eleanor

[color=dimgray] *head/desk*[/color]

[color=dimgray] Sorry if I come off as sort of ***** here, but I have never heard of Children_of_Bodom and the results I got off of Google were completely random. The artist of the picture you posted is (if you didn't see the artist's name in the corner) [url="http://darksahdow.deviantart.com/"]DarkSahdow from DeviantART. [/url] Er, yeah, just wanted to clarify that.[/color]

[color=dimgray] I did, and I still do. I'm about 5'8" and I used to be 180 lbs. Ever since I was a kid I was chubby, but I really got overweight when I was in middle school. My parents weren't any help, because my mom would always tell me I was hideously fat and use it as an insult against me when she got angry. My older sister, being the tiny person she was, wasn't openly against it, but I could tell that she was grossed out by fat people. The only people who didn't care about it were my friends, and for a while I pretended that I didn't care. I'd wear big shirts to school and the same pair of jeans, and did the whole larger than life attitude. I sort of just came to terms about it during the summer after freshmen year of high school and started to diet. I don't think it was worth it, though. My diet was by no means healthy. At first it was harmless enough: I would cut out a lot of carbs and sugar, and started eating less and excercising. Then it got of hand and I started eating 500 calories a day and burned it off by playing DDR for three hours (which sounds lame, but it's legit excercise). I was losing 4-5 lbs. a week when you're supposed to be losing 1-2 lbs. And it wasn't a constant thing. I would do extreme dieting for two weeks and then eat normally for another two, and then plunge back in. Whenever I binged, I made myself throw up. At one point I was 120 lbs. I thought fitting into a small at Abercrombie & Fitch was the greatest thing ever. Now that I look back, a girl with a frame like mine fitting into a A&F small is sort of ridiculous. It's hard of explain, but over time I sort of just got over it. I had this fantasy that when I was skinny everyone would like me, but I got a reality check when I went to summer camp and was treated the same as when I went to the camp two years ago. I wasn't the most loved or had the most friends, I was surrounded by the people that always had liked me. The "getting over" phase added ten lbs. to my frame, but I didn't care. And anyways, 5'8" and 130 lbs.? If anyone is going to tell me to lose weight, they need to reevaluate their ideals. My self-esteem is high compared to what I used to feel about myself, but it's still not that confident. The process of losing weight made me hyper sensitive to the skinny models and sex appeal that appeared everywhere around me, and I started to care about what others thought of me. I hid the fact that I played video games and liked anime/manga, and acted like a girly girl to a bunch of people I hated. It's just sad, and sometimes I wish I could go back to middle school when I loved whatever I wanted to and didn't care. My advice? If you want to lose weight, by all means, do it. The only important thing is to do it healthily, and if you do, your body won't become emaciated or underweight. There were no steps for me in realizing it didn't matter, it was something that happened because of my camp experience. The whole thing about "be yourself" is hard to just say, but there's no real advice I can give anyone. It's more of a personal battle.[/color]

[QUOTE=Ikillion][FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=#0e1030][SIZE=1][spoiler] It be hilarious though if Rukia was forced to try (and maybe succede even) and Kill Kaien again.[/spoiler][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] I hope that was a joke. :/[/color]

[color=dimgray] Chapter 342. [spoiler]Um. Um. Kurenai is pregnant. *_* I'm pretty sure that this will be a one-time thing and won't contribute to the overall plot, ([strike]and seeing as I sort of hated Shikamaru's character development recently[/strike]), I downgrade. :D Jk, jk. Except it was very random and empty to me. In other news, I really hope Sasuke comes into the picture soon. The last page of this chapter gave me hope. And what I really don't hope is that Naruto enters the Chuunin exams and we have to sit through it, or if Orochimaru inflitrates/does something through the exams again. But Sasuke. Please come back. D: [/spoiler][/color]

[QUOTE=Raiyuu] The only part of the explanation that bothers me is [spoiler]"so I switched places with one of the Espada". You'd think Aizen would notice, even under the PC-tower mask, and how did he manage to dispose of the previous number 9?[/spoiler] [/QUOTE] [color=dimgray][spoiler]Such a huge hole in the explanation might hint that's he's an enemy. Which I sort of like the idea of, because then it'd serve some nice character conflict later on. :catgirl: [size=1]Is it me or am I the only one who thinks Kaien should [i]never[/i] wear frills?[/size][/spoiler][/color]

[color=dimgray] [b]What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude[/b] by Justin Timberlake. I [i]cannot[/i] be the only person around here that loves Justin Timberlake right now ([strike]HIP-HOP KIDS ANYONE?[/strike]). He's been rocking out the awesome lately. Timberlake's songs have that nice pop/r&b mix that just works well with him, and they're just songs you want to party out to with close friends during a sleepover. Actually, all of the singles that has come from Future Sex/Love Sounds are all really great songs. Call me a fan, but they're just [i]slick[/i]. And only Justin Timberlake could pull it off. ;)[/color]

