DISQUS

Give me a break - Hawaii doing the Haka is like the Jamacaian Bobsled team counting in German in "Cool Runnings". They're just copying the New Zealand All Blacks, and they are far cry from the original. They should stop to save themselves further embarassment. The Rainbow Warriors look stupid and foolish, the All Blacks look intimdating and fierce. Leave it the pros, you long haired losers.

Oh Steph - you\'ve crossed the line from providing semi-reasonable arguments for your point of view to chastising people for the act AFTER its been done. Thats like telling somebody who just got in a car accident they should have driven slower; lots of good it does. We get it - you are against circumcision. We know you do not like the look of male genitalia (which to your husband, I offer my condolances. Some sex life he must have) and we understand you probably prefer organic fruits and vegetables to those crazy mass-produced ones. Now you take a swing at breast implants too and insult people who date women who have chosen on their own to get implants? For shame, who are you to look down such a long nose? Go jump on some more bandwagons and off your soapbox. Babies die all the time for any number of reasons, and to say that AIDS can be killed on contact by a \"substance\" in foreskin is simply foolish and irresponsible. If that were the case, don\'t you think by now there would be a drug on the market utilizing this incredible \"substance\" to combat the epidemic? Oh wait, let me guess - they can\'t because of some giant governmental conspiracy. Things \"they\" don\'t tell but YOU know as fact! Since its on the internet, it must be true. And do stay away from relationships you can\'t possible understand - I won\'t go near the mother-daughter relationship because I\'m not a mother, so don\'t try to understand the father-son relationship. You simply expose more of your ignorance and pomposity.

Fantastic! Great topic Noodad! Yes indeed, let boys be boys. As some know, I too grew up on 6 acres in a rural (some say very rural, we had farms next to us) Ohio and my days were spent doing what all American boys love to do - play in the yard. I feel it grounded me, kept me outside enjoying the sun, and allowed me to learn how to entertain myself with nothing but sticks and rocks. It fostered imagination, lacking in so many kids today, which develops into critical thinking skills later in life. So, a few more books to add to your son\'s collection:
The Boy Scout Handbook - (preferably an older version that hasn\'t been so PCed like the newer ones).
The American Boy\'s Handibook - written by Dan Beard, the founder of the American Boy Scouts, this is an old-school how-to book for boys with everything from building boats to snow forts.
As well, build up your son\'s library by buying and having him read some of the classic adventure stories, ones that are not as popular anymore due to the changing times but perhaps have even more relevance because of this:
The Swiss Family Robinson
Robinson Crusoe
The Jungle Book
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Adventures of Tom Saywer
Treasure Island
Kidnapped!
Ivanhoe
The Aubury Series (master and commander)
the Horatio Hornblower series
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
The Story of King Arthur and his Knights (also by Pyle).
The Once and Future King
the LOTR trilogy (do your son a favor and get the books that have the original JRR Tolkien artwork on them, don\'t get books that have cover art from the movies)
I went on a mission to read these old classics, and found them enjoyable beyond measure. Most are surprisingly easy to read, they are the perfect stories of high adventure that all little boys flock to and remember. Plus, it gets them READING, inspires them build forts in the den and play, not sit around playing video games. Anybody have any other favorites?

Ah Hah! Women\'s handbags! Well well (crackin the fingers and stretching) it just so happens that I was the Women\'s Handbag buyer for Macy\'s, and let me tell you guys, as a straight and single guy (I have no kids, but I know the Dads so I peruse the website to show my support) I can tell you women love handbags more then they let on. Its almost a physical reaction, and nothing elicits a more pronounced excitement than a brand label. Its status. The real question here then is \"what price happiness?\" Is a Coach bag worth $800.00? No, it is not. The leather, the workmanship, the detailing can all be found in equal measure with lesser priced bags. But these aren\'t the only cost associated with it. The look on her face, the excitement in her eyes, the happiness she will get repeatedly whenever she wears it, those things make the bag worth it. Plus on a practical side, it will last for a very very long time, and you can get her the matching Coach wallet next year, still make her happy, and only spend $140.00. She\'ll thank you every time another woman in her office says \"nice bag!\" and that, as Todd says, is just another way to rack up those points. You only live once. Unless your James Bond, in which case you would have long since bought the bag for her BEFORE she told you because you happened to see her glance at it in the window of the store, linger over it for a minute, and you committed it to memory. THATS James Bond!