@duetoprivacy: Yup, which is why I think two major things need to happen - more hospitals need to embrace the birthing suites with baths, midwives, etc., and there needs to be medical malpractice reform so that doctors aren't so nervous about making sure nothing goes wrong that they're incapable of listening to what…

@daeha: That's the reason I am interested in this debate and read a lot about it - I have a cousin who did not get enough oxygen during his home birth and is mentally retarded as a result - and doctors say that would not have happened had he been at a hospital. I support women's right to choose what is best for them,…

@QoB: Thanks for these links. The link from the Cochrane Collaboration seems to suggest that their study group was actually too small to draw any conclusions, either for or against homebirth: "Main results

@tinyphoto: Where in my comment did I imply anything of the sort? I know midwives are well trained, and I advocate for them to perform natural births at the hospital, where the equipment you can't have access to in the home is readily available.

@duetoprivacy: I definitely don't think they're objectionable, and am fully in support of them in the right circumstances - healthy, low risk pregnancy, trained midwife or doula, etc. But, if something goes wrong during the birth, which happens even during healthy pregnancies, the midwife is not capable of performing…

@QoB: That's certainly true - any time you undergo a major health event, which giving birth is, there are risks, no matter where you do it. But studies have shown that the risks really are greater when you give birth at home. So I'm not sure that blaming science for publishing those facts is really the way to go.

How dare science be published if it threatens our personal preferences! What an outrage!

If Rihanna's clothing line reflects her personal style AT ALL, I will buy every single piece of it. I covet her look.

@YoungBayardRustin: Depending on the poster's nationality, cow may not be a body-snarking thing at all. It's often used to mean stupid.

@dumpherjt: If they were telling them to ignore something major that was government related, I doubt it would be the same. Presidents have long struck deals with the press corps regarding the level of "personal" access they get, just like any other celebrity does with the paparazzi. It's not something to get sad about.

@lethalpaine: Hollywood is so conservative and biased against gay men, women of color, and older women that it's hard for them to get roles even if they've had a series of successful movies. There's already such a shortage of roles for people who are anything but young white woman and young white man that the…

1) Picture Perfect is really not a "recent" movie, and lumping in her attempts at indie serious movies like Friends with Money with something like The Bounty Hunter kind of messes up the argument.

@faire-la-moue: I'm always really surprised by how many celebs just get pregnant, apparently by accident - I think they must plan it and just not care that they aren't married yet.

My cat, Christmas Eve. I know I sound insane, but he really does like it. He went to sleep right after this picture was taken.

Here is the problem, I think, and I would love to hear some legal Jezzies weigh in - the reason the case keeps getting dismissed is that a student has no "right" to be on the cheerleading squad, and being on the squad is contingent on participating in the squad's activities. Sitting out during her rapist's free throws…

I mean - my problem is not what they did, you can't necessarily help who you fall in love with. But it's not like the Times just picked them randomly - they had to apply to get into the Vows section, agree to tell their story, etc., and they just told it in this ridiculously blithe way that totally discounted the…

That Joan Rivers quote makes me really, really, sad, especially coming from someone who's been such a gay advocate. Why do things always have to become a "my struggle is harder than your struggle" argument?

Not sure I get the Skinny Girl comparison, since Bethanny Frankel is a natural foods chef and created the Skinny Girl margarita because the majority of margarita mixes are made with high fructose corn syrup. It's the processed food alternative.

@Zabnut: I'm beginning to think there's no kitchen garbage in existence that's beagle impenetrable!

I think this year's Christmas photo is so outrageous that it ends up being just pure fun. Don't you kind of wish your family holiday cards could look like an ad for Dallas?