eleanor

[quote name='Rachmaninoff'] Actually that translates into about 666 students per grade since I said the [I]three grades attending[/I]. 10, 11 & 12. Grades 7, 8 & 9 are in the junior high. I guess it must be different where you are. Though that's true even here in Utah as depending on the area, some High Schools are 9-12 where others are 10-12 as far as the grades go.[/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Ok, but that sort of strengthens my point. 125 students versus 666... big difference. I'm not saying teachers are supposed to get in their faces and get to know them all, but if a group of teachers can't keep track of 125 students, they maybe shouldn't be teachers. And by 'know' I mean judge whether they'd become violent and harm other students, which can be hard, yeah, but teachers should at least have a general idea.[/font]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']I have only one question and that's to wonder if you live in a rural area or something. Only 125 kids to a grade? The high school closest to where I live has over 2,000 students for the three grades attending. There's no way in hell that the teachers have enough time to get to know each kid. That's a bit unrealistic to expect them to do that really. Teachers do have a life besides working for the school. As for my own stories? I've never really run into much in the way of violence at school, either in High School or College. I know fights and such do happen, I've just never been around to see any of them.[/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] 125 kids a grade is nothing compared to 2000 students in an entire high school, which evens out to about 500 a grade. Having only 125 students in each grade is just incredibly, incredibly small. I might be saying this because I go to a 2000+ student high school, but seriously. As for my school, the kids who got into fights were the minority groups from a different part of the county. We have about seven fights, but the community my high school is located in was pretty much ranked the third best place to raise a child in America. So yeah, there's not really any internal violence in our community.[/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"][B]1 - Do you think it is appropriate for political candidates to talk about their religious beliefs as part of their political campaigns, or do you think this is not appropriate?[/B] Appropriate is a tricky word, here. It's suitable, sure, but I don't really think it's appropriate. If a candidate discloses what religious s/he follows, it's fine. Integrating religion into a political campaign directly, though, is unusual and not really appropriate (i.e. actually saying verbatum "vote for me because I'm ___). It's usually indirect, which is just inevitable. Policies a candidate chooses or stances a candidate takes usually are beliefs that stem from religious viewpoints. [B]2 - Do you think it is appropriate for religious leaders to urge people to vote for or against a political candidate, or is that not appropriate?[/B] Personally I'm against it. If a pastor gets up there and preaches about why we should vote for Mitt Romney and hate Hilary Clinton, or whatever, it would just be unseemly. Religious leaders should focus on leading their congregation in beliefs and morals, which would indirectly influence the congregation's choice for candidate anyway. [B]3 - Thinking about your vote for president next year, how important is it that a candidate SHARES your religious beliefs?[/B] Not important at all. I believe in a secular government, so I'd rather the candidate not make a big deal out of what religion they are. [B]4 - How important is it for a candidate to have STRONG religious beliefs, regardless of whether those beliefs are the same as yours?[/B] Not important. [/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"] To tell the truth, it's sort of worthless to ask your mom to buy Pocky and other Japanese foods from Japan. If you go to any international grocery stores, you can buy all of that stuff cheaply and easily. Asian candy, pocky, snacks, chips, whatever. It's all located in your nearby international market. :) Especially if you live in an area or state with a large hispanic/asian population. What I'd suggest are just thing that you can't buy easily in the US. Like cheap kimonos or something, lol. [/font]

[quote name='Vicky'][SIZE=1] But for someone who hasn't gone to college before... duh... I'm a bit worried about people. I'm used to being insulted or shunned in school by people who don't know me, and I won't know anyone in college. Does anyone know what kind of attitude I should expect? 'cause I'm rather paranoid about the whole new people... thing... [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] I think that if you go to a college of your mental strength and fit, the people there will be similar to you. And the fact that college is just big and there are tons of clubs and activities that you can join and meet like-minded people in is reassuring. At the same time, I've heard from college students that when you arrive at a school that's different from what you expected, it takes a bit longer to find your niche. It's cool that you're applying to schools abroad, and brave. :) I'm pretty content with staying in the US of A. I used to stress over my essay, but I finally wrote it and I've given it to my teacher to look over. So thank god that's over. The main problem I have right now, though, is just picking one or two more colleges to apply to. I've already know 5 for sure (University of Georgia, Emory, Northwestern, Columbia, New York University), but I need to pick another safety and another match so I'll be applying to a good range of schools. Any suggestions would be nice; I'd definitely research up on them.[/font]

