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Fly... by °Phill 2 months 1 week ago

Fly... by °Phill 2 months 1 week ago

^nat
This wallpaper captures the urban essence that proliferated the art of Ghost in the Shell in every incarnation of the series. Phill does an amazing job of capturing a moment of surrealism.

While there are a few, stray building angles and shadows, you find that your eye forgives the minor details and instead focuses on the overall scene that is larger than life, with lights trailing off into infinity.

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ShoutBox

~aika-chiaku 2 minutes ago
Bubbl Gum Crayons

~enma13 1 hour 23 minutes ago
Crayon Shinchan!!

~Youngster 1 hour 29 minutes ago
Shin-Chan

~LenasLover 1 hour 29 minutes ago
You're probably right.

~Roxas 1 hour 29 minutes ago
Well it does doesnt it?

~enma13 1 hour 31 minutes ago
?

~haikoru-sama 1 hour 32 minutes ago
What's that dude again? That dancing one?

$damoser 1 hour 34 minutes ago
Maybe it's just you becca. and as you descend from the normal it seems more strange.

~Youngster 1 hour 35 minutes ago
User posted image

~LenasLover 1 hour 36 minutes ago
This place gets stranger every day.

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jebelbryan's Comments

Why do people Bash Religion?

2 years 3 weeks ago

"
Well, no matter how f*cked up a religion is, and how many people die because of them. The truth is, people will still follow them blindly.
They all spread ignorance and violence. Religions like buddhism are only the exceptions that prove the rule. 90% of the religions followed by people are pretty much the same.
Religions don't spread ignorance, PEOPLE spread ignorance by following religious LEADERS blindly. Anyone that's ever taken an in depth look at religions around the world should know that all the injustices named here:
Proof that religion spreads ignorance? Like when they fought against round earth theories and non-geocentric universes? Like they now fight against evolution and stem cell research? Or the Africa thing? I thought it was common knowledge but here's an article.

Anything else? Crusades? Holocaust? Witch trials? The inquisition? 9/11?
are from religious fanatics that gather a mass following of people who trust them. These fanatics spread FALSE information and often things which the religion itself does not condone. So, no matter what religion one is, they should always question the wisdom being told to them by a person or leader since people are not perfect."
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True friends dont excist

2 years 3 weeks ago

"
I don't get it. Why did you tell someone something that did them no good to hear, served you no practical purpose, and left you vulnerable to getting embarassed? It seems you did not think your cunning plan all the way through. Here's an idea, next time be a freakin man and tell the girl that you like her.
Hehe, actually...when I was a insecure pussy back in high school...one way I'd let a girl know I liked her would be to tell key people I knew would personally tell her. I always understood how gossip spread and I used it to my advantage...and it worked beautifully :D

Now, I'm not the same person I was then and I don't need anyone to do my work for me or relate messages for me :P"
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Asian Cinema

2 years 3 weeks ago

"
Does anybody know "The Five deadly Venoms"? It was about 5 Fighters who are specialized in certain Animal-Style-techniques. One was Centipede, the second one was the Snake, the third one was the Scorpion, the fourth one the Lizard and the fifth one the Toad... Their former Master asked his last student to combine with one of those and bring the others to justice...
A very recommandable movie to Martial Arts-fans...
I think I might have to check this out. Seems like an awesome idea for a martial arts flick.

Have also been wanting to watch The Tale of Two Sisters, but unfortunately, someone rented it at my video store and has not returned it :("
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Global Warming!

2 years 3 weeks ago

"HAHA eikenhein, I wonder how much of what you said went completely over the heads of the people in here who do not have an advanced environmental science background :P I do agree with most of your points, but there are a few that I disagree with.

