Retribution

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][COLOR=maroon]And I honestly don't see how a person with a sixth digit or 600 pounds more than me could ever be regarded as my equal. They are granted all the same rights and opportunities, yes, but they are NOT my equal. Sure, I could [i]pretend[/i] they are my equal, that the sixth digit doesn't interfere with the person's functioning in - say - writing, or that the fat person won't have an increased risk for cancer and suffers from sleep apnea, and maybe that'll take care of their emotional trauma, but that's simply not true, and you can see what problems that will bring about. I think, while hard to swallow, the truth works better in almost every situation, and when someone can confront that thing that is wrong with them, everyone, especially that individual in society, benefits. They aren't equal: they are different. They have equal rights, but are still different. This is why it's so important to realize differences: to become tolerant, not blind.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]How does having a sixth finger affect ones functionality in writing? I would think that it would either just hang off the pen, or increase the grip. *shrug* In any event, I wouldn't say that anything is wrong with a person with six fingers -- they're certainly different, but there's nothing wrong with them. It's a thing that [I assume] would not affect their ability to function. Their 'condition' isn't detrimental to their own or others health, so how could it be wrong? There's nothing [philosophically] wrong with a homosexual either -- I mean, sure, biologically wrong maybe, but I'm not going to try to argue that point. Homosexuals shouldn't have to confront what is wrong with them -- they are functioning members of society, and should be treated as such. They shouldn't have to come to terms with any 'wrongness.' Surey lefties don't have to come to terms with any 'wrongness' in their writing hand, and they differ from the norm in a non-detrimental way. Towards the end, I meant that their human dignity and worth is equal to that of a straight person - their right to exist does not diminsh because of their sexual orientation. Tolerating differences is never enough -- we must accept difference. Else, we get a lukewarm, partial society where homosexuals are still shunned by mainstream society. I'm sure some people tolerate homosexuals, but do not accept them -- clearly there is a difference.[/size]

[size=1]I guess I don't understand everyone who's railing on MySpace, whining about how it's a popularity contest or how it's a complete waste of time. I personally find it fun in a way that Xanga never was -- it's much more interactive and community-based instead of just reading someone's angst-ridden blog entries, or writing your own for that matter. I have a theory that when things get really popular, it becomes cool to hate it. It's happening with iPods in my school, and I suppose there's an anti-MySpace following now. I don't really see what there's to hate about it ... so what if people only add friends to have more than others? Why not be content with interacting with friends, as well as potential friends? I can totally understand if it's just not your cup of tea, but there's no sense in railing on it just because.[/size]

[quote name='Boo][size=1']...In the situation you stated, there's no sign of any conflict between the two. The five are just greedy, the fifty are poor. That's all. There's not a single reason to overrun anyone, except for their hunger.[/size][/quote] [size=1]You're completely right. Aside from the knifing hunger that'd eventually kill you, your friends and your family, there's absolutely no reason to steal from those five. The conflict between these two groups would have to be enormous -- think of all the resentment harbored by the fifty looking at the opulent five. I'm sure stealing would've crossed their mind more than once. [quote][size=1]Anyway, if the fifty would overrun the five, they'd still fail. They're poor and assumably have no idea of how to control money. The ammount that they achieved by taking over the minority, will be gone in no time. The way the five men obtained the money is most likely too hard for the fifty aswell. They'd just be screwed. Boohoo. I'm against the situation. [/size][/QUOTE] I think you're underestimating the common sense of people. Furthermore, you're basing all of this off of nil -- it's like saying that all the "commoners" of Medieval Europe would never be able to control money, that they're just too foolish, as there children will eventually be, and their children's children, etc. Now look at Europe -- The top nine most livable countries are in Europe. My point is that everyone (I would assume) given a slight bit of education, would know how to manage the money. I think everyone currently against the situation should put themselves in the shoes of the fifty for a moment. Think -- you're starving to death, dirt poor in the cold, while five men feast in their warm mansion. Everyone you know is poor. Your brothers and sisters, your mother and father, your friends and relatives -- they're all just as poor as you are. And you look at this mansion and see five men feasting, with too much, and if they'd just share with you, everyone would be fed. But they don't share. Never. I'm certain everyone would steal. It's not really even a debate when you think in those terms. Sure, everyone can argue the ethics of stealing from a man who worked hard for his money, but things change when you think you might actually die from malnutrition.[/size]

