Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends,americast.usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Fri, Oct 16 1992 Date: Fri, 16 Oct 92 08:02:01 EDT Message-ID: 10-16 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update Oct. 16-18, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network INFERTILITY IS `CRISIS OF '90S': The emotional pain of infertility is creating the marital "crisis of the '90s," affecting 1 in 6 couples and more than 10 million people, says a Hartford, Conn., husband-and-wife counseling duo. Both partners feel the pain acutely, say Beth M. Cooper-Hilbert and Greg Hilbert. But they handle it differently and end up on a collision course. (For more, see special Infertility package below.) CHARITABLE GIVING DOWN: Americans remain generous even when the chips are down. But hard times are having an impact on charitable giving, a new survey shows. A national Gallup poll of 2,671 people shows 72% of U.S. households made donations last year, compared with 75% in 1989. Average annual contributions dropped from $978 in 1989 to $899 last year. VOLUNTEER WORK IS UP: More than 50% of Americans do volunteer work, averaging 4.2 hours a week, up from four hours per week by the 54% who volunteered in 1989. The Independent Sector, a coalition of corporations, foundations and volunteer groups, which released the survey Thursday shows poorer people give more money, proportionately, than wealthier people. COSMETIC PROMOTIONS UNDERWAY: It's that time of year when those irresistible free and not-so-free gifts appear on cosmetic counters. A successful gift promotion can double sales, according to November's Glamour magazine. There's some shopping psychology at work. Cosmetic companies tailor gifts to motivate specific shoppers and shopping patterns. COCKROACH ALLERGY MORE COMMON: An allergy to cockroaches has become more common than even allergists had suspected. Allergists have been considering cockroaches as a culprit for only about 10 years, and in the past five years testing for cockroach allergies has become routine, says Dr. John Murray, a Vanderbilt allergist. Being allergic to cockroaches may mean you have them in your home. '70S MOVE TO PARIS: Paris is buzzing about four rag revolutionaries and their flea market-inspired fashions: Corinne Cobson's '70s knit bell-bottom pantsuits, crochet vests and platform clogs; Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela's backward vests and long dowdy skirts; and Jean Colonna's sleazy faux leather separates. There's talks of bell-bottoms at Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Lacroix's shows next week. CRUISES OFFERING BETTER DEALS: Bargain-hunters alert: Travel experts say cruising, long touted as an all-inclusive vacation value, will be a better bargain than ever in 1993. A record 4.8 million passengers are expected, up from 4.4 million forecast for 1992. But the savvy ones will pay one-third off the advertised prices - often hundreds of dollars less than the cost of comparable cruises five years ago. COSTS OF CRUISES SINKING: The cost of cruises is sinking in 1993, experts say. Reasons: More berths, 10,000 new ones in 1993; they are sailing more often; and the sputtering economy has forced cruise lines to cut deals. Beyond prices, vacationers can choose from the most varied fleet ever. And they can call on the greater variety of ports, ranging from Vietnam to Dominica. MAPLE SYRUP IS GUSHING: Maple syrup production in Vermont, which produces 60% of the nation's total, is on the rebound. Vermont's Department of Agriculture shows in 1987, syrup production was at its lowest level ever at 275,000 gallons. Latest figures show production at 570,000 gallons. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON INFERTILITY: SEXES HANDLE IT DIFFERENTLY: "Men's approach is to solve a problem by taking some action," Greg Hilbert, a Hartford, Conn., counselor, says on infertility. "But they cannot solve this. And they may then avoid it, feeling if they address it, that may make things worse." Rather than express his feelings as his wife is socialized to do, the husband avoids the subject. WOMEN FEEL OUT OF CONTROL: Many women experience a "loss of control, a powerlessness," over their own organs, says, Beth Cooper-Hilbert, Greg's counseling partner and wife. The feel betrayed by bodies they have kept strong in this era of an "emphasis on fitness." Successful career women used to control have a great deal of difficulty, especially if they waited to get pregnant until they'd established careers. SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE: Romantic love suffers, as their sex lives shift to "sex on demand," she says. Hilbert says couples should: Realize different reactions for each sex are normal. And they should join a support group. RESOLVE is a national organization that will supply lists of local chapters. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to RESOLVE, 1310 Broadway, Sommerville, Mass. 02144-1731. (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM