Seeds, water just two secrets to attracting birds this winter

Seeds, water just two secrets to attracting birds this winter

The birds you feed in your back yard need more than seeds to make it through the winter. They also need spas.

Actually, they need open water to drink and keep their feathers in shape. And one way you can help is with heated birdbaths. Bird spas, er baths, are just one product we found that you might want to add to your backyard aviary this winter.

"Birds go crazy for water in the winter time when the air is dry," said Ron Zick, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited on Rand Road in Arlington Heights and Waukegan Road in Glenview.

He sings the praises of the birdbaths and heaters made by Allied Precision Industries in Elburn. Heated birdbaths that clamp on your deck railing, then tilt to be cleaned are in Zick's stores and on his Web site arlingtonheights.wbu.com starting at under $50.

"You don't have to worry about the element," said Zick. "If it runs out of water it just keeps the plastic at about 50 degrees. It doesn't burn out if you're away or a raccoon tips it over at night."

If you're happy with your existing birdbath, API also makes drop-in heaters, starting at about the same price range. And Greg Fecteau of Chalet on Lake Avenue in Wilmette prefers the Heated Rock Birdbath De-icer from Farm Innovators. It looks like stone rather than a coil and costs $55.

Pretty seeds

Even bird seed doesn't have to be boring. Fecteau recommends holiday seed blocks from Mr. Bird in shapes like wreaths, snowmen and Santa. They come with a variety of seeds to attract different birds and price tags from $9 to $50 at Chalet.

While we're talking holidays, if you are looking for a gift for your favorite birders, Fecteau recommends barn wood birdhouses made by Nature Creations in central Illinois. Their prices are from $40 to $150 at Chalet (chaletnursery.com).

Easy feed

Some of Zick's customers have moved into communities where they learn to their disappointment they are not allowed to put out bird feeders or they don't have storage space for birdseed. His solution for them is Bark Butter, a yummy mixture of suet, peanut butter and corn. As you might guess, you can smear a few tablespoons on a tree, and the woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees fly in for the high-calorie snack. It's good for migrating birds in the spring and fall, too, he said. A tub is on sale for $10.

He also sells seed cylinders that can be hung without a feeder. The 2 pounds of seeds are held together with gel. These are $12.

Flowers

And soon (OK, it won't seem soon) you will be planting new flowers in your garden. So why not select ones that will provide seeds during future winters for our feathered friends. Brian Wolff, Chalet's nursery manager, likes Firebird, a new compact red coneflower.

He also recommends other new varieties of plants: Autumn Revolution bittersweet produces twice the fruit of the species; Viking Black chokeberry with red fall foliage that contrasts with the black fruit; and Raspberry Tart viburnum, a dwarf with great fall color.

Camera

Here's something that won't do a thing for the birds, but could enhance your appreciation of the hobby. Yes, it's a candid camera for birds. The Audubon BirdCam costs $159, and you can learn where to buy it at wingscapes.com. It's a weather-protected digital camera you hang so it's pointed at your feeder or bath, and a motion sensor takes pictures when you're not there. It can also be set to operate at specific time intervals or with a 30-foot remote control cord. This new product is almost $100 less than another Wingscapes has been selling.

Here are a few birding facts and tips from Ron Zick, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Arlington Heights and Glenview.

•It should be a great winter for bird watching. The cooler summer provided a lot of natural food and shelter for birds, and the populations have recovered nicely from the West Nile epidemic and are in good condition going into the winter.

•Birds that stay all winter are the seed eaters - cardinals, finches, blue jays, chickadees and nuthatch's. It's the insect and berry eaters who have to move on to warmer climes.

•If cats roam through your yard, keep your feeders as high as you can and away from low-lying vegetation where the felines can hide. You want the birds to be able to see 360 degrees while they are eating.

•Another adorable problem is squirrels. There are baffles that keep squirrels off feeders and feeders guaranteed to be squirrel proof. Some people just set up separate feeding stations for the bushy tails.

Celebrate National Candy Corn Day with candy corn cordials

Celebrate National Candy Corn Day with candy corn cordials

I love candy corn. I've been known to munch on it in the middle of July. So you can bet I'll be marking National Candy Corn Day on Friday, Oct. 30.

This sugary treat was invented in the 1880s and this year more than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced. That's nearly 9 billion pieces (no, I didn't count, I'm trusting the folks at the National Confectioners Association), If laid end to end, the candies could circle the moon four times.

If you want to celebrate, this month's issue of Food Network Magazine has a decidedly adult way to do so: With candy corn cordials.

First, find a jar with an airtight lid; combine 1/2 cup candy corn with 11/2 cups vodka; cover and set aside. After 3 hours strain out and the discard the solids.

To make the drinks, fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add 4 ounces infused vodka, 2 ounces orange liqueur, juice from half a lemon and 1 large egg white.

Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds, then strain into 2 chilled martini glasses. Garnish with fresh candy corn.

No tricks, just treats: So maybe candy corn's not your thing. Maybe you sneak Almond Joys from your kids' Halloween buckets.

According to the candy association, four in 10 consumers admit they plan to sneak treats from the candy bowl. And nearly one third of adults will pocket at least a handful of goodies for themselves on Halloween night.

Chocolate continues to be the traditional favorite for tossing into the loot bags, followed by hard candy and lollipops, chewy or gummy candy, chewing or bubble gum and caramel treats.

No tricks, just treats, part 2: Kids can spend part of Halloween learning how to make their own chocolate treats with pastry chef John Zydowicz of Upper Crust Bakery in Lisle and Downers Grove.

Kids 5 and older (those younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult) will learn about various types of chocolate, how to temper chocolate and how to create chocolate bowls, chocolate truffles and other cocoa treats.

This Cooking with the Best Chefs class runs 10 a.m. to noon at Ivy Restaurant, 120 Hale St., Wheaton or from 2 to 4 p.m. at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, 798 W. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights. Class costs $35 for children and adults; join Cooking with the Best Chefs and get a $10 per person discount. Register at BestChefs.com or (630) 359-4600.

Leftover redux: Besides making flavored vodka with candy corn, there are other ways to use up your candy surplus.

Wisebread.com suggests stirring candies into baked treats: wrap biscuit dough around Tootsie Rolls, crush peanut butter cups into cookies, chop fun-sized chocolates into brownies, stir chopped candy corn into candied yams, stick Peppermint Patties in the bottom of your coffee cup.

For more creative ideas, like using Red Hots in barbecue sauce and making a candy garland for your Christmas tree, head to Wisebread.com.

- Deborah Pankey

• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at food@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4524. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on Restaurant Radio Chicago, 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560 AM.

Tobacco law is good for business, health

Tobacco law is good for business, health

The Schaumburg Business Association supports passage of legislation known as the PACT Act that helps combat illegal sales of cigarettes. We believe the PACT Act will deter Internet and other remote sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco that currently deny substantial tax revenues to the state of Illinois and local municipalities.

These remote sales can also undercut Illinois laws intended to prevent youth access to cigarettes and other tobacco products. We are also concerned that Internet and other remote sales of tobacco products put legitimate businesses at a disadvantage.

Current regulatory requirements were enacted almost 60 years ago and were designed to prevent bootlegging of cigarettes. Modern infrastructures, most notably the Internet, make the existing regulations outdated because consumers are able to purchase goods from businesses in other states without paying taxes or verifying age. The PACT Act will expand the amount of information that must be reported by the remote seller and it will give state and local authorities the ability to enforce.

The PACT Act makes sense to us at this time when the state of Illinois and local municipalities depend on their fair share of tax revenues. We also applaud the added benefit of good health and well-being for our minor children.

Laurie Stone

President

Schaumburg Business Association

Man in Hanover Park standoff was wanted in Michigan for assault

Man in Hanover Park standoff was wanted in Michigan for assault

Facebook postings, a cell phone trace and old-fashioned police work led authorities to an armed fugitive from Michigan who fired shots and barricaded himself in a Hanover Park apartment over the weekend.

Edward Zielinski, 33, of Kalamazoo, Mich., was wanted in connection with an attack on his 18-year-old girlfriend last week in Emmett Township, near Battle Creek.

Police in Emmett Township say Zielinski was angry that the woman ended their short relationship after she found out he was a convicted sex offender.

He broke into her apartment around 5:45 p.m. Oct. 22, and when she got home he choked her until she passed out, said Emmett Township Police Lt. Tony Geigle.

"The victim had visible marks on her neck and was spitting up blood," Geigle said. "Zielinski thought he killed her."

Calhoun County, Mich., prosecutors charged Zielinski with assault with intent to murder, home invasion and being a habitual offender. He faces extradition back to Michigan.

The Michigan State Police Fugitive Team worked with Emmett Township police to locate Zielinski. When officers saw he made a comment on Facebook about visiting a friend in the Chicago suburbs, they spoke with his family to determine the friend's identity. They also traced his cell phone.

That's when Illinois authorities stepped in.

Around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, Hanover Park police attempted to arrest Zielinski at a residence on the 1300 block of Bamberg Court.

Instead, Zielinski barricaded himself inside, indicated he had a handgun and threatened to harm police officers and himself, police said.

Zielinski discharged the weapon three times during negotiations, Hanover Park Police Lt. Mike Menough confirmed today. Details of what or who he may have been shooting at are unknown.

Following a 15-hour standoff, police and the Northern Illinois Police Alarm Systems' Emergency Services Team stormed the apartment using loud, bright distraction devices known as "flash bangs," according to Geigle.

Police say no one was injured in the incident.

