Chicago Sun-Times :: Lifestyles ::

Caribbean cruise: Hitting the high c's with musicians

BY BILL FINK — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Bill Fink: "Used to say I'd rather eat dirt than go on a cruise," said Shawn Colvin from the stage of a Carnival cruise ship. "But I've never been so happy in my life!" Colvin had joined Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris and two dozen other artists in February for the inaugural six-day voyage of a Cayamo Singer Songwriter Cruise aboard Carnival Victory.

Pushing buttons: Chicagoans help us wear our pride

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Dave Hoekstra: A playful twinkle dots the eyes of Christen Carter, owner of the Busy Beaver Button Co. She is sitting at the kitchen table of her Logan Square apartment with the company's operations manager, Alex White. They are both rock musicians, but by day they produce custom lapel buttons from the basement of Carter's apartment. The company rolls out 6 million buttons a year.

Heat again a concern for marathoner

BY MONIFA J. THOMAS Staff Reporter/mjthomas@suntimes.com — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

With temperatures expected to reach or top 80 degrees today, organizers of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon say they've taken extra precautions to avoid the problems that shut down last year's race. Among the changes: A new warning system features flags, signs and a public address system that will alert runners if weather conditions are of concern.

Free wheels offer poor, homeless a way to get to work

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Arriving first in line for a free bicycle at Hull House on Saturday morning, Eardis "Cat" Carlisle said he hoped to find work as a bike messenger. "I'm homeless right now," said Carlisle, 42, who added he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder that stems from a workplace gas explosion. "It could help me get to work. That bike would mean a lot to me."

Ohio's Wilds a safari on 10,000 acres

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

CUMBERLAND, Ohio -- It's a jungle out there.

Chicago Lit: Local blogger's journey into reproduction

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

The denouement of Matthew M. F. Miller's new book, Maybe Baby: An Infertile Love Story, occurred after its publication. After more than two years of trying -- "the medical equivalent of slamming your head into a brick wall," as he puts it -- Miller, 29, and his wife, Constance, are now in the second trimester of their first, hard-won pregnancy.

Jolie: Obama win would be 'nice'

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Angelina Jolie isn't giving away who she's backing in the U.S. presidential election, but she does have good things to say about Barack Obama. The actress and activist tells the German edition of Vanity Fair that the Democratic contender for president comes down on the same side of several issues that she does.

A mother's letter to the people who let her son die

BY NANCY KOEPKE — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

It was a brisk fall morning when I last heard from my youngest son. Christian had called me that morning of the night he died, wanting to know if I wasn�t busy if I would call him in 15 minutes to wake him up so he wouldn�t be late for school. You see, Christian was 26 years old, a full-time student at a well-known arts and communications college in downtown Chicago and shared an apartment with another young man who attended a design school in downtown Chicago.

In space, which way is north?

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

The space shuttle takes off weighing about 120 tons, filled with fuel, science gear, computers and, in the most recent journey, a compass from the Museum of Science and Industry. Not that the crew of the STS-124 could use it: A compass picks up the Earth's magnetic forces to always point north.

Inspiring teen enjoys his own 'Rudy' moment

BY STEFANO ESPOSITIO Staff Reporter — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Three years ago, he was the boy who hid behind a tree and eavesdropped as his younger brother�s football coach pumped up the team. Patrick Nicholson, who has Down syndrome, refused to speak. And if the coach asked him how he was doing, he�d run away. On Saturday, Our Lady of Perpetual Help�s 8th-grade football team huddled near that same tree at Johns Park in Glenview. Patrick, now 14, was there too, standing before the kneeling players, holding a clipboard and urging them on.

Doctors say 'cool it' when it comes to treating fevers

BY KIM PAINTER — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Parents, do you suffer from . . . fever phobia?

New treatment options help boomers stay active, healthy

BY CONNIE MIDEY — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

The last thing Manuela Canada, 56, wanted to hear from her doctor was that knee problems would mean the end of tennis.

India to get first female Roman Catholic saint

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

NEW DELHI---- India is expected to get its first female Roman Catholic saint on Sunday at a time when Christians have increasingly come under attack in the predominantly Hindu country.

Billy Graham released from hospital

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Evangelist Billy Graham was released from the hospital Saturday, sore and bruised but not seriously injured, after he tripped and fell over one of his dogs at his North Carolina home, hospital officials said.

Caribbean cruise: Hitting the high c's with musicians

BY BILL FINK — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Ohio's Wilds a safari on 10,000 acres

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

CUMBERLAND, Ohio -- It's a jungle out there.

Many ways to let loose in St. Lucia

BY ROSALIND CUMMINGS-YEATES — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Vacationers often flock to the Caribbean to kick back, relax and fall into the luxuriously slow cadence of "island time."

A taste of history in the Blue Ridge foothills

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Thomas Jefferson wasn't afraid of a good superlative.

Halloween, animals a good mix

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

Wildlife refuges are using Halloween as a way to showcase creatures that have nocturnal or spooky associations.

It's vine time in Virginia this month

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

RICHMOND, Va. -- October is Virginia Wine Month, with tastings, festivals and hotel packages around the state.

Travel briefs

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:00 CST

New cruise from Baltimore to eastern Caribbean next year