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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.

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.

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."

Jogging Sets PARIS - A euro was worth $1.25 when I moved to Paris in 2004. Now it's more like $1.60. So, am I happy I don't live here anymore? Not at all, but I'm much more careful with my money when I pass through.When I returned for a visit at the end of last year, I remembered 10 ways to stretch a euro in the City of Light.1. Consider a flat // For stays of a week or more, rent an apartment. Given the expensive hotel rates and lodging tax, an apartment rental can be cost effective. Lots of established agencies specialize in places suitable for vacationers, including rothray.com, rentalfrance.com and parisaddress.com.In an apartment, you'll usually get more space than in a hotel room, and you can avoid $20 breakfasts by having them at home - in bed, if you wish.2. A less-steep sleep // If you don't want an apartment, find a good, moderately priced hotel and book ahead. Here are a few: Hotel Langlois, 63 Rue St.-Lazare, 011-33-1-48-74-78-24, hotel-langlois.com, on the Right Bank near Gare St.-Lazare, with doubles from $210; Hotel les Degres de Notre Dame, 10 Rue des Grands Degres, 011-33-1-55-42-88-88, lesdegreshotel.com, in the Latin Quarter, doubles from $173 including breakfast; and Hotel du Dragon, 36 Rue du Dragon, 011-33-1-45-48-51-05, hoteldudragon.com, in St. Germain, doubles $173.3. From the airport // A cab from Charles de Gaulle Airport to central Paris can cost as much as $75. The RER B Line train goes from De Gaulle airport to six subway stations in Paris for about $12 one way. A new, automated, electric light-rail line that began operating last year means you don't have to take a shuttle bus. The free system operates 24/7 and links all three terminals, the RER and TGV train stations and long-term parking lots.I prefer the Roissybus, which leaves from Terminals 1, 2 and 3. It costs about $13 and drops you off at L'Opera Garnier, near the American Express office at 11 Rue Scribe. A cab from there to most places in the heart of the city shouldn't cost more than $10.Of course, getting to and from Orly Airport is easier and less expensive (about $30 to $40) because it's slightly closer to the city than De Gaulle. Orly handles mostly short-haul flights and is worth remembering if you plan to travel within the European Union.4. Pedal power // Everyone knows how efficient and cost-effective it is to use the Metro, but since last year, Paris has added a mass transit system that's also worth trying out: Velib', a bicycle rental program aimed chiefly at getting cars, congestion and pollution out of the city.Velib' enables people to pick up a bicycle at one location and return it to another. There are hundreds of Velib' stations (with more than 20,000 bikes), not to mention about 230 miles of bike lanes.Riders must buy a one-day access card (about $1.50) or a seven-day pass (about $7.50) from meters in the Velib' parking stations.The rental is free for the first half-hour; the second half-hour costs $3; every half-hour after that costs $6. Rates are tabulated by the meters when you return the bike. For more information (in French), go to velib.paris.fr.5. Seeing the sights // The concentration of museums in Paris is astonishing, and you could find yourself visiting at least one a day, which can run into serious money. The Musee du Quai Branly costs about $13 a person and Versailles about $20. But 60 museums, including Branly and Versailles, are open to people who buy the official Paris Museum Pass, sold at tourist information bureaus, museums, monuments and online at paris museumpass.com. The price for unlimited entry to participating sites is $45 for two days; $65 for four days; and $90 for six days .Entrance is free at a handful of museums, including the Musee Carnavalet in the Marais and the Musee des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris on Avenue Winston Churchill.6. A hot dinner ticket // Having lunch, not dinner, at high-priced restaurants such as Taillevent and L'Ambrosie is a well-known tactic for saving money. But you won't do better at midday at Le Comptoir, a tiny, intensely popular bistro on the Left Bank overseen by chef Yves Camdeborde. That's because on weeknights Camdeborde prepares a set five-course menu with no choices for $68, probably less than you would spend for lunch at the city's ritziest restaurants. Mind you, weeknights at Le Comptoir are a hot ticket, so you must book far in advance. Le Comptoir, 011-33-1-43-29-12-05, 9 Carrefour de l'Odeon in the Sixth arrondissement.7. Bloggers haven // If your hotel doesn't offer free Internet access, don't pay to hook up there. The rates are better at Milk, a chain of five Internet halls in prime tourist neighborhoods such as the Pantheon, St. Michel and Les Halles. Milk (milklub.com) is not a cafe; it's for serious Internet use, open 24/7. A five-hour ticket (usable on repeat visits) costs about $18; rates are lower at night.8. Bargain buys // There are some real deals to be bagged - especially at high-end department stores such as Le Bon Marche and Franck et Fils - during the annual sales. The government sets the dates, although the winter sale is usually in January and the summer edition in June or July. Even if you don't want anything, it's fun to window shop and watch Parisians in buying mode.At other times of the year, stick with Monoprix for groceries and sundries. You'll find a Monoprix superstore cleverly tucked into almost every quarter.For bargain apparel - gently used - try the Chercheminippes stores, chercheminippes.com, on Rue du Cherche Midi in the Sixth arrondissement; for cut-rate, brand-name clothing and accessories, there's Espace Alma, espacealma.fr, at 181 Rue de l'Universite in the Seventh arrondissement.9. Park it here // There's no better place to drink for free in the soul of the city than in its exquisite parks, decorated with sculpture and flowerbeds, surrounded by historic palaces and museums. They are beloved by Parisians and visitors alike. At the Tuileries and the Jardin du Luxembourg, you can claim a lawn chair by fountains where kids launch miniature boats and lovers kiss. There are cafes bowered by handsome old trees, jogging paths (the one around the Jardin du Luxembourg is especially popular with Paris jocks), pony rides for the kids and beautifully landscaped vistas. Mind you, though, keep off the grass.10. Armchair Paris // Although it might sound heretical, you could save a bundle by staying home and renting Ratatouille. Every major site in Paris - the sewer as well as the Eiffel Tower - turns up in the charming 2007 animated film about a French rat, Remy, who knows how to cook.