I direct your attention to Eugene Robinson's Post column from Tuesday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092802403.html

...and I've never forgotten it, nor do I think I could put myself through it again. That's not to say it's not incredibly well done, because it is. But it may have been the most claustrophobic viewing experience I've ever had. I realized at the end of the movie that I was holding my breath, and I don't think I stopped shaking for the next hour.

Well worth seeing once. You have yourself to blame for any subsequent viewings.

You mean the wing of his party that actually is interested in protecting our civil liberties? That one?

I hope he placates that wing of his party, too.

My brother taught my kids (almost 6 and 2) to cheer for Barack Obama. Now, when Obama appears on TV, my 2-year-old son starts yelling his name. He does, however, seem to know who John McCain is, also. It's "Bama" and "Keen."

...with the poster above who mentioned "Repulsion." I despise horror movies, but I watched this about 10 years ago on Bravo, back when it was showing interesting movies. Absolutely the most claustrophobic movie I've ever seen. It wasn't till the end that I realized I had been holding my breath for God knows how long.

Let's go on the assumption that Republican campaign staffers bought these clothes for Palin, since presumably Palin would be too busy to spend much time shopping. One also should assume that not all of these clothes fit/looked good on Palin. Were any of these clothes returned? If so, then it's possible that the actual expenditures were not nearly as much as reported.

Also, as far as Hillary Clinton is concerned, am I the only one who remembers that black pantsuit with the pink shirt that she wore over and over and over again? She may have spent a lot of money on her appearance, but I'm not so sure a great percentage of that was spent on clothes.

I was reading the Washington Post op-ed page this morning, which had a selection of comments from pundits, regular columnists, and letters to the editor about the debate and Sarah Palin in general. I couldn't get over how many people thought Palin had won the debate (Jackson Diehl even said Biden's comments were rife with misstatments and exaggerations) and derided the Post for its so-called "liberal bias."

What am I missing? I find Palin's cutesy, folksy act to be smarmy and evasive, not charming. I can't stand her overweening, misplaced self-confidence, her prediliction for winking at me through the TV (seriously, I don't want my world leaders winking at me), and above all, her policies. She's George W. Bush in a skirt who wants to be Dick Cheney.

Really, I want someone to explain this to me -- what am I not seeing here?

...and loved every minute. Of course, I was 14 and didn't know any better, but you could say that about most teenagers.

I haven't read these books, but they do sound terrible, and not because of any anti-feminist undertones or some such, but because Bella sounds like such a drip.

If you look at classic children's and young adult literature going back even to the 1800s, the protagonists almost always have spirit and pluck -- nobody controls them. From David Copperfield making his way through the world; to Anne Shirley causing just as much mischief as the boys (and finally becoming a teacher); to Sara Crewe refusing to buckle under to Miss Minchin's abuse; to James crossing the Atlantic in a giant peach; to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger ultimately leading the war against Voldemort, these children and adolescents control their destinies. No one tells them what to do.

And if you want to compare the "Twilight" books with romances, well, let's look at "Pride and Prejudice," widely considered to be one of the greatest romances of all time. Elisabeth Bennet refuses to marry for anything less than love. She's not afraid to be intelligent and witty, and she gives as good as she gets -- and Mr. Darcy loves it.

Sure, Bella may be reflective of an average, awkward, insecure teenage girl, and that's fine. But what's wrong with populating kids' and young adults' literature with characters who look like their readers but who, like their readers, might aspire to something more?

Take a look at the article about Mike Myers in this past week's Entertainment Weekly. It appears he's made a lot of enemies, including Penelope Spheeris, who directed the first Wayne's World and thinks Myers kept her off the second. Even Myers' defenders seem kind of lukewarm about the guy. Makes me curious to know what goes on in his head...