Aaryanna

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Seems to me that the easiest way to find out would be to go and see a doctor about it. Someone who would actually know what they are talking about, if you haven't already that is. Any knowledge I have would come from minor sunburns I've gotten or articles on the net. I did get a few sunburns that blistered over the summer, but most of them healed within a week. I don't know enough to say if your burns will heal in that time frame or take longer.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Time for a Happy Thanksgiving wish for everyone! ^_^ The turkey is in the oven and boy does it smell wonderful! I can?t wait until it?s ready! I hope everyone gets to do something fun with either friends or family today. ^_^ Oh and just for fun. I found this comic the other day so I?ll share it because I just died laughing when I read it. :catgirl: [CENTER][IMG]http://img460.imageshack.us/img460/9403/pvp20021128zw0.gif[/IMG] [/CENTER][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][quote name='Sara][color=#b0000b][size=1]As for where he's going with this?my home state just amended its constitution to ban gay marriages and civil unions, and reinstituted the death penalty. I feel like striking "in God we trust" from the currency wouldn't go over here.[/size][/color][/QUOTE]They did the exact same thing last year here in Utah. Modify the law to not only ban gay marriage, but to pretty much not recognize any form of marriage that was not done by either the state or church. But I won?t get into that as it?s another topic. But it is relevant in that attempting to remove the ?in God we trust? would be bitterly fought over by the people here. [QUOTE=Nomad][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana] Then again, I don't think anyone will get anything done about those phrases because, unfortunately, they are a part of America's history, and therefore is preserved as they should be. "In god We Trust" will never be removed is what I believe.[/FONT'][/SIZE][/quote]I?m not really an atheist nor am I really religious, I?m kind of in the phase of figuring out what I believe it, but regardless of that I doubt it will be changed and I don?t think it should be changed because it is as you put it, it's part of America?s history. If we start allowing things like this to be modified because it is offensive to someone due to religious or lack of religious beliefs, well I will just open up a can of worms in that our country will start to bicker and fight over what should be on the money or what towns should be re-named to. And in the long run, I think something like that is a complete waste of money and people?s time. I?m not even going to get into my view on how I think any form of religious expression is wrong for a nation because I don?t think God favors or protects one group of people more than say another group. And that?s really a whole different discussion. One that would take far to much time for me to explain. Anyway, I seriously doubt anything will happen, and I think it?s kind of sad that he?s trying to change something that I perceive as trivial. I realize it?s important to people, but I just think they get too caught up in the semantics of things instead of appreciating the sentiment behind them. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]I really detest zombies, which is why I rarely watch any show that has a lot of them in it. I don?t even like those creepy things in games, as they all need to just die. So instead of hiding, I?d get my hands on a flamethrower and take those suckers out! [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Even though I?m not likely to get it, I want a pink DS Lite for Christmas. I say I?m not likely since getting the DS Lite along with some of the games I would love to have is more than my parents usually spend on me. Failing that I?ll settle for some anime DVD?s, mangas or the next Baten Kaitos since I?ve beaten Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. It wasn?t my favorite game, but I enjoyed it enough that I?m eager to play the new one. ^_^ Oh and naturally I want Twilight Princess for the GameCube as I just love Zelda![/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]They've quite selling it here too. >_< So by the time I get a DS Lite I'll have to convince my Mom to order it online from a place like Amazon since I don't have a credit card. She already knows I want it though and I'm hoping that it will be among the things I get for Christmas. ^_^ Especially since SunfallE let me play hers again and I completely enjoyed the third case. Though I suppose if I don't get it; all's not lost since I know SunfallE will let me play hers. ^_~ Still I?d love to have my own so I can play them again as I just love the antics, wacky music and over all cheesiness of the whole game. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Well first of all I think it?s obvious that all of entries had a lot of thought and effort put into them. White?s because it?s so easy for anyone to play, Sandy?s because it has the secrecy of pitting fellow players against one another and Gavin?s because it gives you the chance to really compete on so many levels. As for my input, I think White?s event does a good job of being open to pretty much everyone. So I don?t really have any advice, as it seems pretty flexible in how many members can play and such. Sandy, the only thing I could see doing differently with yours is allowing more players. But then I didn?t construct the rules so I don?t know if that would be a problem or not. Perhaps having one group of seven start one week and then another group say the next week? That would make it more open in that more people could participate and it would potentially attract more people. Especially if you made the final decision as to who went into each group. It would add to the mystery of wondering just which group you would be in. [QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1][b]How could the over-all application to Kumite be made more user-friendly while keeping the competitive nature of the competition intact ?