TresSugar

(Syrian) Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

TresSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Bombarded with images of scantily clad women on billboards, television, and magazines, it makes sense that some women who live in liberal societies like the US succumb to lingerie's lure.

You may be surprised to hear, though, that even women who reside in extremely modest countries in the Middle East have the hots for seductive and sexy undergarments.

In Syria, where women often wear veils and long robes, the demand for push-up bras, leather outfits, whips, and edible underwear is on the rise.

After her wedding, a Syrian woman traditionally brings a trunk full of underwear to her husband's home. Some shop owners say that the Internet has added fuel to their imaginations and in turn altered the tradition. Now, some Syrian women don't want just any old underwear - they want the latest in kinky lingerie.

What do you think it is about lingerie that makes some women desire it, even if it's often invisible to everyone else?

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Front Page: Two Held in Obama Plot, Syria Raid Kills "Major Target," Arctic Ice Thickness Drops

CitizenSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:59:46 -0700

Two Held in Obama Plot:
Two men, being described as Neo-Nazis and aged 18 and 20, are being held for plotting to kill Barack Obama. Obama said he's not worried about the news and that it's "not who America is." The plan was to shoot 88 African-Americans and decapitate 14, symbolic numbers to white supremacists. The plot appears to have been amateurish and unsophisticated.

Syria Raid Kills "Major Target": A controversial raid into Syria has killed a key individual, Abu Ghadiyah, who was involved in smuggling foreign fighters into Iraq. Officials called the raid a "success." Baghdad has condemned the move saying that it doesn't want to be used as a launch point for attacks on others.

Arctic Ice Thickness Drops:
The thickness of the Arctic Ice dropped last year as much as 1.5 feet in some areas. The ice had been consistent for five years before hitting the 2007 minimum. The losses in ice could suggest the region has hit a tipping point - five years ago they projected the sea ice would disappear by 2080. The new data shows the ice will be gone by 2030 or 2040.

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Who's the Terrorist? Syria Calls US Raid "Terrorist Aggression"

LibertySugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:01:47 -0700

Tensions are boiling in the Middle East after a US Special Operations mission took place inside Syria along its border with Iraq. On Sunday, reports broke that US helicopters, coming from Iraq, entered Syrian airspace to attack civilian buildings, killing eight people. The US confirmed the operation, without giving any details.

Now, Syria and Iran are speaking out against the "war crime." Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "Iran condemns in strongest terms any form of aggression or violation of the states’ territorial integrity, which leads to the death of innocent civilians." And as for Syria itself, the foreign minister spoke out today saying:

We consider this criminal and terrorist aggression. We put the responsibility on the American government. Killing civilians in international law means a terrorist aggression.

While the Europeans move toward warmer relations with Syria, the Bush Administration has contended for some time that the Syrians must do more to control the movement of insurgents along the border. The details behind the hit are still unclear, but some suspect Bush took a parting shot at what he deems an uncooperative country with ties too close to Iran.

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$1 Million on Syrian Hookah Use Amid Depression-Era Bailout?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:30:14 -0700

Hookah pipes and the housing crisis? Oh yep, just stuff Congress is spending money on. I'm going to wager you probably don't remember the Great Depression - but Congress gave us a little romp through nostalgia this weekend by passing the biggest rescue package since FDR sat in the Oval Office. We might not be on the same page if we're saying "recession" but no matter. We're funding it like it's the big D.

The bailout gives the treasury big authority to prop up the mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by raising the ceiling on the national debt to $800 billion. The hope is by raising the country's credit limit, another wave of foreclosures can be stopped. More than 740,000 homes fell into foreclosure in the second quarter of this year.

Think that's depressing? To get a load of the other pipe Congress is smoking, read more.

In addition to housing bailouts, the US has spent $1 million researching Syrians addicted to hookahs. Yup. Hookahs (aka, hubbly-bubbly - I can't make this up.) Taxpayers are funding research at the Syrian Center for Tobacco Study on whether smoking through a water pipe is less harmful than regular smoking. Well, I'm dying to know the answer to that, aren't you? Hold on while I get out my checkbook.

A spokesman for Citizens Against Government Waste says while research is useful, it's not something that taxpayers should be funding. "Why is the federal taxpayer always the one who has to pay for this? We question whether this is a national priority to figure out the problems of other countries. Let’s figure out our problems and solve those.” The NIH Fogarty Center originating the research stands to get $66 million next year.

Is raising the national debt ceiling the answer? Should more be trimmed from areas like hookah research before the US goes further in the hole?

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Does Syria Have the Bomb? UN Experts Begin Investigation

CitizenSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:00:16 -0700

Syria is getting a secret probing from UN experts in search of a hidden nuclear program. After the discreet aerial bombing of an alleged Syrian nuclear site by Israeli jets in 2007, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is sending a four person team to inspect. Although Damascus has repeatedly denied such claims, Israel and the US claim that the installation was a nascent nuclear reactor.

In April, Washington released photographs showing what they believed to be North Korean experts inside a reactor closely resembling one in Yongbyon, North Korea. Syrian officials claim that the site bombed by Israel was an unused military facility but deny it had anything to do with a reactor.

The IAEA has criticized both Israel and the US for delaying sensitive information and engaging in an act of war before inspectors had a chance to inspect any evidence. They have also asked Syria for complete transparency when they make their inspection. The IAEA visit is promoted as a fact-finding mission, though if inspectors uncover evidence of a nascent nuclear program, it could mark the start of a massive investigation similar to the agency's five-year probe into Iran's activities.

