In this investigation, we proposed and tested a scale designed to measure recreationists' commitment to public leisure service providers. We suggested that the identity of public leisure service providers is embedded in the facilities and settings they manage. Consequently, we feel that it is important to consider recreationists' commitment to public leisure service providers by examining the meanings they associate with the settings and facilities managed by the agency in addition to their trust in the agency's ability to manage these settings in a manner consistent with these meanings. To operationalize this conceptualization, we drew upon the place bonding literature to construct a measure of agency commitment that consisted of five dimensions; affective attachment, place dependence, place identity, social bonding, and value congruence. Data were collected from two public leisure service contexts: the Chattahoochee National Forest and Cleveland Metroparks. Our analyses offered strongest support for a correlated factor model consisting of the five proposed dimensions. In addition to offering a valid and reliable measure of public agency commitment, this paper also provides an example of the utility of structural equation modeling for the systematic testing of attitudinal scales.

While several authors have discussed the value of committed recreationists for both public and commercial service providers (Gahwiler & Havitz, 1998; Iwasaki & Havitz, 1998, 2004; Kirn, Scott, & Crompton, 1997; KyIe, Graefe, Manning, & Bacon, 2004), consensus on how best to conceptualize and measure the commitment construct remains elusive. For example, Havitz and Dimanche (1997) noted that there has been some disagreement concerning the distinction between leisure involvement and commitment. Researchers who have adapted conceptualizations of commitment from consumer theory have considered commitment in terms of recreationists' sentiment toward service providers and their service offerings (e.g., Gahwiler & Havitz, 1998; Iwasaki & Havitz, 2004; Pritchard, Havitz, & Howard, 1999). For these researchers, the relationship between involvement and commitment is reflective of a developmental process where recreationists' become involved with leisure activities and then develop distinct service preferences. Consequently, these researchers have indicated that the distinction between involvement and commitment lies in the specificity of the attitude object: involvement is measured at the product level (i.e., activities), whereas commitment is measured at the brand level (i.e., service providers and service offerings). Alternately, other researchers who have drawn from theories grounded in sociology have tended to use involvement and commitment interchangeably (Buchanan, 1985; Kirn et al., 1997; Moore & Scott, 2003; Scott, Baker, & Kirn, 1999). For these researchers, a committed recreationist could be an individual deeply involved with a specific activity. While recent conceptual and empirical evidence has offered most support for the former conceptualization (Havitz & Dimanche, 1997; Iwasaki & Havitz, 1998, 2004; KyIe, Graefe, Manning, & Bacon, 2003; Park, 1996), we suggest that elements of both approaches have the potential to contribute to our understanding of the commitment construct.

Another issue confounding our understanding of commitment concerns whether or not the properties underlying commitment are consistent for both public and commercial contexts. For example, in commercial contexts, the cultivation of recreationists' commitment to the agency is seen as an important indicator of agency success as determined by profit margins. Committed recreationists purchase the service more frequently and are more inclined to purchase premium products (Reichheld & Sasser, 1990). In these contexts, great importance is placed on elements related to the immediate transaction context that stress consumer satisfaction, quality, and value. Alternately, Borrie, Christensen, Watson, Miller, and McCollum (2002) suggested that, in the context of public leisure services and public land management, in particular, it is more appropriate for public agencies to focus their efforts on fostering trust, given their mandate to consider the variety of stakeholders' perspectives and the public purpose of the places and resources they manage. Borrie et al. warned against focusing too narrowly on transactions alone and adopting commercially-derived practices that support these transactions. They indicated that these practices have the potential to lead to the commodification of public goods and the exclusion of segments within the community. Borrie et al. noted that the shift in focus from transactions to trust is more consistent with fostering the development of long-term relationships with stakeholders.

