Another "The Lord of the Rings" DVD Set?

And the studios wonder why DVD sales are down? Maybe because we're tired of buying DVDs of films we enjoyed only to see five different versions released later on... DVDs of films we already bought in the VHS format.

So this third set of "The Lord of the Rings" has New Line Cinema offering us BOTH versions of each film. Ooooooh. And new documentaries.

New documentaries?!? What in Hades did they leave off the 12 discs in the second release? You mean to tell me you skimped on those releases? Four freakin' discs per film, two of which are entirely for extras, and you couldn't put everything on them?

And the scary part is that there are people who can't help themselves who already own both previous sets of the films, and they are going to run out tomorrow and buy this third set, because they are compulsive fans and can't help themsevles. Ugh!!!

Hey, I have an idea... get Peter Jackson to cough up a good version of "King Kong." That would be worth something.

I-5 Santa Ana Freeway is a Failure

It's no secret for commuters in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. The I-5 Santa Ana Freeway, especially between the East L.A. interchange and the 91 Freeway, is a complete failure. Any freeway where traffic slows to a crawl a majority of hours ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, even without accidents or repair/construction work, is a failure.

I don't blame the engineers, although the carpool lane situation further south at the Orange Crush drives me away from using it. No, more immediately, this is a failure on the part of lawmakers and the decisions makers at Caltrans and the MTA. More lanes should have been built a long, long time ago. Adding a lane or two will be of no help by the time the construction is finished, I fear.

I mean, come on. 6am, noon, 7pm... even on weekends... it slows to a crawl, and then when drivers are caught off guard by the constant, irritating stop-and-go, they rear end the car in front of them (probably because their brakes have been worn down by the horrible traffic), and that slows down things even more.

Ultimately, I don't really blame Caltrans or the MTA. Sure, they haven't kept up with the population trends, but the population trends are completely out of whack because we have MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS AROUND HERE WHO AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HERE. Oh, how I wish they'd recreate their May 1 protests. Traffic was so nice. It was a clear indication of just how much damage these criminals are causing. Not only are millions of them streaming across the border, but they're popping out anchor babies who adorn the freeways with their graffiti (like dogs pissing on trees) even before they can drive the cars they've stolen on them.

So when you get down to it, I mostly blame our Federal authorities and politicians who have failed to protect our borders, and to a lesser extent I blame the corrupt Mexican system and the rest of the Latin American slumlords who've created a situation where people are so desperate they risk their lives to break into our country.

I think of idiots like Larry Lopez (he now likes to go by "Nativo") every time I'm stuck in traffic. He actually has the nerve to get in front of TV cameras like the attention whore he is, and claim that these invaders should be treated like royalty. Please Larry, get your criminal friends off of the freeway... organize more protests where they stay off the of the road.

Oh, What's the Difference, Anyway?

Wouldn't abortions be easier if they could be performed outside of the womb?

More Stuff We Can't Judge

Child Sacrifice is On the Rise in Uganda

Now remember... we can't judge, right? No cultures are better than others, right?

Letter to Dr. Laura Asks Where the Good Men Are

Subject: What Has Happened To REAL MEN?!
Date: 2006-08-11

Quotes:
>>I'm a 35 year-old single, smart, witty, attractive woman who chose to sign onto the "online dating scene" six months ago.<<

You certainly sound confident. I'll automatically buy that you are "a 35-year-old single" woman. Whether you are smart, witty, and attractive - I don't know. Maybe you come across as stuck-up, self-important, and arrogant in person.

>>I've been on two different sites (one that Dr. Phil McGraw endorses!) & have gone out with about 15 "men" over the last 24 weeks.

I can't tell you how let-down I've been by the majority of "men" I've met.<<

What, they didn't call you back?

>>I'm very curious to know your opinions/thoughts not only on online dating but...really...on what you believe has happened to REAL MEN?

By a real man I mean one who actually calls and PLANS a date.<<

What about you? Can't you call and plan a date? I agree that someone asking for a date should plan ahead, but is there any reason why you can't do likewise?

