TresSugar

Home Away From Home: W Hotel Vieques Island

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:00:07 PDT

W Hotels is a terrific brand. The quality of its interiors and the experience of a stay at a W is hard to beat. I can't complain about the W's hip, sleek, and sexy design aesthetic, but after a while I will say each location tends to look the same. Clean lines, shine, ambient lighting . . . a lot like a Virgin America airplane! But I just came across the W Retreat and Spa in Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, which opened in March, and I'm eating my words.This home away from home has all the luxuries of its sister locations but it's infused with color, movement, and pattern, giving it a unique, Latin flavor. It is terrifically outfitted with boldly patterned pillows on every chair, fun hanging chairs around every corner, rainbow-striped outdoor lounge chairs, engaging art installations, modern shapes, and a perfect mix of neutrals and pops of color. Take a tour of the property below.

Continue reading to see more photos.

Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.13 - Going Whole Hog

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:02:33 PDT

In the first half of this season's finale, we went from four Top Chef contestants, to three. It was a real treat of a challenge with loads of fresh Puerto Rican produce, and some high stakes drama. It was a fun watch, but the end might not please a lot of you, so let's start talking about it. Did you watch? Tell us what you thought in the comments! To check out my talking points,

First of all, Lisa's new hair-do: Love it or hate it?
The tropical fruit spread looked great, but do you remember the one from Hawaii in season two? This one was nothing compared to that one, no?
Did you see the scene where Richard nearly caught fire? At first I thought it was a weird CG effect.
Would you eat that pig on a spit?
Stephanie said she tried to pair chefs and sous chefs who got along well. Do you think that was true?
Have you missed Andrew's one-liners?
How awful would you have felt if you were Dale? Also, weren't you impressed with Stephanie's ability to keep cool and go with it?
How is Richard going to get that car home from an island? More seriously, how did you feel about his win?
Were you surprised to hear that Antonia was going home?
What do you think about Lisa's congratulations comment and Richard's bronze medal comment? Do you think it was bad form for them not to say congrats, or do you think it was bad form for her to call it out?
What have you thought of this season so far? Who are you rooting for?

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Awaiting Results: Clinton Pounds Obama in Puerto Rico

CitizenSugar — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:10:45 PDT

Hillary Clinton has cinched Puerto Rico's Democratic primary by a wide margin, CNN projects, giving her the larger share of the territory's 55 delegates.

Estimates show Clinton winning 68 percent to Obama's 32 percent. Though Puerto Rico went to the polls today, only the 50 states and Washington DC will get to weigh in come November.

Hillary will likely take 32 delegates from today's contest, and Obama, 14. Yesterday also saw the awarding of delegates when the DNC decided on Michigan and Florida, awarding the delegates half-votes, giving Clinton 87 additional delegates and Obama, 63.

Is the win for Clinton today, symbolic?

Source

Ad-rageous: Barack Obama Speaks Spanish

LibertySugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:00:57 PDT

Barack Obama has a Spanish mensaje personal for Puerto Rico. Unbeknownst to the English speaking public, Obama is promising Puerto Ricans independence as soon as he becomes president. OK, just kidding! But, check out the ad, which I swear is not dubbed! Obama really can roll his Rs.

Puerto Rico will hold its Democratic primary on June 1. Bill Clinton has assured Puerto Ricans that this is their rare opportunity to influence US presidential politics. Whether or not the island territory, which does not vote in the general election, isn't too late to the primary game is up for debate. But either way, do you think this ad, which showcases Barack Obama's Spanish-speaking skills, will help him wrap this thing up?

Source

The Most Active States in America

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 08:45:00 PDT

Are people in your state active?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has put together a list of the most active states, as well as the least active states in the nation. Each state is ranked based on the percentage of people in each state meeting physical activity recommendations. Does your state make the top ten?

Alaska: 56.7%
Vermont: 55.9%
Wisconsin: 55.6%
Wyoming: 54.8%
Montana: 54.7%
New Hampshire: 54.4%
Oregon: 54.3%
Washington: 52.9%
Maine and Utah: 52.8%
California: 52.7%

Yay California - woot, woot!

To see the most sedentary states, just

The following ranks states by the percentage of people who are physically inactive, defined as those who report being physically active for less than 10 minutes per week.

Puerto Rico: 37.3%
Kentucky: 28.8%
Louisiana: 25.3%
Tennessee: 24.3%
West Virginia: 24%
U.S. Virgin Islands: 22.3%
Mississippi: 21.9%
Alabama: 20.1%
North Carolina: 19.5%
Georgia: 19%

To see the full list, visit the CDC website.

