BuzzSugar

Movie Preview: Towelhead

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:31:05 PDT

Towelhead (which also goes by the title Nothing Is Private) was one of the movies on my to-see list at Sundance that kept getting edged down by other movies, partially because of other priorities, though I also worried that it would be really disturbing. Now the film, based on the novel by Alicia Erian, has a theatrical release date of August 8 and a trailer that has only made me more uneasy about watching the movie - though also more curious, too.

The story is of the coming-of-age variety, though this one features a 13-year-old girl (Summer Bishil) whose Caucasian mother (Maria Bello) sends her to live with her Lebanese father (Peter Macdissi) in a small suburban town. She begins to explore her awakening sexuality, spending time with a boy from school (Eugene Jones III) and befriending a neighbor (Aaron Eckhart) whose intentions are far from pure. Her home life with a strict and sometimes abusive father only further drives her curiosity about her identity, her sexuality, her place in the world.

Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, tries his hand at directing with the movie, and it seems to bear his signature marks of examining the darkest corners of the human soul while offering glimmers of humor and redemption. I'm both interested in and slightly afraid of this film. To check out the trailer,

Security Tips For Data Privacy Day!

Anna Monette Roberts — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:30:34 PST

It's Data Privacy Day, so we're here to give you 10 tips to keeping your computer safe, secure, and totally private. Nothing is worse than having your computer hacked into, your personal information stolen, or becoming a victim of fraud. We've rounded up all of our best tech advice to help keep your computer protected and free from hacker malice. If you haven't implemented these 10 tidbits yet, today is the perfect day to begin to take charge of your computer's safety.

Avoid fraud: Be wary of emails, calls, and log-in screens that ask you to verify all of your information. Always air on the side of precaution when sharing more sensitive information like banking passwords. If a company reaches out to you (rather than you personally reaching out to them), don't give your personal information out. Redial the number or email the company using the information posted on their website.
Set up a hack-proof password: When logging in to websites, come up with difficult and different passwords for each site, using a variety of letters, numbers, and symbols. Change it every couple of months for additional safety.
Double-check your firewall: Most computers have a built-in firewall that protects your computer by stopping hackers and malicious software from accessing your computer via the Internet. Make sure to keep your firewall setting on, and you could even customize what websites, domains, and IP addresses you want to access from your computer.
Forget about free public WiFi: Hackers often create fake networks, titling them "Free Public WiFi" in hopes of stealing your personal data. Even if the WiFi is legit, it's still dangerous to access private information in an unsecured network. Always opt to pay the small fee for a service that requires you to log-in to an official network.
Safely search for celebrities: Googling your favorite celebrities can be a dangerous business if you don't recognize the sites you are clicking on. Many Google results of famous celebrity names lead to infecting your PC with malware and viruses.

See more tips to better privacy.

When Do You Turn Off the Baby Monitor For Good?

BabyCenter — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:32:46 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 Kristina Sauerwein about outgrowing the baby monitor.

My friend posed this question on Facebook: “At what age did you detach yourself from the monitor with your child?” She was wondering if she should get rid of the baby monitor for her 4-year-old son who “sleeps with his door open…(and has been) talking/yelling in his sleep soooo much lately, (she) was up almost hourly to check on him.”

I left a comment telling her to retire the baby monitor. Honestly, I never really used our baby monitor much. My husband and I slept upstairs on the same floor as our kids, and I am the type of sleeper who would wake up if one of my baby’s coughed loudly. A monitor by my bedside would have revved my mind and kept me awake. Every little stir would have me evaluating my baby’s well-being and I would spiraled into an motherhood-OCD-worrywart hell.

Besides, as one mom said in my friend’s Facebook comments, if a baby’s stirs or cries are important enough, you’ll know.

That said, we did place a baby monitor in our basement since our baby slept two floors up. But even then, I could hear important cries sans monitor.

As for a video monitor, that would’ve wired me to no end so I never bothered. My friend said she used to watch it so obsessively, her dreams would be about her baby on the video monitor. Another friend said she watched the video monitor until she noticed her toddler boy could only get to sleep if he played with his private part and she just didn’t want to know that.

I will say there are two things I liked about the auditory baby monitor:

Once my husband and I heard another couple in our so-called perfect town fighting about stupid things such as his overgrown nose hairs and her annoying food-chomping habits. We had no idea who these people were so it was rather amusing and we took it as free entertainment. I know, it was immature and bad of us but it was a train-wreck-we-had-to-watch moment.
I never did this but I always wanted to turn the baby monitor on when my husband and his friends played cards, drank beer and watched back-to-back football games. After all the guys left, I’d ask my husband what they all talked about and he’d say “nothing.” Nothing? For six hours? I don’t buy it and so I always threatened to eavesdrop via baby monitor. My husband said all I’d hear is a lot of gas passing.

