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Running of the Bulls: Cruel Tradition or Bunch of Bull-oney?

LibertySugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:00:08 -0700

The annual running of the bulls kicked off in Pamplona, Spain yesterday and so far one Irish tourist has been killed. Despite the risk of death and injury, thousands of people let bulls chase them for over 800 meters on the way to the bullfight arena.

While human injury upsets everyone, some animal rights activists get particularly upset about how the traditions entails "torturing and killing a defenseless animal." PETA describes the festival like this:

Bulls are bred in fields and are not accustomed to the noise of the crowd or being surrounded by people. They are kept in crowded, dark enclosures, and when they are prodded onto the streets with electric shocks, they are momentarily blinded by the sunlight. They are terrified and are hit by runners with rolled up newspapers.

In order to show their opposition, PETA supporters participate in the Running of the Nudes two days before the major tourist-attracting bull runs. Whose side are you on - PETA's or Spain's?

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Front Page: Heat Wave to Hit Fires, Bombing in Kabul Kills 40, Injuries in Running of the Bulls

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:55:19 -0700

Heat Wave to Hit Fires:
Firefighters in California brace for an impending heat wave set to make containing one of the 1,700 fires sparked since June 21, much harder. Cooler, damper weekend temperatures had helped firefighters working to bring the Santa Barbara fires under control are set to end, while 2,600 homes are still evacuated. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday the fires had burnt over half a million acres and killed one firefighter. Drought conditions combined with human encroachment into forest areas - bringing with them, carelessness, has stretched the fire season from four to six or seven months. Officials are having to prepare for the longer more intense season.

Bombing in Kabul Kills 40:
In what's thought to be the deadliest attack in Kabul yet, a suicide bomber has killed at least 40 people and injured 140 today at the gates of the Indian Embassy in the capital of Afghanistan. The attacker plowed a car into two Indian diplomatic vehicles as they entered the gates of the embassy before detonating. Witness say the blast wrecked several other cars and flung body parts and bloodstained pieces of clothing among the wreckage.
Injuries in Running of the Bulls:
At least nine have been injured and one killed during the running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain. Four of the injured were foreign tourists. The nine-day festival that's been held since 1591, began yesterday and the run itself lasted four minutes. It's thought that 13 people have been killed during the controversial tradition since record keeping began in 1924.

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Front Page: Levi Johnston Weighs In on Palin's Resignation

TresSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:00:33 -0700

Levi Johnston has offered his theory as to why Sarah Palin resigned as governor: money. He says the governor was stressed about finances and that he heard her say it would be nice to take advantage of offers for a reality TV show and a book. - New York Daily News
French tourists have been voted worst in the world, as hotel owners find them bad at foreign languages, cheap, and arrogant. - Reuters
A runway at JFK was closed today due to 78 crossing turtles. - LA Times
China has banned prayer for the Muslim Uighur population, hoping to stop ethnic violence. - New York Times
A young Spanish man has died at this year's Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. - BBC News

Is Nudity a Persuasive Method of Activism?

TresSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:00:00 -0700

A naked person might make you either look twice or cover your eyes; but activists in Spain hope it will persuade you to join their cause against bull fighting. Over the weekend, anti-bull fighting demonstrators in Madrid dressed themselves up in not much more than fake blood. They were trying to raise awareness about the animal cruelty involved with bullfighting.

Going naked or using sexy women to bring attention to neglected causes isn't new. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) routinely uses human flesh to get out its animal rights message; they even orchestrated a Running of the Nudes to protest the infamous running of the bulls in Spain.

Do you think nudity gets people to pay attention to important causes, or does it come off as a distracting gimmick?

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Ask E. Jean For DearSugar: The Olympics Have Me Down, How Do I Get Motivated?

E Jean Carroll — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Dear E. Jean,

I’ve been watching the Olympics. How do I get as motivated as these athletes? Watching all this extraordinary achievement makes me feel like such a loser. And the worst part is I can’t stop watching them.

I’ve been glued to the TV since they started, and I mean glued! Tonight while I watched the gymnastics I ate three bowls of cereal and a plate of lasagna! God! Am I the only person who's stopped exercising completely and is doing nothing but getting fat watching Shawn Johnson and Michael Phelps? I want to be successful, too!

I keep watching and hoping I’ll find out what their secret is, but nobody can put it into words. Should I just hire a life coach? - Coach Potato Girl

To see E. Jean's answer, read more.

Miss Couch, My Kumquat,

Oh, but the Olympic stars are revealing the secrets of their success. (And I’m not talking about Michael Phelps disclosing that he eats 12,000 calories a day or Nastia Liukin saying she likes to keep her “legs together on the dismount.”) Anybody watching the games has picked up a few Tips of Triumph:

Don’t focus on what’s wrong, concentrate on what’s right.
When an opponent falters, seize the opportunity.
Half the battle is knowing exactly what you want to do.
Play to your strengths. Know what you’re good at. And concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else.
When you can’t go on, go on.
And the single idea which seems to be shared by nearly every athlete: “I suffered all those horrid practices, pains, tears, sweat, blood, and set backs . . . and now that I’ve made it to Beijing, thank God I didn’t give up!”

As for hiring a life coach, well now. I’ve seen a couple of specimens on Oprah who were so brilliant that I gained a brain size just looking at them, but, alas, in the real world, 99 out of 100 life coaches are total douchers.

