TresSugar

Ground Zero Reconstruction Planners Ditch Timetable

LibertySugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:00:16 -0700

The building schedule for skyscrapers and a memorial planned for New York City's Ground Zero have been tossed out by the World Trade Center owners, due to unrealistic goals and rising costs.

Planners will announce a new timetable this September, seven years after the Twin Towers fell, according to BBC. Officials previously promised that the Freedom Tower, set to replace the destroyed towers while taking the title of the nation's tallest building, would be complete in 2006, then 2011, and finally in 2013.

Planners promise that the next date will be realistic, rather than emotional. The original Twin Towers took about five years to build. After September 11, 2001, how long did you expect it to take to rebuild Ground Zero? Does the stalling delay the healing process?

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Word du Jour: Trustafarian

TresSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0700

A trustafarian is someone who wants street cred by living in artsy, pre-gentrified (or recently gentrified) neighborhoods and who pretends to be struggling while secretly living off a trust fund.

It seems that the recession is taking a toll even on the ~~trustafarians~~ hipsters at Ground Zero for hipsterdom, the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY.

The New York Times reports today that parents hit with hard times are starting to pull the plug on the trust-funders. Twenty-something creatives, who never had a paying job before, now have to look for work that will pay the bills. Gasp!

That's OK with Williamsburg's more "authentic" - and unsubsidized - residents. One actually-struggling artist told the Times: "It does make me feel a little bit better. It’s bringing a lot of Williamsburg back to reality.”

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Was 9/11 a Government Conspiracy?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:00:13 -0700

The seventh anniversary of of September 11 is approaching and it seems like it's impossible to remember a time before. This horrific tragedy has entered the global lexicon of experience and colored everything since in a way few events in history have. Almost every person has a story of their own from that day, and a personal way of dealing with it since - some stay away from the movies and documentaries as if the facts are still too fresh; others obsessively pore over every true tale and listen to the 911 calls from that morning, hoping to that bitter medicine will hold answers.

Still others out there think very differently about that morning - those who believe the events were perpetrated by the government. From thinking that the collapse of the buildings was actually caused by controlled demolition explosions, to wondering whether there was actually a commercial plane at the Pentagon crash site, theories abound. This passionate collection of conspiracy claims and arguments against them recently posted on YesButNoButYes, got me thinking about the different camps.

New York Magazine a couple of years ago broke down the various schools of thought on the level of conspiracy people believe there to have been. The piece is called "The Ground Zero Grassy Knoll" and they list almost all of the theories ever floated including the "HOP" level: LIHOP (Let it Happen on Purpose) to MIHOP (Made it Happen on Purpose.) It's a comprehensive read and exposes the complexity of people's thoughts about 9/11. While it's possible we may never know a story that will satisfy everyone, what do you think?

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Study Finds Long-Term 9-11 Stress in Lower Manhattan

CitizenSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:00:35 -0700

Coming up on the seventh anniversary of September 11, the New York City health department wanted to know how those affected are coping today. They released findings from the first study to assess 9-11's long-term effect on mental health today.

The results illuminate the day's lingering impact and the staggering difference between those living near the World Trade Center compared with the rest of Manhattan.

One in eight Lower Manhattan residents reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - 12.6 percent - three to four years after the attacks. Considering within six months only 1 percent of Manhattan as a whole reported PTSD symptoms, this is a significant finding. To see what else they found, read more.

PTSD, it turns out, is not gender, color, or class blind. Women instead of men; African Americans and Hispanics instead of whites; and those earning less than $25,000 per year were all more likely to report symptoms. At 38 percent, residents who suffered injuries were most likely to be affected, and at 17 percent those caught in the dust that rushed through the streets were the second most.

While the disparity may seem self-evident, researches love to hypothesize. The constant reminders in the area, disruptions to routines, and the large number of residents evacuated from homes are posited theories; however, the correlation has not been studied.

While results from a follow-up 2007 survey will be released later this year, the current study calls for further and more in-depth monitoring of PTSD victims. As a temporary solution, the city is urging people to take advantage of its free mental health services.

Considering those still living around Ground Zero have an almost constant visual reminder of the events of the day, is the city doing enough to help those affected? What do you think income has to do with mental symptoms? Will we ever know the true extent of the attack's damage?

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Former National Guardsman Plays Strip-Protest for Playgirl

CitizenSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:00:36 -0700

We're all seeing a lot more of former Army Specialist Stewart Zamudio. He's taken it all off for Playgirl magazine in protest of the Patriot Act which he says, heh, "strips away" Americans' freedoms.

