Here is the thing (and I'm sure I'm about to piss a lot of people off, but I'm going to say it anyway): Both of my sons are autistic. They were autistic before they had their shots, and we saw signs before they were vaccinated. We vaccinated them anyway, because vaccines do not cause autism.

You know what's annoying about the vaccines cause autism line? Anti-vaxxers act like autism is a fate worse than death. I mean, obviously, no one wants their kid to have to face a word that is not kind to neuro-atypical people and I know that it is a spectrum with more difficulties on one end than on the other, but…

Thanks for this.

The second mother is specifically contributing mitochondrial DNA (mitochondria are the energy providers of the body and are where the defect for these diseases lie), not genomic. Scientists don't believe it will influence the characteristics of the child. It's not designer babies in the way we think of them from…

"Designer babies"?

Well, I do think discussing domestic violence against women in the context of the NFL and large organizations in general is important. Although the rates of reported DV with NFL players are lower than the general population, I believe they do have a responsibility to use their platform as the height of masculinity to…

The article you link to in your last sentence says that violence does not spike significantly on Super Bowl Sunday.

This is so silly that I can't muster a response to it, but speaking of pap smears...in the US, the current recommendations from ACOG are

dude if i hear 'may the force be with you' i say it

How about just "Dear Asshole"? It's non-gendered, familiar but not TOO familiar, and it establishes tone right off the bat. It's perfect.

I disagree. It signifies respect. It says "I don't know you, so I'm not going to call you by your first name." I know that's old-fashioned, but it's an old-fashioned thing I like. I don't expect to be Ms. Septembergrrl if I'm talking to a living human being, but if it's automated correspondence (as it is in this case)…

Oh, you're too kind. BlueJeans dug out the snow pit, though, I'm just craft services.

That's a great point. I'm sure your sage judgment about people you've never met is very comforting to the women threatened by them.

Someone broke Megyn Kelly and I'm loving every. fucking. second.

I don't disagree with that at all. Someone pointed out to me that they're trying to wholesale get rid of hard alcohol on campus (I'd read it as just preventing university sponsored events from providing it), which I agree is dumb and won't really happen.

Sometimes I genuinely feel bad for Dornan because I think this movie has the potential to really hurt his rep and then I remember that I'm feeling bad for a successful underwear model who just made a ton of money.

Banning demon rum is a good start, but how about the scourge of jazz music? It leads young ladies straight into temptation, and even encourages them to associate with men of other races! How does the temperance movement even stand a chance as long as our young ladies are being led astray by the dangerous, libidinous…

Raise your hand if you went to a college that prohibited liquor yet you still drank it any way. This will accomplish nothing except deflecting the issue.

This thread is just the salve needed after reading the article - thank you both.

I understood that reference! :)