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Madonna, Mariah Surpass Elvis on Billboard Charts

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:37:52 PDT

It's a new era of rock, folks. Billboard reports today that singles by Mariah Carey and Madonna have broken chart records previously held by Elvis Presley.

As expected, Mariah Carey moves past Elvis Presley and into sole possession of second place for most No. 1s in the rock era, as "Touch My Body" soars 15-1 on the Billboard Hot 100 to become her 18th chart-topper.

Presley will also be nudged from his standing as the artist with the most top 10s in the rock era, as Madonna surpasses him with her 37th top 10, "4 Minutes."

Billboard also points out that digital downloads are helping the singing divas: "'Body's' blast to No. 1 is fueled by a record-setting debut week digital tally of 286,000 downloads," and "Madonna's Hot 100 jump is spurred by stupendous download sales."

What do you think about these singles? You can listen to "4 Minutes" here and "Touch My Body" here (where you can also watch the funny video). Are they worth all the appreciation?

Source

Madonna and JT's "4 Minutes" - Love It or Leave It?

PopSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:00:53 PDT

This morning on Ryan Seacrest, the highly anticipated first single off of Madonna's new Hard Candy album made its world premiere. The song is called "4 Minutes" and features JT and Timbaland. Give it a listen and then tell us what you think - love it or leave it?

Snacking Good: Natchitoches Meat Pies

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:07:39 PST

We've always wanted to take a stab at rolling out a few Natchitoches meat pies. Thanks to an easy recipe from Food Orleans, this might be a dream realized sooner rather than later.

[Baked or fried? You decide.]

Natchitoches meat pies are one of those special little treats with a name as fun to say as they are to scarf down. Nackadish - that's how you say it - is a small town we drive through on our way north to visit Alexandria or Oklahoma, and it's where Steel Magnolias was filmed, and it's famous for these little pies. It's a beautiful little place, with a picturesque riverfront lined with shops and restaurants that have their own sort of French Quarter-ish wrought iron balconies (remember the Easter scene where Jackson slapped Ouiser? That's the riverfront!). But you don't have to go into the actual town to get yourself some meat pies; just stop at any gas station right off I-10. They all fry them up and they're all pretty wonderful.

For her recipe, continue reading.

In Defense of the Chronically Late Mom

BabyCenter — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:01:11 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Betsy Shaw about being late for school.

If I were to wear a scarlet letter it would be T.

T for tardy. T for turd ball. T for totally inept mother.

We are late for school with such alarming regularity it’s embarrassing. The last time we were on time, after a mini snowstorm that excited my children enough to urge them into their snowsuits and outside at 6:30 a.m., we got to school five minutes early to find it dark and empty. Delayed opening. I was apparently the only mother who didn’t get the memo.

Calling Charlie Brown…

Being late for school brings up a vicious brew of conflicting emotion in me. On the one hand I just don’t care. Life is short. Far too short to risk traumatizing your children with a bullwhip and terrorizing morning walkers and squirrels, not to mention my own white-knuckled children, speeding our way to school like Toad on a motorcar bender each weekday morning.

On the other hand I am ashamed, deeply embarrassed, to be “that mom.” All the other moms can do it, even the single ones. Why. Can’t. I? What’s wrong with me?

I complained about this once to a woman from South Carolina who I met on my Guatemala trip and she told me her school started at 7:30. She also made it clear her kids were never late.

Never late.

Keep reading for more of Betsy's reasoning for being late.

Earn More Money By Changing Up Your Office Space

LearnVest — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:15:07 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Most of us spend about 40 hours per week at work - in other words, the majority of our waking hours.

And nearly all of those hours are spent sitting at our desks. It’s a definite problem - and not just because we’re missing happy hour or quality couch time at home.

There’s no shortage of discouraging research pointing out the evils of a sedentary lifestyle and claiming that sitting will actually shorten our lives.

But, conversely, making a few tweaks to the way you sit - and the space you sit in - all day has been proven to make you a happier, healthier worker, busy earning your killer salary.

And, scientists say, the happier you are, the more you tend to earn.

In an effort to make the time spent at our desks as productive (and as profitable) as possible, we’ve combed the research for the easiest, most effective tips to soothe your mind and body when trapped in a cubicle . . . or corner office.

Just follow these four steps.

1. Make It Comfy

When we say “comfy,” we mean “ergonomic.” It’s an unfriendly word for a friendly concept: basically it means “intended to provide optimum comfort and to avoid stress or injury.” Friendly, right? Besides, an awkward workspace can lead to major health issues, including disorders in your joints or tendons, so a little tweaking of your cubicle can go a long way for your well-being. Line up your body correctly by following these two principles:

Your feet should be flat on the floor and your elbows should be even with your desk. This can be achieved either through adjustable chairs or - if chairs are a hot commodity at your office - a combination of step stools and pillows.

