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Chocolate and supplement research makes strange partnerships, but hints at a little brain boosting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

Emily Willingham Courtesy of Emily WillinghamScientific researchers find funding in strange places, but support for clinical trials from Mars, a company best known for candy bars, has to be among the strangest. Pair it with support from the maker of a well-known brand of multivitamin, and you’ve got the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study, or COSMOS, intended to test the health effects of the seemingly disparate combination of cocoa extract and a multivitamin for seniors.Touted as an “important partnership across academic, industry and government collaborators,” COSMOS is sited at two major academic research centers, the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Between them, groups at these institutions have assessed the value of cocoa extract (the Mars association) and Centrum Silver (the multivitamin association) separately and together in offering benefits against cancer and cardiovascular disease...

Maryland counties running dry, showing signs of drought

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

If you’ve noticed that your lawn or garden is looking a little brown or dry this year, it’s no coincidence. In Maryland, and much of the D.C. region, the symptoms of drought are on full display.According to the Maryland Department of the Environment, the state is now about seven inches below where it should be for rainfall this year. The U.S. Drought Monitor map shows the driest counties in the state are Montgomery, Howard, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s and Charles.A map shows all of the D.C. region is in a drought, with D0 (yellow) denoting abnormally dry conditions and D1 (beige) denoting moderate drought conditions. (National Integrated Drought Information System)A spokesperson told WTOP that the department is closely monitoring the groundwater-stream and reservoir levels for the state.“[The department] does not see any shortfall in the availability of enough water to meet the needs of the state’s residents and businesses,” the spokesperson said.In additio...

Turkish ‘pizzas’ are a family-friendly dinner to satisfy Dad

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

In Turkey, Armenia and the Levant, a meat-topped flatbread known as lahmajoun comes topped with spiced ground lamb, tomatoes and bell pepper. With the dough stretched paper-thin, diners typically drizzle the popular dish with lemon juice and roll it up to eat.It’s a tasty, social dish that fills a similar place in the culture as pizza, with equally exacting standards for what makes a good lahmajoun. The toppings are chopped coarsely for a rustic texture, the dough is expertly stretched by hand, and the flatbread cooks in minutes in a roaring-hot oven.Though delicious, authentic lahmajoun is out of reach for kids trying to do something nice for Father’s Day. That’s why we created this recipe for our book “Cook What You Have,” which draws on pantry staples to assemble easy, weeknight meals. Kids can help out, though the recipe does involve a food processor and a very hot oven.We swap the usual homemade flatbread dough for store-bought pita breads. Simply combine the meat mixture in a ...

Dutch club PSV Eindhoven hires Peter Bosz as coach to replace Van Nistelrooy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — Former Ajax coach Peter Bosz was hired to lead fellow Dutch team PSV Eindhoven on a three-year deal on Monday.Since leaving Ajax in 2017 after guiding the team to the Europa League final, the 59-year-old Bosz has coached German clubs Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen and most recently Lyon in France.He hasn’t worked since being fired by Lyon in October.Bosz replaces Ruud van Nistelrooy, who left PSV last month ahead of the final match of the season because he did not feel enough support within the team.PSV finished in second place in the Dutch league behind Feyenoord and won the Dutch Cup. It was last Dutch champion in 2018.“PSV has had periods in the past in which they dominated Dutch football,” Bosz said. “I want to revive those times.”___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Reactions to the death of Silvio Berlusconi, former AC Milan owner

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

Reactions from the soccer world to the death of former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, who led AC Milan to many major titles and later owned Monza:___“I feel more alone. He was like a father to me, a unique and affectionate president for everyone. He helped make my dreams possible.” — former AC Milan captain Franco Baresi.___“Today’s sadness doesn’t erase the happy moments spent together. There remains an infinite gratitude to the president, but above all to an ironic, loyal, intelligent, sincere man, who was fundamental in my adventure first as a player, and then as a coach.” — former Milan player and coach Carlo Ancelotti on Twitter.___“Silvio Berlusconi was a genius. He had a vision that was years ahead of his time. He did incredible things in so many fields, like soccer and in the business world.” — former Milan coach Fabio Capello.___“A genius, visionary and dreamer, but above all a friend who changed the story of our Italy has left us.” — former Milan captain and dire...

