TresSugar

Oh Snap! Times Square Goes Mad (Men)

TresSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0700

I watched last night's season three premiere of Mad Men; did you? However, my viewing party couldn't compete with the big bash held in New York's Times Square. Hundreds of fans in '60s attire joined Mad Men actor Brian Bhatt and Project Runway alum Laura Bennett to watch the new episode and compete in a preshow costume contest. Buzz is wondering if you've ever thrown a themed viewing party, and I wonder if this fedora'd threesome took home any mad prizes? Read on for more fun photos.

Potbellies Are In! . . . For Men

TresSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

This week's New York Times style section reports on the latest hipster trend - potbellies! And no, I'm not talking about the pigs.

"Too pronounced to be blamed on the slouchy cut of a t-shirt" and "too modest in size to be termed a proper beer gut" the potbelly - dubbed the "Ralph Kramden" - is the latest addition to the hipster uniform. The article also randomly suggests that Barack Obama is to blame, because contrarian hipsters want to contrast themselves with a president who hits the gym every morning. But don't get too excited - according to the article, only men get a style dispensation from crunches. Here's more:

Leading with a belly is a male privilege of long standing, of course, a symbol of prosperity in most cultures and of freedom from anxieties about body image that have plagued women since Eve.

Along with not bathing and not shaving, hipster men now have made it "cool" to rock a potbelly. How alternative.

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck Opens Minds One Stop at a Time

TresSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

If you've spent time in New York City, you know the demanding ring of a Mr. Softie ice cream truck, but now there's a new truck parking its ice-box-white wheels wherever it can - the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. Doug Quint, the owner, knew that a middle-aged gay man driving an ice-cream truck would draw good and bad attention. So he went all out, painting rainbows on his big, gay ice-cream truck. And if that isn't enough reason to love him, this quote is:

Usually the kid is between seven and 12, I’d say. You can tell that they only think of the word "gay" as an insult. The parents brush it off. I can see that some of them do so naturally, and others take a brief moment while they decide how to react. They shrug, or tell their child, "Yep, it’s the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck." Sometimes they even come over for a cone.

I wonder if my silly banner, and the child/parent reactions to it, might be a good thing. Maybe one or two of the kids that pass by my truck will now think twice before using "gay" as an insult. If that keeps one kid from hearing it the way I (and lots of you) did - as a personal attack - I’m proud.

If you're in New York, follow him on Twitter to find out where his truck will be parked next. He's best known for his Choinkwiches - caramelized bacon-chocolate ice cream sandwiches. Yum!

Photo by Flickr user Bryan Petroff

Say What? Lawmaker Blasts US For Glorifying Perverted MJ

TresSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:00:12 -0700

"He was a pervert, a child molester; he was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country? I just think we're too politically correct."

New York congressman Peter King (no relation to the king of pop) blasted society's glorification of the late Michael Jackson. King conceded that Michael Jackson "may have been a good singer" and "did some dancing" - but he maintained that in the end, there's nothing good to say about the controversial entertainer.

In NY, Women Can Sell Their Eggs For $10,000

TresSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0700

New York's Empire State Stem Cell Board has $600 million in state funding for stem cell studies. The only problem? It needs more stem cells! So the board has decided to let researchers pay women up to $10,000 for the discomfort, time, and expenses involved with donating their eggs for stem cell experiments.

Fans of the unprecedented plan say it removes a great obstacle to finding treatments for life threatening diseases. Researchers say that a lack of compensation made it nearly impossible to convince women to donate their eggs. That may be because the process is not simple. Women have to take hormone injections for weeks that stimulate their ovaries to produce eggs. Then they have to undergo a painful extraction procedure.

Fertility clinics are successful in getting women to undergo the process because they compensate them - so science says it just wants part of the action. Critics say that the practice amounts to human body-part trafficking and worry that underprivileged women will be pressured to donate their eggs for the money.

How much would it take for you to sell your eggs?

NYC Sells Subway Station Names - Savvy or Selling Out?

TresSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:00:00 -0700

New York's MTA decided a long time ago that it would try to sell the naming rights to the city's subway stops, but it finally found someone willing to pay up. London-based bank Barclays has offered $4 million to add its name to Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street station. The name will officially change when the upcoming sports center, also called Barclays Center, opens in 2012.

We've long forgotten the days when stadiums and arenas were named after their locations, but subway stations? New Yorkers better be prepared to see a Miracle Whip sign on the 34th Street station or get ready to take an express train to Taco Bell Avenue.

Do you have a problem with corporations invading public space or is this a good way to subsidize the taxpayers' burden of paying for public transportation?

Photo by WalkingGeek

Binghamton Gunman Kills At Least 12 People and Himself

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:35:51 -0700

A gunman at the American Civic Association building in Binghamton, NY, killed 12 or 13 people, before taking his own life today. Citizenship classes were scheduled for the day. Details are still coming out, but it appears the man was a young male.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

New York governor David Paterson held a press conference recently, saying: "I speak for all of New York when I offer my prayers for the victims and families of this tragedy." Our thoughts go out to them, too.

Water Taxi: Company Bottles New York City Tap Water, Sells It

CitizenSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:30:06 -0800

I've always known (for like the last year) that the larger the water system, the cleaner the water. But Tap'dNY has taken New York City water to a new level: It's selling it. People even buy it!
The five boroughs actually have some of the healthiest water in the country. So healthy that the Environmental Protection Agency said it didn't need filtration (though Tap'd does filter) in 2007. And it's long been hailed the special ingredient in the city's bagels and pizza crusts.

Hope to taste that fresh Upstate water after it's flown through the sinewy pipes of Gotham? Forgetta 'bout it. The water is only sold in New York. City. Because, you know (everyone knows!), New Yorkers don't have faucets.

Since we're all caught parched and water bottleless at some point, I'll entertain the idea that Tap'dNY makes sense. To find out how, read more.

The green idea behind Tap'dNY is that it's local. It's pumped in a warehouse in Brooklyn and bottled 12 miles away in New Jersey. It's a lukewarm environmental tactic, considering 80 percent of water bottles go to rest in landfills. Yet at least one merchant has canceled its order of Poland Spring because the Maine-based (Nestlé-owned) company cannot keep up with its new competitor.

Are you drinking it up, or will the idea run dry?

50 Killed in Plane Crash Near Buffalo, NY

CitizenSugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:45:16 -0800

All passengers and crew members died in a major plane crash in New York state last night. Continental Airlines Flight 3407 was commuting from Newark to Buffalo when it crashed into a home, five minutes before landing. One person on the ground died, too, bringing the death toll to 50.

Among the passengers was Beverly Eckert, a woman whose husband died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Fires, fueled by a natural gas leak, made it difficult for investigators to retrieve the cockpit, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

This is the second major air crash in a month for New York. The state has barely finished celebrating the miracle of US Airways Flight 1549. Now residents must face a tragic ending.

Our hearts go out to the victims' families.

Source

Cold Hudson to Warm Welcome: Captain Sully Goes Home

LibertySugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:01:18 -0800

Far away from New York City's frigid Hudson River, US Airways pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger received a warm welcome from his small-town in Northern California. This weekend's celebration included a marching band, patriotic music, and a plethora of American flags.

While the pilot, who managed to land a bird-struck jet in the Hudson River without any casualties, didn't say much, local politicians including the mayor and US representative shared the spotlight to deliver speeches of praise. As for Sully, he kept a modest tone saying:

It was circumstances that put this experienced crew (in charge) of that plane on that particular day. We were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do.

Do you want to hear more from Sully?

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