Do you seriously think meat and soybeans are the only foods on the planet that contain protein? Sadly, I suspect most carnivores share that misconception. Soy protein is not the only non-flesh protein in the world.

I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years and every year I take a full physical, complete with extensive bloodwork. And I am not lacking in even one necessary nutrient, including protein. Plus my good cholesterol is crazy high; bad cholesterol crazy low.

If you want to eat meat, whatever. I'm not your doctor or your mother. But please don't insist that you have no choice because it's the only way to get protein, because that's simply inaccurate. Meat, and our society's new obsession with high protein--courtesy of the bizarre Atkins Diet, are plain old unhealthy, all "moral" issues aside. This from The Mayo Clinic:

Although high-protein diets generally aren't harmful, they may increase the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis. High-protein diets may also limit other healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. In addition, many high-protein foods — such as meat, milk, cheese and eggs — are also high in fat and cholesterol. So choose your protein sources wisely. Good choices include fish, beans, lentils and low-fat dairy products.

... why Apple trails Dell etc. in sales. When Apple starts churning out disposable $200 pieces of crap that have to be repaired constantly and replaced every couple of years, we'll see that change. But until that day (which I hope never comes), Average Joe will vote with his wallet and buy the cheapest computer he can. Plus, Average Joe learned on a PC and likes to stay in his comfort zone. Talk about groupthink...

Macs cost more (and therefore sell fewer) for a reason. They're more advanced, more reliable, more user-friendly, more adaptable, higher-quality machines with a longevity you will never, ever get from a PC. Like another LW said... you get what you pay for. That's not groupthink, a cult etc. It's simple common sense and foresight. Of course other manufacturers will continue to use "see what Apple does, then scramble to replicate, rename and repackage it as quickly and cheaply as possible" as their business model. And it will continue to work, because most people just want to spend less, now. They don't think about a year from now.

You buy what you want, we'll buy what we want. Only we'll buy ours less often and with more confidence. And at this rate, my Apple stock will pay for my retirement. Works for me.

I nearly died. Seriously. I was only half paying attention, and only catching snippets of superlative after superlative. I thought God Himself would be on my screen when I finally looked up after hearing "the epitome of our culture." But it was the Star Wars guy.

Personal experience doesn't ever seem to change the outward opinion of conservative hypocrites. Being gay doesn't stop them from denouncing gays and fighting to curtail gay rights. Having had an abortion doesn't stop them from working against a woman's right to choose (because when they were born again, that "sin" was erased... so it never even happened!). Being a serial adulterer doesn't stop them from vilifying anyone who has an affair. And being a Christian doesn't stop them from doing exactly the opposite of What Jesus Would Do.

So I wouldn't hold out much hope for Rudy finding "religion" where torture is concerned, even if he were tortured himself. He'd call it foreplay if he thought it would get him votes. After all, we're talking about a Yankee fan who's rooting for the Red Sox to win the World Series.

The market has spoken, Patrick. Enquiring minds want to know... where is the dog hair?

ANSWER THE QUESTION, SIR!!

If your letter does not receive a coveted red star, there truly is no justice in the world. I'll be laughing the rest of the day at that mental image!!

I think what it may be is the *intimacy* of it in that context. There are some things that many women find intensely personal and private, and are between her and her chosen mate. To hear it referred to outside that environment can be embarrassing. It's sort of like, we can tell someone we have our period, but we stop short at openly discussing changing our tampon or pad. It's a level of intimacy about our "private areas" that most of us aren't comfortable with calling attention to, or knowing the person/people we're speaking to/are in the presence of just thought specifically of our genitals. It's a subtle line, but it's there. Much like we can wear something low-cut and happily show 99% of our breast, but if we realize a fraction of nipple is visible, we're suddenly completely vulnerable... literally and figuratively laid bare.

I hope that made some kind of sense.

Flower is DEAD. She was KILLED by a cobra. Not so funny now, is it, missy?

Though I suppose that makes Lauren the winner by default.

As the first person to bring up Flower's current status, I'd like to say I was just being snarky. I never even liked Flower. She was always such a crappy meer-beeyotch to my girl Mozart (also sadly deceased).

Of course, the fact remains that Lauren wins by default, which is by far the more distressing turn of events.

Dude, come on... give it a rest. You seem to live for ripping into Heather every week. Your incessant pigtail-pulling is beyond tiresome at this point. WE GET IT. We're just not sure you do.

And if I knew what a "syncopant" was, I'd do my best to tell you where they are. Since you're a genius and the rest of us are morons, I'll assume my guess that you meant "sycophant" is an incorrect one... but I'll toss it out there anyway.

(Once you find a dictionary and look up "syncopant" to gleefully prove me wrong, take a second to look up "curmudgeon." The definition may ring a few bells.)