Rubber Ducky Is the One for Silverdale Woman

By admin, 29 July, 2010, No Comment

SILVERDALE — Evonne White adopted a duck and won a truck.,Charm pendant

The Silverdale woman’s rubber duck emerged in front of 18,380 others Sunday to net White a Nissan truck or $16,000 cash from Advantage Nissan in the annual Rotary Club of Silverdale’s Great Kitsap Duck Race.

Contestants’ rubber ducks, which got dumped into the waters not far from shore at Silverdale’s Waterfront Park, made the slow slog toward the beach. The race, which raises funds that the club will distribute throughout the county, netted almost $76,000, according to club officials on Sunday.

Here is the top 10 of the 29 prize winners:

First: Evonne White (Silverdale), Nissan truck or $16,000 cash from Advantage Nissan

Second: Ellen Craft (Silverdale), Cruise for two from Holland America

Third: Betty Koster (Silverdale), Diamond pendant from Ben Bridge

Fourth: Carie Dela Cruz (Silverdale), $2.500 cash from The Point Casino

Fifth: John Stockwell (Bremerton), $1,500 toward HVAC install from Quality Heating and Air Conditioning

Sixth: Gary White (Bremerton), $1,000 cash from Kitsap Credit Union

Seventh: Bobbie Kimmel (Grapeview),tiffany bangles, Upper cervical package from Upper Cervical Health Care Centers of America

Eighth: Larry Iverson (Bremerton),tiffany cuff Links, Five-hour limo service from Galaxy Limousine

Ninth: Jill Jankowski (Silverdale), Two three-month passes and two 30-minute training sessions from Silverdale Fitness

Tenth: Barbara Reasons (Poulsbo),tiffany bracelets, 10 yards of medium bark from Clear Creek Nursery

Credit: Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, Wash.

Gel for women shows promise in preventing AIDS

By admin, 29 July, 2010, No Comment

Nearly three decades into the AIDS epidemic, scientists may have finally come up with the first product to block HIV infection since the condom.

It is in the form of a gel developed for women. The gel incorporates the antiretroviral drug tenofovir, which is already used as part of the "cocktail" given to AIDS patients.

It likely will first be made available in South Africa, where women often are unable to insist that their partners remain faithful or use condoms,tiffany necklaces, said Quarraisha Abdool Karim, a researcher at Columbia University and the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, the group that conducted the study.

But demand is likely to extend around the world,Charm pendant, said Drexel University AIDS researcher Seth Welles. Wherever they live, he said, "people don’t like latex." And that means they engage in lots of unprotected sex.

Larger studies are testing the drug both in gel form and as a pill taken before sex. And researchers are beginning to examine whether it could prevent transmission of the virus between men.

While preliminary, the results so far were promising enough to generate a round of cheers when presented at an international AIDS meeting in Vienna last week.

The findings came from a trial that enrolled 889 women, half of whom got the drug and half a placebo. They were instructed to apply the vaginal gel up to 12 hours before having sex and again soon afterward.

The gel’s effectiveness wasn’t perfect, but the women in the trial didn’t use it every time. After 21/2 years, 38 women in the drug group became HIV-positive compared with 60 in the control group. That amounts to a 39 percent reduction in infection for those who got the drug. The reduction was 54 percent among those who reported using it at least 80 percent of the times they had sex.

The microbicide gel also had a significant protective effect against transmission of genital herpes.

Scientists have long struggled to create a product that women could use without the consent or even the knowledge of their partners. In South Africa and many other countries, "women can end up in a violent situation if they ask men to use a condom," said Drexel’s Welles. "This changes the whole dialogue about women being able to protect themselves."

Further testing may dramatically improve the gel’s effectiveness as the proper dosage and timing become clearer, said Harvard immunologist Judy Lieberman. "There’s a lot of room for improvement."

And the encouraging results for the tenofovir gel may also open the door to other protective measures, said Lieberman, who, like Welles, was not involved with the study.

Tenofovir, which is also known as Viread when given as part of an antiretroviral drug cocktail, works by disabling a protein that the HIV virus needs to replicate itself. Lieberman has formulated a protective gel using a different strategy, called RNA interference — essentially attacking the genetic material of the virus.

Though she’s gotten promising results in the lab against both HIV and herpes,tiffany bracelets, she said that when she tried to move forward with clinical trials,tiffany bangles, the costly next step, she heard nothing but skepticism from venture capitalists, biotech companies, and big pharma. They thought it was too unlikely to work, she said, and had grown skittish after the numerous failures of seemingly promising HIV vaccines.

That may finally begin to change.

Contact staff writer Faye Flam at 215-854-4977 or fflam@phillynews.com.

Spanish Market’s evolving beauty

By admin, 28 July, 2010, No Comment

Much of the beauty of Spanish Market lies in its many facets — and how, like those of a precious stone being turned, they change from year to year, decade to decade.

