News lifestyle 2008-05-13 Andanh.com

Travel briefs Sat, 10 May 2008 19:46 EDT

Missouri Twain sites safe from floodwaters

Historic sites in Mark Twain's hometown of .Hannibal, Mo., are open and safe despite reports of some flooding.

The Mississippi River was a few feet above flood stage, and some low-lying streets were flooded as of early May, according to The Hannibal Courier-Post, but downtown is protected by a flood levee.

The eight properties that belong to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and .Museum . including the Becky Thatcher House, .Huckleberry Finn House and Grant's Drug Store . are operating .normally. Even the Mark Twain Riverboat is taking cruises.

Texting tried as medication reminder Tue, 13 May 2008 02:03 EDT
Getting children to remember their medicine might be a text message away.

Cincinnati doctors are experimenting with texting to tackle a big problem: Tweens and teens too often do a poor job of controlling chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes or kidney disease.

It's a problem long recognized in adults, particularly for illnesses that can simmer without obvious symptoms until it's too late. But only now are doctors realizing how tricky a time adolescence is for skipping medicines, too.

Of necessity, parents start turning over more health responsibilities to their children at this age. It's also an age of angst, sometimes rebellion, and when youths might most hate feeling different from their friends because of medication, special diets or other therapy.

"It's a time of so much change in these kids' lives," says Dr. Marva Moxey-Mims, a specialist in pediatric kidney disease at the National Institutes of Health. "It's very difficult when you've got a life-threatening illness to say, 'Let them make their mistakes.'"

Phyllo helps to lower the calories in sweet treats Sun, 11 May 2008 11:11 EDT

When you make desserts on a smaller scale, both your sweet tooth and your waistline will give thanks. Plus, these tiny treats can be a great fit for parties, group meetings or church potlucks.

Looking for an alternative to pie dough or graham cracker crust, I decided to experiment with some mini phyllo dough shells. You can find them in the freezer section near the pie dough or bread dough, and these shells helped me turn high-calorie pies into bite-size delights.

To lighten up the toffee-bar crunch filling, I chose fat-free half-and-half, sugar-free pudding mix and Cool Whip Lite. The original recipe called for a cupful of crushed candy bars, but I slash the fat and calorie count by using a mixture of crushed chocolate graham crackers and candy bar crumbs.

My alterations to this filling cut the calories by 47 percent and the fat by 58 percent. You can have four of my mini toffee bar crunch pastries for 104 calories and 5.4 grams of fat.

Meet the Fru-gal Mon, 12 May 2008 19:36 EDT

Deborah Morris does not want to hear your wailing and gnashing of teeth about which gas station has petrol for 3 cents cheaper on the gallon. If you're not using your coupons and rebates and drugstore saver clubs, she figures you've already wasted far greater savings.

Morris is a deal-maker, but not in the high-flying sort of jet-setter way. She lives on a farm next door to .Keeneland with her husband, Joe, .publisher of the Thoroughbred Times. The couple have two sons; the farm houses horses, alpacas, cats and dogs.

These are the kind of deals Deborah Morris gets:

. She has not bought .shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, toothpaste or toothbrushes for the past 3 years.

Friends abroad
Furthering his education might have been Jackie Phan’s primary goal for his visit to the United States, but he’s also had a lot of fun.

Chinese Dir