There is more than enough oil and fossil fuel in the planet to keep us at status quo for the next few centuries. People recognize the impact (albeit slowly) and are making an effort (albeit reluctantly) to explore other greener energy sources.
This is most likely false. Maybe for one more century, but not a few. The problem here is INCREASING DEMAND with a levelling off of our ability to SUPPLY. Since demand is increasing beyond supply, this will be what bursts our oil based economy. Many believe that SUPPLY is on a sort of bell curve and we have reached the top of that curve. That is sort of a worst case scenario as that would mean increasing demand with decreasing supply.

It should be noted that livestock has a strong effect on global climate change. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is four times more effective than carbon dioxide, although it eventually breaks down.
Yes Methane does breakdown, and has a resident life of only about a decade...thus is theorized to play a big part in short term climate fluctuations but it's role in long term climate change is unclear, with C02 definately playing the biggest part for long term temperature changes.

Yes global warming is occuring. Yes it happens to also be a natural process...but do not let that fact downplay human's role. While warming and cooling cycles are normal, we have driven greenhouse gas concentrations drastically higher than they have ever been for as far back as can be deciphered in the geologic record (hundreds of millions of years). C02 concentrations are twice as high as they've ever been, methane is even higher. Additionally, trapped methane in melting ice sheets in Russia have the potential to double the methane output into the atmosphere. Methane is perhaps the most important gas to consider for humans since it causes the most rapid inpact on global temperature. Humans ARE the cause of these things (well, maybe not the melting ice sheets).

Cars are a large culprit, but coal and oil burning powerplants are biggest source for C02 with the US having a higher output of C02 than any other country in the world. The best way to decrease C02 output is to conserve electricity and lobby for alternate power generating means (new technology has given many efficient options that the government won't even consider). While other countries are working to decrease their C02 output by finding eco friendly alternatives, the US has repeatedly turned up it's nose to the rest of the world and refuse to make any agreements to decrease our output because "it costs America too much money". If you don't believe me, you can read up on some of the public responses that have been made to other countries that have requested us to sign the Kyoto Protocol...not that I think this international agreement will have much of an overall effect, but at least it's something better than the status quo.

What scares me most is not global warming, but exhausting supplies of critical natural resources such as WATER, fish, and yes, oil. Major problems are already beginning in areas that depend on fishing due to decreasing amounts of food-fish. This problem is a complex one with too many contributing sources to go into. Water, believe it or not, is also a problem in many areas. Areas such as populated coasts and farming areas in the center of the US are experiencing decreasing water table levels as water is extracted out of the ground faster than it can replenish itself."
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Asian Cinema

2 years 3 weeks ago

"It's kind of disturbing to hear that so many people consider Battle Royale and Ichi the Killer some of their favorite asian films....they're complete trash. Those two movies alone are probably two of the absolute worst movies I've ever seen.

As for awesome asian films...all of Steven Chow's work is hillarious.

For Sci-Fi lovers, try Returner - Great action, spectacular special effects, awesome plot...just plain cool.

And I love many of the martial arts flicks such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, etc.

Been trying to get the time to watch this movie called " Death Trance". Looks kind of cool but haven't seen it.

And for some strange reason, I'm drawing a blank on some of my other favorite asian movies that I love..."
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Am I a nymphomaniac?

2 years 3 weeks ago

"
Hey gat- is you're with a chick that just lays there and moans... she's a very bad lay. :P
LOL, yes, very true...that does indeed sound like a very boring lay :P"
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True friends dont excist

2 years 3 weeks ago

"
I was disappointed too many times by people. I'm just looking for a person that can be there for me, even if I don't need her/him most of the times, because I'm dealing with my own problems on my own. All I need is moral support and to know that I have at least one person that would stands out of the crowd in my mind.
While this is a good thing to search for, don't forget that friendships are also two way streets. For everything you expect to receive, you should expect to give in return."
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Confliction

2 years 4 weeks ago

"What does your heart tell you? If you are Christian, then you should believe that God has given you a conscience...you should also believe that Love comes from God. If you truly love the woman you're with, how can that be wrong? Simply because of what other "people" say? Remember, "MAN" is who interpreted God's word and "MAN" is who's responsible for spreading it. Even the Christian's most revered book was written by "MAN".