>>I've had numerous men call me at 6pm to meet them at 8pm. On the same night!<<

Okay, so it sounds like you were one of their back-ups. They were planning on dates with women they found more attractive, but those plans fell through, and so they called you. If these guys just want sex, then I agree 8pm is bad. They should have asked you to meet them for drinks a little later than that.

>>A real man, to me, is one who drives to PICK ME UP.<<

What, so now a date is your chauffer?

>>I've had numerous men ask me to either meet them 1/2 way<<

What's wrong with that?!? If they've never met you before, it is a good idea for your safety AND theirs. Wake up, sister!

>>or, worse, come to them!<<

Yeah, that's not good. These guys should not let you know where they live, or you might show up when they are busy with another date.

>>Many of them start talking sex during the first conversation.<<

So? If you don't like that, then these men are not for you. Why do you think that every man is supposed to be for you? Get up and leave (you see, you can if you bring your own car). That way, you don't waste your time with a man who is upfront and honest about his desire for sex, and he can save his time for a woman who will accomodate him.

>>Too many of them have NO CLUE as to how to treat a lady.<<

Maybe. Or maybe you aren't coming across as a lady. A lady is more than just a woman who saves sex for marriage. Keeping your knees together doesn't automatically mean you are a lady.

>>Many of them believe strongly that a woman should pay "their share." I tell them that I am NOT A LIBERAL FEMINIST so don't expect me to behave like one. I also have told them that I DO NOT think men & women are "equal." Because I don't!<<

Ah HA! Now the truth comes out. She's mad because she's not getting free meals, drinks, and entertainment out of these guys. Traditions, customs, and manners usually have a root in something practical. The tradition of the man paying for date comes from a time when women lived at home until married and did not make their own income. Unless you are living in your father or brother's house and busy with domestic chores instead of income-earning, then stop whining and trying to have your cake and eat it too - and PAY YOUR SHARE. Why is your time more valuable than his? Why should he pay for you? Women who get paid for simply spending time with a man are prostitutes, escorts, strippers, and therapists. Unless you are one of those, pay your own way.

Whether you like it or not, you are in competition with women who will pay their share.

>>I've found that when I let these men know my "rules" upfront, they drop off the face of the earth.<<

Good! They don't waste any more of your time, and you don't waste theirs. See how that works?

>>"Plan a date at least a few days ahead of time." "Call me when you say you will call." "I prefer that you pick me up rather than me coming to you." Are these confusing to men nowadays?! They seem to be because of all 15 men I've met, I dated ONE for about a month & when he found out I wasn't going to stay overnight with him, he ALSO dropped off the face of the earth. I don't understand their thinking Dr. Laura.<<

Men and women think differently. Those men (like almost all healthy men) want sex. Unlike some other men, these men are not willing to wait for marriage to get it, and they don't have to in today's world. Since you aren't going to give them easy sex without all sorts of strings attached, these men are going to women who give them less of a hassle. Yes, it means fewer free meals for you. Boo hoo hoo. But if you stick to your principles, you are more likely to find the rare man who is compatible with you.

I suggust presenting your rules upfront in your online dating profile, and stress that you are serious. That way, you will severely cut back on your interaction with men who do not follow your rules.

>>I BELIEVE all of the liberal feminists have practically ruined dating for those of us who don't believe the way they do.<<

This is very true. The fact is, men have been told over and over again that women want to be treated the same as men, and women are fornicating with men on the first, second, or third date. This makes it easier for men who don't truly share your values to avoid living by them. On the bright side, that means you find a man who is acting according to your values, it is more likely he trily believes in them, and isn't following them only because he has no real choice.

>>NOW...I state in my profile online that I want a MAN WHO IS CLOSE TO HIS FAMILY. I want a man who has cleaned up his past. I want a man who still believes in CHIVALRY.<<

That's all good, and I hope you will likewise be up to treating his family pleasantly, agreeing to his decisions, supporting him emotionally and socially, turning from a restrained maiden while dating into a diligent and enthusiastic wife in the bedroom, keeping the home clean, doing the laundry, cooking the food, etc. If he is going to be asked to keep up his traditional role, you should be ready to keep up your traditional role.

