"By contrast, Goldwater always had a seat of honor at Republican gatherings."

I'm sure that had nothing to do with the fact that Goldwater was still a senator for 20 years after his presidential bid.

Dukakis retired to private life after competing his term as governor, and does not appear to have worked within party politics until 2006, when he actively supported Duval Patrick's bid for MA governor.

Carter likewise returned to private life before becoming the "elder statesman" he is today. However, he was a speaker at the 1984, 1988, 1992 (in fact ,coverage of him at 1992 suggested his speaking was proof he had been "rehabilitated"), 2000 (appearing at Al Gore's personal invitation), and 2004 convention. Carter's presence at the 08 was brief (his speech as pre-taped), but that was due to the uproar over his newly-published controversial book. Hardly "in the rafters."

Republican spin as usual.

Most (read: non-right-wing) eyewitness accounts suggest a few dozen people scattered throughout a crowd of over 20,000 booed. They were not sustained by the crowd at large, nor were Lott or Ventura prevented from speaking. It's hardly the entire left wing.

If that get your panties in a bunch, than crazies that regularly attend, speak for, and serve as the face of the GOP must make you apoplectic:

-"he's an arab"

-"here's my birth certificate in a plastic bag"

-"terrorist fist jab"

-"reverse racist"

-"I hope he fails"

and of course, form your gal Sarah:

-"he pals around with terrorists"

-crazy "I guess a community organizer ... .actual responsibilities"

The crowds went wild with cheering and screaming at some of those crazy rantings, which were completely divorced from reality, and ugly as sin.

I invested in a pair, after hearing several friends rave about them. I thought I could use them for gardening, beaching (walking on rocky shores or in and out of shallow pools), or puttering. I never thought they were attractive, but I'd been told they were so comfy.

Except they weren't. Even the air holes don't let feet breathe well. They get stinky. The holes attract dirt, sand, grass clippings, etc., sp my feet would get filthy after wearing them. And if one wears socks ... he socks get soaked. And while my arches felt supported, my toes tended to bang into the roof of the crocs. Not comfy.

After a few tries, I was able to pass mine on to a fan. Never again.

Did you?? Other than the 10 seconds of tape that was played over and over to make a wonderful memorial to a dedicated public servant sound like a campaign rally?? I actually have heard quite a bit of the memorial, and it was beautiful. Try again.

I haven't studied these articles, so I can't vouch for them, but here's a starting point for you:

http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/8/2/117

http://insickness-inhealth.blogspot.com/2008/08/ivf-does-not-increase-risk-of.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16650361

http://www.cmj.hr/2005/46/5/16158467.pdf

http://www.slate.com/id/2109131/

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/single-ivf-babies-face-greater-risk-of-premature-birth-574178.html

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/oup/humrep/1998/00000013/00000006/art01702

http://ethicist.wordpress.com/2007/06/15/hello-world/

I would assume that much of this gets covered, or else the hospital eats at least some of the costs. Which is both good and terrible: I certainly wouldn't want the survival of a premie to be dependent solely upon the parents' ability to pay. At the same time, this has to be one of the costliest health care scenarios, and if it all goes into the general expense of doing business ... we all pay for it. (OMG, it's socialized medicine! And it's been in practice for decades! Must've been written on the backside of Obama's Kenyan birth certificate, right? But I digress).

Still, I can't for the life of me think of turning t a mother who desperately wants her babies to live, and saying "I'm sorry , dear. It's too expensive to try." Besides, the technology that has been developed to address the needs of the severely premature is a triumph of human ingenuity.

This really needs to be addressed, with brutal frankness, at the beginning of the process: as a couple tries to conceive. And to be honest, I'd not be too sad if health care reform means a cut back on aggressive fertility treatments that seem to lead to extremely complicated pregnancies, labors, deliveries, and infant care.

missed half a sentence in my previous post. Should read: "isn't that alarming to an OB, even though it's still a serious medical issue." I didn't mean to say you must have been a walk in the park for your mom!

Thank goodness you were and are healthy and whole.

6 weeks premature (34 weeks' gestational age) isn't that alarming to an OB. 36 weeks is considered "full term." 2 weeks shy of that means the baby is likely fully developed, but is still gaining mass. My sister-in-law's baby was born at 34 weeks, as was the baby of a very close friend.

These babies were born at 23 weeks. That's nearly 3 months earlier than you. Lungs, eyes, the inner ear, the digestive tract, and the brain, are still under developed.

since human beings are largely liquid, and good sex involves a lot of self-produced liquid lubrication, I'm not surprised that women are capable of producing such amounts. I will say that it's a law of diminishing returns (just like men, women can't produce that amount over and over again during the same session, no matter how skilled herself or her partner). And it tends to leave less lubrication inside the vagina for continued activity.