Charges involving the barricade are still pending and are expected to be filed in DuPage County.

Palatine cops' say moral to Brown's case: 'It's never too late to call'

Palatine cops' say moral to Brown's case: 'It's never too late to call'



Palatine Police Cmdr. Bill King, left, and Chief John Koziol walk through the lobby of the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago moments before a jury sentenced James Degorski to life in prison without parole on Tuesday.

Palatine Police Chief John Koziol remembers the first time he laid eyes on the men responsible for the grisliest crime in Northwest suburban history.

"I finally met the beings that killed seven innocent souls and thought, 'This is it? These are the guys that did this to these poor people? They're a couple of losers who never did anything decent in their lives.' I felt disgust, and a lot of hate and vengeance."

That anger will likely never fully subside, but Koziol said he's grateful the victims' families are suffering a little less now that both Juan Luna and James Degorski will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. Luna was convicted and sentenced in 2007. Degorski's jury declared his sentence on Tuesday, following an eight-week trial.

Previously, Koziol and Palatine Police Cmdr. William King, the investigator to whom Degorski confessed in 2002, have been bound by a court-imposed gag order and could not discuss the case. That changed on Tuesday, when a jury sentenced Degorski to life in prison without parole, just like his accomplice. They're thankful for the guilty verdicts, but disappointed the pair wasn't sentenced to death.

"We have total respect for the jury and the system," Koziol said. "There was just so much human suffering, we were hoping for a different outcome."

In the moments before the court clerk read the verdict earlier this month, Koziol said he thought about how the victims' immediate families filled nearly half of the courtroom.

"They've always had poise and dignity from the early years all the way through the verdict," Koziol said. "They always supported us, even when we didn't have answers for them. I think they're afraid we'll forget their loved ones now that this is over, but we never will."

Though he never felt hopeless, King said he often "got that jaded feeling," especially Monday mornings when, often, domestic disputes over the weekend led to people pinning the Brown's murders on their significant others.

"It happened all the time," King said. "And you have to investigate it. You always hoped it'd be the one."

Answers finally came in the form of lead No. 4,842: a call regarding Degorski and Luna.

Koziol lauds the two women who provided the long-awaited break in the case. Melissa Oberle called police after learning details of the crime from Degorski's ex-girlfriend, Anne Lockett England.

Koziol won't comment on who he thinks should receive a $98,000 reward established in the case, but he said England's name doesn't belong in the same sentence as that of Eileen Bakala, a Degorski friend who testified against him and Luna but also kept the pair's confession secret for nine years.

"Anne came forward through Melissa and was extremely cooperative. She did everything we asked of her," Koziol said. "Eileen on the other hand, we had to go find. Her reason for not coming forward was her deep friendship with Degorski, not fear."

Koziol clarified that neither woman received immunity, though Bakala did get a letter from prosecutors stating she wasn't the target of their investigation. In fact, he said they couldn't come up with a charge even if they tried.

"There's a misconception that knowing something about a crime is itself a crime, but legally people can keep these dark secrets to themselves and never come forward," Koziol said. "If there's any sort of moral to this story, it's that it's never too late to call."

In the years following the murders, the Palatine Police Department and task force were sometimes portrayed as inept - a theme the defense continued to pound throughout both trials. Yet Koziol said he refuses to publicly take shots at the media or anyone who was critical.

"Dredging that up ends up trivializing the crime and what really went on in that restaurant," he said. "This has always been about those seven innocent souls and to use your energy on anything else isn't productive."

Again and again, Koziol and King expressed their gratitude to the victims' families, state's attorneys, state's attorneys investigators and the task force.

"They put their hearts and souls into this case just like we did," Koziol said. "Those poor people couldn't have had more capable advocates working on their behalf."

Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng has something to prove

That he's not the soft slacker some believe him to be after his injury last year

It would be hard to find many people who are looking forward to the  Bulls' opener Thursday night more than Luol Deng.

Deng was two things last year: much maligned and very much sidelined, the former having everything to do with the latter.

He was called soft. How much could a stress fracture hurt?

He was called selfish. Why wouldn't he suck it up and play?

He had to listen to that and more while he sat. And he had to read a Bulls press release that let everyone know "he will be encouraged to challenge himself physically, and if the symptoms remain minimal, he will be allowed an expeditious return to play."

Fans and media commended the Bulls for what looked to be their tough stand against a pampered athlete.

And what did Deng do? He took it. He could have spoken up, could have answered the critics, but he decided to wait quietly, bide his time and heal.

"There was no way I could have come out and said anything that would have changed anyone's mind until I play," he said Tuesday. "That's why I'm so excited for this season. I think it will shut a lot of people up."

It is not a reach to say that if Deng can get back to what he was two seasons ago, the Bulls will be very good this year. But it's a big "if," a Shaq-sized "if," and some of the Bulls are tiptoeing around the notion, not wanting to pin their hopes on it.

