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In this article, I’m going to debunk two myths. The first myth regards the need to cook pork until it’s well done to avoid trichinosis (trichonelosis). The second myth is a myth within the myth, regarding the degree of cooking needed to render pork generally safe to eat. The questions are: Do we still need to worry about trichinosis in pork? And, if so, how much do we need to cook pork to kill this dangerous parasite?

It’s no coincidence that pork chops and sauerkraut are traditional holiday dishes, especially on New Year’s Day. This meal symbolizes wealth and prosperity for the coming year in German-American culture

When the most popular medical marijuana dispensary in Chicago begins selling recreational pot on New Year’s Day, it will operate like a busy restaurant. Dispensary 33 plans to take names from those in line and page customers by phone when they can get in. The North Side cannabis shop will take that unusual step due to the huge crowds expected when weed sales become legal under state law at 6 a.m. Jan. 1, 2020. The celebration will be similar to the unofficial pot holiday of April 20, or 4/20, when a Dispensary 33 street fest and special deals this year...

An Islamist gunman, who has confessed to the killing of 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day, told a court that he had aimed to kill Christians during his attack, Hurriyet newspaper said on Monday, citing testimony given this weekend. Abdulgadir Masharipov initially planned to attack the area around Taksim Square but switched to the upscale Reina nightclub due to the heightened security measures around the square, Hurriyet said, without saying how it had obtained the document. "I did not take part in any acts before the Reina event. I thought of carrying out an act against...

Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Germans on Saturday to hold firm to democratic values in the face of jihadist terror, urging them to counter “murderers who are full of hate” with compassion and cohesion. In her New Year’s address delivered less than two weeks after a Tunisian suspect rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people, Merkel acknowledged it was “bitter and sickening” that the attack and others in July were carried out by asylum seekers. Nevertheless, she defended her decision in September 2015 to let in tens of thousands fleeing war from mostly Arab...

**SNIP** The children, most of them less than 7 years old, were ferried to the city's police stations, where they had to spend the night. At one crowded city beach, 35 children were handed in, according to authorities. South African's reacted with shock on social media. "I am battling to understand, how do you lose a child on a beach? And you still go home? It is sad," tweeted one Cape Town resident with the Twitter handle WaMputhi. "If I travelled with a child, I will not leave without him/her even if it means no sleep searching," he added in...

December 31   Why is it 2011? (or) Why New Years is Not Simply Secular   By: Msgr. Charles Pope It is New Year’s Eve and everywhere throughout the world celebrations are planned as the New Year 2011 is upon us. You can be sure that large signs will flash “2011!!!” and “Happy New Year!” But why is New Year’s January 1st and why do we call this 2011? Time, and our understanding of our place in it are mysterious and historically complex, but many answers to how we designate time in the western world are very Catholic and Christian....

This feast day, of January 1, is a very complex tapestry, both culturally in liturgically. Perhaps we can use the second reading by St. Paul to the Galatians as a way to weave through some of the many details. We can look at it in three parts.I. The Chronology of our celebration. The text from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians says, When the fullness of time had come… Most people, both in the wider culture and in the Church are going about today saying, “Happy New Year!” And rightfully so, for it is the beginning of the new year....

[New Year's resolutions are often put in terms of "I have to" and fill in the blank with what you think you must do. David Kelley warns that "To say 'I have to' is to speak the language of compulsion, duty, authority." David suggests we speak "the language of values instead of the language of duty, 'want-to' instead of 'have-to'."]How many times during the course of a week do we say "I have to..."? I have to take out the trash...change the oil in my car...pay my Visa bill...I have to give a presentation at the sales meeting...take the final...

Activists planning protest at Rose Parade By: North County Times wire services PASADENA - Peace activists said Sunday they plan to protest and unfurl signs during the Rose Parade on Tuesday, and then march down Colorado Boulevard as the parade ends, calling for an end to the Iraq war and for the impeachment of the president and vice president. A group calling itself the White Rose Coalition said its members plan to demonstrate in front of the TV camera platforms at the Norton Simon Museum starting at 6 a.m. New Year's Day. Pasadena police said Sunday they had just heard...