Semi-truck overturns on Tamiami Trail

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

A semi-truck that overturned in West Miami-Dade has led to quick actions from rescue crews on the scene. On Monday morning, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue had to stop a fuel leak from the tractor-trailer that rolled over in the median of the Tamiami Trail, about one mile before Krome Avenue. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the semi-truck was headed east on Southwest Eighth Street when the driver lost control and drove off the road. Live video footage showed the team attempting to wedge a yellow deflated kiddie pool underneath the wreckage to soak up all the fuel extracted from the vehicle.No injuries have been reported. Officials said this incident has not caused any road closures.

Love dairy? The University of Wisconsin-Madison seeks a paid cheese taste tester

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

(CNN) — If you possess a passion for pizza, cheese and all things dairy, your taste buds may be in luck.The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research is looking to hire a descriptive sensory panelist – in other words, a dairy taste tester – to join “a group of expert tasters” who can talk about their sensory experience, according to the job posting.The center wants someone to describe the taste of dairy foods “on the basis of appearance, texture, taste and aroma attributes” for product development and research purposes, the ad reads.Those with lactose intolerance may want to pass on applying, as the job listing notes panelists should expect to taste up to 12 pizzas and 24 cheese samples a week, along with other food products.That’s a lot of dairy.Other responsibilities for the in-person, on-site job include participating in collaborative panel discussions and joining training sessions, according to the description.One session is three hours long, and panelists woul...

Delta aircraft slide accidentally deploys after plane diverted to Salt Lake City

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

(CNN) — An inflatable emergency slide accidentally deployed inside a Delta Air Lines plane while on the ground at Salt Lake International Airport on Saturday.“Delta flight 520, operating from New York-JFK to Los Angeles-LAX, diverted to Salt Lake City due to a maintenance issue,” said an airline spokesperson in a statement issued to CNN on Sunday.“While on the ground, the same aircraft’s slide was deployed by accident.”No emergency landing was declared, nor did the plane divert due to the slide, according to the statement.Out of an abundance of caution, one crew member was taken to the hospital for evaluation but has since been discharged, the airline stated.The spokesperson said there were 168 passengers on board the B767-300 plane at the time of the incident.All customers were re-accommodated on a secondary aircraft. It landed at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday evening without further incident“We apologize for the delay to their travel plans. Nothing is m...

German Left Party plunges into crisis, declares party icon persona non grata

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

BERLIN — The German Left Party was thrown into crisis after the leadership demanded that controversial party icon Sahra Wagenknecht give up her seat in parliament because she is thinking about founding a new party.“The future of the Left is a future without Sahra Wagenknecht,” party co-leader Martin Schirdewan said in Berlin over the weekend. In a unanimous statement, the Left Party leadership called on 53-year-old Wagenknecht, the party’s parliamentary group leader from 2015 to 2019, to give up her Bundestag mandate, and demanded that she refrain from founding a competing party project. The Left Party is the smallest German opposition party, currently polling at 4 to 5 percent, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls.Wagenknecht, who has attracted attention as a populist critic of the government — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine — has often flirted with the idea of founding her own party.Left Party co-leader Janine Wi...

‘Striking and passionate.’ EU leaders salute Berlusconi

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:19:59 GMT

BRUSSELS — European leaders paid tribute Monday to Silvio Berlusconi’s political legacy after the divisive ex-Italian prime minister died aged 86. Condolences landed in Milan, where Berlusconi died in hospital, from the European political elite who remember a “great fighter” and his “remarkable legacy.” “With the death of Silvio Berlusconi, Italy has lost a strong personality,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte who, having been in power since 2010, was the Italian PM’s counterpart for a year until Berlusconi’s resignation in November 2011 as the country battled a crippling debt crisis. “He was the first Italian prime minister I worked with, and I will remember him as a striking and passionate politician,” Rutte added.Many of the Italian leader’s former political allies joined in to salute his political heritage.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — who has also been in power since 2010 and like Berlusc...