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Tag: Cord With Plug As simple or as complex as you like - a trickle charger that'll save you having a flat battery in rarely-driven cars. Lots of car enthusiasts have more than one car. The kept-mostly-in-the-garage car might be a full-on show car, it might be a classic of yesteryear, or it might simply be a car that you drive rarely. In this household – three cars and two people – the rarely driven car is my turbo Maxima V6. In the lucky event that I have a sequence of new cars to test, poor old Max might be driven only a few times in a month - and then mostly on short trips to the post office. The outcome is that more often than not, it’s got a flat battery. And that’s with a near-new battery in the battery box in the boot! I’ve already got a battery charger but it’s not really the kind of thing I want to leave connected semi-permanently. For one it’s a mains-powered charger with short battery leads – and often the Maxima is parked outside. And outside weather and 240V battery chargers don’t really go together well. Secondly, I often have another requirement for that battery charger, and so I don’t want it tied up semi-permanently on the Maxima. And finally – and it sounds trivial - but I have a healthy respect for the hydrogen gas released during battery charging and I always feel a bit vulnerable pulling on and off those bare alligator clips – especially when the charger doesn’t have an on/off switch on its main body. Maybe some of these things apply to you as well. So what was needed was a low-cost trickle charger, one that could be left connected for long periods to just keep the battery topped-up. (A trickle charger is not the sort that you connect when you want to boost a flat battery into life in a few hours; nope, it’s the type that is connected for a few days or more at a time.) It would be good if it had a long low voltage lead and a readily accessible on/off switch. A quick and easy connection method to the car would also facilitate its use.

Tag: Bamboo Floor Board While the price of gas has most companies wondering what they should do next, Rapid Glass, a locally owned Minneapolis auto glass replacement and windshield repair shop has implemented several solutions that may help reduce the dependency on foreign oil, reduce green house gas emissions, limit the amount of waste in our landfills, and offset fuel costs with several new innovative techniques. This Minneapolis window repair shop is doing its part to go green year round. "We celebrate Earth Day every day, all year long," said Rick Rosar, President of Rapid Glass. "Our auto, home and business glass company began going green several years ago before most auto glass companies even thought about it. Many of us have been recycling our glass bottles, aluminum cans and other products at home for a long time; however, not until recently did commercial businesses begin taking a serious look at ways to protect the environment." Instead of throwing away small cutoff pieces of glass that normally end up in the garbage, Rapid Glass donates the pieces to local schools, art academies and smaller businesses that manufacture small crafts and stained glass windows. The company also makes it a point to recycle any small pieces of extruded aluminum left over from custom shower door installations. Additionally, Rapid Glass has opted for a new dispensing system for their adhesives, switching from rigid cartridges to recyclable sealer packs to reduce its garbage volume for these products by 90%. Many quality auto glass replacement sealers must be heated due to the climate in Minnesota and it is common practice for glass replacement technicians to leave their truck running to heat up the sealers with their defrosters prior to the installation. However, Rapid Glass has installed on-board heating devices that are hooked up to the vehicle's own heating/cooling system, allowing the technician to shut off their truck, thereby reducing fuel costs, green house gas emissions and reducing additional service costs on the mobile glass service vehicles. The company also uses electric inverters and its newest auto glass installation trucks are equipped to run on E85 Flex fuel. In its offices, Rapid Glass staff recycles paper and plastic materials and stores soft copies of documents on computer hard drive space rather than maintaining hard copies. About Rapid GlassRapid Glass is a locally owned Minneapolis auto glass repair and windshield installation company that has been providing mobile on-site service for over 25 years. The auto glass repair specialists also provide home window glass repair, shower door enclosures, mirrors, and glass table tops. Rapid Glass serves Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.

