anonemouse

Actually, a virus is not a living organism. It doesn't metabolize, and that is one of the basic requirements of "life." That's why it's usually not a good idea to take antibiotics when you have a virus. They are designed to kill living organisms, which viruses are not.

Actually, you are wrong. Atheist literally means that someone lacks belief in a creator or a god or gods, not that they don't believe in anything.

Me, me! Well, probably, since my consult is in late June, and they told me that they'd have me done before I change policies on August 2nd.

1. I've failed students, which is a wonderful stress relief. 2. I emailed Bellsouth and got put on their DNC list (even though it will take a while to take effect). 3. I told my parents to keep their mouths shut about my surgery. Just because I have made a post or two about it at one time doesn't mean that I'm not doing something about it. I make posts to vent. Once I'm through venting, I take care of it. Venting is my method of releasing anger. That's what venting means, a release. Where was the method of dealing with it? All I saw was, "you're so angry!!!" and "life's too short." Ooh, that's a wonderful method, kind of like the "just lose weight" method of motivating someone in weight loss.

Honestly, I think people SHOULD be required to register before they can view. Even if they never post, I think it would be a good idea. I am all for restricting access to certain areas, though, for the non-registered. Just have the RnR forum locked to non-members, and only let the registered members in the forum.

So, instead, you are telling Alex, "Everyone on the board should be inconvenienced because a select few either refuse to learn about the options available, or they're too lazy to change them"? And the "bunch of stuff" isn't a bunch of stuff. It would be a screen with a short description of the site and forums, and a short description of the options available to the new member, and probably would include a disclaimer about the medical advice contained on the site. There would be a little box where they could click "Yes, I've read the disclaimer/description/whatever." And honestly, it's something that probably needs to be done anyway, to prevent litigation from people who think that the medical advice given on LBT is more valid than the advice given by their doctors. After all, people sue like crazy these days.

Because the last time I checked, I could breathe on my own and I have a self-sustaining heartbeat.

No, sweetie, It angers me more when people patronize me. And seriously, I'd like you to answer my question. Why exactly should I be all sunshine and flowers over crappy students, telemarketers (that I've gotten 5 more calls from today, BTW), and nosy relatives that won't do anything but harass me about having WLS? Please, I really am interested in your answer. Would you be thrilled?

Then all the more reason to require that newbies read and acknowledge that they've read a description of the site, the forums, and the options available to them. Heck, that's what many sites do today. I think even OH has you click a box acknowledging that you know the terms of service.

I swear, it feels like I am slamming my head into a brick wall. Once again, the off-topic forums don't have to be prominently displayed. Instead, it's left up to the individual members to decide. If they decide they don't want to see it prominently displayed, they don't have to. If they decide that they do want to see it prominently displayed, they can. It's a perk of the site. Lots of options make the site very desirable. You can change all sorts of things. Don't want the chick at the top? Change the option. Want the ads to the right of the page instead of the left? Change the option. Don't want to see RnR or Talk Lounge in your new posts or on the top 5? Change the option.

I'm sorry, but everything seems to be piling on at the moment. Forgive me if I want to vent in an area that is made for venting. Can you tell me what's positive about having students that don't study, telemarketers calling at all hours, nosy relatives, etc.? Please, tell me the positives, there. Last time I checked, I was allowed to vent. I spend 95% of my time being very positive. I'm allowed to talk about the things that make me angry. It's what makes someone a healthy person. Holding it in until you explode isn't very healthy. Or positive.

That's exactly the point, I agree. They aren't being subjected to it. Since there is the option of removing those off-topic threads from their sight, they CHOOSE to see the debate. If they don't want to see it, they have that option.

I could say the same about your stance. YOU have decided that YOU don't want to be subjected to seeing even the title of a thread, but YOU don't want to take 5 seconds, once, to go change your settings. Instead, YOU want to remove the option from EVERYONE ELSE, simply because YOU don't like what you're seeing. YOU want EVERYONE ELSE to have to deal with going out of their way every single time THEY want to see a thread in RnR because YOU don't want to see a few titles. Seems more like YOU are the lazy one. YOU would only have to make one trip to your control panel, and make a few clicks. WE would have to go out of our way every single time we visit LBT.

My point is that one does not cause the other. People are not given personal liberties just because they are alive. They receive the full power of personal liberty when they reach adulthood. Actually, it would be very easy to do. If your baby was born at 36 weeks instead of the usual 40, she would be 36 weeks old. If she was born at 41 weeks, she would be 41 weeks old. Legally, apparently it does, or I would be 24 right now instead of 23. They can CALL it whatever they want to. A woman can call her fetus a monster, if she wishes, but it doesn't mean that her fetus is literally a monster. We assign things names, but it doesn't change what they are. A fetus sucking on its thumb IS a blob of tissue sticking part of its tissue into a cavity. I can suck on my thumb right now, and I am still a bunch of tissues sticking a part of that bunch of tissues into a cavity.

