THE BOTTOM LINE: Every week our test panel evaluates cosmetics

Super sunscreen disappoints

By Donna Kato

Sunscreen is the one beauty product that we're convinced is an absolute necessity.

Gen-X parents make, monitor Web sites for kids

By Evelyn Shih

Chris Schwartz's child isn't due until September. But girl or boy, Virgo or Libra, the littlest Schwartz already has been the subject of adoration in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas and New Zealand.

State parks roll out the festivities for Fourth of July

Herald-Leader Staff Report

Kentucky State Parks will celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, contests and special activities.

Commentary

Pride fest will not be our undoing

Merlene Davis

I think I'm pretty transparent in my beliefs. I have no problem saying what I think when asked.

Dogs that fear fireworks need help with phobia

By Amanda Kwan

NEW YORK — Shawn O'Dierno's rescued Doberman was a certified therapy dog who could help soothe patients and tolerated the sounds of dropped hospital equipment, loud ­arguments or crying ­visitors. But her dog, who coped with the stress of a hospital room, ­couldn't handle fireworks.

History lessons come with territory in Frankfort

By Patti Nickell

OK, lets see a show of hands. How many of you have taken a day or weekend to really explore our state capital (that field trip back in elementary school doesn't count)?

Chain saw artist has carved a niche

His hand carvings weren't selling, so he fired up the machine

By Kenn Johnson

JEFFERSONVILLE — On a wooded road two miles from the center of the hamlet of Jeffersonville in Montgomery County, the sound of a chain saw leads a visitor to the back-yard workshop of Harley Dougherty.

Aging zoo animals get geriatric care

Aging sea lions, chimps, warthogs get geriatric care

By Marc Benjamin

FRESNO, Calif. — It's survival of the less-than-fittest at Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

The Bottom Line Every week The Bottom Line's test panel evaluates cosmetics

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By Donna Kato

Ahhh! The summer season is here. Barbecues, beaches and ... badly ­behaving hair. Water, humidity and sun all do their best to undo our 'do. Warm weather sometimes changes the way our hair reacts to our usual routine, so we asked three women to try three products formulated to smooth down locks and combat the frizzies. Did any of the formulas tame ­distressed tresses?

commentary

Setting the record straight for Juneteenth

Merlene Davis

Hari Jones, curator and ­assistant director of the African-American Civil War ­Memorial and Museum in Washington, D.C., wants to make one thing clear about the historical aspects of the ­liberation of Texas slaves on June 19, 1865.

SPLASHIN' FASHION

Summer suits you

By Harriet Hendren

There's no need for style to take a summer vacation. With just a few key pieces, you can look fresh and cool for weeks. Here's a quick list of must-haves.
• Slide show: Summertime pool essentials

Elegant meets over the top in tiny Nonesuch

By Patti Nickell

Imagine a place where staid Victorian drawing room meets 1930s Hollywood over-the-top glamour; where New England blue-blood Brahmin rubs elbows with Appalachian mountain folk; where elegant French provincial coexists with cozy English cottage chic.
• See a map of more Kentucky destinations

COMMENTARY

Lexington native's photos earn national acclaim

By Merlene Davis

When Jahi Chikwendiu was in the fourth and fifth grades at Tates Creek Elementary School, his mother would regularly receive a letter from his teacher or be summoned to school because of his behavior.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Every week our test panel evaluates cosmetics

These diet cookies will never be mistaken for Oreos

By Donna Kato

Chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies for lunch instead of a salad? It's a dieter's dream come true! For sweet-tooth carb lovers, replacing meals with cookies sounds like a grand plan on the way to slim city. It's been all the buzz in celebrity circles, and one brand, the Hollywood Cookie Diet, was recently mentioned in NBC's Lipstick Jungle.

Sleeker ties in classic styles add youthful look as interest grows

Sleeker neckwear in classic styles add youthful look as interest grows

By Dionne Walker

Almost as predictable as getting a tie for Father's Day is getting at least one destined for the back of the closet, be it covered in penguins or wide enough to top a flagpole.

Commentary

Don't talk to me about car shopping

By Merlene Davis

My husband and I, like many other folks in ­Lexington, have been looking for a used vehicle that sips gasoline sparingly.

Can "Sex and the City' bust gender barrier?

Film's female appeal might limit box-office success

By Jocelyn Noveck

NEW YORK ­— Can a pure chick flick become a hit? Yes, if it draws a diverse enough swath of female moviegoers. For Sex and the City, that will be the big question.

