plus 3, The accidental model: Naples resident one of four ... - Naples Daily News

The accidental model: Naples resident one of four ... - Naples Daily News
Huntington Bank Continues Its Investment in Michigan by ... - MSN Money
Editorial: Officer makes sad sacrifice for us all - MLive.com
With Cleveland Browns set to interview Jake Delhomme ... - Cleveland Plain Dealer

The accidental model: Naples resident one of four ... - Naples Daily News

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 03:21 AM PST

To register a vote in the e.l.f. 2010 "Face of e.l.f." talent search, go online to exploremodeling.com.

Some girls have their heart set on a modeling career from the first time they try on mommy's lipstick.

Not Susan Watts. Although the 43-year-old London native has been told all her life that she should model, she took her parents' advice, to "use your brain." Over 20 years, Watts built a career in the high-flying world of foreign exchange trading, working for a succession of top firms including Chase Manhattan and Japan's Tokai Bank. She moved to Naples in 2001 and opened her own investment consulting company, SJ Consulting, LLC.

Then she got an e-mail.

"My friend's mum sent me a link to enter this contest," said Watts in her cultured English accent. "She said, 'You could win this.'" New York-based cosmetics manufacturer Eyes Lips Face, or e.l.f., was sponsoring a talent search to choose the "face of the brand" for 2010.

Busy with her financial services firm, Watts almost didn't send in the three photos of herself required to enter. At the last minute, she sent in the entry before heading off on holiday, and thought nothing further of it until e.l.f. requested 10 additional shots.

"Next thing I knew, they called to ask if I could come to New York," she said. On an all-expenses paid trip, Watts was immersed in the world of modeling.

Out of more than 11,000 entries received, she had been selected as the one finalist in the 40 and older category. Three additional finalists represent teens, 20-year-olds, and 30-somethings.

"The theme is 'Beauty for All Ages,' and I'm representing the old girls," laughed Watts.

Whoever of the four is chosen to be e.l.f.'s "Face of 2010" will have her image plastered on magazines, billboards, and product packaging all over the world.

"It's huge — Cosmopolitan in Tokyo, Paris, everywhere," said Watts. "The worldwide exposure is priceless. This could open the door to an entirely new world, one I never dreamed I could enter."

The winner will be determined by online voting, and the cutoff is midnight on Friday. In addition to competing against models literally decades younger than herself, Watts is up against geography. The other three finalists are from Washington, D.C., Albany, N.Y., and New York, N.Y., all larger cities and larger media markets.

"I would love the support of the local community. Being given this unexpected and very exciting opportunity, I have to see if this can work out for me," said Watts.

Readers who want to view Susan Watts' portfolio, along with profiles, promotional videos and shots of all four finalists, can go to e.l.f.'s Explore Modeling Web site. To make it easier, advised Watts, register as a fan, not a member.

Explore Modeling, an industry site for models and those looking at modeling as a career, is conducting the contest. There you can learn that Watts stands 5 foot 6 inches, wears a size 9 shoe, and has measurements of 34-25-35.

"Sue did a great job at the shoot, and is extremely well-spoken," said Cristina DeHart, Explore Modeling's founder. But as of Wednesday, Watts trailed in third place, with 2,560 votes recorded, while 28-year-old Meagan Rollins led the field with 5,392 votes. Each computer user can cast one vote per day, so Watts' fans can literally "vote early and often" before the midnight deadline Friday.

Watts lives in the Moorings, with her partner Mark, a corporate pilot, and Spuddie and Arnie, a Yorkshire terrier and cocker spaniel, respectively. She takes staying in shape seriously, and works out around four days a week at a downtown Naples gym.

"I love to run. I'm a veteran of the Naples Daily News half-marathon," she said.

Asked about her eating habits, Watts named "chocolate, cakes, muffins, and banana walnut bread" as favorites, although she can't eat them all the time, she confessed. "I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I eat five small meals a day — I won't even get in the shower without breakfast."

Being her own boss has helped in allowing her to take advantage of modeling jobs offered through her Naples and Miami agents. "I've been getting a lot of nice work," she said. "I've done a catalog shoot for Jami's, a show for Nordstrom's, and been offered work for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines."

"Having worked incredibly hard for the first half of my life, now is a time to do something I love," said Watts. "I've always had a passion for fashion."

"This has just been so unexpected," said Susan Watts. "If Naples would support me by voting, then that would be just wonderful."