At the 59th event, opening on the Plaza and surrounding streets tomorrow at 8, first-time and occasional visitors will find themselves fascinated by the very variety of offerings, entertainment and food, while folks who rarely miss it tend to be captivated by Spanish Market’s evolution and the innovations behind it.

Newcomers and veteran marketgoers, from near and far, will find the best of our region’s artistry and artesanias:

–Hand-loomed weavings, by families of Santa Fe and the villages surrounding us.

–Furnishings: tables, chairs, wardrobes, bedsteads, trunks and boxes, reflecting the tools of times gone by.

–Paintings,tiffany bangles, sculpture and other artwork.

–Santos — religious figures,tiffany rings, as carved-wood bultos and painted retablos.

–Colcha embroidery, long renowned in Northern New Mexico and gaining fame around the nation and beyond.

–Straw-appliqued woodwork in traditional and modern forms.

–Ironwork, in forms both useful and traditional in design.

–Jewelry,tiffany key rings, in silver and gold.

–Leatherwork reflecting our frontier heritage.

–Tinwork in increasingly creative forms.

That last category offers great examples of Spanish Market’s many changes, subtle as some may be:

Santa Fean Carmella Padilla is one of several noted writers whose articles appear in The New Mexican’s official guide to Spanish Market — part of Wednesday’s paper,tiffany earrings, but also available downtown now through Sunday.

Padilla tells of the innovations in that comparatively recent medium; it sprouted only a century or so ago with the arrival of tin containers, but has blossomed with intricacy. From simple designs, often nail-pointed into utilitarian items such as mirror and picture frames, candleholders and sconces, the form has moved into florid and flowing designs, even portraits. Some works even offer homage to other Spanish Market forms, such as colcha embroidery.

The many other media on display also will offer evidence of a dynamic market — which this year brings the works of 300 adult artists and scores of youngsters who’ve been learning at the side of maestros and maestras. Thanks to their efforts, and those of more than

100 year-round volunteers, Spanish Market, and Contemporary Spanish Market, along Lincoln Avenue, are highlights of the Santa Fe summer.

The atmosphere. The food, at booths behind the First National Bank. The music and dance from the Plaza’s community stage. The friends you’re likely to come across. It’s a truly fine time to be in Santa Fe.

Spanish Market and Contemporary Spanish Market are not to be missed; 8-5 tomorrow, 9-5 Sunday. See you there!

In today’s economy, looking good is no longer some

By admin, 28 July, 2010, No Comment

Most of us have heard the story of Debrahlee Lorenzana, the 33-year-old Queens, N.Y., woman who sued Citibank last month, claiming that, in pencil skirts, turtlenecks, and peep-toe stilettos, she was fired from her desk job for being "too hot." We’ve also watched Lorenzana’s credibility come into question, as vintage clips of her appearance on a reality-TV show about plastic surgery portray a rambling, attention-obsessed twit, stuffed to the brim with implants and collagen. ("I love plastic surgery," she coos. "I think it’s the best thing that ever happened.") Creepy, yes. But for all the talk about this woman’s motives-and whether or not she was indeed fired for her looks-there’s one question nobody seems to want to ask: isn’t it possible Lorenzana’s looks got her the job in the first place?

Not all employers are that shallow-but it’s no secret we are a culture consumed by image. Economists have long recognized what’s been dubbed the "beauty premium"-the idea that pretty people, whatever their aspirations, tend to do better in, well, almost everything. Handsome men earn, on average, 5Â percent more than their less-attractive counterparts (good-looking women earn 4Â percent more); pretty people get more attention from teachers, bosses, and mentors; even babies stare longer at good-looking faces (and we stare longer at good-looking babies). A couple of decades ago, when the economy was thriving-and it was a makeup-less Kate Moss, not a plastic-surgery-plumped Paris Hilton, who was considered the beauty ideal-we might have brushed off those statistics as superficial. But in 2010, when Heidi Montag’s bloated lips plaster every magazine in town, when little girls lust after an airbrushed, unattainable body ideal, there’s a growing bundle of research to show that our bias against the unattractive-our "beauty bias," as a new book calls it-is more pervasive than ever. And when it comes to the workplace, it’s looks, not merit, that all too often rule.

Consider the following: over his career, a good-looking man will make some $250,000 more than his least-attractive counterpart, according to economist Daniel Hamermesh; 13Â percent of women, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (and 10Â percent of men, according to a new NEWSWEEK survey), say they’d consider cosmetic surgery if it made them more competitive at work. Both points are disturbing, certainly. But in the current economy, when employers have more hiring options than ever, looks, it seems, aren’t just important; they’re critical. NEWSWEEK surveyed 202 corporate hiring managers, from human-resources staff to senior-level vice presidents, as well as 964 members of the public, only to confirm what no qualified (or unqualified) employee wants to admit: from hiring to office politics to promotions, even, looking good is no longer something we can dismiss as frivolous or vain.

