IndyStar.com: Living
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Choose plants sensibly. Some plants, like tomatoes, are more susceptible to pest and disease problems than others. Look for disease-resistant varieties in catalog listings, seed packets and plant tags. Combat weeds. Weeds attract insects and compete...
Do sports skew perspectives?
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament kicked off this week and will captivate the nation into early April. Over the years, the tournament has become a phenomenon; some might even say a religion. With the Super Bowl recently ended and March...
Faiths' teachings differ, but all share one belief
Perhaps the word college students hear more than any other is “diversity,” and for those who teach ethics, that means trouble. Students, like most people, think people are diverse and so must their ethics be. A necessary first step for...
Spring cleaning, step by step
Here are some spring-cleaning tips, adapted from Erin Bried’s “How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew” (Ballantine Books, 2009): Step 1: Schedule your spring cleaning (to get into the proper mind-set)....
Pin power
We think of Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state, as a diplomat. But in her own way, Albright has made a contribution to fashion. Her brooches, showcased in the traveling exhibit “Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection,”...
Q&A with Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright, the nation’s first female secretary of state, calls her career “zig-zaggy.” From anyone’s perspective, she’s had many successes as she rose from a young Czechoslovakian refugee to the highest-ranking...
Enjoy first-class visit to Portland without luxury price tag
PORTLAND, Ore. — Tired of reading about traveling on the cheap? Me, too, when “cheap” translates into a budget motel and an early-bird dinner special. I’d rather rest my head at a four-star hotel, dine on dishes created by...
Readers benefit from author Josie Bloss' obsession
Josie Bloss is a third-generation band geek and proud of it. And why shouldn’t she be, when programs like “Glee” are showing young adults that it’s . . . well, hip to be square — especially if you’re musically...
'Muslims in America: A Short History'
By Edward E. Curtis IV (Oxford University Press, $12.95) Edward E. Curtis IV, millennium chair of liberal arts and professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, has written a powerful book that provides a rich...
'The Patience Stone'
By Atiq Rahimi (Other Press, 160 pages, $16.95) According to tradition, there’s a stone to which you can vent your pain, share your secrets and unburden your soul. It listens, it absorbs, then one day, it explodes, relieving you of your...
Organic vegetable gardening has groundswell of support
To Bill Scott, it’s all about being part of a transformation. An organic vegetable gardener for about 50 years, Scott finds satisfaction in making compost that feeds his garden soil and in watching seeds that he plants grow into food for his...
Drink in beauty of Summer Wine
Name: Summer Wine ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Seward.’ Season: A deciduous shrub that features beautiful spring and summer foliage along with clusters of flowers in late spring and early summer. Once the leaves drop in the fall,...
New panel brightens light from old fixture
One of the biggest obstacles for renters is trying to spruce up an older unit without altering permanent fixtures. Outdated overhead lighting in an apartment kitchen can make the work space seem dark and depressing compared to the bright, white...
Landscaping adds value, can be a money-saver
Spring is finally here, and many local homeowners are ready to help their lawns recover from the snowy winter. According to The Gallup Organization, a well-landscaped lawn can increase a home’s value by as much as 15 percent. Paul Karrer, of...
New driveway enables rainwater to seep in
Tammy Stevens is program manager for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Irvington. After years of being sealed, recoated and ignored by the previous owner, my asphalt driveway needed some attention. I could not get myself to add any additional stinky...
Watering can does two jobs
Gardening is a hobby, but it’s also a chore. If there’s a way to ease the process, why not give it a try? The U Can watering can combines two jobs — watering and fertilizing — into one. This product, made of recycled plastic,...
Badgering brother won't bring him home
Dear Carolyn: A year ago, my brother, at 22, received a yearlong work visa for Australia. While my parents weren’t thrilled he’d be away (we’re a close family), they are relatively supportive of our choices and try to not be...
Workplace can be a huge pain in the back
Dr. Gregory Strock is a physiatrist with Methodist Sports Medicine. Question. You specialize in treating patients with work- related injuries. What are some injuries that you commonly see? Answer: Back pain is the most common thing I see at Methodist...
Laser beam therapy makes inroads in war on fat
Not all doctors are convinced of device’s effectiveness. If fairy tales were written for grown women, one might go like this: You’re at the doctor’s office, when a fairy godmother alights next to you. As you doze, she waves a wand...
Few shortcuts are available for losing the fat
Looking for ways to shed your body of excess fat? There just aren’t many options out there. The Zerona device is one of a few ways to achieve that goal, experts say. “It’s certainly a very fertile area. There’s a lot of...
4 years after study, patients still swear by supplements
In 2006, the New England Journal of Medicine published a $12.5 million study saying that, for most people, glucosamine and chondroitin do not soothe knee pain much better than a placebo. Try telling that to patients who say the supplements have...
4 ways to stick to your diet plan
If you want to lose weight this year, it doesn’t just depend on how hard you try but on how hard your diet is to follow. A new study by Indiana University researchers and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin concluded the...
It's not easy, but prolific writer is quite adaptable
Elmore Leonard has a simple reason to be pleased that so many of his books and stories have been adapted for film and TV. “I think it’s great because it’s another payoff,” he says. The latest Leonard character to get the...
Single straight leg lift
Runners and other people with tight hamstrings should do this exercise to loosen those muscles. It’s a great exercise for strengthening and stabilizing the core area, said Tobie Hall, owner of the Pilates Wellness Studio in Zionsville. Hall, a...
Wellness calendar
Today PEACZ Advocacy Discussion, 7 to 9 p.m. Old National Bank of Zionsville, 385 S. Main St., Zionsville. Parent, Education and Advisory Council of Zionsville is devoted to providing education, training, resources and support to families of children...
Downhill accident leads to uphill climb
Matt Judge, 48, Indianapolis, sales manager, TRS (The Registration System) My journey back to the starting line of a road race began with a different sport, atop a frozen summit. It was me and the guys, February 2007. We were engaged in an extreme...
Help Coaches vs. Cancer
Mingle with college basketball coaches nationwide, enjoy a dinner and party, and then dance afterward during the 2010 Coaches’ Huddle on April 2 at the Crowne Plaza at Union Station Downtown. The event benefits the Coaches vs. Cancer program, a...
Media scan
A peek at recent books, magazines and Web sites * A doctor with a brain tumor tells how to harness your body’s natural defenses against cancer cells in *Anticancer: A New Way of Life (Viking Press, $26.95). Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, a...
Want to make genuine Irish soda bread? No raisins allowed
Don’t mess with my memories. That’s what our oldest says when his sister teases him about embellishing his childhood memories. She takes great delight in pointing out flaws in his stories when the facts don’t back up his version of...
Celebrate St. Pat's with traditional Irish bread
This recipe for traditional Irish soda bread comes from the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread, founded by Georgia resident Ed O’Dwyer. For more on the traditional bread or to join the group, go to www.sodabread .us. You can also...
