TresSugar

Are People With Sensitive Noses More Empathetic?

TresSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Are you cursed and blessed with a good sense of smell? Cursed because you smell every ungodly stink no matter how far away, and blessed because lovely smells affect you deeply?

Psychology professor Denise Chen at Rice University thinks you may also be more empathetic than your olfaction-challenged neighbor.

Sense of smell and emotions come from the same area of the brain (the limbic system), and Chen set out to test their connection. In an experiment with 22 pairs of dorm-dwelling women, Chen asked them all to sleep in identical t-shirts. The next morning, she presented each person with three t-shirts: one worn by her roommate, and two others worn by other people in the dorm. The women who were able to identify their roommates' t-shirts by smell alone also scored high in emotional tests.

"The olfactory brain overlaps with the emotional brain," said Chen, "and is believed to have contributed to its evolution." Do you have a good sense of smell or wish you did?

Have You Always Wanted to Be on the Cover of a Magazine?

GiggleSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:00:00 -0700

Well, here's your chance. Just upload a picture to this site and you're on your way to stardom! Look below to see a sampling of some Sugar ladies enjoying their 15 minutes of fame. And me in the People magazine cover there? That's actually real.

View 5 Photos ›

(FabSugar, CasaSugar, BuzzSugar, FitSugar, and GiggleSugar)

Could You Win the National Geographic Geography Bee?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:45:16 -0700

Eleven-year-old Akshay Rajagopal won the 20th annual National Geographic Geography Bee yesterday with his winning answer of "Bolivia." The win capped a two-day streak where he answered every question correctly. He's a sixth grader at Lux Middle School in Nebraska.

For his efforts, he'll take home a $25,000 scholarship. He was the youngest of the 10 finalists - all boys. His hobbies include collecting coins, and he is considering some kind of career that involves geography and enjoyed preparing for the contest: "I get to learn about the world and how it works, which is cool."

The photo is vintage from the first contest in 1989. Do you have the global wherewithal to be a geography queen bee? Test your mettle against some sample National Geographic questions.

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Take the quiz

Director Goes Inside Gitmo and Shares Experience With Us

CitizenSugar — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:00:37 -0700

Since the beginning of the War on Terror the US prison at Guantanamo Bay has sat under a cloud of controversy and in the middle of legal limbo. Suspected terrorists and innocent alike have been kept in the wire-enclosed camp in Cuba, outside the reach of American courts. National Geographic captured the day-to-day life in the prison for the film Explorer: Inside Guantanamo which airs tonight at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel.

The documentary highlights hardworking military guards, former detainees, and the depressing reality of men being held for years without charges. The director Bonni Cohen took time to answer some of my questions. Check out her thoughts on whether the detainees will make it to US soil, the professional nature of the camp, and how Guantanamo is different than a typical prison. And stop by tomorrow for the second part of my interview.

Will detainees make it to US soil? Interestingly some of the more liberal habeas attorneys are saying now, "Well God, if they have to stay in detention, Guantanamo is better than being moved somewhere in the United States. At least they have each other." I think that even the detainees would think they're in a better position where they are now, than if they would be moved to the United States. I don't think moving them to the US is really going to happen. . . The idea now is returning as many of these men back home many of them have been cleared to go home. . . There are certain number of them, these hardcore guys, and we know who they are, that are never going to get out.

On the professional nature of the camp: Of course everybody thinks it was staged for us. But that just was not the case. For some reason American journalists would rather just continue to believe whatever it is that they have believed for the last seven years without any gradation of changes, it's just bizarre for me. You can't go into a place for three weeks and have the entire thing be staged for you.

View 5 Photos ›

To see what Bonni thinks about the conditions at Gitmo, and for a preview from the film, read more.

How is Guantanamo different than other high security prisons? The big difference between a max prison and Guantanamo is that the guys (in the US) know why they're there, and they know how long they're going to be there. They know when they're getting out and they've had a chance to defend themselves. That's the biggest difference. In terms of the overall conditions, I think they're probably a little bit better at Guantanamo. I think the psychological conditions are much more grueling at Gitmo.

Source

Director Goes Inside Gitmo and Shares Experience With Us, Part II

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:30:47 -0700

Last night National Geographic broadcasted the new documentary Explorer: Inside Guantanamo. I got a chance to interview the director Bonni Cohen, who spent three weeks inside the camp filming. In part one of the interview yesterday, she shared her thoughts on whether the detainees will make it to US soil, the professional nature of the camp, and how Guantanamo is different than a typical prison. Bellow, see what she had to say about former detainees, the misconceptions about the military prison, and whether the treatment of enemy combatants will make US soldiers less safe in the future.

What did you learn interviewing former detainees? I don't think we've done ourselves any good locking these guys up and subsequently letting them go for reasons they don't understand only to go back to their lives, and not necessarily return to the battle, still some of them have - having really intense feelings toward the United States for how they were treated.

Could not applying the Geneva Convention at Guantanamo make US soldiers less safe? Yes, I think so. . . Somebody in the film does say, "Well if I ever find myself taken captive, I would expect to be treated firm, fairly, and impartially." And I think that the soldiers at Guantanamo feel that that's how these guys at Guantanamo are being treated. I can confirm that that's what we witnessed as well. There were definitely two Guantanamos. That of the early years of the war, and the one that we witnessed.

What do you make of the accusations of torture expressed in the film?

To read her answer, and to see a clip of from last night's show, read more.

What do you make of the accusations of torture expressed in the film? The military acts on what they are told to do. So it's really the leadership. No individual soldier.

Are there misconceptions about Guantanamo? The biggest mistake the Pentagon made was not letting people in sooner. Because secrecy and mystery breeds doubt. I think all anybody sees in their head when they think of Gitmo are those early images of the guys in the orange jumpsuits with the goggles and the ear muffs on, in the outdoor cages and they assume that's still the case. We went down there without an idea of what we would find there and we found this very professionally run prison. And instead of prison guards we have our own US military down there all these young people doing this really grueling work. But we certainly didn't find the conditions of the old Gitmo.

What are your hopes for Obama? I'm hoping he finds a way to fix this legal limbo these guys find themselves in.

Ask E. Jean For DearSugar: Can a Relationship Without Sex Work?

DearSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Dear E. Jean,

I'm trying to sort out my dilemma, which concerns the man I've been dating for two months - he's 34, me 30. We have an incredible amount of things in common, laugh a lot together, both have our ducks in a row career-wise and financially. We love surfing together, making dinner, biking, we've traveled together twice without a hitch, gee what a match!

Well after about a month of wonderful, he freaks out and doesn't call me one night we have plans. I call him the next day, and he tells me he had a freak-out because we’ve been having sex, which doesn't align with his Christian values. Now he knows it's wrong. So end result, he wants to date, but no more sex.

He's been engaged twice before, both ended by the ladies. He thinks he may have rushed into the engagements because he's Christian and believes in waiting until marriage for sex.

Another month goes by. He says I've been “amazing and sweet”. He says I’m fun and he likes that I don't play games. He says I "have all the qualities he would want in a girlfriend," but he's not there yet. My stunned response was "it's only been two months . . . we're still just getting to know each other, so dating is fine."

My questions: Am I being let down easy; should I get out now? I wonder why he wants to continue seeing me. I feel like on paper I'm his ideal, attractive, outdoorsy, fun, laid-back, low-maintenance woman but perhaps something is missing for him and he wants to make sure? Or is he just looking to not be alone? Would I regret it more if I ended it now (the constant flip-flopping is killing me), or gave it a chance only to have another whammy delivered later? Or am I overthinking it entirely and should just live my life and let the chips fall where they may?

