TresSugar

Baby Fight Club (It's Cuter Than You Think)

GiggleSugar — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Leave it to a bunch of dudes to think taking their toddlers to Baby Fight Club for one-on-one sparring is an acceptable afternoon excursion. Lovely. But no matter what they do to make their babies appear macho - pretending to serve up a hearty bowl of nuts and bolts is just low, I might add - the little tykes are too cute to ever be intimidating. Maybe it's the droopy diapers?

Michelle Obama, MIA, & Stella McCartney Make Time 100 List

TresSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:00:21 -0700

The Time 100 list of the world's most influential people is out today, and some very cool women made the cut. The annual issue is always such a great read because high-profile people share their musings about each other. Here are some of my favorite entries.

Oprah Winfrey on Michelle Obama: The joy Michelle, 45, brings to her roles as First Mother and First Lady is what makes her so intoxicating. We want that joy in the roles we inhabit as mothers, wives, workers, daughters and friends. And while we admire those arms and applaud her fashion choices (from J. Crew to top designers), her greatest influence is that she makes us want to be our own best selves - and maybe lift a few weights too.

To read what Gwyneth Paltrow wrote about Stella McCartney and what Spike Jonze had to say about MIA, read more.

Gwyneth Paltrow on Stella McCartney: She laughs really hard. And she is a vegetarian. I mention this because you cannot accurately characterize Stella McCartney, 37, without underlining that she is a vegetarian. Always has been. And even if you are not interested in being a vegetarian, somehow Stella gets you to believe. She manages to convince you (never sanctimoniously, never from a soapbox) that killing animals is needless and cruel and bad for the environment. It may last the duration of just one dinner, but you start to feel a bit sad for your neighbor's lamb and a bit embarrassed by your chicken.

Spike Jonze on MIA: To this day, she doesn't consider herself a musician. She has this wide range of talents and influences - she's a Sri Lankan refugee who didn't speak a word of English before she was 10, yet she's also a child of Chuck D and the Pixies and Fight Club and MySpace. There are no borders for her. She made me realize that you don't have to be from the West to have a favorite Biggie song. We are all listening to the same music.

Source

More Is Less? How the Kindle Will Change the Way We Read

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:00:00 -0700

I know the Kindle is really what you're all after in our amazing TrèsSugar giveaway, so it seems like the perfect time to read into how the gadget will change the way we read.

Book publishers, tattered and tired after years of fighting the Internet, are perched on an opportunity to sell books like never before. Will we read them? Not sure. But we're certainly going to buy them!

The Kindle is a portable bookstore that's already capitalizing on impulse buyers. Want to try a little Proust? Just read the first few pages of Swann's Way and you'll get every madeleine reference you'll ever need to know.

Of course, you'll have to pay for that madeleine, as pauper publishers are eager for your coins. But who would pay for a few lines? Ha! You will, my dear reader; we all will. The Wall Street Journal has laid out a semidystopian vision of how the future will be written. To find out, read more.

Imagine being able to create a library of every book you've ever read in a matter of clicks, and then search it with keywords. This will be indispensable for research and terrible for bookshelves.
Readers online will call out passages, much like they already do, and Google will rank pages and paragraphs, allowing the most popular to rise to the top. A well-linked quote will drive sales far more than an NPR interview.

Confused by a paragraph, chapter, book? You'll instantly be able to connect to other readers debating its meaning. It will be like a global book club that's always reading what you want.
Writing for Google is where it starts to get scary. Authors and publishers will consider how individual pages and chapters will rank in search results and write accordingly. Best case? Some tagging and strategically placed words and paragraphs. Worst? Whole books written for search engines.
A la carte pricing will be on the menu. Nonfiction books may be broken into sections and sold. Fiction? Expect to see a return of the cliffhanger, and novels sold in chapters.

It's easy to say this will never happen, but it already is. Kindle's current incarnation has a Web browser tucked in a folder called "experimental projects," and Amazon has an iPhone app that's ready to jump-start the future. Will you be reading?

Source

Giggle Links

GiggleSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:02:30 -0800

The top 100 hottest silver foxes. Taylor Hicks before Paul Newman and Anthony Bourdain? Surely you jest! - Best Week Ever
Madonna and child. So wrong, yet so hilarious. - YouTube
Does your life suck? Join the club. - F*ck My Life
Create your own Star Trek adventure. - Neatorama
Are you neurotic? I am neurotic. - I Am Neurotic
Send a friend a Goldie the goldfish greeting. Why the hell not? - Acapela TV
Oh, brother! President of LA Boxing wants to fight Chris Brown. Yeah, that's a great idea. - Facebook
Things guys shouldn't do in public. Word. - Lemondrop

Front Page: Pakistan Truce, Sam's Club Rice, 90 Dead in Sri Lanka

CitizenSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:56:49 -0700

Pakistan Truce: Baitullah Mehsud, a top Taliban commander in Pakistan has issued an order to his followers to stop all attacks in the country. Mehsud is the man the Pakistani authorities say ordered the killing of Benazir Bhutto. The cease fire order was issued via leaflet, which said anyone found violating the order would be publicly punished, saying "no arguments will be accepted. It's a firm order." Pakistan's newly elected government stated it will deal with Islamic militancy through discussion and cooperation. Baitullah Mehsud's stronghold is in South Waziristan, an area that has seen many of the heaviest fighting between militants and the security forces in recent years.

