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A Mother's Desperate Search
By day, Pam Slaton is a wife and mother of two teenage boys. By night, she's a genealogist who specializes in locating missing family, friends and loved ones.
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The Other Mother
Out of the blue, her grown daugher announced that she'd tracked down her birth mother--and that she was coming to dinner soon.
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"Skeeve," "Mommadella" and Other Staten-Island-isms You've Probably Never Heard
Most people have probably heard the term "the five boroughs" when speaking about New York City. But what they might not know is the borough of Staten Island has a unique subculture and vernacular all its own. <br><br> Elura and Michele, best friends, business partners and Laverne-and-Shirley-esque stars of new OWN docu-series <i>Staten Island Law,</i> are corporate lawyers turned mobile mediators. (Basically, they drive around Staten Island and help resolve disputes of all sizes between residents, including their own friends and family!) To help give us a primer on how one might translate their inimitable terms and phrases, here are some fun facts about Staten Island itself, and a list of Staten Island-isms that natives Elura and Michele helped put together! <br><br> <b>Fun Facts:</b> <ul> <li>1. Staten Island's East Shore is home to the 2.5 mile F.D.R. Boardwalk, the fourth-longest boardwalk in the world <li>2. Staten Island is the only borough that is not connected to the other boroughs via the New York City subway system. <li>3. Famous folks: actor Paul Newman and wife Joanne Woodward lived on the island. Actress Alyssa Milano was raised on the island. Kiss bassist Gene Simmons went to college on Staten Island. Singer Christina Aguilera was born there. 5 of the 9 members of hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan are from Staten Island, and they are credited with giving Staten Island the nickname "Shaolin." </ul> <b>Staten Island-isms:</b> <ul> <li>1. <i>The island, the forgotten borough, or Shaolin:</i> This is how Staten Islanders refer to Staten Island. <li>2. <i>He's a little doozie pats</i> from the Italian <i>Tu sei pazzo:</i> Literally translated meaning you are crazy. On Staten Island, one who is "doozie pats" is crazy. <li>3. <i>Mint:</i> very desirable "that car is mint" "his car was minted out" <li>4. <i>She thinks who she is:</i> One who is a snob. <li>5. <i>Thank God:</i> an answer to a question about one's well being. "How are the kids? Thank God" <li>6. <i>The city:</i> a reference to Manhattan. "Where did you get that? The city" <li>7. <i>The boat</i> or sometimes more specifically, <i>the nine o'clock boat</i> or <i>the four-thirty boat:</i>The Staten Island Ferry. Using "the boat" as opposed to "the ferry" implies that the speaker is riding the ferry to commute. When one rides the Staten Island ferry less frequently, or for a more pleasurable purpose, it's referred to as "the ferry." <li>8. <i>The beach:</i> refers to the Jersey shore, despite Staten Island being an actual island with beaches along its perimeter. Any time one is referring to Staten Island's beaches, more qualification is necessary, such as "Midland Beach" or "Great Kills Beach." <li>9. <i>Mommadella:</i> - an old Italian lady. "I'm cookin' sauce like a Mommadella" <li>10. <i>Mommie:</i> a term of endearment. For example: Mother to child: "Come here Mommie, tell Mommy what happened" <li>11. <i>But</i> at the end of a sentence: used thusly "I love that new haircut you got but." Usually said with no hesitation prior to the but. In this context, "but" adds emphasis, instead of its usual function, which is to indicate some sort of exception. The statement, "I love that new haircut you got but" does not indicate that something is wrong with the haircut, but rather, that the speaker really likes the haircut. <li>12. <i>Lemon ices:</i> any flavor of Italian ices. On Staten Island, you'll find "chocolate lemon ices" or "rainbow lemon ices" or "cherry lemon ices" -- and none of them are lemon flavored at all -- except "plain lemon ices." <li>13. <i>A school special:</i> a popular deli sandwich offered widely in the 80s and 90s, consisting of a bagel with one slice of ham and one slice of cheese. Always sold for one dollar or less. <li>14. <i>Skeeve:</i> from the Italian Schifoso. Literally meaning "disgusting," but used on Staten Island as a verb, as in, "yuck, I skeeve that!" Derivations include "skeevatz" - something that is really really disgu
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O's Personal Finance Makeover
In our latest Make Me a Ten! makeover, a single mother of two who has lost her job and watched her debts pile up gets her own personal financial rescue plan.
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My Life Is A Joke: Meet Patti
Funny happens. And it always happens when comedian Patti Vasquez is around. You don't have to take our word for it either. Lewis Black says, "Patti is simply marvelous." Bill Maher called her, "The funniest woman in comedy since Carol Burnett." <br><br> For some reason being a mother of two with a "stay at home Dad" (which sounds so much better than "unemployed husband") while living with her parents is a great motivator for Patti to just get out of the house. <br><br> But Patti loves being a mom to her beautiful little boys. Griffin, who loves trains, Batman and talking as much as his mom, is the best big brother to Declan, who loves music, water and hugs. Declan also happens to have special needs, a part of Patti's life that she isn't afraid to talk about. She has begun sharing her story with humor and heart for groups such as the Iowa Department of Education, The Hope Network and Gilda's Club. <br><br> Patti Vasquez is leading the Lipstick Mom Movement nationwide. Lipstick Moms believe that being a wife and mother doesn't prevent you from feeling attractive. It says something when you can still feel good even if you've spent the day doing laundry and washing sippy cups. <br><br> Patti doesn't dwell on the minutia of motherhood. She tackles social issues with a cheerful edginess that appeals to audiences of all backgrounds. Her hilarious take on the foibles of the human experience keeps people coming back to see what she has to say about relationships, pop culture and random encounters with strangers who have no idea she's cataloging their ridiculous behavior to share with audiences all over the world. <br><br> In addition to headlining in comedy clubs and colleges all over the United States, Canada and Europe, Patti has written and performed three hit solo shows for theater audiences<br> <i><b>Tequila and Shamrocks:</b> Every Flower Has Her Roots.</i> <br> <b><i>Pregnant Party Girl:</b> From Stoli's to Stirrups</i> <br> <b><i>Mamacita:</b> Tales of a Diaper Diva</i> <br><br> Patti has appeared in many comedy festivals including Just For Laughs, HBO's Las Vegas Comedy Festival, the Chicago Comedy Festival and Marshall’s Women in Comedy Festival in New York City. <br><br> On television Patti has appeared on the <i>Very Funny Show</i> on TBS and COMEDY.TV along with regular appearances on the wildly popular <i>Bob and Tom</i> TVShow on Superstation WGN and their daily morning radio show syndicated in 139 cities across the country. <br><br> If you want to be where the funny is then you want to be there when "Patti Happens."
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