What do y'all do in other parts of our great nation?

She wasn't Denver's first New Year's Baby, but Ellison Leigh Grimm set a milestone Sunday when she became the third person in her family born while the world launched a new year. Her parents had placed pink newborn shirts and booties on her crib for her expected arrival Jan. 7, but the infant decided to join the family early on Jan. 1 - the same date her mother, Jennifer Grimm, 29, and her maternal grandfather Ted Dyer, 51, were born. "We were expecting her later. But she made a run for it and barely made the deadline," Jay Grimm, 30,...

THE PRESIDENT: Happy New Year to you all. Thanks. I can't think of a better way to start 2006 then here at this fantastic hospital -- a hospital that's full of healers and compassionate people who care deeply about our men and women in uniform. It's also full of courageous young soldiers, Marines, airmen -- men and women who are serving our country and making great sacrifice. I'm just overwhelmed by the great strength of character of not only those who have been wounded, but of their loved ones, as well. And so, thank you all for bringing great credit...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1, 2006 – President Bush visited Brooke Army Medical Center, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, today to wish wounded troops undergoing treatment there a happy new year, thank them for their sacrifice, and present nine Purple Heart Medals. "I can't think of a better way to start 2006 than here at this fantastic hospital," Bush told reporters during a stop at the San Antonio post, where he met with 51 soldiers and Marines, most of them injured in Iraq. "This hospital is full of healers and compassionate people who care deeply about our men and women in uniform,"...

U.S. soldiers toast during merrymaking as they celebrate the New Year at the IZ hospital in Baghdad January 1, 2006. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said recently the number of U.S. combat forces in Iraq would be cut by some 7,000 by early 2006, and the numbers involved in training Iraq's new military would increase. (REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani)

SAN ANTONIO — President Bush today strongly defended his domestic spying program, saying it's a limited initiative that tracks only incoming calls to the United States. "It's seems logical to me that if we know there's a phone number associated with al-Qaida or an al-Qaida affiliate and they're making phone calls, it makes sense to find out why," Bush said. "They attacked us before, they'll attack us again." Bush spoke to reporters at Brooke Army Medical Center where he was visiting wounded troops. He said the leak of information about the secret order to eavesdrop on Americans with suspected ties...

President Bush Defends Domestic Spying Program, Claims Leak Causes Great Harm to U.S. SAN ANTONIO - President Bush on Sunday strongly defended his domestic spying program, saying it's a limited program that tracks only incoming calls to the United States. Bush spoke to reporters at Brooke Army Medical Center where he was visiting wounded troops. He said the fact that someone leaked information about the secret order to eavesdrop on Americans with suspected ties to terrorists causes great harm to the nation. "It's seems logical to me that if we know there's a phone number associated with al-Qaida or an...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: Accompanied by their daughter Barbara, the first couple and the pets arrived safely back at the White House earlier today. Before leaving Texas, the President began the new year on Sunday at the bedsides of wounded servicemen and women, and awarded nine Purple Hearts to U.S. troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president boarded the Marine One presidential helicopter before dawn on his ranch in Crawford and flew more than an hour to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. His motorcade drove to Brooke Army Medical Center, a 224-bed hospital at...

Presidential Message: New Year's Day December 31, 2003 The President's New Year's Day Message The past year has been a time of accomplishment and progress. Working together, our citizens have made America a safer, more prosperous, and better country. In the New Year, we will build on these successes, embracing the challenges and opportunities ahead. We have seen our brave men and women in uniform defend America and liberate the oppressed. We pray for their safety, and we are grateful for their service and the support of their families. In the past year, millions of people have answered the call...

Mummers divisions want to return parade to Broad StreetAssociated Press All four divisions of the Mummers Parade said they want to return to Broad Street for next year's parade, and a city official said he expects Mayor Street to go along. "The mayor is inclined to do this. I don't see a problem," city Managing Director Phil Goldsmith said after meeting with Mummers leaders. Dwindling crowds along South Broad Street led to a switch to Market Street for the annual New Year's Day event in 2000. But crowds didn't pack the route and the parade continued to be plagued by...