TresSugar

Do Tell: How Do You Prioritize Your Relationships?

DearSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:00:00 -0700

It seems like everyone could benefit from a few more hours to every day. And when you're juggling work, family, friends and a relationship, it can be challenging to make time for everyone. But, if you're like me and enjoy a few moments to yourself, even if it's just to catch your breath, how do you prioritize your relationships so no one feels left out? I have yet to master this one so do tell, how do you prioritize quality time with your loved ones?

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Do Tell: Favorite Day of the Week to Have Sex?

DearSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Sex in a relationship is extremely important, and it's sad that with today's economy, many couples are too stressed to have sex, or too busy to make time for it. Some couples are getting creative, however, and in a recent poll from Consumer Reports, 45 percent of couples are actually scheduling sex dates! Couples realized that if it was in their datebook, it was easier to prioritize love making instead of saying "not tonight, dear."

It may sound unsexy, but scheduled sex is better than no sex at all, right? So whether you think pre-planned sex is romantic or not, tell me this: What's your favorite day of the week to have sex?

Group Therapy: My Boyfriend Wants to Spend the Weekend With His Female Friend

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:00:00 -0800

My boyfriend and I have been in an on and off relationship for about three years. This past year he moved to the west coast and I live east. We tried to make it work long distance but it was too hard so I moved out there to be with him. I missed my family terribly and I was really unhappy there so I moved home after six months. My boyfriend recently lost his job so he decided to come back east because we really wanted to make things work. We still live in different cities due to our jobs and very limited schedules, (I'm also in grad school) so we haven't spent much time together since.

His best girl-friend that he met in California is coming to my city to see her family for the weekend. She asked my boyfriend to meet her and stay with her family while she's in town. He told me about this and is actually contemplating it, but he's barely spent any time with me, his girlfriend! I'm uncomfortable with the fact that he wants to spend the weekend with another girl, but mostly I'm hurt because I feel like he's putting her before me. I think he needs to prioritize now that he's in a relationship again, but am I just being unfair and insecure? He thinks I'm trying to keep him from a close friend.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To read more GROUP THERAPY, click here or submit your own question here.]

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Front Page: Hurricane Gustav Makes Landfall, Japan's PM Resigns, Italy Agrees to Reparations

CitizenSugar — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:34:20 -0700

Hurricane Gustav Makes Landfall: The storm, varying in reports between a Category 2 and Category 3, made landfall in the area of Port Fourchon, Louisiana around 9 a.m. ET. Grand Isle, directly in the storm's path is covered in water. Between preparations and a smaller storm than expected, the fallout in terms of property damage is estimated to be a quarter of what was expected yesterday.

Japan's PM Resigns:
Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has announced his surprise resignation at a news conference after serving less than a year. His government has been plagued by unpopularity. He said, "If we are to prioritize the people's livelihoods, there cannot be a political vacuum from political bargaining, or a lapse in policies. We need a new team to carry out policies."

Italy Agrees to Reparations:
Italy has agree to pay Libya $5 billion in reparations for its 32-year occupation of the country which ended in 1943. Silvio Berlusconi is set to sign the package which includes construction projects and pensions for Libyans who served with Italy in World War II. In return, Italy wants Libya to monitor illegal migrants turning up on Italy's shores.

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Who Do You Consider a Media Hero? Collect and Trade Them!

CitizenSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:42 -0700

If your Garbage Pail Kids cards are long forgotten (or Pokemon perhaps?) it might be time for a new set to collect and trade. Who might be better than a pack of media luminaries who've changed the tenor of discourse? The folks at Reclaim the Media know that it takes more than a .400 batting average to make a difference and wind up on a card - that's why they've created their own Media Heroes trading cards.

Here's what they have to say about why:

Media heroes are everywhere: journalists, activists, media innovators and educators making sure that we all have access to media that supports democratic values of justice, community and respect. Some media heroes are solitary voices keeping a candle of truth burning through a period of darkness. Others are organizers working to expand the range of people who can wield the power of publishing and broadcasting, or reveal hidden aspects of the media that is all around us.

The decks are $16 and feature original portraits of 21 different media heroes with biographies on the back. Who do they consider heroes? The Sesame Street pioneers, Children's Television workshop, which sought to combine education and entertainment as well as prioritizing service for lower-income kids who didn't have the leg up of preschool, for one. Also, Frederick Douglass who spoke out against slavery while writing for the newspaper, The Liberator, and PBS' Bill Moyers, who they say is "a singularly ardent advocate for journalistic ethics and the pursuit of authentic democracy."

Who are your media heroes? Would you put an Olbermann or a Nancy Grace into the mix? How about a Brokaw or a Cooper?

Obama Flips Toward Center, While McCain Flops to Base

LibertySugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:00:07 -0700

If you care about flip-flops, BBC has taken its turn to put together a compilation of Obama and McCain policy U-turns. The examples indicate that McCain has, atypically, traded more moderate positions for right-wing stances favorable with his base. More traditionally, Obama has shifted center after locking in the nomination, so he can appeal to undecided moderate voters. Here are some examples:

McCain and Interrogation: McCain now supports a bill exempting the CIA from the US Army's interrogation rules.
Obama and Surveillance: In 2007 he pledged to filibuster retroactive telecom immunity; but, he recently announced that he would not oppose such bill.

For some other repositions from the BBC guide, read more.

