Thanks Rebecca :)

I will read anything that has to do with cooking and your story was such a pleasure to read. It reminded me a little of of Sarah Vowel's essays. I spent my valantines day happily cooking for my mother.

I am very pro choice... but this woman is a phsyco! Digusting sick person... yuck. I am sure her parents are thrilled with their little darlin's talent!

I love Annie Leibovitz's work... she does incredible portraits that are sometimes a little shocking (her trademark I believe)but are undeniably beautiful. Miley should be proud that she was photographed by Leibovitz who will still be regonized as one of america's great artists long after Miley is a hasbeen with a couple ex husbands and a string of unsuccessful comebacks behind her.

Intolerant people are the people who are scared and disturbed by other people’s beliefs. Jesus taught love and tolerance, can it get any simpler than that? Admittedly tolerance should not gloss over basic human rights… like when religions kill or mutilate children etc. But teaching a bible based science class is not going to hurt any children…and in this day and age and the internet! it is unlikely that they will be able to grow up without hearing some other views.

Cary, I loved your response, it brought tears to my eyes. You are a good and tolerant man. Thank you.

quit picking on Polanski.... he is a messed up guy... but has still made a huge and lasting contribution to the arts and the child rape case was blown way out of porportion... you try growing up in a concentration camp and see if you aren't a little messed up.

it was 'statutory' rape... it is differn't from 'rape', it's still wrong... but it is differnt and the girl could have been coerced into it by her Mother! no one really knows... maybe you should watch the new documentary...

and how on earth do you know wether Polanski wasn't himself molested as a child? honestly do you know for sure?

I must put in a vote for Altman's 'Popeye' from the early 80s, it has bright colors, a crooked town, upbeat songs and a huge emphisis on the importance of family, all sorts of family. And it has a very young and very funny Robin Williams as the title charector. I would say 9 and up.

My brother and I loved the Jodie Foster version of Freaky Friday and also the Parent Trap with Hayley Mills... and my very favorite movie growing up was the Anne of Green Gables series from PBS.

The early 90s versions of the Secret Garden and the Little Princess are haunting and are filmed so beautifully that the adults will be absolutly charmed.

in June I started my summer vacation from the news, NPR and Time magazine.. no election for me until fall is well under way. One should not waste a summer ever.

It does not surprise me at all that McCain and Palin are too dumb to realize that the girl is a fraud because the letter 'B' is backwords, as in she did it herself in front of the mirror. She is just a liar wanting attention. She has probly lied her entire life to parents, teachers, friends etc. some people are just that way.

I didn't read all the letters so someone might have already brought this up. If the brother is not an emotional manipulator, than he is hiding something about his roommate, he might be in love with him, he might know something bad about the roommate (maybe he broke the heart of a girl the brother was interested in) or (maybe the brother suspects the roommate of rape or some other crime against women that cannot be proved)and therefore is feeling as if his sister was defiled by a very icky guy...?

I love my nose and believe that it is everything a beautiful nose should be. other body parts are flawed and could be bigger, smaller, straighter, taller etc. but I am okay with it because of my perfect nose. lol.

to be serious though...

Plastic surgery was intended to help the victims of war and violence that were terribly maimed and disfigured. Also those with severe bith defects. A jewish nose is not a serious birth defect. But when doctors realized that there was waaaaaay more money in fixing a slight bump on a wealthy womans nose than fixing cleft pallets and burns they turned plastic surgery into one of the most lucretive medical practices. And yes there are some very wonderful surgeons who are spending their life helping the poor and disfigured, however I doubt they get the finicial benefits of the Beverly Hills doctors.

wouldn't it be wonderful if the girl wanting a nose job or a bigger cup size instead of getting the surgery asked her parents to use the money to fix the face of a seriously deformed little girl who can't breath right or eat normally and wont be adopted because of her deformeties? I think that young woman would feel infinatly better about herself than she would buying a large bikini top instead of a small.

I am the daughter of a guy who has tantrums over inconveniences and other minor issues. It ranges from mild bitchiness (snipping at the wait staff if the service is a little slow, being snotty to sales clerks etc) to outright purple faced screaming and yelling in the car when there is a traffic jam etc. and he can go on for hours and hours…. Too many family trips I spent as a child listening to him rant and rave about me and my brother or politics or the other idiot drivers on the road. Letter writer, please please stop acting that way in front of your kids… they will learn to avoid you because of your tantrums.