Fifty-seven percent of hiring managers told NEWSWEEK that qualified but unattractive candidates are likely to have a harder time landing a job, while more than half advised spending as much time and money on "making sure they look attractive" as on perfecting a résumé. When it comes to women, apparently, flaunting our assets works: 61Â percent of managers (the majority of them men) said it would be an advantage for a woman to wear clothing showing off her figure at work. (Ouch.) Asked to rank employee attributes in order of importance, meanwhile, managers placed looks above education: of nine character traits, it came in third, below experience (No. 1) and confidence (No. 2) but above "where a candidate went to school" (No. 4). Does that mean you should drop out of Harvard and invest in a nose job? Probably not. But a state school might be just as marketable. "This is the new reality of the job market," says one New York recruiter, who asked to have her name withheld because she advises job candidates for a living. "It’s better to be average and good- looking than brilliant and unattractive."

Remember the story about the 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debate? It goes to show our beauty bias is nothing novel. At the time, radio listeners thought Nixon had won, but those watching Kennedy’s tanned, chiseled face on TV, next to a worn-down, 5Â o’clock-shadowed Nixon, were sure it was the junior senator. There are various explanations for some of this. Plato wrote of the "golden proportions,tiffany earrings," which dubbed the width of an ideal face an exact twoÂ thirds its length, a nose no longer than the distance between the eyes. Biologically speaking, humans are attracted to symmetrical faces and curvy women for a reason: it’s those shapes that are believed to produce the healthiest offspring. As the thinking goes, symmetrical faces are then deemed beautiful; beauty is linked to confidence; and it’s a combination of looks and confidence that we often equate with smarts. Perhaps there’s some evidence to that: if handsome kids get more attention from teachers, then, sure, maybe they do better in school and, ultimately, at work. But the more likely scenario is what scientists dub the "halo effect"-that, like a pack of untrained puppies, we are mesmerized by beauty, blindly ascribing intelligent traits to go along with it.

There are various forces to blame for much of this, from an economy that allows pickiness to a plastic-surgery industry that encourages superficial notions of beauty. In reality, it’s a confluence of cultural forces that has left us clutching,tiffany pendants, desperately, to an ever-evolving beauty ideal. Today’s young workers were reared on the kind of reality TV and pop culture that screams, again and again, that everything is a candidate for upgrade. We’ve watched bodies transformed on Extreme Makeover, faces taken apart and pieced back together on I Want a Famous Face . We compare ourselves with the airbrushed images in advertisements and magazines, and read surveys-like this one-that confirm our worst fears. We are a culture more sexualized than ever ( Mad Men notwithstanding), with technology that’s made it easier than ever to "better" ourselves, warping our standards for what’s normal. Plastic surgery used to be for the rich and famous; today we’ve leveled the playing field with cheap boob jobs, tummy tucks, and outpatient procedures you can get on your lunch break. Where that leads us is running to stand still: taught that good looks are no longer a gift but a ceaseless pursuit.

Deborah Rhode, a Stanford law professor and author of The Beauty Bias, is herself an interesting case study. During her term as chair of the American Bar Association’s commission on working women, she was struck by how often the nation’s most powerful females were stranded in cab lines and late for meetings because, in heels, walking any distance was out of the question. These were working, powerful, leading women, she writes. Why did they insist on wearing heels? Sure, some women just like heels (and still others probably know their bosses like them). But there is also the reality that however hard men have it-and, from an economic perspective, their "beauty premium" is higher, say economists-women will always face a double bind, expected to conform to the beauty standards of the day, yet simultaneously condemned for doing so. Recruiters may think women like Lorenzana can get ahead for showing off their looks,tiffany necklaces, but 47Â percent also believe it’s possible for a woman to be penalized for being "too good-looking." Whether or not any of it pays off, there’s something terribly wrong when 6-year-olds are using makeup, while their mothers spend the equivalent of a college education just keeping their faces intact. "All of this is happening against a backdrop of more women in the workplace,tiffany bracelets, in all kinds of jobs, striving toward wage equality," says Harvard psychologist Nancy Etcoff. "So we’re surprised-but we shouldn’t be-how this [beauty curse] continues to haunt us."

Forty years ago, when feminists threw their bras into the "Freedom Trash Can" outside the 1968 Miss America pageant (no, they didn’t really burn them!), it was to protest the idea that women had become "enslaved by ludicrous beauty standards," as the organizers put it. At the time, women still made up just a fraction of the workforce, and yet they were rejecting the notion that, in work or play, they had to be confined to the role of busty secretary-a mere office toy. A decade later, as women entered the workforce in droves, it was boxy suits, not bustiers, that defined their dress. But today’s working women have achieved "equality" (or so we’re led to believe): they dominate the workforce, they are household breadwinners, and so they balk at having to subvert their sexuality, whether in the boardroom or on the beach. Yet while the outside-work milieu might accept the empowered yet feminine ideal, the workplace surely doesn’t. Studies show that unattractive women remain at a disadvantage in low-level positions like secretary, while in upper-level fields that are historically male-dominated, good-looking women can suffer a so-called bimbo effect. They are viewed as too feminine, less intelligent, and, ultimately, less competent-not only by men but also by their female peers.