So tell me: Did you use a baby monitor? What kind? When did you ditch it? Did you ever eavesdrop on anyone or have any funny baby-monitor mishaps?

More great stories from BabyCenter.com:
3 simple holiday cookies to make with your kids
Do you force your baby to nap?
Does working make you a better mom?
9 Hanukkah crafts for kids
Kids birthday parties at home: Yay or Nay?

Source: Flickr User kona99

5 Ways Spending Less Will Create More Happiness

LearnVest — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:15:49 PST

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

Recently, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an op-ed piece about the “Haimish Line.” The Haimish Line is an invisible line sometimes crossed when you go from spending less to spending more - in doing so, Brooks contends, you often sacrifice warmth and connection to attain luxury and space. According to Brooks, “haimish” is a Yiddish word that suggests “warmth, domesticity and unpretentious conviviality.”

An exclusive, white-tablecloth, four-star restaurant where servers disappear and diners are on their Blackberries would be north of the Haimish Line. A small, casual diner on the corner bustling with loud conversations from neighborhood folks talking over each other would be south of the Haimish Line. A new dorm building with a shiny, new, unused lounge would be north of the Haimish Line; the well-worn lounge of ratty furniture that students veer toward would be staunchly planted south of the Haimish Line. The Haimish Line even slices across neighborhoods: densely packed urban neighborhoods where kids run home from school and and people have stoop conversations versus spread-out suburbs of isolated living in separate homes and cars.

Brooks advises that we learn to spend our money well and stay south of the Haimish Line.

I found this essay so compelling because money often buys privacy, space, exclusivity and “luxury”-all of which are the very opposite of “unpretentious conviviality.” In America, the picture of success is a bigger house (where the family is more spread out), moving to the suburbs (with more distance between neighbors), a nicer car (to be more vigilant about spills in), and flying first class (ok, so some things are not worth getting all concerned about “the Haimish Line” over).

Read on for ways to spend less and create happiness.

Scarlett Johansson Gets Back to Work After Addressing Her Nude Photo Scandal

Lauren Turner — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:36:55 PDT

Scarlett Johansson bundled up in a puffy coat on the set of Under the Skin in Scotland today. She was back in her dark wig for the day of filming after debuting her brown locks when she was first spotted in character last week. Scarlett may be overseas for work, but she's still making headlines stateside for her recent nude photo scandal. Scarlett told Vanity Fair that the racy pictures were intended for her then-husband Ryan Reynolds and maintains that there's nothing wrong with sharing the sexy shots in private.

Scarlett will be back in the spotlight for a different body of work soon as she stars promoting her holiday release, We Bought a Zoo. She finished production on the movie with Matt Damon earlier this year. Scarlett shares the screen with Matt in the We Bought a Zoo trailer we had a peek at back in September.

You're Paying Too Much: How to Score Cheap Deals on Fitness

Michele Foley — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:36:01 PDT

Gym memberships, Bar Method classes, and Lululemon capris - this stuff doesn't come cheap. But what if I told you that you don't have to pay full price? And that in some cases, you may even get it for free. It may sound too good to be true, but with the right approach, you can exercise for next to nothing (while also taking the hottest new classes and wearing the latest gear). Keep reading to learn how to score major deals - and save major bucks - on all things fitness!

Negotiate a Gym Rate
It's easy to get a deal on gym membership - you just have to ask. Once you've picked the right gym, do your homework before meeting with its membership representative. See what rates other gyms are offering and the types of deals your gym of choice has used in the past; this information will come in handy when negotiating. Also, be honest about your income and monthly expenses; it's not unusual for membership reps to cut a deal based on an individual's financial profile. Ask if they can offer a discount based on your profession (students and educators are usually good candidates) or if they will give a better deal if you agree to a long-term contract. At the very least, you should be able to have the enrollment fee waived.

Use Coupon Websites to Get Almost-Free Classes
Daily coupon sites like Groupon, PopSugar City, and LivingSocial can help you save major bucks on the hottest new fitness classes and studios. These websites work by helping strangers form a buying collective, which is then leveraged for major discounts. Depending on the day, you're likely to find upwards of a 50 percent discount on rock climbing classes, Zumba, or Bar Method classes.

See more ways to save on fitness - including scoring free classes! - after the break!

Childbirth as Performance Art?

LilSugar — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:37:56 PDT

Live from New York, it's . . . Live Childbirth! Marni Kotak is a performance artist who is due to give birth later this month. Nothing too remarkable about that, except that her birth plan involves a live audience. The birth will be the culminating event of the month-long exhibit The Birth of Baby X, in which visitors to the gallery-cum-delivery room will witness Kotak preparing for and eventually giving birth. The Birth of Baby X is just the beginning of Baby X's career as art project fodder for mama. Kotak plans to continue the Baby X project with a new conceptual work, Raising Baby X, "in which she re-contextualizes the everyday act of raising a child into a work of performance art, reaching out to collectors, private investors and foundations for their support."

