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Dozens of people got more than they bargained for when a trip to the highest pub in England turned into a multiday event. More than 60 people found themselves stranded at the Tan Hill Inn, a pub and inn located in a remote portion of Northern England, after Storm Arwen unleashed brutal blizzard conditions across the region. The powerful storm unleashed destructive winds, dumped heavy snowfall and turned deadly across portions of the UK from Friday to Saturday. In the UK, the heaviest snow and some of the strongest winds from targeted the mountainous regions of Northern England in which...

The Women of Middle EarthIn the midst of piles of Lord of the Rings merchandise on every shelf, Tolkien’s wisdom is applied to just about everything — Tolkien and industrialization, Tolkien and communism, Tolkien and religion, etc. What’s surprising, especially in today’s hypersensitive post-Gloria Steinem world, is the dearth of commentary on Tolkien and women. The Bittersweet Complexities of True Womanhood Even as I researched this article, the only writings on Tolkien and feminism I found were on websites for freebee high school essays. Why is there seemingly so little written about Tolkien and women? Tolkien critics have accused the...

Much ado about Arwen: Elven Princess[ This article was published well before the first LOTR movie came out, so the beginning is a bit dated, but it quickly moves to the good stuff - JR ]Amazingly I find that people are still reeling in shock over the revelations from New Zealand concerning Elrond's only daughter. Liv Tyler has been photographed with pointed ears (hey, no one expected Tolkien Elves to show up on film). Liv Tyler has been photographed carrying a hobbit-dummy on horseback (okay, rescuing Frodo from the Nazgul is a bit of a stretch). Liv Tyler has been...