We're Talking About: Feb. 9, 2010

—Is this Planned Parenthood ad more effective than the much-hyped Superbowl spots from Focus on the Family it responds to? Mid-tackle, Tebow and his mom never explicity mentioned abortion or "pro-life." Sean James and Al Joyner's message includes this line: "Only women can make the best decisions about their health and their future." [Washington Post]

—Meghan McCain (explicitly, on the View) and Cindy McCain (indirectly, by appearing in the NOH8 campaign) accuse the GOP of bigotry. Just one more reason John is "on the tea party's shit list." [Salon]

—Does it matter that the judge on the Prop. 8 case, Vaughn Walker, is gay? A Republican appointment, a record of fairness, and the defense's inevitable appeal if he doesn't rule in its favor, suggest no. [Gawker, San Francisco Chronicle, WSJ]

—A U.K. poll finds that many husbands are in the dark about the details of their wives' lives. Her clothing size? Natural hair color? Birthday?! Not a clue. And the guys readily admit that their wives probably know these things about them. [The Telegraph]

—Researchers are getting a better sense of when your kid begins to feel your pain. Recently scientists have linked the development of empathy to the acquisition of sophisticated language. [Babble]