All book covers give the reader a particular feeling about the book. The feeling might be "this is a great beach read" or it might be "I'm intellectual and I read better books than the hoi polloi". If book covers didn't work to increase sales, the publishers wouldn't spend the money on them, and all books would have plain brown wrappers.

I'm not a big fan of the "woman with her head cut off" historical covers, but they appeal to readers in a certain way. The intricately detailed dress and the rich background gives the reader a sense of the historical period and clues the reader in as to what type of book it is (probably a detailed historical novel based around a female protagonist), but since the character's face isn't seen, the reader can use her imagination to build an image of the character in her mind.

I don't think that's "stupid" any more than other book covers are stupid. It's conveying a message to the buyer so she'll pick the book off the shelf in the bookstore. It's no different than the covers used to sell to other buyers, including men. Take a look at some of the sci-fi covers, or adventure books, or Westerns. No more "stupid" than using an image of a woman to sell to female readers.

Unfortunately, a lot of publishers seem to look down on their readers, particularly female readers. Even though women are often their best customers.

The titans of American business point to India and China, who educate more engineers. If American educated a similar number these occupational skills

The titans of American business have a vested interest in saying that there aren't enough Americans educated in science and technology. I don't know the specific numbers for engineers, but I know an awful lot of American chemists who have been laid off and are struggling to find jobs, while the titans of American business were whining about not enough Americans studying science. (And using it as an excuse to move their research overseas.)

What I found most disturbing about this incident wasn't that she was denied a particular job - people don't get jobs for all kinds of reasons - but that her school denied her the degree she studied for. She was allowed to graduate, but with a different degree.

She took the courses, she filled her requirements, and she paid tuition for 4 years. I don't think it's the university's job to decide who gets a degree based on what someone does in their private life. Would a university be equally justified in denying someone a degree if they found out that student went to a bar and had a drink? Because he or she has a hobby that the school doesn't like?

I don't have a myspace page, but I like to read romance novels and I post reviews under my real name. Since I have an unusual name, it's hard to deny it's me. If I was a teacher, would the students make jokes about how I liked to read sex books? Maybe, but I would think it would be my job as a teacher to enlighten them. The same way this woman could tell her students that she was of legal age and she had a drink - which is not that big a deal. I would guess that most of these students have parents who drink on occasion. It's not as if the picture showed her lying drunk in a gutter.

When we start to pick and choose which Old Testament laws we will adhere to and which ones we won't

Does anyone adhere to every Old Testament law? I'm not an expert, but I don't think even Orthodox Jews adhere to every Old Testament law. Christians certainly don't, since they feel that the New Testament supercedes the Old Testament. Ever wear clothing woven from two fabrics?

you would be hard-pressed to find a modern-day American who knows any of this

Just curious, do students today not learn this stuff? I'm sure Horowitz goes into a lot more detail, but I remember learning about the Spanish in Florida, the Huguenots, the Vikings. Maybe it's because I grew up in Virginia, where it's all about Jamestown and the Pilgrims are considered a bunch of interlopers. But we learned about the Spanish and the French and the Vikings too. (And yes, at a public school.)

Are kids today so busy with "no child left behind" that they don't learn basic history?

Can I scream in frustration at hearing, yet again, the myth about the lack of Americans who are willing to study science? It's JUST NOT TRUE. As many other people in the thread have mentioned, scientists are treated very poorly in the workplace, and lately, it's been an endless parade of one layoff after another after another. (The article mentioned female scientists at Pfizer - is this the same Pfizer that just shut down one of their major research center and laid off thousands of scientists? Nice to know they're mentoring the few who are left.) The Americans who do study science are being tossed out, while the corporate CEO's say they "have to" move their research to India and China.

I've been a chemist for 15 years, and I actually like my workplace. I think it's pretty family friendly, and I have many coworkers with kids. I'd love to stay here. Unfortunately, I'm about to be laid off for the third time in two years. I guess that makes me one of the female scientists who are "dropping out" of science - but in my case, it feels more like being shoved out against my will.