Tissa

Yes, they do unfortunately have to euthanize things sometimes, and yes, some really are bad, but does anyone honestly believe that people would work at a shelter because they hate animals and want to kill them? Or think it's fair to them to have to spend the rest of their lives in a 4x7 cage because they are a danger to society? I don't understand why people hate shelters so much, or think the people who work there live to kill the animals they are trying so desperately to save. So explain it to me.

One of my coworkers is driving me nuts, sometimes I can't tell if he is flirting, teasing, or is just that TMI guy. I'll give you the run down to get some other opinions. While he was dating his ex he commented that I was his "dream girl" if only I learned to fish. No move made. Then after they broke up some time later we got to talking about Spartacus (TV) and he brought up gladiator sex he had for no apparent reason. He notices things like when I straighten my hair and wear makeup and voices his opinion on it. And just the other day he was trying to get me to share his dinner (I hadn't brought anything) despite the fact that I said I wasn't hungry (I wasn't) by putting some chicken on his fork and trying to feed me. Then later when we were folding laundry I think I caught him staring at my *** shortly before making a comment about how he needed a down-to-earth girl (just about as girl next door as it gets)

Now for the flip side, he has commented on a few occasions that my other female coworker/friend and I are the least girly girls he knows. I also don't think I'm his type, I'm not sure I'd want to date him if it came down to it (I might screw him though) He's 21 and I'm 24 if that makes any difference. So opinions please!

I know, I hate the "does he like me" and "what does he mean" questions too, but tonight I just have got to ask.

A male friend of mine, a female friend, and I have spent some of every day for the last two weeks together, mostly movie nights at his dorm followed or preceded by dinner. He's a naturally flirty male, and admits it, he's flirty with both my friend and I. But yesterday and today he was talking about an apparently signature look I have, yesterday he referred to it as "cute" and today it was "precious" and "adorable". At one point he rubbed my shoulder because there is a cutout in my shirt sleeves and said that it wasn't "worth it if you're wearing clothes".

He does flirt with my other friend as well, but I was hoping for some opinions on what the heck is going through his head.

So many people claim that 'liberals' are out there trying to get aid for poor people, and that is bad. Welfare is bad, public health care is bad, people on disability are just lazy and don't want to work, so don't help them, funding social services at the expense of anything important to CEOs and government officials on their payrolls is bad...

And yes, people do abuse the system, there are always people who abuse systems. But there are also people out there who genuinely can't find work, people who can't pay their bills, people who have to choose between feeding their kids and paying the rent, people who genuinely can't work because of a permanent injury. People's insurance that won't save their dying loved one because it was a 'pre-existing condition'.

Call me an idealist, but I hope that this country never grows beyond caring about other people.

Really? You get one or the other.

Either he's a secret Muslim, which isn't a bad thing anyway

Or he has a radical minister, which again, isn't a reflection on Obama and his beliefs.

Seems to me, that if we have accomplished the reason for our being in Iraq, that we should consider that a victory.

Unless we're now trying to win the Iraq civil war...

One of my best friends is having twin boys, both she and her husband are German and they are thinking about the names Ulrich (oul-ric) and William because they are good German names.

She wants my opinion, I like William just fine, but Ulrich? Any ideas?

I'm working on a new manuscript and can't begin to think of what to call it, even as just a working title.

So here's the story. Young woman in a toxic household escapes evil stepfather, is later abducted by slavers, sold, and given as a gift to a member of the royal household.

I'm not going to give it all away but that's the starting point. Any ideas?

I have a 99 Contour SE, it's old, I know. The cooling/heating part of it works just fine. The only problem is that it only runs on the max setting. When I have it on anything other than max it just sort of hisses and like it's expelling a small burst of air and then nothing happens. Any ideas of what could be wrong or if it is repairable?

We aren't really close friends but we're on friendly terms and he's made it clear that friends isn't where he wants to stop. I've been thinking about him since I last saw him. Would it be weird to hear someone had been thinking of you?

This guy was in my class last semester and we talked a bit, nothing serious though. During one pair thing he made me link arms with him to claim me as his partner. He did things like that a lot. He's in another one of my classes this semester and today as he was walking by me he lightly scratched my back between my shoulder blades, it felt like he was closing his hand against my skin. Then later when he was saying goodbye he put his hand on the bottom of my shoulder blade again.

Now he is a theatre person like me and we tend to be a touchy feel-y bunch but I haven't seen him doing this with other people. Is it likely that he is testing the waters or is he just being more "hands-on"?