[/b] Any and all response to that would be most welcome.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]In my opinion I think your event is to complicated. Only in that people may not want to participate in part of it. Like the poetry section, I?m just as bad at that as my mom is. ^_~ So perhaps it might help to either remove the poetry section, or open up your event to allow people to apply to compete in only two of the areas instead of all of them. Then at the end if they wish it they can compete in all of the events for the master title. I?m not sure how you would do that, but I thought I would at least present the idea. I have no interest in the poetry aspect, but sparring or role-playing or writing would be fun to attempt. ^_^ [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Personally the type of relationships I find the most fun to watch are the yaoi and yuri type since seeing anime or any other type of show with the more typical straight relationship is more common. I?ve always felt that it?s wrong for society to try and tell others how they can love so I enjoy seeing shows where those types of relationships are a part of it. I just think it?s more realistic since those types of couples do exist and I think they don?t get enough exposure. I don?t really care for the incest type, but then that?s probably because it has such a heavy social stigma against it. Almost as much as the yaoi or yuri does. And at the same time as easy as it would be to instantly get upset that they are even displaying such relationships in anime, I am reminded that just like yaoi or yuri, incest relationships are out there and whether or not I like them, there are those who do. I?ve been reading a book called [B]Malignant Self Love ? Narcissism Revisited[/B] and in it says:[INDENT][SIZE=1]In some societies, incest is mandatory or prohibited, according to the social class (Bali, Papua New Guinea, Polynesian and Melanesian islands). In others, the Royal House started a tradition of incestuous marriages, which was later imitated by lower classes (Ancient Egypt, Hawaii, Pre-Columbian Mixtec). Some societies are more tolerant of consensual incest than others (Japan, India until the 1930's, Australia).[/SIZE][/INDENT]I?m not finished with the book so I can?t really form a solid opinion, but what I?m trying to get at here, is just like the other type of relationships, so do incestuous ones exist, so in a way it is very realistic that they would be included. It?s kind of creepy like you mentioned, and at the same time fascinating that people really do fall in love with say their brother or sister. o_O But then that?s one of the things I like best about anime, how it will explore areas that are considered taboo. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Like others have mentioned, Thanksgiving is all about the food. ^_^ I just love turkey and pie and stuffing and deviled eggs. I also love spending time with my older siblings as some of them it?s the only time I see them. (Which is why I tend to think of myself as an only child since most of the year I am) Another part I love is SunfallE, Mariskah and I often get together afterwards and watch anime, movies or play video games together. After the food that?s my other favorite part of the holiday. [quote name='SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue']The other thing I really like about the Thanksgiving holiday, is the two mad days of shopping right after. I always make a point of not needing to really shop on that day so I end up going with friends and we just browse and have a good time checking things out. And we take along some money so if we really see something we want we can pick it up. It?s a fun way to just chat, and have a good time among the hustle of people. We?ve done it enough that it?s almost become a tradition that we get together and have fun on those days. [/COLOR][/quote]I know I?m looking forward to it. I just love going with you guys to the mall and checking out the stuff. And then going home for seconds on all the Thanksgiving goodies and after a bit, going out shopping again. It certainly helps to walk off some of that fattening food! ^_~ It?s rather entertaining to watch all the people hustling everywhere, except for the fights over things on sale, those can get ugly sometimes. And yet there?s still a certain amusement in watching people get so worked up over material things. Still even if you miss the early bird sales, it?s still great fun to go window-shopping, as it?s probably the best time to take advantage of so many sales. ^_^ Especially when you?ve already done your Christmas shopping and you?re just looking for fun stuff. Over all the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend is one of my favorites in the entire year. ^_^[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]I can say that these five are my current favorites, but absolute? That tends to change on a regular basis depending on what I?ve watched recently. ^_^ 1 ? Would be Fruits Basket. I just re-watched it the other week and I loved it as much the second time through as I did the first time. I