- - -

E-mail Lance Shearer at lances22@gmail.com

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Huntington Bank Continues Its Investment in Michigan by ... - MSN Money

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 02:52 AM PST

HOLLAND, Mich., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Huntington Bank is adding 60 new jobs to its call center in Holland, bringing the total number of employees there to 210. It is the fifth major investment Huntington has announced in Michigan in as many months.

"Huntington is deeply committed to Michigan and to helping the state to generate jobs," said Jim Dunlap, Huntington's president across Michigan and senior executive vice president for commercial banking. "We are very excited about expanding in Holland, where we continue to find talented and customer-oriented recruits, which is critical to our high standards for excellent customer service."

Currently Huntington has more than 1,500 employees in Michigan, 115 branches and 235 ATMs. It is also the #1 SBA lender in the state.

In the past five months, Huntington has invested in Michigan with:

A commitment to increase small business lending to $4 billion over the next three years. This would mean more than $720 million in loans to more than 5,000 small businesses in Michigan.

The hiring of more than a dozen additional bankers in Michigan who have expertise in working with small businesses.

A doubling of the number of commercial bankers in Eastern Michigan.

Adding four additional banking offices in Macomb County as the result of working with two banks that had been taken over by the FDIC.

Huntington is seeking recruits for the Holland call center with experience in sales and service. Anyone interested can apply online at www.huntington.com/careers.

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated HBAN is a $52 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Through its affiliated companies, Huntington has been providing a full range of financial services including checking, loans, savings, insurance and investment services to customers for 144 years. Huntington has more than 600 banking offices and offers retail and commercial financial services through its 600 banking offices; online at huntington.com; through its telephone bank; and through its network of over 1,300 ATMs.

SOURCE Huntington Bancshares Incorporated

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Editorial: Officer makes sad sacrifice for us all - MLive.com

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 03:00 AM PST

By Jackson Citizen Patriot staff

March 11, 2010, 6:00AM

Issue

Jackson police Officer James Bonneau is killed in the line of duty early Tuesday morning.

Our say

A sad reminder of the risks that all police officers take every time they put on their uniforms.

We join the entire community in extending our sympathies to the family of James Bonneau.

BonneauBonneau, 26, had served the public for two years as a Jackson police officer when he was fatally shot early Tuesday morning. A Blackman Township public safety officer, Darrin McIntosh, also was shot by Elvin Potts.

Bonneau is the first Jackson-area officer to die in the line of duty in 16 years, but it does not take much to appreciate what he and other officers face every day. His death provides a heartbreaking example of the risks that every woman and man in uniform accepts.

Over the weekend, for example, a Michigan state police trooper had to wrestle a loaded gun that was pointed at his chest. This came after a traffic stop in Hillsdale County.

Just five days ago, a police corporal in Louisiana was shot and killed while responding to an assault call. On March 1, a police officer in California was killed while helping to serve a warrant.

This information comes from The Officer Down Memorial Page (www.odmp.org), which lists 38 on-duty deaths for law enforcement officers nationally this year. The fact that such an organization exists speaks volumes about the perils that police officers face.

All officers must accept risk at some point when they train for this career. They are adults, and they go into the line of work with eyes open.

Sadly, it takes a horrifying incident like the one this week to remind us all not to take our law enforcement officers for granted. They work to keep order, to save lives, to preserve society's very framework that we accept so casually.

It is a dangerous job. It always will be as long as there are people who are willing to take others' lives. And as we saw with Officer Bonneau, it will be filled with dedicated people who are willing to stand up every day to make their communities safe.

There is little consolation to take away from such sorrow, but we hope this officer's family, friends and colleagues across Jackson County can see today that the community values his sacrifice.

Some are lowering their flags to half-staff. Or they are talking about what happened. Or they are writing comments on this newspaper's Web site like the following:

"Thank you for your service and commitment to our community Officer Bonneau; you are a hero."

Or this:

"To the Bonneau family, your son is a valiant hero to our community who has paid the ultimate sacrifice. His passing will never be in vain and you can be proud of the man he became in such a short time. You are in our prayers."

These are reactions from people who have never met Officer Bonneau but are touched by his death. We are, too.

There is not much we can do today except grieve, remember this young man in our hearts and pray that this never happens again.

