Ummm, okay, about that superstition--if magic were really so powerful--spirits, demons, etc.--why do they have so little affect? Heck, do you think no Greeks cursed Hitler?

It's not like Greece has this happy history where it's been a world-dominant power. And just how happy and powerful is your mother-in-law? (Of course, wrongly cursing people is supposed to bring about a lash-back--karma's a bitch.)

That said, your mother-in-law is a bully--and bullies are best dealt with by exposing their bullying and not over-reacting.

I mean, if you're religious, how about the power of prayer and wearing an angel, or something? How about turning the other cheek and *blessing* your mother-in-law so that she turns away from such evil thoughts--I mean she wishes ill upon innocent children? That's not being Greek, that's being mentally ill.

The only *power* of the curse is the fear she's evoked in you.

By the way, my guess is that she's a borderline personality disorder--check out Randie Kreiger's Stop Walking on Eggshells--and you'll see what I mean.

The problem with being a peasant isn't the hardship of farming, it's the lack of land ownership (and the subsequent tithing of large amounts of one's production.)

So, yeah, gardening isn't labor-free, but keeping a home garden--particularly in temperate California--is perfectly doable for the able-bodied.

So you have redwoods in the backyard--why not grow tomatoes in the front? Or herbs? And I'm with the previous poster--I, too, have been wondering lately why we don't keep chickens--they eat bugs and grass and can live under redwoods. They're not quite as entertaining as cats, but they do have some personality.

Oh, and don't worry about weeding oxalis--it dies back--just let it go.

Scale means different things. If everybody who can grow a vegetable garden does so, it will have an effect on a large scale.

I'm married to a serious gardener--who also works 60 hour weeks. We do several things as a result of the garden--we tend to eat very seasonally. I don't know the last time we bought a tomato, a cucumber, a batch of arugula, lemons or jam. For a long time we didn't even see a farmer's market because during the summer we don't buy fruit or vegetables.

Part of what we do, though, means kitchen know-how--preserving requires its own set of skills.

I'm not convinced that all of this actually saves us money--but we do benefit in terms of quality (yes, even compared to the farmer's market) and there's sure no question of what's been used on the vegetables.

Also, organic gardening is a snap, but organic farming isn't.

Mind your own garden? You obsessively post about Havrilesky's column. I mean, dude, when you're opining on shows you've never-ever seen just so you can get in your Havrilesky jab, you've got issues.

Of *course*, it's a pathetic cry for attention. If you want to pretend even to yourself that it's not, try to watch a couple of ads for the show in question before spouting off.

And, no, Heather is not going to be dating you, let it go.

I've seen. I wouldn't automatically peg her has as a former man--the one giveaway is the size of the hands, but otherwise, the surgery was performed at a young-enough age to have been done well.

That said, I don't think she'd be anointed as a great beauty if she were born a woman. There's more than one XX female who's prettier than that in New York, though she could be a small-town beauty.

Have to say the whole transexual-women-are-real-women because they feel like women argument has always left me a bit cold. On one level it's claiming that biology isn't important while simultaneously insisting that externally mimicking that biology is. Ovaries, the uterus, and the ability to carry a child--primary sexual characteristics are irrelevant--but secondary characterics--breasts, facial hair, etc.--matter immensely. It becomes about looks and perception as opposed to function.

Jamie Clayton looks better than a lot of women--but the sad truth is that her limited function as a woman probably has hurt her relationships--if you're a man whose fantasy includes having biological kids you're going to think twice about the relationship. (This issue isn't exclusive to transexuals--it's part of the rotteness of being a woman over 45.) These aren't nice truths, they're certainly not PC, but they're there.

You're pretty cavalier in your dismissal of the ability to reproduce.

Of course, it's not that simple--that ability to reproduce requires a whole lot of other stuff--abilty to produce hormones, create certain sexual characteristics, nurse young.

There are actually a number of things throughout the body that differ between human males and female--very different pelvises, of course, but also things like the head of the femur--even the shape of the brains are different.

Part of the issue with transexual treatments is that they're actually pretty primitive--the main differences get addressed, but a lot of the subtle ones are left--the older the patient, the more true that is.

Boil at 400, oil and seasoned. Cook 'til tender. Eat. Sunchokes, like most veggies, just aren't that hard.

Basic homecooking just isn't that hard, nor is it all that time consuming if you stick to basic preparations. What it does take is actually knowing something about ingredients. And, yes, the kids will eat it.

I don't know that Bittman's book is all that revolutionary--you can find simple recipes all over the place--the Joy of Cooking, Fannie Farmer, Deborah Madison's International Cooking for Everyone. Even the Chez Panisse cookbooks have their share of simple thrown-together recipes.

Home cooking has traditionally been plain straightforward cooking. No one needs to and no one should eat restaurant-style food every night. They just need to eat.