I've had problems with irregular periods (and some weight issues) most of my life. And my Mom smoked. But, she's not my biological mother. I was adopted. I don't know if my birthmother smoked, but it seems less likely given her age and background (what little I know of it).

People - even researchers - often equate biological parenthood with social parenthood, but they aren't always the same. Whenever I get questions about my medical history, I always wonder - is that the history of the people who raised me, or the history of the people who donated the sperm and the egg. (I have no idea about my genetic medical history, so I'm out of luck there.)

So, is the cause of the problems smoking during pregnancy? Is the cause genetic (i.e. damage to the egg before fertilization) or prenatal? Or is the cause smoking during infancy? Or could grandma smoking while watching the baby cause the same issues? It's tricky to figure out these issues, but if the cause is purely genetic, it's probably more important for Mom to stop smoking before conceiving. If it's environmental, then Dad smoking is an issue too. Hmmm...

I may not particularly like dress codes that single out women, whether they are religious or secular. But I believe that everyone has the freedom to dress as they like, with as few limits as possible. But the niqab seems like a step beyond "modest dress", for practical reasons as well as feminist ones. I don't have hearing loss, but I find it difficult to understand someone who covers her mouth when she speaks. I've only spoken to someone in a niqab once, but it was nearly impossible to hear her voice, even when she spoke up. Add in even a small hearing loss (something that's fairly common) and it becomes nearly impossible to understand someone who covers their mouth and face. I don't think other religious clothing have the same practical issues. I don't need to see someone's hair or legs in order to communicate with her, but it helps to see her mouth.

For example, the teaching aide in Britain who recently won her case was a language teacher. Could all of the students really understand her when her face and mouth were covered? She said that she only veiled when males entered the room. So male teachers and male parents are forced to stay out of the classrom, so their child can have a teacher who speaks clearly. It seems like the "right" of someone to wear a face veil has to be balanced against the difficulty other people will have communicating with someone who muffles her face - especially when someone communicates as part of her job.

Several people have commented that this crossover seems unlikely to attract new comic book fans. I also wonder how it will affect the soap opera fans. I was a long-time watcher of Guiding Light, starting when I was in middle school. (My mother watched it, and it was on when I got home from school.) I watched it for over a decade, until my job made it difficult to keep up. The idea of a character "obtaining superpowers" seems like it would alienate the traditional soap fan, especially on GL which is an older, more traditional soap. (Unlike, say, Passions, which attracted a younger and more "ironic" viewership, and could get away with stories about talking dolls.)

Back in the 1990's, GL tried to introduce a "clone" of popular character Reva, and this story was extremely unpopular, particularly among longtime fans. The publicity brought a short-lived ratings boost, but fans complained and left the show in droves, and eventually the ratings dropped so drastically that the show was almost cancelled. I think this tactic may backfire and end up not only not gaining new fans for superheroes, but driving away fans of soap opera.

And once these girls grow up, they'll find out that it helps to be thin when they're looking for a job, too. Surveys have shown that heavy women are less likely to get hired or promoted, even with equal or better qualifications. So it's not just friendships or sex appeal - being thin affects how much money you'll make or whether you'll be able to get the job you want.

Maybe these girls are just being realistic.