BuzzSugar

Before and After: A Stylish Secretary

CasaSugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:00:43 -0800

I just came across interior designer Eddie Ross's makeover of a beautiful secretary he found at a New Jersey consignment shop, and I couldn't help but share it with you. The Chippendale style of the desk with its graphic grille and shapely top facade is very elegant, but the reddish mahogany veneer was very dated. So, Ross decided to make it over with a fresh coat of his favorite paint, Farrow & Ball's All White, and a mirror fit for behind the grille. To see the transformation, read more.

I'm really impressed with this project. The mirror gives it a contemporary polish and the white paint makes it youthful and not so stuffy. Head over to Eddie Ross to hear the steps he took to transform this wonderful secretary.
Source

Love It or Hate It? Martin the Mule Secretary Desk

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:00:12 -0800

French company Ibride recently gave a sneak preview of this new design, Martin, a contemporary mule-shaped secretary, at the Maison & Objet trade show in Paris. Not only does Martin's body serve as convenient storage for books and papers, but it incorporates lighting and Ethernet cords into the design, using them as a "reins" for the mule. I find it hilarious and whimsical, but obviously it's not for everyone, or every home.
Source

What's Buzzworthy: Embarrassing Movies to Watch With Parents

BuzzSugar — Sat, 19 May 2007 11:45:05 -0700

Last week I invited you all to Buzzworthy the movies you've watched with your parents (or grandparents, or in-laws) that just made you cringe, slump down in your seat, or pretend to yawn, stretch and call it a night. There were some great Buzzworthied DVDs, as well as many comments about embarrassing movie experiences. Check out some of the titles bookmarked by Buzz readers, and then a few "highlights" (if you can call them that!) from the comments section of last week's Buzzworthy challenge.

Wedding Crashers
Selected by gruaig_rua, among other commenters. gruaig_rua says, "The scene where Isla Fisher's character goes under the dinner table......cringe!!!"

Secretary
I couldn't agree more with this selection from Fab_Kitty, who writes "I love this movie, but can't think of any flick more embarrassing to watch with older family members. Be sure Grammy knows this movie isn't about a sweet Doris Day-type heroine!"

Should Hillary Accept the Secretary of State Position?

LibertySugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:35:39 -0800

Democratic officials have announced Barack Obama offered Sen. Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State.

While there's been much speculation that Clinton was among Obama's top picks, she reportedly requested time to consider the offer. Clinton spoke at a transit industry conference in New York on Friday and held back from making any indication of her choice, saying "any inquiries should be directed to his transition team."

The Secretary of State is the highest-ranking cabinet secretary and head of the Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs.

Source

Obama In Talks to Keep on Bush's Defense Secretary Gates

CitizenSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:30:00 -0800

Not everyone in the Bush Administration will be out on their behinds on Jan. 20. Barack Obama is considering keeping on Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates, a former CIA head, has received widespread praise for his work as defense secretary since replacing Donald Rumsfeld.

Since he has led the Pentagon since 2006, Gates could be the person best situated to coordinate Obama's plan to withdraw from Iraq and increase troops in Afghanistan. Even so, keeping a Republican who has been leading Bush's war policy may take the team of rivals idea a bit too far.

Is Obama responsible and wise to keep on Gates in order to make the transition of power and situation in the Middle East run smoothly, or does a new direction require a new person in such an important cabinet position?

Source

Before and After: A Fresh Secretary Desk

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:08 -0700

Christiana Coop of Ferm Living recently shared a DIY project of hers on her blog Clever Spaces, finding yet another use for Ferm's gorgeous wallpaper. She decided to update a Target Secretary Desk ($144.99) by priming and painting it white, and wallpapering the interior with the Ferm Wild Flower (Green) Wallpaper ($115). By measuring the inside sections of the desk first, and then using an adhesive spray to keep them down, the project was pretty breezy. And, to keep the paper intact as the desk is used, Coop sprayed it with a protective coating. To see the impressive results, read more.

