When I was traveling around Japan, while the option was there to take regional flights over fairly significant distances (from Kyoto to Sendei, for example), most people (myself included) find it far more economical and time efficient to take the Shinkansen that run all throughout the country. Instead of wasting two hours at an airport before even setting foot on a plane, I could arrive at the train station with minutes to spare to catch my train that ran on an astonishingly accurate time table. When I worried about a short train connection (less than 15 minutes), I was assured that there would be no problem with me having enough time to catch my next train. I wasn't late to a destination a single time while I was in Japan.

Japan isn't the only country that had a fantastic rail system. I had just as much pleasure and comfort on Spain's AVE line that runs from Madrid to Seville in under two hour. I've wasted more time browsing magazines in the airport gift shop waiting for a plane than the time it took me to reach my destination in Europe of Japan.

The last time I tried to take Amtrak (which is a joke of a railway) was a 10 hour odessey from Norfolk VA to NYC that was delayed almost every leg of the trip. Amtrak has always been treated like the red-headed stepchild when it comes to popular support, but I can only imagine how many trips I would happily take by train rather than air if Amtrak was even the slightest bit like the Japan Rail Group.

For the amount of regional travel that is done in the US, a modern rail system like Japan's would certainly be far more economical and efficient than the fleet of 50 seat planes. Given what a bloated, overburdened mess our skies have become now, and considering that modern trains like the Shinkansen are far more energy efficient and less expensive to travel on than a plane, perhaps it's finally time to give establishing a high-speed, high passenger capacity rail system to give us more travel options and free up the skies a bit.

I understand where a lot of Potter fans are coming from in their insistance that the pleasure of reading the novel not be spoiled before they get their hands on the book (having been there myself when eagerly awaiting each Star Wars movie), but enough with the moaning about reviews. Nearly every book and movie is reviewed before the actual release (and those that aren't are usually dreadful), so it's rather laughable that Deathly Hallows is being treated like some holy tome that must be sheilded from human eyes before the right time.

I've read several reviews for the book and nearly none of them gave away any major plot developments, so I hardly think the fans have a whole lot to complain about there. And they certainly do not have to read the reviews if they don't want to. There really is no need for all this crying about the surprise being spoiled.

Trust me, the cats will be more than happy to inform the LR's roommate when they've had enough pattycake and being bounced around like a beanbag. A few claw swipes to the face will be a pretty clear indication when they no longer feel like playing. Cats are not especially tolerant creatures when it comes to discomfort and even the most easy going, good natured cat will reach it's limit and make it's displeasure known.

As for are you being unreasonable? No, not at all. These are your cats and you get to decide when you think your roommate is being too rough with them. If you see them being bounced, don't be afraid to tell your roommate that the cats don't really appreciate that. These are your pets, so you get the final say about how she interacts with them.

When will these conservative dimwits finally get it through their thick skulls that the vast majority of us really don't care who is banging who. What galls us is when you get one of these so-called "family values" morons who cried out against homosexuals and call for protection of heterosexual marriage and then gets caught with his dick in another man's mouth. Or ass. Or looking to get his dick in another man's mouth or ass.

That my friends is called hypocrisy. If you are gay, be gay and enjoy your gay sex. If you're bisexual (and most human beings are to some degree or another), then accept it that sometimes you'll feel a desire to have sex with a member of your own gender. If you're honest and up front with people, then the only one you need to answer to is the god of your beliefs and your own conscience. But don't go whining that we're picking on these oh so poor people when they are caught in the very acts that they decry.

Oh... and for all these right-wing women who stand by their men and insist that the charges can't possibly be true... you'd better get your tails over the the gynocologist for a complete work up. This might be the first time he got caught, but you can be sure this wasn't his first time cruising for sex.