[quote name='Retribution'][font=Arial] At the end of the day, the President of Iran is a ridiculous fellow in many respects, so where's the problem when Bollinger calls out his idiocy? To be frank, there's no other way the forum could've unfolded... it was doomed to be an Amadinejad hate-fest from the onset. Things held as holy fact in the West simply carry no weight for him, and so any form of questioning his positions are more or less going to be highly charged. I doubt anyone could've truly stopped things from degenerating into vitrol, no matter how much you preached about "respect" and the like. [/font][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Bollinger could've called him out on his idiocy easily just by asking him hard-hitting questions, which he did. Inviting a world leader to speak at your college, and then beginning it with insults is unnecessary. If it was doomed to be an Amadinejad hate-fest because the US hates him, Bollinger didn't need to push it. Why did Columbia even invite him? If it was to further educate the students, then just let it be what it is. You don't have to humiliate him further; it's not like students at Columbia don't know who Amadinejad is and what he's said. Let the students ask him questions and laugh at his ridiculous answers by themselves. There's a reason why the rest of the world hates America, and this is explains why. [/font]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]I'm assuming you are naming another werewolf-owning vampire.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Ahaha. Ha. :/ *shoves Harry Potter at you* Read it, love it, live it. ;) [/font]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"] Vampires often posess werewolves as guards. See: [B]Vampire Hunter D[/B] I'd definitely put vampires over werewolves. Werewolves are ugly and brutish and useless. One quick bullet to the face and it's all over. Vampires are a way more fun and versatile mythology. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Sorry, Remus Lupin definitely owns anime. :p[/font]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][CENTER][COLOR="DarkOrange"][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/perfect.jpg[/IMG] [B]Aya Hirano[/B][/CENTER] One of the most popular seiyuu as of these days, she is the voice actress who plays [B]Haruhi[/B] from [B]The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya[/B] and [B]Konata[/B] from [B]Lucky Star[/B]. She sings the opening and closing (along with the other seiyuu) of both anime with a great voice that sticks in your head. In the Haruhi insert song [B]God Knows... [/B]she also exibits a powerful emotional voice. I don't think I need to explain how adorable she is - just look at the pic! Her pictures in the [B]Bouken Desho Desho[/B] single are especially great. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Talking of Asian hotties, I'd have to say: [center][img]http://xs119.xs.to/xs119/07393/200604140545_00.jpg[/img] - Kim Ah-Joong, who starred in [i]200 Pound Beauty[/i]. Lame movie, but she looked incredible in it. She's probably the most attractive Korean I've ever seen, and I would know. :p[/center][/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"] So, as most of you hopefully know, Columbia University invited Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (the president of Iran) to speak at the university. There was hell from some groups who protested the event and criticized Columbia for allowing "evil to enter" and whatnot, which I believe is incredibly stupid and close-minded, but that's not my main point. The Columbia University dean also said, basically, that if Hitler were alive today, Columbia would invite him to speak as well. I applaud it, because the idea of talking with the enemy and getting a greater feel for their intentions and ideas can only help us in the long run. This recent mindset in the American people that people we hate are people we can't converse with is rather ignorant (when Obama recently said that he would, if elected president, negotiate/talk with Ahmadinejad, he came under heavy criticism). My main point (finally): But what I found rather undignified was how Ahmadinejad was treated when he spoke at Columbia. The university's president, Lee Bollinger, gave him a harsh introduction. Some of his quotes: -"[you exhibit] all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator" -"either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated" -"I doubt that you will have the intellectual courage to answer these questions" True? Yeah, maybe. Ahmadinejad said some stupid things, too, like how no homosexuals existed in Iran and that they were friends to the Jews, and etc. (we all know how much Ahmadinejad has said horrendous things and how much the US hates, him, so don't rehash it). But why would Columbia do this? I thought a place like Columbia University would recognize the importance of learning, but instead the whole thing was just ruined when the president just called him out and insulted him in the beginning. Yeah, he's a morally corrupt man, but that wasn't the point of inviting him to speak at the University (or at least I hope to god it wasn't). Ahmadinejad was invited to Columbia, actually [i]accepted[/i] the invitation, and then Columbia decides to make it a Ahmadinejad hate-fest? Where's the benefit of that? [i]“Inviting him and then turning around and alienating and insulting an entire nation, whose representative this man happens to be, is simply inappropriate,” as said by Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia.[/i] In addition, I wanted to slap each any every one of the people in that audience who applauded Lee Bollinger. You're not 'sticking it to the man', you're just being distasteful. [i] Ahmedinejad ridiculed Bollinger saying, “I think the text read by the dear gentleman here, more than addressing me, was an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here. In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all”. The Iranian president said, “… nonetheless, I should not begin by being affected by this unfriendly treatment”.[/i] And here we see Mahmoud ****ing Ahmadinejad being the bigger man. This is just embarrassing.[/font]

