I've always enjoyed Heather's style of writing. I don't feel she looks down on people who watch television - in fact she has reveled (some would say wallowed) in some of the worst excesses of Fox reality shows (take for example her love of Temptation/Paradise *anything*. At the same time, her reviews are insightful, and her recommendations are usually spot on (aside from her inability to "get" most adult swim shows).

I enjoy watching TV, but I sometimes think that I could be doing better things with my time. Reading Heather's articles reminds me that, while that might be true, it would mean missing Tyra's next hissy fit.

And I like it when she calls her readers "my little canned clams", though I am not sure how they feel about it over at Broadsheet.

I like snark - it's why I read Heather. Otherwise I would go read some other TV critic.

I'm just glad that the Senators gave Hayden the in-depth, "we demand answers" grilling that they promised us. After all, if they just gave this guy a pass after getting responses like "Nothing about the NSA programs is illegal" or "Don't worry, trust us" it would be a disgrace.

I'm glad that instead they stood up and reclaimed the oversight role of the congress.

Oh, wait.

Conspicuously absent from the piece are the boys -- the Times says that the average student spends more than $600 on prom -- are the boy's tanning too? Do they feel the same pressure to look good and do they spend an equivalent amount of cash? Probably not but it would have been nice to hear about their expenses as well.

Well, that Rohypnol is not going to buy itself, ya know...

Understand that I like vaginas. Some of my best friends have them, and the closest of those are willing, sometimes, to sahre. I can hoestly say that I have never met a vagina I didn't like. Nothing that I say below should in any way be seen as an attack on vaginas.

However, I'm not sure that I really understand focusing on them so intently. It's bad enough that men go around thinking of women primarily as vaginas to be conquered. Do we really also need to encourage women to think of themselves as vaginas in need of defense?

That said, I can't really argue with the money that these things bring in for women's issues, which is significant. I just think that if you are looking for body-symbols of female empowerment, the vagina is not a great place to start. It's role in female sexual response is at least secondary (depending on whether or not you are a g-spot believer, and isn't it weird that so little effort goes towards research on female sexual response that I feel comfortable using the word "believer" there?) and it plays such an enormous role in male sexual stimulation.

If you want to really focus on the body parts that set women ahead of men , I say go with the clitoris, the uterous, or the breasts. Honestly, I think that, deep down, those are the things that men are most jealous of.

Given the oppresive, patriarchal history of uteri and breasts, I can understand the relectance to pick those, so I guess that leaves the clitoris.

Oh, and the brain. That is, after all the most empowering (and sexy) organ anybody has.

I love this woman. If only everyone in the White House Press Corps was as smart and gutsy as Helen.

Note that the question about flirting only encompassed members of the WHPC - I'm sure Helen is well aware the Steven Colbert, among others has flirted with her.

Really like to listen to this, but since I don't have any desire to download/install new software and subscribe to the whole series I appear to be out of luck. Is there any way to just download this one episode and listen to it? The listening part I have handled, but I cannot seem to find a straight forward link to an mp3 file.

What I find interesting is that most of the discussion seems to be focused on the act, stripped of all context. Blow jobs (or any other sexual act) are performed in the context of a relationship (which can be anything from a loving long-term relationship to a desperate drunken hookup, or heck, a business arrangement). The act itself isn't inherently icky or empowering- it's the context that it happens in that provides meaning. Giving a guy a blowjob because you feel like you have to, or because he expects it is probably going to feel pretty much as described in the original article. Doing it because you love them, or because they turn you on is probably going to feel wonderful and empowering to all parties concerned.

Really, you could substitute any sexual or intimate activity for "blow job" and the same rules apply. It's not what you do, it's why you do it.

There are two different links - one that links to the (apparently) non-working in iTunes RSS feed, and another specifically for iTunes. The iTunes specific link does work (with iTunes). Aren't the standards of the interwebs great?

(And no, I did not go out and download iTunes and install it to listen. I realized late last night that I still had iTunes installed form a few weeks ago when I was helping a friend remove iTunes from her computer (needed to see what she was seeing). I did listen to the interview (which was great) before removing iTunes).

That if Bill wants to take on the job of running Iraq, it's really just so he can get easy access to the falafel thing that makes him so hot...

I wonder if, in addition to shooting people on sight, he would re-open Saddam's Sexual Harrassment Rooms?

What is called for here is, obviously, a new hat.