TresSugar

Want Someone to Like You? Subtly Imitate Them

TresSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:13:24 -0700

OK, that sounds a little creepy, but it has been verified in research that people like others more when they mirror their mannerisms or actions. In other words, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we like to be flattered.

Research has shown that waiters get bigger tips if they repeat the exact words back to customers who are ordering food, and participants in one study were even more altruistic after they were mimicked. (They were more likely to pick up pens for the researcher who dropped them if they’d been imitated earlier.) Scientists theorize that, from an evolution perspective, mimicry promotes safety in groups by being a sort of “social glue.”

What this study doesn't mention is the pure narcissistic pleasure of being imitated. So if you want to wow an interviewer, for example, subtly adopt the body posture she has - leaning forward when she does, nodding when she does. Just don't go Marcel Marceau on her! Because then it would be weird.

Will the Recession Cause the End of the War in Iraq?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

While the subject of a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq has been hotly debated, it's a decision that might prove moot. The US may very well have to leave whether it's considered strategically correct or not. The democratically elected Iraqi government may actually want to employ their sovereignty, leading both US and Iraqi negotiators reportedly close to setting a withdrawal date, mostly at the insistence of Iraq. The agreement will likely require all US forces to leave the nation by the end of 2011 and by all cities by next summer. It still has to be approved by the Iraqi parliament.

The agreement comes as the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq is released - and the picture isn't so rosy. The surge, which coincided with a downturn in violence, may not even be the key reason for that result but rather just one contributing factor. A major reason, states the NIE is the truce with the Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as well as the alliance with the Sunni insurgents, both of which occurred at roughly the same time. The bad news is that according to General David Patraeus, the gains made in Iraq recently are “fragile” and “reversible” due to a series of rising regional tensions.

To see where the recession fits in, read more.

And while all of this timetable talk may seem like a partisan debate in the US, one overall factor must be considered before the discussion of “should we withdraw” or “should we remain” even begins -“how do we pay for it”? According the Congressional Budget Office, the price tag of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan from 2001 to 2017 will be roughly $2 trillion (factoring in some $705 billion in interest since we are, um, borrowing all of this money). Currently the US debt has surpassed 10 trillion dollars. And precisely because the US is borrowing the money, the looming global recession is set to stunt the funds Washington has available for the war.

Source

On the Newsstand: Time Magazine's 21 Ways to Serve America

CitizenSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:00:36 -0700

Hot on the heels of last week's candidates' service forum, Time magazine has an issue devoted to "21 Ways to Fix Up America."

The best bit is the 21 item "User's Guide," filled with tips, tidbits, and pieces from everyone from Ted Kennedy advocating for his Serve America Act to Miley Cyrus on starting young, the list is full of unique ways to volunteer. If you've got time to spare, here are five ways you can serve America too:

Citizen Schools:
The program has 3,200 adult volunteers running after-school programs for 4,500 kids at middle schools in 21 cities. Projects include building solar cars, and trying out their legal skills in mock trials.
Day of Service:
Giving just one day, this year on Sept. 27, the ServiceNation coalition is hosting more than 1,600 service events planned across all 50 states.
Start Young Says Miley Cyrus:
It's never too early to serve: "My family has been visiting Kentucky coal-mine towns since I was little. We take clothes, gifts and school supplies. It's an eye opener for me, seeing families here in America living in Third World conditions."

To see other ways to give back, read more.

The Taproot Foundation:
This organization helps connect talented professionals with nonprofits in need of their talent.
Locks of Love:
Nonprofits like Locks of Love and Wigs for Kids make wigs and hairpieces for kids who have lost their hair because of cancer treatments or medical conditions. If your ponytail is at least 10 inches long, you're a candidate.

The whole list is packed with ways to give. Which one could fit into your schedule?

Source

Want to Know if There's Anyone You Can Sue? Find Out!

CitizenSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:00:10 -0700

Slipped on a pile of goo and wondering if you have a case? If you have the Internet, starting next month you can log on to WhoCanISue and see for yourself. Started by a Florida lawyer, the website will help prospective litigants figure out whether they have a case as well as find a lawyer in one fell click. (Legal disclaimer: the lawyers will pay an annual fee of $1,000 to appear on the site.)

Though there are similar services out there, this one is the first that offers real-time access to attorneys. After a brief questionnaire, those with promising grievance will instantly be put in touch with an interested attorney. Easier access to the legal system seems like an improvement, but there might be a downside. To see what it is, read more.

