IT can happen in the blink of an eye. Attraction. Excitement. Romance. But for too many Sisters who are searching for Mr. Right (not Mr. Right Now), the game of love is a crooked road of broken promises where the coveted jackpot, referred to as "the one," is too late, long-gone or maybe destined to never show at all. ¶ But there is hope. ¶ "Although there is risk in love, there are also great rewards when passion and purpose...

WASHINGTON -- Shirts, pants, underwear and a lot of other clothes made abroad have arrived in the United States by the bulging boatload since Jan. 1, when more than three decades of quotas ended. ¶ Consumers are rejoicing over the lower prices. But the domestic textile and apparel industry is complaining about the loss of thousands of jobs from what it contends is unfair competition. It wants the Bush administration to move quickly to limit the...

It's 11.30am and Britain's most brutal fashionistas have just swooped on their first victim of the day. Well, serves me right. Why would anybody be so daft as to tell Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine they're on a diet? ¶ 'Come on, stand up,' order the What Not To Wear duo. 'Let's have a look at you.' ¶ I'd sworn I wouldn't mention my body woes, but the words just popped out. There's something about these two that practically...

About one in five ninth-graders report having had oral sex and almost one-third say they intend to try it during the next six months, a small study of teens at two California schools reports. ¶ The teenagers, whose average age was 141/2, also say oral sex is less risky, more common and more acceptable for their age group than intercourse. ¶ The researchers surveyed 580 ethnically diverse ninth-graders in two California public high...

VIENNA, Va. -- For Eric Johnson, May 27, 2004, was the kind of day that every 16-year-old dreams about. ¶ After cruising through his driver's test and wrapping his fingers around a brand-new driver's license, Eric arrived home to find a shiny 2003 Mazda Protege waiting in the driveway. ¶ The black Mazda was Eric's dream car. But the dream didn't last long. On September 17, less than four months after he first got behind the wheel, Eric...

This Bud is for you, and it's red, white and blue. ¶ Those other "American" beers? They're owned by foreigners. ¶ That's one of the marketing messages launched two weeks ago by Anheuser-Busch Inc., the nation's largest brewer. The St. Louis- based company, which brews Budweiser, Bud Light and other brands, is airing a TV spot that features its employees talking about how they're proud to serve "the only major American brewery that's...

Nicole Parker and fiance Boris Kodjoe recently became the proud parents of a baby girl. ¶ Parker gave birth to the couple's first child, Sophie Tei-Naaki Lee Kodjoe, on March 11, publicist Jessica Cohen said in a statement. The baby weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces. ¶ The name Tei-Naaki is Ghanaian for "first-born daughter," the statement...

The overall effective tax rate of a U.S. multinational corporation may have significant impact on the value of its stock. Therefore, it is very important for U.S. multinationals to explore and implement tax planning strategies to reduce their global tax rate. A key objective of global tax minimization planning is to allow a multinational to defer U.S. tax on its foreign profits and eventually repatriate such profits in a tax-efficient manner. This column...

BETWEEN heaven and earth, nerds and gangstas, frailty and faith, and sin and grace--somewhere in the mix--lies Kanye West. ¶ At 27 years old, the Chicago-bred quadruple threat (producer/rapper/songwriter/record exec) has somehow figured out a way to make millions from humanity's contradictions and the juxtaposition of the moneyed mainstream and the avant-garde nature of hip-hop--an amalgamation of the street hustler's credo and the Black...

Rap star Lil' Kim was recently convicted of lying to a federal grand jury to protect friends who were involved in a 2001 shoot-out outside a New York City radio station. ¶ Lil' Kim, 30, and her assistant, Monique Dopwell, 32, were both convicted of perjury and conspiracy but acquitted of obstruction of justice. ¶ Kim faces up to 20 years in prison-five years each for three perjury counts and one count of conspiracy-at her June 24...