RachelleDrew

The only "questionable content" the Twilight series contain is the terrible writing and wussification of vampires. Otherwise, I don't see what the big deal is. You read "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "Of Mice and Men" in like, what, the fifth grade? How is the fluff that is Twilight controversial in anyway?

If you are drinking regular Chai then it has tea in it. You can buy herbal Chais that taste the same and have no tea.

I thought so too. Big conflict of interest there, IMO. On another note, if it were true that Miss California lost because of her answer, and not the format then I would think there would be some SERIOUS confidentiality clauses broken by Idiot.....I mean Perez. A lot of pageants won't let contestants see their score sheets, and they aren't allowed to discuss the results of the pageant with you for well after the pageant is over. I would have to assume Miss America has something like that, but perhaps not. I for one think it would be really funny if she sued. REALLY funny. Or if she had just climbed off the stage afterwards and pummeled Hilton.

While Perez would have probably still called you a b*, that would have been a more acceptable answer because it specifically addresses the question about legalization in states.

No. They instruct you in pageants to respond specifically to the question. Period. If anything, they usually even tell you to restate the question with your answer to avoid losing points for not staying exactly on topic. I have done dozens of pageants. Her answer would not be given high points. Prisonchaplin- I got asked a question about affirmative action by an african-american judge in one of the first pageants I ever won. That was in high school. Sure I was thrown a little off-guard but if a high schooler can do it then I would certainly expect Miss America (who usually has done HUNDREDS of pageants prior) to be able to do it. I'm not saying her answer was wrong or stupid, it's just not an accepted form. She would have lost anyway. On another note, Perez Hilton is somewhat hated by the gay community for his "outing" of certain celebrities who wanted to keep their sexuality private. He is not representative of the entire community. Also, he is an idiot.

Ugh, no they most certainly are not. As others are said, they are just lacking a leader. So the poor old Republicans are coming to the Libertarian table for dinner scraps.

I don't like that she dealt with Perez Hilton's nastiness either. With that being said, anyone with a half a brain and pageant experience knows that you DIRECTLY answer the question you were asked. She did not, and furthermore she bumbled over her words and spoke very un-eloquently. That would have lost her the crown EVEN IF she had answered the way Perez wanted her to. You do have to have some semblance of articulate speech if you want to make a career move like Miss America which heavily involves public speaking. That's the facts. It's really cool that she spoke her mind about the issue. However, the question wasn't "do you agree with homosexuality". She completely misunderstood the question in the first place. Kudos to her, but she wouldn't have won if she was wearing a dress made out of a Rainbow Flag.

Another thing to point out is this; studies have shown that people who are excessively cruel to animals are at risk for becoming a danger to other human beings. For that reason alone I am reluctant to be around people who are mean to animals. If they are willing to treat dogs like that, who is to say how they would treat a person? Not to mention the poor values they are instilling in their children by teaching them that disrespecting one of heavenly father's creatures is acceptable. If I were their neighbor, the dog would have "run away" by now. But then, I lack a lot of the aforementioned "values" myself.

^Thankfully he wound up being okay. But i'm sure it was bittersweet to see him acting like a teen again.

Ah suicide. Too many bad memories. I have severe Bi-Polar disorder as does my husband. We have both been hospitalized, evaluated, medicated, etc. time and time again. I was near being institutionalized by my parents they were so frustrated and lacking options. Most of the time suicidal thoughts are a result of depression, and i've dealt with that as many others have in this thread. However, there are other roots of suicide that I dealt with. The biggest one being mania. I'm not sure if you know what it means to be "manic" but the best way I can describe it would be giving a kid with ADHD cocaine and strapping them onto a roller coaster upside down. Your thoughts are incoherent, and while you aren't unhappy you are so overcome with your senses that cannot function properly. On days that I was REALLY manic I had visual and auditory hallucinations. I tried to kill myself a couple of times because I thought I was God and that I could bring myself back to life. A couple of other times I wanted to kill myself because in a moment of mania-induced paranoia I thought i was being followed by the government. There is nothing selfish or self-absorbed about it because you really don't know what in the world you are doing. My husband went through the same thing. He now has a problem with his kidneys because he drank a few bottles of wood cleaner trying to "wash out" a person he thought was living in his stomach. He was conscious enough to know that it would harm him, but he was so desperate to stop the voices in his head that he didn't care. While it's more rare, psychosis can happen in individuals with severe depression too. Not just Bi-Polar or Schizophrenia. Moral of the story? In a lot of situations the person in question has no idea of what they are doing, they aren't even aware of the consequences of their actions.

I think I should have clarified. By skirts and tops I mean most of the girls at my branch and former ward wore blue jean skirts and t-shirts or tank tops. Usually with like flip-flops. I wasn't referring to like cotton skirts with heels. That to me is more dress-upish. And yeah, a lot of these people are from the same (very conservative) family.

That's another thing that bugs me; the characterization of homosexuals. Society has turned homosexuals into a cartoon, almost comical characters. Just because a woman is masculine does not make her a lesbian. Just because a man is feminine does not make him a homosexual. Most homosexuals that I know agree that the effort the media has made to "normalize" homosexuality has actually backfired and created a cartoon character that stereotypes the gay community and is harmful to the community. Not every gay guy is a hairdresser "queen" who is obsessed with Jimmy Choos just like not every gay girl wears flannel and plays softball. Stereotypes like this are harmful to homosexuals AND straight people. It convinces the straight community that if they fit these stupid roles, then they MUST be homosexual. I see this a lot with tomboy women and femme guys. They deduce that they must be gay, otherwise they would be into more "appropriate" activities for their gender.

Ahh, I so wish I could get AT&T in my area so I could utilize an iPhone. I could wave bye-bye to my PDA, iPod, cellphone and datebook and just use the iPhone. I did not know about the scripture app, and now I want one even more.

