TresSugar

Do You Know Anyone Like The Goode Family?

TresSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

An extremely politically correct cartoon-family is coming to a television near you. Mike Judge of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butt-head fame has created a new show - The Goode Family - which premiers on ABC tonight.

The Goodes are many shades of green. They use reusable shopping bags (not the ones made in sweat shops), drive hybrid cars, recycle, and ask themselves: what would Al Gore do? In addition to being environmentally conscious, they're also socially aware: they're vegans, have a dog named Che, and they even adopted a little boy from Africa. (Once they adopted Ubuntu, they found out he was actually born to white Afrikaans parents in South Africa. They still have him wear traditional African dress.)

The premise sort of reminds me of the South Park episode all about smug people in San Francisco. In that episode, the "smug" (smog) from preachy, hybrid car owners ends up causing an environmental disaster. Despite the similarities in using progressives as their targets, The Good Family does treat the earnest clan a little kinder than South Park would, making it apparent that the characters have genuine intentions.

Do you know anyone that tries a little too hard to do good(e)?

The Last Century For Humans? True Story or Scare Tactic?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:15:41 -0700

This is the big eco question of the day: Are we living in the last century of our civilization? Nothing will let us save ourselves from ourselves and our society is heading towards collapse?

According to many of the world's top scientists and ABC, the answer is yes.

This fall ABC News will premiere a dramatic two-hour broadcast called Earth 2100, asking scientists from around the globe to join together in a countdown to the year 2100 to tell us what we must do to survive the next century as well as what will happen if we don't.

President of the Pacific Institute says "The 21st century is going to be the century which determine[s] whether we live or die as a sustainable species. As populations grow, as our use of resources grows, I think we get closer and closer to that edge."

To build the show Earth 2100 ABC is asking viewers to use their imagination to create short videos about what it would be like to live through the next century if we stay on our current path.

Could it be possible that we're in the last century of the human race - or is this just a scare tactic to promote their show?

Border Security USA Is Coming to Your Television Set

LibertySugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:30:11 -0700

ABC is teaming up with the Department of Homeland Security to make some good old-fashioned reality television. The new show, Border Security USA, will focus on US border protection agencies including: Transportation Security Administration, US Coast Guard, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The federal government's efforts to stop illegal immigration, smuggling, and terrorism will be documented reality-television style. The Hollywood Reporter says that in one episode, two Iranian men are denied entry because one has relatives with terrorist ties, and the other carries a fake ID.

Perhaps this show could teach Americans about how the Homeland Security bureaucracy operates. But, I'm still concerned that a sensationalized television interpretation of national security concerns may oversimplify the problem and lead to discrimination, intolerance, or a false understanding of complex issues like immigration and global politics.

Is gov reality the next big thing, or is this just run-of-the-mill propaganda? Are you going to Ti-Vo this one?
Source

Man-gagement Ring - Love It or Leave It?

TresSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:46 -0800

Glancing at a man's ring finger to see if he's taken can only get you so far. While the presence of a ring tells you he's married, there's no way to know if he's engaged, since women don't typically get to put a ring on it. Well that's apparently changing.

According to ABC, man-gagement rings - engagement rings worn by men - are getting more and more popular. As one soon-to-be-groom says: "Now your game is over even sooner." Presumably many of these men are excited about showing off their "taken" status.

Front Page: Oprah Opens Up About Interview With Sarah Palin

TresSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:06 -0800

After wrapping up her interview with Sarah Palin, which will air next Monday, Oprah gave fans an idea of what to expect. - Twitter
At least 4,000 swine flu deaths have been reported in the US. - MSNBC
Balloon Boy's parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, are expected to plead guilty to criminal charges. - NPR
Recent sales suggest the art market is rebounding. - Blomberg
President Obama will not accept a plan for Afghanistan unless it involves details for a US exit. - ABC News
After Lou Dobbs revealed he was leaving CNN, the network announced John King will replace him. - Huffington Post

Front Page: Obama Wants Healthcare Bill, Not Abortion Bill

TresSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:11 -0800

President Obama is asking Congress to drop the clause in the House healthcare bill that puts new restrictions on abortion coverage. - ABC News
Virginia will execute John Allen Muhammad (aka "The DC Sniper") today. - CNN
RNC leader Michael Steele says some white Republicans are scared of him. - Politico
Fans apparently walked out of Tracy Morgan's Carnegie Hall performance last night because it was too raunchy. - New York Daily News
Former Miss California Carrie Prejean says she has been "Palinized." - MSNBC

School For Aspiring Cougars - Hilarious or Horrifying?

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Mark your calendars, cougar-wannabes! November 6 is your big day. Before the California Cougar Convention takes place at the Beverly Hills Crowne Plaza Hotel, cougar expert Lucia (no last name?) will host a cougar tutorial. The Cougar School must have a very easy learning curve, because this "Queen of the Cougar Jungle" Lucia teaches the class at 6:30 - and then gives the keynote address at 8 p.m.!

I imagine her instruction will go something like this: "Wear sexy clothes, make it known you're sexually available, and go to a bar where cubs are." I mean - could it be any more difficult than that?

What do you think about Cougar School?

Front Page: Americans Anxious About H1N1 Vaccine Shortage

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:35 -0700

The shortage of H1N1 vaccines has many people worried, but Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is asking Americans to be patient. - ABC News
The US job outlook has brightened, as the National Association for Business Economics says more companies plan on hiring in the next six months. - CNN
Fourteen Americans were killed in two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan. - AP
ESPN has fired baseball analyst Steve Phillips a week after details came out about his messy affair with a 22-year-old production assistant. - New York Times
Low-budget underdog Paranormal Activity came in number one at the box office this weekend. - BuzzSugar

ABC Refuses to Air Gore's Ad: In the Tank For Oil Companies?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:00:12 -0700

With all the talk lately about who's "in the tank" for whom, this is one story where the imagery just might fit. The CEO of Al Gore's big We Campaign is accusing ABC of putting the concerns of big oil over their message of planetary goodwill by refusing to run the latest Al Gore ad, called, "Repower America."

In a scathing email the CEO said:

“Did you notice the ads after last night’s presidential debate? ABC had Chevron. CBS had Exxon. CNN had the coal lobby. But you know what happened last week? ABC refused to run our Repower America ad – the ad that takes on this same oil and coal lobby.”

The We Campaign is striking back with an online petition aimed at getting the ad on the air during Friday's airing of 20/20. The petition has over 80,000 signatures.

To see whether ABC has an agenda, read more.

The ad blasts oil companies as a hurdle to clean energy saying, "Big oil spends hundreds of millions of dollars to block clean energy." The non-airing of the ad seems odd given the network hasn't ignored the climate situation. They have a big budget special called Earth: 2100 planned warning that our civilization is set to go the way of the Mayans if we continue on this path.

On the other hand, in a study by the Business & Media Institute, ABC included more climate change skepticism (36 percent) in its broadcasts than the other networks. Does this combined with the ad's absence dictate a tacit environmental agenda?

Front Page: Democrats to Ban Domestic Violence as Preexisting Condition

TresSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:00:24 -0700

Democrats in Congress have vowed to ban all health insurance companies from using domestic violence as a preexisting condition. - CNN
President Obama has told top lawmakers that there will be no troop cuts in Afghanistan. - New York Times
Congress will have to sign off on Washington DC's bid to legalize same-sex marriage. - Washington Post
The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers in the bottom of the 12th inning last night. The one-game tiebreaker decided who will face the Yankees in the playoffs. - ABC News
Fictional character Don Draper tops a list of the world's most influential men, beating out Barack Obama, among others. - BuzzSugar