Jose Padilla, once accused of plotting with al-Qaida to blow up a radioactive "dirty bomb," was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and four months on terrorism conspiracy charges that don't mention those initial allegations.The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke marks another step in the extraordinary personal and legal odyssey.

Interesting article on how to save money with once a month cooking

Beverages

Some of us shop frequently for groceries, going every day to get something fresh for dinner. I like to do that, when I can. But about once every month or two I’ll do a major meal planning session and then stock up.

The woman who had once entered George Harrison's estate to cook herself a meal and do her laundry after stalking him for several months was found dead today. She was with another man in an SUV, gunshot wounds to their heads - a murder suicide.

The concept of once-a-month cooking (OAMC) is to spend a set time cooking, be it a day or two, but with an end result of having enough meals to last through the whole month. OAMC recipes usually involve freezing the meals until needed.The primary advantage to this method of cooking is to save time over the course of the month by buying groceries in bulk on the cook date. There are some other substantial advantages, however:Saved food resources: buying what is needed and preparing it into a finished dish right away rather than losing track of it or losing it to spoilageSaved energy: cooking several dishes at once means less pre-heat time and better use of the energy that is being consumedSaved money: having a ready supply of finished meals makes it less tempting to eat out because "you're just too tired to cook"Many groups participate in a batch cooking or OAMC for communal consumption. When practiced on this large scale, the benefits mentioned above are even more pronounced. Church kitchens are often usurped for these cooking binges as they are usually the readily available source of commercial cooking equipment. Many restaurants (especially dinner-only establishments) are also available for rental if a church kitchen is not available.Naturally, as with any home cooking, it is best to cook dishes that are diverse when one practices OAMC. It is important not only to vary the flavors of these dishes but also to consider the nutritional value of each dish. Since these dishes are going to largely comprise the eater's diet, it is essential that the different dishes allow for all the nutrients that the eater needs. Therefore, the preparer of the dishes should have some rudimentary nutritional training else the consumer runs the risk of anemia or other vitamin/nutritional deficiencies. Media depictionsAndrew Holleran's 2006 novel Grief depicts OAMC. The narrator's landlord cooks large batches of chicken for this purpose.