This is just nasty. No decent parent in her/his right mind would invite her/his child, grown or not, into the inner workings of her/his sex life. I don't care what anyone says, the very idea of a parent asking her/his grown child to take nude photos has a strong whiff of incest--oh this is just so sleazy!

Cary, you danced around this issue, and I think it's so much more serious than a little itch. Herpes sores can be a vector point for other more serious infections, like HIV. Plus, those who do not disclose--who do not disclose their status CLEARLY--can be sued. This is no joking matter. I think the best way to avoid problems and misunderstandings is to be honest and frank before the nightcap, before the kissing happens, as well as considering the option of just not sleeping with him/her right away. If she/he's worth your time, she'll/he'll wait. Go get yourself checked out, and ask her/him to do the same before you drop your drawers.

And if you like the LW and you've got an STD, then you disclose right away, and give that person a choice as to whether they want to deal with you. Anything other than that is just smoke and mirrors, and I'd be ready to fight somebody for lying to me about a serious issue like herpes. What if we were talking about HIV instead? Or Hepatitis C? I guess it wouldn't take a spelling B to figure it out then, huh?

Yeah, it's like that these days.

I get the sense that Karnasiewicz was looking for something that would anesthesize the harshness of "decay," that would somehow transcend the macabre and appeal to her perceptions of beauty and perfection, as if Death itself could be given a Hollywood shine. On the other hand, there are so many aspects of life that cannot be airbrushed into perfection, and maybe that's the point. I think ugliness hasn't had its proper due in art. Certainly, death is ugly and harsh with the jagged edges of pain and loss--I'd expect to see no less reflected in the images of illness and death. I would anticipate seeing something that reveals the intimacy of death between the photographer and the beloved, and that sort of raw, candid approach is what makes the difference between shallow poses of celebrity men crying and the richness and fullness of the unaltered, unposed woman who is truly suffering but refuses to hide it from the the camera lens. If that offends Karnasiewicz's sense of taste, then perhaps she should rethink her definition of art.

Gee, thanks, just what Catholics need: more repression, more rules to break. What's more telling is the fact that this new directive by default acknowledges the inherent flaw in this reasoning by saying in effect, "we know we are behind the times, but we can't get our heads out of the ass of the third century, so just don't talk about it, and everything will be okay. You can still take communion and give us your tithes." It's pretty much how the Church deals with divorce and birth control here in the States--by refusing to see the mack truck of change until it smacks them in the face.

The Church's hierarchy ignores the fact that many gays and lesbians who grew up Catholic have already rejected the Church because of its intolerance and hypocrisy. The only thing that these bizarre rules will produce is rejection from gays and lesbians who are Catholic, but who refuse to allow such backward thinking to push them back into the closet. The same goes for the hierarchy's attitudes towards divorce and contraception: Catholics in the States, Canada and in Europe go about their lives ignoring the Church's directives out of a sense of pragmatism and just plain old cynicism about outdated and outmoded concepts of family and relationships. That's not going to reverse itself, and so we will most likely see a continuation of the decline in active membership among Catholics in the West. The Church's progress is far too slow, and far too late.

This is the stupidest debate I've ever heard over Harold Ford--and I feel insulted that anyone would have the gall to assume that Black women aren't savvy voters when it comes to assessing the value of Black men running for office. I'm also appalled at the sexist/racist tone of the whole conversation, as if Black women can't see a political snow job a mile away. Believe me, it wasn't hard to figure out that the GOP wasn't my friend. I'm amazed that these political pundits and bloggers can't figure out that most Black women are not likely to believe anything coming from the GOP, especially ads that would use racist overtones. I'm still pissed at the GOP over Anita Hill, Jocelyn Elders, and Lani Guinier. Besides, Black women are far more progressive thinkers when it comes to interracial dating than these pundits have assumed--we are also dating interracially. It's the 21st century, folks, let's not continue beating that dead horse of a debate you dragged out of some old issue of Essence.

Perhaps this is a moment that may reveal to both husband and wife just how committed they are (or they aren't) to each other. It's pretty obvious as to the nature of her husband's opposition--and it sure isn't about her health or well-being. In fact, it sounds like the biggest threat to those areas is him if she goes through with the pregnancy. He perceives the surrogate pregnancy as an intrusion on his "territory," i.e., his wife's body belongs to him, exclusively. In any case, if it's not this issue, another one will reveal something more about the possessiveness of the husband. I think the LW should do it, and she needs to do it for her sister, as well as to make clear to hubby that he does not own her.