Thus, to address these issues, we systematically tested a scale designed to measure respondents' commitment to public leisure service providers and their product offerings. In so doing, we build upon previous work suggesting that commitment is an attitudinal construct best measured at the brand level. In our study contexts-a National Forest and a urban park agency-respondents' attachment to the agency could best be understood in terms of the meanings they associated with the settings and facilities managed by the agency along with their trust in the agency's ability to manage these settings in a manner consistent with these meanings. We also systematically tested the psychometric properties of our proposed scale that was adapted from several authors' work that was consistent with our public leisure service context.

When Kew Management recently leased out a block of space at 40 West 29th Street, a 30,000 s/f building that caters mainly to the wholesale industry, the deal didn't come without a warning to the tenant,

Owner of that property and a number of others in the wholesale district--a swath of territory centered around Broadway from 26th to 30th Street--Kew was wise to various abuses commonly committed by wholesalers in the area.

Of principal concern to Kew was that the space not be divvied up and subleased to a slew of other wholesalers, a common practice encouraged by the high premium subtenants will pay over direct rents for slivers of warehouse space totaling just a few hundred square feet. Selling merchandise directly out of the space, which creates heavy foot traffic in and out of the building and is almost always disruptive to other tenants, was prohibited as well. As James Preston, Kew Management's senior in house agent for its commercial properties, explained it, the space was intended for showrooms, not distribution facilities.

Yet after carefully outlining the restrictions, Kew met with frustrating results when the wholesaler to whom they leased quickly diced up the space and began peddling its wares directly out of the building, the very things Kew had hoped to avoid. The space also was used to trade counterfeit merchandise, a problem endemic to the entire district, where imitation goods can easily be found in many of the shops on the neighborhood's side streets as well as on the tables of street vendors along Broadway.

"We told the tenant exactly what was and wasn't allowed in the space coming, we made it extremely clear that if they conducted prohibited activities we would find out and they would have to leave," Preston said. "But incredibly they went ahead and committed the main violations that we stressed would not be tolerated. This was a person who swore they were legitimate when we signed the deal with them."

Kew Management's experience is indicative of the type of scrutiny and skepticism landlords must pay towards tenants who ostensibly plan to use the space as a showroom for their merchandise. Despite the high rents that some landlords can reap from transactions with wholesalers, some in the wholesale district are nonetheless trying to divest themselves of such tenants to avoid the type of situation Kew went through. Kew, for instance, is now negotiating with a caterer to take the space its troublesome wholesale tenant was forced out of, even though they might have to accept a lower rent at first.

"This person has a restaurant in the area and is definitely a better kind of tenant," Preston said. "But they can pay 10-20% less than what a wholesaler would. We're working with them on a deal though that would bring the rent up over a period of three years."

The seedy wholesale district is something of an anomaly sandwiched between the growing elegance of the Madison Square Park area and the strong class A and B office market of the Penn District. Many landlords however see its drab storefronts and the unseemly crowd it attracts as neighborhood fixtures poised to give way to a long overdue revitalization.

"We're on the fringe of it and the sooner it cleans up the better," said Jim Buslik, a principal at real estate owner and manager, Adams & Co., which has two buildings in the southern vicinity of the wholesale district, 1115 Broadway and 11 East 26th Street.

"And I think that it will. There's a lot of residential development in the area that's going to create a demand for 24 hour retail, which will lead to better retail, that's going to put the pressure on for change."

But with some wholesale tenants able to offer a phenomenal $140 psf, not all landlords may be so eager to see them go.

"Some landlords are resigning these guys," Buslik said. "It's disappointing because they bring down the neighborhood. But then again, these kinds of changes happen slowly. Real estate is evolutionary not revolutionary."

Because Broadway is so narrow in the wholesale district and its bordering buildings are typically just a few floors in height, it conveys a main street type feel ideal to the type of open air selling many of the area's vendors engage in. The area has become so busy, it has been dubbed the SoHo of knockoff goods.

"It's an incredible market for wholesaling," said Sam Stein, a building agent for Justin Management, which owns 1239 Broadway, a building on 30th Street. "I have guys coming to us looking for space all the time, but we don't want bootlegging and all those sloppy uses in the building."

In addition to 40 West 29th Street, Kew Management owns 1123 and 1133 Broadway, 100,000 s/f and 150,000 s/f office buildings respectively.

Preston indicated that he has been busy closing leasing deals in both with a variety of firms including casting and modeling agencies, architecture firms, and law firms--activity that may be indicative of the types of higher quality tenants the neighborhood is starting to attract.

A great space saving idea for remodeling a small bathroom

When you remodel a small bathroom the most important question you have to ask yourself is "how can I make more room?" You want to get the most out of your new ceramic paradise and often that means getting as much into it as you can.

When I remodeled my small bathroom I wanted to include a decent shower. The one I was using over my bathtub just wasn't doing it for me and I had set my heart on a shower cubicle apart from the bathtub completely. My problem of course was lack of space.

When I looked at my old bathroom it was already full of fixtures and I was having a hard time trying to work out how on earth I was going to rearrange things to add a shower into the mix. The breakthrough came when my contractor made what I thought at the time was a silly suggestion but came around to believing that it could work in any bathroom including yours.

Bathroom towel warmer wall mount

My contractor suggested that I threw away the radiator that was taking up space at floor level and replace it with a nice looking stainless steel towel warmer that would heat the bathroom as well as the towels. Ok so where's the space saving?

He then suggested that I used a wall-mounted towel warmer to double as a radiator and fit it on the wall over the end of the bathtub. This would save a lot of space because the radiator would now be on a wall that would otherwise be doing nothing.

The more I thought about this suggestion the less silly it became so I went with it and you can see the result in a bathroom remodeling before and after picture here: Remodeling Pictures Of Bathrooms Before And After

Could this work in your small bathroom?

Careful small bathroom remodeling can work wonders

The wall mounted towel warmer idea worked out very well for my small bathroom and it could do the same for you. You will find that the bathtub gets used a lot less if you have a separate shower so the heated towel rail can be used for warming towels most of the time. It will heat you bathroom, be out of the way and it won't take up any of your precious floor area.

If you spend time on the design of your small bathroom remodeling project before you start any work you will be surprised at how much space you can save by experimenting with small sized toilets, small deep bathtubs, tiny wash basins and carefully shaped small shower cubicles. It's worth taking the trouble to do this at the start of your project because you will reap the benefits later.

One of my favorite movies is “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. They play newlyweds that want to buy a house but don’t have much money. When they stumble on a beautiful old mansion that is selling for an unbelievably low price they buy what they thought was their dream house.

As soon as they move in the house starts falling apart and they have no choice but to remodel the entire house from top to bottom and the remainder of this hilarious movie is devoted to this process. From working with the indifferent contractor to putting up with no water or even stairs this movie is an extreme example of what could happen during a remodeling and watching this movie reinforces the facts that a home remodeling project can lead to high family stress levels and in extreme cases divorce.

Fortunately, this is one example where for the most part life does not imitate art and most people that are thinking of remodeling their home will not have anywhere near the experience they did. There are, however, lessons to be learned and I think it would be a wise idea to watch this movie before you commit to any major remodeling plans for your house.

As you are most likely not in a situation where a complete overhaul is required immediately you will have time to decide exactly what it is you want to accomplish. Do you want that bathroom retreat with the Jacuzzi tub? Maybe you would like to finish off the basement and have a great place for parties? Is the family outgrowing the house and you need to add another bedroom?

These are all questions you need to answer up front. Write down on paper what it is you want and sketch it out so you have something to work from. There is some great inexpensive software available that you can use on your PC to design just about anything from building a new house to adding an additional room.

Unless you plan on doing the work yourself once you have your plan you need to find a reliable contractor. This is much easier said than done and you would be well advised to talk to at least three contractors before picking one. Ask for references and please do check them out. See if you can inspect some previous work they have done and check to see if they are in good standing with the Better Business Bureau. Ask family, friends and neighbors if they can recommend someone they may have used for past projects.

Get a rough idea of what the project will cost from each contractor. If it’s more than you expected you might be able to cut corners a bit by using less expensive materials or maybe downsizing the project a bit. Be wary of any contractor that says they can do the job for an amount that is unrealistically lower than your other bids.

Now you can set a realistic budget that you must stick to. Be sure and have a little extra built in for the inevitable extras that will crop up. Make sure you get everything in writing in case you have problems during the project. Have everything spelled out as to what will happen, who will do it and when and don’t be afraid to consult with a lawyer if a large sum of money is involved.

If you need to finance the project with a second mortgage or home equity loan be sure you are not overextending yourself financially and think long and hard about whether you really need to remodel. Maybe it is something that you can put off until you have saved up a bit more money thus saving you some financing costs.

In the end, if you plan everything up front, pick a good contractor, budget wisely and get everything in writing your remodeling project should come off without a hitch and you will be very happy with the results

A mobile home remodeling addition is a great way to add more space to your home. Most mobile homes are fairly small and it is difficult to have a growing family in one. If you own the land that your home is on, you might want to consider adding an addition to your home.

You can use a computer program to design your addition or just make up some of your own designs. You can also hire an architect who is trained in creating additions for real estate that is similar to what you want your home to look like.

The Decision Process

Deciding on the interior design of your addition is often the hardest part. You will only have a limited amount of money, but you want to maximize the space that you are adding on to your home. Homes that have a good design will automatically feel more comfortable.

When you start to remodel you will also need to decide on the quality of products that you will be putting into your home. Building products come in a variety of styles and costs, so you will need to do your homework to make the right decision for your needs.

There are many different little decisions that you will have to make throughout the process of your remodel or addition. You may have to pick out cabinets, create a color palette, or even decide where electrical outlets need to go.

The Plan

It is important to have a plan when you begin your remodeling project. You will need to create a budget and repair the budget as needed throughout the building process. Creative home remodeling is often necessary to stay within your ideal budget.

Once you have come up with a reasonable budget, then you will need to start looking into contractors that can complete the work for that budgeted price. You will want to find a contractor that is good and has references from previous clients. Make sure and actually call those past clients and talk to them about their project.

After hiring a contractor you will want to stay as active in the remodeling process as you can. Stay informed of the progress and continually ask for updates. It will be easier to remedy any problems if you know about them well in advance.

Remodeling or adding onto your home is a fun and exciting project, but it can also be a bit overwhelming if you have not planned correctly. Make sure you spend the necessary time planning your project so you do not have more problems later on.

Stick to your budget as close as you can and you will avoid spending more money than you wanted to. The additional space that you add on is a great way to increase your home's value while adding comfort to your family's daily life. Now get started on planning your mobile home remodel... It is a long process ... that will be full of many ups and downs... but well worth it in the end!

Work zone safety is a major concern in the United States, with 1,065 fatalities and more than 40,000 injuries resulting from work zone crashes in 2004 alone. In addition to the human toll, consider the following: Traffic volumes and congestion are increasing, but little corresponding growth in road miles is happening. Many of the Nation's highways are approaching middle age, requiring additional construction and repair, and thus more work zones. Increasingly, construction is taking place while traffic continues to flow on the facility undergoing repair, which applies greater pressure on contractors to compress schedules, finish projects early, and perform work at night while maintaining safety and quality. Mobility, often referred to as "travel time reliability," is also a key factor associated with work zones, with travelers reporting being frustrated with the delays and unexpected road conditions caused by work zones. This is particularly an issue for road users when a project is in progress but no work appears to be going on for days at a time, yet congestion and delays continue to occur.

These trends underscored a strong case for updating the Federal regulations governing safety and mobility in work zones. After soliciting input from transportation agencies and organizations across the country, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) updated 23 CFR 630 Subpart J, the Rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility (the Rule), on September 9, 2004.
Published in the Federal Register (69 FR 54562), the Rule updates the former regulation, "Traffic Safety in Highway and Street Work Zones," to address the challenges of today and those likely to be faced in the future. The updated Rule provides a decision-making framework for considering the broader safety and mobility impacts of work zones across all stages of a project. The updated regulation also will facilitate the implementation of appropriate strategies to help manage those impacts.

The broader context takes into consideration that the impacts of work zones may extend beyond the physical location of the construction itself to affect safety and mobility miles away. Not only can work zones affect traffic on the roadway being worked on, but also on other highway corridors and even other modes of transportation.

All State and local governments that receive Federal-aid highway funding must implement the Rule by October 12, 2007. Updating the regulations is just one part of the solution. Ongoing outreach and development of detailed guidance are two methods FHWA is using to disseminate information. The other part of making work zones work better is for State and local transportation agencies to adopt and implement the updated Rule. Highlights follow from some of the States that are using innovative strategies to improve safety and mobility in work zones.

Overview of the Rule

Some of the questions that State and local agencies are asking as they begin implementation include the following: "We know this new Rule exists, but what do we need to do to implement it?" "Does the Rule mean a lot of additional work for my agency?" "How does the Rule differ from what we are already doing?"

The level of effort needed to implement the Rule will vary from agency to agency. Some agencies already are adopting aspects of the Rule and may need only to formalize and institutionalize those steps. Others will find they need to change the way they do business. But modifying their procedures promises to yield positive results.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"We are working with FHWA and looking at all the information that has been gathered to help craft the Rule," says Jacqui Yuke Ghezzi, chief of the traffic management branch at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). "Any time we can borrow information from other States, it's very welcome and helpful."

The updated regulation emphasizes partnerships between FHWA and the States, valuing adaptability and elasticity so that agencies can apply the provisions appropriately to their respective operating circumstances and serve the needs of various kinds of projects. "[FHWA] left the States with the flexibility to address their particular issues," says Dave Holstein, administrator of the Office of Traffic Engineering for the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). "Ohio's needs may be very different from those of a more rural State, for example."

The Rule contains three primary components:

* Implementation of an overall, agency-level policy on work zone safety and mobility to institutionalize the consideration and management of work zone impacts

* Development and implementation of agency-level processes and procedures to support policy implementation, including procedures for assessing the impacts of work zones, analyzing data, conducting training, and reviewing processes

Equipped with 21 in. LCD flat-panel display, Gateway[R] FPD2185W employs Genesis Microchip controller with integrated suite of DCDi[R] by Faroudja video processing technologies. Characteristics include 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 178/178 viewing angle, and 8 ms refresh rates. In addition to High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection video content encryption chip, unit offers adaptability via mainstream video input ports, 4-port powered USB 2.0 hub, and Picture-in-Picture display.

********************

The Gateway(R) FPD2185W Delivers Innovation With a Stunning Visual Experience for Increased Workflow Productivity, Personal Computing and Gaming
IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 6 / -- Gateway Inc., the nation's third largest PC manufacturer, today introduced a new 21-inch widescreen LCD flat-panel display blending innovation with value. Packed with features, the Gateway(R) FPD2185W brings the benefits of high-definition viewing to anyone wanting a spectacular visual experience for work or play, priced at just $599.99.

The Gateway FPD2185W combines powerful performance with high-resolution display qualities, and is the first computer monitor to employ a new Genesis Microchip (NASDAQ:GNSS) controller with an integrated Emmy award-winning suite of DCDi(R) by Faroudja video processing technologies for stunning images with precise detail, color and motion.
The display also offers unsurpassed adaptability with all mainstream video input ports, a four-port powered USB 2.0 hub and an advanced Picture-in- Picture (PIP) display. This characteristic brings professional grade capabilities to numerous markets including business professionals, learning institutions, consumers and gamers.

"The Gateway FPD2185W display continues our focus on innovation," said William Diehl, vice president of product marketing, Gateway. "It embodies professional-grade design with next generation video technologies, outstanding performance and video quality clearly demonstrating the leading-edge solutions we're developing. More than just offering advanced features the display is ideal as a productivity tool with its widescreen, high-definition flat-panel capabilities that offer an elevated computing experience for an affordable price."

High Performance Merges with High Definition for Advanced Widescreen Capabilities

The Gateway FPD2185W, 21-inch widescreen display combines high-definition picture quality with excellent performance for an entirely new viewing experience. Designed with professional-grade engineering, the display meets workplace demands with enough advanced attributes to provide a stunning cinematic or gaming experience when the workday ends.

The display delivers significantly more viewing space via a 1680 x 1050 widescreen aspect ratio compared to the current standard 1280 x 1024 display. The Gateway FPD2185W leads the category with a best-in-class contrast ratio of 1000:1, a wide viewing angle of 178/178 and fast 8ms refresh rates. The display also offers advanced video processing technologies DCDi(R) by Faroudja, algorithms that were previously only made available in high-end home theater systems. The result removes jagged edges and makes Standard Definition (SD) video input look clear, sharp and crisp.

The Gateway FPD2185W also offers investment protection and long-term functionality with High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). The HDCP video content encryption chip is required for viewing high-definition content if the PC is running Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista. It also makes it compatible with cable and satellite high-definition video services.

The display offers benefits to multiple audiences due to its high performance attributes. Architectural drafting and sophisticated CAD/CAM design work is enhanced due to the monitor's fast refresh rates, contrast ratios and wide viewing angle. It is also ideal for professionals who require the best-in-class display technology-its high-resolution is ideal for photographers, graphic artists or medical professionals who need to view patient charts. Professionals will find the ability to view multiple applications or documents side-by-side extremely helpful; it allows financial analysts to easily compare spreadsheets, proof readers or copywriters to view and compare documents, and students to display full-page research documents while editing their reports simultaneously. It also provides a general overall improved quality for viewing Excel, PowerPoint and Word documents. Due to its extended viewing angle, high-brightness and broad selection of video inputs, the display is also ideal for use as a kiosk or for signage in a retail setting.

In addition to enhanced viewing properties, the display offers innovative screen rotating capabilities. Combined with the unique height adjustable stand that can be raised, lowered, rotated, swiveled and tilted, the Gateway FPD2185W includes Gateway's EzTune(R) software. The software automatically rotates the screen image when the monitor is alternated between landscape and portrait mode. Portrait mode makes reading Web pages easier by eliminating the need to scroll to see the entire page and offers a better experience for displaying photos in full-screen portrait mode. EzTune also provides on screen PC controls for adjusting monitor settings and to allow for software color calibration -- a feature that novice and professional photographers will appreciate.

AMY HILLIARD FOUNDER: THE COMFORTCAKE COMPANY

Amy Hilliard's favorite dessert has always been pound cake. Whenever she'd bake them for dinner parties or her children's bake sales, she'd draw raves--and suggestions that she sell them. After serving as senior vice president of marketing for Soft Sheen Products--and before that as a marketing exec at Pillsbury, Gillette and Burrell Communications Group--the savvy Howard University graduate and Harvard M.B.A. ventured out on her own. Today the Detroit native owns Chicago-based The ComfortCake Company, LLC, makers of "pound cake so good it feels like a hug." ComfortCakes are in nearly one hundred Cub Foods and Jewel stores throughout the Midwest With a small staff and two bakeries that bake cakes in volume, The ComfortCake Company is a success no matter how you slice it.

COOKING UP A PLAN: "At a Christmas party someone tasted one of my liqueur-infused cakes and said, 'Wow, this is a comfortable cake.' I checked the name ComfortCake on the Internet and it was available. So l filed for a trademark and domain name (comfortcake.com) and put my dream into action. After consulting with my family, I sold my home with one goal in mind: to become the premium producer of pound cakes."

NO CAKEWALK: "It was difficult to find a bakery that could fill large orders and bake our cakes from scratch. Through networking we landed a meeting with United Airlines that led us to our current baker, whom we've used for two years."

