LilSugar

Are Firearms Family Friendly?

LilSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:21 PST

Loaded weapons and lil ones don't mix in my opinion. I hope my daughter and son never wrap their hands around a gun. Not now or ever. Growing up in San Francisco in the 80s, it wasn't all too unusual to see a gun cabinet at a friend's house or hear a rumor that their father had a gun. My own dad took me target shooting when I was ten. But, times have changed and I'm not keen on my children attending a playdate in a home that had firearms. Why? Because accidents happen and not all people take the proper precautions in storing weapons and as a result, kids die.

We told you about the four-year-old that shot herself when she pulled her grandma's loaded gun from her purse in Sam's Club and a father who forced his six-year-old daughter to pose with a pistol. Yesterday, news reports said a child was shot when her drunk father cleaned his firearms. Though the headlines are few and far between, every fatality is worrisome. Are you a gun free family?

Source

Are Wee the World? A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

LilSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:00:47 PDT

As parents, we are protective of our own children as well as others. Forty-five percent of lilsugar parents, are part of the violent toy ban. While these moms and dads worry about their tots playing with plastic, rubber, or paper weapons, let alone play swords or bb guns, there are children around the world toting real, loaded firearms. CitizenSugar wrote a frightening piece about the way children in Gaza celebrate the end of Ramadan. The chilling images make it hard for a mother to imagine how life could be so different for her son or daughter.
Source

Are You Part of the Violent Toy Ban?

LilSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:00:28 PDT

Cap guns, plastic rifles and water bazookas weren't uncommon for our generation, but now schools and parents are banning things that even resemble weapons. From toy swords to fake firearms, have you jumped on the no violent toy bandwagon?

Texas Teachers Toting Guns: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:00:00 PDT

Educators in a small Texas town will be allowed to pack pistols once school is back in session. Though just 200 people live in Harrold, a place that is almost absent of crime, the school board unanimously approved the decision for teachers to carry concealed weapons since the campus is located near a major highway. The district will not disclose which staff members have guns. Would you feel comfortable sending your child to learn in an environment with firearms? Source

Dad Forces Six-Year-Old to Pose With Pistol For Pictures

LilSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:00:20 PDT

I grew up going target shooting with my dad, but times have changed and I can't imagine even putting my kids in close proximity of a firearm. One father in central Florida felt differently. The five times convicted felon was under investigation for burglary when law enforcement found pictures of his six-year-old daughter holding a pistol while searching his home.

According to the police, the father found humor in forcing the girl to pose for the pictures that he captured on his camera phone. He is currently in jail for other shots that showed him holding an SKS rifle as it violated his parole that prevents him from possessing a firearm. He also faces charges for grand theft and dealing in stolen property.

What's your take on wee ones and weapons?

Why You Should Consider a Roommate Agreement

Bundle — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:15:00 PDT

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

Getting a roommate is a great way to share costs and lower rent. But living with someone is not always easy, as these roommate horror stories illustrate.

One way you can limit problems is by creating a roommate agreement. This is a formal document that spells out living arrangements and responsibilities. It may sound odd to create a legal contract, but it is often a sensible idea. Here are three reasons why.

1. A lease is not good enough

A lease is an important document, but it's limited in its focus. A lease typically specifies legal obligations between a landlord and the tenants as a whole, focusing on rent collection and length of term. A roommate agreement, by contrast, is a document between tenants. It can cover issues a lease cannot, like how to split up utilities, how to pay for groceries, and whether someone can keep an overnight guest.

2. You can avoid miscommunication

By making a roommate agreement, you have a chance to make sure everyone is on the same page. It is a good time to bring up any personal preferences.

Here are a few important issues that should be discussed.

How to split rent, utilities, groceries
Level of cleanliness and required chores
Policy for overnight guests
Whether to allow smoking, firearms, etc.
What happens if someone moves out

While it's impossible to specify every issue, discussing house rules early helps avoid surprises. And if a serious issue ever happens, you will at least have something written to help make your case.