[quote name='Matt']Kinda. BIG kinda.[/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] I think it counts, lol.[/font]

[quote name='Matt'][B]Name[/B] Kamina [B]Source[/B] Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann [B]Status[/B] One of the main characters for the first arc (in fact, I'd dare say the firrst arc should be named the Kamina Arc), Kamina is the only being that could put Chuck Norris' manliness to shame. [CENTER]~~[URL="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/04/Gurren-Lagann_-_Kamina.jpg"]LINK[/URL] to image~~[/CENTER] [LIST] [*]His loud mouth speeches [i]never[/i] gets old [*]His belief in Simon, who has little self confidence, is absolutely encouraging. Even in their final battle together, when the chances of survival are close to none, Kamina puts his complete faith in Simon. Its the kinda friendship everyone needs., and its really inspirational. [*]Him yelling at Simon "Clench your teeth" before hitting him in the face [/LIST][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] GOD yes. Kamina is the greatest macho-man stereotype in anime, ever. He's just hilarious and I love him. I loved his phrase "believe in me...who believes in you." :P And he gets the girl. [/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"] I'm a fan of [i]So You Think You Can Dance[/i], and since there was a huge marathon of season 3 on MTV the past two days: [center][img]http://xs119.xs.to/xs119/07380/top12sotucd.png[/img] -Dancers are just hot. It doesn't matter if they're not gorgeous or incredibly handsome (even though everyone on the show already was gorgeous anywho), because their dancing makes up for it. Everyone on the show is just incredibly talented, and they're all good-looking because of it. [img]http://xs119.xs.to/xs119/07380/sotucdf4.png[/img] -The final four: Sabra (on the shoulders), Cedric (carrying Sabra), Neil, and Lacey. I wish I had taken dancing for 17 years. [img]http://xs319.xs.to/xs319/07380/laceyk.png[/img] - Lacey and Kameron, who were my favorite dancers for a bit. Seriously, dancers' bodies kicks the butts of any other athletes. *_* Jealous. [img]http://xs319.xs.to/xs319/07380/neilauren.png[/img] - And they have fun doing what they live (Neil and Lauren). :)[/center][/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"] Sorry, but I just loved that thread [i]too[/i] much. And I think we have enough new members for it to be new and fresh again. For anyone new to it, this thread is basically where you can post all the pictures of your favorite celebrities or characters and describe [i]why[/i] you love them. Do the people on your list have to be real? I think some fictional characters can be classy enough. ;) **[b]NO ANIME[/b]**, though. Like Sara wrote in the original thread, there are plenty of those in the Anime Lounge. Images encouraged, but make sure you don't stretch the borders- that just makes it annoying for everyone. _______________________ [center][img]http://xs119.xs.to/xs119/07380/damonob.png[/img] [b]Matt Damon[/b] -I've always liked Matt Damon, but as soon as the Bourne trilogy started, I [i]really[/i] started to like him. There's nothing glamorous about him, and I find that incredibly sexy, because I like it when guys are just guys. And he's funny (at least, acting-wise), from the videos I've found of him doing parodies or joking around. [img]http://xs119.xs.to/xs119/07380/gasparduob.png[/img] [b]Gaspard Ulliel[/b] -I first saw him in the movie [i]Hannibal Rising[/i], and despite how bad the movie was, I loved Gaspard Ulliel. I'm usually not attracted to the whole clean-cut and pretty type, but I don't know. I love the scar he has on his cheek (you can't really see it in this picture) and I [i]love[/i] the sharp angles of his face. Unfortunately he's a French actor, so I won't be seeing much of him. [img]http://xs319.xs.to/xs319/07380/thedeparted1.jpg[/img] [b]Mark Wahlberg[/b] -No to Marky Mark, yes to Mark Wahlberg. From the (what? five minutes?) I saw of him in [i]The Departed[/i], I just instantly loved him. Then I watched [i]Shooter[/i], which he looked spectacular in, since he looked so sharp and rugged. I'm hella excited about his upcoming film [i]The Fighter[/i] with Matt Damon; hopefully it'll be a great movie. [img]http://xs119.xs.to/xs119/07380/owenob.png[/img] [b]Clive Owen[/b] -Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I love Clive Owen so much. Manly in pretty much all aspects, and I love how no one really knows much about the guy. He's just classy, for God's sake. I first saw him in [i]Sin City[/i], and that just sealed the deal. [img]http://xs319.xs.to/xs319/07380/ewan-mcgregor.jpg[/img] [b]Ewan McGregor[/b] - I'm sorry, but if you're a girl and you need to know why Ewan McGregor is amazing 1) you're weird :p and 2) go watch [i]Moulin Rouge[/i]. And the honorary girl of the moment: [img]http://xs119.xs.to/xs119/07380/kate_mara1.jpg[/img] [b]Kate Mara[/b] -Kate Mara is probably one of the more unique faces I've seen in Hollywood. I had no problem admitting she was gorgeous. She's not in many movies, but I happened to remember her from [i]Brokeback Mountain[/i] when she was in [i]Shooter[/i] and I remember thinking she was pretty when I watched BBM in theatres.[/center] Except more random posts later on. [/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"] Pseudo-rape. Just kidding. Oh, wait... ;)[/font]