[color=dimgray] Naruto Shippuden spoilers. [spoiler]I was excited and underwhelmed at the same time. First off, I love how all the characters looked after the time jump. Naruto's new character design is great, and Sakura's is ok. I was expecting the outfit to fit the manga proportions, so the anime version looks sort of hunky and unappealing. Also, I guess the fillers made me glorify the animation quality in normal Naruto, because some of the drawings were just sort of off and poorly done to me. Pacing was a bit slow for me as well. I was disappointed that they didn't actually get over with Naruto and Sakura's fight, and I have mixed feeling over the beginning of the episodes. I mean, animated timejump!Sasuke and Sai was pretty awesome, but was it a good move to just show Sasuke? I was anticipating a build-up and everything. >_> But all in all, but it was cool. Just the hype around the return of Naruto was so high that I was expecting something great. I know better than to judge on the first episode, though, since they're usually the hardest milestone to cover for fans. *eagerly awaits next week*[/spoiler][/color].

[color=dimgray] Taking a driver's course gets you 20% off on car insurance (in most places), but the course itself it about $500. And just the fact that you're 17 will make the insurance company raise prices, seeing as teenagers are just more prone to getting into accidents. Don't know a specific insurance quotes, though. [/color]

[color=dimgray] Nothing like that really happens in my city. I live in an affluent, well-off suburb, so there's no violent happenings or anything. The closest "shootings" my school has had was when a kid brought a gun and shot it in the parking lot (during the weekend) and when the police arrested a student when he posted a list of people he wanted to kill at our school on his Myspace. But we have the hush-hush crime, like drug dealing and the minor alcohol thing, like every other suburb in America. [/color]

[QUOTE=Nerdsy][color=deeppink][spoiler] Also, I must be blind. I didn't see the baby at the end. Where was he?[/color][/spoiler][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] [spoiler]I just took the benefit of the doubt, because I only think the baby was there. Not sure, though. P:[/spoiler][/color]

[quote name='Cyriel][COLOR=Teal][SIZE=1]This movie I absolutely adore. Ofelia is so adorable...^__^ Although I was just wondering, [spoiler]was Ofelia's brother born just for the purpose of testing her then? And why was the baby in the Underworld as well, when he didn't die?[/spoiler] I thought that the sets were gorgeous, especially the [spoiler]fig tree at the end[/spoiler]. Another question: [spoiler]did Ofelia's mother marry the Captain only because she was pregnant, or did she really love him?[/spoiler] [/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [color=dimgray][spoiler] The thing about the baby being in the Underworld makes me wonder if Ofelia's ending never really happened. I felt the overarching theme of the entire movie was the idea that fantasy was the only outlet for a young girl like Ofelia, even if it wasn't true. Of course, there's plenty of evidence against that. The captain could see the mandrake, the flower blooming on the fig tree, etc. It's made pretty obvious that Ofelia's mother married the captain out of desperation. She was clearly unhappy, and her conversation with Ofelia about the harshness of life gave more hints. [/spoiler] I adored the faun [i]so[/i] much. His character design was too cool for words. And when I watched the movie I was actually expecting more violence that it had. Not that the movie wasn't violent (it made me cringe plenty of times), I had just heard from people that it was disgustingly violent. I [i]hate[/i] [spoiler]torture scenes, though. Which is probably why I hate anyone who thinks Hostel or the Saw series is cool.[/spoiler][/color]

[color=dimgray] I'm (was) a waitress. I actually had to put that job on hold when the schoolwork caught up with me, but it's not like I [i]enjoyed[/i] serving irritable and rude people. And the restaurant I worked at isn't a place where you usually give tips, either. When I get into college I plan on getting a grasp of careers I'm interested in and declare my major later on. Right now I'm looking at graphic design or animation in terms of what I really enjoy. Secondary would be English, psychology, other humanitarian topics. Hopefully I'll get into a good college first and it'll all work out. [/color]

[QUOTE=Ikillion][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]O_o? Thats kinda odd though, the fact that he [spoiler]looks so much like Kaien, but most translations (aka all of them), have him as Arronio Alulueri. I mean come on we saw Kaien die right infront of Rukia, how could he live?! ('Sides, he should be Ichigo instead.)[/spoiler] It could be just a little bit too early to jump to conclusions though.[/FONT][/SIZE][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] [spoiler]Well, yeah, but I find it hard(er) to believe that Kubo would randomly insert Alulueri as someone who looks exactly like Kaien. And if it were Ichigo. P: I'd be willing to bet large sums of money it's not, lol. Unless he's a shape-shifter or something, which would make everything about this incredibly lame and a let-down. Kubo's not that bad, right? Heh. [/spoiler][/color]

