"world" news and stories

The International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) will host a donut eating competition for past and present law enforcement officers as part of a training conference and expo to be held next week in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The event is dubbed the 2006 World Cop Donut Eating Championship. While contestants are allowed whatever non-alcoholic beverages they want, the contest rules state that they may not dunk their donuts in said beverages. Bummer. Officers will have three minutes to down as many donuts as they can. Each eater will be monitored by an "official Donut Deputy." The winner will receive a trophy and, according to the ILEETA site, a "quality handgun." The Sydney Morning Herald has a story about an Australian law enforcement officer who will be attending. Contest entry fees will go to an ILEETA scholarship fund and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Planning on doing some traveling this summer? Looking for a list of the dining hot spots that you should stop by for a memorable meal? Start with the go list from Food and Wine magazine, which picks out 376 restaurants chosen by "plugged in correspondents" from 50 cities around the world. They have the goods on restaurants like Michael Mina in San Francisco, Rockpool in Sydney, Ferran Adria's Fast Good in Madrid and Felix in Hong Kong, including a picks at both the high and lower ends of the price range.

Now, it's not possible that a list like this, even such a large one, would have all the great eats of any given city, but you aren't likely to have a bad meal by picking any of their choices. If you're traveling somewhere a little off the beaten path that isn't on the "go list," or are looking for something specific, it might be best to turn to another source of restaurant information. And the best resource, in my opinion, when traveling and looking for good eats is still Chowhound. Take some time to browse through their archives and look for recommendations, or pose a question on their message board if you're looking for something specific - like the best mexican food in Boise, ID.

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If you are planning on doing any traveling in 2006, it might be worth checking out the Don't Gross Out The World quiz. The quiz features eleven multiple choice questions about the culinary quirks of various cultures, from Canada to Japan. The answers reveal the proper manners you need to exhibit to show your enjoyment and appreciation when dining at foreign dinner tables. Even if you are not planning on visiting Iran or the Inuits this year, it is still an enjoyable way to spend a few minutes. Raise your glasses, your fork and your mouse and take the quiz. My score was 9 out of 11. How did you do?

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