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Windsurfing: It's All About Balance

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:30:00 -0700

A great way to enjoy the summer weather is to take advantage of lakes and oceans. The air is usually much cooler near the water and there are so many fun things you can do to work your body besides swimming.

Windsurfing is fun and feels adventurous. You can rent a board, thats what you stand on, and a rig - the sail, a mast and the boom (the bar you hold onto). The board and the rig together are sometimes referred to as a "kit." There is the uphaul, a rope attached to the boom and the bottom of the mast that you use to pull the sail up.

I'd highly recommend getting a lesson from an experience instructor. They can give you pointers on how to position your board in regards to the wind, how to pull the sail up without getting knocked over, how to stand and stay balanced on the board, as well as the simple but important skill of how to steer.

If you want to know more about getting started, then read more

It's a good idea to first start out on land. You've got to learn how to control the sail first without worrying about staying balanced on your board. You can do this by sticking the base of the mast (it has the sail attached) into the sand or ground. Practice holding the mast (sometimes it has a little handle on it) with one hand, and pulling the boom closer to you with your backhand - this is how you catch the wind and start moving.

When you get a handle on that, venture into some shallow water with just the board. Practice standing on it to get a feel for its movements. Then you can stick the mast into the center of your board and let the mast and sail float in the water (it can swivel down). Learning to pull your sail up by pulling on the uphaul rope is a little tricky so don't get frustrated if you fall off a million times. Remember laughing is a workout too.

Once you get the hang of staying up and slowly pulling the boom towards you to catch the wind, you'll be cruising along in no time. It's a great upper and lower body workout because you use all your muscles to try and stay balanced. Since it's challenging, it's a lot of fun, and once you get the hang of it, you'll feel so proud of yourself.

Here's a video explaining how to get your board ready, how to get on it, and how to do some basic windsurfing moves.

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Troopers Riding in Big Rigs to Nab Drivers: Smart or Sneaky?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:30:13 -0700

Over a two days this week, Oregon State Police and sheriffs (perhaps better known by their CB radio code, "Boy Scouts") hitched a ride with big-rig truckers on the hunt for aggressive drivers who wouldn't suspect a "Smokey" ride along and wouldn't have time to "brush their teeth and comb their hair" (shout out for a radar trap ahead.)

Leaving the "bubble gum machine" (cop car) at home, the troopers were able to nab 38 drivers in just two days. From their shotgun perches, most of the drivers were ticketed for driving over a "double nickel" (55 mph) and never saw it coming.

The ODOT safety manager says "Research shows that most truck vs. car crashes could be avoided if drivers knew how to steer clear of unsafe situations. With this campaign, we hope to increase awareness, encourage safer driving practices and make a positive change in the risky driving behaviors of motorists - all of which will lead to fewer crashes, fatalities, and injuries on Oregon's roadways."

Is planting troopers in a big rig a creative solution - or a little bit like a speed trap taken too far?

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90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:30:22 -0800

This week's 90210 and Melrose Place combo don't have a ton of shocking moments, but it's obvious both shows are gearing up for major stuff to go down. (Like a drug bust, murder arrest, and Heather Locklear, for instance?!) We do, however, get some nice moments between the characters. Teddy, for one, is acting like an angel - although I can't tell if it's sincere, because I've made it a rule not to trust a guy who ties sweaters over his shoulders. And the gang from Melrose have a nice come-together moment around the pool, which I'd like to see more of.

Not that everything is warm and fuzzy. Hardly. There's still scandal to go around, so ready to decide which gave us more gossip-worthy material? Just read more.

90210 point: Navid discovers Jasper selling Adrianna drugs in her car in the school parking lot. Navid calls Adrianna to confront her, but she of course denies his accusations. Jasper also says the story isn't true and threatens Navid in a "hypothetical" way. Like, "hypothetically if I was a drug dealer, you wouldn't want to mess with me, because I know bad people." Real discreet stuff.
Melrose Place counterpoint: The blood tests from last week's discovery of Sydney's murder weapon come back - and Auggie is the guilty party. Auggie might as well be off the show already, because he is nowhere to be found, supposedly on a trip in Mexico. Ella's relieved, Riley has doubts, and Violet continues to defend him, seeing as how they slept together and she's crazy. When she told Riley that she and Auggie were "intimate" with each other, I nearly ralphed.