[color=dimgray] [b]Bleach chapter 262-[/b] highlight to see spoilers:[/color] [color=#EDEDED][size=6][b]KAIEN. 9TH. ESPADA.[/b][/SIZE] So excited, love Hime, love twist, love how Bleach manga is totally owning the Naruto manga, it's like Tobi=Obito except not lame. :D[/color]

[QUOTE=Boo][size=1] But I bet that experiences are different for people who are actually interested in reading about anime and the likes.[/size][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray]Not for me, really. Which is weird, because if I remember correctly, I found OB through theOtaku, and then never really looked at theOtaku a lot afterwards. I remember looking through their anime sections before theOtaku had its current layout, but found it more entertaining to talk about anime/manga on a forum than to look on a newsite. It might be different now, who knows? Maybe the influx of theOtaku members and OB members will increase because of MyOtaku and the comments section on theOtaku. On the flip side, I've always seen OB as just becoming its own, simply because theOtaku seems such a distant sister site. [/color]

[QUOTE=Panda] Lunox, I don't feel that mentioning charities and organizations is a "cop-out". I listed them as an alternative option to crime. Yes, they are not without flaws (few and far inbetween in some places) but they do help who they can. Since I don't know about large urban areas I used what I do know, my hometown as the example. You feel it's a cop-out. I feel they are an alternative to crime that is an option and should be mentioned.[/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] What I'm saying is that while your was in good interests, using your hometown as an example is not acceptable when you're talking about urban slums and ghettos that are below the poverty line. Using the example of charities wouldn't be a cop-out in most cases, but in the situation where many people would be stealing for survival, I don't think it's applicable. [/color]

[QUOTE=Panda]Oh this poor baker! You guys who are saying it's okay to steal from the baker are forgetting that it takes money to make money. The baker has to pay for his store, the electricity, the baking supplies, taxes and his employees. Now you have all these people stealing from them. He's got to cut costs for the loss. Gonna have to raise prices. Bread keeps getting stolen. I guess we've got to fire some employees. Too bad. The families they were working hard to support are now poor too. Not earning any money for all of his hard work since only thieves get the bread the baker is forced out of business. Too bad, now there isn't a store to steal from. Now they've all got to steal food. So off they go to join the ranks of poor and move on to the next hard working business to run them out of business. Crime is wrong. If you are poor there are plenty of charities that are there to help people get back on their feet. My little town of 16,000 people has a food bank open to those who can't afford food. Goodwill helps train people for jobs. There are also hundreds of jobs available for those who want them in the free newspaper. Many of them, because this is a rural area are farming related. If you can do physical labor the work is there. No language barrier or special education needed. I know of two churches that run soup kitchens too. There are many places to get help if you look. There are alternatives to crime.[/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] Can you think of more than five businesses that have been run down by common thieves? If you can, than disregard this, but I can't think of any. And that's not even the main point. So many of you are boiling this down to a moral thing and disregarding the social aspect of it. First of all, for people to be stealing for survival they'd have to be living in the worst conditions. Unless you're living in a poverty-stricken slum that is home to major social issues, bringing up examples of how many charities your community has doesn't do anything. I'm not saying I know everything about slums/ghettos, but I'm pretty sure you can't just say "go to your local soup kitchen" and leave your argument at that. The charities available in such places are probably overrun and few. Operating charities is easier to do in places like suburbs and small towns, but when you really dig down and reach the worst living conditions there just aren't going to be as many. Not to mention, living in such conditions perpetuates racial and social stereotypes that lead to decisions like robbing or becoming a drug dealer. Really, bringing up charities and organizations is sort of a cop-out to me.[/color]

[color=dimgray] It's ridiculous. A bunch of lite-brites go up and some people are even freaking about terrorism. Seriously, why, Boston? Why? And who the hell made up the term infernal machine to describe damage to life/property? Conclusion: NYC is still cooler than Boston. [/color]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]I read an article in the Washington Post (front page news) that stem cells aren't necessary anymore, because they can extract even more useful cells from the skin shed by the embryo during its course of development. It would be a 100% genetic match for you, and so you could have your own bank of cells that could be used for you in the future. I'll look for the article later. If it's more than speculation, then the debate very well may be closed.[/size][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] Yeah, I remember reading something about that in Newsweek. I couldn't find that particular issue, but there's an article about [url="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16609288/site/newsweek/"]here[/url] on the MSNBC website. [/color]

[QUOTE=Ikillion][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=1][COLOR=#0e1030] On a side note [spoiler], I hope this isn't the last we will see of Hidan. Even though it WAS Shikamaru and Hidan really WAS stupid. Its kinda saddening that he would be taken out so easily[/spoiler][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray][spoiler]Yeah, I was wondering if Hidan's last words were just an empty threat or a future problem. Hard to tell, but I hope he just stays dead. v_v[/spoiler] This chapter was sort of a set up for the next one, I guess, so there's not much to comment on. Other than the fact that Naruto is sort of too good now, it's reminding me of a gary-stu. [/color]