Read on for more tips.

From the Fit Community: A Cheesy Vegan Quinoa Casserole

Fit Community — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:04:21 PST

FitSugar readers pure2raw share a "cheesy" quinoa casserole recipe that's actually vegan as well as gluten, soy, and dairy-free. They posted the recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes, oven preheated to 325°
Serves: varies, but bakes in a 3-quart (9×13) glass baking dish

Ingredients (Part One)

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water
2 cups chopped raw yellow squash
2 cups steamed cauliflower
2 handfuls arugula (or spinach)

Directions for quinoa

To cook quinoa, bring 4 cups water to a boil.
Then add in 2 cups dry quinoa and bring back to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or till water is gone.

Read on for the rest of the recipe (including ingredients for the "cheesy" sauce).

11 Rules to Dramatically Increase Your Productivity

Wise Bread — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:35:04 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Wise Bread story here on Savvy!

There's a problem with a lot of productivity advice out there, and it's this - your "rules" for personal productivity are often going to be different than mine. Sure, sometimes there's overlap. Sure, you can always learn from others.

But if you want to see a dramatic increase in your productivity, spend less time reading and memorizing other people's rules, and more time figuring out what your own rules are. You'll be more productive and in a way that works with who you are.

So I'm sharing a few of my personal productivity rules. Maybe some of them will work for you or inspire you to think of your own.

1. Small Daily Movements Become Big Accomplishments

I tend to think that I must have big blocks of time in order to get any forward movement. So I hesitate and procrastinate, waiting for that "open time" when I can really push and get a lot done on whatever the current project is.

Turns out, that's a waste of time. Small daily movements add up. It's just that the movements or steps themselves are so small, I think they don't count. They do.

I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need a whole day or a whole week to devote to some project. I just need to take the 10 or 20 minutes I have here and there and use them. I need to achieve a little bit of forward movement every day. That adds up, and it builds momentum, and pretty soon there's been quite a lot accomplished.

For more rules, read after the jump.

PetSugar's 10 Funniest Super Bowl Animal Ads

Sara Yoo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:08:45 PST

Granted, we at PetSugar will be tuning into Puppy Bowl VIII's day of poochy pandemonium, but we'll keep one eye on Sunday's other bowl game for one reason: Super Bowl commercials! Companies spend millions to air less than a minute of promotional time, and alongside celebrities and sports stars, animals often play a starring role. Here, we've rounded up our 10 funniest Super Bowl animal ads of all time. Do these tickle your funny bone? Chime in if we've missed any!

10. The frogs that inspired reptilian and rodent imitators.

9. A bad day to be a chicken.

For the rest of the countdown, just read on.

From the Community: Printable 5-4-3-2-1 At-Home Circuit Workout

Fit Community — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:57:05 PST

Reader FitFabCities has a simple 15-minute workout for you - no equipment needed! She shared it with us in our FitSugar Community.

This printable workout gives you total-body toning plus cardio and it's as easy as 5-4-3-2-1! The whole thing is only 15 minutes long so it's perfect to squeeze into a busy day. Plus you don't need any equipment or a gym; simply push your coffee table out of the way and you're good to go!

Happy Workout!

TIPS

Feel free to take as many breaks as you need
Just starting out: go through once
Intermediate: go through twice
Advanced: go through three or four times
Take breaks between each round and make sure you drink plenty of water

You can get the printable version here: Fit Fab Cities

Share your own workouts, find a new one, or just get inspired in our FitSugar Community!

Truffle Mac and Cheese

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:55:45 PST

Winter's prime time for comfort foods, and what could be more reassuring on a bleak day than truffle mac and cheese? Cooking in Pajamas expounds.

You could go to a restaurant and pay $15 for a bowl of this decadent pasta, or simply make it at home for a fraction of the price. That's right. You can make this at home for a surprisingly reasonable price. The secret is truffle oil.

The use of truffle oil has become controversial in culinary circles. Ask any chef what they think of truffle oil, and they will most likely turn up their noses and declare it to be an unacceptable substitute to the real thing. One of the biggest reasons for this is that many truffle oils on the market do not contain any actual truffles. They use a synthetic ingredient to duplicate the aroma of the truffle, but their are a few brands that contain natural truffle to infuse the oil.

Keep reading for her truffle macaroni and cheese secrets.