TresSugar

Do Tell: What Would You Save If Your House Was on Fire?

DearSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0700

It's scary how many wildfires we seem to have in California these days. The tragedies always make me think about how awful it would be to go through a fire, and I start to ponder the hypothetical question of what I would save if my house were burning.

My mom often said that if she could only save one thing, it would be our family photos - though that's not as relevant today in the age of digital photography. Has your home ever caught fire? If so, you probably went the safe route and saved yourself before your stuff. But if your house were burning and you could only save one thing, what would it be?

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"Giant Pair of Knickers" to the Rescue!

GiggleSugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:00:00 -0800

Some woman's underpants were used to extinguish a small house fire in the UK and this somehow made the news. What kills me is how the reporter here refers to the undergarment as a "giant pair of knickers," while sometimes adding hand gestures for extra-"large" emphasis. Meanwhile, the owner of the underpants stands by as if this is objective news. If you ask me, she should ball up those panties in her hand and give someone a giant knicker knock-out. He deserves it.

Front Page: Fires Rage in Southern California

TresSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:00:32 -0700

A relentless fire in Southern California has claimed the lives of two firemen, along with 18 houses. More than 6,000 homes are under mandatory evacuation orders. - LA Times
Jenna Bush has been hired as a new correspondent for the Today Show. - AP
Colombian president Alvaro Uribe has swine flu. - BBC News
Out-of-town couples are not rushing to Vermont now that same-sex marriage is legal. - AP
Kidnap victim Jaycee Lee Dugard apparently played a key role in her captor's printing business. - San Francisco Chronicle

Front Page: First Lady Barbara Bush Has Open-Heart Surgery

CitizenSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:55:42 -0800

Former first lady Barbara Bush, 83, had successful open-heart surgery yesterday. She is recovering in Texas. - Houston Chronicle
Wal-Mart reported a better-than-expected rise in sales last month, thanking lower gas prices that allowed shoppers to spend more at the store. - Reuters
Karl Rove will testify before the House Judiciary Committee about his alleged role in the firing of federal prosecutors and the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. - Fox News
The Supreme Court decided yesterday that state juries can award damages for harm caused by unsafe drugs, even if the drugs were approved by the FDA. - New York Times

A man who lost his sight 30 years ago has gotten some of it back thanks to a bionic eye. - BBC News
The total number of jobless claims dropped unexpectedly last month, as the number of initial requests for unemployment benefits dropped to 639,000. - AP

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Democrats Engage Rush Limbaugh - Smart or Foolish?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:00:54 -0800

Whether you love him or hate him, Rush Limbaugh has been dominating the news cycle. Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel fired the first shot in the latest battle this weekend, calling out Rush as the head of the Republican party.

When it came to the surface that RNC chair Michael Steele criticized Rush as an incendiary "entertainer" Steele quickly apologized to Rush, just like Rahm had dictated. For a second it seemed like Rahm was the head of the Republican party!

But some progressives say the "brilliant" strategy of elevating Rush serves Rush, and the GOP. A former adviser to Hillary Clinton wrote in the Huffington Post yesterday:

The idea that making him more powerful in the hopes that it somehow illustrates the weakness of GOP ideas is too Rube Golbergy for me. Why not just conceive and implement smart, good, Dem policy, use Bush as a constant reminder of Republican failures, and let the results speak for themselves?

While some think it's smart for the Democrats to equate the GOP with extreme voices like Limbaugh, others think the White House's attention has elevated the stature of poisonous political discourse. If you're a Democrat this might not be the best thing, since Republicans could use an influential Limbaugh to do their "dirty work."

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CNBC Reporter Treated to White House's Wrath

CitizenSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:30:42 -0800

Yesterday fired-up CNBC reporter Rick Santelli laid into the president. He implored Obama to ask Americans whether they really want to "subsidize the losers' mortgages." The traders on the Chicago trading floor cheered for Santelli and booed at the mention of Obama's plan.

Today the White House officially addressed the rant, and Santelli by name. Press Secretary Gibbs asserted:

I think we left a few months ago the adage that if it was good for a derivatives trader than it was good for Main Street. I think the verdict is in on that. Mr. Santelli has argued, I think quite wrongly, that this plan won’t help everyone. . . . This plan helps people who have been playing by the rules. . . . I would encourage him to read the president’s plan . . . I’d be more than happy to have him come here to read it. I’d be happy to buy him a cup of coffee - decaf.

I guess Gibbs thinks Santelli has had enough caffeine. Gibbs also pointed out that when a home is foreclosed on, the homes surrounding lose about 9 percent in value.