To add an extra layer of complexity, there’s the conundrum of aging in a culture where younger workers are more tech-savvy, cheaper, and, well, nicer on the eyes. Eighty-four percent of managers told NEWSWEEK they believe a qualified but visibly older candidate would make some employers hesitate, and while ageism affects men, too, it’s particularly tough for women. As Rhode puts it, silver hair and furrowed brows may make aging men look "distinguished," but aging women risk marginalization or ridicule for their efforts to pass as young. "This double standard," Rhode writes, "leaves women not only perpetually worried about their appearance-but also worried about worrying."

A Thanksgiving Meal, Then Charges of Jihad

By admin, 27 July, 2010, No Comment

In the photograph from last November, Ramy Zamzam, 22, is a proud first-year dental student in his new white jacket, framed by his beaming parents.

A few weeks later, he and four American friends would disappear, resurfacing in Pakistan, accused by United States and Pakistani law enforcement officials of seeking to join the jihad against American forces in Afghanistan.

At a time of new concern about radicalization of Muslims in the United States, Mr. Zamzam’s story is a baffling tale and a tragedy for parents who from all appearances are loyal and law-abiding Muslim immigrants living in the Virginia suburbs of Washington.

In an interview on Friday, as the men’s trial resumed in Pakistan, Mr. Zamzam’s mother, Amal Khalifa, described a harrowing visit she and her husband made early this month to the eldest of her three children. The confident student, she said, the "multitasker" who had excelled as a student and community volunteer through high school and college, was shattered by four months in a Pakistani jail.

"He cried and clung to me," Ms. Khalifa said, choking up. "When I saw him like that, it broke my heart."

By her account, Mr. Zamzam asked about his two younger brothers and denied that he had had any plans to join militants. "He said: ‘Mom, I love my country. I want to go back to my country. Why do the Pakistanis want to do this to us?’ " Ms. Khalifa said in the interview, at the Washington offices of the Council on American Islamic Relations, an advocacy group that has assisted the parents.

The Pakistani authorities have lodged terrorism charges against Mr. Zamzam and his four friends, all American citizens — Ahmed Abdullah Minni, Aman Hassan Yemer, Waqar Khan and Umer Farooq — alleging that the Americans sought to connect with militant groups and that they also plotted attacks against Pakistani targets. The men have denied the charges.

Their trial, which after a recess formally began on Saturday in a prison in the Pakistani city of Sargodha, opened with testimony presented by police officers, and the presentation of maps the men were allegedly carrying when they were arrested and print-outs of e-mail. A lawyer for the men, Hassan Katchela, said his clients had been "excited, neat and tidy," during the session. The next hearing was set for April 27.

American law enforcement officials have said there is considerable evidence suggesting that the men had been radicalized and planned violence, notably a video Mr. Zamzam left behind that appeared to reflect his plans to join the jihad.

Ms. Khalifa declined to discuss the video, which Mr. Zamzam left with a Virginia friend on a thumb drive. She said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had asked her not to speak publicly about its contents.

During the visit with his parents, she said, Mr. Zamzam, told them he and the other men disappeared two days after Thanksgiving to travel to Pakistan to attend Mr. Farooq’s wedding. They chose not to tell their parents about their plans,tiffany, Mr. Zamzam said, because they were afraid they would be forbidden from taking an expensive trip to a possibly dangerous place.

After they arrived, according to Mr. Zamzam, armed men,tiffany bangles, not wearing uniforms, burst into the house where they were staying and drove off with them. They were held for 36 hours without food or water and beaten constantly by interrogators who demanded that they admit to being terrorists, Mr. Zamzam told his parents.

Pakistani officials have denied that the Americans were mistreated and disputed the wedding story.

Mr. Zamzam’s family immigrated from Egypt in 1990,tiffany pendants, when he was 2 years old, after receiving residence status in the so-called green card lottery operated by the United States. Ms. Khalifa has worked as a secretary for the Navy and as a receptionist at a Washington condominium, she said; her husband, Said Zamzam, has worked in the financial aid office at Howard University and also as a receptionist at the same condominium.

The family was not especially religious, Ms. Khalifa said, rarely visiting the mosque except at Muslim holidays. For Ramy and his teenage friends at West Potomac High School, she said, the small neighborhood mosque was "a club."

"They’d order pizza, play computer games and play basketball in the parking lot,tiffany key rings," she said.

