TresSugar

CNN Uses Fake Republican to Hit McCain? Real Ones on Road!

CitizenSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:45:17 -0700

In a doom-and-gloom message from CNN today, it seemed like all was lost for the Republican candidate - no young voter was ever going to be inspired by time-tested McCain. Except, it's all a fake! According to a press release, CNN used a phony College Republican to dummy up the story.

The CNN piece quoted Eric Pearlmutter, a supposed College Republican at USC. Pearlmutter said, "We try to get people out to our College Republican meetings, but we can't seem to get the same amount of support." Seems damning - except that the real USC College Republican President Ben Myers says, "I have never met Eric Pearlmutter. I have never seen him at a College Republican meeting. He is not on our membership roster. I don't know why someone would think he speaks for us. As far as I know, he could be a Democrat." Whoa!

Update: According to TruthCaucus, the disputed CNN story was taken down for a period this evening. The name of the source, Eric Pearlmutter, may have been misspelled (the real spelling is possibly Eric Perlmutter-Gumbiner) though even so, Perlmutter isn't listed as an officer of the USC College Republicans. Plus his quote sounds very familiar. . . .

Update II: Interestingly, there seems to be a producer at CNN named Bruce Perlmutter. I wonder if he's related to the source of the quote?

Update III: CNN has admitted the error, via the LA Times saying, “Eric Perlmutter appeared on today’s American Morning segment about young Republicans on college campuses. While he attends USC and says that he is a registered Republican, he was inadvertently identified on-screen as a member of the USC College Republicans organization. We regret that error. We have invited Ben Myers, the president of the USC College Republicans organization, to appear on American Morning at a future time.”

In the meantime, there are real young Republicans on the road, crossing country for McCain. To see their story, read more.

Want proof that young people are excited about McCain? A group of four intrepid college Repubs are on the ultimate road trip - swinging across the country, heading coast to coast through 21 states without ever leaving red districts. Their mission is called Where Is the Red?, and it's pulling out all the stops to answer that question - honestly.

Knowing that the youth vote will play a pivotal vote in this election, the GOP road-trippers are volunteering for campaigns, inspiring College Republicans, and signing up voters. You can follow their every move through photos, videos, and their blog - not to mention the Google Map/GPS feature that shows exactly where the real young Republicans are - even if it's not on CNN.

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Where Do You Stand: Befriending Girls That Don't Have Other Girlfriends?

DearSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

The company you keep says a lot about the person you are, so whenever I meet a woman who doesn't have many friends, I am curious as to why. Like all relationships, friendship takes work, commitment, honesty, and trust, so why is it that this new potential friend is friendless? Is it because she prefers being independent or is it because she's a bad friend? Is it because she's selfish or she can't be trusted, or am I just jumping to conclusions? Tell me, where do you stand on befriending those without other established friendships?

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DIY Burials: Less Expensive, More Intimate?

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Due to the recession, most of us focus on how much we spend going about our daily lives, but we don't often budget for death, which can be very pricey. An increasing number of people are finding ways to decrease the cost of burying a loved one - they're holding DIY funerals.

Compared to the average cost of a funeral, which runs about $6,000, taking over part or all of the burial preparations can cost family members as little as $250. In states where a funeral director is required, home funerals are still less expensive. And loved ones say it seems like "the natural, loving way to do things." It also sounds a little creepy. The New York Times explained the home burial process for 92-year-old Nathaniel Roe:

They washed Mr. Roe’s body, dressed him in his favorite Harrods tweed jacket and red Brooks Brothers tie and laid him on a bed so family members could privately say their last goodbyes.

There are countless organizations and individuals (called "death midwives") who help families with things like setting up cremation, moving the body to a cemetery, or securing a burial permit (if available) when a family decides to bury their loved one on their property. Would you ever consider this?

Source: Flickr User KaCey97007

Ask a Grad Student: Should I Stop Snooping On My Boyfriend?

TresSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:30:00 -0700

Conventional Wisdom is a different kind of advice column. Your questions will be answered by people from all walks of life rather than by advice experts. Today, a graduate student will offer her common sense advice. You can submit questions here.

Today's Question:

Dear Grad Student,

I've been going out with this guy for almost two years. He actually blocked me on Facebook once because he claimed that I was asking too much about his updates (like his exes writing to him) so he removed me. I created an alias and became friends with him and this girl so I could see what he was saying. What I saw made me so angry, I confronted him. I always ended up apologizing because I was the one who had to admit I invaded his privacy. I deleted that account.

One day at my place, he left his account signed in on my computer so I checked his inbox and saw that he was still flirting with his ex f•ckbuddy and he was telling her things like his loins burn for her and they missed each other. He was also inviting girls for coffee and dates. I again confronted him, and he told me that some of the things I'd read he'd said during the month we had broken up. In any case, he changed his password.

Now I am using Gmail where Facebook notifications are sent, and there are still things there that drive me crazy. I don't want to be a jealous, insecure bitch, so I want to know if someone thinks I should go on snooping, or will I go to hell if I keep it up?