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][COLOR=maroon]Secondly, statistics [B]are[/B] important. If there was only one person who was gay, that'd be considered an anomaly, and easily considered wrong. Think about it: when only one person is different from EVERYONE else, would you honestly (HONESTLY) say he's just different and not consider that there's something wrong with him? To illustrate, if one person had a sixth digit on his finger and made him do things differently (or, if I phrase it otherwise, incorrectly), then would you call it a deformity or an adaptation (or something else entirely)? If a person is 600 pounds overweight, would you say he's perfectly normal? Overweight is a term that only works if you have a reference, which is a NORMAL weight. We now know that a good percentage of people overweight are overweight due to heredity, and so people are more accepting of that. And even if you personally would tolerate, think about the rest of the population: would they? I'm betting that's a big no.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]It doesn't matter what the rest of the population is doing. Just because other people wouldn't tolerate the difference doesn't mean that it's alright to shun those different from you. No, statistics don't matter when you're talking about acceptance of the difference. Sure, everyone knows that there are homosexuals, and the entire point is that it doesn't matter whether it's a choice or biological. The point is that despite [i]how[/i] a person became homosexual, [i]they are homosexual and you must accept that.[/i] I'm just trying to say that it doesn't matter if I have a sixth digit or if I'm 600 pounds overweight. What matters is that you accept that there is a difference between us and regard me as equal to you.[/size]

[size=1]Here's a secret I'd like to pass down to the up-and-coming generations of graphic designers, so that the knowledge of the ages is not lost. [spoiler]We pirate the programs. Yes, that's right. We're bad, bad people who pirate $700+ programs.[/spoiler] However, I have a legitimate copy of Photoshop -- a friend has a graphic design business, and had to buy a bunch of copies (bulk = cheaper), so he gave us a spare one that wasn't used. Anyway, Photoshop can do tons of stuff that PSP/GIMP simply cannot match. Yes, that's right PSP fangirls, Photoshop is more capable. Bow down and worship -- you have no chance to survive, make your time.[/size]

[QUOTE=fenrir]Hmmm... is there some special way for me to view the images? because i am not seeing them, and i am new to the board, sorry ^^'[/QUOTE] [size=1]Well, just waiting for them to load would probably do the trick -- I'm assuming that your connection is a 56k, so be patient. I'm also assuming that the banner you request isn't for this site, as the signature limits are 500x100 pixels. Have fun on OB, and PM me with any questions you may have.[/size]

[quote name='The13thMan][FONT=Century Gothic] [COLOR=DarkOrange]Gemini, that's a very interesting point. I don't know whether i agree with it or not, and i didn't specifically think of the 55 people to represent all of society, but i can see how you'd think that.[/COLOR'] [/FONT][/quote] [size=1]Gemini's right on the money -- the only way the five could remain rich is if the fifty were working for them. This situation is representative of the world. The western world has five people, and the rest of the world has fifty. What's also happening is that the five people are hoarding the money, and succeeding at it as well, as they are oppressing the fifty and living off the fifty's cheap labor. I'm all for the fifty rising up and stealing from the five -- the needs of many certainly outweigh the few, and when faced with a crisis as dire as this, anyone would side with revolution. My question is this: why is revolution only chosen in this hypothetical situation, and not real life? If the situations are synonymous, why are people driven to say "yes, the five should give to the fifty," but don't actually do anything in real life?[/size]

