TresSugar

Lonely Planet Releases List of Top 10 World Cities

CitizenSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:53:20 -0700

If you're dying to get out of Dodge, you're in luck. The Lonely Planet series of travel guides has just released its list of Top 10 World Cities. One entry is causing a few raised eyebrows - including mine. Glasgow, Scotland has made its way onto the list despite its not-too-distant reputation for rough neighborhoods, gangs, and general dereliction. When I went looking for photos, indeed most of them told that story.

The guide paints a rosier picture of a city resurrected. It says: "Forget castles, kilts, bagpipes and tartan. You come for the cocktails, cuisine and designer chic (plus the legendary native wit). Glasgow has shaken off its shroud of industrial soot and shimmied into a sparkling new designer gown."

The Lonely Planet travel editor seconds that notion saying, "The time has come for Lonely Planet to let one of its worst-kept secrets out: Glasgow's got everything. We're delighted to highlight such a fun, stylish city." While some say celebration is too soon in a city "more violent than New York and sicker than parts of Iraq," we can hope that the Planet folks have their finger on the pulse of a trend of improvement.

To see the rest of the cities that made the list, read more.

Antwerp
Beirut
Chicago
Glasgow
Lisbon
Mexico City
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Shanghai
Warsaw
Zurich

If the travel fairy bestowed you with a magical round-trip ticket, would you head to any of these cities?

Source

Guidebook Writer Says He Never Visited Countries

LibertySugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:00:49 -0700

Apparently it isn't essential that a guidebook writer actually visit the country he writes about. A Lonely Planet author is claiming that he made up large portions of his books, and dealt drugs to subsidize his measly salary. Think twice before going to the titles on Brazil, Colombia, the Caribbean, Venezuela, Chile, and South America, for some first-hand advice.

These damning revelations came out in the writer's, Thomas Kohnstamm, new book Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? He says that he wrote about Colombia without visiting the country because they didn't pay him enough to go to Colombia. He says: "I wrote the book in San Francisco. I got the information from a chick I was dating - an intern in the Colombian Consulate."

This guy has the coolest job ever - traveling around the world and writing about it- and he does the arguably hard part while, ditching the fun of seeing the world. I know he's not making a lot of money, but he accepted the job knowing how much he was going to make. Do you think phony travel writers, like Kohnstamm, should go to hell?

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Ask E. Jean For DearSugar: I'm a Total Basketcase!

E Jean Carroll — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:00:52 -0700

Sit tight, Sugar darlings: This is a long and juicy letter!

Dear E. Jean,

OK, you ready? My two middle school children decided for themselves to fabricate some claims about me so they could live with their dad, who buys them everything they want and lets them go anywhere they want.

Me? I won't do those things, and even if I could, I'm not able to. I am on disability for fibromyalgia and have a very low income. So because they thought the only way they could make it possible to live with their dad would be to make horrible accusations about me, my visitation has been suspended until it goes to court. Yes, I have an attorney. And, yes he sucks, but I had to beg and borrow to hire him and now I'm stuck.

I also recently ended a six-year relationship with a man who, by the way, is still married to his wife. He has a son. He did not want to pay child support, so he kept stringing me along for those six years with the promise of, "I'll get a divorce in the next few months when we get caught up on bills so I can afford an attorney." Hook, line, and sinker, that’s how hard I fell for this. I tell you what, at the time I even thought I was being so loving and patient - ha! So I booted him out once and for all!

(That's just the beginning! So read more.)

You don't know the days that all I could manage to do was cry. I would be so depressed that I couldn't eat, sleep, or even go out to check the mail. However, recently, I've been getting out on weekends and have made some friends. I’ve gone out with a couple of real jerks and I’ve gone out with a couple of really nice, handsome, very successful men. But the nice ones don't want me after they find out about the disability. I feel like damaged goods or like I'm defective in some way, when really I have quite a few good days, where I am able to get out, go dancing, or do whatever I feel like doing.