To find out what the graduate student has to say, read more

Dear Snoopy,

As I write this, I picture you sitting in your car outside your boyfriend’s apartment in a hat, sunglasses, and a glued-on mustache waiting to catch him red-handed with one of his paramours. I say this not to be mean or make light of what you’re going through, but to get you to think about what you have been reduced to in this relationship: you are a desperate private investigator instead of a girlfriend.

Before I address what you’ve found out, I want to say a little something about trust. It’s a cliché but it’s true: trust is the foundation of a relationship, and without it, you really have nothing. You don’t say anything in your question about what your two-year relationship was like leading up to your Facebook and Gmail investigations. Was it great, and then something he did made you suspicious? Or are you just a naturally suspicious (and insecure) person, who, during the course of her investigations, found out the boyfriend was flirting with exes and making coffee dates with other women?

In any case - here we are. You are two years into a relationship with a man who sends other women sexual messages and invitations for coffee and who has blocked you on Facebook, and you seem to be spending all of your time trying to catch him saying something incriminating. Is this really the kind of relationship you want?

If you believe your boyfriend when he says that he did this flirting when you were broken up, you need to sit down with him and have a frank conversation about your fears and doubts. And then stop snooping on him. It’s not that you’ll go to hell for continuing to snoop or even that it’s ethically messed up - although it is. You should stop snooping for your own psychological health. It sounds like you’re addicted to invading your boyfriend’s privacy in the hopes you’ll find something that will hurt you so that you can feel bad about yourself both for being potentially cheated on and also for being a "jealous insecure bitch."

If you really think this guy is stepping out on you, why not just break up with him and heal your own hurt? Your problems here are bigger than his Facebook updates. You need to feel secure within yourself before you can trust that you can be in a relationship without having to snoop to feel safe. A healthy relationship involves being with someone you trust - until he has done something to betray that trust. Then, you have to make a healthy decision either to walk out or try to make it work.

Take off your private investigator hat and investigate your own motivations and behaviors and learn what a solid, healthy relationship looks like. (Maybe with the help of a therapist?) Then you'll be able to make the right decision.

You Asked: Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

DearSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:30:00 -0800

Dear Sugar,

I have a somewhat unique problem. While I love my boyfriend with all my heart, and know that he loves me in return, my parents don't approve of him. There has never been a falling out between them, and I still don't have a clear understanding as to why they dislike him; they just tell me to trust them because they "know best." My parents demanded that I break up with him, which I did for a while, until I realized how miserable I was without him.

We are now back together but my parents are in the dark about it. I feel sick inside knowing that I am betraying them, but then again, I'm thrilled to have this amazing guy who loves me more than I had ever imagined. I want everyone to get along, but I don't know how to make that happen - my parents are incredibly stubborn. Do you have any advice? - Torn Tory

To see DearSugar's answer, read more.

Dear Torn Tory,

Your parents having such strong feelings about you not being with this man raises a few red flags to me. While I don't doubt the fact that your boyfriend loves you, I'm left assuming that your parents know something you don't and they are simply trying to protect you. Since you don't have a clear understanding as to where they are coming from, a talk is definitely in order.

Ask your parents to be honest with you so you can get to the bottom of this once and for all, but remember that you'll have to be honest with them too, and that means coming clean about being back together. If they don't have a good reason why you shouldn't be together, explain to them why it's so important to you that they back off. Your happiness is what matters here so if this is all about a clashing of personalities, hopefully in time they'll be able to come to a middle ground. However, if your parents do have evidence to back up their ill will for this man, listen to what they have to say. Your parents might be older and wiser, but at the end of the day, the choice is ultimately up to you. Good luck to you.

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When Will We Know the Winner? Key Toss-ups to Watch

LibertySugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:04:50 -0800

While Americans exercise their right to vote, you can get prepared for the results. Sadly, we won't have Tim Russert to walk us through it all this year. Barack Obama supporters can start feeling relieved if their candidate wins either Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, or Florida. Conversely, a magic combination of wins for John McCain could include Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Here are the states you should keep an eye on:

Indiana: The nation's first polls begin to close in typically red Indiana at 6 p.m. EST. If Obama wins the 11 electoral votes, things won't look good for McCain.
Virginia: McCain's most practical path to the White House includes Virginia and its 13 votes. Polls close at 7 p.m. EST.
Georgia: Things are close here, but we'll know who gets the 15 electoral votes sometime after polls close at 7 p.m. EST.
Florida: The notorious swing state might not be as essential as past years, but with 27 electoral votes it's a crucial prize.
Ohio: Polls close there at 7:30 p.m. EST. It should be a close battle, as usual, for the state's 20 votes!

For more states that could decide the race, read more.