[quote name='DeathKnight][color=crimson']You are not really proving yourself to be the smarter person by going into a long tangent. Surely you realized that, yes?[/color][/quote] [size=1]Perhaps if you had quoted her in context and in reply to Nomura's original post, things would've fallen more smoothly into place. Nomura did in fact insinuate that if you're smart, you recognize God. Furthermore, renayiiq didn't go into a long tangent -- she was replying directly to what she quoted. She seemed completely logical in that chunk of her post. [QUOTE=DeathKnight][color=crimson]:animeswea Again, Nomura and yourself seem to have much in common. Perhaps this thread about religion can avoid further pointless arguments between opinionated individuals and keep some sense of.. maturity/order/sense. Failing that I'd love to see a free-for-all deathmatch.[/color][/QUOTE] Unfortunately, your jab doesn't have any real connection. Renayiiq wasn't being stuck up or ignorant when she was defending the fact that all goths are not satanists. Sure, she might've been speaking from a pedestal with a 'holier-than-thou' attitude, but she wasn't being ignorant or stuck up. Personally, I was waiting for someone to have at Nomura for that line, but I didn't think that it would take this long to happen. And by the way, I'd totally pwn your souls in a free-for-all deathmath. Ph34r r37r1.[/size]

[size=1]I think homosexuality is perfectly fine and acceptable. I sincerely hope that some day, gays and lesbians can marry in any state in the United States, and that there's no social stigmatism attached to being homosexual. My logic is that I don't have a right to determine a person's sexual preference "right" or "wrong" -- it should be a completely personal thing. Who cares if the person has a choice to be homosexual or not? That's completely missing the point -- if a homosexual couple wants to get a civil union, who am I to stick my nose in their business and say that their actions are "immoral," "not right," or "just wrong"?[/size]

[IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/bigbossavatar.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/bigboss.jpg[/IMG] [size=1]Hope that's what you were talking about. If you'd like any adjustments, I'd be more than happy to make them.[/size]

[size=1]If you'd like, I could always just send you the updates and you'd deal with it yourself. Either that, or you could just set me up a user account and give me FTP priviledges (I know how to work it), that way I'd have my own password. I guess just PM me back so we can iron out the details. And thanks alot, Katana![/size]

[size=1]Better late than never. [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/whitebattle.jpg[/IMG] [B]NOTE:[/B] This piece reflects my personal view of Che Guevara.[/size]

[QUOTE=Chabichou][COLOR=#004a6f]First of all, please lets not turn this into another homosexuality debate. Anyway, being a muslim, I believe that premartial sex is wrong. But rather than rather than express my views from a religious stance, I'll present them in a logical manner. People should only have sex when they feel it is the right time for them. But having sex is a big decision and for one's own good, they should only have sex with someone they truly love. After all, you're sharing your body with them. Why should you have sex with someone, if you won't consider spending your life with them? If you do in fact love someone, you should be willing to live with them, otherwise, that shows you're not really commited to the relationship. So therefore, I will just say that I think people should, for their own good, only have sex with someone they truly love and care for, and are willing to spend their life with. The case of marriage is something legal and or religious. It makes sense to get married to the person you want to spend your life with because it gives you legal rights, and because it lets others outside the marriage recognise your relationship as being sincere. It increases commitment, and by so doing, if any children are born, they will be better cared for because their parents are commited to each other (how many guys leave their girlfriends pregnant?). Being commited in a relationship helps to reduce the risk of STD's because partners, like Sandy mentioned, have probably not have had sex before, and if they did, they are more willing to mention it for their partner's safety.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]Marriage isn't some romantically holy union with your spouse where the world turns gold and things end happily ever after. Approximately 50% of marriages end in a divorce. Therefore, I can say with certainty that abstaining until marriage, while it's good for some folks, isn't the infallible path to take on the matter. Marriage doesn't [i]really[/i] mean you're going to stay together and be committed. I do see your point, though. I've had it hammered into my head for the last x-years of my life in Sex Ed. Basically, the entire matter should be a personal choice -- like Sandy pointed out, some folks just can't get married, but that doesn't mean they should abstain (well, unless you're against homosexuality). I think even the religious should say their beliefs, acknowledge that not all people will agree, and move on. Instead of labeling it as some highly immoral act, try moving on and addressing [much] more important issues.[/size]

[quote name='anime_dark][COLOR=Indigo][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Yeah nice work Delta ! No critisism.. Just a wonderful praise for you ! :D[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]Sorry, but things don't really work that way. While there's nothing you think could be done to improve this piece, you should at least offer Delta things she did correctly. This way, she knows what techniques to use later, instead of being clueless as to what made this specific piece of art "Good."[/size]