just love how Kyo and Yuki argue and the way Shigure is so perverted with his little [spoiler] high school girl?s song [/spoiler] just cracks me up every time I hear it. ^_^ And Haru when he goes black is a complete and total riot. I just love the episodes with him in it. Those are my favorites. The whole series is something that I feel like I could watch again and again and never get tired of it. 2 ? Would be DNAngel. The biggest reason I like this show is I just love the music to it. And to have an engaging storyline and lovable characters in both Daisuke and Dark just makes it even more enjoyable. I also like the whole Daisuke [spoiler]turning into Dark aspect as the two of them are in many ways the same person. [/spoiler] It?s cute and funny and yet has a bit of a more serious side to it as well. I just wish there was more to it as there is a lot in the manga that was not included in the actual series. 3 ? Would be Detective Conan/Case Closed. This one will probably always be one of my favorites. I am not a huge mystery fan and yet this show manages to catch my interest. I especially love how even the very details in the whole show are the key to solving the mystery. So by paying careful attention you can figure out what?s going on. The only drawback is I?ve noticed that a few of the translations don?t match up with the original thus making it nearly impossible to figure out the case. It?s also fun with how Shinichi has been turned into [spoiler] a kid and must search for the men in black. [/spoiler] The way he has to attend grade school and has new tag along friends of that age just keep the whole story from being boring as they add a much needed humor and lighter side to the series. ^_^ 4 ? Would be Wedding Peach. It?s silly, it?s ditzy and yet I still love it. The idea of love angels defending the love wave from the devils just appeals to me. It reminds me of sailor moon only I like it better since the main heroine isn?t a huge crybaby. Some of the English voices are over the top, like the fake British accent for one of the villains, but I still enjoy it just the same. What I like best is the further along it goes, the better it gets. Sometimes it seems like they tend to drag things out endlessly ruining the fun and they didn?t with this show. Or it could just be me since I like it and I think they didn't. ^_~ 5 ? Would be Pretear. It?s like an anime version of Snow White, with a number of interesting twists to it. And like Wedding Peach, the heroine isn?t some silly crybaby. (I really hate the crybaby type deal) And the seven Knights of Leafe are wonderfully cute. And the antics between some of them are downright funny. I almost wish it was more than thirteen episodes, but they did such a good job with it, it?s probably for the best as they would have been producing filler episodes which usually aren?t any good. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]I would have said desiring things that you do not need is perhaps the root to all evil. And even then it would depend on the desire. Money is simply a means for purchasing what you desire and saying it is the root of evil is off since money is an inanimate object that does not have a will of it?s own. It is the human who uses it to further their desires that is evil. And even then as others have pointed out, the desire to have what you don?t need isn?t necessarily evil. I think there are various degrees of sin/evil. From the more extreme like indifference mentioned where one person will kill another just to get money to where say a parent works more than needed and ignores their children because they want to purchase a more expensive car. And when I say ignores their kids, I mean they only care about getting another car. Or whatever thing they are working to get. My mom knew someone who even when her kid was taken from school to the hospital for a severe allergic reaction to something, she wouldn?t leave work to go to the hospital since she didn?t want to miss out on getting paid. And it wasn?t a case of needing the money; her and her husband were very wealthy. So obviously wealth meant more to her than her own kid did. Also, there is nothing wrong with wanting more; I think the problem lies in people so caught up in the want part that they neglect the things that are needed. Or they think that only if they had more money things would be better instead of appreciating the things in their life that are good. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Okay, here?s my attempt. ^_^ I did two different views on the banner as both seemed like they would look nice. Anyway, here they are: [IMG]http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1987/indifferenceavatarlv9.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2756/indifferencebanner01yz4.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1558/indifferencebanner02cu7.jpg[/IMG] [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][quote name='Shinje][font=Fixedsys][color=crimson][size=1] I say hang him later, when the insurgency dies down.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote]The only problem I see with that is if they do wait, they may as well give him a life sentence as I just don?t see that type of thing dying down anytime soon. And unfortunately, if he?s still alive, it just gives those who are trying to make him a martyr an excuse to continue the violence and demand that he be released. So though I?m not keen on the Death Penalty, I can see why they have chosen to execute him. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Lets see, other than to think a couple of guys are nice and cute; I?ve never really been in love. And I?m not currently falling in love either. As for falling out of love, I would have to assume that it?s totally possible, especially if you get close to someone and find that they aren?t what you thought they were. So it would make sense that you fall out of love since you?ve just found out that what you were in love with to begin with doesn?t really exist in that person. I don?t really believe in love at first sight. Rather I would imagine it?s a combination of attraction and lust. I think the more deep aspects of love take time since when you first see a person you don?t really know them other than you think they are really cute have a great body etc. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]My place to be various, when it?s warm I like to take a blanket, go outside and lay on the ground under the huge pine tree in our back yard and read. My dog loves it as well as she either wanders around the yard sniffing things or lays on the blanket next to me. When it?s cold I have a chair that?s my favorite place, I curl up in a blanket and either read or play games. And when I?m feeling like being with someone, I may as well call both Mariskah?s and SunfallE?s homes my second home as I?m over visiting them several times a week as spending time with them is both fun and relaxing. My week just doesn?t feel right if I haven?t spent time with both of them. ^_^ Another place I like to go to is up in the mountains. There is an old outside theater among a bunch of huge pine trees that I love to visit. It?s fun to do the short hikes in the area, or just take a picnic lunch and enjoy being outside with my friends. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]My dreams vary quite a bit. From ones where I?m at school, to where I?m at a friends house, to being in places that I am not familiar with at all. I?m assuming that since I?ve read so many books and watched so many shows that my mind just takes elements from everything and turns them into a dream. I even dream about my dog on a regular basis as well. I had one the other night where she could fly. And when she got outside she decided to fly around the neighborhood and lick everyone. I was chasing her and calling her, but she wouldn?t come, as she was too busy licking everyone. Then the dream changed and I was living in a new home where we had a swimming pool in the backyard. And in this dream my dog kept running and jumping into the pool to swim. I would catch her, clean her up and dry her and she?d do it all over again. The funny thing about that dream is in real life my dog hates getting completely wet, so I doubt she would jump into a pool since she hides when it?s time for her bath. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Seems like we?ve gone on a completely different tangent here. So I?ll put in my two cents on it. I do agree that joking about religion can be potentially offensive, and yet at the same time I can complete agree with finding things funny about it. The problem I see with worrying about offending someone is if you aren?t deliberately trying to annoy someone then on some level it?s pointless to try and pretend you don?t find something funny. I may not be interested in religion at the moment, but based on what I did learn while I was more active, I am inclined to believe that God wouldn?t be upset over something as trivial as laughing at religion. I?m more inclined to believe that it?s the people who don?t have much of a sense of humor, mind you I?m talking about the more strict one?s who throw out the words sacrilegious left and right. And out of all the comments in this thread I didn?t see any deliberate attempts to be mean or rude. In fact the only comment I saw in the thread that I thought was a bit mean was the: [I]I?d punch you in the face for what you said and the calling someone a little prick.[/I] o_O That just confused me as I didn?t see anything that I thought warranted that type of reaction. Another thing, many people are religious so it?s easy for them to sit back and say they understand why others might be offended, but what about the person who truly doesn?t believe? That would be similar to getting angry over them laughing at say a fantasy book you like. Because to them, the idea of religion and that it?s a true tale is just that, a fantasy. So isn?t it the religious person?s job to not take offense at their lack of knowledge or belief? Wouldn?t such a situation be a good time to try and clarify what you believe? Especially when their original comment wasn?t really meant to be offensive? [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][quote name='Esther][SIZE=1]No, I think you mis-read my statement. What I'm trying to say is that most of the teen population today usually doesn't want to be involved with religious events or go to church in general and just want to go out and hang around, and in some cases just make a mockery. So a lot of the older generation just never takes the time to actually LISTEN to what a teenager has to say, therefore their questions aren't taken seriously.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Perhaps I did misunderstand, but it?s kind of sad if you think about it. As it sounds like some adults are allowing the behavior of some teenagers to influence their judgment on all teenagers. And if you stop and think about it, the adults are supposed to be more mature. So I guess I just don?t understand why they wouldn?t take me seriously when they knew I am not the type to be that way. [QUOTE=Esther][SIZE=1']Well is that her sole income? Or does she have a side job of some sort?