Since it doesn't seem like it's so bad, I think I would like to get this new H1N1 flu. It could potentially mutate into something worse during the next several months (remember, it's winter in the southern hemisphere), and maybe getting the present form may innoculate me from any worse forms in the future.

@Gordon Wagner: I love your "SCIENCE BAD!!" attitude to all of this. You must be believing that anti-Gardasil email that's going around. Check out snopes.com to see the whole story on that. Remember, just because you pee in the morning does not mean the rising sun is squeezing your bladder.

While I agree with your logic that I shouldn't be too concerned with catching something from some infected guy ten rows behind me, you skim over the fact that people are packed into the cabin almost cheek-to-cheek. I'm REALLY concerned about the people next to me, behind me, and in front of me. If I'm unfortunate enough to be in the center seat, then there are eight mucus factories within three feet of my head, and if any of them have the flu then I've got an undeniably higher chance of getting sick.

I understand that you have travelled a lot, but being a pilot I assume that you are not always packed into the cattle car with the majority of the passengers. You're lucky.

It's the "only" part that is at odds with reality. Some kids will certainly benefit from abstinence education, and other kids (such as kids named "Palin") won't.

My own abstinence education came from my girlfriend's father, who taught me that if I got his daughter pregnant he would murder me. It worked!

And then the next one, and the next one. Over my life I have reaped the benefits (usually unknowingly) of being male, so choosing a female does not offend me or threaten my manhood in the least.

Imagine the political discussion if all the more liberal justices were women, and all the conservative justices were men. Wow.

What's new about causing body damage in the name of fashion? Everyone in this country (both men and women) has undergone body deformation in order to conform to social norms: our feet. Do you know what the feet of a person who has never worn shoes look like? Very wide, with big gaps between the toes. That's what evolution (or God, take your pick) has dictated for us. But society says we have to crush our feet into skinny shoes starting at only a few months old.

Also, as a libidinous male, I'm all for the leggings/jeggings trend. I think women are too hard on themselves -- there are very few women who do not look sexy in leggings, fashion experts be damned.

If Obama had nominated Jesus Himself these jokers would still say there are major problems with the nomination.

Apparently America's poor financial situation hasn't affected the spending-lots-of-money-on-all-sorts-of-political-shit segment of the economy.

This is what they should be calling the adults in this organization, not the children. Poor insecure little men...

Tiger Woods' mother is Thai, and Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country. Therefore I would think that Tiger Woods being Buddhist would not be some fad.

On the subject of the National Review cover, what an extraordinarily stupid decision! However, in this age of dying print, I'd guess that it is all about publicity for the magazine and less about some inherent racism among the editors.

A man who spouts such bile should have yellowing crooked teeth. It's just an uncomfortable juxtaposition.

Also, Dobbs is losing out to a repeat of Chris Matthews' show, not the original.

i.e. that from 1 in 20 to 1 in 10 human beings are gay, then there are from 65 million to 130 million gay people in China. That's a whole lotta gay.