TresSugar

How Old Is Too Old? Should Medicare Shell Out for Over 100s?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:00:15 PDT

Seen a lot of sliver foxes running around lately? That's because the population of folks in the US over 100 has nearly doubled since 2000. If the candle-blowing continues like this, within 40 years, it could exceed one million. A million people over 100. Slate has a piece examining the cause and effect of great medical care - people live longer, and consequently require more and more care for many years longer than the Medicare system was equipped to handle - like one woman who received a $35,000 pacemaker the month before her 100th birthday.

Living long is fantastic, but it raises a question: Would the health care money be better spent on younger patients? The piece makes the argument that health is like wealth. Some people are blessed with it, and some aren't - and it floats this theory:

Just as some people have enough money, others have had enough time. If you make it to 100 and can fund your own surgery, that's terrific. But Medicare should focus its resources on people who haven't been as lucky as you. Living to 99 is no tragedy. It's a blessing.

Should there be an age consideration for patients to receive spendy medical procedures for those who've lived good, long lives?

Source

Who Won't Be Fairest of Them All in Four Years?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:38 PDT

I promise we're not going wall-to-wall Pennsylvania today like some (cough, cable news, cough) but we were just talking about this the other day with John Edwards! The Internet works in mysterious ways. You Obama supporters out there might want to think long and hard about electing his royal handsomeness. Do you want this to befall his pretty mug in four years?

The folks at PopPhoto put together a set of outrageously addictive photos of the candidates that let you roll over and see what the toll of four years as commander in chief will take on their youthful good looks. Yes, McCain, too! You guys are terrible. Go check it out. Who do you think comes out looking the best?

We'll have the Pennsylvania primary results here tonight, the split-second they're called. Don't forget to check back to see who's on the way to looking like their picture.
Source

Gymnast Shawn Johnson Dreams of Making the Team

Susi May — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:35:22 PST

Shawn Johnson never officially retired from gymnastics. Although she toyed with the idea after the 2008 games, she's once again set her sights on the Olympics. But the decision to step back into competition wasn't simple. It took a a self-described "garage sale" wipeout on the ski slopes to end her indecision. Ironically, skiing, the only activity Shawn's long-time coach Liang Chow (they've worked together since she was 6) considered completely off-limits, brought her back into the game.

At a recent event at Nike headquarters, in Beaverton, OR, Shawn told me that after learning the results of her postaccident MRI, she drove straight to the gym and told Chow she wanted to come back even though she had torn two ligaments in her knee, torn her meniscus (the cushion of cartilage that sits between the thigh and the tibia, or shin bone), and ripped her hamstrings. "Instead of thinking, 'I'll never be able to come back now,' the first thing that came to me was, 'I have to go back.' It was kind of a motivation to me to get healthy again and to rehab myself . . . I really like to make things hard, and I don't like things that are easy."

Keep reading to learn more about Shawn's comeback.

Savvy Links: 5 Reasons to Fear Mediocrity

Emily Co — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:49:03 PST

5 reasons to fear mediocrity - HuffPost Women
Find out why you hate your job - The Jane Dough
Ways blazing Internet speeds can save you money - Wise Bread
The best drugstore makeup - AllYou
Here's how to file your tax return - LearnVest
Guess how much a stay-at-home mom is worth - LilSugar
Should I throw away my old floppy disks? - Tecca
How would you handle these sticky money situations? - Real Simple
Fund your 401(k) or IRA first? - Bankrate

Retro Arcade Accessories For Your iDevices

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:30:31 PST

Thinkgeek is the place to go when you need a little retro gaming fix. But rather than buying an old-school arcade, you can transform your modern iPhone and iPads into vintage gaming consoles you can take anywhere. Need proof? Just click through the slideshow to see more.

How to Celebrate the End of a Relationship

TresSugar — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:30:14 PST

Breakups can be brutal, but if your relationship comes to an end, why not take action and celebrate a new beginning? Rather than belting out angry Alanis Morissette lyrics or crying over old pictures, try choosing fun, proactive (and emotionally healthier) alternatives. From bonding over guilty pleasures with your girlfriends to clinking glasses with the guys, here are 10 great ways to celebrate the end of a relationship.

Elizabeth Banks Talks The Hunger Games and Says Harry Potter Is "Scary as Sh*t"

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:30:00 PST

I got the chance to visit the set of What to Expect When You're Expecting last year, where I chatted with Elizabeth Banks about fake baby bumps, motherhood, and the star-studded comedy. Naturally, the conversation also turned to Banks's other big upcoming movie, The Hunger Games. Banks discussed how she feels about the dark subject matter now that she's a parent herself, compared the film to the likes of Harry Potter, and talked about how she got into the role of Effie.

As a parent, did you have any reservations about The Hunger Games's dark subject matter?
EB: The movie is going to be PG-13, and I think that's about right. My nephew's 11, and he read it and loves it. The book has adult themes, for sure. Gary Ross, the director, and Suzanne Collins [who wrote the novels] did a great job patrolling what happens visually in the movie, what we can show and what we can't show. But I remember taking my 6-year-old niece to a Harry Potter movie with those dark shadow things that were scary as sh*t, and the guy doesn't even have a f*cking nose. That's like nightmare stuff, in my opinion. This is a lot of hand-to-hand combat, but it's nothing you wouldn't see on a video game or an episode of CSI. We don't have guns.

