VIRGINIA LOOKS TO STAY UNDEFEATED in the acc

The Virginia Cavalier basketball team looks to stay undefeated in the ACC today when it travels down to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Cavs are the only team in the ACC with no losses and right now Maryland is in 2nd place with just one loss, a win today really could go a long way. The VCU Rams will be in Boston today to face the Northeastern Huskies in a very big CAA match up. In high school basketball action last night the Prince George use a big 3rd quarter to beat the Colonials 62-48, at the half the score was tied at 24 before the Royals took control. Andrew's basketball team will be in action this morning at 8am trying to get Coach Lamantia his first win of the season. I did go down to Wal-Mart this morning and then I went over to Dunkin Donuts to get some donuts as well and yes they were very good. Well I hope everybody has a nice day. MICKEY

Chicken
The dirt: Never mind cigarettes; the Surgeon General should slap a warning label on chicken. Recent nationwide testing by Consumers Union, the advocacy group behind Consumer Reports, notes that of the 484 raw broilers examined, 42 percent were infected by Campylobacter jejuni, and 12 percent by Salmonella enterides.

The latest USDA research notes similar Salmonella levels. Now add in the fact that we each consume about 70 pounds of chicken a year—more than our intake of beef, pork, or turkey—and it's a wonder broilers don't come with barf bags.

At the supermarket: Look for birds labeled "free range." Close quarters in the henhouse give bad bugs the chance to spread, as do high-volume processing operations. Free-range chickens, which are given more room to roost and are usually slaughtered in smaller numbers, present a potentially safer option. For example, Ranger chickens, a free-range brand sold in the Pacific Northwest, came up negative for Salmonella and Campylobacter in Consumers Union's tests.

At home: To help prevent foodborne illness, bypass rinsing your raw bird in the sink, and instead put it directly into a baking dish or pan. This shortcut reduces the odds of sullying counters and other foods, says Janet B. Anderson, R.D., director of the Safe Food Institute in North Logan, Utah. If you used a cutting board, clean it (and the knife) with a mild, dilute bleach solution. As for your heat treatment, cook breasts and other cuts until the temperature hits 180°F. (If it's a whole bird, take the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh.) "Poking the chicken or judging by juice color is risky," says Anderson.

“The scars you acquire while exercising courage
will never make you feel inferior.”
D.A. Battista

Today's Birthdays: Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is 86. Actress Jeanne Moreau is 82. Actress Chita Rivera is 77. Actor-director Lou Antonio is 76. Actor Gil Gerard is 67. Actor Rutger Hauer is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jerry Lawson (The Persuasions) is 66. Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.) is 63. Singer Anita Pointer is 62. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 60. Rock musician Bill Cunningham is 60. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 57. Princess Caroline of Monaco is 53. Singer Anita Baker is 52. Reggae musician Earl Falconer (UB40) is 51. Actress Gail O'Grady is 47. Actress Mariska Hargitay is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marc Nelson is 39. Actress Tiffani Thiessen is 36. Christian rock musician Nick DePartee (Kutless) is 25.