From the New Yorker article:

In 2000, Anne Fausto-Sterling ... concluded that 1.7 per cent of the population develops in a way that deviates from the standard definition of male or female. (Some scholars have argued that Fausto-Sterling’s categories are too broad, because they include individuals who show no noticeable expression of their chromosomal irregularity.)

See link at my signature for a critical analysis of Fausto-Sterling's assertion. The author argues that when F-S's classification criteria are corrected, "intersex becomes a rare occurrence, occurring in fewer than 2 out of every 10,000 live births."

At least it sounds as though Swank won't be taking home another undeserved Oscar next March. Her win for the dreadful Million $ Baby was galling.

The above is an absolutely true statement. As a child in the early 60s, I often heard Taylor referred to as "beleived by many" to be the most beautiful woman in the world. It's not Mann's or Miller's judgment -- it's what was routinely said about Taylor in the entertainment press at one time.

It's more that she thought it would be "sort of" selfish for her, given all the demands on her time.

Work, come home, play, kid bounce, work again, go to bed." She has thought about yoga, even done it a couple times. "But," she notes, "even yoga classes go on 80 or 90 minutes." The ethos of Gwyneth Paltrow or Madonna, with their two hours plus of bendiness a day, is not for Tina. "You will still die," she observes. "I'll do grave yoga. Someone can come and stretch me in my grave."

Tina explains her relationship to the business of celebrity this way:

"I like to delude myself that I'm in the old-Hollywood mode. I just tailor my clothes well and try to keep my skin clear. While it would be great to work out an hour a day, there is something inherently sort of selfish about it. I can't do it."

I'd wager that someone associated with just every show you do watch has said things that are far more objectionable than this. ;-) Besides, Fey is a comedian. There's a sarcastic twist behind much of what she says.

This one was no exception. I was amused but mildly disappointed. I was also very, very tired so I'll give it another spin over the weekend.

I think the Senate rules require at least one vote from a member of the opposing party to get a measure out of committee. I seem to recall that Lindsey Graham played that role in the Judiciary Committee's vote on Justice Sotomayor.

The alternative to school is a chain-gang.

Thanks for the information you posted about the conversion process, Stella Marie. While I don't really understand why anyone would voluntarily join the religion I rejected, I certainly appreciate that the Church hierarchy takes conversion seriously by applying the safeguards you have described.

I would urge the LW to meet with the priest who is shepherding the brother's conversion and perhaps attend some of the preparatory classes with the brother. LW actually struck me as very non-judgmental -- it is the younger brother who reacts with violent defensiveness to seemingly innocuous questions. Perhaps having a family member take an interest will help the younger brother feel more comfortable opening up about his decision.

Regarding criticism that the LW uses the word "non-Christian" rather than specifying a particular religion, notice that the LW's sex is not mentioned either. Some vagueness in these letters helps preserve a semblance of anonymity and need not be motivated by defensiveness, shame, or anything else.

We're going to have the 2016 SUMMER Olympics in a place where it's...WINTER?

The summer Olympics were in Sydney, Australia not that long ago. I think they were held in Sept., which was early spring in Oz. I suspect the timing will be similar for Rio. The average temps in that month (linked at sig) are 67 to 77 F, which I think most outdoor athletes would enjoy.

Kerry talked with several potential picks, including Gephardt and Edwards. He was comfortable after his conversations with Gephardt, but even queasier about Edwards after they met. Edwards had told Kerry he was going to share a story with him that he'd never told anyone else—that after his son Wade had been killed, he climbed onto the slab at the funeral home, laid there and hugged his body, and promised that he'd do all he could to make life better for people, to live up to Wade's ideals of service. Kerry was stunned, not moved, because, as he told me later, Edwards had recounted the same exact story to him, almost in the exact same words, a year or two before—and with the same preface, that he'd never shared the memory with anyone else. Kerry said he found it chilling, and he decided he couldn't pick Edwards unless he met with him again.

Article linked at sig.

Both John and Elizabeth strike me as somewhat unbalanced. I can understand grief over the loss of a beloved child, but what they went through to "replace" him and even just the way they talk publicly about their grief skeeves me out. That there was anything Edwards could say to Kerry to offset the calculation of the incident above really makes me question Kerry's judgment.

And Kirk is not running. He's filling the seat (and maintaining Sen. Kennedy's staff, reputed to be the best on Capitol Hill) for four months. Big whoop.

If Victoria Reggie Kennedy had wanted this seat, it would have been hers for the asking. I don't see any big problem with the Kennedy family weighing in regarding an appropriate "caretaker" for Ted's legacy until a successor is duly elected.... which, again, will occur in just a few months.