[quote name='Retribution][size=1]Adahn, your topic is ridiculously pseudophilosophical and as a result, comes off only as [b]un[/b']interesting and mildly irritating.[/size][/quote] [color=dimgray] Thank god, I was waiting for someone to say that. [/color]

[color=dimgray] [b]Good[/b] Im only 13 and I recieved a 170 on an iq test i am not lying. I checked online and this means I am in the genius-level category. i guess it makes sense, because in my math class i get 97s or higher on tests (usually most of the kids in the class fail the tests lol) and i'm really good at essays.Also in 7th grade I took the SATS and got a 750 in english and a 780 in math pretty for a middle-schooler heh ;) ;) ;) [b]Bad[/b] dunno i don't really have bad qualities. But I guess sometimes I am rude to people and I don't have alot of friends. [/color]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']Hun, I disagree with you, going in circles is pointless, but the points being brought up are not. They are the very core to this argument in that such drastic measures were used.[/quote] [color=dimgray] I don't think talking about how big someone's breasts will be and whether or not menstruation is a disease is the center of this argument. Talking about the physical pains is very relevant. Nitpicking the specifics? Feh. Hardly a core. :rolleyes: And now they're talking about what the difference between removing arms/legs is to removing nipple buds and a uterus. [/color] [quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']It?s not so much an argument as to whether or not the parents made the right decision, but one that if we aren?t careful it will open up the doors to others doing the same thing, but for the wrong reasons. Not all mentally challenged children are as severe as this girl is, but the fear is that people will start doing things like this to them to make caring for them easier.[/quote] [color=dimgray]I'm irritated that you didn't read my earlier posts before replying to my most recent one. I already adressed this specific issue, as it was the main idea of my argument. [/color] [QUOTE=Aaryanna_Mom]It?s an ethical question that at this time doesn?t have an answer. I do not condemn the parents because as a parent I know that raising kids is never easy. What I would condemn is a society that did not question the procedure to ensure that it wasn?t not being used as an easy out for someone in that situation. I would also condemn a society that makes getting help when you have a child with special needs, nearly impossible, as the costs are so expensive. If we are really so bothered by their decision a better course of action would be to lobby for better programs and care for these children, something that can make a difference. Pointing fingers at someone who already made a difficult and hard decision changes nothing and that truly makes us look juvenile and really is pointless.[/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] I don't know if that was directed at me, but please don't think I'm pointing fingers. I am in no way condemning or trying to insult the parents of this girl. I see the parents' decision as one of loving intentions, but it still bothers me. And while I think our communities should certainly be taking steps to help/accomodate people of special needs, it's too easy to just condemn the whole society. It's an important point, but it could be applied to so many other groups of people that are in need of help. As for questioning the move- isn't that what we're doing right now? If you wanted it to go further, it would involve the government. This is where another ethics concern arises: does Congress have a place in making laws about these kinds of things? I can't even go deeper into that, because I haven't even begun to think about it.[/color]

[QUOTE=Adahn] [size=2]As it is now, I stand virtually alone, the only representative of the side that believes the parents have done something in the least bit wrong. [/size][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray] I, too, believe that the parent's actions have crossed some sort of ethical border. But since this scientific procedure is so new, it's hard to really take a stance on things other than a woman's physical development. So while the discussion of breasts and menstruation is relevent, it sort of misses the real issue at hand. From what I've read from your posts, you seem to have a fix on the parent's being ashamed of a woman's sexual nature: [quote name='Adahn']How is this relevant to the discussion? The newsworthy part of this story involves ridding a young girl of menstruation, breast development, and growth. Do you think that the parents' unwillingness to see their mentally deficient daughter develop into a sexually viable human being didn't play a part in their decision?[/quote] I mean, is this really the newsworthy part of the story? Sure, it's a valid opinion that I can understand. Maybe the parents did want to halt the development of their daughter. I mean, let's face the facts. Breasts are sacks of fat, and having extra fat is uncomfortable. Especially for a [b]three-month-old mind[/b]. Period cramps are a *****. So ask yourself: if the parents did want to halt their daughter's sexual development, was it done in a malicious way? No, probably not. They did it because 1) It would be easier for them, and 2) It would be more comfortable for the baby. Are there selfish undertones in the decision? Yes. But they're humans. They're parents, and they know how hard it is to raise a mentally healthy child, let alone one whose mind is stuck at three months. You have a right to disagree with that. But to call it disgusting is crude and unsympathetic. All these specifics on removing breasts and uteruses is a bit juvenile and pointless. And I'm not calling you out on this- [b]everyone[/b] who has been discussing this in depth should stop. It's going around in ****ing circles and if you haven't realized that, take it from me. [/color]