News lifestyle 2008-08-10 Andanh.com

A toast to riesling country Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:03 EDT

Picture this scene. A small group of wine writers, their palates refined by years of swirling, sipping and .spitting, are sitting in the tasting room at Schloss Johannisberg in Germany's Rheingau region, an area known for its outstanding rieslings.

An intimidating array of glasses is lined up before each writer, and estate manager Christian Witte begins the ritual by pouring a 2005 sp.tlese, which will be followed by a 2007 kabinett, a 2007 auslese and so on and so on. The conversation goes something like this:

Decanter Magazine writer: .What is the residual sugar compared to the acidity in the semi-dry sp.tlese ?.

Washingtonian Magazine wine writer: .Do you prefer using indigenous yeasts or cultured yeasts in your fermentation process?.

Put your cupcakes to a test with the best for charity fund-raiser Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:41 EDT

An outdoor concert Aug. 30, .featuring Grammy .winner Jars of Clay, will .highlight .Lexington Christian .Academy's Back-to-School Bash on Aug. 29 and 30, but for home cooks, the most interesting activity might be the cupcake contest, with a $100 gift certificate as the top prize.

Contestants must bring a dozen cupcakes to the LCA gymnasium hallway at the Rose Campus by 10 a.m. Aug. 30. Cupcakes must be homemade and will be judged on appearance, creativity and flavor.

After the judging, cupcakes will be sold, with proceeds donated to God's Pantry. Participants also are asked to bring one canned item to donate to God's Pantry.

Registration is $5 and due by Aug. 26. Call LCA at (859) 422-5700.

Slow down and enjoy locally grown foods Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:03 EDT

While at the grocery store recently, I bought food for my household and for a friend, leaving her portion at her home while she was away.

The food was raw for the most part, .needing to be prepared.

I soon received a phone call from her .complaining, half-jokingly, that she hadn't cooked from scratch for a long time and it was a lot of work.

I thought about that Thursday as I was talking with Jim Embry, a local activist who has been instrumental in starting community gardens throughout the city.

Trailblazing surgery could help humans who lose limbs Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:03 EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. . Three years ago, Cassidy Posovsky was a three-legged German shepherd mix hobbling homeless around the Bronx. On July 31,, he became a medical pioneer, getting fitted with a cutting-edge prosthetic that could one day help thousands of veterans and others who lose limbs in trauma.

If all goes well, Cassidy's artificial leg will fuse into his bone, and he should be on all fours in months . paving the way for veterinary orthopedic surgeons at North Carolina State University to start working with doctors on human implantation.

Cassidy's surgery was the third conducted on an animal. Within the past three years, the prosthetic limbs were successfully implanted in two cats . George Bailey and Mr. Fronz . but Cassidy is the first large animal to undergo the procedure.

.This is Cassidy's leg,. said orthopedic surgeon Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little, holding up a red-and-white plastic model of a bone. .The white part is the part I will remove. Then I will put on this,. he said, holding up a complex titanium knob.

A winning start Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:03 EDT

Hey kids!

Two exciting things are happening this month: the Summer Olympics and the beginning of a new school year.

The best athletes in the world are competing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. On TV, you can watch men and women participate in 28 sports, including diving, fencing, weightlifting, synchronized swimming, taekwondo, volleyball, rowing, judo, and archery.

Long before these athletes can .compete for Olympic gold, their .bodies have to be motivated, focused and strong. Many of them began .training at an early age. Health experts tell us that it's nutritious food that gives athletes the edge they need to get up to the metal stand.

Pastor's wife has supported church's integration policy for 50 years Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:45 EDT

As Trinity Baptist Church celebrates Helen Brown's 50 years of service as organist and director of children's ministries this weekend, it will recognize her other legacies as well.

But her most powerful gift may be that she and her husband provided the leadership to integrate the church . a decision that came at tremendous cost.

In the early hours of June 14, 1969, an arsonist burned Trinity's new church to the ground.

Helen and her husband, the Rev. Bob Brown, were awakened by their daughter, who was roused as the huge glass windows of the A-frame atop a hill at the end of Strader Drive were blown out from the blaze.

Stepdads are better dads, says study Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:58 EDT

WASHINGTON . Stepfathers make slightly better parents than married biological fathers, researchers found in a new study of at-risk urban families.

Mothers reported that stepfathers were more engaged, more cooperative and shared more responsibility than their biological counterparts did, according to the study, published in this month's issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Lawrence Berger, the study's lead author, cautioned that the findings apply only to .fragile families,. defined as low-income urban families prone to non-marital births.

The findings contradict a popular view among social workers and family policy experts that biological fathers invest more in their own flesh and blood.

Ashland native national winner of fighting game
A Paul G. Blazer High School graduate and Morehead State University student will be on his way to Japan soon to serve on an elite fighting force on behalf of the United States.

Chinese Dir