Speaking of which, we have not had sex since “the talk,” and have barely fooled around, in fact he rarely touches me now - a big problem. He acknowledges that he's not very affectionate.

Help! I can't sleep, because I alternate between crying because I feel so rejected, and angry that he's so all over the map. That's my story. I feel like there’s potential with him, but is it worth it? Oh, I should comment that I am not Christian, but very supportive of his values, and thought it was so refreshing to date someone that believes in faithfulness and honesty and the sanctity of marriage. - Nauseated in San Diego

To see E. Jean's answer read more.

Miss Nauseated, My Luv, I have one word for you: RRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnn!

This poor lad sounds like a decent guy, but he’s no more “rushing” into marriage than Heidi Montag is rushing to gain weight on her thighs. If he liked sex, he’d have walked down the aisle years and years ago. (Many deeply religious people marry young, make superbly stable marriages, and enjoy just ridiculously hot rumpty dumpty about three times a day.)

So, to answer your questions:
Yes. You are “being let down.”
Yes. You should “get out now.”
Yes. “Something” is “missing for him.”
Yes. You are “overthinking it.”
Yes. He has “more issues than National Geographic.”
And to answer the one question you didn’t ask:
Yes. He is gay.

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

Giggle Links

GiggleSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:10:00 -0700

Random Kitten Generator is the new crack! - Random Kitten Generator
And you thought you were having a bad day! - Reclaiming Miss Havisham
Just what the doctor ordered: 100 proof tequila! - Holy Taco
Sensual Stretching: it's not just for adults anymore! - eBaum's World
Dudes did Glamour Shots, too. Here's all the proof you need. (And then some.) - Best Week Ever
I believe this advertisement is having an orgasm. - 13gb
Haven't been watching your National Geographic? Click here for a quickie. - Break
The cigarette companies have found a new way to reach an untapped demographic. - College Humor

Did John Edwards Endorse His Way to Vice President?

LibertySugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:00:30 -0700

Yesterday, son-of-a-mill-worker John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama, ending months of silence and rebuffing former rival Hillary Clinton.

The announcement was made in Michigan, a state that acutely experiences America's economic slowdown, and has felt scorn by the Democratic Party this primary season. Perhaps the announcement had more than geographical strategic significance - could this be the first dual appearance made by the reincarnation of the "dream ticket?" Will John Edwards take a second crack at becoming the nation's number two leader?

John Edwards, whose own campaign appealed directly to white, blue-collar voters, received seven percent of the vote in West Virginia, where Obama struggled to keep his momentum. Not, bad for a man not even running. Obama has trouble with the group that embraces Edwards.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is talking Democratic unity. On CNN yesterday, she said that it would be a "terrible mistake" for her supporters to vote for John McCain over Barack Obama. But, does Obama need her on the ticket in order to get her supporters to vote at all?

The New York Times reported that although Edwards denied holding out for an administration position before he endorsed, he told them privately that he would consider the role of vice president, and favored the position of attorney general.

While John Edwards didn't even make Huffington Post's Obama VP frontrunner list, this ticket does seem plausible.

Will Obama tap Edwards?

Source

Giggle Links

GiggleSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:10:00 -0800

Closet badasses? 6 famous wusses who could probably kick your ass. - Cracked
Led Zeppelin + virtual roller coaster = dizziness and fun! - Hard Rock Park
Korean Parliament or WWF? - Wonkette
What inventions have we overlooked this year? - The Onion
Now here's my kind of yoga! Laughter yoga! - You Tube
Meet the silliest-looking sea creature ever. - National Geographic
Awww. It's the Itty Bitty Christmas Committee. - Itty Bitty Kitty Committee
Peta usually gets it wrong for a good cause, but this is funny. - Peta2

Can The iPhone See Into Your Soul?

GiggleSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:00:00 -0700

Duuude. Have you tried this on your iPhone yet? (At least The Big Guy's reading National Geographic and not something else, right?!) Thanks, College Humor!