I'll try to keep it simple.

1. The LW is not getting the support she needs from her partner. The specifics -- chores, sex -- are merely examples of a larger problem.

2. It comes at the worst time possible.

3. She needs to decide if she wants to take what little he can give her, or throw him out.

4. Regardless of her decision, she needs to build up her support network by CANDIDLY telling her friends and family that she needs more support -- hugs, attention, admiration. I guarantee they'll be willing to provide it.

I went through this myself, many years ago. Unfortunately I was too young and too sick to do that assessment. For many years after, I hated myself for not telling my weak and cruel partner to go. It is only recently that I realized that at our low points, we all want love and support and that sometimes we want it from weak people who disappoint us terribly. We are not to blame for that. However, we should ask for what we need.

I admit it -- I was manipulated into reading this article by the title.

However, I couldn't resist pointing this out: We are a geographically sprawling, ethnically, religiously and racially diverse country. We define ourselves via our communities of interest, not as Americans. Why are we even giving lip service to the ridiculous concept of the Great American Novel? (Oh yeah, because it gets suckers like me to read the article.)

People read what interests them, and they remember what echoes with them. It's that simple. Gender doesn't factor in, and neither does commerce.

John Edwards leveraged his special bond with his sick wife as key part of his campaign. He worked that angle hard, all the while knowing that he was a philanderer. That shows arrogance, poor judgment, a profound cynicism about the people he hoped to govern, and possibly some self-destructive tendencies.

Although Edwards was no longer a candidate for president, he was still pushing himself as a candidate for vice president.

For that reason, and that reason only, it's newsworthy.

If he hadn't been such a world-class hypocrite, his infidelity wouldn't matter at all. But it seems his wife's cancer was too good of a marketing hook for him to resist.

There are 4.8 million children under the age of 17 who have been orphaned.

The life expectancy for a child born in 2006 is 52 years.

The under-five mortality rate as of 2006 is 123. (This shows the probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births.)

The infant mortality rate as of 2006 is 77. (This shows the probability of dying between birth and exactly one year of age.)

Do I need to spell it out? OK, here you go: You need to get some P-E-R-S-P-E-C-T-I-V-E.

This is the most self-indulgent, vain, shameful, pathetic problem I think I've ever seen in this column.

In terms of measuring the relative visibility of female writers, the old metrics don't apply. There is no mainstream media anymore -- communities of interest, word of mouth and self-directed acquisition of information have replaced the collective consiousness. This shift has worked in female writers' favor by providing more opportunities to put their work in front of readers, even if there is a smaller audience.

Although it might be frustrating for writers to see Gould's temporary elevation, it has nothing to do with her being a writer. Her profession is irrelevant -- she is merely another attractive young woman who is willing to splay herself out on a table in order to get attention. She could just as easily be a model/actress or reality show star.

I agree with Cary that sometimes looking someone in the eye can dissolve the last of the pain; however, not if it is choreographed by somebody else for that person's benefit.

Just in case you are wondering: Your mom let you down and she continues to let you down. You don't owe her any sort of Kodak moment.

I like Southwest because they are a lower-stress airline:

• All of the planes are the same type, so no surprises about bad seats or increased engine noise.
• The prices are good, but not scarily so.
• They fly out of less-crowded second-tier airports (meaning that you avoid a lot of the amped-up business travelers).
• The lack of assigned seating actually gives more control -- get there early, get a better seat.

These combine to make a much more pleasant travel experience.

Movies make money on these product tie-ins, and sometimes they can tip the movie into profitability. However, this movie is a guaranteed blockbuster (even if it tanks in the U.S., it will break box office records around the world), and none of those involved really needs the money. These tie-ins smack of greed, plain and simple.

At least it's unlikely there are any product placements in the movie, unless Harrison Ford at one point chugs down a stein of high fructose corn syrup.

The terrible beauty of Intervention is that it emphasizes how vulnerable we all are -- as family members and as individuals. We watch addicts disappear, just as people with Alzheimer's slip away while we watch.

So many of the addicts on Intervention can cite a moment in childhood where things went wrong and the people around them failed to see the damage that was being done. The pictures of the addicts from around that time show that the light and joy has gone out of these kids' eyes.

The human spirit must be protected, nurtured and cherished -- when it disappears, all that remains is a shell.

Nice work, tall man!