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Remember the storefront mall displays for Frederick's of Hollywood -- not exactly granny's lingerie? I do, so the "No Kidding" sidebar on the front page of Monday's Press that said engineers from the Army Corps once designed "apparel" for Frederick's was bound to catch my attention. I had to look it up. What connection could the military have with a teddy, and I don't mean bear? I didn't find a full explanation, but what surfaced from a little research is that the founder of Frederick's was himself a former soldier. Frederick Mellinger, son of a Hungarian immigrant tailor, once suggested...

On the eve of what would have been his third trial date in Bucks County court, Douglas Aster pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually assaulting a woman during "thong night" at a Bensalem tavern. As part of a plea bargain, prosecutors did not drop any of the charges against Aster, 32, but agreed to seek a sentence of 111/2 to 23 months, with possible work release privileges. Aster had been facing at least three years behind bars. Assistant District Attorney Anastasia Filopoulos said the deal was offered, in part, to spare the victim the trauma of taking the stand again. During...

WEST PALM BEACH -- Palm Beach County soon could bid adieu to some of the finer indulgences of South Florida lifestyle: walking the dog on the beach, tossing back a brew at 4 a.m. and letting it all hang out. All in the same half-hour, county commissioners suddenly went on the offensive against dogs on the beach, late-night bar hoppers and people who seem to want to show off their underwear. There oughta be a law, they said. And they ordered staff to study how that could best be done. It was a day for pet peeves, and the commissioners...

Nursing leaders today distanced themselves from saucy pictures of a scantily-clad "nurse" advertising lingerie. Model Luci Victoria, the new face of Ann Summers, was pictured wearing a white nurse uniform, with bright red underwear peaking out. Look here too! • Shop for lingerie here! Ann Summers is offering nurses a 25% discount on all its products tomorrow to mark International Nursing Day. But the Royal College of Nursing was not impressed with the pictures, likening them to the stereotyped image of nurses in the Carry On films. A spokeswoman said: "This Carry On image is out of touch with the...

Entrepreneurs find their inspiration in the strangest places. My lightening bolt came from rampant visible panty lines and uncomfortable thongs. One night I wanted to wear my cream pants with open-toed shoes, but I couldn't find the right undergarment. Everything I tried gave me panty lines and additional lumps and bumps. Out of frustration, I cut the feet out of my control top pantyhose. It was the perfect solution, except that the hose rolled up my legs all night. I searched for footless pantyhose in stores, but everyone had the same response, "No, we don't have anything like that, but...

Malena Schroeder is fed up. She's fed up with high school students wearing visible thong underwear, blue jeans that droop low on the hips or skimpy blouses that show - in her opinion - too much skin. A Mundelein High School District 120 board member who also regularly volunteers at the school, Schroeder doesn't consider herself prudish. But she's tired of walking through the school hallways and seeing provocatively dressed kids who look like they popped out of a racy music video. "If I'm an adult and I'm distracted, I can only imagine what effect it might have on teenagers...

Barbara (L) and Jenna Bush, the daughters of U.S. President George W Bush, walk together from the Darnall Army Community Hospital in Fort Hood, Texas, April 11, 2004 after President Bush (news - web sites) and members of his family visited with soldiers wounded in Iraq (news - web sites). Bush awarded 10 purple hearts to troops recovering in the hospital, after attending an Easter Sunday Church service at a chapel within the army base in central Texas.