I can't count how many times I've heard someone (usually on TV) snickering about hearing the word "see" or "look" uttered in the presence of a blind person. I was surprised to find it in Salon offered up as one of the funniest video bits of the day. I don't think even the cheapest sitcom would resort to that for a joke anymore. In fact I suspect blind people are probably more annoyed at people being unnecessarily self-conscious about the word "see" than of hearing it in the first place. Watching someone being scolded for something so innocent just makes people even more nervous about being around blind people. How is that helpful?

When I was growing up we learned to avoid poop in the yard. After all, there's no place on earth you can run barefoot without looking down first. Some things about outdoor life are simply uncontrollable, so you have to teach your kids how to handle it.

Rather than Europe, I think the proper analogy would be a trip to Iraq. There are probably some couples who agree that a trip to Iraq together would be an amazing adventure, a growing experience. LW, on the other hand, doesn't like what he's heard about Iraq and feels certain the personal costs would outweigh the benefits. He doesn't have to try it to know it's not going to work for him. And he's allowed to set his boundaries without being called names. And the boyfriend is allowed to disagree. That's when the breakup happens.

Not all letters need to be about enormous, horrifying problems. A steady diet of "My brother and I had an incestuous relationship as children and now I can't decide if I should invite him to my wedding" would eventually get dull because few of us can relate. And being human, many of us find that "silly" problems can take up a lot of our thinking time.

My apologies to those of you whose minds are occupied only with Very Important Matters.

While reading it, I assumed that this letter was written by a man. I'm stereotyping but the businesslike financial agreement seemed like something two guys would come up with. Not to mention the longstanding expectation that their salaries would be equal.

Some of the commentators feel uneasy with Oprah making a big, noisy deal about her philanthropy. My initial reaction is to feel that way, too, but on the other hand, how many people are going to be inspired by her gift to do something themselves? I still remember the day Ted Turner announced he was giving $1 billion of his money to the UN. It was a bit of a shock at the time, but widely praised. And since then the Gateses have started giving away large sums of money, and now Warren Buffet. Ted Turner got that ball rolling, but not without drawing attention to his gift.

Of course, as a mere thousandaire, I have never been able to make such grand gifts. But they inspire me to try to be as generous as they are--proportionate to my income. And there are a lot more people like me out there than people like Ted and Oprah.

Lastly, I agree that Jesus said not to draw attention to one's own good works, but it's the attention drawn to HIS good works that inspires many of us 2000 years later.

So...a little tooting of one's horn can be justified. Yay Oprah.

I can't verify Heather's comments about these shows, but she is right on the nose when it comes to Stouffer's chicken pot pie. Question for the SAT review: Stouffer's is to "24" what Banquet is to ?

It's marketing. It probably won't even succeed, and the minute the hotel fills up the floor will go co-ed anyway. Give that comment a star!

To all the letterwriters complaining that this article isn't good enough for Salon...I doubt Salon calculates reader interest based on letters. They probably count page views, and guess what--you all viewed the page.

I enjoyed the article and then I enjoyed the book.

I don't understand complaints about the tyranny/nuisance of cell phones. Are there phones out there that cannot be turned off? And are there people out there who are immune to emergencies? I bought mine for emergencies and last year I had not one but two tire blow-outs on the interstate. In 90-degree heat. On a road populated by text-messaging speed freaks, the kind who are prone to running over pedestrians. You can bet I was very, very happy to turn my cell phone on and call for assistance. I'm not a cell hater but I'm not a slave to it either. I average about 10 minutes a month (thanks to prepayment I know that for a fact). Since I don't have much practice I'm a bit of a shouter, too, so I take care to step outside.

Long opinion short: he should stop calling her, and she should turn the phone off.

PS: I'm 41 and no one I know texts. It's all voice mail and e-mail (done via the computer). Sometimes we communicate in person. Again, I'm not a hater but don't assume the whole world has jumped on your technology train. As Cosmic M said above, plenty of us have other interests.