Do you believe a woman who's had an abortion belongs on death row? Is the man who encouraged her/gave her money to have the abortion an assessory to murder? Should he receive the death penalty as well?

Les Miserables. Victor Hugo Cranford. Elizabeth Gaskell Dinosaurs on the Roof. David Rabe Split Estate. Charlotte Bacon Everything That Rises Must Converge. Flannery O'Connor. Oops. That's five. I voted four. I'll have to ignore Les Mis for awhile.

Chrissy, you're my hero. You and Johnny Cash.

Someone tried to describe to my husband how offensive it is to have a neighbor (on her country road) who has "grass you tie with a string" in his "yard." So I learned not everyone knows the least bit about hay or fields.

Oh, that's plenty of help. I'd thought about going out to check three or four times a day. Now I know I can tone things down a bit.

I want to see the babies, but I don't want to annoy mom any more than I have to! Spider and egg sac

I enjoyed Child 44, too, Julianna. I am currently reading Les Miserables, Cranford, and David Rabe's Dinosaurs on the Roof. I am on the verge of starting Edith Wharton's The Glimpses of the Moon.

I've read 38 completely, less than all the stories in a collection or other titles by an author mentioned in many other cases. I love modern lit. I love classics. They aren't mutually exclusive. As for B.R. Myers and his opinions--well, I'm cleaning out the refrigerator at the moment, so my saying he could use a diet with more fiber in it will have to suffice for what I think, unless you want to read what I had to say about him on my blog when I had a bit more time. Bric a brac The pleasures of snarling

May I recommend Anne Tyler's Searching for Caleb to you, Jenni? It spans 100 years in the Peck family of Baltimore and I have my suspicions, based first and foremost on Tyler once being spotted at the beach wearing a One Hundred Years of Solitude tee shirt, that she had Garcia Marquez in mind when she wrote it. Caleb is one of my all-time favorites and one of these years I'm going to read it back-to-back with One Hundred Years so that I can see if my suspicions bear out.

Thank you!

What is the purpose of clinical depression? What good comes from it? I'm related to/know too many sucides to sustain such a belief.

. "Strong women" quote around the 9:40 mark.

Chrissy, that's fabulous. It truly is a work of art.

McClatchy started a series of articles on this very topic yesterday. America's prison for terrorists often held the wrong men and today's U.S. abuse of detainees was routine at Afghanistan bases Phred (or anyone else who may know), has there been a ruling (or even a suit brought) regarding extraordinary rendition?

California gun law states: SHOTGUNS AND RIFLES Nonconcealable firearms (rifles and shotguns) are not generally covered within the provisions of California Penal Code section 12025 and therefore are not required to be transported in a locked container. However, as with any firearm, nonconcealable firearms must be unloaded while they are being transported. A rifle or shotgun that is defined as an assault weapon pursuant to Penal Code 12276 or 12276.1 must be transported in accordance with Penal Code section 12026.1. so I don't see how gun control prevented any good old boys from loading and taking aim in this particular case.

No.

Hey! There's nothing wrong with being a registered Republican. I'm married to one after all.

So you're saying that since McCain plans to stay in Iraq (till 2013 or 100 years from now depending on what's coming out of his mouth on any particular day) he doesn't have to articulate any plans at all? How fair is that?

Does your candidate have a plan that specifically addresses your questions, Soph?

Barack Obama's plan.

GOP claim about Chinese drilling off Cuba is untrue.

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregancy, the teen pregnancy rates for girls ages 15-19 were highest in the South and Southwest, with Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico topping the list, followed by Texas, Florida, Mississippi and California (96-128/1000 girls).* The rest of the South (excluding Virginia) had rates of 88-95/1000 girls. *This info came from a state graph, so I can't determine the order Texas, Florida, Mississippi and California should be in. I also found this earlier info: The number of Georgia teenagers per 1,000 who became pregnant in 1992 was the highest in the nation. Of the 10 states with the highest teen pregnancy rates, six are in the South. 1. Georgia 106.9 [*] 2. Nevada 106.0 3. North Carolina 104.6 4. Texas 103.7 5. Arizona 103.6 6. New Mexico 101.8 7. Mississippi 100.8 8. New York 96.6 9. Tennessee 94.010. Alabama 93.2* Number of pregnancies per 1,000 teenage girlsSource: Centers for Disease Control

Thanks for that. Reminded me of Faulkner--my mother is a fish.

My family lacks the Tolkien gene.

It's always an interesting exercise to track one's reading and analyze it at the end of the year. I've been keeping a book list since 1993 and get a lot of enjoyment out of strategizing how I'll do better in the upcoming year! My stats from last year