News lifestyle 2008-06-15 Andanh.com

London villages offer something for all Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:00 EDT

LONDON . On a recent visit to the British capital, I asked an English friend to try to explain the timeless appeal of this city, both to visitors and to those who live here. After much reflection, she said she thinks it's because London is really just a collection of villages, and as such, there is something for everyone.

Indeed, it is a collection of villages, each with its own charm. Notting Hill is nothing like Chelsea; Little Venice is decidedly different from Hampstead. Yet each village is a piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is London. If you long to know the city beyond the usual tourist haunts of Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and the Tower, you might want to consider stepping outside the boundaries of Westminster and Kensington, and discovering some of London's most charming villages.

Hampstead

Like Montmartre in Paris, Hampstead, perched on a hill high above London, has always had something of a Bohemian flavor, attracting artists and writers to its leafy groves. It was here that 18th-century poet Leigh Hunt held glittering salons and John Keats languished before succumbing to tuberculosis at age 25 (his home, filled with original manuscripts of his celebrated odes, will re-open to the public in October after an extensive restoration).

Caterer celebrates move to downtown location Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:39 EDT

Annette's City Caf. . Events Catering is having an open house to show off its new digs.

The company has closed its catering building on Keithshire Way; the new spot at 431 Old East Vine Street has space for banquets and, beginning next month, will serve lunch and a happy-hour buffet.

The open house events will be 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Call (859) 309-9807 or (859) 296-6444 or go to www.annettescatering.com.

Husband-wife team Annette Jett and Frank Bickel also own Annette's on Vine caf. at 300 West Vine Street.

Coverage caps on prosthetics challenged Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:02 EDT
After bone cancer forced the amputation of her right leg below the knee, Eileen Casey got even more bad news: Her insurer told her that she had spent her $10,000 lifetime coverage limit on her temporary limb and that the company wouldn't pay for a permanent one.

"It was shocking to find out I was going to have to take out a loan to buy myself a leg so I could keep working and living independently," Casey said. At the bank, she said, she burst into tears when they asked what the loan was for.

Since then, Casey has joined a nationwide fight by amputees and the prosthetics industry to get the states and Congress to require fuller coverage for artificial limbs. The insurance industry is fighting the effort, saying such mandates drive up costs and reduce the flexibility customers want.

"The cumulative effect of several mandates can price employers out of the market altogether," said Mohit Ghose, who was a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry lobbying group, when he was interviewed recently for this story. He left the organization last month.

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas recently signed into law a bill making Vermont the 10th state to require insurance companies to cover prosthetics as fully as they do other medical procedures. A similar measure is pending in Congress.

For the fourth, cupcakes that pop Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:01 EDT

Inspired by the colors and crackles of Fourth of July firecrackers, these miniature cakes are studded with flecks of color and go down with a bang, thanks to a sprinkling of totally retro Pop Rocks candy.

These cakes are great baked and served in coffee cups, making them easy to transport to a summer picnic. They also could be baked in more traditional paper muffin cups.

Boxed cake mix can be substituted for the homemade cake recipe. Follow the package directions and stir in the rainbow candies. Canned or frozen whipped topping could be substituted for whipped cream.

The Pop Rocks can sit on the cakes for some time without losing their zing, but hold off as long as you can before putting them on to truly taste the firecracker in them.

Flights and fancy Sat, 14 Jun 2008 06:46 EDT

RICHMOND .. When Kent Kessler bought 20 acres outside of town four years ago, he was hoping it was more than just a good site to build a new home.

.I put up a purple martin box that first spring, and by the time we moved in, we had an established colony,. said Kessler, a lifelong birder who grew up in rural .Jefferson County, east of Louisville. .My dad and I tried for years to get purple martins to nest on our land, but they wouldn't come..

According to .information on the Purple Martin .Conservation Association Web site, the birds have specific aerial space .requirements. Purple martin houses should be erected in an open spot, 30 to 120 feet from human .housing, and no trees within 60 feet should be taller than the bird houses. Having a pond or lake nearby is a plus.

Kessler's colony of about 60 nesting pairs lives in three big bird houses on a hill behind his home, overlooking a hay field and a pond, with no trees nearby. It's an ideal colony site.

Group creates bouquets for hospice patients Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:01 EDT

GEORGETOWN . They make quick work of it, these flower ladies.

Within an hour, four funeral arrangements and all manner of blooms spread across a table in the basement of the First Christian church are transformed.

The ladies catch up for a while, talking about family and the week that has passed, but soon they are concentrating, filling empty glass vases adorned with cards that say Friends with Flowers.

Soon enough, the staid arrangements are released from the metal frames and merged with the simple blossoms into playful bouquets ... peach roses kissing tangerine gerbera daisies, which are nestled close to snapdragons in yellow and lilac.

Strolling down Jazz Alley
Dick Domek and The Walnut Street Ragtime Ramblers open the Jazz Alley series at the Paramount Arts Center with a show at 8:30 p.m. today.

Wings and Wheels upcoming at Harris Riverfront Park
A benefit motorcycle ride has been added to this year’s Wings and Wheels, scheduled for June 21 at Harris Riverfront Park.

Chinese Dir