90210 point: Debbie is in the doghouse with Dixon. He tries to go comfort Sasha after her "miscarriage," and Debbie admits that Sasha faked the pregnancy - and that she hid the truth. Dixon's unreasonably angry with Debbie, telling her "you're not my real mom anyway." Come on, Dixon. Deb doesn't deserve that.
Melrose Place counterpoint: David sneaks over to Michael's house while he's at work and borrows Noah. He takes his little bro to a fair, but things go amiss when Noah climbs a wall and falls. David rushes him to Lauren at the hospital, and she administers treatment - but not before Michael gets wind of everything. He's understandably furious but later tells David that he's glad he cares about Noah. Could this be the start of an actual relationship between the father and son?!

90210 point: Liam is on the rampage after he tells Mr. Matthews that Jen is psycho and Ryan doesn't believe him. He takes his attitude out on Ivy, Teddy, and an entire group of surfers. Later, Liam explains his behavior, opening up to the guys (and Ivy) about his history with Jen, and the entire thing culminates in a cheesy friend speech to take Jen down, complete with a high-five. [eye roll]
Melrose Place counterpoint: Violet is back to blackmailing Michael. This time, we find out that she's wanted for a court trial for previously resisting arrest. She enlists Michael, suggesting that he find her a lawyer in return for her discretion about their one-night stand. He, in turn, threatens her back, telling her that he can make the sentencing go against her unless she erases the sex video. Which she does . . . or so it seems. I'm still not 100 percent sure that it won't pop up later, but the power play between the two of them was an episode highlight for me.

90210: With Silver's half birthday approaching, her mom decides to make up for years of missed celebrations and throw her multiple parties at once, dressing up their entire house in different themes. The whole thing seemed like a stretch - really, Teddy called his dad's set designer friend to rig up the ambiance? - but it was still nice to see her and her mom get their moment together. Unfortunately, at the end of the episode, Silver goes to wake her mom in the morning and realizes that her mom has passed away.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Whoa, whoa, whoa - Ella makes a move on Jonah that's bold even for her. It all starts when she needs him to pose as a publicist at a lunch with a hot new indie director. The director comes on to Ella, and Jonah swoops in to put off his advances by pretending to be her fiance. They share a steamy kiss to be extra-convincing, and sure enough, once the director is out of sight, Ella suggests that the two of them go to a nearby hotel, so Jonah can see what he's been missing. He angrily tosses Ella's advances by telling her he's in love with Riley. You could tell part of her feels hurt by his words - and that part of him doesn't actually mean them.

90210 point: Annie is falling hard for Jasper. Their back and forth "I love yous" were pretty sickening, and she even gets in a sting at Dixon, defending Jasper and telling Dixon he's a bad judge of character because of Sasha. But the most cringe-worthy part is Annie tells Jasper that she wants him to be her first - and they start tossing on the bed as the episode wraps. Oh, Annie - you're so gonna wish you had given it up to Ethan instead.

Melrose Place counterpoint: You saw it coming: Lauren and David finally kiss! David's actually a standup guy this episode by taking care of Noah, but his speech to Lauren about how he wants her to see the best in him was unexpected - and welcome, in my opinion. Lauren of course is hesitant due to her call girl lifestyle, which David still doesn't know about. I just hope they don't let that hold her back too long, so we can explore these two as a couple.

This is tough one to call, since neither show packed a ton of drama, relatively speaking. I'm going to go with Melrose Place though, since we find Auggie's blood on the murder weapon, Ella propositioning Jonah, and David and Lauren locking lips. But would you argue for 90210 instead? I'll agree that it did include some pretty nasty lines, and obviously Silver's storyline with her mom carries some weight.

Let me know your pick in the comments, then head over to the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community to discuss the show in more detail.

Photos courtesy of The CW

Dancing with Stars Rigged?

PopSugar — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 08:01:29 -0700

Dancing with Stars Rigged?
Radar reports that the network had Kelly Monaco win since her soap is on the ABC and it would help promote the day time program. They just announced a second season so it will be interesting to see who the next round of contestants and winners are.

Meredith Vieira to Navy Pilot: "I'm an Old, Horny Woman"

TresSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Should Max Shuman of Virginia Beach, VA, want to file a sexual harassment charge against Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? guest host Meredith Vieira, he will have no trouble providing documentation to the authorities.

Unbeknownst to him, the young (and yes, incredibly hot) Navy pilot walked into a cougar's den of lust and inappropriate comments. You can actually watch the poor guy's face change from amused to slightly afraid as it becomes clear that Meredith is not going to stop ribbing him or making horrible double entendres. Sample dialogue: when the clearly rigged question "The childhood prank known as a wet willie involves putting a wet finger in someone's what?" comes up, Meredith says, "Anywhere you want to put it, Max." And that is but one example!