[size=1]What makes pre-marital sex any different from marital sex if "less than half of adults ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested for an STD other than HIV/AIDS"? The way everyone's talking about sex, you make marriage sound like some STD-free cure, and when you have pre-marital sex, you're going to get an STD and die within a week. Fear tactics of "look up all the terms first" won't work on a hormonal, sex-craving teenager. Instinct overrides alot of things, and words are one of them. [quote name='NekoSama101']i agree. i was also raised with those beliefs. and i believe that if everyone waited until they were married, aids would no longer be a problem.[/quote] I have no idea what you're talking about -- if I was born with AIDS, abstained from sex until marriage, and had sex with my spouse, I would still (most likely) give my spouse AIDS if we didn't use protection. Like I mentioned previously, marriage has little to do with the contraction of STDs; rather, it's the lack of abstinance(sp?) and use of protection during sex. For the record, I'm still a virgin. I haven't really felt any peer and/or media pressure to lose my virginity, and I'm not in any rush to do so.[/size]

[quote name='Nomura']:animesmil Good thing they were headed to church when they had the wreck, and exrta good thing they were christians.[/quote] [size=1]Does that mean that God wouldn't've saved them had they been atheist? Sounds like your ideas of whom God would save are wrong to say the least, as Jesus loved everyone, no matter who they were. Whether I believe that Jesus actually saved them, however, is a totally different story. [quote name='Starwind']I don't need the invisble man in the sky to tell me right from wrong and that killing and stealing are bad. If you need a book to tell you that those things are wrong, then you have some much deeper issues.[/quote] I think you're missing the point of God. God isn't there to tell people not to kill people -- I think He's there to tell people what they should be doing. Sure, not murdering is great, but if you're not helping the homeless, the sick, the hungry, or the oppressed, then you're not doing much good either. I think you're totally right in thinking that you don't need God to tell you anything, but don't miss the positive message in your agnosticism.[/size]

[quote name='shadowpimp']School's boring unless there's a fight and someone gets the crud beat out of them! Naw, I'm just kidding! :D[/quote] [size=1]Haha, no you're not. There's no shame in enjoying a fight, though; everyone does, except for the one getting destroyed. Yes, school can be boring at times, but I have two pieces of advice for you. The first is to pick electives that you think you'd enjoy -- it breaks up the pain in a day with enjoyable activity. The second is to basically suck it up, and that it only gets worse from here.[/size]

[size=1]Whatever, I guess I'm up for keeping up offline, however, it'd be sort of hard for everyone to visualize the sequence. And please, if anyone has a potential host for us (free), I'd be more than happy to accept.[/size]

[size=1]Thanks, SunfallE. So, I whipped this baby up after looking at alot of typography -- basic letterhead and such. I decided I'd take that sort of format, but put my own spin on it. The result is something that'd never be letterhead, but it's cooler than that boring stuff, too (I think, at least ;_;). [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/artistsunite.jpg[/IMG] Critique it harshly, please. Thanks. [b]EDIT (4/3/06):[/b] This is a serious bump, but amazingly enough, I'm only going to post one piece of art. If there's any replies at all, then I'll keep posting my art, however, if there's no interest, I'll stop wasting my time. This is an experimental piece, and I'm pleased with how it came out. The text is admittedly weak, though. It's a wallpaper for my desktop resolution, fyi. Critical critique is wanted. Thanks in advance.[/size] [URL=http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=displacebottles6mb.jpg][IMG]http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/696/displacebottles6mb.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[size=1]Haha. Actually, Nomura, the Mods were a type of movement back in the 60s. It was a middle-class fashion type thing, and they wore nice suits ... sort of a direct challenge to Punk fashion, which was the complete opposite of conventional fashion. Click [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mod_%28lifestyle%29][b]here[/b][/url] for the Wikipedia article on them. It's rather short and incomplete, though. I'd recommend a Google search for more in-depth info... that's how I read about them a while back.[/size]

