Quirky creators

STORY & PHOTOS BY KIM CHRIST

AUSTIN, Texas — Nurtured by an encouraging community of semistrangers on the Internet, tinkers, inventors and craftsmen from all walks of life are rediscovering the simple pleasure of making things — useful things, ridiculous things and crazy, complicated things. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Bentley on mission to alter idea of cool

BY HELAINE R. WILLIAMS

Emily Post. Letitia Baldridge. Miss Manners. Fonzworth Bentley. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

HEART & SOUL : Tough times will require a long-term response

JENNIFER HANSEN

In hard times, it’s easy to view the world in adversarial terms. The path of least resistance focuses on the ubiquitous, scheming “they.” (“They’ll take your last dime, if you let ’em.”) It directs what little energy we have into blame and anger rather than growth and strength. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

FORCES OF NURTURE : One man’s dream is his wife’s nightmare

CATHY FRYE

Not so long ago, the transportation reporter — who sits across the aisle from me in the newsroom — leaned over with a grin. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

PARENTING : Ignorance is bliss for child, less stressful for parents

JOHN ROSEMOND

Here’s something you already know, but don’t know you know: Children love to be ignored. Mind you, I’m not talking about neglect. I’m talking about ignored, as in being seen and not heard, out from underfoot, free to do their thing without adults hovering neurotically over them making sure everything in their lives is all right and meaningful from moment to moment. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

White House life, scrutiny await Obama kids

BY MAGGIE GALEHOUSE HOUSTON CHRONICLE

When two little girls from Chicago move into that big White House in Washington, they’ll swap privacy and routine for a staggering amount of publicity and opportunity. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Book shelf

— Karen MacPherson, Scripps Howard News Service

How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly?, Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (Houghton Mifflin, $16, ages 4-8 ) As a child, Steve Jenkins always dreamed of being a scientist. After all, his father was a physics professor and astronomer, and Jenkins spent much of his childhood immersed in the natural world, making notes and drawings of his discoveries. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Check your knowledge

1. Henry Travers plays the role of the guardian angel in the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. What is the guardian angel’s name? 2. What is the official name of the act popularly called “Wage and Hour Act” ? 3. Identify the manufacturer of the 747 aircraft. 4.What did a cowpuncher do? 5. Banks pay interest on savings. What do savings and loan associations generally pay? 6. Is it true or false that New Zealand is one island ? 7. Dagmar was an attractive woman on early television, especially on Broadway Open House. Her hair color? 8. Who created “Lincoln Logs,” a popular children’s toy? 9. Under what river is the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel? Answers 1. Clarence 2. Fair Labor Standards Act 3. Boeing 4. A cowpuncher used poles to prod or punch cattle through chutes into rail cars going to slaughterhouses. 5. Dividends 6. False, it is several. Most of New Zealand is in the North and South Islands. 7. Blonde 8. John Lloyd Wright, son of famed architect Frank - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

ART SMART : Whether on floor or wall, rangoli says ‘welcome’

BY GRETCHEN GOETZ SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

We hang wreaths on our front doors and put out doormats that proclaim “welcome” to make our homes inviting to visitors. But in India, decorating an entrance to welcome guests has been elevated to an art form — rangoli. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Extraordinary exhibits hooked the Fairegoers

— Kim Christ

When I realized that a Maker Faire would be held within driving distance of Little Rock, I knew I had to go. So I called my craftiest gal pal and we fearlessly packed our collective group of four children into my minivan, threw a tent on top, and headed to Austin, Texas. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Family shopper

— Rhonda Owen

AMAZING BABY What it is: A book by Desmond Morris, the human behavior scholar and author of The Naked Ape, about the first two years of a baby’s life. It is published by Firefly. - Wednesday, November 19, 2008