There are so many amazing books out there, but to me, one of the most transformational is a very small publication called the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

I was first introduced to it in a textbook, "The Evolution of International Human Rights" by Paul Lauren, one of my professors. The copy I read most often now is a small blue pamphlet that I bought at the United Nations in NYC. It's also available online.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations in 1948, just after the horrors of World War II. Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the commission that drafted the document.

Its preamble begins:

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world ...."

I believe that individual understanding and institutional adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights could change the world.

I'm having a hard time coming up with an answer to this. I'll update it if I think of something, but for now I'll just say that few things are completely out of character for me. I have a very eclectic character. I love learning and trying new things.

I think one of the funniest is: "I have a perfect body. It's in the trunk."

I don't have any bumper stickers on my car now -- I don't want to disrupt its sleek, black stealthiness -- but I do have an iridescent, metallic peace sign sticker that I've been contemplating putting on the rear window for a while now. The pro-war mentality of recent years has made me a little nervous about doing this.

There's also a transparent United Nations flag on my windshield behind the rearview mirror, but it can only be seen from inside the car.

In the past, my cars have had a few bumper stickers, including: "Keep Your Laws Off My Body" and "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues."

My latest creative urge is to go buy some yarn and crochet myself a matching hat, neck warmer and wrist warmers. I haven't crocheted since I was a teenager, and there are about a million other things I need and want to accomplish with limited time and energy, so I am trying to resist this urge. Finding discipline and focus is definitely an ongoing battle for me.

I think the secret, though, is knowing your values, setting goals and priorities that are aligned with those values, taking baby steps and cultivating the word "no."

"From the impressive temple complex of Karnak to the Temple of Hatshepsut and the fabled Valley of the Kings ... the cosmopolitan city of Cairo ... the legendary Sphinx and magnificent Pyramids of Giza." ~ Splendors of Egypt cruise itinerary

1. If you would like to participate, leave me a comment saying "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. Update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. Include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you ask them five questions.

I've been in or on the fringes of the fat acceptance movement for 15 years. I've read all the books. I didn't weigh or diet for more than 10 years. The result? A body that is teetering on the precipice of disaster.

So excuse me if I choose to look beyond fat acceptance for some answers. I have not turned my back on fat and body acceptance, but lately it feels as if it has turned its back on me. I can't be in your clique anymore? Bullshit. It's not your clique, it's everyone's.

I can refuse to loathe my body, even as I seek ways to make it smaller and healthier.

I can believe I deserve respect and love, even as I work to improve myself.

I can encourage others to love and accept their natural curves, even as I support their efforts to be their best.

I can reject society's narrow and superficial standards, even as I decorate my body like an artist's canvas.

"I am large; I contain multitudes." ~Walt Whitman

The 2007 Montana Festival of the Book -- September 13-15 in Missoula -- will feature scores of the region's writers in a variety of readings, panels, exhibits, demonstrations, signings, workshops, entertainments, receptions, and other events.

As in years past, the Montana Festival of the Book will feature some of the most important voices of the West, including award-winning authors James Lee Burke, William Kittredge, Deirdre McNamer, Ron Carlson, Larry Watson, Mary Clearman Blew, Pete Fromm, Aryn Kyle, Christy Leskovar, Kat Martin, Guy Vanderhaeghe, Kevin Canty, Alyson Hagy, and many others.

1. What have we learned?
2. What have we accomplished?

Hmm. Interesting. I've been thinking about this stuff for a while, and it's good to see it being discussed.

Here's how I reconcile the ideas of Health At Every Size and trying to lose weight (which may or may not include exercise and dieting -- for me, it actually includes trying to eat MORE throughout the day, rather than starving all day and overeating at night):

I believe people naturally come in all shapes and sizes. One person may feel happy and healthy at a particular weight, while another -- even of a similar height and frame -- may not.

I believe people become fat for a variety of reasons. Some are genetically meant to be fat; others become fat through things like eating disorders, disease, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, stress or toxins. For many, myself included, it's a combination of things.

I believe there have always been fat people, but I also believe there are a higher percentage of fat people now than in the past.

See, like Hanne, I've been through the ranks of the fat acceptance movement. I've read all the books, fought the battles, and know in my heart that fat people deserve just as much respect, dignity, civil rights and love as anyone else.

But, I've also reached a weight, and perhaps age, where my fat has begun to affect my health and my comfort. I don't believe my body is designed to accommodate as much fat as it does right now. I think my body is meant to have big thighs and a big ass, but probably not such a big belly. I don't know what I am supposed to weigh, but I suspect it is somewhere between the 145 pounds on the weight charts, and the 290 I'm pushing now.

I think I am fat for a combination of reasons, including genetics, early dieting, starvation and rebound binging, depression, stress, busyness and laziness.

So, for me, the struggle is to keep loving and approving of myself even as I try to change myself. I use the tools of fat acceptance -- awareness, politics, science, human rights -- while I attempt to navigate the very murky waters of weight loss.

Our bodies contain multitudes. We each have to find our own truths. What is right for me is not necessarily what is right for you. Let's agree to disagree, to recognize the many complexities and gray areas in occupying a human body in the 21st century, and to support each other in finding our own paths.

• "I just don't think Obama has a chance, with the stigma of his name." (Stigma?)
• "[Edwards] seems to have lost that schmarmy thing."

1. I don't know nearly as much about driving fast as I thought.
2. My car is capable of far more than I ever imagined.
3. Skill is more important than power.
4. Anything not tied down is a liability.
5. Look ahead. Look ahead. Look ahead.