McCain and Immigration: McCain backed Bush's plan for comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. McCain said he now prioritizes border security, over a citizenship plan.
McCain and Guantanamo: McCain previously opposed Bush's detention policies at Gitmo. Now he says Supreme Court's decision to give prisoners access to US courts one of worst decisions in history
Obama and Campaign Finance: Although Obama says he never promised to stay in public finance system his decision to opt out has been viewed as bad faith.
Obama and Free Trade: Backing away from his anti-free-trade rhetoric, Obama now says: "Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified."

When does flip-flopping equal hypocrisy, and when does it signal a flexible and reasonable outlook?

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All Other Pedestrians? Eh . . .

GiggleSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:02:00 -0700

Warthogs are prioritized first, natch.

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Net Neutrality - Who Owns the Web? Do We Need Two?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:45:16 -0700

Some slangers sling around the words "Internets" or "Interwebs" to be cheeky - who knew how close to true it might be!

A new book by Jonathan Zittrain called The Future of the Internet – And How to Stop It posits the notion of separate but equal webs. Two of them! One, a closely guarded content provider that will severely limit hackers and would allow only limited programs - and another one for off-the-grid surfing where anything goes, with the risk that the movie file you um, borrowed, is actually carrying a nasty little virus.

A less vulnerable, more-limited Internet would offer safety with a catch: content regulation. A “safe” Internet, with its policing could end the fast and free Internet we currently enjoy. Who else wants to get their hands on the policing of the webs? Congress. To see who might hijack your Sugar browsing, read more.

Congress is currently debating two bills with different takes on Net Neutrality - the debate between those who want the Internet to be tightly regulated like television and radio with fewer administrators calling the shots and those in favor of the current Wild West sort of forum.

Why care about Net Neutrality? It could mean that content would be prioritized - email could be put in line and sent only after more important messages are delivered. And there's the sticky question of censorship. With an Internet put in the hands of fewer people, material deemed offensive could be cut off from the Internet completely.

The current debate shapes up like this: Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), fears an Internet breach of antitrust regulation saying:

The Internet was designed without centralized control, without gatekeepers for content and services. If we allow companies with monopoly or duopoly power to control how the Internet operates, network providers could have the power to choose what content is available.

However, some like Republican congressman John Upton (R-MI) disagree:

There is no solid evidence of consumers being blocked from any content or application on the web, and the very few times consumers have been troubled with something, the issue has been resolved without imposing regulations or legislation, indicating that market forces indeed work.

Would you be in favor of tighter Internet regulations? Are two Internets the answer to the question of Net Neutrality? Is the Internet really the democratic forum that it appears to be?

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Sanctuary Cities: Hillary Won't Crack Down - Should We?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:30:59 -0700

Hillary Clinton dropped in on Bill O'Reilly yesterday and talk turned to immigration and sanctuary cities. O'Reilly asked her if she would crack down on sanctuary cities - she said "no," arguing that illegal aliens should not be discouraged from reporting crimes. Though she's not in favor of "forcing them into the shadows," Clinton had this to say "I'm 100 percent in favor of tightening our borders, of enforcing the laws against employers, of going after the kind of abuses that we see in the job market." Adding that illegals who commit crimes "should be deported, no questions asked."

She also came out against immigration raids saying the American people don't want police going door to door at businesses and homes, looking for illegal aliens. Is this true?

The topic of sanctuary cities was famously visited in a Republican debate when Giuliani accused Romney of running a sanctuary mansion. But what are these so-called sanctuaries, and are they so terrible? To find out, read more.

Though there's not a universally agreed upon definition, the usage has evolved from the 1980s when a group of churches gave shelter to people fleeing political situations in places like Haiti - and local governments allowed the practice. Today the idea refers more generally to cities who protect illegal immigrants using city services by not reporting their immigration status to federal immigration authorities. Proponents say these measures allow illegals to report crimes and other activities beneficial to society.

At the federal level, sanctuary is seen as a hindering public safety. Last year the House passed a bill to withhold federal emergency funding from sanctuary cities, and the Senate is set to consider the issue this session. While one report shows 32 cities with sanctuary measures on the books, some are very vocal about it – San Francisco and Chicago are among them.

What's the greatest threat to public safety? Allowing undocumented people to live in cities free from action that would enforce consequences for their illegal status, or discouraging the greater good by prioritizing the enforcement federal immigration policies? Do we need to crack down on sanctuary?

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Oink Oink! Congress Spends $17.2 Billion on Pet Projects

LibertySugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:00:52 -0700

The secret is out of the corral. We now know which worthy causes are receiving pork barrel spending - that is money appropriated for special congressional pet projects. The Pig Book, put out by Citizens Against Government Waste, specifically identifies the 11, 610 projects that received $17.2 billion of taxpayer money this year.

We've all heard the famous "bridge to nowhere" and "studying the DNA of bears" used as prime examples of piggy tax-gobbling this campaign. Check out the whole book of new contenders. To sniff out some of the smelly highlights, read more.

Maine Senators and Representative got $188,000 for the Lobster Institute.
$7.5 million was allocated for grape and wine research and $460,752 to research hops, the main ingredient in beer.
Rep. Virgil Goode (R) secured $98,000 to develop a walking a tour of Boydron, VA.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid lined up $1.7 million for multiple projects including: $1.1 for mormon crickets, $36, 741 for weed managements, and $196,000 for the historical downtown post office in Las Vegas.

Tax money should be used to fund museums, research initiatives, and other projects that would be otherwise neglected; however, it is troublesome that these projects are awarded in the shadows, instead of through a process of competitive allocation. Would you rather let federal agencies decide how the money is spent, or do you think the elected officials are better able to prioritize the needs of their constituents?

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