Did Santelli's rant strike a chord with you, or do you agree with Gibbs?

Inauguration Uh-Ohs: Food Fights, Drunk VPs, and Fire

LibertySugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:30:28 -0800

President Obama has gone out of his way to echo Lincoln throughout the presidential transition, right down to his inauguration lunch where food the 16th president "would have enjoyed" was served. But not even Abe Lincoln's inauguration went smoothly. What could possibly go wrong? Let's look at what has at inaugurations past.

Andrew Jackson, the president of the people, was followed back to the White House by 20,000 well-wishers looking for ice cream, cake, and lemonade. It turned into a mob that nearly destroyed the White House and forced Jackson to exit through a back door.
A food fight broke out during Lincoln's inaugural supper.
Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's vice president, had come down with a bug on inauguration day, so he drank some whiskey to perk himself up. And then he drank some more! People held their heads in embarrassment while he rambled, drunk, through his speech.

To see the rest, read more.

Someone forgot to turn on the heat at Ulysses S. Grant's inaugural ball. People tripped over one another while dancing in their overcoats, and canaries - brought in to chirp for song - froze to death.
At JFK's inauguration, a lectern caught on fire during the invocation. Then Vice President Lyndon Johnson tripped on the words of his oath, saying "without any mental reservation whatever."
Poet Robert Frost mistakenly dedicated his poem not to John F. Kennedy but to John Findlay. Who? He was a Harvard professor.

So far so good today, but a long night - 10 inaugural balls - awaits the Obamas tonight.

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Should Karl Rove Testify About the Attorney General Firings?

LibertySugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:00:49 -0800

Karl Rove has been the Teflon presidential adviser, so far avoiding a contempt of Congress charge and dodging subpoenas by arguing that former presidential advisers cannot be compelled to testify to Congress. Yesterday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers issued another subpoena, demanding that Rove testify under oath on Feb. 2 about the firing of US attorneys in the Bush Justice Department.

Conyers says this time things are different. He argued that the "absolute immunity" position:

has been rejected by US District Judge John Bates and President Obama has previously dismissed the claim as "completely misguided". . . Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it. After two years of stonewalling, it's time for him to talk.

Do you agree that it's time for Rove to give a deposition? No matter what you think, it should be interesting to see whether or not President Obama supports Rove's executive privilege claim.

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Front Page: A Chance For Peace in Gaza

LibertySugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:05:29 -0800

A three-hour cease-fire in Gaza left hope that peace between Hamas and Israel can be reached, but there is no guarantee. - CBS on YouTube
The Red Cross reports it found at least 15 bodies and several children, who were emaciated but alive, in a row of shattered houses in the Gaza Strip. Officials accused the Israeli military of preventing ambulances from reaching the bombed-out site for four days. - Washington Post
President-elect Barack Obama plans to urge Congress to move quickly on his economic aid package (expected to cost $800 billion) today, warning that failure to do so would have devastating long-term effects for the nation. - CNN
The Army mistakenly sent letters addressed "Dear John Doe" to 7,000 family members of soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, forcing a formal apology from the Army's top general. The letters contained information about private organizations that assist grieving families, but a printing error by a contractor left the letters without specific names and addresses. - Washington Post

Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly said it would restore supplies to Europe through Ukraine, which it cut off after a dispute between Moscow and Kiev, as soon as international monitors are implemented. - Reuters

Front Page: Israel Pushes Into Southern Gaza on Day 12 of Fire

LibertySugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:53 -0800

Israeli troops moved to the southern Gaza Strip today, ignoring an effort by European envoys to broker a cease-fire. Palestinian officials said the death toll in Gaza has risen to about 560 since Israel began airstrikes on Dec. 27. At least nine Israelis have been killed. - Washington Post
President-elect Barack Obama told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he favors a grand total of $775 billion for the US economic stimulus plan. - Bloomberg
Consumers are reeling from a recession, job uncertainty, tighter credit, and falling stock portfolios, and it shows. Wal-Mart Stores could be one of the only retailers to post a rise in December sales, as US retail sales continue to fall. - Reuters
Barack Obama's pick for head of CIA, Leon Panetta, is churning a mixed reaction from CIA officials. He has been described as a "fabulous choice" to lead the agency and conversely "inexperienced" with intelligence manners. - ABC News
Despite support against his appointment to the US Senate, Roland Burris told the The Early Show he plans to take his seat as Illinois's junior senator. Burris, who was selected to take Barack Obama's Senate seat, brushed off his critics, saying his appointment by the scandal-plagued governor, Rod Blagojevich, is legal and valid - CBS News

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