As I recall (from history books, not actually being there), Ben Franklin's greatest declared regret was that he failed to get his son Frankie inoculated before the smallpox epidemic hit Philadelphia. He was a firm believer in it, but was a busy man and didn't get around to it in time. His son died.

Wait...so Micky Mouse ears are really possum ears? Cool.

By this logic, men should be paying a metric fuckton(ne) more in taxes because they commit more violent crimes, destroy more property and declare wars than women do, on average.

My nieces and I have discussed this—I'm in my late 40s, they are teens and twenties. I imagine that to them, the idea of homosexuals being "less than" in the eyes of the law is just as absurd as the idea of codified racial discrimination was to me, even though my parents marched and took part in civil rights…

It's actually been ruled on by a NY State court:

O.K., I'm going to be *that* commenter, but one thing really bugged me about this episode:

Of course, that's why using it as "generic other race/ethnicity" isn't cool, but if it is part of the person's distinct "look," I would think it's OK.

I would think a hairstyle is a choice somebody makes, as part of their image, as opposed to skin color, which they're born with. Wearing an afro wig if that is part of a specific character/historic figure's iconography is OK. For example: Frederick Douglas-instantly recognizable with a brushed-back grey-streaked…

I still remember the first time I was making out with a guy at a party and then happened to notice that he was wearing a wedding ring. I was around 21 or 22 and it just never occurred to me before to even look for such a thing. I immediately excused myself to go the the ladies room to hurl. I instinctively look at…

My only *little* concern with the mirrored facades in forested areas would be birds or arboreal animals slamming into them. Is there any way to prevent or lessen those occurrences? Otherwise—super cool!

I've heard that the sound of nails scraping a blackboard is so unpleasant because it is similar to the alarm call that rhesus monkeys and other primates make. Could be something similar—the sound is just super unpleasant for them and their way of coping is to move to a higher position.

As I've said to Eugenie Scott of the NCSE, you're doing god's work*. The push to encourage creativity in students over simple rote memorization was good, but I think we really need to push critical thinking as a life skill as well.

Tattoos, piercings, boob or nose jobs—it's all body modification. You do you.

My cousin's wife, who has a PhD in neurobiology (I think, something like that), is currently working with the NIH on a program to ensure more population-reflective sampling of drug study participants.

After thirty years of chipping away at American manufacturing unions, they can probably bring the factories back into the U.S. and still pay the same poverty-wages that they pay overseas.

I've noticed the use of the word "sewist" on some of the sewing boards I frequent.

Can I dress up as her for Halloween?

It's not real unless a (white/cis/straight) man speaks it.

I had the same experience in grad school. I would joke that I managed to get a B.A. and remain essentially illiterate.

FWIW, I the medical malpractice/Frankenstein's monster joke made me laugh.