Congress attacks science based policy

An outstanding (and scary) piece was just published in Science. Authored by a number of Union of Concerned Scientist folks, it documents how regulations working through Congress remove scientific evidence from the table when making some policy decisions--many of which have substantial public health consequences.  Worth a read.

Drink: vodka, bitters, lemon juice, ginger, sugar

I've been working through a Peruvian cookbook and got the idea for this delicious drink which is modified from a recipe requiring pisco. I've run out of simple syrup and am too lazy to make more, so I've been using cane sugar--I really need to make the simple syrup for this one.

1.5 shots of vodka
juice of 1 lemon
1" of ginger, peeled, and julienned
several good dollops of angostura bitters
2 Tbs cane sugar (or ideally, simple syrup)

Shake vigorously over ice, and pour into a martini glass.

This will ease discussions about the water crisis in California

Water required to grow food

NY Times had a great interactive feature (see previous post from LA Times) about water required to grow various foods.  I find this stuff amazing and learn something new each time I read more about water and agriculture.

don't wash your chicken!

Great video explaining why it's actually a health risk to wash meat before cooking. Worth watching.