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Your Contact Lenses Could Make You Blind

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Many of you rely on your contact lenses in order to help you see, but your lenses could end up taking away your vision. What an ugly irony. The problem starts with a simple single cell microorganism - acanthamoeba.

Acanthamoeba is one of the most common types of protozoan that live in soil and fresh water. They can be found in city tap water, so if you rinse your lens case in water from the sink, this amoeba can be transferred to your contact lenses and then to your eye. These protozoan can live and multiply in both your contact case and your eyes, and can go back and forth between the two because commercial contact lens solution can't kill them. Once they're in your eyes, they can cause a painful infection known as amoebic keratitis, which can lead to blindness. The prevalence of this infection has increased because so many people wear contact lenses now.

The lenses that you wear for a year or two were found to contain the most pathogenic (disease-causing) strains of acanthamoeba. The ones that you keep for a month or two weeks contained fewer, and the daily lenses contained no acanthamoeba. Talk to your eye doctor about the kinds of contact lenses you wear to see which would be the healthiest for your eyes. Scientists are on the move trying to develop a contact lens solution that can kill this nasty amoeba, but for now, it's recommended that you don't rinse your lens case in tap water.

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Chihuahua's Bark Is Loud at the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:30:31 PDT

You know, the reviews for Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua were not as bad as I thought they might be, so that coupled with the fact that it's a family film meant that the movie about little talking dogs took the No. 1 spot at the box office over the weekend. The top dogs brought in a seriously impressive $29 million. That's about the same amount that Eagle Eye earned last weekend. This weekend, the Shia LaBeouf action-thriller came in second place.

Meanwhile, some smaller movies (a.k.a. "specialty films") also did well. Both Bill Maher's documentary Religulous and Anne Hathaway's Rachel Getting Married had terrific opening weekends. This was especially striking as "three of the new wide releases didn’t even crack the top 10 chart," including Flash of Genius, Blindness, and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

Finally, both Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Appaloosa enjoyed solid debuts, coming in third and fifth respectively. Lots of options this weekend! Which one did you see? (And come on, you can admit it if it was the chihuahua movie - this is a safe place.)

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Blindness: To See, a Brutal Gift

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:30:08 PDT

I saw Blindness by myself, with nothing to occupy me on the way home but a copy of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Bad idea. This movie requires a funny friend or mindless magazine afterward to decompress. I don't shy away from depressing films, but Blindness is one of the bleakest things I've ever seen on screen. At times bleaker even than Babel or Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. But cheery isn't really an option when portraying a dystopia plagued by a mysterious epidemic "immune to bureaucracy."

Based on the novel by Nobel laureate Jose Saramago and directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardner), this apocalyptic allegory is imperfect but powerful. Reminiscent of Children of Men and old zombie flicks, Blindness begins with a man going blind while driving. His eye doctor (Mark Ruffalo) is puzzled by the affliction, in which eyesight is obscured by white rather than cloaked in dark. But soon the doctor is also rendered blind by the contagion, so

read more. To prevent an epidemic, the blind are quarantined - first by the handful then by the hundreds - in an abandoned sanitarium. Apart from the viewers, the only person who can see what filth results when a bunch of newly blind people are essentially abandoned by their government is the doctor's wife (Julianne Moore), who retains her sight but keeps it a secret. As food rations become scarce and the conditions more squalid, the ward devolves into a sinister, Lord of the Flies-like atmosphere ruled by an opportunistic villain (Gael Garcia Bernal). Painted in a washed-out palette, the horror is heightened by the fact that as viewers, we're prevented from getting our bearings. Some of the techniques are predictable but effective - interludes of white between scenes, an overall jumbled tone - while others are downright arresting. We never learn the characters' names, and the nameless setting - shot in Sao Paolo, Tokyo, and Toronto - is beautiful and disorienting. But Meirelles also draws attention to our sightedness by making us witness some sickeningly ugly truths - actions that you can imagine unfolding in such a dystopia but that are very difficult to watch nonetheless. (The people next to me walked out during a particularly disturbing scene.) The horrors are not without a message - to me, how hunger and suffering can drive people to immoral ends - but I certainly didn't leave the theater feeling good. Though I haven't read Saramago's novel, I'd imagine that message of Blindness is better made through literary allegory than a hyperrealistic film. But depending on your movie tolerance, Blindness is worth seeing for both its beauty and its brutality. Photos courtesy of Miramax

Teaser Trailer for Blindness With Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:31:17 PDT

Don't be fooled by the chipper, easy-breezy morning routine at the beginning of this teaser trailer for Blindness - it gets scary. Really scary. Based on the novel by Portuguese Nobel prize winner Jose Saramago, Blindness is an apocalyptic thriller in which an entire town - save one doctor's wife - succumbs to a blindness epidemic.