[quote name='Matt']All I said it was odd, and that no one else had stated it. That was the first thing that crossed my mind after the video, and was surprised no one had stated anything else about it. Or at all, actually. That's why I mentioned it.[/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Try re-reading the thread. ;)[/font]

[quote name='Matt']Well, what I have found curious is that the guy was arrested the moment he questioned Kerry about his involvement with Skull & Bones. Watch the video again, and you'll notice that within 5 seconds of him asking the question, the Police grab him. Don't you find that a bit odd?[/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] If you're implying that Skull & Bones is an evil society that has infiltrated our government, stop there. Yes, it's a [i]secret[/i] society with very prestigious people who give favors to each other, but it's not like other societies don't.[/font]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"][B]Best. Habit. Ever. [/B] Anyway, I can't watch anime in my underwear. I get 5 minutes in, pause the episode and head to the nearest booru with the main character's* name in mind >_> *the main character in 90% of the shows I watch will be female[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"] It was okay. No need to be extreme. Anywho, I find I have a new habit developed while watching Strawberry Panic! which is to take breaks between episodes so as not to exceed the maximum time one should go wth an erection. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] How can I word this? TOO. MUCH. INFORMATION. :) My only 'habit' is that I once I start watching an anime series I genuinely enjoy (which has happened about four times in my life), I have to watch it all at once. There's no 'watch one episode a day' for me, lol. I want to finish it asap and be able to discuss it.[/font]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Ya'll go to some weird schools. Every damn goth kid at my school wears anime shirys and stuff. And we make up a good 7-8th of the school population. The girls are far more flambouyant about it than the guys.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] What can I say? I live in suburbia, and it's just the truth here. I have gone to my school's anime club once, and I was seriously just embarrassed. I didn't realize that the anime elitists that were online actually acted like that in real life.[/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"] I've been following this a little, but I can't say I know much about it. We've seen news clips about it in our AP Gov class, but the only thing that really popped out to me were the white people in Jena saying it was an equal town. A lot of the white people in Jena are getting upset, claiming that the media is portraying their town as a stereotypical racist town, but I can't see otherwise. Who thinks hanging nooses is a harmless prank, especially when it's directed to black people? When the reporter said the local barber wouldn't cut black peoples' hair because it would upset his white customers, that pretty much sealed the deal. I'm positive not everyone there is racist, so I feel bad for those who are surrounded by these type of people.[/font]