The Rise of Weight Watchers in the 1960s

Annie Scudder — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:42 PDT

This week on Mad Men's "Dark Shadows" episode, Weight Watchers serves as a type of therapy for Betty Francis, who can definitely use it. Boredom, jealousy, and insecurity dominate Betty's life as a 1960s housewife on her second marriage, and she's turned to bags of Bugles to pass the time. Now determined to lose the weight, the former model turns to a new diet plan gaining popularity with women like her, Weight Watchers. Considering Betty's mother-in-law already tried to push diet pills on her, which contained amphetamines at the time, the group meetings are the responsible approach to weight loss for Betty Francis.

If you think Weight Watchers was a phenomenon of the '80s or remember Duchess Sara Ferguson as its spokeswoman in the '90s, you may have been surprised to see Betty attending meetings way back in the '60s. Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers, got the idea for the weight-loss method after struggling herself to lose and keep off weight with diets and pills. Jean, who had weighed as much as 214 pounds, lost 20 with a diet prescribed by the New York City Board of Health, but couldn't keep it off. So in 1961, she decided to hold meetings with other women facing the same issues with weight at her home in Queens, NY. By Oct. 1962, she had lost 72 pounds.

Thanks to her success, Jean's meetings took off, and she went from having them every week to multiple times a day. She soon recruited other group leaders, like the one we saw running Betty Francis's meetings, who had previously lost weight with the program and continued to keep it off. In 1963, Jean and her husband Marty incorporated the business, and by 1965, they exported the franchises to Canada, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, and Israel, with 102 in total. Changes would come in the '70s, with a psychologist coming on and exercise being introduced, and in 1978 the company was purchased for $100 million by another brand featured this season on Mad Men: H.J. Heinz.

In 2010, Weight Watcher's founder published her autobiography, The Jean Nidetch Story: An Autobiography, which came after her 1972 book The Story of Weight Watchers. The autobiography is described as the story of Jean's "personal struggles, rags-to-riches rise, and sunny, can-do attitude." If only Betty had a hint of a sunny disposition. Instead, her all-consuming jealousy is casting dark shadows.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Make a Trip to Puerto Rico Following Her Video Debut

Lindsay Miller — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:10:00 PST

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony joined the governor of Puerto Rico today in Bayamon as he signed a new bill supporting the commonwealth's film industry. Jennifer and her husband jetted there to lend their support to the lawmaker following last night's intense American Idol. Jennifer and her fellow judges faced another emotionally tough task as they whittled the finalists down to 13, but they blew off steam with a party after making the decision. It was a big episode for Jennifer personally, as she shared the first look at her new video for "On the Floor." The dance track is already number one on iTunes - let us know what you think of her sexy moves and find out how to get the sexy shimmer Jennifer rocked on the set!

Adam Brody Retreats to Puerto Rico For His Latest Job

Katie Henry — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:13:25 PST

Adam Brody shook hands with a fellow actor on the Puerto Rico set of Welcome to the Jungle yesterday. He's currently on location in the Caribbean shooting the comedy with costar Kristen Schaal. The pair are lured to the tropical island in what's described as a company retreat gone awry. Adam's got a highly scheduled year coming up. He recently wrapped production on Lovelace, starring opposite Amanda Seyfried and James Franco, and next up we'll see him sweep a lucky girl off her feet in director Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress, which opens in limited release on April 6.

What to Rent: New DVDs This Week

Lizzie Fuhr — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:05:00 PST

The Rum Diary

In this adaption of Hunter S. Thompson's novel, we follow the wild escapades of Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp), an American journalist who takes a job at a newspaper in Puerto Rico in the '50s. Although Paul has every intention to report on the important news of the region, he just can't say no to a good party. While the location is absolutely stunning (as is costar Amber Heard) and Depp has some seriously hilarious moments, the story doesn't satisfy. The DVD includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and a documentary.

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Take Shelter

In this drama, Michael Shannon plays Curtis LaForche, a small-town man who manages a happy family life, despite his financial struggles and daughter's disability. When Curtis starts having terrifying dreams about a storm of apocalyptic proportions, he has difficulty communicating his anxiety to his wife or community. Despite the fact that Take Shelter didn't receive an Oscar nomination, it received five Film Independent Spirit Award nominations, including one for Shannon's performance. The DVD extras include deleted scenes, a commentary track, and a Q&A with Shannon and costar Shea Whigham.

92%

Bachelor Ben Goes Skinny-Dipping With Model Courtney

Annie Scudder — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:50:00 PST

Regardless of what goes down in the Fantasy Suite, we never see too much nudity on The Bachelor. But last night, with tons of women left in the running, one contestant decided the regular bikini wardrobe offered too much coverage. Model Courtney, who wondered aloud whether Ben had ever gone skinny-dipping with a model (did I mention she's a model?), surprised bachelor Ben at his hotel room. They proceeded to strip down and jump in the ocean in Puerto Rico. Courtney was proud of her conquest, but Ben had second thoughts, saying: "Courtney and I shared a very intimate moment and right now I feel kind of crappy about what happened." Watch the insanity now, and if you tuned in, share your thoughts in the comments.