The cast is fantastic: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal and Sandra Oh, among others. Just watching this teaser trailer gave me chills, so I'm a little afraid of the final full-length movie. Then again, I have until October 3 to build up some courage. Have you read this book? You can check out the teaser trailer if you

Link Time! 6/5

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 13:01:50 PDT

According to Cinematical, Mark Ruffalo is replacing Daniel Craig in the movie Blindness (which I told you about back when Craig was first cast and I was giddy over the news).
Stereogum recounts the bizarre saga of the dude who thinks Arcade Fire stole his basketball when the band played at UC Berkeley. Arcade Fire denies the charges.
According to PopCandy, BJ Novack (Ryan on "The Office") was a prankster in high school, recording fake audio tours for the Boston Museum of the Fine Arts.
The Movie Blog thinks casting a magician to play a magician is a good idea, referring specifically to Criss "Mindfreak" Angel who has been cast in Mandrake the Magician, based on a Depression-era comic strip. Well, he's certainly comical.
I Guess I'm Floating finds Wilco's explanation for selling its songs to a VW campaign.
CHUD (Cinematic Happenings Under Development) has a source who heard something about a remake of Meatballs.
TV With MeeVee reviews the "Heroes" 360 Experience.
Earvolution says the Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr. is writing a play.

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Dreamy-Eyed Daniel Craig Considers Blindness

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:06:45 PDT

I always love an excuse to write about Daniel Craig - it means looking for photos of him, after all - but this news is particularly cool. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the James Bond actor is in talks to star in Blindness, a movie based on the Jose Saramago novel of the same name.

Julianne Moore is also being considered, which is interesting, since the premise reminds me a bit of Children of Men. According to the HR, "the story chronicles an epidemic of blindness that sweeps through an unnamed contemporary city." The only person left with the sense of sight is a doctor's wife and, thankfully, the filmgoers. The film will be directed by Fernando Meirelles, whose resume includes such captivating movies as The Constant Gardener and City of God. I haven't read Blindness, but now I really want to. If you have, tell me what you think.

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Pretty Cool: Heart-y Hair Clips

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:36:15 PST

Having perfect Valentine's Day hair doesn't need to mean spending hours on curling, straightening, or updo making. In fact, the best style for the Day of Love is probably just the one you're most comfortable wearing. Instead of subjecting your hair to an evening of discomfort, why not try a heart-shaped hair clip? You can put them anywhere, they aren't just for Valentine's, and whether you've got a blind date or a night out with the girls planned, they're a perfect conversation starter. Clockwise from top: try a pretty shabby-chic hand-stitched heart ($5), level up your favorite gamer's sentiments with this pixel heart clip ($20), and give your getup a touch of instant retro glamour with this red sequin tattoo clip ($28).

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.

Save Thousands Just By Itemizing Deductions

LearnVest — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:15:01 PST

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

Though we all groan about having to pay taxes, the government is nice enough not to tax us on the full amount of our earnings.

There are two big buckets of deductions the government gives us: the first is called above the line, and the second is called below the line, which we’ll cover here. (The “line” these deductions refer to is a literal line on your 1040 form for the Adjusted Gross Income.)

Below the Line Deductions

Below the line deductions come in two types: one is called the standard deduction, and the second is called itemized deductions.

The Standard Deduction

The standard deduction is an amount of income that the government will not tax any taxpayer on. Most people take the standard deduction on their returns, which is worth anywhere from $5,800 to $11,600, and opt out of the whole process of itemizing. It’s as simple as saying, “I’m a single person (or married filing singly or married filing jointly), and yes, I would like the standard deduction.” For some people, this is just fine. After all, that’s a lot of money, and taking just the standard deduction makes your taxes simpler and faster. What’s not to like?

Check out the chart below to find out what the standard deduction is for your filing status.

Link Time - How to Survive a Blind Date

TresSugar — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:00:26 PST

How to survive a blind date: six easy steps - Em & Lo
Is bad breath the ultimate dating dealbreaker? - YourTango
15 celebs who've (allegedly) had sex in public - The Frisky
Do moms miss out on all the fun? - LilSugar
Can affairs save marriages? - Huffington Post
How to find strength in Britney Spears - The Hairpin
White online daters rarely date black people - Betty Confidential
Vacation ideas inspired by Oscar movies - SavvySugar