More are willing to cook — for their dogs

Riding the coattails of the slow-food movement for humans, more and more dog owners are trying to go one better than packaged pet food by cooking for their pets. That’s right — chicken, beef, barley, tomatoes, brown rice, bell peppers and more in an increasing array of recipes found in books and online.

• Tiptoe through tulips in Holland, where spring has real flower power

  LISSE, Netherlands — Forget wooden shoes, windmills and wheels of Gouda cheese. The tulip is the irrefutable hallmark of Holland. And right about now is when this symbol of spring is in its full glory, blanketing large patches of the Netherlands in rows of red, orange, yellow, purple and pink. 

• Joel Sartore is out to save the Earth’s captive species with The Photo Ark

  For more than 20 years now, I’ve been a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine. They’ve sent me to every continent, and I’ve worked on 34 photo essays so far. Most dealt with conservation issues. But it has not been enough. Every year, I see …Read More

• Naperville’s downtown nets high marks for bike- and pedestrian-friendliness

  Mark Fenton plans to make an example of Naperville. The television personality, engineer and public health, planning and transportation consultant said that when he visits cities in other parts of the country, he’ll hold up Naperville as a place where the downtown reflects efficient, sensible …Read More