A biology major on full scholarship to Howard University in Washington, he decided on a dental career and studied day and night the summer after his junior year for the Dental Admission Test. He rarely came home during his first semester at Howard’s dental school last fall, but appeared to be his usual joking self when he came home for Thanksgiving week, she said.

"I cooked 100 percent American food on Thanksgiving — turkey, mashed potatoes, corn," she said.

The following Saturday, she said, he announced that he was going to go to a conference in Baltimore and needed two sets of clothes and a suitcase. She did not ask him what the conference was about.

On Sunday evening, Ahmed Minni’s younger brother appeared and said "the five boys have disappeared." Ms. Khalifa did not believe it, and they called her son’s cellphone. He answered and told them not to worry, he would be home soon.

At 2 a.m. Monday, Mr. Minni’s father, brother and two friends came to the house and told Ms. Khalifa and her husband that the young men were in Pakistan. She said she had not had a peaceful moment in the nightmarish four months since that night.

The season highlights include El Capitan and a spe

By admin, 27 July, 2010, No Comment

Known as the "March King," John Philip Sousa also knocked out a few operettas during the Gilded Age. VocalEssence will present a semi-staged rendition of Sousa’s "El Capitan,tiffany rings," as part of its 2010-11 season. Written in the style of Gilbert & Sullivan, "El Capitan" will feature Bradley Greenwald, Christina Baldwin and Vern Sutton in the production at Ted Mann Concert Hall, Oct. 8-9. Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence artistic director, will conduct the singers and musicians.

VocalEssence will add a fifth performance to its popular "Welcome Christmas" program this season. Annually, VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum sponsor a contest soliciting new carols, featuring a specific instrument. Handbells were chosen this year, and the Christmas concert will feature the Twin Cities Bronze handbell ensemble. The programs will be Dec. 4-5 and 10-12.

A rare, recovered piano concerto highlights the Jan. 28 concert at Central Lutheran Church. Pianist Douglas Riva will join the chorus and ensemble singers for "Song of the Stars." The piece had been premiered in Barcelona in 1911 but was feared lost after its creator,tiffany earrings, Enrique Granados, drowned in 1916. It was rediscovered in the stacks of music he left behind. Guest conductor Gerardo Rabago leads the concert.

"Witness" next year will feature Andre Thomas,discount tiffany, the composer,tiffany cuff Links, educator and conductor. The VocalEssence Chorus will be joined by the St. Olaf Choir and vocal groups from three Twin Cities high schools in the March 4 program at Orchestra Hall. Thomas will conduct.

The Bach Mass in B minor will get special treatment April 8-9 at St. Olaf Catholic Church. The Ensemble Singers will join the Lyra Baroque Orchestra and soloists Maria Jette, Lisa Drew, James Taylor and Aaron Larson in the performance. In addition, the film "The Sound of Eternity" will accompany the music. German director Bastian Cleve stitched together 27 short, silent pieces to correspond to the musical structure of the mass.

VocalEssence will collaborate with Minnesota Public Radio for a special show at Orchestra Hall on Nov. 23 — the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. "Gratitude, Gravy and Garrison" will feature appearances by singer Jearlyn Steele, pianist Rich Dworsky and radio host Garrison Keillor.

MORE INFORMATION

Men who marry women with kids take on additional l

By admin, 26 July, 2010, No Comment

How does a happily single, child-free guy become an instant dad?

Easy, offers Dan McElhattan III. "Just add life and stress."

All joking aside, instant fathers — men who marry a woman who already has kids — are a unique subset of the parental universe.

Instant dads experience the marital equivalent of going from zero to 60 in six seconds flat. And while fatherhood never comes with an instruction manual, they, unlike standard-issue fathers, never had a chance to enjoy that transitional married-but-childless honeymoon period most dads do.

But instant dads are, by necessity, adaptable guys. And, when push comes to shove, an instant dad is as authentic a dad as any other guy who’ll be unwrapping a new tie or enjoying breakfast in bed this morning.

McElhattan, 40, hadn’t planned on becoming an instant dad, although he had dated a few single moms. But when he met Mary, now his wife of six years, the portrait of her kids that she had behind her desk signaled that he might be facing the prospect sooner rather than later.

Not long afterward, when Mary’s boss invited Mary and McElhattan to a barbecue, they started dating.

McElhattan married into a family with four children , now ages 13 to 23, and he and Mary since have added to their family a 3 1/2-year-old daughter.

That’s "the way it goes when you find the love of your life. Kids are a factor, but not the factor. The fact is, you love your wife,tiffany key rings," he says.

"I never expected to jump into the prepackaged deal," he adds. "But when you’ve found the right woman … ."

Before meeting his future wife, Gerald Chin, 30, says his dating partners tended to be "single women, no strings attached."

When Chin, a chef, met Maureen — they dated for three years before marrying in 2008 — "we just got along real well," he recalls. But he didn’t know until a few days after they started dating that she had a son, now 11,tiffany pendants, and a daughter, now 15.