Down, Meredith, down!

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Front Page: Pirates Anchor Largest Oil Rig Ever Hijacked

LibertySugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:17:15 -0800

A giant Saudi oil tanker seized by Somali pirates Saturday has been anchored off the coast of Somalia. The cargo in the biggest tanker ever hijacked is estimated to be worth $100 million. - BBC News
US officials warned lawmakers that more economic aid is urgently needed, even though the Bush administration has decided not to spend more of the $700 billion bailout funds approved in October. Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared at a congressional hearing today, where they described a gloomy economic situation and defended their actions. - New York Times

Washington DC officials are preparing for as many as four million people to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama, a tally four times larger than any other event. The city hopes to avoid a situation similar to the 1976 bicentennial, when millions were stranded in cars and buses for hours. - Washington Post
Finland's government plans to raise the alcohol tax by 10 percent, not to raise money but to discourage heavy drinking. Officials say alcohol is the country's most common cause of death.- AP

Oscar-Worthy Gadgets: There Will Be Blood's Drilling Rig

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:07:09 -0800

To wrap up our week of Oscar-worthy gadgets, is the final 2008 Best Picture Oscar Nominee There Will Be Blood. Based on the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair, There Will Be Blood is set in the late nineteenth century in Southern California and stars main-man Daniel Day-Lewis. Unlike the other Best Pictures, There Will Be Blood lacks any modern technology, since it's set in a time way before electronics . . . certainly not as gadget filled as some other movies from 2007, (yes we've been spoiled)!
Although there was one regularly featured gadget that can't go unnoticed in this film - the mechanized oil drill, whereby rods were turned by hand via a rope for it to slowly chip away at the rock below. In the movie, we see this method regularly being used, especially when the big explosion occurs with the derrick (the massive lifting device). Definitely an important piece of technology during the big oil boom, which has now been fined tuned into massive, complex pieces of equipment.

Time is running out! Be sure to fill out an Oscar ballot and show off your expertise about this year's Oscar-worthy films!

BeadBoard Outlet Desk: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:43:30 -0700

Used to be (well, still is), you had a desk and you just figured out how to plug your electronic life into it, particularly laptop cords and such. Nowadays you can get furniture that's built for such modern uses, like Pottery Barn's Beadboard Space Saving Desk ($500), which features a five-plug outlet in the cabinet.

It's like having a charging station built in to your desk, and the drawers slide both ways, so there's no jerry-rigging necessary to get your tech organized on it. The only thing is that I'm not in love with this rustic look. What do you think?

Guilt: It's a Good Thing

TresSugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:43:12 -0700

Guilt trips get a bad rap, and for good reason: no one likes being made to feel bad. But having a healthy sense of guilt could help you exercise self control. Feeling guilty about stealing something will make you less likely to shoplift; the pangs you feel after a chocolate binge might prevent the next one.

Feeling guilty at a young age could give you more self-control as an adult. A University of Iowa study stretching over several years examined how guilt helps children become more conscientious as they grow up. The sorta mean experiment involved giving children a toy to play with, telling them it was very special and they should be super careful, and then rigging the toy to break. The researchers followed the kids for years afterward, and interestingly, children who felt more guilt - an emotion that starts around age 2 - about the broken toy went on to have fewer behavioral problems as they aged.

But don't get ready to lay on the guilt trips just yet; atonement was also an essential part of the experiment. After making the children feel guilty about the broken toy, the researchers soon told them it wasn't their fault and that the toy could be easily repaired. The lesson: guilt can be constructive, but you have to administer it right. Have you found this to be true in your life?

Do You Still Care About the Idol Conspiracy Theories?

PopSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:00:52 -0700

Kris Allen was crowned the winner of American Idol last week, but at the time most of your disagreed with the results and the media are still questioning his victory over Adam Lambert. The New York Times reported that AT&T hooked up Kris's fans with free cell phones and text messaging at various Idol parties, though FOX has already denied that the voting was skewed. Other sources claim that it wasn't a close race since Danny Gokey's fans supported Kris in the finals. There are rumors of rigged voting every year but there didn't seem to be hard feelings when Kris and Adam performed together on The Today Show this morning. So tell us - do you still care about the Idol conspiracy theories?

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