TheSunNews.com: Coasting

Riding on a dream

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:51 EST

You might think this is just a "local girl makes good" story. That would be a mistake.

Sure, Darley Newman's PBS documentary travel show "Equitrekking" won two Emmy awards this year. But it's the path she took from Porcher Street in Myrtle Beach to the Emmy stage that provides a classic script for how hard work, the courage to follow a dream and good timing can add up to an enviable success story.

That script began when she moved to Myrtle Beach with her mother, brother and sister to be close to her grandmother. She lived just two blocks from the beach while attending elementary and middle school here.

Explore Savannah's historic squares, parks and homes

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

Savannah was founded in 1733 and was one of America's first planned cities, with a series of squares and parks that can still be enjoyed today.

But the reason for those public spaces might surprise modern visitors: British General James Oglethorpe designed them as part of a military grid so his troops could set up camp and have shaded meeting spots. The soldiers were there to keep the Spanish from advancing north to the English colony in Charleston, and Oglethorpe's statue faces south, as if still keeping a watchful eye on things.

Originally, the city had 24 squares. It's a remarkable feat of preservation that 22 are still in existence, and one more is being restored. Surrounded by stately homes and beautiful gardens, they form the heart of a 21/2-square-mile historic district with more than 2,000 historic or architecturally significant buildings.

Match hairstyle to hat style

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

I recently bought a charcoal-gray fedora. How do I wear my hair -- straight, wavy or up under the hat? My hair is long and straight with side-swept bangs. Also, when I wear a beret, do I slouch the beret in the same direction as my bangs, or to the opposite side?

Because the angles of a fedora are so sharp and masculine, wearing your hair in loose, feminine waves makes a pretty contrast. Leaving your hair straight creates more of a chic, boyish look. Putting your hair up may look too severe -- but try it and see what you think. Also, if you put your hair up, make sure the hat doesn't sit too high on your head. A fedora looks most stylish worn low on the brow and tilted slightly to one side.

With your beret, slouch it in the opposite direction to your bangs to create a balanced look. And if you decide to add a trendy newsboy cap to your hat collection, try wearing it with your hair pulled back into a low bun at the nape of your neck.

Keep cold at bay with winter's stylish warmers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

The one bright spot in winter's dreadful chilly months is getting to wrap up in some of the season's hottest coats.

And now that we're being teased by autumn (give or take 20 degrees each day), we thought it was time to take a look at some of the styles and colors in outerwear that will have you begging for a frosty day.

1. RUFFLES

Travel briefs

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

New tours featured

A new walking tour is being offered in Charleston based on places featured in the new Pat Conroy book "South of Broad."

Anne Rice 'obsessed' with new hero

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

The wildly popular vampire craze that has sunk its teeth into books, TV shows and movies started with Anne Rice. Long before Stephenie Miller's "Twilight" series hit the bestseller list, before there was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before "The Vampire Diaries" books and TV show, and before Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels formed the basis for the Showtime hit "True Blood," Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" made Lestat a household name.

Her "Interview With the Vampire," published in 1976, is one of the best-selling books of all time.

But in 1998, Rice turned from her decades-long religious skepticism and embraced the Catholicism of her youth. She said in her 2008 memoir, "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession," that she felt a call to use her storytelling tools only for God.

Book artfully chronicles women's revolution

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

In 1960, a secretary named Lois Rabinowitz was reprimanded by a New York City judge for appearing in court wearing slacks. Less than 50 years later in the same city, bus driver Tahita Jenkins was fired from her job because she refused to wear slacks.

This full circle is symbolic of Gail Collins' "When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present," which is riveting and remarkably thorough in its account of this tumultuous period.

"A generation that was born into a world where women were decreed to have too many household chores to permit them to serve on juries, and where a spokesman for NASA would say that any 'talk of an American spacewoman makes me sick to my stomach,' would come of age in a society where female astronauts and judges were routine," Collins writes in her introduction.

Don't be a fool with your money

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

Who hasn't made a financial mistake or two in their life? For some of us it was more than an occasional late fee or random urge to overspend that brought us to our financial knees.

Whether you're recovering from a season of unemployment or from a financial mess you created on your own, avoid the goofs and get where you want to go much faster. Woman's Day offers some mistakes to avoid and solutions to the issues:

1. Not saving

Cereal makers taken to woodshed

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:22 EST

Finally, somebody blew the whistle on those wacky cereal manufacturers and I think that's just gggggggrrrreaaat!

Enough already! Like modern-day "miracle tonic" salesmen who hoodooed an unsophisticated prairie public, the folks at Kellogg's even claimed that, yes, Froot Loops are good for you.

It's not even real froot! How could it possibly be good for you? And what is froot anyway? General Mills didn't fare much better claiming that a bowl of Cheerios could basically cure male pattern baldness and give you X-ray vision in the process. Almost.

Woman invents bra that converts to gas mask

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

To you, that cute pink bra with black lace trim might conjure up thoughts of sexy lingerie. To Dr. Elena Bodnar, it represents a possible lifesaver.

Behold the bra-mask -- a bra that in an emergency can be turned into a pair of protective face masks.

Bodnar's invention won the Ig Nobel Prize, given by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine for achievements that "first make people laugh and then make them think."

TV Listings

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

Fake it, don't break it

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

Exercise is so time-consuming. And not fun. And so ... sweaty. But that doesn't mean you can't reap the benefits of working out while in reality clinging to your couch potato ways. Celebrity trainer and reality-TV vixen Jackie Warner is here to help.

