She certainly brought a stabilizing influence, especially given the length of her reign. Perhaps it was this stability that provided an environment where a more civil society could develop. Under her reign, reform movements in England started to ameliorate some of the excesses of the Industral Revolution; it also saw a certain amount of political reform. Victoria's promotion of family and morality could also be considered a civilizing influence (it was certainly quite a change from some of her predecessors!), especially since these values were put into practice and spread by the emerging middle class.

But ask the Zulus whether Victoria's "civilizing" influence was really such a good thing. And the Boers. And the Ashantis. And the Afghans. And the Indians. And the Russians. And the Chinese. And the Egyptians. And the Sudanese. Being civilized by the sword and the flame is anything but.

In any case, what civilizing influence Victoria might have had was due to her actions and influence as a monarch, not her gender. I don't buy into this mystical theory of female virtue. For one thing, it can be turned against women to make us into "angels in the house" who are too virtuous and delicate for the rough and tumble of public life (thereby removing us from it). Women are flawed humans, with the potential for good and bad that is inherent in any being that can exercise free will.

What including women in the halls of power does bring is a different set of perspectives and experience to the table. It's this diversity of thought that can prove advantageous -- if it's used! Being able to see more than one side of an issue can lead to better decision-making in just about any context. Also, a society that allows all of its members to participate and develop their skills and ambitions has a much deeper talent pool to draw on than one that arbitrarily excludes certain groups. (And this doesn't just apply to women; insert the name of your favorite marginalized group here.)

By the way, I enjoy wargaming and board gaming and know a number of other women who do, too. But it's true that we're a small minority in this subculture. (I am not exactly sure what this has to do with women ruling the world, but since someone brought it up I figured I'd reply.)

It's pesticide-free sex between carbon-based life forms!

Seriously, this seems to be an attempt to sell Catholic Church-approved natural family planning to the crunchy granola set, capitalizing on the current craze for anything labeled "organic." Who knows, some couples may actually go for it, especially if they've had problems with hormone-based contraception.

However, I have a feeling that sustainably-produced organic latex condoms would be far more popular.

It's a perfect way to sell pointless products like this!

Anyhow, this product is going to have a short shelf life because the neck tag is dying out. More and more clothes have iron-on sizes at the neck and washing instruction tags on a side seam.

What I think is driving this change is global marketing. The washing instructions for a t-shirt I bought recently came in about ten different languages. Having this huge tag at the neck would be uncomfortable and unsightly, but it's not noticeable on a side seam. (I also suspect that it's cheaper and easier to sew a tag into a simple side seam than a more complicated neck seam.)

It's said that Ronald Reagan became enlightened about the terrible effect of nuclear war after watching the made-for-TV movie "The Day After." A desire to not be judged as the president who inflicted this horror upon the world caused him to tone down his rhetoric and change some of his policies towards the USSR.

Bush wants nothing of the sort to happen to him.

Anyhow, even if Bush did see "An Inconvenient Truth," I doubt it would change anything. He's made a career out of ignoring inconvenient truths.

She just needs to chill out and be patient, like Cary says.

Being successful in other areas of life doesn't mean that you'll be equally successful in love. But it doesn't preclude it, either.

He might be just as sick of Uncle Danny as you are, but may not have said anything to him for the sake of family harmony. (Many people will put up with all kinds of bad behavior from family members because they don't want to alienate them or rock the boat.) It also sounds like your husband isn't the confrontational type. You therefore need to take the initiative. Tell him that you are fed up with Uncle Danny and work out a plan together for getting him to leave. Talk things over with your husband, agree on your course of action, and maintain a united front. Otherwise, Uncle Danny will go around your back and try to get your husband on his side.

I wonder if Uncle Danny does the same thing to other members of your husband's family? The reason why he spends so much time with you could be that nobody else will put up with him! They may be just as tired of his freeloading ways as you are, and could give you moral support (if nothing else) in your campaign to get him and his RV the hell out of your driveway.

Good luck.

Bush is being deserted by the wingnuts in droves and needs to throw them a few chunks of red meat so they'll show up at the polls in November.