The motivation required to find a good coach (i.e. a coach who did not receive his “certification” from an online moron factory) and the patience needed to listen to his bull hockey if/when you do locate one, will waste any energy you have left.

Best to form a “Just Do It” group with your friends and enjoy a hilarious time energizing one another, or read Self-Reliance by the great Ralph Waldo Emerson. Old Ralphy will jam you so full of success strategies, you’ll run the 100 meters of life in 10 seconds flat.

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

GiggleSugar Reader Spotlight: Kiddylnd

GiggleSugar — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:16:30 -0700

You can always spot our reader of the week, Kiddylnd, by the cute pit bull avatar that represents her. She's funny, kind (she fosters pit bulls and tells a moving story about an old friend, Pride), and reminds me how much I love to get to know my readers! Make sure you check out her pictures and leave a comment!

GS: What's your motto?
KL: "Move over bacon!" No, that's not it. "Help control the pet population, have..." No, that's not it either. Motto, eh? Well, I'm a big fan of "Do unto others, unless they bug the sh*t out of you, then screw 'em!"

GS: Where are you from?
KL: Seattle, Washington. I live 3 1/2 blocks from the house I grew up in. Sheltered, I know. I'd rather be sheltered in a city. I'm not a country girl AT ALL. Plus, living in the land of coffee is the best thing ever. We seriously have a corner with a Tully's across from a Starbucks, across from a soon to be Peet's, with a local coffee shop two doors down, a tea store next to that, and another Starbucks inside the Safeway next to the Tully's.

GS: What do you do?
KL: I work at an animal shelter selling pet licenses and taking all you guys' money! It's both the most fulfilling and saddest thing ever. On the plus side, when I'm having a bad day, all I need to do is snuggle up with a pup!

GS: How would you describe your sense of humor?
KL: Sarcasm, with a hint of third grade potty talk. I'm quick with the wit, but only out of necessity-I gotta keep up with my friends!

GS: What's your favorite GiggleSugar post?
KL: Are you serious? I have to pick just one?! I'm gonna go with any of the douchebag posts, particularly Portrait of a Douchebag since, sadly, I remember a time when I would have thought this dude was all that. Sad, so very sad.

GS: Who's the cutest funny man and funny woman?
KL: Hmmm...I don't think of funny people as being cute. Is that wrong?

GS: Who are your favorite male and female comedians?
KL: Kevin Smith is the smartest, funniest out there. He should do stand-up. His movies are too under appreciated. Margaret Cho is another fave. You can't miss with her! Others would be Ellen, Paula Poundstone, Stephen Colbert. I do enjoy some Carlos Mencia, but not all the time. I mostly like the "beaner" jokes since I'm a "beaner..."

GS: What's your favorite comedy of all time?
KL: Cry Baby. If you have not seen this, it's a must. Johnny Depp in a 21 Jump Street era, Ricki Lake, and a trying-to-break-free from the porn business Tracy Lords.

GS: If your life were a comedy, what would it be?
KL: The Jerk. Kidding! I haven't ever really thought of that. In my late teens, Party Girl (minus the getting arrested). I don't know now. Sad. I'll have to think on that one.

GS: Do you look like someone famous?
KL: No. I only look like me.

KL free-for-all: I love the randomness of life! I like to run, but in Seattle in fall that can be a challenge because I'm such a girl I can't get my hair wet! I was always teased by my friends for being the "mom" of the group. (I blame them for me becoming one so early on.) I have a nine-year-old son who is the light of my life. I let him watch things he shouldn't, like Jay and Silent Bob. He's got a great sense of humor, and we laugh all the time. All of my friends are lesbians. I'm still not sure how that happened. Probably because I get to know people first, then find out later. I mean my best friend I've known since we were eight years old, so I obviously didn't know then! It's fun though, because I can gross them out with stories of my sexploits. I don't drink much (anymore!), but I love a nice Riesling, and I LOVE me some Asian Pear Sake. I love animals, and have some VERY strong opinions about animal care and sheltering. Don't breed or buy, while shelter pets die! Oh, and Hello Kitty rocks.

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(Kiddylnd, her cute son and his puppy, a pit she loved named Pride, Ellen DeGeneres, Stephen Colbert, Kevin Smith, Margaret Cho, Paula Poundstone, Carlos Mencia)

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Bush's African Voyage

LibertySugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:00:56 -0800

President Bush just finished running around Africa handing out money and smiles. On Wednesday, Bush confronted critics' concerns regarding US military policy and his AIDS plan.

Speaking in Ghana, Bush said:

I know there’s rumors in Ghana, ‘All Bush is coming to do is to try to convince you to put a big military base here.’ That’s baloney. As they say in Texas, that’s bull.

Bush also suggested that he would abandon the requirement that one-third of AIDS funding be used for abstinence education if there was proof that the approach was failing. According to Bush, the plan is unbelievably effective.

For more on Bush's trip, check out the pictures and captions below.

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The Running of the Port-O-Potties

GiggleSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 03:00:00 -0700

You've heard of Spain's annual "Running of the Bulls"? Well, you can't say Americans don't have their own equally disturbing version. How about an event in which shorts and sneaker-clad runners traipse atop Port-O-Potties while onlookers cheer them on by throwing beer bottles at them? Classy! (This is supposed to be during Preakness, the horse-race in Maryland.) Do you see horses? Me neither.