Read on to see samples of roommate agreements.

Link Time - See Jennifer Lopez's First Post-Split Appearance

PopSugar — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:02:50 PDT

See J Lo in her first post-split performance . . . - Us Weekly
. . . and take a look at the men she's loved - Huffington Post
So many hot American movie heroes - Rotten Tomatoes
Paris Hilton isn't happy about ABC airing her Good Morning America interview - TooFab
Are Zoe Kravitz and Penn Badgley an item? - Lainey Gossip
What's up between Scarlett Johansson and Justin Bartha? - D-Listed
Drew Barrymore models for Neiman Marcus - JustJared
Bikinis only make Rosie Huntington-Whiteley hotter - Hollywood Tuna
Whitney Houston is out of rehab and looking great - Pink Is the New Blog
Minka Kelly looks like she knows how to handle a firearm - The Superficial
Get to know sexy new star Hayley Atwell - cityrag
Lindsay Lohan has another lawsuit on her hands - popbytes

Enjoy Fireworks - Save Your Ears

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:29:05 PDT

Fourth of July is right around the corner, and that means fireworks! Like a kid, I look forward to the colorful starbursts streaming across the sky. I do, however, hate to rain on your Independence Day parade: as spectacular as they are, the booming sounds that accompany the sparkling visuals can really damage your ears. Noise-induced hearing loss is as real as your mama's cherry pie. Once damaged, the sensitive hair cells of the inner ear never regenerate and can't be repaired, creating permanent hearing loss here.

For a point of reference, here are some common Summer sounds and their decibel (dB) levels:

Rustling leaves: 10 decibels
A whisper: 20 dB
Humming of a fridge: 40 dB
A conversation: 60 dB
Busy street traffic: 70 dB
Vacuum cleaner: 80 dB
Lawn mower: 90 dB
A large orchestra: 98 dB

See how fireworks and other loud noises measure up.

DrSugar Explains How Easy It Is to Lose Your Hearing

DrSugar — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:35:49 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! This week she's teaching us all how to protect our hearing.

Ever wonder if listening to your portable music player of choice could be detrimental to your hearing? New research, published in the International Journal of Audiology and reported by WebMD, suggests that up to one-fourth of college students may have evidence of early hearing loss and that it's possible that portable music players may play a role.

The researchers made this discovery after recruiting college students with normal hearing for a study on whether the use of portable music players can lead to temporary hearing loss. Several of the students who reported normal hearing were actually found to have signs of hearing loss when tested formally. To learn more about hearing loss and its possible correlation to portable music players, keep reading!

Fireworks and Your Delicate Ears

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:31:20 PDT

I'm ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, but must admit I am not a fan of the noise that accompanies fireworks - lovely as they may be. Those booming sounds can really damage the delicate structures in your ears; once they're damaged, they never regenerate and can't be repaired. This condition is known as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). The loss is permanent and may cause impaired hearing or total loss of hearing down the road.

NIHL can be caused by one exposure to a loud noise such as an explosion, or by regular exposure over an extended period of time. If you continuously experience sounds over 85 decibels (dB) then a hearing aid may be in your future. Check out how some common sounds compare:

Rustling leaves: 10 dB
A whisper: 20 dB
Humming of a fridge: 40 dB
A conversation: 60 dB
Busy street traffic: 70 dB
Vacuum cleaner: 80 dB
Lawn mower: 90 dB
A large orchestra: 98 dB

To see how fireworks measure up

read more. Fireworks for spectators 800 feet away: 88 to 126 dB Fireworks for spectators 10 feet away: 155 dB Front row of a rock concert: 110 dB Military jet takeoff: 140 dB Motorcycles, firecrackers, small firearms: 120 to 150 dB So when it comes to ear safety, it's best to enjoy a fireworks display from far away. If you're serious about preventing ear damage, pick up some foam or silicone earplugs. They sell them at most drug stores for less than $5. I know they're not exactly the most fashionable things to sport, but I'd rather wear these for 20 minutes than hearing aids for the rest of my life.