I'm glad that you've removed the ability to post anonymously, although I did make use of it a few times. Too many people were abusing it to post personal attacks.

Losing the option to anonymously post sensitive and/or personal information is a drawback, though. Perhaps there could be some kind of editorial screening for these letters? For instance, those who want to share personal information in the "Letters" section without revealing their identities could have their letters reviewed and vetted by one of the editors or columnists, then published as "name witheld" by Salon. (IIRC, the site's old "Letters to the Editor" column did this occasionally.)

As for future areas of improvement, how about threaded letters, ignore lists, and peer moderation? Being able to include video, pictures and working links in letters would be nice, too.

Put a chair in the spot to save it (or, as Carey suggests, a planter). People do this in my city all the time.

Separate != Equal

Segregating boys and girls based on shaky scientific studies that point to insignificant average differences in their aptitudes is ridiculous. And yes, segregation is the right term to use here. Parents would be up in arms if a school district proposed to segregate all of its Asian, Latino, African-American and Caucasian students into separate schools based on the kind of tenuous evidence that's cited as rock solid justification for segregating boys and girls, and rightfully so.

I'm all for changing teaching methods to accomodate different learning styles. I'm all for programs to help struggling kids. But I don't think gender apartheid is the way to go about doing it.

What nitwit at the WaPo thought this sophomoric attempt at "satire" deserved publication? It wouldn't even make the grade at a junior college newspaper.

One thing is clear, though. Charlotte Allen is not speaking for all women when she claims that we're ditzy and dim. She's speaking for herself.

Does America need a president who's a visionary or a manager? Obama's strength is that he inspires people. Clinton's strength is that she's detail-oriented and pragmatic.

If times were better and I thought the country was on the right track, I'd support the candidate whose managerial skills would help us stay that way. But at this point, I think we need an inspirational leader. We're disheartened and divided, our national image has been dragged through the mud, we're stuck in a pointless and expensive war, and we've dug ourselves into a hole of our own making. We need someone who can inspire us to take the hard road and make a start at repairing the damage that's been inflicted over the past eight years.

That Hillary Clinton is a woman does make me view her more favorably, particularly since I've had to deal with the same sorts of pernicious, sexist double standards that she's faced. I have some idea of how difficult it's been for her. But it doesn't close the deal. If some people think that's anti-feminist, so be it.

I'm sad to hear of Gary Gygax's death, too. I remember trying to explain the idea of D&D to my high school friends and talking them into playing it with me -- disastrously! I've spent many hours playing various types of role-playing games with my husband and friends. Our kids play computer RPGs with their friends. All of these games are descendants of D&D.

Gygax also wrote miniature wargaming rules (one of which, "Chainmail," he adapted to become D&D), board games, novels, stories, and several other RPGs besides D&D and Advanced D&D. But it's D&D (and its spawn) that he'll be remembered for. Gamers around the world owe Gygax a debt of gratitude for creating one of the foundations of their hobby.

At least with caucuses in Florida and Michigan, if not primaries.

These states were punished for moving up their primaries to try to have more effect on the Democratic party's nomination process. It's ironic, to say the least, that this has screwed up the nomination process and given Florida and Michigan more effect than he DNC has bargained for.