I just looked up how many Italian speakers there are in Switzerland. There are fewer than 500,000. That means there are 24 times more speakers of Spanish in the greater Los Angeles area than there are speakers of Italian in the entire country of Switzerland. If you were going to make a case for there being an Italian…

At least in this case the main character's principle relationship is with another female person.

Thank you. Merida the movie was shit. And Merida the character was shit too. Probably because she was produced according to some cookie cutter formula of what a "strong" role model for young girls should be. (Again: Practices archery, rides around on horses, doesn't want to get married.) I didn't feel like the makers…

"But they are wonderful and powerful and beautiful, and their primary function is penetration and eruption which make them an easy symbol for power and force."

Except, as I coincidentally just pointed out elsewhere, penises are dangerous.

My reaction was... hmm that's interesting. I mean, on the one hand, yes it is rape. (Ok, maybe not legally. But in reality, yes, it is rape.) On the other hand, it's kind of a change of pace from the usual bait and switch rape, which is the "oh don't worry there's totes a condom on it... oh whoops no there's not"…

Actually this is fascinating.

I actually do remember reading about that study in a bioethics course. But it's been years since I thought about it. I love those old abusive studies... in that they make for good textbook reading.

The big problem with the analogy you're making is that people who study anorexia are moving away from the classic "eating disorder" model, which emphasizes behavior in a social and material context, to recognizing anorexia as a more organic psychiatric or developmental disorder. Low weight is still a super important…

I have studied abroad, learned foreign languages, and actually achieved sufficient fluency in those languages to teach them at the university level here in the states. And in my opinion, study abroad rarely helps US college students who want to learn a new language. This doesn't mean it can't or that it shouldn't. But…

Yes, I'm sure your son is a sweetheart.

I disagree. This really reads to me like any one of the many many tirades I've seen writers hurl (out loud or on paper) at women they know. I know a lot of writers, both professional and amateur, who ARE sane, functional and actually successful in their day to day lives. And this is just how they talk to women. I…

Actually... this is pretty typical writer bullshit. I've known (both carnally and otherwise) enough writers in my time to recognize writeyness when I see it. This is it. This is the way writers talk to women.

I know we've talked about this to death... but I'll add this:

Oh, I know I have. And I'm sure plenty of the guys in this frat would say, "But it wasn't rape. There was totally foreplay first."

Don't you know that rape is just sex out of sequence? As long as you follow the sequence: kiss on cheek, dinner, drinks, kiss on mouth, THEN penis in vagina it's not rape. (Note: Reverse sequence for professionals.)

I don't advocate being secretive. Some things will come up. And many people have their exes in their lives in some capacity. But outside of super casual things like, "Oh yeah... I got used to buying that brand when I was with so-and-so," and super necessary things like, "I told my ex I'd keep the kitchen kosher for…

You don't talk about past relationships, positive or negative, with people you want to be in a relationship with or ARE in a relationship with. You just don't do that. That's basic being in a relationship 101.

"It's definitely possible to maintain a zero-doctor-visit for a few years."

As a graduate student myself, I call bullshit on Epell's account of their budget. What about wardrobe? If you are a graduate student, you have to teach and go to conferences. You can wear goodwill hand-me-downs the rest of the time. But you still have to maintain a small professional wardrobe. And what about health…