Despite what Press says, this is clearly a spoiler: I now know that what's her name gets past next week, and the next.

Why would you want to put an image up there that ruins the show for your readers? I guess you'd rather me not read Salon???

I didn't read the article and won't. Dumb, dumb move.

So there's data that say women seek abortions because of economic reasons and there's a Right to Life group that wants to ameliorate some of those reasons...what's the problem with that? I'd much rather see a Right to Life group finally putting their money where their mouth is in regards to abortion. If you really want to end abortion, you don't make it illegal, you improve the conditions under which it occurs--and economics is a biggie.

The Right to Lifers don't need a reason to whittle away abortion rights--they're already doing that just fine, thankyouverymuch.

But if there is a group that is working to improve the lives of women in order to enable them to make a range of--wait for it--choices, I'm sorry, how is this a bad thing?

I'm as pro-choice as they come; and with an infant at home, I became even more so. People who don't want kids shouldn't have kids. What would make my life easier to raise said kiddo? More help. This group, seemingly, wants to help. I can't fault that.

I disagree with their position on abortion, but if they want to feed, clothe, and house women, I just can't get up in arms about it.

Isn't that image of the labia minora?

...me loves it. I won't try to legitimize its price (and I don't really have to seeing as it was a gift from Auntie), but let me tell you as a first-time parent, I was overwhelmed with the logistics of transporting an infant around. With all of the difficulties of a colicky baby, I couldn't imagine how I would've gotten out of the house without it. We don't do Gymboree; we don't do Baby Einstein. We breastfeed, go to free mom's groups, use cloth, and there's no tv for the baby. But I dare anyone to figure out how to take my nonstop crying baby out the door and down four flights of stairs for a walk without my stroller.

"If anyone's actually interested in the development of this dynamic, they might want to start with the seminal The Gender of History: Men, Women, and Historical Practice by Bonnie G. Smith (Harvard UP 2000)."

Seminal? An interesting adjective choice to describe a study of gender (assuming there was no intended irony).

Certainly not a slick new ad campaign.

I don't know much, but I don't think any ad campaign would get me to take up something like drinking, and I'm guessing that it is the same for Russian women. So what are the multiple causes effecting the high rates of alcoholism in Russia? The Marxist in me says the economic realities have a lot more to do with it than some slick new ad campaign. What of those are affecting women and what can we do about it (rather than bitch about some new ad campaign)?

I was also raised on the tv, but hey, I turned out alright.

And we also have a 5 month old and a 50? 52?--I'm not sure on the specific size, but it is bigger than a small country--inch tv that dominates our living room. But the damn thing doesn't come on unless the baby is asleep for the night. And some nights we're just too damn tired to turn the thing on anyway. I mean, once you're too tired to stay up for Jon Stewart (and, honestly, it just doesn't feel the same watching recorded Daily Show, it just doesn't), what else is out there? Oh wait, I forgot the new season of Top Chef just started, damn.

But I'm with you--once I saw kiddo's round nogin creaking to get a glance at the oversized tv, I said no more.

Anyway, my solution? NPR. Granted, it is totally bourgeois talk, but hey, you can get your fill of news and events and baby gets exposure to language. I listen to Forum and All Things Considered and then convert over to some actual music, lest I be subjected to Fresh Air. Honestly, I don't know what's worse--the baby crying or Terry Gross and her smug sense of self importance.