Earlier in June CBS 42's Ron Oliveira did a story about a subject that brings shame and embarrassment to men. It's called ED which is Erectile Dysfunction.Millions of men have it due to poor health, nerve damage, medications or surgery. Many men and the women in their lives reached out for help."People don't know what you're going through when you have this procedure done to you."For a variety of reasons, this man and his wife don't want their identities revealed. He's hurt and depressed. After prostate cancer surgery he suffers from erectile dysfunction due to nerve damage during surgery. Viagra or other pills won't work for him.A penile implant was recommended. His insurance company paid for the prostate surgery but repeatedly denied him the implant. He says insurance told him it was medically unnecessary.His wife says, "In our opinion, yes, it is a medical necessity. Why? Because it was caused by cancer."Urologist Steve Hardeman tells how the implant works: "This is an inflatable penile prosthesis. It's got a reservoir which holds fluid. It's got a pump and these are the two structures that go inside the penile shaft. And what happens is you actually pump the fluid through this reservoir with this. This structure is within the scrotum and it causes inflation of these structures and they produce a rigid erection." The procedure can cost anywhere from $10,000 to more than $20,000, something this couple simply can't afford but one that could help change their lives.The man says, "It affected me bad. I don't feel like a man I used to be. And I feel like I'm not helping my wife any, taking care of my job that I need to take care of my wife."His wife is sympathetic, "I feel sorry for him, because I can cope with it but I know he can't. He has a hard time with it. This problem can break up a marriage. But we've been lucky. We've stayed with each other."The two have support from Galen and Linda Bird whom we introduced you to a few weeks ago. Galen also had prostate cancer and suffered from erectile dysfunction. His depression ended when he had a penile implant. His insurance company did cover the procedure.Linda Bird notes "if a woman has a mastectomy, her insurance company is required to pay for reconstruction; it's not fair to the men. If they have a radical prostatectomy, they can't have a penile implant if they need it. I don't know why the men have been left in the dust, but I think it's time, and they're realizing it is time."Ten years ago the Federal Breast Reconstruction Law went into effect requiring all health insurance companies to cover breast reconstruction after a woman has a mastectomy. The Birds think a similar law should be applied to men.A bill before Congress right now could be the answer. H.R. 1903 would require health plans to cover reconstructive prosthetic urology surgery if they provide coverage for prostate cancer treatment. The Birds, the couple we just introduced you to, members of the medical community, and others have gone to Washington to lobby Congress to pass the bill.Urologist Dr. Bryan Kansas says, "Penis and erections seem to define men. If you talk to any man who has had erections and then lost them and then been able to regain them by any means, they say it absolutely changes their lives."When Congress passed the "Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998, supporters say it recognized that breast reconstruction surgery is an important part of a woman's treatment and recovery.Supporters of H.R. 1903 say prosthetic procedures are just as critical to the health and well being of men who are prostate cancer survivors.On Tuesday, June 3, Dr. Bryan Kansas will be holding a free seminar on EDand Incontinence at Riverbend Church Fellowship Hall at 4214 N. Capital of Texas Highway. Galen and Linda Bird will be featured speakers. Space is limited. Call 1-877-4ED-CURE (433-2873) to register.

PVC Tubing Figuring out how to feed crews on long space missions is one of the more practical considerations of space travel.But will they like pesto?Students at the Atlantic County Institute of Technology are growing basil as part of a NASA Seeds from Space program to study how food might be grown on a space colony. Using cinnamon basil seeds that traveled to the International Space Station, science teacher Melissa Hannan and her students combined aquaculture and hydroponics to create a system that provides both fish and herbs.The project gives students hands-on lessons that could be applied to several programs offered at the school. Informational technology students in Mark Gresham's physics class used 3-D computer modeling to design the system. Fred Cramer's carpentry class built the tanks. Les Keeper's chemistry class coordinates chemical testing. Hannan's environmental science class monitors the daily progress of the plants.The process involved some trial and error. Students designed a clever system to grow plants in PVC tubing elevated on plastic arches in fish tanks. "But the first (arches) fell over," said junior William Tustin, of Mays Landing. "They were too flimsy, and they collapsed under the weight."They were reinforced and are doing well. James Adams, of Egg Harbor Township, said they also simplified the design over time to take into consideration transportation and potential repairs in space."We wanted to keep it light and simple so if it breaks, it would be easy to fix," he said.Junior Mark Basile, of Egg Harbor Township, got the idea for the PVC tubing from his uncle, who also used it to grow seedlings. The basil seedlings are just starting to peek through their pods, and the students included some more established plants to see how they adapt.Chase Pippin, of Egg Harbor Township, a student in the culinary program, noted that the color of the established basil has changed in the hydroponic setting."We're going to make some food with the results and see how they taste," he said.Students are also monitoring a "control tank" that includes a similar setup, but no fish, and seeds that came not from space, but from Burt's Bees, which provided them as part of a program to grow flowers that attract bees."We're going to plant them outside later," Elisha Muniz, of East Vineland said. "We're doing more than just one project."The space tank also includes some blue gills, whose waste serves as fertilizer for the plants. Tustin said they ran a math simulation that indicated they could vacuum compress a year's supply of fish food to about the size of a pack of gum so it would take up little space in the shuttle.Douglas Williams, of Egg Harbor Township, is part of a team that tests for nitrates and phosphates in both tanks every two days.Hannan said the idea of growing space food really captured the students' interest - even students not in her class show up during their free periods to help out. The process also involves daily record-keeping, and Hannan will have to submit a final report on their results to NASA."It's really a lot of work, almost like a thesis," she said. "We've got 60 pages of data so far."The students are already working on phase two - a project to pressurize the tank to see how the plants grow in a pressurized system.