The star of Bravo's "Work Out" and author of the forthcoming book "This Is Why You're Fat" still advocates full workouts -- her services at her Beverly Hills spa cost just $300 per hour. But she also offers tips to give the appearance of a workout while never setting foot in a gym. Heck, you don't even need to put on gym shoes.

1. The quick blast. Before work, do 10 squats, 10 push-ups and 10 crunches 10 times. And do it as hard and as fast as you can. Yes, this might sound like an actual workout, but don't worry, lazy bones! Warner says it only takes about 6 minutes. "You're completely fatiguing the abs, the chest and the glutes because you're doing so many reps, but it seems to go by fast because you change what you're doing every 10 times," she said.

50,000 words, 30 days, 1 writer

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:40 EST

50,000 words in 30 days.

That's the challenge that thousands of writers across the U.S. accept every November as they participate in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo to insiders. A handful of writers on the Strand took up the gauntlet last year and plan to do it again starting today. The experience, they said, is one they'd recommend in a heartbeat.

"There's nothing like the drive - the race - to reach such a staggering goal," said Devin Blake of Myrtle Beach, who first participated in 2004 and writes fantasy novels. "And finally reaching that 50,000-word finish line, the personal reward is well worth the hair-pulling moments."

Southeast author shares secrets to his success

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:06 EDT

Steve Berry showed his skeleton last week, not for Halloween, but to share how he writes best-sellers in homage to history.

Making his first visit to Myrtle Beach, the internationally published suspense novelist from southeast coastal Georgia started his writer's workshop and luncheon at Magnolia's at 26th Restaurant & Conference Center by breaking down a book into three acts. He likened it to a theater production, with a beginning, middle and end, characters and conflict that are developed together and the crucible that ensues.

Ballantine Books in New York has published seven Berry novels since 2003. Titles include "The Romanov Prophecy" and "The Charlemagne Pursuit."

Writing tips

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:04 EDT

If you're thinking of exercising your creativity and taking part in National Novel Writing Month, those who've done it before have a few tips to share:

Amanda Renee, 37

participant since 2003

A sweet dilemma

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:06 EDT

If there's one thing worse than running out of candy on Halloween, it's having too much when it's over.

It's bad for your kids' health, their teeth and the teachers who have to calm down candy-crazed kids the next day and, possibly, a week afterward, depending on how much is in their stash.

That's the word from Phillip Done, author of "Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood" (Center Street, $22.99) released in September. A 25-year teaching veteran, he says he is thankful for parents who don't send their kids to school with a backpack full of sugary loot. His favorite solution? The Candy Fairy -- which he heard about from his room moms a couple of years ago.

Don't suffer through compliments

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:06 EDT

Dear Carolyn: I have an unusual situation, I think. My 24-year-old daughter, who has always been beautiful and vivacious, lost about 20 pounds over the past year. She's now a size 0-2. I thought she was perfect before, but now she looks like a model. (She is healthy and works out and eats a lot, so I have no concerns about any kind of eating disorder or anything.)

When she meets family or friends whom she hasn't seen for a while, their first reaction is: "Wow! You've lost a lot of weight, haven't you?" While I would be ecstatic, she doesn't feel that it is a compliment, but instead maybe an unintended commentary on her previous size. It has also gotten really old.

She deflects it graciously, but has expressed to me how mentally overwhelming it feels. Do you have any suggestions for a snappy comeback? I wish people wouldn't feel obligated to comment on someone's appearance at all.

Are blue jeans fashion?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:06 EDT

Blue jeans are not fashion. They are a cop-out for women too lazy to wear attractive clothing. What's the point of mentioning skinny jeans, boot-cut jeans or relaxed-fit jeans in a fashion column, when jeans were invented for shoveling horse manure out of the barn? Women should wear nice dresses like they did 40 years ago.

Khaki uniforms were invented for British soldiers fighting in India in 1848. Wrist watches were invented for women in the late 1800s. Does that mean only British soldiers should wear khaki pants, and women wrist watches? And that neither should be reworked and adapted as fashion items?

The essence of fashion is change. Utilitarian pieces are constantly being reinvented as fashion apparel. Today's low-rise, slim-cut, bejeweled fashion jeans would be most impractical for cleaning out the barn!

Snuggie ensnares another victim, er, admirer

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:39 EDT

When I opened the birthday gift from my mother-in-law, I gave a snobby little chuckle. Wow. Didn't see that coming. A Snuggie. As seen on TV. My mother-in-law gave me a blanket with sleeves. Just the thing I'd need to wear as I dragged through the sycamore leaves and to the mailbox to see if my Cash 4 Gold money had arrived yet.

"Oh. It's a Snuggie. I've seen them on TV. Thanks." MIL had a playful look in her eyes, a knowing look now that I think about it.

Didn't she know that I'd lampooned the Snuggie? It was nuts, this impossible wad of fabric that claimed to be cool enough to wear to bars and ballgames with your (lame) friends.

Owners must comply for pet health

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:06 EDT

As a veterinarian, I rely on the pet owner to comply to at-home care instructions as well as to the proper administration of medications sent home.

Too often, however, a small percentage of what is communicated to the pet owner, while in the exam room, is actually remembered and followed through at home.

I often send written instructions along with brochures that the pet owner can refer to, if questions arise at home. My staff and I attempt to explain everything while the pet owner is still in the office, especially when it comes to the administration of medications. It is important for pet owners to have a full understanding of what medications are being sent home.