this is all very true and I've been following it closely. I'm no longer on my parents insurance when I go back so specialist visits are very expensive (though not as much as in NYC). We really need to protect our healthcare system so it stays fair, equitable and accessible, and doesn't regress into the user pays…

I used to live in all the countries with amazing socialized healthcare (Australia, France, Poland, Canada); with higher pay (well, not Poland) and less income tax AND all the healthcare. I have to say, it's the hardest thing to deal with in the US.

It really depends on what you expensive means, and how much you need. My tampons cost about $10/pack (including taxes, more or less), and, before birth control, I would need two boxes per month, so $20. That didn't include the Midol and Tylenol I needed to function properly.
Now, I only make $120/week in NYC so, to me,…

Haha no problem. :) Happens to the best of us ;)

I'm Polish, so I mean about 50% of Polish apples go to Russia.

I mean, it's obvious that this will going to hurt Russia WAY more than any of the other countries. Except maybe Poland. Russia imports apples from Poland. About 50% of our apples go to Russia. So yeah, the Polish apple industry is worried. HOWEVER, there has been a huge push for Polish people to buy more Polish…

hate to break it to this guy but Judith Berntein (NY based political artist) has been drawing epic 26 foot (312 inch) phallic drawings since the 60s.

Where are you getting this information from?
In 2011, more than 37% of Ukrainian families were under the poverty line.
I mean, if now it's only 6%, they have some killer economic strategies...
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukrain…

Any sort of investigations where Russia is involved are absolute shitshows. When the plane carrying the Polish president and many of the most important people in the country crashed outside of Smolensk, the investigation was a mess.
I'm Polish, and whenever I go back to visit, Smolensk is still a huge issue, as the…

I usually never respond to street harassment. I pretend I don't hear it and keep walking. However, this one time, I was walking just two blocks from my apartment and a guy said hello. I did not reply, because I have learned that replying engages them in a conversation or something. And the guy, in response to my…

The comma is only there in the American version of the iOS operating system. In the British version, there is no comma. If you change your settings from American-English to British-English, the comma will disappear (I have my iPhone on British-English settings and have just verified)

The worst part is the host said "It's the capital"...
Which is wrong, Wellington is the capital. Come on, dude, you're the host!!

My dad has it even worse, his is Maciej with no middle name to fall back on. He's gotten used to "Mac" by now, but I just keep adding "and cheese" in my head whenever an English speaker addresses him.
I think English speakers are worse than others. My French- or Spanish- speaking friends really try (and do a damn good…

hahaha! Your bonus facts on pronunciation made my night! I grew up in Australia but have been in the US for a few years now and it made me chuckle :)
My real name is Agnieszka (very Polish), which translates to Agnes but doesn't sound at all similar.
Anna is Anna everywhere, so I'm cool with that. :)

I totally get Scarlett not wanting to be ScarJo (eeww). I would not want to be ScarJo either.
When I moved to an English-speaking country (age 5), I hated what English did to my name (it sounds nothing like what it does in my mother tongue). But the original version was too hard for people to pronounce, and they…

Yeah, I know what you mean, I forget details of papers I wrote for classes two years ago! hah!
Thank you for the well-wishes! :)

Velazquez actually painted the king and queen in the mirror while making himself, the painter, one of the subjects. But it is very meta, and did show a shift in consciousness.
Sorry to jump on you but I'm writing my MA in Spanish Golden Age art. :)

This app was made by Australians and 'darl' is a common term of endearment for Australian women (contrary to popular opinion, 'sheila' is not.). It's not exclusively for romantic relationships and I've had bosses, girl friends and friends of my parents call me 'darl' so many times. I still find it is a horrible thing…

OMG tin-foil fedoras. I think that could be a million-dollar idea. There's already a huge market with MRA trolls on Jezebel!

Agreed! I believe we often forget how much of a privilege 'thinking for ourselves' is. It's a privilege to reject oppressive institutions like the Church - a privilege of education, access to information and an accepting alternative which is not present in many disadvantaged communities (ie. if you don't go to Church,…