Pu. Shoes Dress shoe companies in mainland China and Hong Kong are releasing pumps and sandals in a variety of patterns, uppers and heels.In line with footwear trends, suppliers are dyeing or silk-screening fabric and leather uppers with cheetah, leopard, zebra and other animal-skin patterns. Some makers are using checkered, floral and geometric prints as well.Designs that have fabric uppers adopt color-blocked or printed satin, or canvas with houndstooth and other checkered motifs. These two types of fabric may be combined or trimmed with genuine or synthetic leather piping.PU, PVC and split leather, and top-grain oxhide, calfskin, goatskin and pigskin uppers are treated with patent or metallic finishes. While some come in plain solid hues, the majority have color blocking or prints.Regardless of material, patterns are often shown on the entire upper. Some designs, however, feature motifs on just the toe box or counter, while others have prints extending to the lining and even the heel.In terms of style, court pumps are giving way to peep-toes and d'Orsays. Some pointed-toe models are still available, but most now have rounded or square-shaped boxes.Dressy sandals with slingbacks or ankle straps are produced in large volumes as well.For enhanced comfort, many designs are fitted with kitten heels that are no more than 1.5 inches tall. On the extreme end, however, are stacked, Spanish, Continental or sexy stiletto heels with heights that can reach 4 inches.Among the mainland suppliers in this report, Huizhou Yuteng Shoes Co. Ltd adopts metallic and patent PU leather, satin and small-grain canvas in its range of women's dress shoes. D'orsays and peep-toe slingbacks feature zebra-skin or floral prints.The company's five designers and 20 sample makers finish countersamples in three to five days. In most cases, buyers approve the samples for production on the first try. Between 30 and 50 prototypes can be made monthly.Shenzhen Dongyu Shoes Co. Ltd uses waxed calfskin and two-tone patent leather as uppers for its court and peep-toe pumps. Mary Janes are available as well. Most models have leopard- or cheetah-skin prints.The eight designers, 30 sample makers and 12 technical specialists in the R&D team complete prototypes in three days. About 2,000 samples can be finished in one month.PU leather, horsehair and canvas are the main upper materials adopted at Golden Lily Co. Ltd. The court, slingback and peep-toe pumps feature various types of animal-skin patterns.Rising Sun International Co. Ltd employs zebra-, leopard- and floral-print PU leather and microfiber on its sandals and peep-toe pumps.The 18-member R&D team, which includes six designers, finishes countersamples in seven to 10 days and releases 200 to 300 prototypes monthly.In Hong Kong, Circe International Ltd offers Mary Janes, court pumps and peep-toe d'Orsays with 3 or 4-inch stiletto heels. Some d'Orsays feature platform soles as well. Designs have animal-skin, floral, checkered or geometric patterns on PU leather, fabric or pony leather.The R&D team has one laser printing, one computerized embroidery and two laser cutting machines at its workshop. Such equipment allows the group to boost product development and sampling efficiency.At Nisun International (Group) Co. Ltd, the best-sellers are court and peep-toe pumps with 2 or 3-inch Cuban or setback heels. Most shoes have PU leather or fabric uppers with houndstooth, geometric or floral patterns.

Accessories Shoes With the grand opening of H&M's flagship store downtown Thursday, Vancouverites will see more than just fashion bargains. As the hordes of shoppers now traipsing out to the suburbs to buy from the affordable, fashion-forward store stay in town, we'll see reductions in smog and greenhouse gas emissions, too.Ever since H&M opened at Coquitlam a year ago, the young and trendy have been driving there from all over the Lower Mainland to find designer clothes at prices they can afford. Everyday shopping at the store has been like the frenzy of the Army and Navy shoe sale.H&M spokeswoman Laura Shankland said the store was overwhelmed by the consumer interest. On opening day, 600 people lined up before it unlocked the doors. In April, they opened their second store at Lougheed Mall.Now, she says, the Swedish clothing giant is delighted to launch its biggest Canadian store in the space formerly occupied by Holt Renfrew in Pacific Centre. Shankland hopes the response will be similarly huge.The first 250 people in line will receive a randomly selected H&M gift card preloaded with a value between $10 and $200."We are very excited," she says. "It's an amazing location and it's been such a long time coming."Acknowledging that crowds in Coquitlam made it tough to get a fitting room, Shankland recommends customers take advantage of the store's 30-day return policy and try clothes on at home.At 28,660 square feet, the Pacific Centre location is big. Really big. Big enough to house a wide selection of clothes for kids, teens and adults of both genders.And unlike the Coquitlam store, the downtown location will have H&M's highest-fashion collection featuring the latest in international trends for both men and women, promises Shankland.Shoes too. "We have a great selection of shoes, everything from your very basic flip-flops to dressy shoes and boots for fall."For men, the store will carry a Modern classic collection, tailored men's suits made of fabrics from Italy and cashmere sweaters.When the store opens, it will feature summer fashions highlighting ethnic prints, tropical colours, swimwear and accessories.H&M has collaborated in the past with international designers and celebrities, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Madonna and Roberto Cavalli. This fall, H&M introduces a line from Comme des Gar?ons' founder and head designer Rei Kawakubo. The collection will feature clothing for women and men, as well as some pieces for children, accessories and an exclusive unisex fragrance.H&M has 38 stores in Canada: 22 in Ontario, three in Alberta, 10 in Quebec and now three in British Columbia.

Three weeks before Jazzfest, Suzanne Pioth was in the market for the perfect hat.But no simple straw would do.Pioth is headed to the Kentucky Derby, the land of fast horses and bold hats. Always held the first Saturday in May, The Run for the Roses is to millinery what Carnival balls are to evening apparel, a chance to combine fancy with fantasy. A horse breeder who lives on a 15-acre farm in Folsom, Pioth's chestnut hair is often covered with a cowboy hat or buried under a pink and green John Deere ball cap."This will be a big jump," she said with a laugh Thursday as she touched the wide brim of a black picture hat trimmed in picot-edge ribbon, a cluster of faux cherries and wispy ostrich plumes as delicate as eyelashes.When Pioth moved her head, the feathers swayed."I love it," she said, as she glanced in the antique vanity mirror at Yvonne LaFleur boutique.LaFleur, who designs the hats at her eponymous dress shop in the Riverbend, will be well represented at the Derby this year. She has made at least 50 hats so far for clients headed to the famous race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and orders keep coming. Many are for out-of-state clients.Ranging from elegant to over-the-top, these hats put an exclamation point on a fashion statement. And they can come with equally emphatic price tags. Depending on trim, a Derby hat can range from $100 to $900. "I wanted the nicest hat you could ever have," Julie Panebiango said.Panebiango and her husband had talked about going to the race, but decided instead to host a Kentucky Derby party at their Marrero home on May 3. "So I needed something really, really fancy to wear."Her white, wide-brimmed straw hat is a frothy confection straight out of "My Fair Lady." Adorned with fuchsia flowers, sparkly sequins, jet beads and a trailing black and white boa, Panebiango plans to pair her bold accessory with a simple halter sundress.Jackie Chouest of Lockport opted for a more subdued style. To match the tailored navy dress she's bringing to Louisville, Chouest picked a white hat with navy ribbon and accent decorations."I don't want to look back at the pictures and go, 'What was I thinking?'