Fian is right, wanting to be intimate with people of the same sex does not make you gay. It makes you average. Most women I know are attracted to other females at least on some level, even if they don't want to admit it. You are homosexual if you have absolutely no desire whatsoever towards the opposite sex. "Questioning" your sexuality implies that you are attracted to both sexes on some level. This is normal at any age, and especially for teenagers who have hormones pumping out of their ears. Usually same-sex attraction means very little at her age. I wish her parents were open enough to just tell her that much. She's going to wind up in a very sad predicament if they don't get their heads out of their butts and listen to her.

Semi-common. We go to a branch with very little room for things like chalkboards. So a lot of classes are taught on laptops using projectors. We don't have tables or anything in our classrooms, so if you want to take notes you are either doing it on your laptops or on a notepad on your knees. We opt for our laptops. It's easier to pay attention and be proactive in class discussions since I can type much faster than I can write.

For those of us who's green thumb is nonexistent, what are some options for EASY gardening? Or for those of us who don't have much room for a "real" garden. I've seen adverts for the topsy-turvy planters that grow tomatoes and peppers. Has anyone tried those? I have been itching to get one but i've never met anyone who could tell me if they actually worked or not.

I try and pack all of our stuff on Saturday night and get our clothes laid out so we can literally just wake up on Sunday and head to church. I realized that on days when we plan on being there for all the sessions we take a lot of stuff with us! I was curious as to what all of you took with you. Especially those of you who have to travel quite a distance to meetings (like we do). I always find i'm forgetting something... Here's a short list: Scriptures for my husband and I Our datebook/calendar Our laptops to take notes during class Couple of bottles of water Cereal bars Change of outfit/diapers/extra socks/hat/wipes/diaper cream/cheerios/juice cup/ tylenol for son's diaper bag. A couple of quiet toys like books or blocks. If we know we are gonna have a long day we also pack a lunch so we can have a picnic afterwards. What do all of you take with you to meetings?

Living in the midwest, our wards have always been more lax about Sunday attire. I've noticed families who move from the western states (Utah, Colorado and Arizona) are always dressed in suits with ties for the men, and dresses for women. They seem a bit shocked when they see us in skirts with tops, and men in button up shirts with no tie. It's just not how it's done here and no one has ever told us we should wear something different. The guys passing sacrament are expected to wear a white shirt with tie, but that's about the extent of it. If for some reason you weren't expecting to pass sacrament, or you don't have a white shirt or tie then our branch has some in every size stored away with baptism clothes. It's no big deal, it's just what is asked and if you want to change after sacrament or something that's fine. It's just what is required of our priesthood as they pass sacrament. Nobody gets angry or put out about it, it's just what is asked by our BP. If we get a new BP who wishes them to wear something different, then that's fine too.

Some of the scout's parents aren't very bright are they? Of course they should re-sell the candy bars. You are out to make a profit afterall, and there is no reason why the scouts should be eating that much candy anyway (I know how many people offer to donate instead of get a candy bar, the number is pretty high.)

I'm quite different online than I am offline. However, it's certainly not intentional. While I have my occasional outbursts on this forum, overall i'm a lot nicer here than I am in real life. It's just so much easier to be kind online, it takes a while to type out your thoughts, so you get a chance to think before you "speak". Real life does not work that way so I come across as very hateful and sarcastic in "real life" because I have a bad habit of letting my mouth run away with me. I've met several people from off internet message boards and forums. With the exception of one, we did not stay offline friends very long. Mostly because I think they are disappointed that I am not who they thought I was. However, it is certainly not the result of my desire to deceive. It's the result of posts having an "edit" button. I wish life worked that way.

When you spoke with them about the dog, what did they say? How did they react?

I think that the questions you are asking are completely understandable and legit. It's the way that you are asking them that I have a problem with. Calling us idiots and claiming we lack common sense, that's generally just saying to us "I came here to put down Mormons because my life is boring and I have the amusement level of a twelve year old boy". Here's the thing, there are several people on this board who aren't Mormon and some who are even atheists. However, they are welcome here because they can debate ideas and beliefs without being condescending or cruel. You apparently cannot do that. There is nothing wrong with asking a question and not getting an answer you agree with. That's called making discernment with the brain you were given. But you were given answers you didn't agree with, and decided to berate the people who were trying to make you see why we believe the way we do. Are we all just morons and you are the only intelligent person on this board to grace us with your dazzling intellect? Maybe, but if that is true you could try using your enormous brain to appreciate that some of the kind, gracious people here were just trying to help you and answer the questions YOU came here to ask. Good luck with your answer seeking.

If you don't like movies with nudity, then why are you watching them?

^Not typical, not at all. The majority of people who were at the one I went to are college graduates themselves. The one I attended didn't place all the blame on Obama or Bush. We were mostly libertarians who don't really care for the policies of either.

The families living on each side of us are losing their homes. My family is not, which is strange since we make far less than they do. By far less, I mean we make like 40 thousand a year and they make over 100 thousand a year. Now how is it that we figured out to save our money and buy a house in cash instead of letting the bank get our hands behind our backs? We refuse to get loans and gamble with credit, yet we have to pay for their house anyway? Why didn't they sell their fancy vehicles if they knew they were having trouble making their house payments? Why didn't they disconnect the satellite television? Why didn't they pull their kids out of expensive private school? Why, why why? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if you don't have the money, you SHOULDN'T BUY IT. I feel no pity for most people who lost their homes. It's one thing if you were truly doing everything in your power to save yourself from the situation, but for every five have-nots I will meet fifteen will-nots. The lenders and the borrowers share equal blame in this one, and I shall continue to blame them. Although I don't so much care myself, because I actually *ahem* own my house, not the bank.