[/SIZE][/quote]You?ve confused me, what does having another job have to do with tithing? I?m talking about tithing on child support, not on a regular job. But to answer your question, she is disabled and lives on disability. So no she doesn?t have a side job, besides being my mom. ^_~ I?ll clarify it a bit. Yes according the LDS/Mormon belief paying tithing is supposed to help you get blessings, but at some point, especially within a family unit, there shouldn?t be double tithing. If my parents were still married it wouldn?t even be a question. I initially thought nothing of it until I found out that other mothers with kids who are divorced do not pay tithing on child support since their ex-husband already did. And the ones who did have jobs did pay tithing on money that they earned. It just confuses me that the bishop told my Mom she should pay tithing. As if being divorced meant her and I wouldn?t get blessings from what my father did. I mean he is doing what he?s supposed to do, provide for his kids. He also told her that she should pay tithing on her disability checks as well. The whole thing with my father paying tithing and then my mother paying just comes across as the church finding ways to get as much tithing as possible from a family, as if they are taking advantage of the fact that they are divorced. Plus, why would one bishop tell my mom to pay, and another from a different ward tell divorced mothers to not pay on their child support when they knew that their ex was paying it already? [quote name='Esther][SIZE=1]Well, America is supposably the best country in the world where everyone is equal and you can get a job no matter what. But still, have you ever seen a woman/colored president? Of course not, but that doesn't make you want to stop being American does it?[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Not to be mean, but that comparison is completely off. I may have never seen a woman/colored president, but they can run for the office and if elected, they can hold the position. Women can never hold positions in the church that are solely for men. There?s just no comparison here as it?s not the same thing at all. [QUOTE=Esther][SIZE=1]This is probably because of the "rude peoples" upbringing as a child. Their father was probably out working while their mother was at home tending to them and their siblings, and they were taught to do the same. So obviously the fact that the man was at home probably alienated them, and in some odd way got them upset. [/SIZE'] [/quote]Upbringing might affect it, but I?ve over heard adults whispering behind people?s backs on this subject and it?s usually along the lines of there must be something wrong with them, that if they had more faith in the mother staying home and the father working, things would work out. It was total bull, but they still believed that it was a lack of faith on their part that the mother worked and the husband stayed home. I?m sorry, but I?m going to disagree on this a bit as all the classes and meetings I remembered at church, emphasizes how important it is for a woman to be a mother and for a guy to be the provider. Not once did I ever hear anything about working together should that not be possible. So even if someone was influenced by his or her upbringing to think that way, well it sounds like the church was part of that upbringing. [quote name='Esther][SIZE=1']This is why science and religious theory can never come together. If you ever take any sort of scientific theory and put it along with religion, especially Christianity and the story of Adam and Eve well.. it gets really ugly and it comes out making no sense. So if you don't believe in the story of Adam and Eve, then so be it.[/SIZE][/quote]And I?m a great fan of science. ^_~ I like things that are more logical and on some level are provable. And since religions are often filled with contradictions, it just drives me up the wall a bit. I guess you could say the whole thing came down to I got tired of running into the attitude of 'how dare you question your elders!' And since I've always been fairly independent/stubborn in forming my own opinion. The idea that I wasn't allowed to question or think for myself totally turned me off on religion. :animesigh Oh and I do have AIM, the information is in my profile. Though truthfully I?m not on a lot as I?m more into reading, doing my homework and visiting my friends. I don?t do a lot of online chatting. I do enjoy talking with others when I am on though. ;) [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][quote name='Esther][SIZE=1]Honey, we want the best for our youth. We want to guide them into a better LDS member lifestyle, but today's generation seems to goof around way too much. [/SIZE][/QUOTE]But how do you know if guiding the youth into a LDS member lifestyle is what?s truly best for them? You?ve made the general assumption that if a youth doesn?t want that lifestyle then they are goofing around too much. [QUOTE=Esther][SIZE=1']Perhaps that's why you're overseer's didn't take your questions as serious as they should have?[/SIZE][/quote]To anyone who knows me, I am not the type to goof around when it comes to being curious about religion and stuff. And the people I was asking knew this. Instead I was told I was being disrespectful and that I needed to work on being more faithful. Oh and by the way, other than my mom I don?t consider these people or the leaders of the church my ?overseer? so to speak. [quote name='Esther][SIZE=1'] And if you don't mind me asking, which questions were these exactly?