I was drawn up short at the same place- people needing IVF? I doubt that my (adopted) cousins are too heartbroken that their parents have gone without something they 'needed.'

"Doctors in Connecticut and Washington state have even begun to issue blanket consent forms to all new patients, graphically detailing the possible risks mothers and children face during childbirth, including permanent brain damage and disability."

Can we start handing these out to teenagers instead of expectant mothers? I'd be all for that.

those grapes are so sour they hurt my ears.

Broadsheet is a frustrating mix of serious entries on issues of serious concern and of annoying celebrity talk. The first are related to women, but are not only for women- as long as we treat things such as honor killings as women's rissues rather than human issues, they will keep happening. The second field of coverage is perfectly fine for those who are interested, but I resent the two being placed together. They are not equivalent and should not be treated as such.

The post on honor killings is a perfect example - it is immediately followed by a post on a guy with a Paris Hilton display on his front lawn. What a lack of respect for Fatima. She deserved better from her family, and from Salon.

I recommend going with the cats.

I got a copy of the Ballad of the Whiskey Robber as a prepub, read it, and promptly bought five copies for Christmas presents. Attila is the sort of character you couldn't put in fiction because he would be too over the top for readers to accept. Thanks for the update!

In between chuckles at little kids wearing sunglasses, try remembering that sunglasses provide our eyes protection from UV light. I wouldn't send a kid out on a sunny day without sunscreen, why not care for their eyes as well?

Shaneh asked, "When was the last time you saw your cat or dog longing for corn-on-the-cob?"

That would be in August, the last time I had some myself. My cat loves it. At first I thought it was the butter, but I offered her some unbuttered and she still went nuts. The only way I can eat it in peace is by sharing. She sits on my lap and gets one end of the cob while I get the other end. And while I don't have a dog, my uncle does, and he has to fence his sweet corn patch so the dog won't get in and eat it all.

Ever since I was very young, I'd had my own room. 18 years of sleeping all by myself, and then... my freshman year dorm room was a triple! At first, I got so little sleep that I was afraid I'd have to drop out (freshmen weren't allowed to get apartments). It took about two months to get accustomed enough to others in the room that I could get a good sleep. I finally got used to it because it was every night, and I just didn't have a choice. Once I was tired enough, long enough, I konked out. If you are sharing off and on, you don't get a chance to adjust.

For some reason he really reminds me of Michael Jackson.

I'll go to Med school, get my MD, find a nice high-paying job, and convert to Christian Science. I have visions of days spent reading, painting, listening to music... it sounds blissful. I just have to move to one of those states. Thanks for the heads up - I bet its not too late to apply to start this fall!

There is nothing wrong with a diary with kittens on it. The word 'yech' is better applied to the president. A diary with the president on it, there's a yech.

And if so, isn't it a disservice to the patient's health to try to convince her to 'convert' to heterosexuality? Religious issues aside, a medical practitioner trying to get a patient to join a higher-risk group isn't acceptable.

The white population is headed for extinction? Heaven forbid!

I have nothing against white people but this is the absolute stupidest argument I've seen on this topic.

I read 'Are You There, God' after I'd already been getting my period. I had to have my mom explain the belt to me, and suddenly, those nasty stick-in pads weren't as bad. Still not great, but better.

I do thank activists for raising and pursuing the issue of gender equality. I don't thank anyone for the awareness that I do not deserve to be raped. If the women in this family don't argue back when they hear the men saying that girls deserve it, they are the ones who have 'learned' to agree.

"I identify closely with the meticulously cultivated hipster life I have worked at achieving over the last 10 years."

Maybe if you quit worrying about what's cool and start thinking about what you like, things would sort themselves out.

"They never seemed dangerous to anyone other than themselves and appeared destined to make certain bad choices, such as driving drunk..."

Thank heaven, it was all a big misunderstanding. My cousin- who we thought was killed by a drunk driver- wasn't, because they're only dangerous to themselves! He should be home anytime. Gosh, the family is going to have a big laugh over this one!

In Maud Martha, by Gwendolyn Brooks, (I'm almost positive this is the right book, but not completely) there is a passage about how all the white women pay to get their hair curly like black women's, all the black women pay to get their hair straightened like white women's, and all the Asian women with naturally perfect hair pay to get their hair ruined to show that they spend money on their hair just like everyone else.

I've got agressively curly hair, and I still remember one day in middle school when my Thai friend showed up with a perm. If only we could have traded follicles!