This exhibition-slash-acid-trip-come-to-life centers on a retrofitted arcade console modeled on the Pacman game. Artist Kenny George replaced the iconic character with an image of himself in a white T-shirt and bluejeans, and visitors can play the video game. The show, part of FotoWeek DC, will also...

Nov. 12 SHORT WAR FILMS "Our America at War" (1941), John Huston's "The Battle of San Pietro" (1944), "UN Offensive" (1950) and others. Noon. National Archives, Constitution Avenue and Seventh Street NW. 202-357-5000 or http://www.archives.gov . Free.

The usual reliable TV options on Thanksgiving -- the Macy's parade in New York and a terrible football game in Detroit -- will be joined by a figure-skating bonanza that is being filmed Monday at Verizon Center. "Kaleidoscope" is a variety show featuring Dorothy Hamill, above, and Scott Hamilton,...

Metropolitan Home joins list of design magazines that closed.

Try these designer-recommended colors to transform a dining room's walls:

If your floor is bare or your area rug is worn out, an inexpensive sisal rug will add an instant pick-me-up to almost any dining room.

For holiday entertaining, "move the centerpiece above the table and decorate the chandelier," says New York and Washington designer Ondine Karady.

Hanging curtains on bare windows is a quick way to dress up a space as well as add softness and warmth.

From our design experts, here are other small things you can do in the dining room.

Now is the time to check your holiday tablecloth and napkin supply.

Get your dining room chairs ready for holiday entertaining.

Instead of flowers, D.C. floral designer Sue Bluford recommends arranging fruits, vegetables or gourds down the center of a dining table.

"The hub of our home is threadbare. The window treatments, lighting, carpet, sofa, desk need to be replaced, but I do like the beams."

Niermann Weeks will open its Millersville factory to the public on Saturday for a sample sale.

How to restore and preserve the shine of an old wood floor.

These were among sales recorded recently in the District and supplied to The Washington Post by Spatial Systems Associates Inc. and the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. To find sale and assessment records for homes in the District and elsewhere in the Washington area, visit...

On defense for flu season? Doctors will tell you your best shot is to get a shot. But that won't cut it for Sue Berman of Silver Spring's Blue Heron Wellness. To keep sniffles at bay, she plans to spend a whole lot more time with needles.

The slightest rustle of the Milk-Bone box gets mutts and purebreds alike drooling. But for pet parents who pledge allegiance to Whole Foods and the locavore lifestyle, the number of unpronounceable and unthinkable ingredients in mass-produced canine treats can cause a paw-size pause. So, if cooking...

Here is an edited excerpt from Local Living's daily blog, On parenting. Read the latest at voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting .

I often interview educators and gather data to find which high schools are doing the best job teaching kids. It is satisfying work, with the biggest payoff in visiting those schools and telling them how good they are compared to others. This is often a surprise to the teachers and administrators,...

These were among cases handled by the Washington Humane Society. The society operates its shelter at 7319 Georgia Ave. NW and the District's at 1201 New York Ave. NE. For information or assistance, 24 hours a day, call 202-723-5730 or visit http://www.washhumane.org .

Confidence was in high supply at the first Fashion With a Purpose event Sunday at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Southwest Washington.

D.C. police have scheduled an open house to discuss changes to its Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.

To submit your religion notices, e-mail districtlocalliving@washpost.com or mail Religion Notes, District Local Living, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.

Five years ago, some principals from D.C. public schools took part in a survey that revealed their disappointment with the lack of support and resources they received from the school system. Some principals were so unprepared that they began the school year without adequate staffing, textbooks,...

SHORT WAR FILMS, "Our America at War" (1941), John Huston's "The Battle of San Pietro" (1944), "UN Offensive" (1950) and others. Noon, National Archives, Constitution Avenue and Seventh Street NW. Free. 202-357-5000.

These were among incidents reported by D.C. police. For information, call your police district station.

This is the meeting schedule for the D.C. Council and its committees for the coming week. All meetings are in the Council Chamber of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, unless otherwise noted.

Garden help: boxwood shrubs, sheared blue spruce.

They all seem to be having a good time, the 20 or so girls wielding field hockey sticks on a tree-lined field tucked far behind the Loudoun County campus of Northern Virginia Community College. It's a pleasant fall evening, and the distant hum of cars on Route 7 provides a soothing soundtrack as the...

A couple buys an apple press and attempts making apple cider at home.

The countdown is on for the holiday season. It's time to take a good, hard look at your dining room and assess its readiness for entertaining from now until New Year's Day.

Los Angeles designer Michael S. Smith has the hottest decorating job in the country: the private quarters of the White House for the Obamas.

From a health perspective, adult mammals shouldn't be drinking milk, especially the milk from another mammal ["Milk's skeptics would like to steer us away from our herd mentality," Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, Nov. 5]. I would do it anyway if I could find a cruelty-free source of milk and milk prod...

What if there was a small, inexpensive device that was proven to boost your fitness, help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure? Would you use it, especially if doing so was nearly effortless?

Contestants on NBC's weight-loss competition show "The Biggest Loser" undergo all kinds of duress in their efforts to shed pounds. Some of the ordeals they endure -- including a brutal workout in Washington's hot July sun for an episode that aired last week -- seem like sheer torture to me.

Dear Dr. Fox: I have two male Westies, ages 6 and 3. They are healthy, happy and look great. No wonder. They are fed your home-cooked brown rice and lamb diet, an occasional hard-boiled egg, some turkey breast and a variety of vegetables. They also get daily Brewer's yeast and garlic tabs. Each dog...

Travelers responding to my suggestions [ Dr. Gridlock, Nov. 1 ] about long-term solutions to Interstate 95's traffic congestion had their own practices and policies to propose.

These food establishments were closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments.