I’m hardly, surprised then, at the two books which crossed my desk recently that commanded a look — if only for their sleek, high-gloss covers, sexy titles and irresistible pop-trash appeal. Oddly, Carmen Electra covers this topic too, in her narcissistic testament of what it means to be sexy — How to Be Sexy ($29. But, primarily, it’s all about Carmen — posing, doing her hair for day and night, sharing her make-up and dating tips and looking fabulous, airbrushed, and, well, perfect. Although these books try to sell an empowering message for young women, they, ironically, tell us the last thing we need to hear as a star-swept culture — that appearances are, in fact, everything. Newspapers - Toronto Sun - Calgary Sun - Ottawa Sun - Edmonton Sun - Winnipeg Sun - London Free Press - 24 Hours Toronto - 24 Hours Vancouver - 24 Heures Montreal - Brockville Recorder & Times - Fort McMurray Today - Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Trib. read more

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The answer to this and other perplexing questions about the opposite sex may be answered for anime aficionados at this weekend’s 11th Anime North Convention. Duncan, wearing an "I heart nerds" tee, was encouraging a friend to show off some of her anime sketches when "I get this head peeking over my shoulder . There’s plenty of first-date activities on-site, like a Saturday matinee, if you want to see the Canadian premiere of the 2006 anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya , or the movie version of 70’s comic Cutey Honey. J-Pop band ZZ will perform live Saturday night, bringing some songs to the stage that anime fans might recognize from their TV screens, such as their 2006 hit song, "Dang Dang," which is featured in the opening to Eyeshield 21 . While shows like Sailor Moon translated Japanese lyrics and had them re-sung for its English audience, shows have been bucking this trend as fans demand the original tunes be left in, says convention spokesperson Ben Gusz. read more

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This week's Q&A focuses on using these techniques overseas, when to be sweet to a girl, and limiting your phone time with her. The challenge I often have is that the people sending me stories from around the world usually don't speak or write English very well, and since I don't speak their language I can't include them in these weekly Q&As, but I do try to respond personally when I can. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider. By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement . About Us | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | RSS Feeds IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA . read more

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