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Bastille Day lures fans of France
© St. Petersburg Times Tampa has its Latin community, but Anna Gervait wants you to know the city also has a vibrant French connection. Gervait is a board member on the French-American Business Council of West Florida and the chairwoman for Sunday's Bastille Day celebration, which is being held at International Plaza for the first time. The business council is teaming with the Tampa-Le Havre Sister Cities Committee and the Alliance Francaise of Tampa for the celebration, but it will welcome more than just members from those groups. Several French businesses have offices here in Tampa, including Essilor corrective lenses, Monin flavored syrups and Lafarge construction materials. "For someone who lived in France or has an affinity for France, it's an amazing celebration of freedom, liberty and justice," Gervait said of Bastille Day. "It's nice to meet with people who have a passion for France." The celebration begins at 6:15 in Profusion. A special French dinner will be served at 7:15 p.m. Dancing will follow at the Blue Martini. The dinner costs $55 and is open to the public. Hair today, gone tomorrow. In the world of hair, scientific studies have focused almost solely on helping people struggling with hair loss. Now Michael Burroughs, an assistant professor of research in the Florida Mental Health Institute at University of South Florida, is studying men who want to lose their hair. Body hair, that is. Some Hollywood icons have touted the bare-chested look, and some men are spending inordinate amounts of money for permanent hair removal. So, does a guy have to shave his body to look good? Maybe. Burroughs has just started his study, but of the 50 men he has interviewed so far, 45 shave or remove hair below the neck. Why? Most of the men believe it makes them look younger, more attractive and enhances their muscles. Burroughs said the sample does not seem to have any demographic definitions. Heterosexual and gay men are represented in the study, as well as Euro-Americans, African-Americans and Latinos. "It's definitely people other than those with highly muscular bodies," he said. Burroughs said his study may lead to new investigative avenues for body image researchers, and he has hopes of having his findings printed in the International Journal of Men's Health. Don't wait until the next big storm is nearly here before you make plans on where to shelter your cat or dog. By then, it might be too late. The Hillsborough Animal Health Foundation is encouraging pet owners to make a plan now. Red Cross shelters will not allow pets, and Dr. Brian Novak, president of the Hillsborough Animal Health Foundation, said you may be better off trying to find inland friends willing to board your pets in an emergency. "Thousands of pets were abandoned down south when Hurricane Andrew hit several years ago because these types of precautions had not been taken," Novak said. You can pick up one of the foundation's hurricane preparation brochures at several locations, including the American Red Cross, Lowry Park Zoo, Hillsborough public libraries and animal services. It usually rains cats and dogs when a hurricane hits, but that doesn't mean your pets need to be out in the storm. That's all I'm saying. -- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com.
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Times columns today Ernest Hooper Darrell Fry From the Times Metro desks Ernest Hooper |
