| Don't expect Roy Williams to be traded
Don't believe the recent rumors you hear about Lions receiver Roy Williams getting traded. Oh, the Lions will entertain trade offers for Williams but, according to a source close to the situation, the Lions will only pull the trigger on a deal if there's overwhelming value for Detroit. Williams is on the trading block, but not the same block as defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. The Lions want to part with Rogers if they get decent value and there's more motivation for head coach Rod Marinelli to move on without Rogers. It's an entirely different situation with Williams, who has one more year on his contract. Williams is expected to leave Detroit via free agency in 2009 because, barring an unforeseen situation, he won't be tagged as the franchise player. The Lions will listen to offers now, but would prefer to get at least one more stellar year out of Williams.
Aretha's lightening up
Slim-Fast? No. Jenny Craig? Partly. It was mostly physical training. Detroit Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin will be honored Friday as Person of the Year for MusiCares, a Recording Academy charity supporting music education. She's also up for her 18th Grammy on Sunday, nominated for best gospel performance for a duet with Mary J. Blige. (Blige's "Growing Pains" album is No. 1 on this week's Detroit Nielsen SoundScan sales chart.) Franklin's physical appearance is also making news. She looked slimmer for an Associated Press interview in a lavender sweater and dark pants. "I've got a new trainer, and she's giving me a lot of good things, really educating me about nutrition and weight loss and how to do it, and cooking stuff for you," the 65-year-old singer said. "I'm not on a diet. It's a lifestyle change.
Obviously: Kareem's Opportunity
It's amazing what a little time away from the NBA will do for an NBA player. After being on the elite Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs (briefly) and then spending some time riding the bench in Charlotte, Kareem Rush is back - and has a new appreciation for the chance he's been given. Rush had to come back the hard way, playing in the Orlando summer league after doing some time in Europe, trying to prove that he still has something to contribute at the top level of the sport he so enjoys. Last night he scored 25 points to lead the Jermaine O'Neal-less Pacers to a surprising win over the Philadelphia 76ers, but it wasn't an altogether uncharacteristic showing for Rush. In 11 of the Pacers' last 14 games Rush has scored in double-figures, and he has now scored 19, 22, and 25 respectively in his last three games, two of which the Pacers won.
Full steam ahead: Pressure cookers are cool
The other day, a monumental event took place in my kitchen. The slow cooker, with its chipped, plastic handle and cheerful flowered design, was removed from its home in the cabinet and carried to the basement. Then it was replaced by my sleek, stainless steel European pressure cooker. When I admitted this via e-mail to Vickie Smith, the Web's (if not the world's) foremost expert on pressure cookery, she replied: "Another convert ... BWAHAHA!" But although two of my friends are also in love with pressure cookers, it seems we are still in the minority. Most cooks I know are terrified of the things. At the first mention of a pressure cooker, their minds are filled with images of dangerous, exploding bombs.
'My Favorite Dog': Dueling Rhymers
No way she was going to allow the man to taste that turkey. It went into the trash. And leftover meatloaf greeted Ken when he returned alone. Holding her breath, Cis told Ken what she did. He laughed and dug into the meatloaf. "And that, Dave," sez Cis, "is why I love this man." Guess the preacher meant tough turkey when he asked: for better or worse? .
Cooking in Common: Korea's kimchi addiction catches on in the West
No matter how succulent a Korean restaurant's shortribs or how savory its tofu stew, it's the kimchi that makes the meal. "Koreans wouldn't think of eating without kimchi," confirms Soyoung Scanlan, the Korean-born cheesemaker and owner of Andante Dairy in Petaluma. A passion for the fermented raw vegetables known as kimchi - or kimchee - defines the Korean palate, although many non-Koreans have a kimchi addiction, too. On a recent afternoon at the giant Kukje Super Market, a Korean outpost in Daly City, Joaquin Muoz, a retired professional cook of Hispanic heritage, was picking up kimchi to eat with Salvadoran pupusas. "I think kimchi is on the verge of becoming the next salsa," predicted Jim Poris, senior editor of Food Arts magazine, at a recent conference at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St.
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