I love it! Do you? Do you have any desks or other furniture pieces lying around that you could wallpaper?
Source

Hillary Talks Sexism, Obama's Job Offer, and Mad Men to Vogue

TresSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:00:35 -0800

Hillary Clinton finally sat down for a long-overdue Vogue interview. She offended editor Anna Wintour during the primaries by turning down the fashion mag out fear of looking "too feminine." And though she won't be on the December cover, the article is as substantial and satisfying as a cover story.

From night swimming alone to her favorite shows (Mad Men!), we see a side of Madame Secretary that all the vetting in the world would not unearth. See some of what she had to say below.

On visiting countries as a high-ranking female: "You can go to some countries and there's not a woman in the room. They don't even make the effort to give me the token woman minister. . . . And in lots of African countries the honorific for women is 'Mama.' So I had lots of people say to me, 'Mama, what about this; Mama, what about that?'"

On President Obama's job offer: "I was stunned after the election when President Obama asked me to consider this. . . . I really was very unconvinced. I did not think it was the right thing to do. I didn't want to do it. I just really had a lot of doubts, and I kept suggesting other people: Well, how about this person! How about that person! This one would be really good! But then a friend of mine called me and basically said, 'How would you have felt if you'd been elected and you'd called him and asked him to do this?' And that really made a big impression on me. How do you say no? And so . . . I said yes. And here I am."

On Mad Men: "That's how it was! That's why the women's-liberation movement was so shocking. It was like news from outer space"

See what else she had to say after the jump.

Oh, Snap! Hill Thrills Haitian Nation

TresSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:00:00 -0700

With all the Obamamania going on, it's easy to forget that Hillary Clinton is the US Secretary of State. Yesterday, she was welcomed by Haitian President Rene Preval to the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince. Her visit highlights Washington's support - symbolically and monetarily - for the poor and politically fragile nation.

Source

Clinton Met With Obama About His Administration

CitizenSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:20:27 -0800

A Democratic official has confirmed that Sen. Hillary Clinton met with President-elect Barack Obama this morning to discuss her role in his administration.

Clinton's trip to Chicago was described as "personal business" in a press release, but happened after a request from Obama. Rumor has it Clinton is under consideration for the secretary of state position.

Forty-two percent of CitizenSugar readers said the Clintons are still a favorite political family, but 36 percent of reader suspected Colin Powell would be the Secretary of State pick. On Monday Clinton said she is "happy being a senator from New York" and "looking at the long list of things I have to catch up on and do." What do you think about the prospect of Clinton having a place in Obama's camp?

Source

From Spokesman to Critic - McClellan's Book Bashes Bush

CitizenSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:00:25 -0700

Before there was Dana Perino, before Tony Snow, was the sublime Ari Fleischer's replacement, Scott McClellan. As a sort of press secretary groupie, I have to say he never really did it for me. He was the young-looking, usually grumpy, never quite comfortable press secretary for George W. Bush from July 2003 to April 2006. But he's got a new book out, detailing perhaps what exactly was making him so crabby and shifty - and it might not be such a good news cycle for Bush.

It's called, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception and it's the first critical account from a member of the tight circle of Texans that have surround Bush from the beginning. As the voice for the administration during the turn of public perception on the Iraq war, as well as Hurricane Katrina, McClellan's criticism is pegged pointedly to the truth and honesty factor. To see what he has to say, read more.

McClellan calls the decision to invade Iraq a “serious strategic blunder,” but not the biggest mistake the Bush White House made. He awards that to “a decision to turn away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed.” He says Bush “convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment,” and has engaged in “self-deception.”

As for the time surrounding the Valerie Plame leak, McClellan says of Bush:

He too had been deceived, and therefore became unwittingly involved in deceiving me. But the top White House officials who knew the truth - including Rove, Libby, and possibly Vice President Cheney - allowed me, even encouraged me, to repeat a lie.

For his role, McClellan criticizes himself too saying, "I fell far short of living up to the kind of public servant I wanted to be." The book is out next Tuesday. As McClellan's departure from the White House seemed not wholly his idea, could the book be revenge - or just the dose of reality we need? Do you want to read the book?

Source