My current issue is a new man I met online. We had been talking about a month online then decided to meet. He is sooo much fun, funny, down to earth, successful, and gorgeous as all get out! He is just the perfect picture of who I want to be with. The issue? He wants to have children someday, and I had a hysterectomy due to endometriosis. He told me on the phone today that he realized that I wanted a relationship (without me saying a word about that because I didn't want to scare him away) and he admired the fact that I could be so full of love and open with my heart with no fear, but right now he just wants to be friends.

He said that he really had to think about him wanting to be a father and the fact that I was not able to bear anymore children. That hurt worse than if he would have just dropped me like a piece of trash!

I broke down and started crying on the phone when he said this. Well, he felt bad that he had hurt me like that and called back a few minutes later inviting me to go to PetSmart. He told me to bring my little dog so he could pay to get her toenails trimmed. He bought her a new leash and he paid to put gas in my car. (About $125 for just those three things).

After I left his house, I took a walk with my dog for two hours. When I got home, I wrote him a simple email that said, "I am sorry I started crying on the phone earlier. I'm OK now after a long walk to get my head straight. I am happy to have your friendship. I do tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, but I think I'll put it in my pocket for safe keeping. Talk to ya later." I honestly thought I would never hear from him again. That was basically my goodbye.

As soon as he read that email, he called me. I took every ounce of energy I could find to sound chipper on the phone. I kept the conversation very brief. Then, as soon as we hung up, he starts IMing me. We chatted for over an hour about simple trivial things. He said that he was going to bed and would talk to me tomorrow.

I am left sitting here past 2 a.m. with band-aids on six of my fingertips (when I get nervous, I bite my nails), wondering what in the heck is going on! I'm a friggin' basketcase! I know this is a lot to get advice on, but trust me. I could really use some. Not even my therapist can keep up with everything that is going on with me right now! - All Messed Up and Lonely in Tennessee

Dear Miss Messed,

You are wrong, my darling. I do not have "a lot" of advice for you. I have no doubt that you are quite charming, but alas, I have read your insufferably long letter, and your excruciating selfishness, immaturity, and juvenile idiocy comes through with every line.

Your children left you - brought "horrible accusations" against you - and you're writing because you're a basketcase over a man who had your dog's toenails trimmed?

Grow up, hunny. Get your priorities straight. Stop thinking about yourself for one half-second and realize there are other people on this planet. Like your kids.

The one piece of advice I do have for you is this: Take the band-aids off, stop bawling, cease trolling for dudes online, and get a job. Fibromyalgia is painful. Fibromyalgia is a bitch. But you gotta play the hand you were dealt, girl, or be a loser the rest of your life.

Get a job! Get a job! Get a job! Get a job! Get a job! Get a job! A job will bring in money. A job will boost your feelings of self-worth. A job will help you gain your self-respect. A job will give your kids a mother to admire. Every problem you have comes from the fact that you’re a superficial, man-crazy, irresponsible lackwit who lays around the house carping and bellyaching and doing nothing to help herself.

And don’t tell me about the pain. I know from pain. Get a job.

P.S. About that line in your letter that says "the nice (men) don’t want me after they find out about the disability." The guys are not turned off because you have an unfortunate medical disorder, my dear; they are turned off because you are a helpless, rather thoughtless woman who lost your own kids because you would not get a job and fight for them.

No sane man would want a woman like that.

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

Pick the Weirdest 80's Sitcom

GiggleSugar — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 04:02:00 -0800

Among the many weird forms of entertainment the 80's had to offer, here are its three weirdest television shows:

A.L.F.: Gordon Shumway, or A.L.F. (Alien Life Form), crash-lands from the planet Melmac into the suburban middle class home of the Tanners who take him in, hide him from the alien military, and keep him from the family cat (his fave snack).

Small Wonder: V.I.C.I. (pronounced Vicky), is an android in the form of a ten-year-old girl who is invented to help the handicapped. She's taken into the home of the Lawson family to mature. Robot hijinx ensue.

Knight Rider: Starring David Hasselhoff, this show was about a modern-day "knight" who drove a car with artificial intelligence. According to the show's developer, "I wanted to do the 'Lone Ranger' with a car."

Which one do you think is the weirdest? Why?