I myself have often asked the same exact question as you and I've decided that "religion" as dictated by "man" is not always correct. This is what I feel in my heart and my soul...which should decend from God right? Now the argument given to me will be: "well then you're saying people can make up their own rules and whatever you deem as right is right for you?" Not quite. I believe in God and in a God given conscience (aka Holy Spirit if you're Catholic). Therefore, when I find something that just doesn't seem right in my heart and conscience, then I question it. I believe that there is nothing wrong, sinful, harmful, or evil about true love and is in fact the greatest of all good things. I also believe that falling in love is not really in one's own control since true love transcends this world. If all of this is also true, then it absolutely cannot be considered a sin to fall in love with someone of your own gender. It's something that happened, it's who you are, and I think the only sin would be to turn away from something as great as Love, a Love that is only capable through God to begin with? Make sense?

Unfortunately, when you part with certain aspects and beliefs of a religion, there is one of two choices you have to make. One is you can't claim you are that religion anymore even though you still believe in God and most of the teachings of that religion. Two is you keep your religion but acknowledge that all religions have flaws here and there that do not come from God, but from the people who interpretted God's Will. We are human after all and ALL humans make mistakes...sometimes with entire nations following suit behind them.

*EDIT*: I myself made choice one. Most of my beliefs agree to some extent with the Catholic religion...but many of my other beliefs are a combination of beliefs from other religions and what I feel is right. I've taken lots of time to not just know the religion I was raised with, but all religions...even "pagan" ones. No one religion fits perfectly with what my soul tells me is right, but some fit better than others."
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Am I a nymphomaniac?

2 years 4 weeks ago

"It also depends on if the guy is the kind of guy who thoroughly enjoys taking his time to make sure his partner is completely satisfied first without selfishly needing only himself satisfied. In other words, someone who almost loves giving more than receiving....yes they do exist ;)"
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True friends dont excist

2 years 4 weeks ago

"True friends absolutely exist, though I think a lot of people have a skewed view on what a true friend should be. Most of my best friends live far away from me, but you know you have a real friend the moment you call them up after not speaking for months and talk for hours on end without ever running out of things to say. When you find a true friend, even if you move apart, go separate ways and both change, when you do come together it's like all that time that happened in between made no difference at all.

It sounds like you're young, so keep searching. And probably the best caveat to avoid is expecting a true friend to be the stereotypical "best friend" whom you share everything with. If you require knowledge of every one of your friends happenings, or it is required from you, that is going to be a completely useless and harmful stress on the friendship. If one of you move away, not being able to carry on a friendship with that level of communication and shared experience will make keeping the friendship together impossible.

Lastly, trust me on the distance aspect...I have more experience than most. With most of my "true" friends living in other states, my fiance living halway across a country, and my family also being in another state, keeping relationships together and strong, despite distance, is something I've successfully worked hard on. It's going on 6 years and I haven't lost a single friend yet and I don't think I will."
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Why do people Bash Religion?

2 years 4 weeks ago

"
People like to hate. End of story right? If you put an opinion out there, I think it's human nature to find a flaw in it... belittle it... or the other way, support it fully. I think we are all self righteous, and of course we have no respect for each other.
Or, people are just really obnoxious. Either way... it's not saying a lot for the human race. :p
I say this often around here, but I do not believe hate is in human nature. I think quite the opposite. If anything, it is our environment that erodes our better judgement, our respect for fellow humans, and it is things such as pride and jealousy that cause belittlement.

Now on the otherhand, as I reread this thread, I see that it actually supports people who believe in God/people who have religions and so on and I think that people who bash others who have their own faith are simply insecure of what to believe.
I agree with this statement. Additionally, people aren't raised and taught to be tolerant and understanding of different ways of thinking and thought. This makes it extremely difficult for people with completely different sets of beliefs to find common ground. Finally, when people become arrogant in their beliefs to a point where they feel the need to force their beliefs onto others, this is equally as bad as people bashing religions. These kind of people further provide a disservice to themselves in turning people off from wanting to have a similiar mindset and beliefs."
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Which would you rather choose?

