TresSugar

Levi Johnston: Palin Wanted to Adopt Baby and Keep It Secret

TresSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:00 -0700

In October's Vanity Fair, Levi Johnston says Sarah Palin asked to adopt his and Bristol's baby and keep it as her own. According to Levi:

"Sarah told me she had a great idea: we would keep it a secret - nobody would know that Bristol was pregnant. She told me that once Bristol had the baby she and Todd would adopt him. That way, she said, Bristol and I didn’t have to worry about anything. Sarah kept mentioning this plan. She was nagging - she wouldn’t give up."

Does this make you, once again, possibly doubt the legitimacy of Sarah Palin's youngest, Tripp Palin, or could you not care less?

Either way, Vanity Fair has released a behind-the-scenes video from his NYC photo shoot, and it's kind of great. We see Levi's transformation from Wasilla casual to a guy in an expensive suit on a high-rise's ledge. Urban suicidal? See for yourself after the jump.

Too Fat to Father? Authorities Tell Obese Man He Can't Adopt

LibertySugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:45:16 -0800

Fearing that wannabe father Damien Hall might die due to his 340 lb. weight, Leeds City Council has declared him and his wife ineligible to adopt a child. Officials told the UK couple, who cannot have children naturally, that they might be considered after Damien gets his BMI down from 42 to below 40.

While responsible adoption officials should consider the lifestyle choices of would-be parents, I wouldn't blame this couple for feeling like victims of discrimination. Do you think officials should consider the weight of a potential adoptive parent? Do you think an extremely underweight person would be excluded, too?

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If You Found Out You Were Pregnant Today, What Would You Do?

DearSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:00:00 -0700

I am not ready to have a baby yet. I'm not married, and I believe, for me, that it takes two people to raise a baby, which is why I am so careful when it comes to using birth control properly.

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What about you? If you found out you were pregnant today, what would you do? Are you ready to be a mother?

The Minutemen Adopt-a-Highway - Allowed to Keep It Clean?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:15:12 -0700

When the San Diego Minutemen, an anti-illegal immigration group known for taking border patrol laws into their own hands became a member of Adopt-a-Highway (the keep-it-clean volunteer road service) they were quite surprised by the stretch of highway they were given. Their assigned turf was near a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 5, a main route known for carrying illegal migrants into the United States from Mexico.

The state however has since decided to remove the sign crediting their litter patrolling. They fear demonstrators or vandals would create a safety hazard along the highway - as well as fearing harm to the Minutemen who would be clearing litter on that stretch. To see their response, read more.

The Minutemen contend otherwise. Their attorney said, “we can’t have our free speech because if we do, people who don’t like it might become unruly and unlawful.” And made a more pointed accusation by saying, “we were moved to silence our message in response to pressure from the open border advocates and the Latino caucus.” The US District Judge appeared to agree with the Minutemen on that point. “It would seem you’re saying you’re allowing the people who are unhappy with the message to dictate who can be in the program.”

The Adopt-a-Highway has had another controversial patron in the past. In 2005, the Ku Klux Klan adopted a stretch in Missouri and when the Adopt-a-Highway group tried to discontinue their membership, the Supreme Court sided with the KKK despite the Adopt-a-Highway’s regulation prohibiting groups that deny membership with a documented history of violence. State legislators - to contrast the image of a hate-based group advertising on publicly-owned land - renamed the length of highway adopted by the KKK, the Rosa Parks Highway.

In the Minutemen's case, the lawyer for the state said that the Adopt-a-Highway signs are just a "thank-you" from the state, not political messages protected under the First Amendment. If the Minutemen are doing the work of keeping the road clean, are they entitled to a sign? Was the state right to remove the sign before it caused trouble? Should controversial groups be allowed to volunteer - and get credit?

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Product of the Day: Adopt-A-Critters

GiggleSugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:00:00 -0800

This charming fellow Bobby arrived in the mail for Future Girl and I bet she was happy about it! If you'd like to get a one-of-a-kind handmade plushy toy, go to Etsy's Adopt-A-Critters site. This is a face that only a weirdo could love, and I know I am a weirdo.

View 9 Photos ›

Speed Read! Roman Polanski's Bail Offer Approved

TresSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:30:58 -0800

A Swiss court has approved Roman Polanski's offer to be released from prison for $4.5 million bail. He will be kept under house arrest at his Swiss chalet. - New York Times
President Obama will travel to Copenhagen for the UN climate change conference next month. - Washington Post
Jetman fails to fly from Morocco to Spain with personal jet pack, gets picked up in Atlantic Ocean. - NPR
A random 45-year-old man bites a 17-year-old at a screening of Twilight. - Jezebel
Adopted man looks for his biological father, discovers that it's Charles Manson. - Boing Boing
Are cougars an endangered species? - Vice
Military wives celebrate Thanksgiving in October. - Double X
Details from last night's state dinner. - Huffington Post

Do, Dump, or Marry? Kellan Lutz

TresSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:34 -0800

Thanks to his clear blue eyes, Twilight's Kellan Lutz definitely qualifies as dreamy, and on the big screen, he's straight up vampire eye candy – in my book at least.

The 24-year-old North Dakota native might not be the biggest heartthrob to appear in New Moon, but he surely has his own set of devoted fans. And for all you dog lovers, Kellan (who is officially single) has a soft spot for canines too; he adopted his dog Kola from a local animal shelter.

Do you want Kellan to bite you?

First Openly Gay Bishop Ordained in Sweden

TresSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Swedish meatballs. IKEA. Abba. Free health care and education. As if those riches weren't enough for one nation to hoard, now comes the news that over the weekend, Eva Brunne, above left, was ordained as Sweden's first openly gay bishop. Another female pastor, Tuulikki Koivunen Bylund, was also ordained as Bishop of Härnösand in northern Sweden. Around 75 percent of Swedes belong to the Lutheran church.

Brunne, 55, is in a civil union partnership with another woman and both of them are the parents of a three-year-old child.

Did I mention that Sweden also allows same-sex couples to adopt children and was one of the first countries to marry gay people in a major church? Yeah, I'll stop now, but I could go on. Sweden seriously has it going on.

Cute Alert: German Penguins Make Case For Gay Adoption

TresSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

A pair of gay male penguins are raising a chick in Germany's Bremerhaven zoo. The little chick was abandoned by its parents while it was still an egg, so the penguins put the egg in their nest and incubated it for 30 days. Since the chick hatched, they have continued to care for it.

If you're wondering how the zoo knows the penguins are gay, the pair has tried to mate with each other before, and they've shown no interest in female penguins. The zoo says: "Sex and coupling in our world don't always have something to do with reproduction."

Of course it's unclear if this would be allowed at the Arkansas zoo, since voters in that state outlawed gay adoption last November. If you're curious, here's a rundown of where gay adoption is legal in the US.

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Human Rights Online: Tech Companies Adopt Conduct Code

LibertySugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:15 -0700

Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are set to adopt voluntary and uniform guidelines to govern their international business practices, this week. These Internet companies have struggled to find acceptable means to deal with countries like China, which silence the voice of dissidents on the Internet, and block certain websites. China has used emails sent by dissidents as evidence to put them behind bars.

Part of the code of conduct will require the companies to carefully scrutinize a government's demand for information about users, or government requests for nationwide censorship. The rules, generated by teams from the tech companies, public interest groups, academics, and socially conscious investment funds, weren't just created in the name of human rights - they're also designed to counter bad publicity surrounding tech company compliance with repressive governments.

Should international companies stay true to their hometown freedoms, or should they expect to play by the rules of all the countries where they do business?

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