News lifestyle 2008-06-09 Andanh.com

Dr. Beach lists his top 10 beaches for 2008 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 01:52 EDT

COCOA BEACH, Fla. . Summer's here, the surf is up, the kids are so bored and vexatious that you're ready to reward them with sand in their pants, so you load up the car and head for the beach.

Right away, you might have an argument on your hands. One person's paradise is another's litter box, especially when it comes to vacations by the sea.

As a nation, we can't even agree on what to call it. Some Northerners prefer .the shore,. while down South, we call it .the beach..

Like many families, my early-1960s Alabama version of Ward and the Cleavers could never agree on which beach was best.

The time is ripe to send us your fruit recipes Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:50 EDT

Summer is the best time for fruit, and if you're a .particularly talented chef when it comes to making fruit desserts, we'd like for you to share some of your recipes.

We're looking for .recipes that use summer's fruit bounty. Send your best pie, cobbler, cake, buckle, crisp or ice cream recipes to .Sharon Thompson, .Lexington .Herald-Leader, 100 .Midland Avenue, Lexington, Ky. 40508, or by e-mail to swthompson@herald-leader.com or my blog at Kentucky.com. The deadline is June 20.

Free food for kids

Study backs standard diabetes care Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:04 EDT
Aggressively treating diabetes doesn't prevent heart problems and deaths any better than standard treatment for lowering blood sugar, Australian researchers reported Friday.

It's the second large study, involving thousands of patients, to show no heart benefit from drastically lowering diabetics' blood sugar levels. Experts said doctors should stick to the recommended target levels.

Heart disease is the cause of death for two-thirds of diabetics. Researchers tried pushing blood sugar down to near-normal levels to see whether that would protect the hearts of high-risk patients with Type 2 diabetes.

But the Australian study showed no difference in the number of heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths between groups who got intensive or standard care. A U.S. study that was stopped earlier this year also showed no benefit and in addition reported an unexplained higher number of deaths among those who were aggressively treated.

The Australian study showed one positive result -- a one-fifth reduction in kidney problems, a common complication of diabetes, compared to normal care.

Juice up lemonade, iced tea with fruit flavors Sun, 08 Jun 2008 01:52 EDT

A glass of sweet tea or lemonade reminds us of porches and summer nights.

The best way to get a .really good glass of sweet tea or lemonade is to brew tea bags and squeeze lemons. To outdo the fast-food restaurants that offer a giant glass of sweet iced tea for $1, the home cook has taken those summer beverages to a higher level.

Creative cooks are adding fruit juices to tea and lemonade and mixing some very refreshing beverages to make our hammocks and rockers even more pleasurable.

June is National Iced Tea Month, and the Tea Council of the USA want us to drink up its many benefits. Tea has zero calories and contains a multitude of substances that help the body maintain healthy cells and tissues and contribute to heart health.

Bungalow is urban, yet quiet and private Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:52 EDT

Chris Newman looked for two years for an ideal place for an .urban infill project. Then he .discovered Kenwick, an older area that includes bungalows and Craftsman-style houses with a new neighborhood energy.

Newman wanted a project close to the center of the city that would .bolster a transitioning area..

That described the second block of Owsley Avenue, and the second block of other streets in Kenwick, whereas the first block off .Richmond Road has .pretty much come around,. he said.

Generally, the second and third blocks contain a mixture of houses, some in good repair, others .candidates for fixing up.

SOUL SHIFT Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:55 EDT

Stephanie Smith will be on the main stage at this week's Ichthus Festival twice, a Wednesday evening showcase of acts from her label, Gotee Records, and a 4:10 p.m. slot Thursday. But before that, she'll be in Lexington joining festival-goers who get into town early to work on a mission project organized by the festival and several Central Kentucky ministries and churches.

.One of my goals in this music-band-rock-star thing is not just to stand on the stage and show people that I like to sing,. Smith says. .I really have a heart to better the community and serve and love people at their point of need. This is an opportunity to do that and to get to know the community..

Smith's desire to serve is, in large part, due to the failure of her first attempt at a recording career.

.I went to college to pursue music and pursue the rock-star thing,. Smith says.

Unofficial greeter
Traffic flows slow and heavy along Spring Valley Drive’s long curves that hug the mountainside and follow the creek.Many of the cars are heading to the VA Medical Center. Others to Spring Valley High School and some are local residents commuting to and from work.All have one thing in common: Becky White.

First Friday Art Walk — 06/06/08
Winchester Avenue will be closed for the First Friday Art Walk tonight.

With childlike wonder
Clay artist B.J. Wilder draws inspiration from the things that are closest to her — her family and friends, nature, her beliefs — and she makes sure each piece is a little bit whimsical, which keeps her in touch with her inner child.

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