[QUOTE=breena]Hi there, I'm Bree, and I need help colouring in a picture I've drawn. See, I can't really colour worth beans so if someone could help me out, it would be appreciated. This picture is Link from Zelda - Ocarina of Time. No need to reply, just take and do, and you can have fun with it, alright? Go wild! Many thanks! [URL=http://breena.t35.com/linkattackline50percent.JPG]This is the image - It's big, so I've linked it. (no pun intended.... :animeswea )[/URL][/QUOTE] [size=1]I've moved this thread to the Art by Request forum, as it is asking artists to help you out, rather than asking for critique. Please be sure to read the rules, and all will go well. Feel free to PM me with questions and/or comments.[/size]

[size=1]Hm. I was under the assumption that Daylight Savings Time was 'invented' during the Industrial Revolution, but prior to the invention of the lightbulb. Workers could work the same hours off of daylight by changing the country's working hours, so that's what they did. But it really serves no purpose anymore, I'd say. We have artificial lighting, and most jobs take place indoors nowadays anyway. Seems annoying, the whole springing forward bit.[/size]

[QUOTE=Aaryanna][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]It still doesn?t change the fact that they entered the country illegally. It?s true that immigrating to the US takes time and that only so many are allowed in each year, but to turn around and then assume that people here in America are dismissing them as just being impatient isn?t accurate either. There is also a huge problem here in Utah with illegal immigrants who also came just to sell illegal drugs. As a result those few who are doing negative things make the rest who are just looking for a better life, look like a threat not only to the working force but to the community as well. What bothers me is that people assume that we are suppose to take care of people who are starving in another country since their own government has failed them. What happened to attempting to solve our own problems of unemployment and poverty? Overall I believe that the current system needs to be improved, so that more people aren?t driven to entering the country illegally. I?m not saying that it?s all right for people to starve. >_< Don?t assume that I?m dismissing them. The religion my Mom belongs to does all sorts of welfare work in other countries to help people with food and clothing, including Mexico. I help my Mom when she makes simple tie quilts to be donated for this purpose. Just as others she knows provides clothing and money for food. And it?s not just a one-time deal either. It?s something that the members do all year long. Every year.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]I'm with you on the fact that we should allow more people in than we currently do so that people aren't driven to immigrate illegally. I was saying that the trickle-through pace at which we allow immigrants to come into the USA just won't cut it. My comment about impatience wasn't directly aimed at you, although you seemed to think "Send 'em all home." It also bothers me that you think that America is somehow not obligated to help a less fortunate country solely because they messed themselves up. Perhaps a modern day analogy would suit things best. You cross a homeless man on the street who lost all his money on gambling. You just finished a meal, and are walking home with the leftovers in a box. He asks if he can have some of your food, but you say no. You're not obligated to help a starving man solely because he wasted all his money on gambling and messed himself up. My whole point is that America is so decadent that we can certainly share a bit of the wealth to a struggling neighbor. To say "Hey, I wasn't part of the problem," doesn't excuse you from not being part of the solution. Anyway, it's not like the Mexican government is on a permanent holiday, however, it's not like they're going to make any drastic change any time soon either. For the reasons I stated in my last post, it's also [basically] impossible for them to start up a revolution. So either everyone immigrates to the USA or we help them. Problems don't spontaneously fix themselves with legislative band-aids and commands of "Why don't you fix up your own country!" It's honestly pretty cool that your mother and you do that, and like I said, my dismissive statement wasn't really aimed at you, but at what I see from most Americans.[/size]

[size=1]Aye, mate. Have a go.[/lamebritishhumor][/size]

[size=1]Ah, I've seen this before. Too bad if the UK tried to retake the USA, they'd be smacked so hard it'd be hilarious. Oh wait! We're in Iraq right now, so I guess we can't defend our own land. Silly me. Besides -- the UK has all sorts of strange words and sayings and spellings! Why spell center "centre" when it sounds like "center"? Wouldn't you be pronouncing it "cen-tree" or something? And what's with the extra u's in every outhour wourd? It's a greuat labour to writue, and is generally superfluous. And c'mon, everyone knows that -ize is SO much cooler than -ise. I mean, c'mon ... [i]vaporIZE, centralIZE, iodIZE[/i]... where's the contest? It's got that 50s sci-fi appeal to it. However, the British accent is [i]oh so much[/i] cooler than an American one. Makes you sound all sophisticated ... unless it's Cockney. Haha. However, you obviously aren't sophisticated, as you seem to have mispelled "Independence." ;)[/size]