¤" she said.For those headed to Kentucky, LaFleur offers to ship the purchases directly to their hotel rooms. But many clients think traveling with a hat box is part of the fun. It's so old-fashioned, conjuring images of a glamorous bygone era when airplane travel didn't require disrobing for a body search.In their heyday, hats were not just fashion accessories. They were proper etiquette.Half a century ago, a lady wouldn't be caught dead with a bare head while shopping or socializing.Hats also served a practical purpose. Women didn't shampoo every day. A pillbox or cloche would conceal a worn-out 'do that's a few days shy of a set at the salon."American women now are obsessed with clean hair," LaFleur said.Hats today are more commonly used to block the sun while gardening in the yard or grooving at a music fest."There used to be eight square blocks with stores selling millinery supplies in New York," LaFleur said. "Today, there's only one block."New Orleans, though, still has a compact yet vibrant millinery community.Several local hat makers do a brisk business making more casual styles, and the Fleur de Paris boutique in the French Quarter also has an in-house milliner who creates formal hats for clients across the country.Anita Powell has been teaching a hat-making class at Delgado Community College since 2000, showing students how to block straw and fur felt."We don't buy hats and trim them," said Powell, who had eight students in her spring class. "We make them from scratch."Powell stays connected with milliners around the country through blogs and postings on hat fancier Web sites. One woman traveled from Hawaii to spend a week here learning from Powell."In Europe, there are still lots of places that teach millinery, but classes are harder to find in the United States," she said. Before the storm, Powell sold her creations in boutiques around town. Since Katrina, she prefers to work one on one with clients. She sells about 100 hats a year."I can tell who is a hat person just based on the reaction they have when I tell them I'm a hat designer," she said. "They light up."When she first started making hats 18 years ago, Powell flew to New York to buy trim. She now advises her students to go a less expensive route."I tell them to go to the thrift stores and find an old sequined dress and take off the appliques," she said. "It's a good way to start."LaFleur learned the millinery art in childhood from her aunt. "She taught me how to curl ostrich plumes with a pair of sharp scissors working over a steam kettle," she said.A venerable fixture of the New Orleans retail scene, LaFleur has been topping the heads of Carnival maids, homecoming courts and brides for nearly four decades. Satins, silks and lace spill from antique armoires in her store, and a soft floral fragrance fills the air.Opening cases, she shows off a museum-worthy collection of vintage flowers, ribbons and feathery hat trims from France.LaFleur sells about 2,000 hats a year. Most are to clients, but in the past she's also provided millinery for films.Her daughters, Stella and Mary Jane Walsh, now are learning the craft and were busy last week helping fill the Derby orders.In for a fitting on Thursday, Natasha Lamarque sat at an antique vanity, while LaFleur tucked and tilted the hat on her head.Lamarque and her husband, Ronnie, will bring their horse, Recapture the Glory, to the Derby. Needless to say, she needed a special hat.She ordered two. The first is an Italian black straw beauty adorned with vintage horse-hair (appropriately enough) braid over silk taffeta ribbon from Paris. The rose trim accented the pink diamonds around her neck.The other is a black "Breakfast at Tiffany's" hat adorned with a white silk sash. One she'll wear to the Derby, the other to the Preakness Stakes on May 17 in Baltimore.The Derby, Lamarque joked, does share some comparison to a certain local event happening the same weekend, also at a race track."It's just like Jazzfest," she said, "just in heels and big hats."

Sports Gloves TennisReview urges look into fixingAn independent review of possible match fixing in professional tennis recommended that 45 matches played in the last five years be investigated because betting patterns gave a strong indication that gamblers were profiting from inside information. While finding that professional tennis is neither "systematically nor institutionally corrupt," the report cautioned that the scale of the suspicious matches left no room for "complacency."Jeff Rees and Ben Gunn, former London police officers who have worked on anti-corruption programs in other sports, were commissioned to assess the sport's integrity by the International Tennis Federation, the ATP, the WTA Tour and the four Grand Slam tournaments. Each of those governing bodies embraced all 15 recommendations in the report -- including the creation of a global tennis integrity unit -- and said the recommendations would be implemented as soon as possible.Rees and Gunn highlighted five potential threats to the sport: corrupt practices by players and others in respect to gambling; breaches of the rules in relation to not giving best efforts in matches; violation of credentials; misuse of inside information; and illegal or abusive behavior toward players.BasketballAkron player facing feloniesAKRON, Ohio -- Akron police say they found guns, masks and gloves in the van of a University of Akron basketball player accused of firing shots at officers during a traffic stop.Rydell Brooks, 20, a sophomore, and Edward Davis Jr., 20, also an Akron student, are each charged with attempted murder, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon.Akron Municipal Judge Eve Belfance set bond for the two at $1 million. They remain