Gotama Sidhartha was a real person. It is proven in records that he lived. In the end though to keep peace we should just be able to voice opinions as long as they are not ugly and no one should really be confronting others on it or it becomes a flame war between two religions. This is why CtR warned people ahead of time that it could get ugly and if it did she'd have to close this topic. Let's all try to keep things fair whether we choose one over the other or neither. That way a topic doesn't have to get closed as people offer up their personal insights.
The reason for many religions being gone is Christianity, though other religions such as Islam and Judaism and Egyptian mythos also absorbed many groups or squashed them out. This is always a controversial topic since many people either aren't informed and believe less happened or some people believe it is far worse than what I post here so if I offend anyone, I apologize ahead of time. It is what I've learned over the years being a history buff and I'm really shortening a lot of it but trying to give the main ideas on what transpired through records. Egyptian religion early on was highly adaptable and blended with other groups that were local in areas as the Egyptian Empire took many territories. Many Polytheistic faiths would as seizing territory take in the local deities of the regions as well to worship and use the new names as well as former ones of deities that had the same functions so some deities just blended or merged in. Those with different functions were also taken for the whole groups. Hinduism, Egyptian, Roman and Greek mythos did this often. Also, some areas in the Mesopotamian regions collapsed and rose on their own or through wars and catastrophes which wiped out local beliefs. Jewish followers of the times also wrote the Bible and collected, finishing it in Babylon and took some ideals from the areas such as Ziggurats, making events different from the local religious beliefs. Then comes Christianity, which either absorbed religious ideals and traditional holidays etc or deleted them, killing off those who were extreme in other beliefs to quell others and take over as the religion and land requirements grew. Egyptian, Celtic, Norse, Germanic, Roman etc Mythos all went the way of the dodo pretty much because of Christianity, inspired by the Romans that had converted. Islam is another radical religion that duked it out with Christianity and these other groups too. However, the Muslims of course fared much better and are the second most powerful religion today. Wars and expansions happened all through the Dark Ages and prior. When Rome converted to Christianity, the old habit of expansion was still in progress. The only difference between the Roman Empire's expansion is that they did not particularly care as much what religions or traditions people had. As a matter-a-fact, a lot of these religious ideas even ended up in Rome and colored up their own beliefs or non-beliefs, for they had non-religious too and philosophers. Christianity changed a lot of those ideals. So with the Roman way of life and territory claiming coupled with the Christian opinion that there is only -one- true religion, other religious groups suffered that were already under Roman rule and then after that nations began doing their own spreading of the religion after it was embedded into them when the Roman Empire had fallen. Then you have eras like the Crusades and Inquisition periods and laws made in places pertaining to 'disbelievers'. The religion traveled through Russia, north also into England, Norway, Sweden, etc and again there was resistance. However, since some of these groups were more strong at resisting and the weather conditions made hard for war but for some of these groups and other reasons, people tried new techniques. It went back to the 'Romanizing' ways of thought with Monks and others who traveled north and did not consider 'war' a viable option since they were more peaceful. There was war so don't get me wrong there, but often monks would go to these areas and convert some groups more peacefully. They absorbed holidays to work along with Christian days because people were very adamant on not giving these up. The north was cold in winters and needed something to do than be grim. So Easter and Winter Solstice/Yule ended up being accepted in Christianity but with Christian overtones instead of the northern Celtic and Norse beliefs amongst some others and days were shifted around to be compliant. This is why we have additional holiday festivities that originally were not Christian such as the Yule Tree, Yule log, mistle toe, easter eggs, giant festive meals, etc. Also Christian monks did write down some tales such as Beowulf which were told by mouth for generations, albeit adding Christian undertones again to them so they would endure and not be destroyed by the Church. Some monks really took chances doing this because they were more benevolent than the churches they associated with and took up causes of some of the less violent Saints. The Christian movement by the monks was not so hard to accept as the message the people would bring was one of peace and hope for people some of the time by monks after military had seized areas. Adaptation was a big thing that was kind of forced on people and at the same time incorporated days and local events of each area so they could still have some of their cultures. So, all in all it comes down to the basics that land was taken and seized by powerful people who had beliefs in Christianity often back when it was a very violent religion. Islam had its influence too and some places that did not want to convert to Christianity went that way instead and rebelled against it. This sometimes also caused wars and skirmishes because the Muslims were also violent. Influence of the 'West' was a big thing to the countries to the east as well. When the church split to Protestant and Catholic ideals, many Protestants came to the Americas and the same process transpired there with the Native Americans as the Europeans sought to expand land and spread the word of their beliefs. So land and then settlement to regions with people of solid beliefs motivated change. Again, I apologize if I offended anyone because I realize it's a touchy subject.
I'm really kind of confused, Hippie. Why would you ignore so many people? How could that many people upset one person on here? I think you are being kind of over-emotional here and should think things through. Maybe some time away would be a good idea. I cannot imagine how 56 people here could tick anyone off or upset them. That's some thin skin. I can think of a few people now and then who annoy me but heck, I hate no one and if some people hate me, oh well. This is a forums and if people say they actually 'like you' then why isn't that good enough to understand? Seriously, think about things. You seem very negative and if someone says he/she likes you why should you doubt it when you will automatically assume it is true if someone says they dislike you? That's really one-sided. Feel better and think on it!
