TresSugar

Handle This: You Need Money, He's Willing to Loan It

DearSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

The economy is terrible and your company’s taken a hit, so when you lose your job you’re devastated, but not shocked. The problem is you don’t have any prospects, no one’s hiring, and your rent is due. Your parents have deep financial woes of their own, so you can't turn to them. Your boyfriend is by no means well-off, but he currently is in a better situation than you. He’s offering to loan you money until you get a job, but you know money and romance don't mix. So how do you handle this?

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Are You Into Sharing Your Clothes?

DearSugar — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:47:55 -0700

When I was a kid, my Kindergarten teacher had to make a special call to my mom to say, "Your daughter has a hard time sharing." It was so true. I coveted the princess gown in the dress-up area, I never wanted to give up the swing at recess, and I never let anyone borrow my crayons. I knew other kids weren't as careful as I was, so I put my 6-year-old foot down and vowed never to share.

I grew out of that as I got older, when I realized that if I borrowed my friend's clothes, my wardrobe almost tripled. We'd even go shopping and plan our purchases based on what we all liked, so we'd have one of each.

I still continued to share occasionally, but I learned that certain friends weren't very responsible with my stuff so now I only share with a couple of close friends who I can really trust.

So what about you? Are you into sharing your clothes? Will you only let certain people borrow from you? Will you only lend away stuff you don't really care about? Or are you done with sharing altogether?

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Would You Borrow or Lend Money to Your Significant Other?

DearSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Most of you agree that lending money to friends is a bad idea, but what about lending money to your significant other? As we all know, times are tough - even for celebrities - so it makes sense to ask the person closest to you for help if need be. But is it a surefire way to jeopardize your relationship? And if you lent it, would you expect it back? Some of you might be in this predicament right now, so tell me how you feel about lending/borrowing money from your significant other.

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General Petraeus: Iraq Doesn't Lend Itself to Victory Slogan

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

General David Petraeus will leave his post as commander of US troops in Iraq, taking over US Central Command. As the chief of Central Command, the four-star general will oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This week, General Petraeus discussed progress in Iraq and the possibility of victory. Check out these highlights from his interview with BBC, which airs tonight.

On whether US troops could withdraw from Iraq by the middle of next year: It's "doable."
On whether he will ever declare victory in Iraq: "This is not the sort of struggle where you take a hill, plant the flag, and go home to a victory parade . . . it's not war with a simple slogan."
On his new role of overseeing Afghanistan at US Central Command: "The trends in Afghanistan have not gone in the right direction . . . and that had to be addressed." Afghanistan remains a "hugely important endeavor."
On progress made by the surge: Petraeus said that recent security gains were "not irreversible" and that the US still faced a "long struggle."

Provincial elections supposed to take place this year, but still waiting on parliamentary approval, will test stability in Iraq. If the Iraq war doesn't lend itself to the traditional notion of victory, how will the US know when it's time to leave?

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Good Idea or Bad Idea: Lending Money to Friends

DearSugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:45:00 -0700

My mother always told me never to loan money to friends, or if you do, don't expect to get it back. She feels, as do a lot of people, that lending money is a sure fire way to jeopardize a relationship. Of course there are always extenuating circumstances, but how do you feel? Do you think it is a good idea or a bad idea to loan money to friends?

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DEARSUGAR NEEDS YOUR HELP: Lend A Guy A Helping Hand

DearSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:08:40 -0800

DEARSUGAR and Helpful Hadyn need your help. Her best friend's boyfriend has asked her to come shopping with him to help him pick out the perfect holiday present for his girlfriend. She has been down this road before though and her good intentions have backfired on her causing a fight between her and her friend.

She wants to help out her friend's boyfriend, but she doesn't want to get in the middle of a lover's squabble if he decides against her suggestions and disappoints her friend with a random gift. What should she do?

Dear Sugar
My best friend's boyfriend has asked me to accompany him shopping this weekend to help pick out a holiday gift for her. I am rather reluctant to go because the last time I helped a guy shop for a friend of mine, she was very disappointed with her present.

He went completely against my jewelry choice and wound up picking out a bright red wallet for her instead. She was extremely disappointed and since he told her that I had gone with him, she blamed me for him not getting her what she had hoped for.

I'd like to assist him since I know exactly what she wants, however, I feel like it's a little risky to try this again. My better judgement is telling me to stay out of it and just email him some ideas to help point him in the right direction.

This way, if she tries to blame me for anything, I have a record of my suggestions. I feel like I sound like a woman scorned. What do you think? Should I even bother to get involved with this kind of thing again? Helpful Hadyn

Oh Snap! Tokyo Bar Redefines the Ice-Cold Drink

TresSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:23:08 -0700

The Icebar in Tokyo is so freaking cool. And very cold. Everything there is made of ice cut from the Torne River in Sweden, including the counter, walls, glasses and chairs! It's so chilly in there, they lend you a coat when you go in.

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Examined on A&E's Obsessed

TresSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:48:12 -0700

Trina is afraid she’ll murder someone. Nidia has a phobia about her bowel movements. Rick can’t stop compulsively exercising, adding up the numbers on license plates, or turning clockwise at regular intervals. He wants to stay healthy forever and ward off old age.

Like 3.3 million other Americans, they have obsessive compulsive disorder. A&E’s series Obsessed follows them as they work with cognitive behavioral therapists who try to get them to examine the thinking behind their obsessions so that they can replace those beliefs - and the compulsive acts performed on their behalf - with healthier ones. To find out more about OCD and to watch a clip from Obsessed, read more

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of those psychological disorders with an (almost) self-explanatory name. A person with OCD suffers from extreme anxiety based on a phobia about something - germs, a messy room, worry they’ll harm someone. The sufferer, as a result, feels compelled to do something time-consuming and often physically punishing to ward off the fear.

In the case of Nidia in the video here, she had such a fear of her bowel movements that she would shower up to three hours after going to the bathroom, using enemas and toothbrushes with such force that she had to have two blood transfusions from cleaning herself too vigorously. By the end of her CBT treatment, she began to see improvement. Rick, however, did not, making a statement that lends some insight into the disorder: “I have mixed feelings about giving up my compulsions because then I’ll be forced to analyze my compulsions and that person may suck."

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Angelina Jolie Urges the UN to Act on Darfur

TresSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Darfur has almost disappeared from the news, and experts now call it a "low intensity" conflict. But the intensity of the crisis has not lessened for those who are struggling to survive. . . . Thirty percent of those displaced are school-age children. Girls leaving the [refugee] camps are raped; boys leaving the camps are killed. They want an education; they want to go back to their villages, to their land; they want peace. But they also want justice.

In an op-ed on Time.com today, Angelina Jolie attempts to lend some publicity to the crisis in Darfur. Today, the United Nations Security Council will look into the case against Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Bashir has been accused of taking out his inability to defeat rebels on the civilian population by subjecting it to rape, hunger, and fear. Angelina hopes the UN will act on this indictment and end the suffering in Darfur.

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Friday Feel Good: Giving a Baby Squirrel a Hand

TresSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:00:00 -0700

What better way to say TGIF than to watch this heartwarming and epic video about a mom squirrel and her baby trying to jump a wall on the UCLA campus.

At first, it looks like no matter how many times the mom squirrel tries to show her baby how it's done, it will never happen because the baby is too little. (Everyone let out a collective, "Awwww!") Well, I'm not here to harsh your mellow, so of course it gets better. Some students find a creative way to lend the baby a hand. I guarantee that even those with the blackest, most cynical hearts will feel a beam of sunshine breaking up the clouds. (And the soundtrack isn't half bad, either.) TGIF!