One Miami attorney said services like this can create a court backlog:

As if there aren't enough lawyers out there inventing lawsuits, now we're going to invite the public to do so. It encourages, if not creates lawsuits. Our country's courts are clogged with unnecessary and frivolous lawsuits which delay, if not obstruct, the access to courts of people that really need to get there, that have serious legal grievances.

The website's creator disagrees. "With our system they can either find a lawyer or find out by talking to our lawyers that they don't really have an interest in that case. I don't think WhoCanISue.com is going to, by itself, increase the number of lawsuits there are, but it may make people more aware of what their rights are."

How do you judge this kind of service? Is easier access good, or does it just encourage sue-happy crackpots?

For the Sake of the Planet, Save the Plastic Bags?!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:45:43 -0700

The second I remember to quit grumbling when I get a paper bag with no handles instead of the evil that is the plastic bag, the whole eco-mantra of choosing paper could be dumped on its head. One man, Stephen Joseph, is out to save the plastic bag. He's head of the campaign called Save the Plastic Bag, and he means business.

Even though his battle ramped a little more uphill after LA became the most recent US city to can the bags on Tuesday, he's convinced he has facts on his side. On his website, the well-named SaveThePlasticBags, he lists the reasons to choose plastic over paper:

Roaches love paper bags - they attract them.
When paper bags decompose, they release methane.
Paper bags take up more space to transport (making more trucks on the road and more space taken in landfills if they end up there.

That's not all. To see why the global backturning on the bag may have been too hasty, read more.

Paper bags require 71 percent more energy to make and recycle.
Plastic bags consume 6 percent of the water needed to make paper bags.

And he's got much more on his website. His main complaint? The rush to ditch the plastic hasn't been fully examined. "My research into this issue has proved to me that something funny is going on. The anti-plastic-bag campaigners are not being challenged. . . . This is not an issue that belongs in the left bucket or the right bucket. It's about truth. And I'm determined to make it register."

Now that you know the facts, let me temper them with this: Joseph is also the attorney representing plastic bag companies. What's a shopper to think? Maybe the devil doesn't wear plastic after all?

Source

Scrabble! "Scrabulous" Makers Sued & Championships Today

CitizenSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:00:25 -0700

If three stories make a trend, I guess six makes an obsession: it's the all Scrabble news day, here's the big mixed bag (S-O-R-R-Y) of stories:

Do you play Scrabulous on Facebook? Well, the version that got everybody hooked is getting the creators sued. Hasbro owns the rights to the game and the Calcutta-based creators of Scrabulous are in court for copyright infringement. I hope they saved a U to go with their Q and get it settled quickly. Bonus draw: Scrabulous cheat words.

The National Scrabble Championship is being held today in Orlando, Florida. You can follow the scores all day. I'm rooting for Marlon Hill and Matt Graham. I'm not kidding. I have a little Scrabble-following problem. These guys are hot.

Want to be a celebrity in Senegal? To find out how, read more.

In Senegal, Africa, the game is a real sport. Locals train for the game intently, as it's an escape from daily hardships, "Scrabble is a way for us in Senegal to forget about the (food) crisis and the problems that engulf our country," as well as an educational tool - kids Scrabble in school to learn spelling and grammar.

The Francophone World Championships were held this week, the Cote d'Ivoire's Poka Elisée (pictured above) claimed the title. One competitor was disqualified for lying about his age. Senegal's Mamadou Youck was competing in the 14-15 year-old division at 16. Senegal holds nine world titles in Scrabble despite a literacy rate of 40 percent.

Can't get enough Scrabble? The book Word Freak by Stephan Fatsis started my scrambled obsession - and you can catch my favorites Marlon and Matt in the movie Word Wars. That sounds like a hot weekend plan to me.

Do you Scrabble?

Source

Odd Disappearance of Afghanistan's Only Female Olympian

CitizenSugar — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:34:19 -0700

Time magazine this week has a feature on the bizarre story of the mysterious disappearance of Afghanistan's only female, Olympics-bound runner. The 19-year-old Afghan middle distance runner, Mehbooba Andyar, went missing in Italy last week while on her way to the Olympics in China. Friends and co-athletes have not seen her since July 4, when she left her training facility in Formia, Italy.

Police are not ruling out any possibilities, although her missing bags and passport do indicate that she may have left on her own. Some believe she's seeking asylum in Europe over fear of Muslim extremists in her homeland where she faced constant rumors of prostitution and repeated threats of violence.