Others can't help themselves.

"We need him," guard Derrick Rose said.

The term "stress fracture" doesn't sound like much, and that probably added to the perception problem Deng faced last year. "Fractured leg" carries more weight and more sympathy.

"I couldn't play," he said. "I would have been stupid if I had said, 'You know what? I'm just going to lace them up and play.' I probably would have missed this year if I did.

"I was really close to having surgery for a fractured tibia, which in some cases is career-ending. But I didn't want to take the criticism personally. I tried to be smart about it, tried to be true to myself. I know how hard I worked for this game."

When you're wearing street clothes during the first year of a six-year, $71 million contract and when your team goes out and trades for John Salmons to play the same position you do, it doesn't make you Mr. Popular. Deng heard the grumbling among Bulls fans.

It's amazing how quickly public sentiment moves on. When Deng wasn't getting criticized for sitting last season, he was being left for dead. Salmons played well after being acquired from Sacramento, and suddenly Deng looked as necessary as wisdom teeth.

That was a long way from July 2008, when the Bulls gave him the long-term deal.

"Obviously we're incredibly happy to get Luol signed," then-general manager John Paxson said at the time. "It's the type of thing that gives him security and gives us the direction we're going to go here in the future."

But things change, and now Deng feels like he has to show everybody again. It's not a bad thing to have a few more logs thrown on the fire. His teammates see it. They named him one of three captains.

Now he just wants to stay healthy. It's not asking too much, is it?

"I'm a rhythm guy," he said. "I need my rhythm. When I start missing practices, it really affects my rhythm. Some guys are able to sit out practices and show up at game time. I really need to get my practice in."

In 2006-07, he played all 82 games and averaged a career-high 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. In the playoffs, his numbers increased to 22.2 and 8.7. He said he didn't miss a practice all season.

The next year, he missed 19 games to injuries. Last season, he missed 33 regular-season games, as well as the thrilling playoff series against the Celtics.

"I can't describe how hard it was to sit out and watch that playoff series," he said. "I don't think I'll ever erase that memory until I play again and enjoy it with the guys."

Deng's game is predicated on movement, which sounds obvious -- in basketball, you move, right? But he needs to be slashing to the basket or moving off a screen to hit jumpers.

The Spurs come to the United Center on Thursday night, and Deng will be there, slashing. And if the critics are slashing too?

"Those people don't know me personally," he said. "I just have to wait for the season. I'm really excited. I'm determined and I'm focused."

Gastric bypass: Is it a diabetes fix?

Within days of various weight-loss surgeries, blood sugar levels become easier to manage -- or are normal.

The discovery came about by accident more than a decade ago: Weight-loss surgery often led to dramatic improvements in the control of Type 2 diabetes, often before patients had even left the hospital.

Today, evidence of the connection is so solid that some doctors say surgery should be considered as a treatment for diabetes, regardless of a person's weight or desire to lose weight.

"We thought diabetes was an incurable, progressive disease," says Dr. Walter J. Pories, a professor of surgery at East Carolina University and a leading researcher on weight-loss surgery. "It . . . is a major cause of amputations, renal failure and blindness. This operation takes about an hour, and two days in the hospital, and these people go off their diabetes medication. It's unbelievable."

As many as 86% of obese people with Type 2 diabetes find their diabetes is gone or much easier to control within days of having weight-loss surgery, according to a meta-analysis of 19 studies published earlier this year in the American Journal of Medicine (78% of patients with a remission of diabetes and 86.6% with remission or improvement). But experts still aren't sure why obesity surgery helps resolve Type 2 diabetes or how long the effect might last. And they disagree on how big a role surgery should take in treating the illness.

"We are going from seeing the results to understanding why it happens," said Dr. Santiago Horgan, director of the Center for the Treatment of Obesity at UC San Diego.

This much is clear: Patients who have weight-loss surgery begin to lose weight rapidly, which by itself improves Type 2 diabetes, allowing diabetics to more easily control their blood glucose levels. But something else appears to be occurring as well.

There is strong evidence that surgery -- especially gastric bypass surgery, which makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine -- causes chemical changes in the intestine, says Dr. Jonathan Q. Purnell, director of the Bionutrition Unit at Oregon Health & Science University. The small intestine has been thought of simply as the place where digestion occurs.

But researchers now suspect it has other functions related to metabolism. Surgery somehow alters the secretion of hormones in the gut that play a role in appetite and help process sugar normally.

Multiple studies in humans and animals indicate that surgery triggers reductions in ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, and elevates levels of peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide-1, both of which act as appetite suppressants. Another theory is that surgery might alter the expression of genes that regulate glucose and fatty-acid metabolism.

"There are these known components that improve glucose metabolism," Purnell says. "But there are very likely other things happening as well."

Which procedure?

