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Heather Thomson, of Yummy Tummy , has been selected to receive the SPIRIT OF LIFE Award from the East End Chapter/Jeanne Kaye League of City of Hope. The SPIRIT OF LIFE Award is their highest philanthropic honor. They recognize the notable contributions that women have made to their profession, community and charitable causes. You can read the full article from the Yummy Tummy blog .

Bobby Cox couldn’t think of a suitable antecedent. Neither could Terry Pendleton. Neither could Chipper Jones, who was himself a rookie of immense promise. “The media spotlight is 10, 20 times bigger than it was even 10 years ago,” Jones said, and that’s true. When Jason Heyward picked up a bat and walked to the cage Monday, he took in his wake a camera crew and two still photographers. And when he, on his sixth practice swing — actually his fourth full swing, the first two having been bunts — he hoisted a delivery from China Cadahia over the fence in right-center, a writer who has been covering the Braves since 1984 (i.e., me) felt compelled to note it. “Everyone who gets here has talent,” said Pendleton, the Braves’ hitting coach, speaking as he watched Heyward take his pregame swings. “What’s impressive about him is the way he carries himself, the way he goes about his business.” Said Chipper: “He’s the real deal.” Having been here these past 26 years, I can say with some measu...

Urgent environmental action is needed for the Aral Sea, according to U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon, who was flown over the disaster area by helicopter today. The Aral Sea has been shrinking over recent decades, so that while it was once the fourth largest lake in the world it has now shrunk by over 70%. In his latest trip to Central Asia, Mr Ban spoke to reporters after his helicopter tour and said the incident was shocking. Clearly taken aback he then said, “It is clearly one of the worst environmental disasters in the world? It really left me with a profound impression, one of sadness that such a mighty sea has disappeared”. He had toured the region with Uzbekistan Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev It’s thought that the environmental damage to the Aral Sea has been caused by tributary rivers being diverted for irrigation. The region suffers grave pollution and the salinity of the soil in the area has climbed. A fund to rescue the Aral Sea from its poor state has been founded by the 5 le...

Just a reminder that the Easter for 2010 is on Sunday April 4. Many of you who find this page may be interested in knowing how to boil eggs. I hope you will appreciate what you learn from here. If you are seeking ways to dye Easter eggs, please check out other sites. Here are some tips you can use to boil eggs so that the eggs can actually be consumed after the Easter is over. Be careful that eggs can be over cooked easily and the egg protein can be hardened by prolonged boiling particularly at high heat. In addition, you need to do something after you boil eggs so that the shell/membrane of the shell can be easily removed. Here is how: Place eggs in cold water. Please do not use hot water. Make sure water covers all eggs completely if possible. Use low heat to boil eggs for about 15 minutes. When you use low heat, 15 minutes will be sufficient. But if you use high heat, outer egg protein may be "scorched" while the inner egg content egg yolk may be still cold. You nee...

John Forsythe, the debonair actor whose matinee-idol looks, confident charm and mellifluous voice helped make him the star of three hit television series, including ABC’s glamour soap “Dynasty,” died on Thursday in Santa Ynez, Calif. He was 92. His publicist, Harlan Boll, said the cause was complications of pneumonia, following a yearlong battle with cancer. He had earlier received a diagnosis of colon cancer, and in 1979 underwent quadruple bypass surgery. He may be best remembered as Blake Carrington, the ruthless but dapper silver-haired Denver oil tycoon on “Dynasty,” which ran from 1981 to 1989 and took its place as the symbol of the affluent decade of the Reagan administration. He often expressed amusement that the role, as the object of two women’s fierce affection — that of Joan Collins and Linda Evans — had made him a sex symbol in his 60s. Mr. Forsythe’s first series character was another dashing, well-dressed, self-possessed man of means. He was Bentley Gregg, the playboy...

No, there are no plans for Lawrence to quickly rename itself Yahoo! We’re not going to get into that type of competition with our neighbor to the west. Lawrence City Hall leaders, though, did take notice on Thursday that Google gave Topeka gobs of international publicity by renaming its site after the Capital City for a day. But Lawrence city commissioners insist they’re not jealous, and are not wishing they had done more to attract the attention of Google as it considers where to test its planned super-fast fiber optic network. “No, not at all,” said City Commissioner Aron Cromwell. “I think ultimately there is a fine line between people laughing with you and people laughing at you. I believe Topeka maybe has crossed that line.” Topeka, can you Google zing? That’s not to say that Lawrence leaders wouldn’t love for Google to place its high-speed network here. City Hall used its Web site to urge residents to nominate Lawrence for the project. The city also submitted its own nominati...

Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day and everyone is trying to come up with the best April Fool’s Pranks. April Fool’s Pranks are meant to be funny and light-hearted, so the pranks below are perfect if you’re hoping to dupe someone. At Home: Squirt!: An all-time classic prank. Scotch tape the spray nozzle down so the next person that turns on the sink gets a squirt! Here’s a tip: Remember not to be the first person to turn on the sink! Wake-Up Call: Hide the victim’s alarm clock and set it for 3am (or some other crazy time). To take this joke a step further you can also unscrew the lightbulb so they have more trouble finding the alarm clock that’s beeping incessantly. Slippery soap: Rub dish soap on your hands and then on the door knob to their room. Watch as they attempt to get in! At Work: Push/Pull: Put push/pull signs on the doors so that people are pushing when they should be pulling or vice versa. Warning! Do not do this prank on fire escape doors. Yum! Cake: Cover a box with fr...