"the biggest positive impact on women by highlighting female strength and independence" - I don’t see anything there about breaking ground. Most of these shows were sitcoms. And Shirley Schmidt didn’t have any positive impact on older women?

About time!

How could you not include Boston Legal - what a fabulous job Candice Bergen did! Not to mention all the other characters who demonstrated that talent doesn’t fade with age, it grows and flowers.

Mmmmmm, thanks!

Love your thinking here, too.

Agree! Agree!

And that chocolate coffee sounds good, too!

I’ve had to take steroids for some medical conditions. Anyone who takes these without medical necessity is in need of serious psychological counseling, in my opinion. The mood swings, the constant hunger, the skin eruptions…it is beyond horrible.

Love Ms. Fairstein’s books! I’ve had many hours of enjoyment, thank you. Great interview, also.

I don’t know how old her previous children are (and I don’t want to read enough about her to find out) but what a horrible burden she is putting on them! As soon as they are old enough, will they have any life other than caring for their younger siblings? Back in the 50’s and 60’s, I had a friend who was one of 17 children in a very Catholic family - several sets of twins - and the resentment of the older ones, directed at the parents, was very sad.

Thanks! I have been eying the Kindle and the Sony Reader, mostly to save the effort of carrying so many books when I travel. I am primarily interested in the ability to download all the free books my library offers. Any advice?

We still adopted a Christmas family as we do each year. We also spent my daughter’s Winter break doing a lot of sorting out and donated carloads of stuff to local charities. We’re a family of packrats, but we donated clothes, shoes, books, costume jewelry, dishes, mugs and flatware that we hadn’t used in ages, all in good, usable condition. The house almost feels empty!

I don’t agree that that is the only issue. My mother-in-law had excellent health insurance but did not receive the same care as my husband, with the same problem and the same insurance. I think sex and age play a large role in determining how far the doctors and insurance companies are willing to go with treatments. Women are still considered to be less valuable than men.

The first thing we need to do is to STOP accepting the “female circumcision” lie! Call it what it is - female MUTILATION or female CASTRATION. As long as the media accepts and uses this totally outrageous euphemism, there will not be an outcry. “Circumcision” implies that these women are still fully functional sexually after the procedure and that, as for males, it is no big deal. This is so totally wrong - and I think wowOwow should revise the title of this article.

The gifts my husband ordered for me didn’t arrive in time for Christmas. But instead of missing the presents under my tree, I’m thinking of the little 6 year old who is having a Merry Christmas this year because we “adopted” her and her Mom. And I’m smiling - because I know that Mom is smiling, too. I also knit for charity all year long. Leftover yarn from my projects is saved until I have enough to make a hat, scarf, mittens, or baby items. I generally donate to them homeless shelters since many charities won’t take items from homes with pets or smokers - no matter how they’re washed.

Elizabeth Arden is not part of my life, but I was once treated to a session (the whole routine) as part of a wedding party. It was a blast! And we all looked and - more important - felt fabulous for the wedding. I’m not very fashion or beauty conscious, my gray is allowed to flaunt itself, I rarely wear makeup, but I still remember this experience. It was fun, fun, fun! I recommend this as a great indulgence, even if you only do it once!

Bonnie, I’m sorry if I offended you. I realize everyone is different, but I still think this article was “over the top”. Why instill fear into women who have not experienced this yet? Why not casually mention that it is not always torture and the medical personnel are not always uncaring? I’d like to see a more balanced, factual article about mammograms, telling all sides. I certainly would not let my daughter go to her first mammogram in fear and distress.