The effect on diabetes can depend on the type of weight-loss surgery that is performed, says Pories, past president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The highest rates of diabetes remission are seen in people who have gastric bypass -- about 83%.

But diabetes also tends to resolve or improve in 50% to 80% of people who have lap-band surgery, in which a band is placed around the top of the stomach to make it smaller, he says. And there is some evidence that the effect occurs a newer type of weight-loss surgery called gastric sleeve, in which a portion of the stomach is removed so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve.

Evidence suggests the effect on diabetes can last for an extended period or even indefinitely, particularly if people don't regain a lot of weight.

"There is durability, but we also know that some people do get the disease back again," Purnell says. "Weight rebound is probably one factor. We also know that diabetes is a progressive disease. It may depend on how long you've been diagnosed with diabetes. If it's early on, I think the durability may be better."

It's not clear yet why people have different responses.

"There is some evidence that African Americans don't respond as well as Caucasians, and men don't respond as well as women," Pories says.

Despite the unknowns, the evidence that a majority of people experience long-term improvement in blood glucose control suggests the surgery could eventually play a greater role in the treatment of obese people with Type 2 diabetes. The majority of American adults with Type 2 diabetes are overweight.

Traditional medical guidelines, which insurers follow, state that weight-loss surgery should be restricted to patients with a body mass index of 35 or greater who have related health problems. But some diabetes and nutrition experts think those recommendations don't go far enough. Several studies are underway, or will soon begin, to examine the benefits of surgery in people with Type 2 diabetes and a BMI of less than 35.

"We may have a cure for diabetes," Santiago says. "So we need to ask how medical therapies and surgery can help each other in the treatment of diabetes."

Studies from several other countries show that surgery also results in remission of diabetes for people who are not morbidly obese. There is even discussion, particularly in other countries, of performing weight-loss surgery for people with Type 2 diabetes who are not overweight.

Not without risks

In the United States, weight-loss surgery is still largely viewed as a cosmetic procedure and obesity as a lifestyle issue, not a chronic disease. Moreover, weight-loss surgery carries risks. The death rate is about one per 200 operations and severe complications can occur, including blood clots, infections related to surgery, and the need for corrective surgery due to leaks at the staple lines.

Other complications include vitamin and mineral deficiencies, dehydration, gallstones, kidney stones, hernia and low blood sugar.

However, a risk-benefit analysis published in April in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. by Purnell and a colleague suggests that if the number of gastric bypass operations performed on diabetic patients increased to 1 million per year, as many as 14,310 diabetes-related deaths might be prevented over five years.

Surgery also leads to other health benefits besides weight loss and better control of diabetes. Patients often see improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, gastroesophageal reflux disease and sleep apnea.

"Doctors say, 'If I can lower glucose by medications, why send patients to surgery?' " Purnell says. "Surgery, however, allows people to have meaningful and sustained weight loss and their diabetes is better. There are risks involved with surgery, obviously, but it makes sense, to me, to do surgery."

The discovery of the gut hormones that play a role in appetite and insulin regulation may also lead to new medications for Type 2 diabetes, Pories says.

"You can't operate on 31 million Americans," he says. "But if we understood this mechanism and what are the molecules secreted by the intestines that cause diabetes, then we can cure it with a pill. I would not be surprised if, in the next five years, we have new medications."

Diabetes: A battle for control

Without a doubt, many patients require insulin. But some who have Type 2 disease resolve to change their lives instead.

Simply put, diabetes is a contest between people and their blood. For people whose bodies don't produce enough insulin to manage their blood sugar, the goal is a normal blood score, achieved through a balancing act of lifestyle and medication.

"Eventually most patients will follow a course of lifestyle, medications, then insulin," said Dr. Enrico Cagliero, referring to people diagnosed with the most common form of diabetes, known as Type 2. He's an endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Overall about 30% of all diabetics are on insulin, but, given the progressive nature of the disease, close to 60% can expect to be on it eventually."

To buck that trend, some of these diabetics, with the help of physicians who share their mission, are adopting rigorous diet and exercise regimens to get off insulin, or never have to go on it. Unlike Type 1 diabetics, who have no choice but to take insulin, Type 2 diabetics still produce some of the hormone -- and more than a few are determined to make the most of it.

Dr. Wei-An "Andy" Lee, an endocrinologist and assistant professor at USC's Keck School of Medicine, is a firm supporter of this approach. He's among a handful of physicians using radical lifestyle changes to get insulin-dependent patients off insulin.

"I wish more doctors and patients would not assume insulin injections are their only option," he said. "I don't see why more don't give lifestyle a try. It's better for the patient, costs less than medications or surgery, and is better for the country."

Newer non-insulin medications, specifically ones that boost incretins (hormones found in the digestive tract), along with strict diets can help patients actually reverse their disease and ditch the insulin, he says. Lee presented two such case studies to the Endocrine Society in Washington, D.C., last summer, and points to dozens of individual success stories.