Zamudio spent six years as a National Guardsman even appearing in a TV commercial from Ground Zero for the military but slowly started to feel as though his opinions didn't jive with his mission.

He says of his time in service, "I think that there is a restriction on what you shouldn't say and what you should do and shouldn't do and how you should express yourself," he said. "I mean, you're not supposed to criticize your boss. . . And I did." He continues, "I think it's gotten too political, the war and everything. And we just have to focus. I want to change the meaning of what the American flag is to the people."

The meaning of the flag just might be different draped across his naked shoulders in the pages of the racy mag. He's also pictured in his official uniform. Critics don't like either method of covering up, nor Zamudio's message. One says, "It's a dishonor to everybody else who serves. We don't need to do that that. We don't need to look like the sorry character he's portrayed."

Zamudio received $1,000 for the shoot, money he's giving to a veteran he says needs money for medical reasons. What do you think of this protest? Is wearing his uniform and his flag in protest in a magazine like Playgirl a clever and appropriate way to sound off or does it strip both of dignity?

To see Zamudio in action (don't worry it's safe for work), read more.

Cleveland's Next Top Model: Part Deux

GiggleSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0700

It's been less than a whole day since I introduced you to Cleveland's Next Top Model, but I am obsessed - obsessed, I tell you! - with Tamara and her crew. Back at ground zero of CNTM, that is to say, Tamara's garage, the girls are told their next challenge: model swimsuits outdoors in the freezing Ohio winter. There's even a little "smile with your eyes" Tyraism from Tamara's photographer: "It's winter in Ohio," he tells the chilled ladies, "but it better be summer in Miami...here," as he gestures to his eyes. I won't give it all away, but let's just say, I'm wiping tears away as I type.

I'm Voting For John McCain

CitizenSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:01:03 -0800

My vote today is the most passionate I've ever cast. I'm voting today, not for a candidate, but for a hero. My vote today is for the one man who gave all and stepped up to give more. The man who emerged from inconceivable horrors of war, burnished with character instead of regret. The one man who exemplifies and exalts true leadership.
My vote today comes not from a litany of policy positions, though not in the absence of them either. Protecting our resources, fiscal, environmental, and martial, is the true definition of conservatism, and I'm voting to preserve our assets. And I'm voting to join our efforts in this crusade of preservation, together. My vote today comes from a place of cooperation, from common sense, from a desire to restore the luster on my country's reputation, and a duty to bestow an American hero with the job he's proven himself worthy of accepting.

His age, much feared a detriment, is one of his greatest assets. This is the last office John McCain will ever seek. He will be able to govern, to lead, free from the shadow of reelection and postoffice reputation. He will be free to answer only to himself, his judgment, and his countrymen.

Though hindsight is a double-edged sword, I often think about what our country, our world, would look like if John McCain had been elected in 2000. I imagine McCain standing at Ground Zero, reassuring our country with the hard-wrought determination that only someone who's led as courageously from the front lines as from the floor of Congress can embody. I imagine that scene, and I cast my ballot. For history, for experience, for patriotism, for everything John McCain has given of himself, I give John McCain my vote, my confidence, and my country.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, CitizenSugar, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Sugar Inc. Check out LibertySugar's post for the Democratic take.

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You Asked: Is it Healthy to Workout Everday?

DearSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar--

Do you think it is healthy to just jump right into an intense exercise routine, working out five days or the whole week, especially if your recent workout consisted of a simple mile run once a week? Please help.

--Getting in Shape Susan

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Getting in Shape Susan--

Many times women who want to get in shape or lose weight decide to "hit the ground running" (literally) and begin an intense exercise program. If you're only used to working out moderately once a week, going from zero to 100 could be a shock to your system. Your body won't be able to keep up and in turn, you'll get extremely frustrated, which could be the beginning of the end for your workout routine.

That's not to say you can't workout everyday, but you need to start off with an attainable goal. Start by exercising two or three days a week: Go for a 30 minute walk, take an hour and a half yoga class, go swimming, or do anything that gets your heart pumping. If you like running, stick to that, but try running a little more than a mile each time. Once your body gets used to exercising more frequently, you can start making your cardio more intense with interval running, elliptical machines, biking, etc. Think about adding strength-training in there to help tone your muscles and make you stronger and lean. This can be in the form of yoga, Pilates and weight lifting. You can do this either on the same days you do cardio or in between, it's up to you.

Once your body gets used to working out regularly, you can start increasing the intensity or your workouts, or even workout more often if you want. Just keep in mind that you want to avoid pushing yourself too hard, so try to be sensitive to how your body is reacting to the extra exercise. Don't convince yourself that you have to workout everyday because working out should not be viewed as a chore. Good luck!

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