TresSugar

To Beard or Not to Beard?

GiggleSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 04:00:00 -0800

Men's facial hair has always been an enigma to me. With all the options out there - from beard to mustache to soul patch (shudder) to goatee to side burns - how does a dude decide? It never occurred to me that an agonizing day of windowsill moping, reflection dissection, and chanting was involved. Men are so vain.

Hillary: Make. Your Mascot. Stop.

GiggleSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Homeboy in the blue blazer thinks he's doing Hillary Clinton some kind of service by taking center stage and busting his most badass, J Lo-infused rhyme for a group of supporters. I don't think this is exactly helping Hillary get the youth vote. In this popularity contest we call politics, we are the company we keep, and Hillary needs a new crowd - the Mean Girls maybe? (I kid, I kid.)

Indian Women Asked to Plow Fields Naked For Rain

TresSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Modern women in eastern India have been asked to participate in an ancient tradition: plowing dry fields naked with the hope that it will embarrass the weather gods and urge them to respond with a much needed monsoon.

This year, Indian farmers are worrying over a very dry start to the monsoon season and having nude women plow the fields while chanting hymns is the most trusted custom among farmers. Interestingly, only unmarried women are allowed to participate.

If I were asked to plow fields naked to help California's drought problem, you could bet that more than the weather gods would be embarrassed.

"O" Canada - Obama Receives Warm Welcome Up North

LibertySugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:30:44 -0800

It may be chilly in Canada, but President Obama's welcome was anything but. Chants of "Yes we can!" seem to follow the US president everywhere he goes, even on his first trip abroad!

Obama will stay north of the border for only a few hours. During his meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama likely discussed trade, Afghanistan, the financial crisis, and the environment. Harper told his American guest: "It’s a great honor to have you here on your first visit. We really appreciate it."

To see more photos of Obama, and the Canadians who appreciate him, read more.

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First Lady in Waiting Makes Care Packages For the Troops

CitizenSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:00:08 -0800

Like thousands of Americans today, Michelle Obama woke up bright and early to take part in the National Day of Service - and so did I! Thanks to Operation Gratitude, I got to participate in "A Day of Service for Our Military." We assembled care packages for troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in a giant tent at RFK Memorial Stadium.

Sitting in the bleachers with my fellow cold yet cheerful volunteers, I got a quick briefing on how to make a care package. Soon they had us chanting "Fired Up and Ready to Go!" After walking in from our pep talk, I recognized Barack Obama's grandmother, who flew in all the way from Kenya, sitting right in front of me! She seemed to be taking in the spirited event with a calm demeanor. While putting together care packages filled with goodies like bug lotion, gum, and five-hour energy boosts, I noticed another special guest at the assembly line next to me - Michelle Obama!

After our work in the tent, my group moved back outside where we picked up an inauguration brownie and wrote letters to the troops. If you volunteered today, how did it go?

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High Price For Cheap Gas - Would You Rather Pay More?

LibertySugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:01:42 -0800

Last Summer the religious prayed for relief at the pump, lawmakers called for a 55 mph national speed limit to conserve fuel, and cash-strapped drivers chanted, "Drill, baby. Drill!" But today, oil goes for $40 a barrel, one-third of what it cost in July. Recently, Salon took an in-depth look into the negative consequences of falling oil prices.

Low gas prices mean economic hardship and instability in oil-producing countries - like Nigeria, Russia, Iran, Kuwait, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico - who use oil revenue to fund education, health care, or to create jobs. In addition, without the pain at the pump, we give less priority to conservation, public transportation, and developing alternative energy sources. Continued dependence on increasingly unstable oil countries could be the high price of low gas prices!

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Senate Passes Bailout, Protesters Visit Candidates' Offices

LibertySugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:00:05 -0700

Spread out across the floor in John McCain's Senate office, Code Pink protesters chanted, "Bailout over my dead body," yesterday. Along with a plethora of cameras, the protesters then made their way over to Barack Obama's office. The group is among those Americans who oppose a Wall Street bailout. Their efforts didn't work, since both John McCain and Barack Obama supported the bill.

Picking up on the unpopularity, Capitol Hill ditched the term "bailout," instead calling it a rescue. The better marketing obviously helped, as the bill made it through the Senate. The final bill evolved from 3 pages as proposed by Bush, to 102 pages that failed in the House, to over 450 pages. Both Democratic and Republican leaders have faith that it will pass the House on Friday.

To see more pictures of the protest, read more.

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Thousands Protest the War at the Republican Convention

CitizenSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:00:13 -0700

While the Republicans prepared for a subdued opening to their convention, the protesters were out in full-force. An event called "March on the RNC" drew 8,000 to 10,000 people with seven arrests.

The group chanted slogans like "war is not pro-life" and displayed signs against President Bush, who canceled plans to speak at the convention because of the hurricane. The protesters paraded across St. Paul, from the state capitol to the Xcel Center, where it's expected that John McCain will accept the Republican nomination later this week.

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To see video of the event, read more.

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Citizen of the World Barack Obama Speaks to Berliners

LibertySugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:15:44 -0700

Barack Obama spoke to tens of thousands of Berliners gathered at the foot of the Victory Column, chanting "Yes We Can" or "O-bam-a." Using the image of a wall in the city formerly home to the most infamous one, Barack Obama highlighted the common challenges facing America and its allies, especially Europe.

That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another. The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.

While sharing pride for his country, Obama also discussed concerns shared with Europe, including: working for a successful NATO mission in Afghanistan, securing loose nuclear material, working with Russia, getting Iran to abandon its nuclear plan, securing a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, bringing the Iraq war to a close, and addressing climate change (which got some of the loudest applause).

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For more from the speech, and to find out how the Bush Administration and John McCain handled the event, read more.

Obama asked the crowd to carry the burdens of global citizenship that bind us together:

Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur? Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?

So did the Republicans get in the spirit? Yes and No. While Germans got to hear what Obama had to say, the Bush Administration's State Department banned foreign service workers from attending the event. But John McCain appeared today at the Schmidts' Sausage Haus in Columbus, Ohio's German Village, apparently going for the German vote as well.

Will Americans be excited that foreign people embraced an American leader?

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Front Page: Guantanamo Secret Footage, Suicide Attack Kills Iraqi Recruits, Bush Press Conference

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:06:43 -0700

Guantanamo Secret Footage:
A secretly filmed tape of a detainee being questioned at the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay has just been released. The video shows 16-year-old detainee, Omar Khadr, being questioned by Canadian officials about events that led to his capture by US forces. The Canadian detainee is accused of throwing a grenade resulting in a US soldier's death in Afghanistan in 2002. In the video, he can be heard repeatedly chanting, "help me". The tape was released by Khadr's lawyers after a Supreme Court ruling that key evidence be released that would allow a full defense of the charges he's facing, and they're hoping the tape will cause PM Harper to demand that the US not prosecute Khadr.

Suicide Attack Kills Iraqi Recruits:
Two suicide bombers dressed as army recruits detonated at an Iraqi base this morning killing at least 35 Iraqi recruits and wounding 63. The bombers were wearing belts packed with explosives as they infiltrated a crowd of more than 200 recruits and exploded about 30 seconds apart in front of the headquarters of an Iraqi brigade where the recruits had gathered.
Bush Press Conference:
US President George W. Bush is set to speak in moments (10:20 a.m. ET) with an opening statement on steps he has taken to fix the economy. The White House said, "he will talk about the overall state of the economy," and, "the president will talk about steps his administration has taken to stabilize the housing and financial markets." The news conference is expected to overlap Barack Obama's proclaimed major policy address on Iraq, scheduled for 10:45 a.m.