Sam's Club Rice: Retail chain Sam's Club is limiting the sale of rice during a dramatic increase in the global price of rice. The store is limiting customers to four 20-lb. bags of jasmine, basmati and long-grain white rice. The restriction will mainly affect businesses that buy rice in bulk, but the company said "a typical Sam's Club Business Member does not buy more than 80 pounds of rice in one visit," adding, "we currently have plenty of rice for Sam's Club members."
90 Dead in Sri Lanka: In Sri Lanka, Tamil rebels and government troops fought an intense battle in northern Sri Lanka yesterday resulting in 52 guerrillas and 38 soldiers left dead. It was one of the deadliest clashes between the military and the rebels so far this year. Because each side consistently inflates casualty figures for the opposition and minimizes its own losses, the number is impossible to verify. The Tamil Tiger rebels have been fighting since 1983 to create an independent homeland for Tamils, who have been oppressed for decades by governments controlled by the majority Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.

Top 10 Things You Don't Know About John McCain

CitizenSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:15:45 -0700

With all this wall-to-wall Dem coverage, what with the convention and Biden and all, I needed a little palate cleanser - a little sorbet for the conservative soul, if you will. I found this juicy list of answers to all of your McCain mysteries. Here are the top 10 things I didn't know about him - hamsters, fried turkeys, and all:

He's a thespian! He played the part of Scrooge in the POWs' staging of A Christmas Carol while being held in Hanoi.
Email or no, he stays in touch. He chats with the men he shared a cell with in Vietnam almost daily.
Scandalous! His parents "eloped" to Tijuana, Mexico - though McCain's grandfather accompanied them.

View 5 Photos ›

He's a drill sergeant on vacation. He's a wall-to-wall planner. His children call it "Camp McCain."
I believe this is probably one of those "Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting" deals- apparently he has a stuffed dancing hamster on display in his Senate office.

To see the rest, from what's he's reading to his grandkids (!), read more.

Not on the Oprah Book Club (that I know of) but his favorite book is For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.
Penny for his thoughts - he carries a lucky penny in his pocket.
All in the family: McCain has seven kids. Two he adopted from his first wife's previous marriage, one born to him and his first wife, three born to him and his second wife, and the one they adopted from Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh. This surprised me: He also has four grandchildren.
A true extrovert, he doesn't like to be alone.
Not particularly healthy fare, but he likes to deep fry turkeys in peanut oil. Gobblers in Goobers. Come on. That's a good one.

What do you think? Any shockers? Any explanation for the dancing hamster?

Source

Equal Opportunity? Women Want Right to Serve - in al Qaeda

CitizenSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:30:30 -0700

Al Qaeda and the United States military do share one thing in common: the debate to allow women in combat.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s second in command, stated in April that the terrorist group does not have women in its ranks and that the women’s role should be restricted to domestic work and nurturing children. This raised an outcry from women eager to fight and who believe their right to fight are being denied.

The director of the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors Internet sites that cater to more militant factions said:

Women were very disappointed because what al-Zawahiri said is not what’s happening today in the Middle East, especially in Iraq or Palestinian groups. Suicide operations are being carried out by women, who play an important role in jihad.

Experts indicate that there are no women in Osama bin Laden’s inner decision-making core group, but outside that group there are many offshoots where women may play important roles. In a bleak variation of starting on the bottom rung, women are increasingly serving as suicide bombers. In Iraq since the 2003 invasion, women have been responsible for at least 20 attempted suicide bombings and the US military has said in the past year they have captured al Qaeda members suspected of being trained to use suicide belts. Though al Qaeda is an all-boys club, women are signing up other places. To find out where, read more.

Other groups in the Middle East have come to terms with the fact that women soldiers should be counted among their ranks. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, has an open policy when it comes to utilizing women soldiers. Huda Naim, a women’s leader in Hamas said: “A lot of girls I speak to . . . Want to carry weapons. We don’t have a special militant wing for women . . . But that doesn’t mean we strip women of the right to go to jihad.”

