Blog Posts by Sarah Beston, Shine Staff

James Cameron directing Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in ‘Titanic’

Titanic Belfast Museum. Photo credit: Dominic MarleyA century after 1,502 people drowned in the sinking of the SMS Titanic, the world's most famous shipwreck has become a popular vacation destination. There are at least four different ways to relive the tragedy of the Titanic, if you're the type of traveler drawn to morbid historical sites (I certainly am.) Last week, I traveled to the Titanic Belfast museum in Northern Ireland to celebrate the Blu-ray 3D release of James Cameron's 1997 film of the same name. Cameron and film's producer, Jon Landau, dedicated an original exhibit to the newly opened museum. It's expected to be a tourist destination for both Irish locals and international Titanic followers. Cameron knows better than anyone, the Titanic has an audience.

"There have certainly been disasters since that have claimed many more lives than this event in 1912," Cameron said in an interview at the event. "But somehow it still captures our imagination because of the human stories that played out. The stories of people separated,

Read More »from The Titanic: Your Next Vacation Destination?

Every Friday Shine editors road-test unusual products and unbelievable promises to find out what lives up to the hype and what doesn't. Warning: don't try any of this at home until we do.

Dave's Hot Sauce and Garden SprayThis week (in all of its randomness): Dave's Gourmet Hot Sauce and Garden Spray. It's a hot sauce, it's a garden spray-it's…both! As appetizing as that (doesn't) sound and as (not so) thrilled as I was with the idea of sharing my food with my plants, I had to find out if it lived up to the hype.

This multipurpose spray supposedly keeps unwanted intruders off your plants without using pesticides. Just spray it on anything in your garden that you don't want eaten or spray it on a dish that could use a little spice and you have yourself a first-of-its-kind food/ repellent product.

Imagine you're in your backyard on a hot summer day cooking up some dogs and burgers and a deer just so happens to your yard, eyeing your beautiful rose bushes. BAM! A spray for the burger, a spray for the bush, and there

Read More »from Shine Tries It: Dave's Hot Sauce and Garden Spray

German model, Micaela Schaefer, reminds us that sideboob and VHS tapes are still very much alive at the "Men in Black 3" premiere in Germany.

Our favorite Managing Editor at Yahoo! Kids, Dave Rogers, passes along some fun news for you and your children...

Families have more entertainment choices than ever before, yet it sometimes seems that something is awry. Animated kids' programs feature superhero children facing galactic-level dangers. Live-action shows are heavily produced, over-acted and offer a slick and sassy version of childhood. Eight-year-olds sound 18, tweens have successful solo music careers and parents are remarkably absent.

Into this void steps "Recess Stories" - a Beeswax Production that features real kids acting in real stories about life on the playground. The girls have messy hair and mismatched socks, the boys are good with a ball but confused by everything else, and nobody can agree on the rules for anything.

The short episodes - all based on true stories - show kids as they really are: smart, funny, imaginative, caring, resourceful and engaging. This positive approach to children's

Read More »from Yahoo! Kids to Exclusively Premiere Episodes of “Recess Stories”

ThinkstockHere at Shine, we love celebrating the Earth--after all it is our only home and it is up to us to protect it. In honor of our beautiful planet, Shine has partnered with BBC Home Entertainment to help raise awareness this Earth Day and have some fun while doing it! Send us photos of your child's most creative, original, and eco-friendly Earth Day art projects and, in turn, we have some exciting prizes to give to you. You and your family could win earth-lover loot like BBC's newest hit series Frozen Planet, a Planet Earth Limited Edition Globe, as well some DVDs of BBC's best-selling nature programs. (See full prize descriptions below.)

Here's what you need to do: Get out your art supplies and recyclables and have your child create an impressive art project (this can be a home or school project), then upload a photo of your kid's completed work of art to the Shine Earth Day Contest Flickr group or post it to your blog on Shine with "Shine Earth Day" in the title by midnight EST,

Read More »from Shine’s Earth Day Contest: Submit Your Kid’s Artwork, Win Fun Stuff!

Getty Images. May, 2011I had the amazing opportunity to speak with one of my childhood heroes: Nadia Comăneci. One of my earliest memories is sitting in the attic at my mother's house and sifting through my older sister's "Nadia" scrapbook. One newspaper clipping read: "Queen of the 10." At just 14 years old she graced the cover of Time magazine with the headline "She's Perfect." Nadia made Olympic history at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal when, as a member of the Romanian team, she became the first gymnast ever to score a perfect 10. She went on to become the Olympic All-Around Gold Medalist at the Games, set all sorts of crazy records, and inspire young girls everywhere to attempt flips off the side of their sofas. Today, when she isn't playing the role of mom, she stays involved with the sport as a commentator and coach. She also works with the Special Olympics, where she serves as vice chair for the Special Olympics Board of Directors.

Nadia spoke with us from her kitchen in Norman, Okla.

Read More »from Catching up with Nadia Comaneci

Colonel Wallace and her partner, Kathy KnopfThis Valentine's Day, Air Force Colonel Ginger Wallace will do something different: Openly celebrate her relationship with her partner of 10 years, Kathy Knopf, thanks to the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

"For the past few years, we have celebrated with really good friends in Charlottesville, Virginia," Wallace told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. "This year we'll go out to dinner to celebrate. I got Kathy a promotion ceremony gift that I think is going to be Christmas and Valentine's Day combined-at least that's what she tells me it should be." (The big gift? Diamond earrings.)

Before the repeal, Wallace said, she always felt her career as an intelligence officer could be over if her sexual orientation became known. "I could never talk about Kathy. I didn't talk about Kathy," she said. "She was always on my security clearance, but not as who she really was."

In January, Wallace attended President Obama's State of the Union speech as a special guest of the first lady, representing Read More »from Celebrating Love and Freedom: A Military Officer Talks About the Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Photo Courtesy OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network"People with money do not inspire me. People who live a wealthy life regardless of what they have and they don't have, those people inspire me." ~Suze Orman

On the eve of her new show, "America's Money Class with Suze Orman," America's most trusted personal finance advisor and best-selling author offered some valuable advice on financial planning in marriage and education, predictions for the economy in 2012, and why her new show is the greatest gift she could have given herself.

Shine: Can you give us a brief 2012 economic forecast?

Suze Orman: I think that 2012 is not going to be an easy year, but I have been saying that now for many years. In comparison to what is going to be happening in other countries, we are not going to look quite as bad. I do think that you are going to see real estate in many of the areas, the sand states--Florida, Las Vegas, or Arizona-probably continue to go down. In big metropolitan areas, real estate has probably hit its bottom-New York City.

Read More »from Exclusive: Suze Orman Talks Money Secrets