In a recent interview, Andyar said, "I'm the model for my country, being a woman in a typical Muslim nation. I'm very proud to say that I will be participating in the Olympic Games. By virtue of these opportunities, many women from my country are participating in many sports, and this will help to develop a better managed country."

Source

Pumped Up? Ten Ways High Gas Prices Are Good for America!

LibertySugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:30:13 -0700

Like any addiction, America will have a hard time kicking its dependency on oil. But despite the withdrawal symptoms, it will be worth it. Time Magazine points out that prices have never risen to levels forcing the sprawling nation to seriously reconsider the car dependent way of life. But the time to change may have arrived.

Painful petrol prices, which probably won't go down anytime soon, could ultimately improve America's quality of life. Well, there are at least 10 things you can like about $4 gas, as featured in this week's Time.

Globalized Jobs Return Home - Too expensive to transport
Sprawl Stalls - Home buyers looking to move closer to cities
Four-Day Workweeks - Energy costs fall along with sick leave
Less Pollution - Bluer skies and longer lives

To see the rest, including how a smaller bank balance might lead to a smaller waistline, read more.

More Frugality - Vespa sales up, SUVs down
Fewer Traffic Deaths - $4 gas means 1,000 fewer deaths per month
Cheaper Insurance - For the "pleasure driver"
Less Traffic - Road travel down 2.1 percent this year
More Cops on the Beat - Out of the patrol car
Less Obesity - $1 hike could cut obesity by 10 percent

Sounds like the market may be doing Americans a favor! Fewer traffic deaths and a four day work week sound like the best "perks" to me. What about you? What do higher gas prices have you looking forward to, if anything?

Source

List-apalooza! Time's 100 Most Influential + Top-Polluted Cities

CitizenSugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:30:56 -0700

Boy do I love a list. A who's better than whom, ranked for the world to see. Time magazine's list of 100 most-influential people dropped today - they've got it separated into categories like Leaders and Revolutionaries, and Heroes and Pioneers, lest we get our Mariah Carey confused with our Sheik Mohammed al-Maktoum. The best part is to see who wrote whose blurb - Rob Reiner wrote Hillary's. Here are the first five listed in the leaders category - they oh so fairly included all three presidential candidates. Check out the whole list and see what you think.

Dalai Lama: Not only is he in exile fighting to free his nation from oppression, but he’s also responsible for the religious inspiration of millions. And you thought your job was tough.
Vladimir Putin: Russians love him, some fear him, and his love of country may be the key to reforming a Russian Empire.
Barack Obama: Whatever the outcome of this election, many are arguing that he has changed the face of American politics and reinvigorated the idea of hope.
Hillary Clinton: Like her competitor for the democratic nomination, she too has also changed the face of American politics, launching the idea of true equality into the new century.
John McCain: Whether you see him as a maverick or as a continuation of the current administration, his ability to face some very tough situations has made him a true leader.

What else are we ranking up today? Dirty air in cities. To see the list of smoggy goodness, read more.

Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, CA
Pittsburgh, PA
Bakersfield, CA
Birmingham, AL
Visalia/Porterville, AL
Atlanta, GA
Cincinnati, OH
Fresno/Madera, CA
Hanford/Corcoran, CA
Detroit, MI

Oh California. You win/lose. Well now we know, we might all breathe a little easier.

Do You Think This Time Cover Disrespects Veterans?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:00:52 -0700

Controversy is raging over the image on this week's cover of Time magazine. It shows that famous picture of soldiers raising the flag over Iwo Jima, but in the place of the flag, is a tree. Earth Day is this week, but co-opting this famous image in the name of ecology has made some veterans livid.

"I am a Marine, 82 years old that landed on Iwo Jima Feb. 19, 1945. This crap you have on your magazine – you can put it where the sun does not shine."

Another Marine, the man who led the platoon that actually raised the flag on Iwo Jima addresses the crux of the cover saying, "global warming is the biggest joke I've ever known."

Forced to address the backlash, the associate director of public relations for Time certainly sees it differently:

TIME has the utmost respect for our nation’s veterans and we well understand the power of the iconic image of the raising of the flag over Iwo Jima. We believe this is a respectful use of this symbol of American valor and courage and serves to highlight another great challenge facing our nation.

I asked my grandfather, whom I consider my go-to expert for all matters of the military and patriotism and he said, "It's not that they were disrespectful of the image or the event, it's that those men didn't get a say whether they wanted their likenesses from that moment in time, used for another purpose other than its original meaning."

What do you think? Is the cover just a creative way to take an iconic struggle and assign it modern meaning? Or is Time way out of line?