"I’ve always liked kids — I’ve always been like a kid myself — and she was really nervous about introducing her kids to me, because she didn’t want to confuse the kids or want me to be afraid of the kids," Chin says.

The meeting took place at a salon where both Chin and Maureen used to get haircuts. Chin recalls that Maureen didn’t introduce him as a boyfriend but as "my friend."

"The girl, she kind of knew what was going on at the time," he adds. "Girls are always more mature than boys. Her radar picked it up."

But the meeting went well. "I thought they were cute kids," Chin says, and the kids seemed to get along well with him, too.

A few weeks later, Chin even soloed with the kids for the first time, taking them on an outing to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. "We all got along," he says. "It’s crazy."

Dating Maureen, and getting to know her children, had a surprising effect on Chin. Not only was he thinking that dating a woman with kids might work out, but, he says, "it kind of made me think about what I was doing in my dating life, like maybe it is time for me to grow up."

Nick Cusumano met his future wife, Tanya, about six years ago while vacationing in Las Vegas. Cusumano, a New Yorker, and Tanya stayed in touch after his return home, having an occasionally up-and-down long-distance relationship.

When things turned serious and "it came to the point where one of us needed to make a move," that decision fell to Cusumano, because Tanya had a then-9-year-old son.

Cusumano had to adjust not only to instant fatherhood but life in a place very different from the Bronx.

He had met Anthony before moving here. "During the couple of trips I had made here previously to making the big move, we met and we’d done movies and all that good stuff," he says.

They got along great. Anthony’s dad "was in Las Vegas at that point,tiffany, but he wasn’t really in the picture," Cusumano explains, "so I think he really adapted to me fast."

Cusumano and Tanya married three years ago and, in addition to Anthony, their family includes a year-and-a-half-old daughter named Emma.

While the three dads all are convinced that they’ve made the right decision, they concede that the road to instant fatherhood wasn’t always smooth.

McElhattan, for example, discovered that some of Mary’s children were more accepting of mom dating, and perhaps marrying, a new guy — a guy who wasn’t their biological dad — than others. There were occasional anger issues, he says, and some "challenging" times.

Objections to jumping into a premade family came from other directions, too. McElhattan says his own parents’ initial reaction to the news that he was dating a woman with four kids was "are you nuts? Are you serious? What are you getting into?"

But, when they met Mary, "she connected with them so fast," he says.

Some of Chin’s friends gave him a hard time. "My friends are all single and young, and they’re like, ‘Are you stupid? What are you doing? She’s got kids.’ Basically: Watch out."

For guys who are used to living alone, simply moving into a home filled with other people — a home in which they are, in effect, the outsider — can be difficult.

That was "a little bit strange," Chin says, adding that the adjustment was even more weird because he, Maureen and the kids were living with her parents at the time.

"But the good thing was I got to see the kids every morning when I woke up," he continues. "I think it built up a real strong relationship."

Cusumano and Anthony had an easier time adapting to their new living arrangements, probably, Cusumano suspects, because "he was really looking for someone to have that (father-son relationship) with."

Still, Cusumano says, it was odd, "without a doubt, to wake up one morning and there’s a little 9-year-old boy looking to hang out with you."

It did take Cusumano a bit of time to figure out the parameters of his newly assumed parental role. If Anthony needed discipline, for example, "I didn’t really know what my position was on that, and I didn’t really plan for that," he says.

Yet, Cusumano adds, Anthony never once aimed the sharpest arrow in the stepkid’s quiver — "You’re not my father" — his way.

"I have always been waiting for that, up until this day, and it has never been said," Cusumano says. "And I really love him for that, because I always feared that would come, and that would really hurt."

Chin also learned early on that fatherhood can be about decidedly nonabstract concerns. Once, while he was still living with his roommate, the kids came by for a sleepover and one "got sick and just threw up everywhere," he says.

The lesson he learned: Fatherhood is "not all playing video games and skateboarding."

Chin says there were moments before he and Maureen married when he wondered whether he was doing the right thing.

"Maybe right in the beginning," he says,tiffany money clips, "just because anyone would be like this. Is this the right thing for me? But, after a few months, it was all good."

In fact, looking back at how completely his life has changed during the past several years, Chin is convinced that marriage and fatherhood have been good for him.

"It’s not just me thinking about myself now," he explains. "When I make decisions … I make them for the family. And I see kids come into the restaurant now and I understand if they don’t want to eat something. It completely gives me a different perspective when it comes to kids and life in general."

And if further proof that instant dads are just like regular dads is needed, there’s this: Chin already is freaking out over the prospect of daughter Bella driving.

"It’s like, oh man, I’m getting old," he says, laughing.

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.