He prescribes incretin medications and a very low-calorie diet (600 to 800 calories a day). Once off insulin and stabilized, patients can maintain normal blood levels through lifestyle alone, he says: a low-calorie diet (1,000 to 1,200 calories a day), weight loss, moderate daily exercise and regular eating and sleeping schedules.

Other doctors say this approach misses the point.

They agree that controlling blood sugar is crucial. Not doing so can lead to blindness, kidney failure, loss of limbs, heart disease and stroke. And they agree that lifestyle changes are the first and best line of defense against Type 2 diabetes.

But avoiding or getting off insulin shouldn't be the focus, said Dr. David Nathan, director of the diabetes center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and editor of the Harvard Medical School Special Health Report on Type 2 diabetes. Maintaining glucose levels that in the long-term will prevent kidney and eye disease should be the focus instead, he insists. "If you can achieve good numbers without medication, you have my blessing," Nathan says. "But if you need insulin, you'll be much healthier with it than without it."

Still, many patients don't want to be on insulin. Apart from being inconvenient, the drug contributes to weight gain, which exacerbates diabetes. Patients have a lot of psychological resistance to insulin, Cagliero adds. "Doctors sometimes use insulin as a scare tactic and tell patients that if they don't lose weight and get their lifestyles under control, they will have to go on insulin. So people associate insulin with guilt," he says. "They feel like a failure, as if they didn't do their job."

Lee's approach "is a little on the odd side," he says. "I worry that these people will have wonderful reversals initially, then slide back and feel like failures."

Further, controlling diabetes, even with insulin and even for the most committed patient, can be difficult.

Richard Jackson, an endocrinologist, founder and medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center's Outpatient Intensive Treatment program and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, puts it more vehemently and bluntly:

"Telling people who have diabetes that their goal is to get off medications is the dumbest thing you can do. Putting patients on a low-calorie diet is among the least successful approaches for the long term. It's not a new idea. You can take almost anyone with Type 2 diabetes and fast them, and in one day they will have a normal blood sugar. The goal shouldn't be to get people with Type 2 diabetes off medications, but to get their [glucose] and other numbers, specifically blood pressure and blood lipids, in a healthy range. Our goal is to help people live a long healthy life, not a life with the fewest medications."

What no one disputes is the positive effect of a controlled diet, weight loss and regular exercise on diabetes.

Though not everyone with Type 2 diabetes is overweight, and many obese people never get diabetes, 95% of people who have Type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Most experts believe that obesity combined with a genetic predisposition triggers Type 2 diabetes. If you have the genes, never becoming overweight is your best defense.

Not only do fat cells secrete adipokines (proteins that regulate insulin sensitivity), but excess body fat also disrupts hormonal balances, says Dr. Judith Korner, assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism at Columbia University. She's received funding from the National Institutes of Health to study weight loss and diabetes.

"Losing weight helps reduce the visceral fat in the abdomen. The fat encases the organs, including the liver, making it more difficult for the organs to respond to insulin." Even losing as little as 5% to 10% of one's body weight can produce a noticeable decline in blood sugar and decrease the need for medication.

Regular activity also helps diabetics reduce the need for insulin and other medications. Growing evidence suggests that moderate-intensity activity -- even if it doesn't bring weight loss -- can improve insulin sensitivity.

Several long-term studies demonstrated that diabetics who engaged in 30 to 60 minutes of moderately aerobic activity three to four times a week lowered their average blood sugar levels by 10% to 20%. The most insulin-resistant saw the most benefit. Regular exercise also helps lower blood pressure, raise HDL ("good" cholesterol) and lower triglycerides, all problems that accompany diabetes.

One federally funded, long-term study, the Look AHEAD trial, is tracking more than 5,000 people who have Type 2 diabetes. Researchers assigned half the participants to an intensive lifestyle intervention (calorie-restricted diet, moderate-intensity exercise of 175 minutes a week and weekly support sessions); the other had standard diabetes support and education. One year after the trial began, according to a report published in 2007 in Diabetes Care, members of the intervention group had lost an average of 8.6% of their body weight, compared with only 0.7% for the control group. And their blood sugar scores improved more dramatically.

A so-called A1C blood test indicates a person's average blood sugar over 90 days. Anything over 6.5 is too high. The average A1C in the intervention group fell from 7.3 to 6.6; in the control group it only went from 7.3 to 7.2. Weight loss also brought lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and a reduced need for medication to control all those factors.

"If you're one of the lucky patients who can keep your blood sugar under control with just lifestyle, that's great," Cagliero says. "But however patients with high blood sugar get it under control, most doctors say, what matters most is that they do, not how."

Joe Girardi feels 'blessed' to manage New York Yankees

In Joe Girardi's mind, that's where he will be standing Wednesday night when he exchanges lineup cards with the Phillies' Charlie Manuel.

Girardi will emerge from the first-base dugout shortly before the World Series opener, Yankee Stadium sure to be crackling with electricity after Alicia Keys sings the national anthem. He might feel like pinching himself, but nothing will interrupt his focus.

The Illinois native, a quarterback at Spalding Institute in Peoria, an industrial engineering graduate from Northwestern and an All-Star catcher with the Cubs, says he feels "blessed" managing the Yankees in the World Series.

He knows he's walking where few do, especially those with the Cubs, whose players he worshipped long ago. He had hoped to manage in Chicago, but Lou Piniella got the job that would have seemed to fit him well.

Instead of trying to help the Cubs end a drought that has reached 101 years, he has a chance to guide the Yankees to their 27th World Series title.

"I think of all the kids who have played Little League," Girardi said. "All the people who played in the big leagues. Being a Cub fan, understanding Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo never got to experience that, you realize how fortunate you are."

You don't get in Girardi's position by winning the lottery, however. He has spent most of his 45 years acquiring the experience that allows him to tell Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez what to do.

He's not afraid, either. Few managers ever have been as quick to push buttons in postseason games as Girardi over the last three weeks.

"The key for me is preparation," he said. "That's what helps me handle everything that comes my way."

Student of game Northwestern coach Paul Stevens was an assistant on Ron Wellman's staff during Girardi's tenure as an All-Big Ten catcher for the Wildcats. The Cubs took him in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft, more for his fielding and ability to run a game than his bat.

"He was the backbone of the team here," Stevens said. "Joe has always had a very good head for the game, and he was like a coach on the field. ... I've been around a lot of intelligent guys here, but Joe really stood out."

Girardi, who survived 15 years with four teams and won three World Series rings with the Yankees, graduated from Northwestern in four years. He may never use his engineering degree, but it honed his work habits.

"Joe has tremendous time-management skills," Stevens said. "He's a stickler for details, as organized as you can be, meticulous in his preparation and never misses a thing."

Success was elusive in his first managerial stop with the Marlins in 2006. Girardi kept a young, cheap team in wild-card contention before it faded to a fourth-place finish with a 78-84 record.

Clashes with the front office were frequent and increasingly volatile, and his dismissal was no surprise even as it coincided with his being named NL Manager of the Year.

Girardi felt he had been undermined and misled when the Marlins traded franchise cornerstones Josh Beckett and Mike Lovell to the Red Sox, shedding payroll after he had been hired. Bad blood between Girardi and the front office over the budget and the coaching staff, among other things, boiled over during an August game against the Dodgers.

Owner Jeffrey Loria was loudly questioning ball-and-strike calls from the stands when someone in the dugout shouted, "Shut the (expletive) up." Loria believed it was Girardi yelling and stormed into the manager's office afterward, intent on firing him.

One of Girardi's coaches was the culprit, but Loria still ordered the manager to apologize in front of the team.

"It was irretrievable after that," said Mike Berardino, who covered Girardi for the South Florida's Sun Sentinel.

2 dead 2 wounded in West Englewood shootings

2 dead 2 wounded in West Englewood shootings

A 19-year-old man and a woman were killed Tuesday afternoon in an apparent drive-by shooting in the city's West Englewood neighborhood, police said.

The man was identified this morning as Shane Burnett of the 6300 block of South Honore Street, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Burnett was pronounced dead at 5:13 p.m. Tuesday at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

The woman, who was in her 40s, has not been identified, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office. She was pronounced dead at 7:21 pm. at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Two others were wounded during a wild sequence of events. Police responded to separate shooting reports in the 6800 blocks of Justine Street and Ashland Avenue at about 4:30 p.m.

On the 6800 block of South Ashland Avenue, police discovered Burnett wounded in an alley and the woman wounded on the sidewalk, police spokesman Michael Fitzpatrick said. On Justine, police found two adult males with gunshot wounds to their legs, he said.

The men shot in the legs were taken to Holy Cross Hospital and were listed in good condition.

Police continued gathering details on the shooting, but had not made any arrests. A description of the fleeing vehicle wasn't available.

2 Investigators Expose Neighborhood Nightmares

Residents Of Sauganash Park Outraged By Alleged Fuel Leak

Fuel that leaked out of storage tanks and into the land of neighboring homes has some local residents outraged. They say no one is going to want to buy their homes now. They are worried about their investment and worried about their health. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini reports on their neighborhood nightmare. 

Jack Jacobson told CBS 2 the ground underneath his family's Chicago home was contaminated after underground tanks leaked from Bell Fuels. 

Jacobson says sometime before August 2001, for an unknown period of time, an unknown amount of oil loaded with toxic chemicals seeped from tanks and headed across the alley into yards. 

He says it killed gardens, even the apple tree he ate from. 