LET THEM EAT CAKE: "Two days after we met with United, the airline ordered 500,000 slices to be served on its Hawaii flights. Then came our biggest client, the Chicago public-school system, which so far has served students more than 1 million slices. In addition, ComfortCakes have been featured on the Home Shopping Network and are also available at amazon.com in the Gourmet Food section. Our single size Baby Bundts are sold in 7-Eleven stores nationwide."

WORKING WITH FAITH: "Starting a business is tough. You must be committed to making it happen and above all, you must have faith. That means: F: Focus on the goal. A: Assume success. I: Combine instinct, intellect and integrity. T: Trust that it's not an overnight process And H: Lead with your heart.--SHERRI A. MCGEE

I Love This Job!

PLUS-SIZE MODEL

RANDI GRAVES SALARY RANGE: $150-$5,000+ PER DAY

MY BEST FRIEND AND I WERE TAKING THE train to New York City one day to go shopping when he dared me to visit some modeling agencies for a tryout. We went to several but had no luck until we reached Wilhelmina Models. I was at the reception desk inquiring about open call when Susan Georget, who has since become my agent, came up and asked: 'How tall are you? What size are you?' I told her I was a size 10, but she wrote down 12, gave me a photographer's name and number, and said, 'Get some pictures and come back.' I thought, Yeah, whatever. A year later I came across the photographer's number while cleaning my room, and I did what she suggested.

"I returned to Wilhelmina and sat nervously for an hour and a half waiting to be seen, watching dozens of tall, thin girls leaving (some in tears). I had my hand on the door, ready to leave, when I was called into a booker's office. She took some Polaroids, and after a brief interview offered me a contract. My very first modeling job was with Macy's West, and I was so nervous I sweated my makeup off. But my second job--a six-page spread for Mode magazine--was great.

"I didn't plan on modeling, because while growing up in Morristown, New Jersey, I never saw any mainstream models that looked like me. I attended Hampton University and was on a path to either business school or law school. But modeling is a great career, though there is a downside: I have to watch my weight so that I don't drop below plus-size; and I have to get plenty of exercise to keep my body in shape. But I balance my heavy workload with pampering treats like a facial or a massage or treatment at a spa once a month. I love the freedom and the confidence that working in the industry has given me."--STEPHANIE SCOTT

so you want to strut your stuff?

HERE'S HOW TO START STEPPING

KNOW WHERE TO GO. If you live outside a major city, look in the yellow pages for an agency near you. Some larger agencies are Wilhelmina (New York, Los Angeles, Miami), Elite (New York, Chicago) and Click (New York, Atlanta). Pick up the Model and Talent Directory, edited by Gregory James; check out Model's Boot Camp: How to Break Into Modeling and TV Commercials the Right Way! (video) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being a Model, coauthored by Roshumba Williams.

MEET AND GREET. Attend an open call to meet professional agents. Call the agency near you to find out what day they host these events. Leave your hat, makeup and scarves at home so the agents can see the real you. And never lie (about your age or height) on applications, if you don't get signed your first time out, keep at it. But before signing any contract, have a lawyer read it.

Tuberculosis (TB) has been around in the human society since time immemorial. From Egyptian mummies to Indian Ayurveda, ample evidence testifies to the formidable presence of tuberculosis as an ancient companion of human race.

In today's world, TB has put on the mantle of a renewed menace and added a new meaning to the consorted global health initiative. One may add to it the dreadful combination of the lack of a powerful vaccine against TB. exquisite susceptibility of HIVpositive individuals to TB. and the emergence of MDR-TB (multiple drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Further, the persistent nature of the tubercle bacilli adds to the complexity, by remaining dormant deep within the host tissue and organs to evade multi drug therapy.

Since the early days of introduction of chemotherapy, drug resistant TB has been reported. Soon after the discovery of streptomycin in 1944 by Schatz and Walksman and the introduction of the drug to treat TB. resistance to this drug became apparent. Subsequently, para amino salicylic acid (PAS) and isoniazid were introduced to the TB treatment regimen. The landmark controlled clinical trial conducted by British Medical Research Council (BMRC) during this period however, reported the emergence of drug resistant M. tuberculosis strains. As a result. BMRC developed methods for measuring resistance to antituberculosis drugs and introduced therapy combinations to prevent emergence of drug resistance1.

