By her absolutist word choice in the introduction above, Williams (1) is being ironic, (2) is writing an inflammatory hook for her article guaranteed to produce Reader Comments, or (3)has swallowed the Food Nazi Kool-Aid hook, line and sinker. Unfortunately I can't tell which one.

America's children are being taught all sorts of toxic things about food by watching their parents react to this shit. Obesity - You weigh too much. Anorexia - You weigh too little. Where is the healthy moderation? The middle ground? The - might I say it - common sense?

Moderation is the key. Balance. Give the kid a Ho-Ho once in a while - or they may buy a box on the sly, then hide in their room and eat them all in one sitting. If they won't eat the healthy and balanced dinner meal you provide, let them live off the fat of the land for the evening, don't cook something else.

Question where your "knowledge" comes from, please. If anyone tells me I can "only" do anything, a BIG 'OL RED FLAG goes up in my brain. Very little on this earth is absolute, and I automatically distrust anyone who couches their arguments in such black and white terms. Trust yourself a little.

In addition to being at a minimum a world-class asshole, and potentially guilty of ugly acts, this guy doesn't appear to have absorbed any of the ENGLISH competence I assume an elite college like Duke University requires of its students??

Cary mentions the psychosexual issues that some men may have with colonoscopies, sigmoidoscopies and digital rectal exams. I wish more research would be done on this topic, because some men's "nothing's going in MY butt" reaction is strong enough to inhibit them from obtaining essential medical care. How many more men would receive early or timely diagnosis if a way could be found to help address the psychosexual issues?

New flash, if it helps: No one will think you're gay if you receive these tests. The gastroenterologist sees anuses in the double digits every single day - male, female, straight, gay, adult, child. There's nothing special about YOUR butt. Sexually active women who have gynecological exams may have a leg up on men here - we're used to invasive tests performed while in embarrassing positions. But the psychosexual issues some men experience typically don't come into play at the gyno's office either.

I have had multiple colonoscopies. The scope used is quite small. To reduce test time, I recommend a thorough pre-test prep (more annoying than the colonoscopy, in my opinion), and finding a gastro who does a lot of colonoscopies and has a lot of experience. You'll be well-medicated. Some colonoscopies I've flat-out slept through, some were a bit more uncomfortable. But if you've done a thorough prep, it passes quickly. YMMV. Ask your friends for doctor recommendations if at all possible. If you can stay awake, watch the monitor during the test. Very cool. Ask for pictures. ;-)

LW, best of luck to you. Hang in there.

...are definitely related. Fewer US workers are pursuing degrees in the sciences. Education budgets are being slashed. Current financial aid policy does not support our so-called education objectives. I would like to see more press on this aspect of the outsourcing equation.

The company I work for is struggling with the outsourcing issue. Actually, it's becoming less of a struggle every day. As a stockholder, would you want a company to invest where labor is cheaper, and the workers are better educated and very very motivated? Some of these workers' societal motivators are primal, thus very effective: the possbility of pulling their family out of poverty. The lure of intellectual stimulation. The competition required to get into a top Indian tech college - if you get in, you know you're among the best. Some of these workers are treated like rock stars in their hometowns.

Outsourcing is a no-brainer if all one is looking for is return on investment or quarterly stock performance. Yes, that's a very short-term view. But apparently that's all we're capable of focusing on these days. ;-(

I think the Administration's response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 illustrates a tendency that humans haven't quite found a way to consistently control - we sometimes allow our initial emotional response to a situation stay in the driver's seat WAY too long. Sometimes we never get to the point where we can let the emotional issues pass out of supremacy, then engage our intellect to make decisions based upon meaningful data. This is critical when people's lives are on the line.

I think we're all aware of the credibility issues w/the data supporting the "case" for the war in Iraq. But thinking back - if the press wasn't complicit, they were certainly asleep at the wheel. They were so focused on reporting about our country's hurt, our damage, our desire for revenge - the sexier story that would get better ratings - that they didn't move to the next phase of analysis and exercise critical thinking skills. And some of us who thought something about the US response (its attack on Iraq) just wasn't supported by the data couldn't find an effective way to communicate to the press - "Hey, something's just not adding up here." But by that time, the US media was weeks into its incestuous 'embedded' relationship with the military. I felt fortunate to have been travelling in Australia during the initial days of the war; I had access to international media perspectives. Quite a different picture than was seen here in the US, even if you watched CNN.

I truly think one of the issues here is that the state of American Media today is one of ratings and dollars, not the truth or speaking to power. It's our responsibility to hold our leaders to the standards we desire. The press must be our partner.