I think this sculpture supports the case that anti-abortion people are really anti-sex. I haven't actually seen the dorsal view of the sculpture, but just the thought of walking into my living room and looking down the business end of Britney Spears with a BABY coming out haunts me, and not in a good way. One look at that and I don't think I'd be able to have sex for a week.

was for the pressure on Saddam to yield actual disclosure. Then his already thin premise for invasion would just dry up and blow away. To Bush's credit, the saber rattling was effective in moving Saddam towards disclosure. To Bush's discredit, disclosure wasn't what he wanted and only accelerated the timetable for invasion.

I just wish Thomas had gotten another shot at him to be able to say "I began my question with the statement that every reason given to go to war has proved not to be true. What you've just said is also not completely true. Why do you continue to think that saying things that are demonstrably untrue serves your purpose?"

Ok, joining the chorus. What I think I have to add is this: There are no final decisions. Try it. If you hate it, move on. If you love it, good for you. You can always go back, or maybe your taste for adventure will be primed and you'll go off and do something completely different.

As someone in the tech field who's done a lot of interviewing and hiring, I'd be delighted to interview someone who said, "I was a grind for 4 years at MegaTech and then decided to be a flight attendant because I was bored. That was fun for awhile but I'm back."

Regarding restaurant portions, I've often referred to the "$20 steak" issue. (My numbers may be wacky, I haven't ordered a steak in a restaurant in a while).

As the author says, most of the cost of a steak in a restaurant is the cost of getting the plate in front of you. Say they target a 40% gross margin (I don't know what typical gross margins are. It's a thought experiment!) and they can put an 8 oz steak in front of you for $9 and they have to charge you $15 for it. That seems like a lot of money for a little steak. But maybe they can put a 16 oz steak in front of you for for $2 more, and charge you $18.35 for it. You're going to feel like you've gotten a treat and a bargain. Then they put a (cheap) potato on the plate to make it look full and bring you a plate of cheap greens and a few slices of bread and you feel like you've really had a meal and even take home a doggie bag that you forget about and throw away the next day. They've made more money, you feel more satisfied, everyone's happy except when you go to see your doctor next time.

You see this principle EVERYWHERE. For instance, college dorms. A hundred years ago (well, 25) when I was an undergrad room and board was about half the cost of a $8000 (as I remember) annual bill. The food sucked. Now at the same school room and board is maybe 20% of a $40k bill (guessing). When you're paying that much for an education, they can improve the food service without much impacting your bottom line and the food that your darling student is getting for your big bucks had better not suck!

The IRS rules stated here would clearly make any church that funds efforts to stop abortion no longer tax exempt. If applied fairly. Also all churches that fund anti-evolution legislation.

For the first several years, a parent has to substitute their judgment for their kids judgment. This can be done honestly and firmly. Try to minimize exposure to dangerous situations. Tell them "this is dangerous for you, stay away."

At some point, the kid has to start making their own judgment. The parent has to give the kid the best tools for making those judgments and then just trust them to make the best decisions they can. This can also be done honestly.

No parent can expect their kid to make all the best choices. Goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyway. The LW has pretty good judgment tools. The kids she refers to do not.

When you are dishonest in training your kids judgment I believe it will catch up with you. The more lies you tell, the more the foundation of the kid's judgment will be weakened as the lies unravel.

Lies like: marijuana makes you psycho. Don't learn about sex, it'll just make you want to do it. I never did drugs.

When the kid discovers that for instance marijuana doesn't make them psycho, they wonder what else is untrue. Maybe LSD is a good idea too. And maybe coke.

(Note: my oldest daughter just turned 13. I may have different opinions on this in 5 years!)

As a long-time pro-choicer, I've been watching this slide to the right with horror, and dreading the ultimate loss of Roe. I'm much less worried about it now and even see it as possibly a good thing in some ways. As long as Roe was in place, several groups with very diverse end-state goals have been able to work together under the blanket of "pro-life". Now that it's getting down to brass tacks, the fractures are starting to appear and the monolith is breaking down. Sure, there are some people who would like to see any birth control outlawed (not to mention unapproved sex) but they are the minority. When we pull away the blanket and have true open discussions about it, I have to hope that we'll come up with something that represents the true american middle ground - that the goal is that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.