The Internet is giving women anxious to serve, a voice. One said, "How many times have I wished I were a man . . . When Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri said there are no women in al Qaeda, he saddened and hurt me. I felt that my heart was about to explode in my chest. . . . I am powerless." Does it stand to reason that if women are compelled to serve in the military, they would feel the same ideological pull to serve in organizations like al Qaeda and Hamas? Should they be allowed to serve?

Source

If the Intro of 60 Minutes Took Steroids and Had Ron Burgundy

CitizenSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:30:42 -0700

I don't think there are many folks for whom that 60 Minutes ticking clock opener doesn't prompt childhood flashbacks of a Sunday night dread of homework, baths, and bedtime. This is decidedly more fun: It takes the famous intro, the "I'm Morely Safer" part, and, well, imagines what would happen if Rambo and friends showed up to contribute.

I can't stop watching it over and over. Especially the Fight Club one. Ha! This 60 Minutes fun is second only to the "Andy Rooney Game," invented by comedian Joe Mande, where you erase all but the first and last sentence of Andy Rooney's weekly rant, leaving a little gem that's kind of surprisingly funny. Though I may be the only one on the planet under 75 who really enjoys Mr. Rooney, I do have a bit of an old fogey affinity.

To see my favorite Rooney remix, read more.

I know. Bizarre verging on not-funny - I can't help it - I don't know why but I'm hooked.

McClellan Finds Jon Stewart Tougher Than Helen Thomas

CitizenSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:45:28 -0700

Scott McClellan's big new tell-all What Happened drops today - he popped into The Daily Show last night to dish with Stewart who immediately warned McClellan, "you're talking about Fight Club."

For all of the hype surrounding the charges McClellan levels at the Bush administration, he maintains, "there's a larger message . . . end the partisan warfare in Washington, DC."

He walks Stewart through the behind-the-scenes of creating the anti-Scott talking point, "he just doesn't sound like Scott." Then talk gets serious, (that special brand of funny-serious) and Stewart likens the deception over the war as the difference between "homicide" and "involuntary manslaughter." Wow.

Is the book really about partisan Washington? Is McClellan trying to change how Washington works? To see the second part of McClellan's Daily Show appearance, read more.

Are you going out to buy the book? It's out of stock on Amazon.com until June 29. Dick Cheney, for one, is not buying it - but I'm dying to read it.

Ask E. Jean For DearSugar: Where Are All the Men?

E Jean Carroll — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Dear E. Jean,

I need serious help. I’m bright, successful, pretty, slightly goofy, and want to make a difference in the world. I would also like to marry and have children. I’m 28, live in the big city, volunteer, and go to church. I admit I am slightly overweight (I’m 5’5” and 140 - I can never get rid of those extra 10!)) and I may laugh a little too heartily at people’s jokes; but, it’s been four years since I met a decent guy. Four years!
This is pathetic!
And please, E. Jean, don’t think I’m not meeting guys because I’m shy. I’m not in the least bit timid. I just haven’t been in the right place at the right time. So my question is simple: Where is the “right place?” I can’t find it! Where are the guys?
-Everybody Has A Boyfriend But Me

To see E. Jean's answer read more

My Buttered Muffin,

Here’s Auntie Eeee’s List of the 36 Best Places to Meet a Man:

Facebook.com
Golf courses
Batting cages
Handball courts
Driving ranges
Squash courts
Gun clubs
Hockey rinks
Deep Sea Diving Resorts

(Are you beginning to get the picture? If you go where there are high numbers of eligible men, you can’t help but meet a nice chap!)

The US Open (golf and tennis)
The Super Bowl (duh)
The Final Four
The Kentucky Derby
The Belmont Stakes
Title fights
The Indy 500
Any NASCAR race
Sports bars
The Street - Next time you see a handsome stranger coming toward you, look him in the eye and smile. As I always say: It may turn out to be nothing but a three-second saucy intrigue, but why should your future happiness be at the mercy of not giving into an impulse?
Ask your friends to fix you up.
Hire a PR agent. He/she will get you invited to the hot parties.
The gym
Adopt a dog from the ASPCA. Walk that dog four times a day (in the financial district - Ha!) and your chances for a romantic encounter zoom to 28 times a week.
Gallery openings and art museums.
Set up your easel in the park (or better, on a busy sidewalk in front of the “in” club), and inspire curiosity.
Concerts
Music and Film Festivals
Go to different churches and try out the Friday-night Shabbat services. It is mind-broadening and good for your soul.
Hot restaurants
Hot bars
Cigar bars
Pool halls
Car shows
Boat shows
Geek Meets
The Political Campaigns.

Really, it is all about seizing the opportunity and not allowing that handsome fellow in front of you on the coffee shop line to leave without you smiling and saying “hello.” Because, darling, it would be too sad to look back on your life and wonder why you couldn’t “meet a guy” when guys are literally EVERYWHERE!

To see more advice from E. Jean visit Elle magazine and AskEJean.com.