James

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Vegitto4 [/i] [B]It's true, there have been studies done on the brain waves and patterns of gay people. There is an "abnormal" function going on up there, so says science, however, it doesn't start from birth. your not born gay, it's a decision you make. However early you make it, it doesn't matter. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Actually, there are no studies that conclude sexuality as being something you choose in life. In fact, all evidence points to the contrary. The human genome study has been one of the most important scientific projects in this area. As with heterosexuality, nobody knows "when" the body activates human sexuality as such. Presumably when you're born, you have no sexuality at all. But like your blonde hair or your blue eyes, your sexuality is embedded in your genetic code. Do you, as a heterosexual, sit up one morning and decide to be that way? No. The same concept cannot be applied to homosexuality either. There is also nothing abnormal about homosexuality. That's a total myth. Homosexuality also does not occur exclusively in human beings; it is present in many other species on the planet. This is one example that indicates that sexuality isn't a human-specific mental issue.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Shift [/i] [B]They pissed me off before I said anything... [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Now [i]that's[/i] how a true professional acts. :rolleyes: Shift, [i]you're[/i] the one who "slung the mud" in the first place. If your criticism had been legitimate, nobody would have jumped on you. Even if you hadn't been the first to start the problem, there is no excuse to start a silly argument with people.[/color]

[color=#808080]I think the issue is pretty simple. Straight males like the idea of two women because it's a kind of threesome situation (even though two lesbians couldn't care less about a guy, which makes that idea moot anyway). The males who think two lesbians are hot yet can't tolerate male/male relationships are actually [i]not[/i] more tolerant of lesbians. They are simply attracted to them. That's the only difference. If those two lesbians wanted to adopt a child or get married, they'd be viewed with the same horror and prejudice that a male/male couple would. The fundamental prejudices are always the same. I view the current situation with gays as a mirror of the 1960's with blacks. Gays are just starting to gain rights and tolerance in the world; but there are many who are prejudice against gays because they don't understand (and thus are afraid) of a sexuality that isn't their own. It's no different from racial discrimination. In the 50's and 60's, racists used religion and other points of reference to justify their prejudice. Over time, that became clearly unacceptable. The same will inevitably happen with homosexuality, as society continues to develop and become more educated with each generation. Prejudice of homosexuality (like racism) is based upon ignorance. All prejudice is based upon ignorance. If you're ignorant of someone else (either their race, sexuality, religion, culture etc), then you're more likely to be suspicious and less tolerant. So the whole concept of lesbians being more accepted than gays is really a misnoma. There is no greater level of acceptance -- it's just that the sexual overtones of such relationships interest straight males...and therefore that tends to overshadow the very real prejudice that does exist. Generally speaking, I think it's quite obvious that nobody should be hated or excluded based upon their natural genetics. If you're born black/white/asian/hispanic, gay/straight/bi, it shouldn't matter. But it [i]does[/i] matter to those who are ignorant. And it will always matter until education (and thus social standards) improve. Anyway, that's my summary on the situation. [/color]

[color=#808080]The problem, Hittokiri, is that you are often highly blunt and rude when making your observations. That's not what effective criticism should be about. Of course you can talk about the negatives, but I think it's important to encourage someone rather than to belittle them. You don't need to explain your form of posting to me; I understand your criticisms because I [i]do[/i] read them. I'm just saying that it's not the [i]content[/i] of what you're saying, it's the way you phrase your criticism. If you can improve that aspect of your posts, then I think nobody will ever have a problem with you at all.[/color]

[color=#808080]I think it's important to be a little more gracious in these forums. That goes specifically to Shift and Hittokiri. Hittokiri, you're really kind of getting your own medicine here; your attitude is much the same as Shift's. It's annoying and occasionally offensive. I urge you both to take a lesson in humility and to practice more gracious behavior in this particular forum.[/color]

[color=#808080]Adding text links wouldn't suit the style of the site. I don't think it's going to hurt to have the banner stored in your computer's cache.[/color]

[color=#808080]Most people have pics turned on. And our site is picture-based in terms of navigation. So, at the moment at least, we don't plan to offer any alternatives (such as browsing additions for the blind and such). Right now we have more than enough on our collective plates and I feel that adding slightly less necessary features would not be feasable at this point. Having said that, images should not be too much of an issue. If you have this site cookied and such, all the site's images (buttons/banner etc) should cache and be stored on your computer. Therefore, they won't load over and over again when you visit. Then, you can turn signatures off in your profile so that you don't have to see all of those other images. If you turn the sig feature off, you should find that the boards load a lot more quickly and take up less memory.[/color]

