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How Do You Prefer to Holiday Shop?

GeekSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:15:25 -0800

While perusing the news, I noticed two seemingly conflicting stories right beside each other on the same site. The headlines: "Online Retail Thriving This Holiday Season" and "A Site to Help People Shop Online Attracts Investors."

The two articles aren't actually contradictory, the first is a welcome optimistic look at the future of e-commerce with Forrester Research reporting that most online retailers turned a profit in 2008 as business continues to grow. The second article profiles a new site called Milo, which allows you to enter your location and the name of a product you're looking for, and it delivers a list of nearby retail stores where you can find the item. Milo's business model operates on the "instant gratification" theory - you don't want to wait for an item you order, you want to find it right away.

I tend to prefer a mix of online and retail store shopping, depending on the item and what's convenient. What about you?

Real or Fake? Headlines of the Week

TresSugar — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:00:07 -0800

News can get pretty weird. Our Stranger Than Fiction feature covers a lot of it, but there's much more useless information to know. I've gathered some of this week's most bizarre headlines and mixed in some made-up ones. See if you can spot the real from the fake.

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Study: Young People Check Email While Checking News, Duh!

LibertySugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:00:38 -0700

The AP conducted a study in an attempt to figure out how best to get the news to young adults. The international study found that young adults are experiencing news fatigue, and overall information overload thanks to the Internet. Participants were also distracted from focusing on news because they were almost always multitasking with activities like reading email.

In order to get readers to see through the sea of headlines and facts, and eventually select the in-depth stories they actually crave, the AP will begin using a "1-2-3 filing" system.

To find out what that means, read more.

Here's how it works: first, there is a news alert or breaking news headline. Next, comes a present-tense short piece on the story, easily picked up by websites and broadcasts. Finally, details and analysis will be added to the previous skeleton. Voila! Easy news for the ADD generation!

When I read about a study that finds there is a lot of information on the Internet and that people check email while accessing other info, I think - duh! But, I guess it's good that AP is putting in resources in trying to find a sustainable model for getting information to a new generation.

Is the Internet making us more or less informed? Will tightly packaged news bites lead young'ns to in-depth analysis? Do you have news fatigue? . . . I hope not!
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FlashForward Breakdown, "Playing Cards With Coyote"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:30:30 -0800

After Al's tragic suicide on last week's episode of FlashForward, this week shows how the idea of "changing the game" has affected all the characters. Mark and Olivia start to find new hope for their relationship, Lloyd teaches Simon a lesson, and Aaron learns more about where his daughter has been for the past two years.

Ready to get into all the details? Just read more.

"The future can be changed": Al's death makes headline news when Celia gets her letter in the mail, instilling hope in Mark and Demetri - for a bit. Mark whisks Olivia off on a romantic getaway and things seem to be much happier between the two. But once they're back to regular life, they both get a reality check: Mark gifts her the lingerie she's wearing in her flash forward, and Aaron's reunion with Tracy makes Mark go back to believing that the visions may be set in stone.

The stars are aligned: Mark thinks he has a big lead when some footage shows up of a man he recognizes from his vision - a woman named Ingrid reports a crime and her phone images reveal a man with a tattoo of three stars on his arm. Thinking it's the same pern who breaks into his office in the future, Mark immediately dedicates himself to finding the guy. Using Ingrid as bait, Mark manages to take kill him, and rushes home to Olivia to tell her that they're going to have a second chance because he changed the game. But then - surprise! There's a whole crew of dudes with that tattoo. Um, seriously Mark? This never occurred to you? It's not like the guy has an unmistakable tattoo of Edward Cullen on his arm.

That was a crazy game of poker: Feeling guilty about that whole deadly experiment thing, Lloyd sends out an email to a few colleagues saying "We have to take responsibility." Of course, Simon isn't pleased about Lloyd's plans to go public and wants to settle their argument over a game of Texas hold 'em. There's plenty of trash talking from Simon, who thinks that he and Lloyd are gods for the impact they've had on the planet. He tosses around ideas of fate (was anyone else thinking about Lost's Charlie and his fate finger tape?) and just when Simon thinks he's sitting pretty, Lloyd turns the tables with a sleight of hand. (Some U2 lyrics come to mind here). Somehow I still don't think Simon is going to make it easy for Lloyd to publicize what they've done.

Reunited and it feels so good? Tracy is back at home with Aaron, but she's not exactly the same girl that went off to war. She's lost her leg in combat and suffering from PTSD, which she's reluctant to discuss with her dad at first. Feeling confident from his flash forward, Aaron encourages Tracy to open up about what happened overseas. She finally reveals that her near-death experience was an ambush from Jericho, a group of military contractors that she ratted out after seeing something she shouldn't. Tracy is paranoid after living a life on the run for two years (and is not at all pleased when Aaron talks to Mark about her situation). Though keeping track of all the different characters and their separate story lines is getting confusing, I'm liking this new development in Aaron's story.

Other plot points:

Janice tries to quit but Stan won't let her. As she continues to contemplate Al's death and her vision, she starts looking into sperm donation - does this mean those are tears of joy in her flash forward?

Ingrid says that she remembers one of the shooters saying "QED," which is also brought up during Simon and Lloyd's poker game.

Ingrid and her bird collection can be added to the list that already includes the crows and the bird crashing into Fiona's window.