"I'm concerned about me. I'm concerned about my children," Jacobson said. 

Monitoring wells are scattered around the 6000 block of Kedvale in the Sauganash Park neighborhood. 

He even pointed to what he says is a common site when it rains: a film on the water. 

Another area resident says there's even an odor. 

"There's a sheen that comes up that would smell like you're at a diesel station," said Jennifer Lubeck. 

Lubeck and her husband are concerned about the potential for long term health effects. They said that this has devastated their family. They claim their son's had mysterious skin rashes. 

Dolfin Kheyo and Genave Daniel who had once lived with her say it was at its worst whenever the home flooded. 

"It definitely smells like gas," Daniel said. 

Norm Berger represents Bell Fuels. 

"I can say with confidence that these folks have never been exposed to any dangerous contamination," Berger said. 

Bell Fuels contends that there was a spill, but it's been cleaned up. Berger says there is no proof anyone ever got sick and Bell Fuels followed all EPA guidelines to clean the contamination. 

When asked if the properties, homes and yards in the area are safe, Berger said, "No question about it." 

Kheyo also worries the home she worked her life to buy is now worthless. 

When asked about the effect on property values, Berger said, "I don't know whether there has been any property value damage." 

Jacobson says the leak scares buyers away. 

"In reality, the house is valueless," Jacobson said. 

The Lubecks say they tried selling their home but had no luck. Then they recently fell on hard times and lost it to foreclosure. 

Jennifer Lubeck says, "It hurts. There were a lot of memories there." 

Jacobson says residents feel alone in their struggle. 

"The feeling that I have is that nobody really cares," he said. 

Bell Fuels says all the tanks and contamination have been removed and they are willing to provide homeowners some compensation. 

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency officials say Bell Fuels needs to prove that any remaining contamination cannot reach the public. That's expected to be done soon. Then residents will receive an IEPA letter saying that all is clear.

Suburban Nursing Home Faces Allegations Of Abuse

There are allegations of neglect and unexplained injuries to residents at a suburban nursing home. Family members say many patients are not being cleaned, fed or attended to. And a former worker says the allegations are true. CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports on what's going on at Westmont Nursing & Rehab Center.

When Patty Murphy had to put her 81-year-old mother in a nursing home three years ago, she picked Westmont because it was close to home and appeared clean. But she says in recent months, things have changed. 

"Sometimes I walk in there, and if my mom is in dry, clean clothes, it's a good day," Murphy said. 

She says her mom and other residents are not being properly taken care of. 

"I've seen people get out of their wheelchairs, their alarm is going off and no one's running to their rescue," Murphy said. "It's kind of scary." 

Gerry Norieko took pictures of bruises he found on his 90-year-old mother a couple weeks ago. There are bruises up and down her arms, and on her shoulders and legs. 

"I lifted up her sleeve and I saw a bruise here, which looks like they grabbed her," Norieko said. 

Norieko says the staff claims they don't know what happened. In addition, he's noticed other residents in distress. One incident that stands out in his mind involves an elderly man who was struggling to eat. 

"There was nobody to help him eat, so I fed him," Norieko said. 

Still, he and the families point out that some of the workers did seem to care. 

One of them was former nurses' aide, Brenda Price. But despite a letter verifying her good work record, on September 17th, Price says she was told she was being fired for insubordination. 

"I believe I was complaining too much," Price said.

Price says she didn't like what she saw going on inside Westmont, including witnessing other aides punishing patients. 

"Cold showers, not feeding them," Price said. "When they're changing them, they would throw them real hard and roll them back, or they would pinch them."

Westmont administrators refused our request for an interview, but responded in an email that the center "…is committed to providing high quality nursing and rehabilitative care, and customer service to its residents and families." 

CBS 2 found out the state Department of Public Health has investigated 31 allegations against Westmont, following tips to the Nursing Home Hotline over the past year. 

Twelve of them were substantiated: 11 for poor quality care and one for abuse. As a result, the facility is currently being fined $200 a day. 

"It's hard to have a loved one in these places to begin with," Murphy said. "When you don't know that they're really getting the care that they need, it's just hard." 

The Health Department says Westmont will continue to be fined $200 a day until they correct the violations they've been cited for. 

Investigators have been checking the facility regularly in response to the complaints. They were there as recently as last Wednesday and say conditions are still not up to government standards. 

The entire response from Westmont administrators is below:

"In response to your concerns related to Westmont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center the management is pleased to make the following statement: 

"Westmont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is committed to providing high quality nursing and rehabilitative care, and customer service to its residents and families. 

"Westmont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has satisfied residents and families with a high occupancy rate. 

"Westmont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has many happy, caring staff with longevity of over 20 years. 

"We believe that the source of the rumors is a disgruntled former employee. 

"Any specific concerns brought to the attention of facility staff are investigated thoroughly and addressed appropriately."