TresSugar

Tall People Live It Up

TresSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Listen up! According to a new survey that included over 400,000 participants, taller people are more likely to experience joy and happiness and judge their lives more favorably than people of average or below-average heights. Psychologists think that because people of above-average stature are statistically more likely to have higher levels of income and education that they also have a more positive outlook on life.

These height advantages might explain why French president Nicolas Sarkozy (5 foot 5 inches) apparently wishes he was a little bit taller. Last weekend, the leader was accused of going to lengths to hide his shortness. Rumor has it that when the French president's on stage, he only allows people of the same size to stand next to him. And Sarkozy infamously wears shoes with heals higher than his wife's.

Has your stature had a big impact on your quality of life, or do you think height is just a number?

Do, Dump, or Marry? Nicolas Sarkozy

TresSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:00:00 -0700

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is quite the ladies' man. He's been married to two different women since becoming president in 2007 and got caught checking out a young woman at the last G8 conference in Italy. (Was he or wasn't he?!).

When he's not in Paris with his supermodel wife Carla Bruni, Nicolas can be found jogging around NYC's Central Park. The pair was stateside this weekend so Carla Bruni could sing happy birthday to Nelson Mandela at his 91st birthday party.

Would you like to trade places with Carla and bring the powerful Nicolas back to your house, or are you saying: "non, merci."

Wandering Eyes: Does Video Pardon Obama and Sarkozy?

TresSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:35:00 -0700

Yesterday, this picture of Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy stirred up a commotion across the Internet. President Obama a man? Good God, no! President Sarkozy a Frenchman? C'est la vie.

But today Good Morning America demonstrated that pictures are not always perfect. Obama is shown to be turning around to help a young woman down the steps. And Sarkozy? Well, I don't know what he's doing! He could be checking her out, but it appears so blatant that maybe he, too, is looking somewhere else.

Week in Weird News: Sarkozy Tells Obama to Kiss Like French

CitizenSugar — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:00:28 -0700

Sarkozy Teaches Obama How to French Kiss - President Obama accepted the typical French greeting of cheek kisses from a French student on Friday, after President Sarkozy encouraged him to accept the gesture.
Woman Kicks Cleaning Husband to the Curb - A woman in Germany divorced her husband because he cleaned too much.
Obama Is the New Colonel - Two fried chicken restaurants in New York City have taken some heat for putting Obama's name on their signs. One city councilman plans demonstrations next week outside of Obama Fried Chicken and Obama Fried Chicken & Pizza.
Workers Find Live Grenade in Texas Attic - Roofers in Texas found a live World War II-era grenade in an attic this week. An FBI bomb technician was called in and the grenade was detonated at a nearby shooting range.
Rocket Fuel Chemical Found in Baby Formula – Samples of powered infant formula contain traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel, according to a new government study.
Israel's Female Leaders Erased From Photos - Ultra-Orthodox Jewish newspapers in Israel Photoshopped two female Israeli cabinet members out of a printed photo, because it is improper to print images of women.

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Front Page: Sarkozy Calls For Global Regulator at G20

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:29:05 -0700

At the G20 conference, French President Sarkozy has called for a "global regulator" that could reach inside US borders since the crisis "didn't actually spontaneously erupt in Europe." Obama maintains that there will be no ceding of sovereignty to such a regulator. - New York Times
A man died during G20 protests in central London. Police say bottles were thrown at police medics trying to help him. - The Guardian
A US military strike in Afghanistan killed 20 militants in the country's southern province. - AFP
Hillary Clinton has backed talks with moderate members of the Taliban and said they should be offered reconciliation. - CNN
The US is helping the United Arab Emirates launch a nuclear-power program. - Wall Street Journal
Nadya Suleman, the mother of octuplets, had a car seat thrown through her minivan window. - Fox News
A man in Colorado has coughed up a nail stuck in his nose for 30 years. - KKTV

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Carla Bruni - The 21st Century's Marie Antoinette?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:21:37 -0700

Outrage over bailed out executives taking home large bonuses and financing expensive trips all on the taxpayer's dime seems more than reasonable. And I can only imagine how angry those who lost their life savings to Bernard Madoff must be at the fact that the alleged swindler is still living in luxury on Park Avenue. But another set of rich people, who have arguably done nothing wrong, are gaining the public's wrath. The latest target - wealthy politicians.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni have come under fire in France for taking a luxurious vacation in Mexico.

After news leaked that the first couple was staying in a luxurious one-bedroom villa, the French became outraged. Overall the two-day stay, including security and staff, cost $100,000. No one's quite sure who footed the bill, but the president's staff says it wasn't the government. Still, many are offended by the extravagance in the face of rising unemployment and hardship.

We all remember how John McCain's failure to remember how many homes he owned bankrupted his campaign. In a democracy, should well-off leaders live within their own means, or within the means of the struggling public?

