“The only reason”: Are you saying that it makes no sense for the Red Room to sterilize its operatives?

I have a standard explanation of stage fright which includes the line “Your lizard brain knows that all this attention can only lead to getting eaten.”

Which Prince Charming? Aren’t there about thirty of them?

As far as insult goes, consider the source:

“If the stated goal of etiquette is to make things as easy and comfortable for your guests” — That’s not the stated goal of etiquette. That’s also not the stated goal of manners. I could explain, but I think anyone getting into these areas needs to invest time in reading Miss Manners. (She’s one of my favorite…

I know I’m putting too much thought into this but: How does he expect to be notified that his demands have been met, given that he doesn’t realize that his demands have been met?

At some point, you should stop calling it guacamole and start calling it “avocado mash” or whatever.

Snowpiercer was a cool movie, but this is a far more sensible plan for sustaining humanity after a climate-changing mistake. (Of course, the bar for a more sensible plan than packing everyone onto a train that has to keep moving in order to survive is not high.)

I have no idea how you would remove subjective criteria from the evaluation process. You’re supposed to respond subjectively to books (and movies and TV and everything else).

If spanking were necessary to instill discipline, the military would use it during basic training. (Okay, there’s probably some spanking, but not officially.)

My version has Dermot Mulroney falling for Rupert Everett (because who wouldn’t?), and when they run off to get married at the end, Julia and Cameron give each other a considering look.

If you want to follow along, another nerd is watching TNG for the first time here:

Labels and stereotypes and other generalities can be a useful shorthand — human behavior is so complex, it’s often helpful to start from a simplified position. But that’s just a start, not the end product. You have to be able to move past the general label to the specific person.

Slavery wasn’t viable, but it was still their way of life and they wanted to hold on to it. More specifically, they needed to expand into the newly organized territories west of the Mississippi. Hence the battle over state’s rights, but really the battle to expand slavery. It’s not like they were just going to shrug…

I seriously think about segregating middle school into male and female classes, just to avoid so much crap that happens during the teen transition years. Hopefully that would lay a solid enough foundation to allow reintegration during high school.

“A color-blind, modern Pan”? More like a colorless, modern Pan.

Not where I live. We even have curb-side recycling. So there!

I remember the days of people scoffing at “outcome based medicine.” Hmm, actually looking at the results of a procedure instead of assuming something to be true?

Not plugged into the writer scene, so: How is Patricia Wrede problematic?

“So, are you wearing anything under the kilt?”