So, is that Simon strangling Nicole in her vision? Creepy. I'm wondering if she finds out his secret and tries to intervene.

How'd you feel about this week's episode? Any new theories on what's going to happen over the next few months? Let's get the conversation going!

Will Self-Deprecating Video Help Papa Jon Win Brownie Points?

babysugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:00:46 -0800

Jon Gosselin Goes Back in Time from Jon Gosselin

For better or worse, Jon Gosselin cannot go a day without being mentioned in the headlines. Lately, it's been all bad news for the father of eight - he's being sued, he's suing, he's breaking up, he's spending Christmas with Kate and the kids, etc. While his popularity plummets and his notoriety skyrockets, the reality show star is taking a different approach to garner new fans. In the name of self-deprecation, the good dad gone bad takes steps to turn back time. Love him or hate him, it's a pretty entertaining two-minute spoof on his real life, but I'm not sure it will earn him any brownie points. What's your take on it?

Athletes With True Grit: The Paralympics Underway in Beijing

CitizenSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:30:08 -0700

While the Olympics with the convention chaser gobbled up the news cycle, the Paralympic Games is running now in Beijing through Sept. 17 and is well worth a slice of the cycle. The stories and pictures out of the games rival a Phelps headline any day.

This year's games showcase 4,000 athletes, each tougher than the sum of their parts, from 148 countries, competing in 20 sports. One of those sports blows my mind - blind soccer. There's a picture of the event below, it's really incredible.

Some of the athletes postgames fortune could give Phelps a run for his medals. Almost Olympian and Paralympian champion Oscar Pistorius, nicknamed "Blade Runner" is sweeping medals and set to become the new Carl Lewis.

I was most struck by the story behind the creation of the games - and how they resonate today. To see how, and more pictures, read more.

Sir Ludwig Guttmann set out to create a sports competition for World War II veterans with a spinal cord injuries in 1948. After launching in England, in the next games competitors from the Netherlands joined and the international competition took off. Today's games feature athletes from six different disability groups with a firm emphasis on athletic achievement instead of disability.

True to the roots of the games, disabled veterans are competing this year - like US swimmer Melissa Stockwell. After she lost her leg to an IED in Iraq four years ago, she began training on her own and qualified for the games. With more than 31,000 US soldiers rendered permanently disabled, there's a push for sports rehabilitation that could make many more Paralympians like Melissa.

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Headline Of The Day

GiggleSugar — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Train Cancelled After Conductor Succumbs To Diarrhea

When ya gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now, you gotta go, gotta go, gotta go! But it gets even more awkward when your need to evacuate your bowels ends up evacuating an entire train--and then making headline news. Now that wouldn't sit too well with anyone! To read more, click here.

Health Headlines: Shame, Sanitizer, and Fit Immune Systems

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:00:47 -0700

After nursing two sick children last week, these headlines caught my attention, since staying well is always on my mind.

Shame "Boosts Hand Washing Rate" - BBC
"Is the person next to you washing with soap?" This is the shaming message used to scare Brits using public restrooms into washing their hands . . . with soap. This big brother-like query was more effective than, although not as cute as, in my opinion, the phrase, "Don't be a dirty soap dodger."

Does Exercise Boost Immunity? - New York Times
According to a couple of studies, the answer is a qualified yes. It is regular, moderate exercise that helps you fight off bugs. Too much vigorous exercise seems to suppress the immune systems, leaving endurance athletes at a disadvantage as marathon season wraps up and flu season begins.

Flu Worries Pump Up Sales of Hand Sanitizer - NPR
The stock market might be making a slow turnaround, but hand sanitizer sales are bumping. In the US, we spent over $117 million on the gel-based cleaners last year. Fear of the H1N1 virus and the back-to-school season made for a 50 percent increase in hand sanitizer sales in August 2009 over the same month the previous year.

Health Food Headlines

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:00:44 -0700

I love food. Not just eating it, but reading about it too. Here are three food-driven headlines that caught my eye.

Calorie Postings Don’t Change Habits, Study Finds - New York Times
Remember all the controversy about chain restaurants in the Big Apple being forced to post calorie counts? Well, it looks like you can post the calories, but consumers will consume what they want. A study performed in NYC neighborhoods where obesity rates are high found that although folks said the calorie counts helped them make healthier food choices, they actually ordered higher calorie items than before the calorie counts were posted.

10 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sick - Web MD
Oh, the irony. The Center For Science in the Public Interest researched food-borne illnesses and found that some health foods topped the list, including eggs, tomatoes, and sprouts.

Starting Good Food Habits in Kids From the Womb - Time
As a baby is being formed in utero, so is its sense of taste. A fetus in the second and third trimester has a highly sensitive palate, and what the mother eats helps determine the child's early flavors of choice. All the more reason to eat a variety of foods when pregnant and nursing.

What's The Best "Weekly World News" Headline Ever?

GiggleSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:20:04 -0700

It's a sad day in America. The Weekly World News, reliable for its surreal and barely-tethered-to-reality news stories, is folding after being around since the late 80's. Created as a placeholder for stories The National Enquirer found too dubious (!) to print, WWN boasted writers who had left The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer for the chance to write about "events that seemed to occur in a parallel universe...where pop culture mixed with urban legends, conspiracy theories and hallucinations," as one writer put it so eloquently. We'll miss you crazies--you live on in spirit in The Onion and Fark. So what's the best "Weekly World News" headline?