@Chamalla, now gainfully employed: Aw, thanks! Though I should note that I relied on a lot of the mainstream outlets for my info here. Read more

@GeorgeFayne: if someone wants to kill a person, and they're determined enough, they'll do it. Read more

@ritualtheory: I might roll the issues they discussed into another post at some later date, esp. if secrets and/or lying come up again — as they tend to. Read more

@AmericanSplendor: media people do take themselves too seriously, way, way too seriously. Read more

@BeckySharper: To be fair, the "despair" comment was Albert's. Sohn said the thing about the anarchy of the blog world and hiding behind anonymity. Read more

@rednrowdy: Actually some of the other panels were cool! Like Siri Hustvedt and Rivka Galchen on secrets and lies in fiction. They talked about whether women keep different secrets than men do, which I thought was an interesting question. Jonathan Lethem talking to Mary Gaitskill (about the Taco Bell/Pizza Hut song!)… Read more

@lyra31: Lots of people have already chimed in, but I do want to say that I think it's fair to make a distinction between a politically motivated killing and a personally motivated one — especially when Pouillon is being called a martyr for his cause. This incident wasn't, it seems, about Pouillon's cause — and I… Read more

@NefariousNewt a.k.a. General Awesomesauce: It's sad because Operation Rescue is painting this as part of a pattern of pro-choice threats and intimidation, when really it's part of a pattern of this one guy being unhinged and enraged at various people. Read more

@lalaland13: It seemed from the Times article that Pouillon had been active in the anti-abortion movement before, but really stepped things up after the divorce. Maybe his tactics got more strident as he got more angry about his personal life? Maybe he threw himself into protesting when his home life became… Read more

@Ulookinatmyjunk, JOC: This did seem like the most legit of her statements, if somewhat of an exaggeration. I'm not sure Columbus really slaughtered millions, but it's true that you get a pretty white-washed view of him in school, and not just in Utah. I think I did learn some criticisms of Columbus in high school… Read more

@TheGuvnah: I'm also not sure what would satisfy Douglas Johnson. He seems pretty set on blocking the bill no matter what. Even if the bill ended up totally banning insurance from covering abortion, he might still find a way to oppose it. Read more

@BlueLilly: I don't think the police have released that info yet, if they know. I'm very curious, and although it won't undo his death, I do hope it wasn't an ideological killing. Read more

@saralegal21: Well to be fair, some spoke out immediately denouncing his killer. Others, however, supported Roeder — even visiting him in prison. Read more

@Eriu: Yeah, it's a horrible cover. I don't like that they call it a "sad secret" either. I guess it's sad if she doesn't get to compete anymore, but that hasn't been established yet, and it's not "sad" to be intersex. Read more

@stealthird: I think it's Finnish, according to AdFreak. Read more

@bluebears: I wish we could be open minded and accepting about the way that Muslim (or any other group) women dress without turning around and judging ourselves negatively in comparison. Read more

@Cimorene: Yes, according to one article we posted on, there's lots of street harassment in Egypt. And I'd say "catcalling and street harassment is absolutely pandemic" in the US as well. It seems to happen no matter what you wear. Read more

@NefariousNewt a.k.a. General Awesomesauce: Children don't hate others, until someone teaches them to, by word or example or both. Read more

@colormeroutine: they lack the capacity for malice and deliberate attempt to cause harm. Read more

@Harlot Brontë: In general it's also my understanding that gender refers to what is self-identified and/or socially-constructed, whereas sex is biological. But most media outlets covering the story seem to be referring to Semenya's "gender testing." Also at this point I WOULD say it's a "gender dispute," because slot… Read more