2 years 4 weeks ago

"I don't think there is necessarily a need to distinguish between the two depending on what your dreams are. If your dreams aren't materialistic in nature, then happiness is the fullfillment of both those dreams and needs. For me, achieving happiness IS achieving my ultimate dream. I also do not think that this will be a hard dream to fullfill as life is what you make of it, and even through rough, hard, and trying times, I'm able to see the positive things in life. I have very few life critical needs, and as long as those needs are fulfilled, I can be happy.

If there were a discrepency, I wouldn't have to think twice about choosing happiness over any kind of materialistic dream I might have (this would include vain things such as success, fame, etc)."
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TV today

2 years 4 weeks ago

"This saying might be completely cliche, but it's still the truth. Everyone has the choice to rise ABOVE the influences of tv, music, and popularity. Those who do make that choice are better for it."
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Am I a nymphomaniac?

2 years 1 month ago

"I say, as long as you keep your infactuation with your teacher a fantasy and nothing more, no harm done. These kind of things pop up now and then as you mature, but they also tend to pass. Many fantasies are best left as fantasies."
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TV today

2 years 1 month ago

"
Good parenting is the key. I know it's easier said than done, yet I don't think shielding a child from violence and letting him live in a cocooned environment will be any better for him than exposing him to violence from a young age. A child needs to understand the difference between what's depicted onscreen and what is right and wrong in real life, and parents need to guide their children into understanding just that.
This is exactly how I feel, however, I do believe in a little shielding depending on age. I don't think it's appropriate to let an 8 or 9 year old watch a rated are movie filled with sex and gore, but taking an active interest in what a child watches on tv and does on the internet is an absolute must these days. The things exposed in these kind of places, as well as what a child may encounter at school, are all things a parent should have multiple discussions about. Not LECTURES, but discussions.

But nowadays most parents do not have time to teach their kids those values because they have to work all day and don't have money for a Nanny, unless they are rich.
I think this is more of an excuse than a fact. There are some circumstances, especially with single parents and those with large families that this is probably very true. But most parents would have time if they cared about time. Unfortunately, the average family cares about many unnecessary luxuries like cell-phones, new cars, big tv's, the newest gaming system for their children, and spend a lot of money eating out rather than cooking meals at home. These things all contribute to bad credit, bad financial planning, and thus create a need to work more hours, make more money, and spend less time with the children. I believe this to be one of the most critical problems with the American family today and realizing one doesn't need all these things and being able to entertain without the aid of TV or video games can drastically decrease the need for a large budget. The children WILL complain that their friends have more "stuff" than they do (I know I did), but with parents who do care and do their best trading off material things with quality family activities and time spent with the kids, the kids will grow up to understand that having the latest video game system wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Hey, if you can afford to buy the stuff without sacrificing the time...more power to you, but time is by far the most important thing."
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are women are more materialistic than men?

2 years 1 month ago

"There are evidently few people here that truly understand what "materialistic" means. Materialistic has little to do with shopping habits or the value of what one buys. Someone who collects rocks can still be considered equally materialistic as a woman who goes out and buys a new wardrobe every other month. Materialistic simply refers to someone who cares about "material" things...so anything that is not a living being that can be touched is a material. If you really care about anything you own, have any sort of collection, want an expensive car, want a nice computer, or simply want a house with all the newest technology and gadgets to watch tv, then you to some varying degree, you are materialistic.