Well, you can tell them that they are free to come back, since they do have the option of not seeing those threads anymore.

I'm not trying to subject others to view titles. I believe I have said several times in this thread and in the poll thread that I personally think that people should have the right to make the choice for themselves. I just hate that everyone seems to be favoring the removal of the threads from those pages entirely and not giving people the option. I just don't understand why people are fighting over it. They already have the option of removing those threads from their sight. Why favor more extensive change? To be honest, I don't want to be inconvenienced by other people, especially when they already have the ability to make the change they want on their own account. I don't want to have to go to every individual forum to read a thread. I use "new posts" almost exclusively. If they want to remove RnR from their own "new posts" listings, they can feel free. But I will get pissed if they try and remove it from mine. And I do have to ask, if you can remove those threads from your listing, why subject others to having to go search for them? My bottom line is to leave the decision up to the individual. If they don't want to see the RnR threads, they don't have to. If they want to see the RnR threads in "New Posts," they can.

I know that some people think that I am just pissed of because he's inconveniencing my schedule, but I'm not. I'm worried that he's rushing into this out of a sense of guilt. His last few relationships have all been long-term relationships that eventually broke up. He just broke up with the last one in December. He still owns a house with her. I just think that, judging from his pattern, he's jumping into this way too fast.

There are very few threads in RnR that have offensive titles. I can see the "boylove" title being offensive, but the rest? Not even remotely, for the most part.

You don't. You can still view LBT, whether or not there are threads from RnR visible. It just makes a lot more sense for you to remove threads that you don't want to see, especially when that option is available to you, than for you to take that choice away from everyone else. Why is your wish to not see RnR threads more important than my wish to see them? Especially if there is a way where you can restrict them from your view? Why make it so that everyone else's view is restricted as well? And by the way, choosing to remove that thread from "new posts" doesn't remove it from the entire board. You can still view them, if you wish. Those threads just aren't displayed on the "new posts" page or in the "top 5." Which is what you are after, correct?

Because in this country, we consider personal liberty to be more important than life. Otherwise, we would have remained a British colony. And children really don't have personal liberty. That's been proved time and time again by the Supreme Court. They may get that privelege in the future, but it isn't afforded to them currently. They don't have the right to free speech. They don't have the right to privacy. There's lots of priveleges that we consider to be part of "personal liberty" that we don't give to children. And again, there is the argument that a fetus is not a child, and therefore has no personal liberties. Plus, if our society considered a fetus to be a child, we would say that a child is nine months and one week old a week after they are born. We don't, though. One week after birth, that child is one week old.

I'm not calling them immature for reading those threads. I just think it is immature to blame other people for them reading the threads. Especially when there is a method to remove those threads from that list entirely. I have no problem with them removing those threads/forums from THEIR pages. I don't want it removed from MINE. That's my entire objection. If people don't want to be exposed to those threads on the "new posts" page or the "top 5," they have the ability to keep them from being shown. Why keep everyone else from seeing them, though?

For those that don't know how to remove an entire forum from the "New Posts" page, here's how: Click on "User CP" at the top of the page. Click on the "Edit Options" link at the left of the page. Go down to "Miscellaneous Options" at the bottom of the page. At the bottom of that section is an option called "Exclude Forums from 'Get New Posts'". It displays all the forums on the board. Click on the forums that you don't want displayed. Click "Save Changes." There, you've successfully excluded your forum(s) of choice from your "New Posts" page.

What I don't understand is why people can't let other people make the decision for themselves? Why do they feel the need to make it for them? If someone doesn't want to be exposed to off-topic threads, they aren't forced to be. Let the members make that decision for themselves. If they don't want to see it, they can change the setting for the new posts page in their control panel. But there are those of us who DO want to see those posts on our "New Posts" pages. Alex has given us the ability to make that choice as individuals. If those threads offend people so much, change the setting in your control panel. It won't keep you from going to Rants and Raves and opening threads there, but it will keep those threads from appearing on your "New Posts" page and on the "Top 5." Problem solved.

And that is something that no one can agree on. So, we err on the side of personal liberty.

Can it sustain that breath, though? Could it sustain a heartbeat? If so, then the baby should be delivered. If not, then there isn't anything wrong happening. I am not in favor of a ban. I think it is something that should be determined on a case-by-case basis.