News lifestyle 2008-08-03 Andanh.com

Iraq wants to stamp your passport Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:04 EDT

BAGHDAD . Someone had fun tinkering with the airline board at the old, disused terminal at Baghdad International Airport. It advertises a .special flight. on Japan Airlines from Basra to Sydney, Australia, while a flight from Baghdad to Mexico City is .delayed..

In reality, Iraq has been a no-go zone for most civilian aircraft for almost two decades. First, there were U.N. sanctions after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Then U.S.-led forces toppled the dictator in 2003, and violence engulfed the country.

Yet, now that insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have ebbed during the past year, Iraq's government is beginning to promote tourism. It will be a tough sell . and even if officials can grab the attention of the adventuresome, Iraq's tourism facilities are shabby.

The opening of a new airport last month in the southern city of Najaf is expected to help boost the number of religious pilgrims, mostly Iranians, visiting Shiite shrines to 1 million this year, double the number that came in 2007.

Making the basics go further Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:23 EDT

After reading a recent A la Carte story about .cooking on a budget, .Elizabeth Bailey of .Winchester called to ask for help in preparing some of the basic foods that she buys with food stamps and receives in free food boxes.

Bailey, who lives on a limited income, is never .certain what items will be in the food boxes each month. But they .usually contain potatoes, dry or evaporated milk, cereal, canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter and juice.

.Every time I go, it's .something different,. she said. Bailey buys flour, oil and seasonings with food stamps and is looking for ideas on how to stretch her budget.

I asked for tips on my blog, and Adele McKinney of .Nicholasville sent several recipes. She writes a recipe page that Jessamine County distributes with its free food baskets each month.

Treatment for pain divides physicians Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:03 EDT

While federal investigators try to track down Kentuckians who go out of state to secure prescription pain pills to sell or abuse, many Kentucky doctors are wrestling with questions of how and when to treat thousands of legitimate patients who need those same drugs.

It's all part of perhaps the hottest national debate in medicine today.

The discussion revolves around two camps. One holds that pain essentially is an illness in its own right that should be treated aggressively, up to and including the use of powerful narcotic drugs. The other side contends that doctors must be much more conservative, offering narcotics only when they're absolutely sure patients actually need the potentially addicting drugs and are not seeking them to abuse them.

Some nationally known experts, like Dr. Russell Portenoy, a New York pain specialist, say the debate has left many doctors reluctant to prescribe narcotics because they fear being investigated by authorities and many patients reluctant to seek help because they fear being seen as .pill users..

Fired up for fresh flavors Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:04 EDT

Y ou're an expert at chicken and burgers on the grill. But if the idea of grilling fruits and veggies intimidates you, worry no more.

It can be fun to .experiment with a variety of vegetables and fruits on the grill, and they're even more .delicious if you jazz them up with creative marinades or exotic seasonings.

And don't fret about losing them through the gaps in the grill. Products like grill pans and mesh fry pans have made it so much easier to stir-fry button mushrooms and asparagus spears.

Cooking to perfection is made easier knowing that fast-grilling vegetables such as asparagus, eggplant, squash, .peppers, and onions take about five to seven minutes to cook. Root vegetables, such as beets, winter squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes, take about 20 to 45 minutes to cook, depending on whether they're whole, halved or sliced.

Landscaping with bamboo: Don't let it run wild Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:53 EDT

Bamboo is a good news/bad news landscape plant.

The good news is that it can grow very quickly, spreading to create a lush, green living wall for privacy and blocking unsightly views.

The bad news is that it can grow quickly, spreading to create a lush green living forest, ever on the move, invading not only your yard but your neighbors' as well.

So before you even think about raising that kind of cane, be forewarned that you'll need a containment plan.

Non-profit provides groceries at discounted prices Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:54 EDT

Earlier this year, Glenda Miller of Lexington was barely making ends meet, feeding herself and the two adults who lived in her home.

Then her son and his two children moved in. Soon after, a friend who lost her home and her two children joined Miller's household. Before the end of each month, all the food would be gone.

Then Miller learned about Angel Food Ministries, a non-profit, non-denominational organization that provides groceries at discounted prices to people in Lexington, Central Kentucky and 34 other states.

.Now I tell everybody . everybody . about it,. said Miller, 57. .I couldn't afford to feed my family without it..

First Friday events — 08/01/08

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