[/SIZE][/quote]Sure. For starters one of my classes was talking about tithing and how important it is to pay it. My question was if my father was paying tithing on the money he makes, then why was my mom also paying tithing on the same money? You see my parents are divorced and she gets child support for me. So I wanted to know why they were having her essentially pay tithing on money that had already been tithed? It made no sense to me as it was like they were paying taxes twice. The money she gets for me is after my father has already paid tithing. The answer was first silence, and then, a lecture on it?s a matter of faith. Which of course made no sense to me whatsoever. It still seems dishonest to have members paying tithing twice, first when my dad gets it and then again when he gives her the child support check. Another question had to do with one of my teachers telling us that being LDS/Mormon meant everyone was equal and that we all had the same opportunities. Which of course is not true. I asked that if we were really an equal opportunity religion, then why can?t women have the priesthood or hold positions like the guys do in church? I?m sure you can imagine the uproar that created. They kept arguing that it was equal and I kept telling them that equal means just that! Equal! It wouldn?t have bothered me so much if they could just admit that it?s pretty much a male dominated religion. But instead I was given a lecture about being disrespectful. Which would in turn lead to my next question. Why did they encourage only the guys to work and not the women? With the way the economy is I would have thought that a family would work together to provide for their family and that it didn?t matter if the person staying home was the dad or the mom. I have friends who do that, (one because her husband has back problems) and even though they do a good job of taking care of their kids, people in the ward are rude to them as if their father is a bad person. He happens to be very good and cooking, caring for the kids and doing odd jobs that his heath allows. So the whole woman at home and guy at work thing just seemed stupid to me, as if you were overlooking all of the possible ways to make ends meet and take care of your family. Over something as trivial as gender no less! So thus the never-ending cycle of if I had more faith I would understand or I was being disrespectful for having questions. And after a while I got sick of it. So I decided that I wasn?t going to go anymore and find out for myself what I really wanted to believe. Oh and one other question, which by the way I wasn?t trying to be a smart aleck, but they sure thought so. Anyway, I wanted to know how Adam and Eve were supposedly responsible for the entire human race. After all if there were only two humans to start with, I would have imagined that there would have been all sorts of genetic inbreeding and other issues. So I wondered if that story was even true. They thought I was being rude, but I was serious. >_< It just doesn?t make sense to me. Anyway, I?ve had lots of questions over the years, but those are the most recent, and the ones that got me into trouble. Though to be honest, I?m much happier now that I don?t have to go. I hated it since I felt like I was being forced to be part of an organization that on some level is dishonest. (at least I feel that they are)[quote name='Retribution][size=1']My friend's (an atheist) parents brushed aside his non-belief as a teenage phase. I guess I can see where the adult would see non-belief as teenage rebellion/angst, but on some level, you've got to take the kid seriously.[/size][/quote]Exactly. And my mom finally saw it in that light. She wasn't happy about it, but she realized that eventually it's my choice to make and not hers. She can guide and give examples of what she feels is best, but in the end I have to make the choice for myself. And right now that choice is no religion at all. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][B]1. What religion are you CURRENTLY following? If you don't have one, then why?[/B] [INDENT]None. I was born and raised in the LDS/Mormon religion but last year I decided I wanted nothing to do with it. [/INDENT] [B]2. Why do you follow that religion? Parents, personal reasons, etc?[/B] [INDENT]Perhaps in my case a better question would be why did I chose to not follow it. And that would be because my parents and people around me were expecting me to. And it bothered me that my questions were brushed off as if I lacked faith, instead them taking them seriously. So I choose to leave and maybe later I?ll join something else, but right now I have no interest in religion.[/INDENT] [B]3. Do you ever feel that people often criticize you because of these beliefs?[/B] [INDENT]Sure they do, they think I?m some stupid little teenager who needs to be disciplined by my Mom. And by they I mean the adults. It took my Mom a while to accept it, but the others see it as a failure on her part to keep me grounded in religion. Where I see it as my right to explore and find out for myself what I believe in. [/INDENT][B]4. This one may spark a little bit of arguing: Do you believe that your religion is the [I]one true religion?[/I] If so provide evidence.[/B] [INDENT]Well obviously I don?t or I wouldn?t have insisted on leaving it. And like others have mentioned, even if they believe it is the one true religion, it?s a matter of faith and not something that you can provide evidence for.