Interestingly enough, following the discovery of streptomycin and subsequently of isoniazid, PAS, ethambutol and finally rifamycin in rapid succession, the global attitude was that of a conqueror. TB surveillance and research were virtually put on the back burner by the managers of public health and the funding agencies. The outbreak of MDR-TB in the New York City in early 19902 rang the alarm bell and what was perceived as the social and economic burden of the developing nations turned out to be a global emergency.

While emergence of resistance to antimicrobials is a natural biological occurrence, emergence of MDR-TB is generally considered as man made. Wild isolates of M. tuberculosis that were never exposed to antituberculosis drugs were certainly not clinically resistant.

The emergence of drug resistant M.tuberculosis has been associated with a variety of factors such as, the lack of a standardized therapeutic regimen, inadequate resources, poor programme implementation, frequent and prolonged shortage of drugs, substandard quality of drugs and finally, non-compliance of the patients. To understand the impact of such factors on the tuberculosis control programme, a number of studies were conducted in various parts of the world. Snider et aP in a case control study demonstrated that contacts of patients with drug resistance and drug susceptible incident cases of TB had an equal prevalence of positive tuberculin skin test results; suggesting that infectivity was not diminished by drug resistance. In another study in California, Burgos et al4 used elaborate mathematical model to analyse the data generated over a nine year period. They concluded that drug resistant strains (isoniazid resistant and MDR-TB) were not likely to produce new, incident drug resistant TB cases. Mathematical modeling suggested that MDR-TB may remain a locally severe problem rather than a global one5. Finally, two sequential global surveys showed that the prevalence of drug resistant TB was influenced by the quality of TB control programme and by local epidemiologic circumstances67. In other words, indicator or marker for spread of MDR-TB may be programme and community dependent. It thus becomes imperative on the part of the programme managers to find a marker for community spread of MDR-TB that would be best suited for the country. In this context and to the context of the ongoing revised national TB control programme (RNTCP) in India, the article by Gupta et al9 appearing in this issue may be a significant step in that direction. The authors have analyzed the drug susceptibility profile of 380 M. tuberculosis isolates to the first line antituberculosis drugs, namely, isoniazid (INH), ethambutol (EMB), and rifampicin (RIF). The analysis showed a recognizable association of ethambutol resistance with isoniazid resistance whereas ethambutol resistance was weakly linked to multi drug resistance. Overall, 85 per cent of the ethambutol resistant isolates were resistant to isoniazid also. Further, at the highest ethambutol concentration tested, only a fraction of 28.75 per cent isoniazid resistant isolates was ethambutol resistant. The authors suggested that the simultaneous occurrence of isoniazid resistance in a large fraction of ethambutol resistant isolates can be partly explained on the basis of local epidemiological factors of overuse or misuse of ethambutol and isoniazid in India. Quoting from reports published from elsewhere, the authors mentioned that a similar trend was observed in Philippines also. The present paper, in addition, raises another important issue regarding antituberculosis drug susceptibility assays. Although WHO has formulated guidelines and protocols, still some debates are on to identify the best methods and optimum drug concentrations for the first line drug susceptibility testing, particularly, ethambutol. High level EMB resistance is a multistep process. The first step resistance results from overexpression of the EMB proteins (MIC >10 µg/ ml)8. A further decrease in susceptibility requires a mutation in a conserved region of EmbE or additional changes in expression levels (MIC >20 µg/ml). The choice of critical drug concentration for testing of EMB susceptibility in vitro is still a matter under consideration. The suggestion by the authors that susceptibility assay for EMB using 6 μg/ml can be adopted in a diagnostic microbiology laboratory is promising. However, it would need further evaluation by testing a larger number of M. tuberculosis isolates.