Except for the paying for dates, I'm all for what this woman wants. However, I also recognize that in today's world of rampant divorce, alimony, women feeling entitled to anything they want, and casual sex, that people have more choices about how they are going to live. If you think it is hard for to find a good man - well, it is at least as hard to find a good woman. In today's world, a woman can sit at home doing nothing, cheat on her husband, give birth to another man's child, leave her husband, take half of everything he has AND have him pay to support a child that's not even his, and not suffer social consequences. A man can respect a woman's insistence that they "wait" for sex, and she can be getting a booty call on the side. I can see why some men do not want to bother with marriage.

Only if they find the right woman should they get married.

Columnist Asks If Women Should Marry Down

The Upside of Marrying Down - Los Angeles Times
That sanitation worker sounds like a catch. Am I crazy?
Meghan Daum
August 12, 2006

Quotes:
>>Why suffer the hassles of Type A investment bankers and narcissistic executives when you could, for example, find a really nice plumber who could rub your feet and fix the toilet?<<

Probably because those women want a man who will make $$$ so that, even though their husbands will never be around, these women can hire someone to rub their feet and fix the toilet, AND they will get to wear a lot of expensive clothes and jewelry.

>>The bulk of these pronouncements took place when I was dating waiters and used-bookstore clerks. Granted, I didn't marry any of these men, but the truth, I insisted, was right there in the numbers.<<

You didn't marry any of those men, but you probably fornicated with them. The lesson men can learn here is that if they want to fornicate without the commitment, they need not have an upwardly mobile career.

>>U.S. census data project that in the 2005-06 academic year, women will have earned 59% of the bachelor's degrees and 60% of the master's degrees.<<

That's because the men are out there WORKING FULL TIME to support women and children, and some of them don't have the luxury of going to school full time.

>>Of course, we're always being told we're too picky.<<

If all you care about is having a wedding ceremony and someone to donate sperm to your quest to have a kid, then yeah, you probably are too picky. However, if you want a man you can live with the rest of your life, be best friends with, and to be a good partner in raising children, then you should be VERY picky.


>>At first glance, I saw it as a confirmation of my old theory, a rallying call for single, educated women to give up their architect/CEO/chief-of-pediatric-surgery fantasies and widen their searches to include working-class men.<<

If you really want what of those "highest" acheiving men, go for it. But those men will usually marry smoking hot 20-somethings, and are always working. Don't even try to get one if all you're going to do once you marry one is nag him about cutting back on the very behaviors that got him where he is.

>>But then I called Linda R. Hirshman, a former law and philosophy professor and the author of "Get To Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World." Her 92-page book, which describes an epidemic of highly educated, privileged women dropping out of the workforce to raise children and then never regaining their professional footing, outlines a plan to counteract this syndrome, including "consider a reproductive strike." ("Have a baby," she writes, "just don't have two.")<<

Okay, but even if you have just one child, it is better for that child to have a mother instead of daycare, boarding school, summer camp, and a nanny.

>>I thought Hirshman might have something to say about the idea of "marrying down." What if the aspiring female CEO or any college-educated female married a plumber or a sanitation worker? Would his lower-stress job allow him to participate more equally in child care and housework? Is our class-consciousness keeping us from finding the supportive partners we deserve?<<

If a man is brining in all or almost all of the income, then the wife SHOULD be doing most of the household work.

>>Hirshman says no. Like that famous (now disproved) Newsweek statistic about how women over 35 are more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to ever get married, Hirshman believes that the New York Times article was designed "to scare women into behaving themselves by not seriously pursuing careers."<<

Oh yes.. that conservative patriarchal New York Times.

>>Hirshman believes that the only way to rise professionally is to get on a career track and stay on it, something she thinks women are not encouraged to do.<<

They are encouraged to do it by just about everyone. However, there are people who recognize that if you want children, it is very difficult to rise quickly in the corporate world.

Some Perspective on Israel

Check out this post over at TammyBruce.com.