Take me out to the ball game – and marry me

By admin, 26 July, 2010, No Comment

Standing on home plate and dressed in pin-striped Chicago Cubs baseball jerseys, Doug Oliver and Amy Brower were just seconds away from officially becoming married Saturday afternoon. The ceremonial vows were spoken in the fifth inning, the rings were exchanged in the sixth inning, and all that was left was that ninth inning declaration of marriage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present the newly united couple. Mr. Doug and Amy Oliver," said wedding officiant Shane Thirtyacre, who was dressed in a black umpire’s uniform.

About 150 wedding guests dressed in casual clothes and baseball jerseys began to clap from their stadium seats in Community Field, and Miss Brower officially became Mrs. Oliver.

It certainly wasn’t a normal wedding, but that was the whole point. Instead of sticking with standard tradition of a tuxedo and a wedding dress, Doug and Amy decided to incorporate their love of the Cubs and the Burlington Bees into their wedding.

"I was joking with someone at work, and she asked about the kind of dress I was going to wear. I said, ‘I’m not getting married in a dress. I’m getting married in a Cubs jersey,tiffany earrings,’" Amy said.

It was a joke at the time, but the more Amy thought about the idea, the better she liked it. There have been weddings at Community Field before, but never one as large as Amy’s.

"We had set the date before we booked it, and it just happened that the Bees were out of town until next week," she said.

Nearly everything at the wedding was fitted with a baseball theme. Doug and Amy’s 4-year-old son Braeden brought out the wedding ring on a baseball glove. Amy’s bouquet was painted white with red stripes. Even the wedding party exited from the home and visiting dugouts, wearing solid blue Cubs jerseys used exclusively for home games.

"My friend who was planning the wedding was kind of taken aback by the idea at first, but then she started to get into it," Amy said.

Amy’s brother-in-law Nick Simpson handed out programs and bubbles from a hotdog tray strapped around his neck, and even the wedding vows were sprinkled with a bit of baseball lingo.

"I Doug, take you to be my wife. To love you, even when you throw me curve balls. To respect you when we strike out. To support you if foul balls come our way," Doug said as he repeated the vows.

The final touch was the wedding cake, designed as an exact replica of Wrigley Field. Amy said her passion for the Cubs came from her grandmother, but her father walked her to home plate dressed in a red St. Louis Cardinals jersey.

"My parents are both Cardinals fans, and my grandmother is a big Cubs fan, so I rebelled against my parents," she said with a laugh.

Ironically enough, their love of baseball is one of the few things Amy and Doug have in common.

"We differ on just about everything. Food. Movies. Disciplining our children,tiffany rings," Amy said.

It’s a classic case of love Paula Abdul described best in her 1980s pop hit "Opposites Attract." Amy prefers romantic comedies. Doug likes science fiction movies and video games like the "Final Fantasy" series.

"He likes the role-playing-games, and they drive me nuts,tiffany bracelets," Amy said.

But their common passion for the Cubs didn’t come up when they first locked eyes 13 years ago. They both worked for the Catfish Bend Riverboat Casino that trolled the Mississippi River between Burlington and Fort Madison, and were a little hesitant to talk to each other.

"I thought he was cute, but I didn’t figure he would be interested. He was the flirty type, and he flirted with everyone on the boat," Amy said.

"Yes, I did,tiffany pendants," Doug said.

The two lovebirds were introduced through their mutual friend Angel Becerra, who died in a car crash shortly after that. Amy has always believed it was fate in the form of her friend Angel that brought her to Doug.

Considering the haircut Doug had at the time, he was happy Amy gave him a chance.

"I had a mullet when we first met, and she thought I was a country hick. I hate country music. I listen to heavy metal," Doug said.

Their first date 13 years ago took place at some random party in the middle of a field they can no longer remember. But they do remember staying up and talking until 3:30 a.m., slowly getting to know each other while simultaneously falling in love.

"I had to be at work at eight in the morning," Amy said with a laugh.

Their years together produced everything a newly married couple could want — two beautiful children, their very own home and an engagement ring Doug gave to Amy six years ago.

Until Saturday, the only thing missing was the wedding ring.

"We always do everything backwards," Doug said.

After a short family vacation, the Olivers will return to their home in Mediapolis to continue their normal lives. But when you have two children like 7-year-old Alaina and 4-year-old Braeden, normal life is pretty swell.

"Doug is a wonderful father, and he has everything I could ask for. He’s just my best friend," Amy said.

Latest Issues & Opportunities Explored

By admin, 25 July, 2010, No Comment

The UK clothing market is mature and has been driven by the value retailers for a decade but faced with falling demand and low growth, combined with the return of inflation, retailers need to reassess their strategies and look for new avenues of growth. This report delivers insightful analysis and identifies the opportunities in the market as well as in individual sectors.

Scope:

– Detailed chapters on the clothing market, plus womenswear, menswear and childrenswear sectors, issues and opportunities for each.