in the Summit County Jail.Brooks is also charged in another case with driving with a suspended license and having an SUV with excessively tinted windows.A 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard, Brooks led Buchtel High School to three consecutive City Series championships and was the City Series Player of the Year in his junior and senior years. As a freshman, he helped Niagara qualify for the NCAA Tournament and win its conference tournament.Bucks hire embattled SampsonST. FRANCIS, Wis. -- Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles said he didn't hesitate to pursue Kelvin Sampson as an assistant coach, despite the former Indiana University coach's ongoing troubles with the NCAA.Sampson was formally introduced as a member of the Bucks' staff Monday at the team's Cousins Center training facility, and he said he could not comment on the NCAA's charges that he violated sanctions against him regarding recruiting phone calls.Sampson will have a hearing in front of the NCAA's infractions committee in mid-June. He is scheduled to appear at the hearing with Indiana officials and two of his former assistants, Rob Senderoff and Jeff Meyer.Sampson resigned his position at Indiana during the past college season, accepting a $750,000 buyout in February amid charges of five potential major NCAA violations in the Hoosiers' program.GolfWoods plans ballpark clinicDETROIT -- Tiger Woods will put on a clinic at Comerica Park next month during his visit for the Buick Open, tournament officials said Monday.The June 24 clinic -- Woods' first ever in a baseball stadium -- virtually ensures his appearance at the Buick, which he missed last year after the birth of his daughter. Woods is recovering from knee surgery but plans to return for next week's Memorial tournament and has said previously that he intends to play the Buick.Larry Peck, Buick's golf marketing manager, said the clinic is part of an effort to attract more fans from metro Detroit to the Buick Open, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary June 26-29 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc."He'll put on a show for the fans," Peck said. "He'll do some trick shots. He'll talk about his routine. He'll take Q&A from the audience."Peck said about 8,000 tickets will be sold for the hour-long clinic.

Man's Underwear Cynthia Tebbetts's fingers fidgeted on the steering wheel during the four-hour drive from New Hampshire to Montreal.As his blue Chevy wound its way through New England's mountainous north last January, all he could think about was his imminent surgery in an unfamiliar, French-speaking province.He couldn't get there soon enough.Tebbetts sensed the trip home to Goffstown, N.H., would be wonderfully different, because after a four-decade wait, he would no longer be a man.The 43-year-old, diagnosed with gender identity disorder, is one of thousands who have travelled to a small private hospital in Montreal's north end for gender reassignment surgery.Doctors at the Centre Metropolitain de Chirurgie Plastique say it is the only facility in Canada equipped to handle complicated sex-change surgeries and provide valuable convalescence accommodations.Tebbetts, who went by the name of John Jay until changing it to Cynthia a few years ago, considered hospitals in Colorado, Florida and even Thailand. But the Montreal institution's reputation, and the resume of surgeon Pierre Brassard, lured her to Quebec for the $17,000 operation."When you go for a surgery like this you don't look for the person that has the brightest, four-colour ad in the yellow pages," Tebbetts said in an interview with The Canadian Press outside the hospital's red-bricked convalescence home."This is a surgery that can only be done once. You want it done right."The hospital serves patients from across North America, but Brassard says a growing number have come from the far reaches of the globe.He says the facility is unique because most others operate on an outpatient basis only."That means they (patients) are put on the sidewalk two hours after,"' said Brassard, who has/ performed some 1,500 sex-change operations in his 13 years at the clinic. "Here, they can stay."As a result, the number of operations at the 35-year-old hospital, the brainchild of Brassard's partner, Yvon Menard, has doubled over the last five years.Because gender identity disorders - or gender dysphoria - are quite rare, the surgeons in his trade make up an exclusive group, Brassard said.About one in 40,000 to 50,000 people have a gender identity disorder, he added.Brassard said it is rewarding to help people overcome the pain and confusion caused by gender dysphoria."They have to go through the ordeal, the psychotherapy, (telling) their family and friends, and then they come for surgery," he said of his patients. "They live in peace after that - the great, great majority."For some, it's a life-saving procedure, and they tell me that, often."Tebbetts says she wouldn't have lasted much longer in a man's body."If I had to go back to being John, I can guarantee you I'd be dead in 30 days," said Tebbetts, who has battled depression and alcoholism for much of her life."I'm now able to move forward as Cynthia, as how I should have been 43 years ago. My mind is now in touch