Pepperdine signs hoops stars
Canadian high school basketball star, Oliver Prince, has signed a national letter-of-intent to play next season with Pepperdine University. Head coach Paul Westphal announced the signing of the north-of-the-border athlete earlier this week. Prince is a 6-foot-6-inch, 230-pound forward, currently attending Jean Vanier High School in Toronto, Ontario. He averaged 26 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a junior last year. Prince scored 42 points against Father Redmond in a region playoff game and helped Jean Vanier advance to the quarterfinal round of the Class 3A Provincial Tournament.
Prince nearly lost his life in a car accident in 2001. He was in a coma for two weeks and later had brain surgery. Prince had to teach himself to walk again.
In addition, Westphal announced Kingsley Costain, also of Toronto, will be joining the basketball team in December. A 5-foot, 7-inch point guard from Eastern Commerce High School, Costain led his school to a provincial championship while averaging 15 points and seven assists per game. He was also a member of the Canadian Junior National team and was selected to the all-Canadian High School team.
Another gold for Streisand
Malibu resident and legendary performer, Barbra Streisand has earned her 49th Gold Record. Called “The Movie Album,” it contains 12 new recordings. This is Streisand’s 60th album. She is, by a wide margin, the highest female recipient of Gold Records. Only Elvis Presley has achieved as many as she has. Streisand also has achieved 29 Platinum Records.
Food safety tips
With the holiday season approaching, the California Department of Health Services has released tips on food safety.
The first recommendation is for people to wash their hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling raw foods. The department further recommends that those with cuts or skin infections on their hands should not prepare food.
Another tip is for people to thoroughly clean all work surfaces, utensils and dishes with hot, soapy water, and rinse them with hot water before and after each use. The department says knives, cutting boards and meat grinders should be washed especially thoroughly before using them for other foods.
A third recommendation is to keep foods separate, and not to cross contaminate. Fruits and vegetables, for example, should be kept apart from raw meats, poultry, eggs and other animal products.
Also recommended is for meats to be refrigerated or frozen properly after purchasing. The refrigerator should be kept at 41 degrees or colder. A frozen turkey should be thawed in its original wrapping. This may take two to four days. If there is not enough time for a gradual thaw, then it is recommended the turkey be put in a watertight wrapper and be immersed in cold water, with the water being changed every half an hour.
All items should be cooked at the recommended temperatures. Turkey and other poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees to kill pathogens that may be present, and the stuffing must reach 165 degrees. Stuffing should be cooked separately. Turkey should be placed immediately in a preheated oven, set no lower than 325 degrees. It is recommended for people to always use a meat thermometer to ensure it is thoroughly cooked.
As for dealing with the leftovers, turkey should be refrigerated either within two hours after it is cooked, or right after cooking. It is further recommended leftover meat not be eaten that has been refrigerated more than four days. Leftover meat that is frozen, however, may be safely consumed for as long as one to three months after the initial freezing.