| Dolls gone wild: Unhappy moms want wholesome alternatives
Moms are hunting through toy aisles for more wholesome-looking dolls, concerned that the scantily clad Bratz dolls with their Party Palaces and Magic Make-up Studios are sending their daughters the wrong message about how they should dress and act. With their heavily made-up faces, short shorts and halter tops, Bratz are the No. 2 best-selling dolls in the country, just behind Barbie, but creeping up on her with their own lines of clothing, school supplies, video games and, most recently, a live-action movie playing in theaters. And some Moms are not happy about it. "I don't want my daughter viewing herself that way," says Gloria Baca of Tempe, Ariz., who has steered her daughter, now 10, away from Barbie and Bratz in favor of an American Girl doll by Mattel named Josefina.
Holiday wishbook
Straight from the mouths of Culpeper kids, here's the scoop on holiday gifts for grades 1-12. Back in the day you were in the hot seat asking Santa Claus for an A.C. Gilbert Erector set, an Atari 2600 game or a scented Strawberry Shortcake doll with Berrykin case. However, times have changed. The toys that fueled our imaginations so many years ago are now called "vintage." So what's a big bad adult supposed to do when a train set just doesn't cut it anymore? The Star-Exponent set forth to find out what this generation of technology-savvy children wants these days. We visited three Culpeper schools - Epiphany Catholic, St. Luke's Lutheran and Culpeper County High - and talked with a boy and girl from every grade to give you, oh clueless grownup, a better shot at getting it right this year.
JT Special Feature: Things you never knew about Tony Romo
Journal Times sports reporter Peter Jackel offers glove-like coverage of Racine County sports. Today he draws upon his years of experience to answer some of the toughest and most obscure questions about Tony Romo.Question: Several features written about Tony Romo claim that he never had a winning record in high school? Is that true?Answer: No it is not. While Burlington went 3-6 during Romo’s senior season in 1997, the Demons went 9-3 despite an 0-2 start in 1996 and advanced to the third round of the WIAA Division 2 playoffs. After never having played quarterback in high school prior to his junior season, Romo completed 126 of 193 passes (65.2 percent) for 1,863 yards, with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.Question: What were the reasons for Burlington going 3-6 during Romo’s senior season? .
Christmas Wish deadline is today
Today is the last day to submit a Christmas Wish application. The deadline to turn in an application is 5 p.m. at The Baxter Bulletin office, 16 W. Sixth St. If Wish applications are mailed, they must be postmarked today. The Wish Distribution Center is due to open Tuesday. Volunteers have been busily working to set up the center and get organized to begin filling wishes to provide a merrier Christmas for families in the Twin Lakes Area. Those wanting to volunteer should call Wish Director Cathy Neider at 404-4177. .
Cubs keep Wood for $4.2 million
CHICAGO Given his history of arm problems, even Kerry Wood was surprised at all the interest he drew in free agency. While Wood was tempted to leave the Chicago Cubs, he couldn't be lured from the team he has pitched for his entire career. After making the switch to the bullpen last season after a swift recovery from shoulder problems, Wood agreed Monday to a $4.2 million, one-year deal to return to the Cubs, spurning what general manager Jim Hendry said were numerous multiyear offers elsewhere. He called his decision to stay with the Cubs an easy one. "Chicago's my home," Wood said during a conference call. "Chicago's been great to me. There's no better place to play, especially if you're winning." Wood, the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year, can make an additional $3.45 million in performance bonuses based largely on games finished from 20 to 55.
Young minds prefer technology to nature
Yosemite National Park may be nice and all, but Tommy Nguyen of San Francisco would much prefer spending his day in front of a new video game or strolling around the mall with his buddies. What, after all, is a 15-year-old supposed to do in what John Muir called "the grandest of all special temples of nature" without cell phone service? "I'd rather be at the mall because you can enjoy yourself walking around looking at stuff as opposed to the woods," Nguyen said. In Yosemite and other parks, he said, furrowing his brow to emphasize the absurdly lopsided comparison, "the only thing you look at is the trees, grass and sky." The notion of going on a hike, camping, fishing or backpacking is foreign to a growing number of young people in cities and suburbs around the nation, according to several polls and studies.
Area retailers prepare for Black Friday
Businesses across the area are preparing for what they hope will be a big shopping season starting bright and early Friday morning.That means smiling faces, warm greetings and help at every turn for prospective customers no matter if it is at 6 a.m. ... or if there are hundreds of people lined up waiting to get in ... or if they'll do anything to get the item they want."It's a quasi-holiday for us," said Wayne Ruchalski, the general manager at Staples in Mechanicsburg. "We'll have some in-store specials and early bird specials. This year I think what's going to be big are the GPS units, digital cameras, digital picture frames, photo printers, MP3 players and the Dell computers we have in our stores for the first time � we kicked off the sale last Sunday, Nov. 11."Ruchalski is no novice when it comes to Black Friday sales, working at Staples for nine years and in retail for 20.To make it easier for customers, Ruchalski is planning a new, slightly more organized system of tickets for items they're expecting to be gone within a few minutes.
Zimbabwe Select beat SA Composite XI
Zimbabwe Select turned on a spirited show at the weekend when they beat South Africa Composite XI by 10 wickets at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom, The Herald reported yesterday. The match was in the first of the three four-day cricket matches in the Supersport Challenge against the SA Composite XI that was chosen by that country's National Selection Panel. Zimbabwe Select only needed 57 runs in their second innings to claim the victory and this came courtesy of the opening partnership of Brandon Taylor (35) and Visimuzi Sibanda (19) and three extras. South Africa Composite XI were the first to bat having won the toss and in the first innings they scored 288 before Zimbabwe Select replied with 493 as captain Prospers Utseya led from the front to score an unbeaten 115.
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