[color=#808080]As always, we encourage people to host images on their own host if possible. If you have many images to show, it's much better for you to use a host other than OtakuBoards.com.[/color]

[color=#808080]Didn't you say that Sin was easier to defeat than Yunalesca? I know they are different...but if I can defeat Yunalesca without much trouble, do you think I have a chance against Sin? lol[/color]

[color=#808080]I don't have Anima or any legendary weapons that I know of... :help:[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by GinnyLyn [/i] [B][color=royal blue] *looks at James' avie* :twitch:[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Hehe, isn't she interesting? I spoke a little bit about that on my new blog (well, indirectly I guess). I thought it was something interesting to talk about. Anyway...I don't know if I'm powerful or what. I mean, Auron is my strongest character. He has about 4,600 health. My other characters are around 2,800 to 3,500 in health. That doesn't see like a lot though; I want to get them all to 9,999 or whatever the maximum is.[/color]

[color=#808080]I've gotten two chain letters so far in my life. I got them both years ago. I didn't send them. Sending a piece of paper in the mail isn't going to change your luck. [spoiler]Unless you get hit by a postal truck or something.[/spoiler][/color]

[color=#808080]Hm...well, I'm not so much worried about lvl 4 key spheres. I've gotten a few more recently and I think I have enough for what I want to do. But in terms of sphere levels...they don't seem to go up enough at Omega Ruins. The first time I went there, I actually did run around a bit near the save point. And in doing so, I fought maybe 12-15 battles. But ultimately, I wasn't getting the kind of level ups that you're talking about in your post. I tried again and now I'm still getting the same result. I haven't fought as many monsters though...so it might be possible that I'm not going deep enough into the ruins or something. I don't know. That's the only thing I can think; maybe I'm not fighting the right monsters.[/color]

[color=#808080]Indeed. ^_^ Now you know what I mean. lol[/color]

[color=#808080]I think the key thing is to address the reasons why people become homeless in the first place. And for those who are homeless...let's face it, they're not going to be getting most jobs if they're dirty and have no address. I think Governments need to invest more money on things like homeless shelters. Shelters need to be more numerous...and they shouldn't simply be a place for people to eat and sleep; they should provide incentives and job counselling for the homeless. I think we should be giving the homeless a sense of pride and enthusiasm for employment, which they may not otherwise have. Forcing them to work isn't necessarily going to achieve that. They have to [i]want[/i] to work to be able to stay in a paid employment situation for any substantial period of time. Therefore, as I said, let's expand the concept of homeless shelters and make them more of an employment resource as well as a basic care resource.[/color]

[color=#808080]Does anyone have a response for my last question up there? Hehe, some of those who have already completed the game may have more ideas about how I can find more difficult battles to level up more quickly.[/color]

[color=#808080]We don't all end up where we'd like to be, unfortunately. Sometimes the only way to achieve your dream is to take a big gamble -- which can sometimes end in heartache. What you have done is nothing out of the ordinary. You've chosen something that makes sense to you at the time. What you must remember is that you are only young. You can spend some time building up experience where you are and then you can take that gamble and follow more of a dream-like path. ^_^ I've done a lot of things (careerwise) that I never thought I'd do. But it has only added to my experience overall. It hasn't deterred me from following my dreams at all. ^_^ I'm sure you'll be okay.[/color]

[color=#808080]Um, Tidus_Auroch...I didn't really understand most of that. Maybe you should edit it. Who are you responding to in that post?[/color]

[color=#808080]This is terrible news. My advice would be that you should maybe wait until everything is sorted out with the divorce. Wait until things are finalized and give yourself some time to get your life back together and get back on your feet. If this were me...I don't know if it'd be worth going out with someone whilst the divorce is ongoing. I mean, I wouldn't be totally free of everything and it might be one of those situations where I'm with someone for the comfort and it may not really last. So, it depends what you want. My recommendation is to wait a bit longer until things in your life are more stable...and then there's plenty of room for someone else in your life. But ultimately, you have to do what you think is right. If you meet someone tomorrow who you adore and who treats you well...then you should be with that person, regardless of your situation. Just do what [i]you[/i] think is right, Lady M. ^_^ I hope things get better for you soon. [/color]

