The origins of those customs surrounding birth, death and marriage are perhaps the hardest to trace. After all, these are among the oldest and least negotiable facts of human experience (along with eating, government, inclement weather, the sense of the sacred, and, perhaps, bad sitcom reruns). When did people begin throwing rice at newlyweds? Why do newborn boys wear blue, while girls wear...
Gift-giving can be a difficult process as shoppers struggle to find the right size and style for friends and family. Increasingly, gift-givers are turning to gift cards as alternative gifts, allowing the recipient to choose what they need and when they need it.
Expanding from retail store gift cards, shoppers are looking for other gift card options to offer a unique yet personalized present....
One upper-Midwestern state has gone to great lengths to render itself a desirable filmmaking location, and the entertainment industry is taking notice.
A legislative package recently passed in the Michigan legislature offers incentives designed to lure filmmakers to the Wolverine State. And with broad tax breaks, cash rebates, and a low-interest loan program among the new benefits for...
Let's face it, we can be tough on our skin. Every suntan, every cold and blustery winter day, every perfume or makeup application, even our smiles and frowns stress our skin, not to mention eye rubs and all of the lotions and potions we try during our lifetime.
After a while, even if you practice good skin care, your skin starts to show the results of a lifetime of protecting you from the...
Many have seen the headlines: Well-known old homes selling for record prices. Luxury townhomes appreciating in value even as other properties sit unsold. Reports that luxury properties in Midwestern states are attracting interest once reserved only for mansions on the coast. A prominent art-auction house investigating the possibility of marketing architectural landmarks as a new form of very...
Cigar lovers - by reputation - tend not to be the kind of people it's hard to buy gifts for. After all, cigar smoking is an activity commonly associated with class, a sense of affluence, an interest in the finer things in life. Dedicated stogie smokers tend to know a lot about their hobby, and they tend already to have, after the first year or two of smoking, most of the little accessories that...
In just about any entertainment or celebrity magazine that you see in stores, you can hear about which celebrities forgot to shave and who was caught with their arms up. Or, in one unflattering instance, everyone was able to see the video of the celebrity who was caught waxing her upper lip before a television interview.
The media and fashion industries have been sending a clear message...
Boating is perhaps the most romantic of all sports, with its aura of long days on deck, of old sea salts' talk, of rope-related knowhow and words like "keelhaul" and "stern," its echoes of Melville and Popeye and of Robert Shaw's character in the movie Jaws. ("I'll get the shark fer yeh, Chiefie!")
But competitive yachting is a pastime involving leisure and privilege (you have to have a...
According to a Global Spa Economy Report unveiled at the 2008 Global Spa Summit in New York, the global spa economy is estimated to be over $250 billion. Prepared by SRI International on behalf of The Global Spa Summit, the first-ever report represents the most comprehensive effort yet to quantify the rapidly expanding global industry.
More than 220 industry leaders from around the world...
Considered by many to be the crown jewel of Southwest Florida, Naples features a subtropical climate with soft breezes from the Gulf of Mexico, natural beach beauty, and unparalleled flora and fauna. In addition, the City of Naples is known for its world-class shopping, exceptional dining opportunities, and abundance of challenging golf courses. Voted by Money Magazine as one of the best places...