North Carolina: Officials have the option to keep the polls open until 8:30 p.m EST. The state hasn't gone blue since Jimmy Carter won it. There are 15 votes up for grabs.
Pennsylvania: Obama has had a lead here for a while, but McCain has campaigned hard. If McCain wins the 21 votes, and we'll know sometime after the polls close at 8 p.m. EST, he probably still has a good shot.
Missouri: Polls close at 8 p.m. EST. With Missouri's 11 votes, so goes the winner of the election, usually.
Colorado: Polls close at 9 p.m. EST. Colorado's nine votes seem to be leaning toward Obama, who made a big play for the previously red state.
Nevada: We'll have to wait until at least 10 p.m. EST to find out where the five votes go.

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Rachel Maddow Coming to a NYT Magazine Near You

LibertySugar — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 07:00:04 -0700

Rachael Maddow is to Keith Olbermann as Stephen Colbert is to Jon Stewart. And just like Stephen, Rachel's new pseudo-Countdown spinoff is acquiring a fan base potentially more dedicated than its predecessor's. This weekend's New York Times Magazine caught up with the Stanford and Oxford grad-turned-progressive-MSNBC host, visiting her home in western Massachusetts where she lives with her partner Susan.

Some items to look forward to:

Rachel, a TV personality, has no TV.
Some of Rachel's favorite objects include: a squirrel sculpture, four kinds of mustard from her fridge (“I am a mustard person"), a sneaker, two ashtrays from the Watergate hotel, and her 7-year-old red Ford pickup.
Fictional character she identifies with: "Wally Cleaver. Cause he is a dork.”
If her show doesn't make it Rachel has a backup. "I am a hobbyist bartender. I have a a liquor cabinet. I research classic drinks from the golden age of American cocktails and I make them for me and Susan.”
Rachel's favorite movie? The Manchurian Candidate, original version.

Are you a fan of Rachel?

Does Your Personality Match Your State of Residence & Mind?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:00:00 -0700

Think you can judge a person by the state they live in? It might not be such a crazy notion according to new research on the geography of personality. Controlling for factors like race, income, and education, the study profiled 600,000 Americans with a 44-question personality test that evaluates five traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness.

Using those results and cross-checking them with stats on crime and health seem to seal the deal on one's state of mind lining up with one's state of residence. High amiability means lower crime, high anxiety points to poor health and lowered life expectancy.

Of course the results spark questions like whether certain states encourage specific personalities by culture, climate, or common history - or whether we just choose to live where we feel most at home. Those questions aside, the results and the interactive maps? Fun times! Very nicely done, Wall Street Journal.

To see some of the most unusual findings, read more.

North Dakota was pegged the most outgoing state in the union.
Despite Puritanical stereotypes, New England ranked at the bottom of the "conscientious" scale.
Scoring well on the "openness" scale strongly correlates to liberal social values and Democratic voting habits - however three of the top ten "open" states (Nevada, Colorado and Virginia) tend to swing Red.
Most conscientious? Florida. (Maybe there's a tie between living in a coastal paradise and pitying others who don't?)
Anxiety isn't just tied to high-powered jobs and a fast lifestyle. States stressed by poverty, like West Virginia and Mississippi also proved highly neurotic.

Where does your state stack up? Is it possible to make generalizations about the personality of an entire state's population? Do you match yours?

Terrible Odds? One of Every Four Mammals Faces Extinction

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:55:43 -0700

According a report to be published on Friday in the journal Science, researchers have discovered startling odds on the chances of survival for the world's mammals: 1-in-4. Yikes. Um, aren't humans mammals too. . . ?

The researchers say of the findings, ''We estimate that one in four species is threatened with extinction and that the population of one in two is declining." Did you catch that one? Fifty percent are declining, and the scientists aren't letting us off the hook: ''Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions, a frightening sign of what is happening to the ecosystems where they live. We must now set clear targets for the future to reverse this trend to ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out many of our closest relatives.''

To see which mammals are threatened most, read more.

The study was done by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, made up of over 1,000 organizations. This particular study involved 1,700 scientists and spanned five years. With the report, was a "red list," containing 44,838 species in total, 16,928 of which are threatened with extinction. Larger mammals are more threatened than smaller ones as they have a lower population density and require more habitat - the exact ecosystems the researchers point - with problems ranging from deforestation to climate change.

There's a tiny silver lining: five percent of currently threatened mammals are showing signs of recovery. Given controversial plans to move species to save them, and scientists predicting that humans themselves need to prepare for extinction, is this study just another environmental scare that can be explained by the cycle of life? Or are we looking at being faced with the choice: bunny, pony, kitten, puppy - which one are you willing to write off?

View 10 Photos ›

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Could Barack Obama Win in a Landslide?

LibertySugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

A while back Republican strategists imagined a situation where John McCain would sweep the election. Now, it's Barack Obama's team picturing a generous November for its candidate.

The case for a strong Obama showing on Nov. 4 includes his muscular organization in swing states, his popularity among first-time voters, a surge in newly registered Democrats, and indications that he can pick up at least nine George W. Bush-voting states. A new poll showing Obama up by five in typically-red Virginia, adds a piece of support to the landslide pie.

Right now Obama is up eight points in Gallup's (volatile) national tracking poll. As for Electoral College predictions, when leaners are included Obama has 255 compared to McCain's 227. Do all signs point to an Obama landslide?

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