[color=#808080]SSJ5 Vegeta, first thing's first; knock off the language. Don't use "*" to get past the swearing filter (which you [i]are[/i] doing; the "f" and the "g" should be censored). Regardless of your personal problems, you need to treat others with a little more respect on this board. Frankly, I don't think anyone can be blamed for misunderstanding you. Your first post (and your subsequent post) were both quite hard for me to interpret. I can't tell whether you've had sex with your girlfriend and you both agreed not to tell...or you haven't had sex with her and she is saying you have. I suspect the former, but I don't want to assume anything if it's not true. In any case, if I were to assume the former...then your girlfriend has certainly breached your trust, especially if you have made an agreement with her. If my partner ever spoke about our sex life to someone else (especially if she was going around talking about really personal specifics), I'd be very hurt and offended. Trust is one of the most important parts of the relationship. I recommend that you speak to her about this directly. Don't tell us; tell her. Explain your feelings. Too many people get huffy about stuff and go off and sulk...without actually explaining their concerns with their partner. That is what you must do now -- make your position very clear to her. If she has lied about you and broken the trust that you share, you should make it clear that you won't stand for that. She either has to pull her head in and quit telling personal secrets, or you'll end the relationship. Ultimately, no choice like this is easy. But sometimes it's necessary to retain your personal dignity. If she's going to lie about you [i]despite[/i] your agreement, then she must not care about you as much as you care for her. It's as simple as that, really. I hope you can rise above the gossip and deal with her directly. That's the best way to approach the situation.[/color]

[color=#808080]Well, I've just defeated [spoiler]Yunalesca[/spoiler]. You're right, Ginny...it's a tough battle. Definitely the toughest I've done so far. Funny thing is, I sort of expected that it'd take me forever and I'd have to try over and over again. But I only needed one try. Still, it was tough. There were a couple of times where I held on by the skin of my teeth. Mostly though, I didn't find it to be [i]too[/i] challenging. The biggest problem I had was the fact that my physical and magical attacks (if you ignore Aeons) just weren't powerful enough. Even attacks of 1,000 - 3,000 damage are pretty low, when you consider how much health that boss has overall. So, it was a lengthy battle. I'm glad that it's over though. If Sin isn't as hard as this latest boss...then I'm glad. ~_^ Oh, I also want to add something about Omega Ruins. I've been there before. Tasis, didn't you say that each enemy at Omega Ruins awards you with at least one sphere? That doesn't seem to be the case. I still have to fight multiple battles to even achieve [i]one[/i] sphere for the grid. Is there [i]anywhere[/i] that I can go to level up more quickly?[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by liamc2 [/i] [B] Also I'd like to say that this argument is worse than a pair of testosterone filled drunks fighting over an empty seat while vacant ones surround them. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]What a shame. A debate such as this, which could have been based on well-researched arguments has now turned into this. It saddens me that some of you were not able to let this thread continue on its proper course. Some of you throw your hat into the ring and make a few quick comments without actually making a full investment in the debate. If you're going to post in a debate like this, at least give others enough respect and don't throw around personal insults and pointless rhetoric. Approach a debate like this as you would an essay; do a litle research and try to make well-informed discussion. Perhaps I'm asking too much. Though I like to think that mature debates [i]can[/i] be had on OtakuBoards, that simply might not be the case. I had hoped that everyone had grown up a little over time, but maybe I'm overestimating those of you who hijacked the discussion and caused its closure. I don't need to take any action, other than supporting what Elite did here. And I don't think I need to; those of you who have torn down this thread have done so in public view. I don't need to say anything; you've already hurt yourselves more than enough.[/color]

[color=#808080]I just hope that Yuna is less stiff in this game -- especially with her speech! Blegh, that annoyed me to no end in FFX. Based on those pictures, I can imagine the scene having great animation. But to do that bit successfully, it's going to rely on having a good song (in other words, not one of the sappy Japanese numbers from Shenmue lol). Plus...I wish they would stop changing how characters look. Do you notice the subtle differences between Yuna's face there and how she looks in FFX? They've given her more sharp features...it is just kinda weird. I don't think she looks [i]bad[/i] now. But at least keep some continuity there. lol[/color]

[color=#808080]Err...I didn't understand a word of that, Hiei. I recommend taking some more time with your posts in future, to improve post quality. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I'll lay it down for you guys. ^_^ Moderators are selected based upon: 1) The need for new Moderators (we won't select someone if we don't need staff). 2) Post quality and attitude (people who relate well with others and have great post quality are prime candidates). 3) Rule following (people who follow the rules and take care to be accurate with 'em are the kind of people who make great Mods). 4) Online availability (if you're only online once a week, you're not what we're looking for). And there you have it, in a nutshell.[/color]