The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Better Baked Goods

Editor's note: This is a weekly feature where we see how far $20 can stretch in North Jersey's myriad markets. As famous as the place is, we're still somehow stunned each time we walk into Balthazar Bakery's Wholesale Division in Englewood and look at the prices for its celebrated artisan bread. It's served in some of New York's top restaurants, but here you're buying it straight from the source, thus it's always fresh and you're paying rock-bottom prices for it. In fact, you're paying less f...

Rain Barrels Save Water and the Environment

I finally got myself a rain barrel. I've wanted to install one on my property for many years but I just hadn't been able to find the time, the place, the money or the motivation to do it.

Drama Presents Three Faces of War

REVIEW PALACE OF THE END

From Documentary to 'Grey's,' and Back ; Sequel to a Series That Inspired Hit Show

HOPKINS 10 tonight, ABC

Stem-Cell Therapy for Arthritic Dogs

Maggie Mae is running a lot more these days and even gets on the couch without help. The 11-year-old Australian shepherd appears to be getting around easier since a Florida veterinarian injected stem cells into her arthritic joints in May.

Basket Case: Picks for the Picnicker ; Stylish Items for Meals On a Blanket

For eating tools, we love simple wooden utensils, which come 10 per pack. Spoons, forks and knives sold separately. $2 per pack, at Pier 1 Imports. Give your next picnic a dash of panache with dining essentials that are anything but basic.

Young Connoisseur Uncorks New Attitude ; Hopes Book, Blog Will Spark Mass Appeal

Gary Vaynerchuk's down-to-earth approach takes the mystery and stuffy attitude out of tasting. He gives straightforward opinions daily on his Web site. Wine, to Gary Vaynerchuk, is life; 750 milliliters of corked sometimes screw-topped lifeblood flowing in bottled sometimes boxed veins. Its flavor fuels his flavor, its complexities mirror his complexities and, in many ways, its ethos underscores his philosophical approach to life.

Teens' Love-Hate Relationship Is Mostly Just Ugly

Q. I am a 14-year-old girl. A boy in my class recently called me a word that is apparently the "worst word a guy can call a girl." I had not heard it before, but my friend told me what it meant.

Health at Home

Once upon a time, about the only way you could check your blood pressure was to see your doctor and have it measured in his or her office. Today you can do it at home, thanks to the profusion of inexpensive home monitors. A randomized trial that included 430 Dutch volunteers with mild high blood pressure suggests that home monitoring may be as good as, or in some cases better than, office monitoring. Volunteers randomized to check their pressure at home six times a day were more likely to hav...

5 Things You Didn't Know About Protecting Your Eyes

1. More than fashion: Sunglasses and a hat can protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts and retinal damage. They also protect the sensitive skin around your eyes, which, if overexposed to the sun, can get eyelid cancers and wrinkles. 2. Eye burn: Artificial sources of UVB rays tanning beds, halogen desk lamps can cause snowblindness, the burning of the cornea. The condition also occurs at high altitudes on highly reflective snow fields. Symptoms include tearing, pain,...

Absorbing the Heart and Soul of New Orleans

Asked how she accumulated the items for her column, a New York society writer once said she never "worked the room" at parties, preferring, instead, to the let the room work her. That's a bit how I feel about New Orleans.

Third Husband Gives Wife Twice the Grief, Embarrassment

DEAR ABBY: I was divorced twice before I met my present husband, "Lou." We have been married seven years. When we're with his extended family or new acquaintances, Lou makes a point, in his loud, animated way, of letting everyone know that he is my third husband. It's embarrassing. And because I am at a loss for words, I usually stay silent. I have asked Lou in private why he offers that information when no one asks. I think he's trying to make me look bad. I told him maybe he should have a "...

Fair Days and Nights in the Meadowlands

WHAT: State Fair Meadowlands. WHEN: Tonight through July 13. 6 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and July 3-4, 2 p.m. to midnight Sunday.