For a 17-year-old Coral Reef High student, a trip to the emergency room with a frighteningly high blood sugar level led her to get serious about Type 2 diabetes

It’s a scene right out of Lawrence of Arabia: enormous mountains of sand — some as tall as 300 feet — their surfaces sculpted into soft, geometric designs by the wind, and extending as far as the eye can see. My wife and I stand captivated, feeling the heat of the day rising up out of the soft sand and watching the interplay of golden light and pale shadow as the sun dips behind a distant ridge of solid beige.

For a 17-year-old Coral Reef High student, a trip to the emergency room with a frighteningly high blood sugar level led her to get serious about Type 2 diabetes

In this tough world of ours, try a little tenderness. Try kale. It’s the leafy green everyone’s talking about but no one seems to eat. Often dismissed as fibrous and bitter, kale turns supple and sweet with a little hands-on participation.

Sculptures in cloth are all-purpose pieces traditionally made by Guna women from the San Blas Islands

For a 17-year-old Coral Reef High student, a trip to the emergency room with a frighteningly high blood sugar level led her to get serious about Type 2 diabetes

It’s a scene right out of Lawrence of Arabia: enormous mountains of sand — some as tall as 300 feet — their surfaces sculpted into soft, geometric designs by the wind, and extending as far as the eye can see. My wife and I stand captivated, feeling the heat of the day rising up out of the soft sand and watching the interplay of golden light and pale shadow as the sun dips behind a distant ridge of solid beige.

Heather Snyder, Seattle

A historian explores the country, looking for important spots that our nation has mostly forgotten.

Debut novel from Laura Lee Smith explores a fractured family living in a fictional small town on the cusp of change.

John le Carré entertains with his lyrical style in his intriguing suspense novel.

A gutsy Paul Theroux endures a solo trip to the place he explored decades ago.

“I just read a first novel by Holly Goddard Jones, The Next Time You See Me and Jamie Quattro’s first short story collection I Want To Show You More. They’re both young writers, and I think both are so fresh. They just have striking voices.”

A proud tradition

Paul Reinckens kicked slowly over the sandy bottom 30 feet deep in the Gulf of Mexico looking for triangular objects — not an easy task with visibility a mere four feet and this dive being his first underwater fossil hunt. But suddenly, there it was: a hard, brownish-gray chevron lying on the sand.

Like so many aspects of life with kids, potty training means gear, lots of gear: Potty-seat choices have proliferated, sprouting all manner of bells and whistles.

For a 17-year-old Coral Reef High student, a trip to the emergency room with a frighteningly high blood sugar level led her to get serious about Type 2 diabetes

University of Miami Hospital sent a team to Panama with the special Impella heart pump to help save an NCIS agent’s life.

Hospitals are loath to reveal their prices for fear of giving competitors an advantage. But the disparity in prices for the same procedure at different hospitals — and healthcare reform — could change that.

In a dark room in her South Miami office, Dr. Nilza Kallos stared carefully at a glowing black, white and gray image of a patient’s breast.

There are signs that heroin is returning as a cheap alternative to prescription pills, the by-product of Florida’s successful crackdown on pill mills.

Among the swords, the wrenching letters home and the haunting photographs in the Museum of the Confederacy’s new exhibit on Gettysburg, few artifacts embody the ferocious battle more than the eight battle flags recovered from the bloodied fields where Pickett’s Charge was fought.

Thorns pierced my slacks as I traipsed through the swamp, dodging deep, inky pools and thanking my lucky stars that it wasn’t mosquito season. The sign at the start of the two-mile Tubman Road Trail, in Maryland’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, had warned us that the “trail may be wet” — but that was an understatement. As my boyfriend and I finally reached higher ground, I marveled at how Harriet Tubman had negotiated such a challenging landscape in the dark of night while shuttling people out of slavery on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s.

It may be known as the Windy City, but cash need not go flying from your pockets when you visit Chicago. From the shores of Lake Michigan to the sidewalks along the Magnificent Mile, you can find outdoor family fun along with history and culture without spending a cent. Here are five free things to do.

When I was young, I learned a lot about travel from my mother. She taught me how and what to pack. She taught me to keep a travel diary to record my memories. And most importantly, she taught me how to power-sightsee.

With Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby opening, there’s no better time to celebrate the spirit of the Roaring 20’s. From speakeasies to grande dame hotels, the members and editors of VirtualTourist.com have chosen the “Top 5 Places to relive the 1920s.”

Can you call it a pencil skirt if the person wearing it is shaped more like an eraser? Shopping really isn’t my strong suit.

Sculptures in cloth are all-purpose pieces traditionally made by Guna women from the San Blas Islands

Designer Rebecca Taylor hits Miami to scout a site for her first South Florida retail store.

Five nominated for Carbonells get their looks together for South Florida’s ‘Theater Prom’

Fans of the music festival, which resumes this weekend in Miami’s Bayfront Park, wear a kaleidoscope of fashions

The lowdown: The Design District recently scored a fashion tour de force in the shape of an Hermès boutique. The store opened last month and is now the only Hermès retail location in Miami following the closing of the Bal Harbour store. This temporary location is a prelude of what’s to come — a flagship store to open in the Design District next year.

The lowdown: Pottery packrats will have a field day at recently opened BG Vintage, which is teeming with colored glass, ceramic vases, pitchers, teapots, candlesticks, frames and bowls. The boutique’s bright assortment is hand-plucked by owner Brigitte Grosjean, who says, “Guests can pick whatever they like or bring in that special collectible or swatches of the colors you need to match and build your collections around it.”

Impressive store inspires one to look good and dress sharp with various unique features and options

Residents from a senior living community set out to prove you can be glamorous and fashionable at any age.

For 8 years, photographer Sharon Socol had a backstage pass to top fashion shows in New York, Paris and Milan

Put on your sunglasses: bright blues, orange, mixed prints and colorful lace are trendy this spring

In this tough world of ours, try a little tenderness. Try kale. It’s the leafy green everyone’s talking about but no one seems to eat. Often dismissed as fibrous and bitter, kale turns supple and sweet with a little hands-on participation.

I was raised on tuna salad made with mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. It was one of my mom’s go-to dishes, often served as a last-minute meal staple.

At heart, a quesadilla is pretty much a Mexican grilled cheese. Take a tortilla, stuff it with something savory, add some cheese, fold it in half and toast it. It’s also pretty delicious.

At dinner-party-like ‘atelier nights,’ Copperbox chef Gabriela Machado is wowing diners with her artful food

Gables High culinary students share recipes to make for Mother’s Day

Mom always said to eat your vegetables, so this Mother’s Day serve her breakfast in bed inspired by a walk through the garden.

I’m not of the pancakes-for-dinner set. There are advocates, of course (mostly among kids?), but my breakfast-for-dinner craving runs more toward huevos rancheros.

Pot pies are just plain appealing, but the crust and filling are loaded with fat and calories.

While there are many kinds of peppercorns, the familiar black pepper ended up on tables because it is mild and goes with a number of recipes, according to Marjorie Shaffer, author of the new book Pepper: A History of the World’s Most Influential Spice (St. Martin’s Press, $26.99).

Barbecue chicken is one of my favorite summertime dishes. I like every part of it – the sauce (the spicier the better), the crispy skin, even the bones.

Never underestimate the value of professional landscape designers. Trained to know what plants work best and what designs function best, they can save you time, money and heartache.

Artisan-crafted sinks of stone, metal, glass or wood can become a room’s decorative focal point

First, it is important to understand the difference between organic and inorganic mulch. Organic mulch refers to organic matter such as bark, wood chips, leaves, straw, etc. Inorganic mulch is made of stones, glass, ground tires and other materials.

Vince Vaughn, 43, has bought a house for $3.925 million in an area of Los Angeles one might not normally associate with actors — La Canada Flintridge.

A cryptic message left on the family’s voicemail has them suspecting that Champ was dognapped for breeding purposes.

Watching as a beloved dog is swept out to sea is heart-wrenching. Doing nothing seems unthinkable.

A fluffy duckling might seem appealing next to an Easter basket, but shelter officials and animal welfare experts want gift-happy parents to picture something else: Poop.

Mando is moving to Sesame Street this fall. Did you get the announcement?

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