– Includes market sizes and growth drivers 1999-2010e, market shares of Top 20 players (2004-2009),tiffany bracelets, spend per head and per age group of each sector.

– Population trends, profile of clothing shoppers, loyalty drivers by gender and age, retailer clothing visitors numbers and spend per head.

– Channel shares and market segmentation (value, midmarket and premium) 2004-2009.

Highlights

After a decade of the value retailers driving the clothing market in the UK,tiffany rings, there has been a shift and the premium segment is to become the new battleground. Price inflation is returning to the market and the value sector has consolidated into the hands of largest operators. Opportunities for retailers now lie in the premium segment.

Though the 55-64 year age group is the lowest segment by value in the womenswear market, worth 2.83bn, its spend per head is the second highest at 760. This further underlines that this generation of women,tiffany money clips, who will be moving into the 65+ market over the next five years, should not be underestimated.

The recession has hit menswear spending and population trends are likely to hit it further unless retailers act to stimulate it. It has lower spend per head than womenswear or childrenswear. The biggest spending category, 15-24 year olds,tiffany bangles, is set to shrink by 4.5% by 2015 and the current lowest spending group, 55+s, are set to rise significantly.

Reasons to Purchase:

– Identify growth opportunities in your sector and take market share from competitors

– Understand the issues and challenges in the market to plan strategy and avoid risk

– Access unique data and analysis on population spending trends in the clothing sectors and exploit the potential fully

Key Topics Covered:

OVERVIEW

CLOTHING MARKET SUMMARY

CLOTHING MARKET

CLOTHING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

WOMENSWEAR SUMMARY

WOMENSWEAR MARKET

WOMENSWEAR OPPORTUNITIES

MENSWEAR SUMMARY

MENSWEAR MARKET

MENSWEAR OPPORTUNITIES

CHILDRENSWEAR SUMMARY

CHILDRENSWEAR MARKET

CHILDRENSWEAR OPPORTUNITIES

ACCESSORIES MARKET

APPENDIX

men’s clothing store to open downtown

By admin, 25 July, 2010, No Comment

About three years ago, I wrote a story about women business owners who were contributing to the revitalization of downtown Yakima by opening shops there.

For the story, I interviewed Michelle Wyles, a long-time antiques owner who had just opened Garden Dance, a garden-themed home furnishings store.

The store’s concept evolved in the nearly three years it was in business, as antiques and gardening knick-knacks turned into form-fitting jackets and funky shoes.

Last fall, the storefront at the Opera House became too small for the store’s growing clothing racks,tiffany bracelets, and Wyles relocated her shop to the former Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight station at Front Street and Yakima Avenue, which provided triple the space.

Now, Wyles is embarking on yet another venture.

Downtown men’s clothing shop planned for summer

Wyles is looking to lease 700 square feet from the BNSF freight station building to open Raindance, men’s clothing store next door to Garden Dance.

It was an easy decision to locate the new business in the same building. Its location has been an asset, Wyles said, especially in the summer when out-of-town visitors make up as much as 30 percent of sales.

Garden Dance already stocks some men’s items, which will make their way to the new shop. There will be entrances from Garden Dance and the street, and the clerks will likely work at both stores.

The shop will focus on more casual and "funky" items rather than formal suits, which other men’s clothing stores already offer, Wyles said.

"We truly anticipate, in the beginning, it will be women buying clothes for men," Wyles said. "We hope to work into that market to (eventually) sell directly to men."

Only 24-hour Walgreens store reduces its hours

After more than two years as a 24-hour pharmacy, the Walgreens store at 40th and Summitview avenues has reduced its hours.

With the downturn in the economy and more competition from the arrival of other Walgreens locations and the new Walmart supercenter, business did not allow the store to stay open 24 hours, said store manager Dennis Vanover.

"It just didn’t make sense for us to open," he said.

If business improves, there is a possibility that the store, the first Walgreens location in Yakima,tiffany pendants, may reinstate 24-hour service.

The new hours for the store are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. The pharmacy is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Paint store opens in West Valley

Yakima Paint, Door and Decor is open for business.

At 1102 S. 40th Ave.,tiffany necklaces, just off Nob Hill Boulevard, it’s a full-line retail paint store. Along with paint and accessories, the store also sells doors and other millwork.

So far, the store, which has four employees, has attracted a mix of homeowners working on home improvement projects and contractors working on home renovations and new construction,tiffany rings, said Blaine Cyr, the store’s manager.

"Everything is pretty much word of mouth," he said. "We’ve done a little advertising but not a ton."

The store is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays.

–Check out Shop Talk online (www.yakimaherald.com), on Twitter (http://twitter.com/shoptalkexpress) or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/YHR-Shop-Talk/54463033365).

–Mai Hoang’s Reporter’s Notebook is published Mondays in the Your Money section. To reach her, call 509-577-7685 or e-mail mhoang@yakimaherald.com.

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