This is certainly not an argument for legalized abortion. I would think that a country like China, which does not have much respect for human rights could forbid abortions that are done merely because the child will be female.

I don't know what statistics this article relies on, but is this really the result of abortions, or is this the result of infanticides?

Since the money I have in investments keeps shrinking, the thought is, I might as well spend it before it disappears. I've chosen to spend it on paying off all my credit card debt, but that means I can now afford a few small trips. I wouldn't go into debt to take a fuck it vacation, but I feel quite fine indulging myslef with the money I still have.

So, Every Little Step is a movie about making A Chorus Line, which itself is a play about making a play. Isn't this like two mirrors facing each other and the reflections going on forever?

Slang is one of those terms, like dialect, that linguists avoid. It is associated with language and people we consider inferior. Adams has chosen this term to be provocative. I haven't read his book so I can't say if he did this in a postive way or not.

To all the non linguists out there, the fact is all languages change over time. New words, and even new grammar, come in. Some of it stays, some of it passes away. Nothing particularly strange about this, it has been going on as long as humans have been speaking.

I think the fairest thing would be to return Texas to Mexico.

I was bullied by most of my classmates in 7th & 8th grades, probably not because they knew I was gay, I didn't even know that at the time, but because in a lot of ways I was different, more into my schoolwork than sports, certianly not the sterotypical boy, so I have a lot of sympathy for this young man. But my reaction is that I never for a moment considered killing myself. Mostly because I was raised to believe that suicide was never the right answer to anything. Also because, although my parents would not remove me from that school because they felt that was "running away from the problem", they did instill me with a sense of my own self-worth and I felt loved and wanted in my home and among friends outside of school. If indeed suicide is a result of mental illness, we have to learn how to recognize and treat it. If it is, as this story implies, a reaction to feeling desperate, we need to teach our children how to deal with stress.

As for disuading children from bullying, it is a difficult and complicated issue. It is hard enough to convince adults that they are behaving badly, much less children.

Im a pretty big guy, but certainly don't need more then one seatbelt extender. The first thing I want to say is that we should treat fat people with the same rights we treat people with disabilities. And don't give me that "being fat is a choice". It isn't. And besides, should we question people in wheelchairs to find out if they got that way by taking unnecessary risks driving a car or playing sports?

But here a solution I propose. Instead of first class, which typically costs 4-5 times more than a regular ticket and doesn't give much additional room, the airlines make available larger seats that will accomdate two people instead of three and simply charge 1 1/2 times the fare. I think many people would take them up on this offer, and not just large people (look at the poplularity of handicapped stalls in the public restrooms).

This is quite an accusation to make and would certainly cause a huge stir if it's true. But the only evidence is that the pig farm operation is in the same area where the first cases were reported. And this is heresay from another journalist. I'd like to see some real evidence before I rant about agribusiness to my less liberal friends.

Two women discussing circumcision. What is wrong with this picture?

Perhaps this has already been stated in a previous letter, but as a gay man who has seen hundreds of penises, more if you count photographs, I have seen foreskins that were problematic and circumcisions that were not done right. And let me state, most cut and uncut penises function perfectly well the way they are. The obvious difference is that a problematic foreskin can be fixed, a bad circumcision cannot and this is why I vote for choice. I think puberty or later would be an appropriate time for the boy or man to choose since the penis would be fully developed, younger if there is a medical problem. I know it is a more serious procedure when done on a sexually mature male, but on the other hand he can discuss with the doctor exactly what kind of circumcision he wants.

For Jews and Muslims, I do not feel qualified to comment on the religious and cultural issues, but for the other 90% or Americans I vote for choice.

He said it on the radio, but there's a lot of Americans who blame this on "dirty" Mexicans. I think in a health crisis we have to remember how the fear of contagion (whether by disease or by different ideas) has always been fuel for bigotry.