@I believe in peace, bitch: I haven't seen Bright Star, and I'm thrilled that Kathryn Bigelow is getting so much positive fanfare. But it sucks that because one female director is doing awesome this year we forget about the others.

@Erda: Tough situation. And there's not a ton you can do. The best thing I can think of in the couple seconds I've thought about it is maybe send a letter to the editor of the local paper. Make sure it's well-written and well-researched and don't include any accusations you can't prove. But you can definitely…

@Marla Singer: That is a dilemma. Mine was unused until I had a baby to take pictures of constantly.

@k_far: My sister was on it (for acne) and it was pretty bad with the side effects. But my cousin was on it and raved. So basically, like all birth control, a mixed bag.

Wouldn't have thought Daniel Day-Lewis could look both hot and impish. Yet he does.

@BiteMeMitchell!: I think it's mostly the online folks. (Bookslut just ranted on her the other day.) The high-faluting book blogs spend lots of time looking down their noses at her. The actual publishing world, though is favorable, since she sells books. This is one reason why I don't read many book blogs anymore.…

@Diziet_Sma: I agree, at least to some extent, though on the whole I like her. But I find this opinion funny because the literati find Zadie to be so very uncool. They just love bashing her.

@KLondike5: I feel the same way. For me, I wanted to make sure I had what I needed, but also do it on the cheap and I was pretty shocked at how not-difficult it was. It took a little time, but come on, I had 9 months. And I do not care a bit that every other stroller costs about $300 more than mine.

@raphaela: Whether they did it for the right reason or the wrong reason, I'm with you. A pregnancy isn't exactly comparable to a normal disability and volleyball isn't necessarily a low-impact sport. If she was a swimmer or a runner it might be something different but I'm not exactly sure it's smart to have her…

Folks, if you want to be on reality tv, you need to get pretty comfy with the idea that you will be portrayed as big fat jerks. If you're not cool with that, it's probably not your gig.

And this welcomes those with diverse views how?

@Porcelina: That was true before DVR's. Nowadays lots of us don't get to see until afterwards, which is why sites usually save the ending for after the jump. And I always thought a spoiler "spoils" it for anyone who hasn't seen it, whether it's out yet or not.

Sad. Usually jez is so good about saving the spoilers for after the jump for those of us who have not been able to get to the dvr yet. *sigh* I guess it's back to avoiding the interwebs whenever a reality show hits the finals.

@Birthday Girl: I agree that the pap smear issue is a bit more nuanced. What was arbitrary wasn't the test itself but the guidelines of when to have it. And that's really what's changed.

I said this in a previous post but I'm going to say it again. People, no one is trying to kill you or mess with your health insurance.

@GirlFailer: They already are. It just doesn't get quite as much play. Just google "prostate cancer screening controversy" and you'll see what I mean. 210,000 results.

@hfree: Actually that debate has been going on all year. And it's not getting as much attention as this one but it's still a pretty massive clusterf*ck.

@everythingsfree: I don't know that it is the fundamental issue. The fundamental issue is whether the test is worth getting. Certainly cost is a factor but it's not the most important one. If you're not at high risk, it's probably not worth it. If you do have a family history or risk factors, it is. As yet the…

I think the key issue here that's not being talked about and what's led to the confusion is that we were told for years that these tests were helpful and that we should do them. When actually they had little data to support it. Unfortunately we don't practice a whole lot of evidence-based medicine in this country. …

@SomeAuthorGirl: I don't think these two things are at odds. Breast cancer gets more research dollars than any other cancer in the world.