[quote name='OtakuSeeker']Yes, this is a topic I've come across before; there are definitely girl otakus (or anime fans or whatever you'd like to call them) out there, but I seem to have noticed that they are very often absent from more public displays of anime fandom, such as school anime clubs, etc. Now, this is not always the case, as anyone at a convention (especially a Yaoi con) could see; but I am definitely interested to see how many girls will respond to this thread. [/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Because being associated with liking anime is not incredibly good to most high schoolers, and girls are more aware of their social standing (especially in school). Even if I were an 'otaku', I sure as hell wouldn't announce it to my entire class. There are plenty of people in the anime fandom that embarrass 'closet' fans or whatever you want to call them. [/font]

[font="trebuchet ms"] First epsiode! [spoiler]Overall, it was good. Excluding the cheesy returns of Yue and Avatar Roku, it was all standard Avatar with none of the latter-season slumps. :) I was mostly surprised with how quickly Aang's self-conflict ended. I expected it to be more in-depth and contribute more to Aang's character development, but hopefully this theme of self-reliance will be brought up more throughout the season. And on the topic of character development- I'm pretty excited for this season. Zuko will most definitely go through major character develop, I think. And if he does, I will love every second of it. And lastly, I just don't like Azula. A lot of fans like her because she's pretty and evil and a genius (all at the same time, who would've thunk?), but it's such a boring stereotype for me. She's evil and has no heart, ok. There's nothing there that appeals to me. lol The short was amazing. Uncle Iroh is just love.[/spoiler][/font]

[quote name='vegeta rocker']He tried to leave peacefully but they didn't let him, he said "I'll walk out of here" but they said that wasn't an option. As for reading him his rights, i agree they didn't have to read them but you have the right as soon as you are arrested to know the charges. He asked repeatedly what the charges were, they should have informed him of the charges. [/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] "I'll walk out of here" was one of many obnoxious and loud remarks as he made before he started to resist arrest, tried to get away from the police and then struggled during the arrest. Also: Q: Are the police required to tell me what I?m being arrested for? A: No. The police are not required. Within 72 hours you have the right to be brought before a magistrate or released. When you are brought before a magistrate, that?s when the charges will be read against you. (from [url]http://www.jkrlaw.com/[/url])[/font]

[quote name='Lethargy'][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkGreen]I don't think there is a difference, seeing as how I equally enjoy making fun of both.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Nerds rock. :p ([spoiler]And usually Otakus don't.[/spoiler])[/font]

[quote name='Clurr'][FONT="Arial"] In middle school I loved anime and manga more than any other TV show or book that wasn't made in Japan. I'd stay up late, despite being exhausted, to watch it, and video tape it when I couldn't afford to stay awake. I'd buy manga whenever I had enough money for it. I don't know how it happened, considering how obsessed I was, but eventually I just stopped caring. I didn't want to draw anymore because all I could draw was anime-style. When I did draw, I tried my best to make it as non-anime-esque as I could, but when someone saw and asked me if it was anime, I vehemently denied it. The other day in Physics, I doodled on an assignment and when I got it back, the teacher wrote "Physics is an anime free zone!" [/FONT][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] Lol, that's exactly what happened to me. I thought anime was just about the greatest thing ever, but now I hate most of it and only watch it sparingly. It was the same for me with drawing anime stuff, too. I just stopped, and then when I started drawing again I tried to lean towards a more western-style animation, which I still can't do well because I can't do it on the tablet (I think that's just the universal sign for 'you can't draw this style yet sorry'). I still have love for the good stuff, but overall I've just stopped being a fan.[/font] [quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Also, 'anygays'?[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font="trebuchet ms"] ...[/font]