If by chance you care little for what you own and rather invest your time and money into inter-personal relationships (friends, family, significant other) and do not care if you have a cool car, fashionable wardrobe, a collection of anime on DVD, a fast computer, etc...then you are not materialistic. I'm not saying if you own any of these things means you are materialistic, since, to a certain extent, many material things are necessary in today's world to simply live. But if you find yourself unable to live without luxuries (which include any kind of clothing, gadget, media, or technology, or collectables), then to a certain degree, you also are materialistic. Given this definition, I do not believe there are any less materialistic tendencies in men than in women.

I myself may have lots of material things, have an extensive anime collection with my own databases to organize it, a huge collection of music, and many technological luxuries...but I could live without them if something took them all away without much of a care. I find it hard to spend money on myself, but have little problem spending money to spend time with the people I enjoy and care about. So am I materialistic? Yeah, to a certain degree I am, otherwise I wouldn't care if I had a 27" TV over a 13". At the same time, the things I have that I truly care about are all things money can't buy."
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Fansub Morality

2 years 1 month ago

"
I believe the more correct term would be to buy original if you can afford it and that you are living within the distribution region (i.e. R1 regions).
Distribution region definitely plays a part in the argument here. If you're in an R3 region with an R3 player, it just wouldn't make sense to buy import DVD's that can't be played.

Well, actually, I'm almost always watching subbed anime... that would not stop me from getting the licenced version if possible... but the fact is that I prefer to have the subbed version not the dubbed one... so I won't buy a dubbed version... If I like an anime, it does not mean that I will forget about it as soon as it is licenced.
I certainly hope you realize that a US released R1 dvd, though dubbed, has the original Japanese audio track with subs. I don't know of any official DVD that doesn't. Now, if you're one for VHS...well, I simply pity you :P (of course this only is aimed towards people in the US here)"
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Fansub Morality

2 years 1 month ago

"
I understand that anime is not avaible to everyone in the open market and that many titles are not licensed in other countries (which makes fan-subs easier to get away with). But if it is avaible to you on the open market and licensed in your country shouldn't you pay for the things you watch and support those that worked hard to bring it to you?
I absolutely agree. Having gone through college myself watching fansubs...I always spent whatever I could afford on US release DVD's of the anime series I loved the best to support all the work that goes into them and support the anime industry here in the US. Yes, I've watched a fansubbed anime then later bought the entire series on DVD. I personally love the quality of DVD's, love to have them in my DVD collection, and I really do try to be an honest living kind of guy...yes, I download fansubs, but I buy or rent what I can when I can afford it because that IS the RIGHT thing to do and without people supporting this stuff, it will stop being made."
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2 years 1 month ago

"Vandread was one of those animes I was greatly surprised by and is one of my all time favorites. I love the unique concept, characters, and overall development of the plot. The ending was a bit rushed, but no real complaints. As for a separation of genders ever happening....I think that is impossible. I mean, look at all the people that have a problem with in vitro fertilization (which is what a separation would require). What made the anime interesting is taking such an unrealistic situation and making it believable. You never learn quite why and how the elders were able to create such a rift in the genders (though you get clues), but once the separation had been established, I believe that people would be exactly like the characters in the anime with vast misunderstandings on what exactly the other gender is and how things were before the separation. If China can effectively filter and keep an entire nation ignorant of the world around them, it would be relatively simple with an oligarchy of men and women who had the equal kind of power over an entire populace (assuming there is no one who disagrees with the separation and rebels)."
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What do you do when you are angry..

2 years 1 month ago

"Anger is sometimes something that's hard to deal with without hurting others in the process. I take special care not to take out my anger on anyone or say hurtful things that I'll regret later. I'll take a walk and vent out my frustrations in a sort of mock speech as if I'm talking to whoever I'm angry with, and by the time I really have to face that person, I've typically released most of my irrational anger and can keep a level head about me and talk about the issue without being angry. Sometimes if I'm really pissed off, I'll kick and punch inanimate objects...whatever I can that is not breakable or won't hurt myself. The last thing I want to do is break something or hurt myself in the process....which I've accidentally done on a palm tree once. I do not suggest punching palm trees unless you like a hand full of splinters :P"
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