Commentary

Africa grabs at Lexingtonian's heart

Merlene Davis

During the summer of 2006, ­Lexington's Adam Rector traveled to Kenya and spent two months living in a mud, stick and dung hut ­without the luxuries of running water and electricity.

commentary

Crusading students taught us a lesson in '60s

Merlene Davis

Nearly 47 years ago, a group of students from various ­Southern colleges and ­universities, probably without telling their parents, climbed aboard buses for a violent ­destination in the history books.

It's a flood of fun

Mostly sunny colors and styles

By Harriett Hendren

But as useful and pretty as they can be, what ­happens when an umbrella is blown inside-out by wind or crushed in a car door?

Commentary

Beliefs, not her politics, bring Winfrey down

Merlene Davis

Oprah Winfrey, the queen of talk shows, lost more than 20 points in a recent popularity poll because she endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president. At least that's what a ­political science professor at Fordham ­University has deduced.

Love your super mom? Win her a makeover

Mom heroes positively abound out there. They feed you, clothe you, love you, and what do you do for them?

Corsages and chaos

Ready for prom? Just hope it's not the stuff of movies

By Mary Meehan and Cheryl Truman

We hope that it's not true that art imitates life, at least when it comes to prom. With prom season hard upon us, let's avoid the telekentic blood spurting of Carrie or the über-evil antics of the ”plastics“ in Mean Girls.
• POLL: How would you describe your prom?

commentary

Voting is a duty and a privilege

Merlene Davis

A volunteer was at our church Sunday, helping people register to vote.

Commentary

Charity hat auction designed with Derby in mind

By Merlene Davis

This is very short notice, ladies, but there is an event this evening at Victorian Square that you really ought to attend if you need a Derby hat.

Keds steps out with new styles

By Allison Baker

Keds is offering shoe-lovers some funky wedges and ballet flats this season. With new patterns and unique designs in the same comfortable and durable canvas, the iconic shoe company has stepped up its style level.

Abused dogs can make great pets

By Ashlee Clark

Life can be hard for pooches with a past. And things can get even tougher for their new owners. Dogs and other animals from shelters could have a hard time acclimating to a new home, depending on what their previous lives were like.

Commentary

40 years later, King's fight for peace has been sanitized

Merlene Davis

Friday marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Aggressive dogs a growing local problem, officials say

By Jenna Mink

Verdis Pennington doesn't think his dogs would bite anyone.

Share your prom photos

Was yours a prom to remember?

Life lessons lead to self-help book for singles

Merlene Davis

Shonda Marie Brown plans to marry the love of her life in September.

the bottom line Every week The Bottom Line's test panel evaluates cosmetics

Neck creams make skin feel softer

By Donna Kato

It's an often-overlooked part of our bodies, even though it's practically part of our face. Our necks seem very low-maintenance, until one day you start to notice sags and lines and a skin texture that's starting to resemble crepe paper. Yikes! Several new creams tout the ability to fight the deterioration and help our neglected necks match our much-pampered faces. We're all for repelling wrinkles and regaining whatever youthful edge is out there. Did these potions work?

COMMENTARY

Lexington minister says Obama's ex-pastor is being misunderstood

By Merlene Davis

I was pleased to hear Sen. Barack Obama say Tuesday that even though he might not have been in the pew when his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, spoke of damning America for its racist history, he was definitely aware of Wright's leanings.

Commentary

Too many dollar signs are lodged in developers' heads

Proposal for huge hotel is driven by dollar signs, not sense

Merlene Davis

It seems we have become dazzled by the proposed number of folks coming to our area during September and October 2010 for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, and that is leading to greed that folks seem unwilling or unable to control.

Turning a chunk of wood into a wonder

Some artisans use lathes to improve on nature

By Art Lander JR.

For more than 1,000 years, meals were eaten from crude wooden bowls. But the bowls being hand-turned on lathes today are admired as much for their artistry as the organic material from which they are crafted.

I'll say it: What political innuendo does to Islam is wrong

By Merlene Davis

Rumors and innuendo about Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s religion just won’t go away.

This pet snack is Labrador-tested

Natural sweet-potato chews are fit for humans

By Marino Eccher

David Baldus boasts that the dog treats and chews he makes are “tested on Labs, not tested in labs.”

Are you a leaper of the parent of one?

Are you a “leaper” — someone born on Feb. 29?

If you’re a leaper or the parent of one, we’d like to hear from you.