Do you think the US and Israel acted appropriately, especially if Israel is involved in secret nuclear programs of its own? Is Syria developing nuclear weapons?

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Front Page: Not Guilty in Bell Case, al-Sadr Calls Truce, Syria Secret Nuclear Program

CitizenSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:03:45 -0700

Not Guilty in Bell Case: Three New York City police officers have just been found innocent of all charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black man, Sean Bell, who was killed by 50 bullets on his wedding day. Bell, 23, was shot along with two friends, after a bachelor party at a strip club in November 2006. The case has generated outrage in New York's black community. A New York State Supreme Court judge cleared two officers of manslaughter and other charges and a third of reckless endangerment in the death.

al-Sadr Calls Truce: Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr this morning called for an end to fighting between his militia and Iraqi troops. al-Sadr declared that his threat of an "open war" will be carried out only on US-led foreign forces. al-Sadr urged Iraqi soldiers and policemen "not to support the occupiers in combating your brothers." In other Iraq news, the largest Sunni bloc has just agreed to return to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s cabinet after a boycott of almost a year. A recently passed amnesty law and the government’s crackdown on Shiite militias were cited as reasons for the move.
Syria Secret Nuclear Program: The United States has accused North Korea of helping Syria build a nuclear reactor that "was not intended for peaceful purposes." The US released photographs it said linked North Korea to a plutonium-producing reactor under construction in Syria. The accusation was an effort to put pressure on Pyongyang to come clean about proliferating nuclear technology. Though the accusations are not expected to derail international talks aimed at ending the communist state's own nuclear arms program, Japan is concerned saying, "of course, if North Korea was helping Syria's secret. . . nuclear activities, then this is a serious issue."

Front Page: President Obama Sends Russia a "Secret" Letter

CitizenSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:57:29 -0800

President Obama has reached out to Russia, telling it that the US would consider halting plans for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Iran drops plans for producing nuclear weapons. - CNN
Two US officials are headed to Syria to explore US relations with the country. - Bloomberg
RNC Chair Michael Steele apologized to Rush Limbaugh yesterday, explaining that he did not intend to diminish Limbaugh's voice or leadership during a critical interview. - Atlantic

Gunmen in Pakistan have attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team, killing six police officers and two bystanders. - New York Times
President Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown canceled a news conference today "because of snow." - UK Telegraph

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Life After 9/11: One Young Arab Gets Thrown in US Jail

LibertySugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:00:18 -0700

A recent piece in the New York Magazine chronicles the nightmarish journey of a young Arab immigrant. After September 11, Rasha found herself in jail with her family. Rasha's story sheds light on a darker side of national security.

At five-years-old Rasha moved with her family from Syria to the United States on a tourist visa. When she was in the sixth grade, after years of trying to get permanent residency, and failing, Rasha and her family moved back to Syria. Eventually she would get her Brooklyn life back, after her family was finally granted their green-cards. But the joy didn't last forever.

In February 2002, fifteen US officers awoke Rasha and her family in the middle of the night - Rasha's family was being investigated for terrorist connections. Once in a holding cell, officials questioned each family member in a separate room. To find out what happened next, read more.

After a few days of this treatment, Rasha's father begged the FBI agent to deport the family. Instead, INS detained the family until they completed their investigation. After three months of detention, the family was unexpectedly and quickly released, allowed to live their lives as before, but with new fears. Rasha, having missed school, received Fs on her report card, and having missed mortgage payments, the family had to sell their home. The New York Magazine gives a detailed account of the family's stay in prison and the recovery process after their release.

Lucky for Rasha and her family, their lawyer and other family members advocated for their release. But many others, who were arbitrarily detained, stayed longer or were deported following September 11. Without an understanding of what people like Rasha have gone through, can we accurately assess America's national security policy?

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:30:44 -0700

WMD: Flashback? Cheney still obsessed with Iraq WMDs. - Huffington Post
McCain: Bushed? Jenna Bush says she might not support John McCain. - Yaes & Nays
Diplomats: Addicted to CrackBerry? Mexican official caught stealing White House Blackberries, invokes diplomatic immunity. -Michelle Malkin
Drunks: Passed out? Drunk Congressman sleeps on cot at filthy capitol hill bar. - Wonkette
Syria and North Korea: Who to believe? Syria, North Korea, and nukes. -Talking Points Memo

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Group of Clowns Among Iraqi Refugees Fleeing Violence

LibertySugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:00:33 -0800

The Happy Family Clown Group recently fled Iraq after two of its members were senselessly murdered. Unsure of why they were targeted, the three remaining clowns sought exile in Syria, a country that receives 1,000 Iraqis refugees each day.

The Iraqi clowns registered with the United Nation's refugee agency (UNHCR). They now are making the most of their exile, working with the UNHCR and performing their show "A Child Is as Scared as a Country" for refugee children.

The UN estimates that 4.2 million Iraqis have left their homes. Approximately 1 million live a difficult life in Syria, where they cannot work legally. Many would love to return to Iraq, but like the Happy Family Clown Group, they fear for their safety and their lives. For some comprehensive information on the refugee situation in Iraq, check out the UNHCR's Iraq refugee site. You know the violence is bad when clowns are the targets.

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