Articles filed under Lifestyle

• An older home with a ‘breathing’ problem May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Older homes were usually built to "breathe." It was during the fuel-shortage crisis of the 1970s, when homeowners began to seal and insulate their homes to save energy, that indoor mold contamination became a noticeable health issue.
  

   

• There’s nothing unusual about pre-approval letter May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Q. I'm confused. To purchase a property we are looking at, we need a commercial loan. My realtor says she can't bid unless we have a pre-approval letter from a bank. But the bank wants to know the purchase price of the property before they will preapprove us.
  

   
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  Anti-Chavez TV channel trying to survive May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  The studios of the Venezuelan television channel RCTV used to be filled with thousands of actors, production assistants and other employees. Today, nearly five years after the channel was forced off the air by the government, the building seems largely empty.
  

   
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  Where did the term ‘baby bump’ originate? May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  At least half of the pleasure of watching "What to Expect When You're Expecting" will be staring at the baby bumps of A-list cast members. Back when the pregnancy classic was first published in 1984, the term "baby bump" wasn't yet in use. But nearly 30 years later, the phrase is ubiquitous.
  

   
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  South Africa’s Soweto gets its fashion week May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Struggling but deserving designers got a chance to show work inspired by the creativity and history of South Africa's most famous township in Soweto's first fashion week. The township on Johannesburg's southwestern edge was the natural place for a show for new designers, said 23-year-old entrepreneur and Soweto Fashion Week organizer Stephen Manzini. "You walk around Soweto, you see creativity everywhere," Manzini said.
  

   
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  Cannes red carpet gets Bond girl flair May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Berenice Marlohe, the newest Bond girl, has been making the red carpet at the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival look like a day at the beach. One day it was a gold lame gown by Emilio Pucci with a black lace insert on the halter top; on another it was a black lace Roberto Cavalli with a deep V-neck complemented by a chainlike Swarovski crystal necklace.
  

   
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  LEDs have bright future in landscape lighting May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Over the past few years, LED lighting has almost totally taken over the landscape lighting market from the previously popular low voltage incandescent and halogen systems, said Thomas Reindl of Northwest Electrical Supply in Mount Prospect.
  

   
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  Lone inventor in the garage? It’s a myth May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  As Americans, we tend to embrace the notion that a brilliant inventor doesn't need much more than a garage, a sturdy workbench and a dream. From Thomas Edison to Iron Man, our inventor-heroes have been popularly viewed as single-combat warriors working feverishly in a basement or some other threadbare den of solitude.
  

   

• How borrower-ordered appraisals are a better way to shop for mortgages May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Those seeking a mortgage would benefit if the process switcheed from a system of lender-ordered appraisals to a system of borrower-ordered appraisals. There are several hurdles to such a switch, but they are not insurmountable.
  

   
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  Born to run barefoot? Some end up getting injured May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  As more avid runners and casual athletes experiment with barefoot running, doctors say they are treating injuries ranging from pulled calf muscles to Achilles tendinitis to metatarsal stress fractures, mainly in people who ramped up too fast. In serious cases, they are laid up for several months. While the ranks of people running barefoot or in "barefoot running shoes" have grown in recent years, they still represent the minority of runners.
  

   
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  Archery hits pop culture’s bull’s eye with ‘Hunger Games’ May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Two-time Olympian Jennifer Nichols' eyes light up with she talks about her sport finally climbing out of the shadows. "The Hunger Games" has shined a bright light on the ancient sport of archery and fueled interest across the country in picking up a bow and arrow. "We're really excited about that because archery has been a sport that we've struggled with, some of the interest in it, but this year it has just exploded," said Nichols, the world's 29th-ranked female archer.
  

   
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  'Battleship' fact-check: Could we revive Mighty Mo?May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  What's the expiration date on a World War II warship? That's a question raised by the surprising third act in Peter Berg's new naval actioner "Battleship." Desperate for another ship to complete their one last job, our heroes turn to the World War II battleship the USS Missouri. If faced with such a situation, could we really revive the Mighty Mo?
  

   
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  Library of Congress taps 25 sounds for registry May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  From rare audio interviews of former slaves to recordings by Donna Summer and the Grateful Dead, 25 sounds that shaped the American cultural landscape are being inducted into the National Recording Registry. Summer's 1977 hit "I Feel Love" is joining the Grateful Dead's famous 1977 Barton Hall concert as sounds of cultural significance, among 25 additions by the Library of Congress as part of its registry.
  

   

• Agent: ‘OMG’ diet book subject of 7-figure deal May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  The author of a self-published diet book that advocates skipping breakfast and taking cold baths has agreed to lucrative deals with British and U.S. publishers.
  

   
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  On the Market: Semi-custom home in Palatine May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Move into a new single-family home in Palatine as soon as September. KF Walter Homes is building this brick and frame home with a three-car garage on W. Dorchester Avenue in that popular Northwest suburb and it is expected to be ready for its family this fall.
  

   
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  'Married Alive' takes lightweight approach May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's "Married Alive" is a par-for-the-course relationship revue, ably performed. The show juxtaposes two couples: newly wedded idealists Erin (Katie Siri) and Paul (David Hathway) who are determined to make their marriage perfect, and long-married pragmatists Diane (Elizabeth Haley) and Ron (Jerry Mills), who understand perfection is impossible and have settled for a happy marriage instead. Contrasting points of view aside, each couple grapples with essentially the same issues: intimacy, kids, career and communication, the latter of which figures prominently in both relationships.
  

   
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  Director understands challenges of being 'Married Alive!' May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Marriage changed Stacey Flaster. Once a singer-dancer-actress, she didn't have the performing bug after she started her family. So it's fitting that someone so changed by marriage should direct "Married Alive!" at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights.
  

   
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  Sports and spectacle a hit with fans of suburban teams May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  If you want to catch a game or two this summer, you don't have to drive to Chicago and shell out for Cubs or White Sox tickets. There are plenty of sports teams in the suburbs spending the season playing not just baseball but softball, football and basketball. Even if you're not a big sports fan, low ticket prices, accessible players and plenty of promotions make these teams worth checking out.
  

   

• Stage events: A tribute to soldiers at Pheasant Run May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Fox Valley Repertory hosts its second annual Memorial Day armed forces tribute and welcomes Chicago's Theo Ubique, which remounts its Rodgers & Hammerstein revue as part of the Summer Theater Festival. Lastly, Light Opera Works revives Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot."
  

   
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  Neighborhood profile: Woods of Fox Glen May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  The rolling hills and wooded terrain definitely add to the appeal of the Woods of Fox Glen neighborhood in St. Charles. Neighbors are very good about taking care of their properties and lots are an acre or more. "and with the property lines, you really don't see your neighbors." said resident Lynn Strickland.