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Sarkozy Collects Stamps? 10 All-American Presidential Hobbies

CitizenSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:00:04 -0800

French President Nicolas Sarkozy revealed yesterday that he really likes collecting stamps. It sort of surprised me that the supermodel seducer has such a harmless hobby. The little known fact also got me curious about American presidents' pastimes. Take a look at 10 of my favorite presidential hobbies. Source

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Mediterranean Union Agrees to Rid the Middle East of WMDs

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:55:13 -0700

Nicolas Sarkozy, seen below with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, relished his role as host of 43 nations from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, launching his new Mediterranean Union. At the culmination of the meeting held in Paris yesterday, the nations' leaders condemned "terrorism in all forms" and agreed to "pursue a mutually and effectively verifiable Middle East Zone free of weapons of mass destruction."

Sarkozy's brainstorm has achieved the bold initiative of bringing together warring and impoverished nations alongside wealthy and industrialized nations to form the Mediterranean Union. He said at the closing of the summit yesterday, "we dreamed about a Union for the Mediterranean, and now it is a reality."

Leaders from the nations around the Mediterranean discussed a litany of problems including poverty, immigration, global warming and dwindling resources. To see how the Mediterranean Union plans to tackle peace in the Middle East, read more.

Though traditionally the gathering of nations like France, Italy, and Spain with Syria, Lebanon, and Israel might have yielded little in the way of substance, this might be the right summit at the right time. Instead of discussing abstract economic theories on disparity between Europe and the Middle East, they focused on practical projects like a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors. “We will build peace in the Mediterranean together, like yesterday we built peace in Europe,” Sarkozy said to his guests.

Among the goals agreed upon are “objectives of achieving peace, stability and security” in the region, a region-wide solar energy project, a Mediterranean student exchange program, a pollution eradication plan, as well as "practical steps to prevent the proliferation" of nuclear weapons, signed by all - including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - though stops short of planning enforcement.

Is this a good move toward solving conflict - or another photo-op and handshake-meeting with no clear plan for results?

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The Way We Became the G-8 Bunch: The Summit Episode

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:00:33 -0700

The G-8 Summit gets underway in Hakkaido, Japan today; a three-day meeting of the leaders of the eight countries invited, plus a representative of the European Union.
Grown from the concept of a forum of the major industrialized democracies after the 1973 oil crisis, more have been invited until 1997 when the last member, Russia, was invited at the initiative of then US President Bill Clinton.

The guest list is at the edge of controversy this year, as major climate issues are at hand, and two of the worst polluters (China and India) aren't invited. Here's who is (top to bottom, left to right):

Marcia Brady: United Kingdom, Gordon Brown
Jan Brady: United States, George W Bush
Cindy Brady: Germany, Angela Merkel
Carol Brady: Canada, Stephen Harper
Ann B. Davis as Alice: European Union, Jose Manuel Barroso
Mike Brady: Japan, Yasuo Fukada
Greg Brady (Johnny Bravo): France Nicolas Sarkozy
Peter Brady: Russia, Dmitry Medvedev
Bobby Brady: Italy, Silvio Berlusconi

What's going to happen in this very special episode of the G-8 bunch? Well, no one's going to find a Tiki idol or Vincent Price in a cave, but some other important stuff instead. To find out, read more.

Soaring food and energy costs will be at the top of the list, especially after oil prices rose to $145 a barrel last week. Global climate change is on the table too, following last year's agreement to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2050.

G-8 action on the world's food situation will be broached, probably by Germany's Angela Merkel who wrote a recent editorial in which she said, "The aggravation of the global food situation is increasing hunger in the world and threatens the political stability of many developing countries. At the summit, a comprehensive package of measures to secure global food supplies should be adopted." And aid to Africa is up there too, with seven heads of African nations invited to the opening ceremonies of the summit.

Anti-globalization, global warming, and poverty activists were on hand for the arrivals of the leaders amid heavy security. Banners reading, "Down with imperialism" among other slogans were displayed.

G-8 Summit 2008: It may be no trip to the Grand Canyon or race through a theme park, but it's worth a watch.

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Real Bullets Used in French Military Demonstration Injuring 17

LibertySugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:15:22 -0700

The French military accidentally used real bullets instead of blanks, during a demonstration this weekend, injuring 17 people, including three children.

The demonstration, intended to showcase hostage-freeing techniques, left a 3-year-old child in critical condition. Chief Bernard Lemaire said the soldier who fired the real bullets has been detained, as the apparent accident has not been ruled out as a criminal act. French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited victims at the Carcassonne hospital and promised punishment for the negligence.

In other French military news - Sarkozy now must face critics who claim he exchanged French independence for American domination by deciding to bring France back under NATO's unified military command, 42 years after Charles de Gaulle pulled France out of full participation. The decision also raises questions about France's attitude toward a unified European Union military policy, separate from NATO.

Should Europe embrace NATO as its military future or pursue an America-free defense policy? As for the bullet incident, I hope the victims in critical condition pull through and the cause of the accident is avoided in the future.
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