I admit I don't know Harry Potter (just not my thing, sorry) but you mention Scott Pilgrim as an example of the Asian character being "tossed aside." In the movie? Yes - well, not tossed aside, she steps aside when she realizes Scott's real love is Ramona. In the books? Scott is "kind of not really" dating Knives…

I think that matters a lot - are they actually described as a particular race, or just using suggestive words that might make one assume? I used to read a lot of YA fiction when I wrote a review section of a magazine. The "pattern" was always the same - for example 'The Cupcake Diaries" has four main girls, a cute…

Oh god I love her. I was visiting my hometown once and mum had Fleetwood Mac tickets for all her "girls"... I went along begrudgingly because she had a spare. And that was where I learned that Stevie Nicks is amazing (and also where I sat minding 11 purses, because mum and her friends took off from their seats to get…

Um... how do I save that kitty gif? I NEED TO OWN IT.

No, wait, I found it... http://gawker.com/5993695/techcr… John Cook's post and our subsequent discussion is the first comment to mine/

I am looking, and the entire story seems to have disappeared. Is it just me or can no one find it? It was the original one with all the unsubstantiated claims; the "updated version" with Arrington's response is still up. Guess his legal team got to Gawker?

Thank you. As I've described earlier, my heart sank a mile when I saw that blind - my friend is nowhere near over it emotionally and has only told a few people in the decade or so since it happened, so either a close friend sold her out to Gawker (which is a horrible thought) or the rumors I've heard of other victims…

Nailed it. Stanhope doesn't even remotely fit the description in the blind - he took the fall for his friend. Maybe he hoped it would help his career, who knows.

Yes. He did. Stanhope is also a friend of CK who I can only imagine decided to be a really, really good friend or make a bold tactical move and take the fall (yes, now he's that guy who masturbated in front of women, but his career was in the toilet anyway, and now CK owes him BIG because all fingers were starting to…

Yes, that blind. I commented on the Arrington story asking why those specious claims were made into such a big feature, when the "big name comedian who jerks off in front of young female comedians" was just a blind. I said I didn't comment on that blind or say I knew who it was because I couldn't prove it, I'd only…

I cannot and will not ever believe Louis CK is a feminist or an activist against "rape culture," unless the man has made a serious about face from his actions earlier in his career. I doubt it, because he sure hasn't contacted anyone involved to apologize. I am not going to elaborate further. I (and Louie) were…

It can also be cultural. I don't know if this practice exists anywhere outside Australia, but in most Australian aboriginal cultures, it is considered offensive to name or depict (in photographs or films, for example) a recently deceased person, especially by their first name. An obituary might refer to a person by…

I used to be a reporter and had to "door knock" at family homes when a death had occurred like this. 90% of the time people wanted the world to know how wonderful and special their relative was, and were more than happy to speak to you... the other 10% made me feel like the ambulance-chaser that any "serious"…

My dad was a pilot and always used to tell me turbulence was just like waves in the ocean, and the plane was just floating on it, like a boat on waves. I cam't tell you how many times I've hit severe turbulence and thought "I'm just a boat going over waves, I'm just a boat going over waves..."

I passed out on a plane once from exhaustion. They gave me oxygen through a mask and made me lie down in the back of the plane for an hour - it was hugely embarrassing. When I told this to my flight attendant friend who does long-haul international, she said "oh god, don't even worry.We get a "downer" every flight.…

I do LAX-SYD all the time (really - at least 4-5 times a year, and then I usually have another two-hour connecting flight to my home town.) The good news is that the flight there usually leaves late at night, so sleep is a good option (For me, an Ambien + a glass of wine = waking up at the other end.) If you can't…

Seriously. My vagina has survived early cervical cancer, multiple LEEP procedures, and pushing out a baby with no pain meds (with 1st and 2nd degree tears, which required a ton of stitches) and is a-okay, thank you very much. My male OB actually called my post-baby vagina "amazing" (is that appropriate? It felt…

Great point. I was the opposite - marriage and kids WERE a major goal of mine, and I had no interest in casual hookups at all... so I deliberately looked for commitment-minded men. I found my husband, he's amazing, many years in we are married with a baby, I am thrilled. I also understand that other people may not…

So true. Let's not forget the victims who lost their lives or their limbs yesterday, but I think love won this day and not terrorism.

I didn't grow up in the US, so I didn't have Mr. Rogers. But everything I've read about him suggests he had a huge impact on people's lives beyond just being a guy on children's television. What made Mr. Rogers so important to so many of you?