[/INDENT] [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue]As for where I would like to be? If I had a choice I'd live close to YellowStone National park. So long as I have access to the Internet and an indoor swimming pool I'm a happy camper. And if I was close to the park I'd spend all my free time hiking, fishing and all sorts of things along those lines. :catgirl: [/COLOR][/QUOTE]I'll join you if you do. :catgirl: Going there was so much fun and the park was so big there were lots of places we didn't have time to visit or hike too. Probably the only thing I would do different is have a house along the beach as well. Then I could go back and forth between the two places. Now that would be awesome. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][QUOTE=HedonismBot][COLOR=Sienna] This is the age of the internet... I'd wager that about 30 seconds after he's hanged you'll have the video on YouTube and hundreds of the above-mentioned pictures with 'Where's your Allah now?' captions plastering Farks and YTMND.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]Sadly that's all too true. And like a lot of nosy teenagers I'll probably take a peek at one of them. The whole mess over there just gives me a headache, I'm glad he's being punished, but do they really need to make it public? Besides I'm not too keen on the Death Penalty anyway. Seems like being locked in a cell for life would be more fitting. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][QUOTE=James][font=arial]So, I think everyone would agree that in a sex education course, the teachers should probably say "obviously the best way to avoid any problems is simply to wait before you have sex". That should then be followed by "if you do have sex, however, here's what you need to know in order to limit the chance of an STD or pregnancy". As with most things in life, it's about balance. [/font][/QUOTE]That?s exactly it! ^_^ The thing that gets people so annoyed is just like indifference mentioned, they want to teach don?t have sex and nothing else, they don?t want to teach them about how to prevent pregnancy or about condoms or about how as Gavin mentioned they can fail. They want the kids/young adults to simply never have sex unless they are married and they think that by only teaching the abstinence part it will work. But it doesn?t as people are going to have sex anyway and by not arming them with the correct information they are potentially exposing them to all sorts of problems. [quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']You're telling me, the only sex education we ever got in school was the very clinical explanations in biology, and at that stage I'd already had the birds and the bees talk with my parents. Thankfully even before then I was aware of the more graphic details so in-depth explanations were not necessary. I'm not promoting one over the other, I think people need to make their own choices, and to do so I agree they need to be given all the facts, including the one eluding a lot of people I know, that condoms are not invincible.[/SIZE][/quote]I?m glad your parents took the time to explain things to you. Believe it or not there are plenty of parents around here who simply won?t discuss it at all. I have friends who when they try to ask their parents they tell them that all they need to know is to never have sex. o_O Honestly, one of my friends who is thirteen thought that a simple kiss with a guy on the mouth could get her pregnant, until I explained it wouldn?t. But her parents wouldn?t explain anything to her at all! I?m sure it?s not that extreme in other places, but the attitude I run into around here is you don?t discuss it, you don?t do things with boys and therefore, you are prepared. But it leaves you wondering just what in the world sex really is. I know because I hunted down the information in the library and then confronted my mom with it. She was terribly embarrassed but at that point she discussed it with me. So I really think abstinence programs are a good idea, so long as they are part of a whole package that teaches you what to do if you do decide to have sex after all. Whether or not your married shouldn?t even matter. They need to be educated so that they are prepared. [/COLOR]

[color=darkorchid]Welcome to Otakuboards [B]Whatsupmon[/B]. Although its great that you want to know what animes people think are on the stupid side, I am going to have to close this thread. In most cases, general threads like this that only talk about which show you think are silly are looked down upon in this forum because they eventually degenerate into posts that are simply lists of shows without any added discussion. In these cases we look for a strong opening post to see if we are going to let it run its course but in this case it seems like I am going to have to close this instead. If you want to, you could look at the official Bobobo-bo-bobo thread and try to give reasons why you think the show is silly there, just be sure to back up your statement with examples of why you think it is silly/stupid. If you have any other questions feel free to pm either myself of another staff member. ~Aaryanna [B]Thread Closed[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]I haven?t noticed a change or reduction in junk food at all. In fact going to the stores just seems to be a junky food fest as the place is full of stuff that?s not good for you. Though to be fair I don?t eat Doritos so I wouldn?t know if they are different here too. Still as much as it?s your right to choose, I am not bothered by the food being changed to be more healthy. Besides if you give it time a lot of healthy food does taste good. And once you get use to it the fattening stuff tends to taste gross. But that?s probably just personal taste as I?m sure there are people who try it and even after a while they still don?t like the healthy food. [/COLOR]