with my body."I'm good to go and ready to take on the world."It took John Jay Tebbetts decades to come to terms with a feminine side that bubbled deep within.She says the battle with these powerful feelings started in Grade 2."I found myself very jealous of the girls and the bodies that they had," Tebbetts said.The sensations intensified.In high school, she gave in to the daily urge to wear women's underwear.Tebbetts tried to snuff out the desires by picking up a few masculine hobbies."I worked very hard at protecting my male macho-ness," she said.Tebbetts developed a passion for modified cars, a penchant for punk rock, and proudly earned the occasional penalty for bashing an opponent on the hockey rink.She eventually landed a job with a professional open-wheel race car team, and worked there for 27 years.But Tebbetts never shook the feelings. She could not open up to her therapist. Her life spiralled out of control."I was getting very depressed and very suicidal," she said."If I wasn't at work I was usually intoxicated."Then one day in 2003, as she broke down in the parking lot of a New Hampshire rehab centre, Tebbetts decided to confront everything she had been running from.She went back to her therapist and two doctors diagnosed her with gender identity disorder. She was prescribed testosterone blockers and estrogen.Slowly, Tebbetts's breasts grew and her skin softened over the next couple of years. Her life had never been better. She was beginning to feel like herself."What my body needed was that estrogen," she said."Estrogen totally kicked the tail out of anything that the anti-depressants were doing."She looked into male-to-female gender reassignment surgery and found the Clinique Metropolitain, a three-storey hospital near the shores of Riviere-des-Prairies.Inside, Brassard and Menard have been refining techniques for male-to-female and the more complex - and uncommon - female-to-male operations."He got attention," Brassard said of Menard after he first opened the hospital in 1973."Our exposure is much greater now, we've seen so many (people)."Many patients come from Alberta and British Columbia, where the provincial governments pay for the procedure at the Montreal clinic, he said.Less than 10 per cent of the hospital's clients live in Quebec, where the procedure is not covered under medicare."I think it's a question of time that it will (be covered)," Brassard said.It's been more than three months since Tebbetts's operation. She is still sore, but says it gets easier every day."What was essentially an 'outie' is now an 'innie,"' she said before wincing as she stood up from the wooden patio chair.But the diehard Beatles fan, who renamed herself after John Lennon's first wife, wouldn't have it any other way."I've now put a closure on a bad chapter of my life and am ready to move on," said Tebbetts, who kept an online journal of her operation and recovery.She also fields questions from people around the world."Now, I'm finding myself reaching out to people and doing whatever I can to help people in this situation," she said."I'm using my pain as an example to help other people, so they don't have to go through what I went through."

Oxford Clothing Police have charged teenagers with the murder of schoolboy Jimmy Mizen and the Oxford Street slaying of Steven Bigby.The two high profile cases have shocked Londoners this week as police swoop across the city in an attempt to tackle the growing knife menace.Jake FahiThe 19-year-old accused of the bakery killing of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen is Turkish man Jake Fahri.The victim, who had celebrated his birthday just the day before, had his throat slashed by broken glass last Saturday in Lees.Police suspected Fahri's involvement early on in the investigation. A Scotland Yard spokesman said:"From early on, police had a pretty clear idea of their chief suspect, they have spent a few days getting to this stage."Known to the familyJake Fahri, who is known to the Mizen family, lives half-a-mile from the area where the incident took place in south-east London.The suspect, the son of a plumber and lives with his parents of Milborough Crescent, Lee, will appear at Sutton Magistrates' Court on Thursday.Oxford Street murderAn 18-year-old man has also been charged with the fatal stabbing of Steven Bigby in Oxford Street.Mr Bigby died from a single stab wound to the heart after two groups of people clashed in a "spontaneous incident".Others soughtAnthony Costa from Walthamstow is one of four suspects police are chasing in connection to the broad daylight killing. An 19 -year-old man also held in connection has been bailed pending further enquiries.The four men were described as black in their 20s, one wearing a white t-shirt, another a white t-shirt, the third in a vest and muscular, lastly the fourth wore dark clothing.Man was on gang rape chargeSteven Bigby was about to face a rape trial - he and nine other men were charged with carrying out a sex attack on a 16-year-old girl. Bigby had been tagged and bailed only last week to appear before Wood Green Crown Court next month. It was alleged that acid was poured on the girl to destroy evidence.In a separate case he was also about to go on trial for wounding with intent and violent disorder.