US – Thursday, March 18

Final push is on for health care reform

Democrats in the House of Representatives on Thursday predicted weekend passage of a sweeping health care overhaul that budget analysts said would cut the U.S. deficit over 10 years and dramatically expand health coverage.

Pakistan charges U.S. 5 with terror

A Pakistani court formally charged five young Americans of plotting terrorism in the country yesterday, their lawyer said, in a case that has raised alarm over the danger posed by militants using the Internet.

Bullock gets ‘Blind Side’d by alleged affair

It seemed too crazy to be true — America’s sweetheart Sandra Bullock fell for Jesse James, a heavily tattooed former bodyguard for Slayer turned custom motorcycle maker who was once married to a porn star.

My Entertainment

Flash-fried finger-lickin’ chicken

Here, “un-fried” really means flash fried. Flash frying is a high-heat deep-frying technique used to rapidly brown small pieces of quickcooking food such as tiny calamari or small shrimp to avoid overcooking them before the crust browns. Flash flying requires an oil temperature of at least 400°F — which means you have to use an oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed oil. By poaching the chicken first and then flash frying it, I was able to eliminate 20 grams of fat and at least 250 calories from traditional fried chicken. Because the chicken is already cooked, it only has to spend enough time in the hot oil to brown the crust, which means it absorbs less oil.

Taken from “Now Eat This!” by Rocco DiSpirito.

‘Free’ ad leads to fraud suit

NEW YORK. A Wisconsin college student is suing credit firm Experian — the brains behind the ubiquitous FreeCreditReport.com jingles — for fraudulent advertising after she inadvertently signed up for a monthly $14.95 monitoring service.

The key to Kyoto

Kyoto’s temples and Geisha culture are legendary, but this city is no slouch when it comes to mixing in a large slice of contemporary, too.

Published 13:47, November the 13th, 2009

The national debt clock tallies the trillions owed by the U.S.

The national debt clock tallies the trillions owed by the U.S.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Gift idea: Pay off the national debt

Why give?

Common reasons for donating include a sense of patriotism and immigrants expressing their thanks to the United States for giving them an opportunity, Kim Treat said.

Not sure what to give Uncle Sam this Christmas? How about a nice, fat check to help whittle away at the $7.6 trillion national debt?

The U.S. Treasury Department accepts gifts, payable to the Bureau of the Public Debt. Make a note in the memo section that it is a gift to reduce the debt held by the public.

Yes, really.

It’s all on the Treasury’s Web site, at the end of the list of frequently asked questions.

Which raises a few more questions. Do people really send in checks? How much and what reasons do they give for voluntarily paying more than just their taxes? And why are the checks directed to a post office box in West Virginia?

According to Treasury spokesman Kim Treat, people do send checks. In the last fiscal year they added up to a little over $3 million, which was the highest total since at least 1996.

REUTERS