Choose it, stuff it, fluff it, dress it, name it and take it home. Ta-da! You've just participated in a new fad, the Build-A-Bear Workshop.
     Located in the Avenues Mall and other malls throughout the country, the Build-A-Bear Workshop is a store where you build your own personalized teddy bear.
     The concept was

Photos by Dawn Dukes Photo Illustration by Ari Robbins

introduced by Maxine Clarke in St. Louis, where the first store was opened in 1997. There will be more than 100 stores nationwide by the end of this year.
     In 1998, the store was named "Best New Concept for 1998" by Chain Store Age magazine and was awarded the title of Retail Innovator of the Year for 2001 by the National Retail Federation.
     To make your own teddy bear, the steps are simple.
     You begin by choosing the "skin" of the bear. You can choose from the li'l cub, the classic brown teddy, the curly teddy or the white teddy. There are also skins for koalas, elephants, cats, dogs, monkeys, tigers, and leopards. Prices range from $10 to around $30.
     You also can purchase a special Reader Bear. When one of these is purchased, Build-A-Bear Workshop donates $1 to First Book, a nonprofit organization that provides new books for children in need.
     The next step is stuffing your skin. An employee of the workshop helps with this step. They will stuff your teddy, koala, tiger or monkey with as much stuffing as you want. You can also add sounds, such as a roar, "I love you" or "Sweetheart." The next stage is fluffing. Your stuffed animal is placed on a table and stuffing is added or taken away until it is as cuddly as you like.
     During the stuffing stage, a bar code is inserted into the Build-A-Bear's back. This bar code is scanned and contains information about the new owner in case the bear should get lost. If the Build-A-Bear is lost, it can be returned to a workshop anywhere, opened and sent back to its rightful owner.
     The dressing stage is next. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a wide variety of accessories for your animal. You can dress your animal in flannel, football gear, leather or dresses. There is also an assortment of purses and backpacks to choose from.
     The last step is naming your new pal. The store will give you a birth certificate with your animal's name and birth date for you to take home.
     The Build-A-Bear Workshop offers a place to make a personalized gift for yourself or a loved one.
     If you want something that's fun and cheap, go build a bear.

     Contributing writer Lisa McKenny can be reached via e-mail at uspinnak@unf.edu.

Sleater-Kinney evolves in "One Beat"
Danielle Dreger
Contributing Writer

     Sleater-Kinney is arguably the best feminist/punk/indie-rock band to grace the North American continent.
     With their political lyrics and urgent rock 'n' roll sound, it is hard to believe this trio of femme rockers have only been around for seven years.
     Since their 1995 debut, guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, and drummer Janet Weiss have released six albums, each more polished than the last.
     "One Beat," Sleater-Kinney's latest release on the label Kill Rock Stars, continues to show the band's evolution both musically and lyrically.
     "One Beat" is part personal and part political, with several songs focusing on the effects of the Sept. 11 attacks. In "Far Away," Tucker asks "Why can't I get

Sleater-Kinney is an all girl feminist/punk/indie-rock band who's new CD "One Beat" contains both personal and political music. Special

along with you?" as she watches the world explode in flames.
     Her evocative mood continues in "Step Aside" as she suggests society should "disassemble your discrimination when violence rules the world outside."
     The most controversial song on the album is also an anthem in the making. In "Combat Rock," the group narrows in on the sudden emergence of patriotism after the terrorist attacks with lyrics like, "Since when is skepticism un-American?" and "Show you love your country, go out and spend some cash, red white blue hot pants doing it for Uncle Sam."
     The band's passion is evident in the commentary and is even theatrical at times as Tucker and Brownstein verbally spar with each other.
     Sleater-Kinney weaves intensely personal songs about identity and romantic confusion among their political messages. The album's title track, "One Beat," compares scientific achievement with art.
     In "Oh!" the first single from the album, Tucker sings about finding a romantic connection. "Nobody lingers like your hands on my heart, nobody figures like you figured me out."
     "Light-Rail Coyote" is Sleater-Kinney's tribute to Portland. The song is brutally honest, as the trio focuses on the diversity of the city with lyrics like, "And Joan of Arc rules Northeast, where the poor and the hipsters meet, the grid that divides us all."
     If you add only one album to your compact disc collection this fall, make it "One Beat." You won't find a better diversity of songs or any ladies who rock as hard as Weiss, Brownstein and Tucker do on any other release this fall.
     Accept no substitute. "One Beat" is one album you don't want to miss.

     Contributing writer Danielle Dreger can be reached via e-mail at uspinnak@unf.edu.