— Jackson Citizen Patriot

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With Cleveland Browns set to interview Jake Delhomme ... - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 02:24 AM PST

By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer

March 10, 2010, 7:34PM

UPDATED: 10:05 p.m.

Bill Kostroun / Associated PressWith the arrival of former Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme for an interview with the Browns on Thursday, the ever-shifting drama surrounding the quarterback position could leave Brady Quinn without a team. But a league source told The Plain Dealer that the Browns have not entered trade talks concerning Quinn.
• Cleveland Browns QB Seneca Wallace passes physical; he expects another QB to join Browns
• Derek Anderson throws one last interception as he leaves the Browns - Terry PlutoCLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Panthers Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme is in town and Brady Quinn could be on his way out.

Delhomme, 35, who was cut by the Panthers last week, will visit the Browns Thursday in hopes of signing a contract, a league source told The Plain Dealer. Quinn, who's rumored to be on the trading block, would welcome a trade if the team isn't committed to him as their starter.

It sure seems right now like the Browns aren't sold on Quinn, who's gone 3-9 in his 12 starts thanks in no small part to all the upheaval here during his career.

The Browns have offered Quinn to other teams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but a league source told The Plain Dealer that the Browns have not actively tried to trade anyone, including Quinn. If they sign Delhomme, who took the Panthers to two NFC championship games and one Super Bowl in his seven seasons there, perhaps that could change.

Quinn's first choice would be to start for the Browns and hope that the team and new president Mike Holmgren throw all of their support behind him, a source said. But with Holmgren admitting he's actively looking for quarterbacks and bringing in an experienced veteran like Delhomme, Quinn could become expendable.

The Browns also have former Seattle backup quarterback Seneca Wallace in the fold. A source said the Browns surrendered a conditional seventh-round pick, one that can improve to a sixth-rounder depending on Wallace's playing time.

Delhomme's former team, the Panthers, are not expected to be interested in either Quinn or Derek Anderson, who was released by the Browns on Tuesday. The Broncos were rumored to be interested in Quinn last off-season, but it's not yet known if they'll bite this time around.

If the Browns do sign Delhomme, they'll have to try to pull him out of the tailspin he's been in since the 2008 playoffs.

Jeff Siner / The Charlotte Observer via APCarolina head coach John Fox couldn't hide his tears when the Panthers announced the release of Jake Delhome on March 5. "I'm not sure I've had any more respect for an NFL football player than Jake Delhomme," Fox said.Boasting a 58-40 mark with the Panthers including playoffs, Delhomme threw five interceptions and lost one fumble in the 2008 divisional round against Arizona. He hasn't been the same since. After signing a five-year, $42.5 million extension last off-season -- of which he is still owed $12.6 million -- Delhomme hasn't been able to return to his Pro Bowl form.

In the 2009 opener against Philadelphia, he threw four picks and lost a fumble, totaling nine interceptions and two fumbles in back-to-back games. The next two weeks he lost on game-ending picks. But the Panthers stuck with him until he suffered a broken middle finger in week 11.

All told, he went 4-7 with only eight touchdowns and a career-high 18 interceptions. To make matters worse, his replacement, Matt Moore, went 4-1 and earned the starting job.

But Delhomme was so loved by the team and community that Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney and coach John Fox got emotional in the press conference announcing his release.

"He's done some great things for this team," said Fox. "Two [NFC] championship games, a Super Bowl, all those comeback victories. I'm not sure I've had any more respect for an NFL football player than Jake Delhomme."

Delhomme, an undrafted rookie signed by the Saints in 1997 out of Louisiana-Lafayette, joined the Panthers as a free agent in 2003 and led them to the Super Bowl against New England that season. Delhomme threw for 323 yards and three TDs -- including a Super Bowl record 85-yard touchdown pass -- to earn a 113.6 rating. But the Panthers lost, 32-29, on a last second field to Adam Vinatieri.

Delhomme made the Pro Bowl after the 2005 season, a year in which he lost to Holmgren's Seahawks, 34-14, in the NFC Championship Game. Three game into the 2007 season, he suffered an elbow injury that required season-ending Tommy John surgery. But he came back strong in 2008, winning the opener on a last-second touchdown and finishing the season 12-4.

Then came the meltdown against Arizona in the divisional playoffs, a debacle from which he's seemingly never recovered. But with Holmgren the quarterback guru on board, if there's anyone that can rehabilitate Delhomme, it's him.