You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2492 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Creating A Colorful Conversation Cake (NAPSA)—Often, the best conversations happen during dessert. Whether having an intelligent dialogue or just gossiping over the latest news, it’s always a colorful conversation. Here’s how to create a cake to get that colorful conversation going: Ingredients: Cake: Cooking spray 1 cup LouAna vegetable oil 11⁄2 cups granulated sugar 1 ⁄2 cup light brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs 21⁄2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream 3 cups grated carrots 1 ⁄2 cup chopped toasted pecans Frosting: 1 ⁄2 cup butter, softened 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese 3 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons chopped pecan halves, toasted 3 tablespoons chopped, pitted dates 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped raisins Garnish: 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced lengthwise Pecan halves Maraschino cherries Preparation and Cooking: Preheat oven to 350. Line bottoms of 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with waxed paper; coat with cooking spray. Combine and stir oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs in a large bowl. Stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in sepa- High Expectations In School Science Programs For a dessert that really takes the cake, consider this colorful, fruitful feast for the eye and the palate. rate bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; stir just until combined. Stir in carrots and pecans. Divide batter between pans. Bake for 45 minutes. If you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean, it’s ready. Cool pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes; cool completely on racks. For frosting, combine and beat butter and cream cheese. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Remove 11⁄4 cups frosting and add pecans, dates and raisins; set remaining frosting aside. Place one cake layer on a plate; top with nut and fruit mixture. Place second cake layer on top. Spread very thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake, which eases the main frosting process. Chill cake and remaining frosting 1 hour. Spread remaining frosting over entire cake. Garnish with kiwis, pecans and cherries. Serves 10 people. Visit www.louana.com for more recipes. (NAPSA)—In addition to high tuition costs, many colleges and universities are also raising their admission standards. That means every student hoping to go to college should put two things high up on his or her “to do” list—build an impressive rsum and start saving for tuition. Yesterday, if possible. The good news is, a program called ExploraVision, incorporated into many science curricula, helps students all the way from kindergarten through high school in both these important areas—and helps motivate them in science. ExploraVision is one of the world’s largest K-12 student science competitions. Last year, more than 14,000 students got involved A popular science competition helps kids earn money for college. in researching current technologies and imagining what they could be like in 20 years. Students on the four first-place teams receive $10,000 U.S. Savings Bonds and students on secondplace teams receive $5,000 Bonds. ExploraVision is sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association. This year’s contest deadline is January 28, 2009. For more information, call (800) EXPLOR-9 or visit www.exploravision.org. Finding Your Prescription For Medicare Savings (NAPSA)—Identifying the lowest-cost prescription coverage plan to meet their needs can be a challenge for many people who qualify for Medicare prescription drug coverage or Part D. With higher monthly premiums for prescription drug plans in 2009, now is a good time for people with Medicare to review their options to prepare for the open enrollment period. This year, open enrollment, which is the time when you can change plans if you want to, runs from November 15 through December 31. “If you or someone you love has Medicare prescription drug coverage, review your options every year,” said Wendy Zenker, vice president of the National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) Benefits Access Group. To maximize savings, you should consider three factors: cost, coverage and convenience. What’s The Cost? It’s important to evaluate how much in total you pay each month —the premiums as well as other costs, including the amounts you need to pay before Medicare pays (deductibles) and the amount you may have to share (co-payments). What Is Covered? In addition to cost considerations, you should make sure that your prescriptions are covered by the plan you are considering. Each plan has its own list of drugs that it covers. These lists can change each year. In addition, plans may have special rules about when it will cover certain drugs. So it is very important for people with Medicare to re-evaluate the plan they’re in and compare it to other plans in their area To maximize prescription drug savings, you should consider three factors: cost, coverage and convenience. every year to determine which plan will best suit their needs for the coming year. Is It Convenient? Lastly, you should determine how convenient it will be to get the prescription drugs you need. Does the plan you’re in work with your doctor and the pharmacy of your choice? “Choosing a Medicare Part D plan can be overwhelming, and we’re here to help,” said CVS Pharmacist Jeremy Shaw. To help, CVS pharmacists have been specially trained to assist seniors in finding the plan that best suits their needs. The Medicare Part D Calculator offers easy access to your own Part D plan comparison at www.cvs.com/medicare. This tool provides a clear picture of which of your medications will be covered by different Medicare Part D plans available in a region. It also compares total annual costs associated with each plan.