What was it like making the transition from The Hunger Games to What to Expect When You're Expecting?
EB: They're just so different, it's literally night and day. I don't have the same voice, I don't have the same hair, I don't have the same anything. Literally nothing, it's completely and utterly opposite. The good thing about this is that it's a role much closer to myself, so it's easier.

What helps you get into character?
EB: Well what's great about both of these characters, Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games, and Wendy, is that there's so much external stuff to build the character with. Effie has the great wigs and the crazy clothes, and the accent, and all that. That's all something that really helps feed you. And this character has the boobs and the bump and the back pain, and the shoes that don't fit, and all of those things that really feed you in the moment, which is great. It's a lot easier than having to come up with a bunch of emotional sh*t that you have to deal with from internally. They're nice characters that you build from the outside in, instead of from the inside out.

What I've Learned From Baby Number Two

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:15:00 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Carolyn Robertson about lessons learned from a second child.

Motherhood has been a very humbling experience so far . . . which is a nice way of saying it’s knocked me on my ass many times over. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been midconversation with another grown-up and suddenly realized that (a) my breasts are leaking, or (b) I have a crusty old food stain on my shirt, or (c) I am decorated with Little Mermaid tattoos and sparkly dinosaur stickers and Phineas & Ferb Band-Aids.

I assumed, though, that I would have a much better handle on things the second time around. Sleep issues, tantrums, separation anxiety, potty training: been there, done that, bring it on. And then I met my second daughter.

Here are a few things that I’ve learned from baby number two:

Sleep training doesn’t always work: I was one of those moms who swore by sleep training. CIO works, I’d tell my mom friends. It’s not fun, but if you stick with it, it works. My oldest, after all, started sleeping through the night and never stopped after we let her cry it out at 6 months old. Well, it turns out it doesn’t always work, after all. I did everything exactly the same with Amelia, but at 21 months old, she’s still not a great sleeper.
Sometimes babyproofing really is necessary: I read in some baby book that we do our kids no favors when we babyproof the home - they have to learn limits, after all. Made sense to me! So with our first, we did the bare minimum (baby gate on the stairs, potentially poisonous stuff out of reach) and took care of everything else with a firm “no touch!” and gentle redirection. Worked like a charm. We figured we’d do the same with our youngest, but as it turns out our little angel loves to body slam the window screens and climb into the fireplace. Everything - everything - goes in her mouth. We tell her "no," we redirect, and she laughs and becomes that much more determined. Our house is now so childproofed that even I have trouble getting into the kitchen cupboards.
No two kids are the same: My first is shy and cautious - my second would run into traffic to hug a stranger. My first is sensitive and gentle - my second is a crazy little steamroller. They are different in every way imaginable, and I’m starting to see that all those tried-and-true tricks that worked for one probably won’t work for the other.

One last thing I’ve learned? You really can love another baby as much as you love your first. I harbored secret fears that I would never be able to love any other child with the depth and intensity that I do my older daughter. I was wrong.

What did you learn from your second - third or fourth - child?

More great reads from BabyCenter:
What does a stay-at-home mom do all day?
Is Strawberry Shortcake looking a bit trampy these days?
Five children's books that celebrate Black History Month
Seven adorable mobiles for any nursery
Is a 6-year-old too young for boarding school?

Shakira Escapes Sea Lion Attack

Katie Henry — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:34:50 PST

Shakira nearly attacked by sea lion in South Africa - People
Did Scarlett Johansson's new boyfriend start a bar fight? - Lainey Gossip
Jon Stewart tells CNN, "You suck" - HuffPost Entertainment
Justin Theroux talks about his relationship with Jennifer Aniston - D-Listed
John Krasinski and Seth Green play flirt roulette on Valentine's Day - BuzzFeed
Cher's old manager spills her secrets - The Daily Beast
Zachary Levi lands a new gig post-Chuck - The Hollywood Reporter
See what happens when you combine The Muppets with Game of Thrones - Zap2it
See the Wayne's World cast 20 years later - TooFab
Nicki Minaj debuts new song, "Starships" - JustJared
Christina Hendricks turned heads during her latest red-carpet appearance - Hollywood Tuna
The Simpsons celebrates their 500th episode - Pink Is the New Blog
Alexander Skarsgard made a surprise appearance at Toy Fair - The Superficial
Guess which celebrities were born on Valentine's Day? - BuddyTV
Mariah Carey shares new pics of Roc and Roe - Amy Grindhouse

Men and Women Agree: Marriage Is Still Relevant

Annie Scudder — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:50:46 PST

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we have some good news for old-fashioned romantics: marriage is still relevant. We partnered with Ask Men to survey thousands of men and women about their relationship goals, hoping to find out how they are changing and whether or not marriage is part of their love "end game." Despite the fact that marriage rates are declining in the US and people are putting off marriage until they are older, 78 percent of men and 87 percent of women we surveyed said they do want to tie the knot.

Attitudes are evolving, though. Most men and women would not get married right away if their partner got pregnant, and they also agree that cohabitation is good for a relationship. Although on these issues, men are more likely than women to take the traditional outlook. See a breakdown of all the results now, some of which will surprise you!