As bizarre as it may sound, Kotak's exhibit really isn't even all that unique, just an extreme example of the larger trend toward public birthing. This past weekend, Nancy Salgueiro joined the thousands of other women who chose to share their births with the world via YouTube. Granted, not all women who make their birth available to anyone with an Internet connection are doing it for artistic glory. Salgueiro is a natural birth coach and wanted to share her experience as an education tool.

What do you think? High art or the ultimate overshare?

Photo courtesy of Microscope Gallery

7 Costly Debt Traps and How to Avoid Them

Kiplinger — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:15:40 PDT

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

Not all debt is created equal. While most forms of borrowing entail risk, certain credit decisions are more likely to lead you into a downward spiral of indebtedness. We call these debt traps.

It’s incredibly easy to stumble into a debt trap. All it takes is a brief lapse in judgment. Opening a new credit card account without understanding the interest rates and fees, or the implications for your credit score, is just one example.

No one wants to become mired in debt - especially when common borrowing mistakes are avoidable. Read on to educate yourself about seven of the biggest debt traps and ways to avoid them.

Buying Too Much House

In general, you should not spend more than 28% of your gross income on housing expenses, and your total debt-to-income ratio (including car payments, credit card bills, student loans, etc.) should not exceed 36% of your gross income. While those numbers are not set in stone, especially if you live in a high-cost area, they provide a good framework for calculating how much home you can buy, says Adam Granger, a mortgage consultant in Weston, Fla.

Next, figure out the maximum down payment you can make. Try to put 20% toward your new home to avoid paying private mortgage insurance. You also need to factor in closing costs, which typically range between 3% and 5% of the home price. So if you want a home listed at $200,000, you would need to budget at least $48,000 to cover 20% down plus 4% in closing costs.

It is also important to account for homeowners insurance and real estate taxes, both of which can alter your debt-to-income ratio dramatically, says Granger. You’ll probably want some money for decorating, too, and it’s always good to set aside cash for emergencies. If you’re not yet there financially, keep saving. It’s best to buy a home only when you can truly afford it. Buy one when you can’t, and foreclosure is a real possibility.

Read on for more costly debt traps.

Group Therapy: I Have a Crush on My Co-Worker, but I'm Married and He's Taken

Tres Community — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I've been married for several years and have been asking myself if I did the right thing for most of that time. But that's not what I want help from Group Therapy on right now - I've got other therapy for that. Basically, I'm not attracted to my husband, and lately I've found myself attracted to other men - nothing too serious, until now. I've got a crush on my coworker, who I started working with a few months ago.

We work together once or twice a week and ever since we first met, he's always been so sweet and caring and helpful and generous and everything my husband is not. A few weeks into working with him I found out that he has a girlfriend, which is how I found out that he is straight. In my profession, we tend to assume our male coworkers are gay unless otherwise notified.

Once he told me about his GF the first time, I immediately started crushing on him, just because he's so amazing. But he doesn't say much about her, in fact, none of my coworkers even know her name, and it creates a huge sense of mystery surrounding him. He can be pretty private. He won't tell her name to anyone who's asked about her, but he and I are pretty chummy, and I feel like if I asked, I'd be the one person he would tell. But I respect his privacy and I don't even ask him. Instead, we talk about everything else under the sun - we have a lot in common and we're becoming good friends. I get the feeling he doesn't talk about her much because he has a crush on me too. So I don't talk about my husband much, either. My coworker has trouble remembering my husband's name, and when we first started working together he had trouble remembering whether I had a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband. What kind of guy gets that stuff mixed up?

So I like him, I think he likes me back, but we're both in relationships right now. We have chemistry when we're together, but I think he's too much of a gentleman (again, he's amazing) to make a move on me or anything like that, or even say something to "clear the air." What do I do? Help!

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Kate Middleton Gets a Blowout and Focuses on Philanthropy

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:02:16 PDT

Kate Middleton visited Richard Ward's salon in London on Friday for a blowout, getting her locks ready to attend a friend's wedding on Saturday with her husband, Prince William, and sister Pippa. The Duchess of Cambridge is apparently being sought out for a photo shoot by Vogue editor Anna Wintour through her wedding photographer, Mario Testino. Anna apparently wants to put Kate on the cover of Vogue, but the very same reports say nothing has been formally discussed. The palace has also denied any involvement with the fashion magazine on Kate's behalf. In her role as Duchess, Kate hasn't yet posed for a shoot in any major publication, and has been living a relatively private life with Prince William since the royal pair returned from their tour of North America this Summer. The two will make a public appearance later this week, however, as they launch the Oak Centre for Children and Young People in Surrey on Thursday.