to cook whole anything but I end up feeding like a million people when I do it. You get so many different flavors and textures when you finished with just out one cooking process."

RECIPE

SPICY LAMB CHILI (Serves 6)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 lb. lean ground American lamb

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 bay leaf

1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

3 cups canned kidney beans

Salt and pepper

Dry Jack cheese, for garnish

Chopped onion, for garnish

1. In a large heavy-bottom stock pot, heat olive oil and cook onions and ground lamb over medium heat.

2. When onions are soft and meat browned, add garlic and season with red pepper flakes, oregano, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, chili powder and bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and beans and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. To serve: Ladle into bowls and garnish with toppings.

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Anna Nicole Smith daughter Dannielynn named heir

Anna Nicole Smith daughter Dannielynn named heir

Enlarge Photo Anna Nicole Smith walks into the media tent during an appearance backstage in this file...

Wed, Mar 5 04:16 AM

A judge on Tuesday ruled that the baby daughter of deceased model Anna Nicole Smith is the sole heir to her estate, meaning 18-month-old Dannielynn could inherit a multimillion-dollar fortune.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff's ruling also established a trust for Dannielynn that would be administered by Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, and Dannielynn's father, Larry Birkhead.

Smith, a former Playboy model and television actress, died in February last year of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, roughly five months after Dannielynn was born. Smith's son, Daniel, died only three days after Dannielynn's birth. He was 20.

Daniel had been Anna Nicole Smith's heir according to a will that was written well before his death, but the actress/model never changed the will. Stern, who is executor of Smith's estate, had petitioned the Los Angeles court in October to name Dannielynn as the sole heir.

"We and Mr. Stern always believed that Anna Nicole never intended to disinherit her daughter," Stern's lawyer, Bruce Ross, said after the hearing. "I'm pleased to say this chapter in the saga is closed."

At the time of her death, Smith was embroiled in a legal battle over the will of billionaire oil tycoon Howard Marshall.

She married Marshall when she was 26 years old and he was 89. He died 14 months later with a fortune estimated at $1.6 billion, triggering a battle between Smith and Marshall's family over his estate that still has not been resolved.

If that dispute is settled and Anna Nicole Smith's estate receives a large payout, the money would belong to Dannielynn.

The birth of Dannielynn and deaths of Daniel and Anna Nicole Smith were the subjects of a huge media frenzy last year due to the actress/model's celebrity.

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Trim the grocery bill, not nutrition

TORONTO, (Reuters) -- Food prices, fuel costs and economic fears are growing, but that doesn't mean you can't eat healthfully while on a recession diet.

Feeding yourself and your family on a budget can still include nutritious lean protein, fruits and vegetables in your diet every day, said Holly Scherer, a registered dietician at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. It just requires an open mind and a bit of extra time.

"With a little bit of planning, you can watch how much you're spending and still eat a healthy diet," Scherer said.

The food inflation rate is currently double the overall rate at 4.2 percent annually, according to the Department of Labor, and the USDA estimates the rate will be between 3 and 4 percent this year, the highest since the early 1990s. Labor Department figures show milk, dried beans, peas and lentils up 17 percent, cheese up 15 percent, rice and pasta up 13 percent, bread up 12 percent, and eggs up 25 percent, all over the last year. And rising prices at the pump mean that transportation costs are eating a larger chunk out of people's incomes. Many families are now looking for ways to make their food budgets go further, or to increase it by cutting spending somewhere else.

All of that may leave some people worried that they will have to begin relying on fast food and less-healthy options for their meals, but there are a lot of ways to cut a grocery budget without giving up fresh foods, Scherer said.

Eating in season is one key way to cut your food bill. Farmer's markets can offer savings on produce because you're buying locally and directly from the farmer. But watch prices there, Scherer said. The savings can be significant, but some items, such as organic produce, may actually cost more. "You may pay more if you're not careful about what you're choosing," she said.

Local co-operatives where you trade money or labour in order to reap the benefits of a larger community garden or local farm are another option for fresh fruits and vegetables, Scherer said. And if you're so inclined, you can save money by planting your own produce and herbs. A plant that costs just a few dollars can provide a large amount of produce, she said.

When fresh options are too expensive or unavailable, consider frozen and canned fruits and vegetables. Look for frozen and canned vegetables without added ingredients like sauces and salt, and fruits that are not frozen or canned in sugar -- check for sugar or high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients, and avoid them, Scherer said. Some fruits will be canned in a light syrup, which is their own juices and is a better choice. Also, produce to be frozen and canned is selected at the peak of its freshness. "They can be just as nutritious if you follow those guidelines, and very economical," she said.

Protein is another area where grocery costs can become quite high -- and therefore, where cuts can be made. For a lot of people, protein means meat, and plenty of it. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends four ounces of meat per person per day, but per capita meat consumption is consistently a half-pound daily. So one option is to simply eat less meat with our meals. "A lot of us do eat more meat than we really need, with large portions," Scherer said. Though the price of eggs has increased, they are still a cheaper source of protein than meat. Beans are another option for adding protein to meals at a low cost.

But eating more economically doesn't have to mean eliminating meat, it just means making smarter choices, Scherer said. Less expensive cuts are often less tender, which makes them good choices for meals like stews and casseroles. Watching for sales allows you to purchase preferred cuts at a discount and freeze them for later use.

Buying chicken breasts with the bone and skin on and filleting and skinning them yourself will also save money because the price per pound is lower. The National Institutes of Health recommends buying whole chickens and cutting them up yourself; the carcass can then be used to make soup stock. Avoiding pre-cooked or pre-seasoned meat can also mean consuming fewer preservatives, additives and sodium, Scherer added.

This is true across the board of convenience items, she pointed out -- though time is also valuable, any time some of the work has been done for you, the cost will be higher.

"Any time the item is more prepared for you, whether it's in meats, fruits and vegetables, non-perishable items -- you're going to pay more for that," Scherer said. "In actuality, it's only a few minutes of your time that's added to food preparation in order to do that yourself."

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