Obesity is a touchy subject and there are quite a few causes for it as people have already mentioned. Genetics - People -do- have different genetics and also metabolisms. This is a proven fact. Some people just gain more body fat easier whether they work out or not. Genetics and food types goes hand in hand really. Food types - There are the issues brought up about fast food and all but that isn't all that is the problem here. Some people are actually having allergic reactions to food that put it away and store it as fat instead of the body using it for energy. Some food types such as those saturated with carbs galore such as pastas, breads, etc are for some people not very good for them. Many Native Americans, Hispanics and African Americans do have trouble with carbohydrates as this diet was not one their ancestors were accustomed to. The ancestry of people that ate veggies, fruits and meats went over to foods high in carbs which has caused many problems over years. Also carb foods are the cheapest and what poor people have to buy in droves because food stamps and/or low paying jobs allow them this option instead of getting solid variety. On the same note, some people gain weight eating meats and oily foods more easily. Preservatives - Some foods have a lot of preservatives and junk in them to keep food 'fresh' but also cause people to gain weight due to reactions from them that the people might not realize they are having. Extras in food is just not good and it's why those who can afford it try to switch to Organic when they can. Good food though, regardless of what it is, always seems to cost more than many can afford, as I said last paragraph. Exercise - This can be true for some people who get obese, that they do not get out there and do some exercise. This can be for a number of reasons such as health disorders like MS, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis etc that cause considerable pain and people go misdiagnosed or the problem is not discovered for years. Also, it could be that some people are just lazy. Since a lot of jobs do not require the common strain that former jobs did in years prior, it is important for people to take time to do some kind of athletic thing to keep the body moving and up metabolism rates. Exercise does improve metabolism with consistent effort to it and even for people in pain, there are small exercises they can do. Most people -can- exercise even if they can only do minor things to at least keep muscle. The point with exercise is that if you have more muscle you will burn more fat off as long as you do the work because the body will think it needs this muscle to be a smooth machine with the activities it does. If you don't exercise, the body will take away from muscle instead and that is not what people want to lose. Food Intake - There are people that are compulsive eaters and have a disorder that needs addressed. Some people when they get stressed out also eat more because it gives their brains something else to think about and it's their 'nervous tick'. There are tricks people can learn to do other things instead of resorting to eating when depressed, stressed or anxious but these things are not common knowledge and out there for every day people. Also, people get scammed or have to pay for what -should- be common knowledge. It's pretty disappointing. These people that actually have a compulsive problem with it or are 'addicted to food' need help and motivation to find a way to do something more constructive, almost as though food is a drug. If you really think about it, food -is- a drug. Food causes reactions in people too. Some make you feel tired, good, energized, etc. If we look at it as an addiction that needs some assistance, people who are in this category may actually get better help. Age - As people grow older, metabolism slows down. It gets a lot harder to lose weight as an adult in your 30s then it is for someone who is 25 and younger. It takes more effort and determination and can be a bad problem if the person was already overweight when they were teens. It is true that -some- people really are just lazy bums that complain and whine about weight and are jealous of thinner people, but at the same time some people really do have some problems that need analyzed and I try to not be so quick to judge. I do have obese friends that pretty well seem to choose to remain the way they are when I try to encourage them to come with me and go do stuff and then others who are obese and yet can keep up with me on 5 mile walks easy enough and don't seem to eat anymore than I do. It really therefore is hard for me to just say they all are doing it to themselves.
You could be right and it was just some decorative thing he wore for comfort and design though it doesn't really do anything for his appearance. It could be that Nomura just wanted to put 'something' on his hands because otherwise he was just kind of dull. His clothes were the most 'tame' and well, I could see people wearing his attire in real life which anyone else's I'd have to doubt that. I still ponder it's for the injury he might have received from Roxas but in the end I can't be sure it also isn't just some design thing to make his arms not so plain. So, I'm not really going to disagree with you guys who say it's just for decoration anymore but just instead leave it as a question since I can't be absolutely sure. I'm about 50/50 on the issue. I am pretty sure though that the Darkness issue doesn't exist though since as I said, he could use Darkness like it's child's play.
In the end I don't think Riku or King Mickey mattered so much to Xemnas because they were so covert and hard to find any way. Both characters in both games were rather not seen much by the general populace so aren't so well known. Sora was out there exposed and is 'the Keyblade Master' so of course he was going to be used. Also, when Roxas was found he was put in the Org so when he was taken and merged back with Sora, the necessity to still have a Keyblader was paramount so Sora was the obvious choice. He's easy to find as he searches for Riku and King Mickey with Donald and Goofy and worlds know him. He could always be accessible.
My favorite summon was Peter Pan because he easily gave the most orbs in the tournaments and helped me win them all. However, I also did like Stitch and Genie was kind of interesting. I loathed Chicken Little and wished the sky would have fallen on just him. He was just the most worthless summon to me.
I'm sure you could do a fine job. I don't think we are all looking for something super special with mega graphics really.
Yeah but you are missing the point that even if you don't care about members losing posts there's still the fact that just having a sticky with 'former topics and the decision' is basically not enough. I know whenever I have posted a suggestion I always check around first through other posts to ensure it hasn't come up and also when topics have been asked again though denied, people DO go back and read the former threads to see what the consensus was. It is important to let people read through these logs so that if they do bring up a topic already denied they have some good reason to do it. There's no point bringing up a suggestion if in the former topic all was said that could be said. Sometimes though people lock threads before some people can post and the topic didn't look important at the time but the new person posting might have a different angle to present the case for the suggestion. This to me seems rather important and should not be lost. I do not think we need another section for it though. The locked threads underneath the stickied thread seems good enough and it's also in one area. Once a thread is locked it's going to move down the list so all new threads will also always be at the top. It works. I say don't fix something that isn't broke.
Daredevil is a Marvel character that is blind but can 'see' through sensitive hearing. He was injured by a toxic waste accident which caused him to go blind as a kid, but he grew up to be a lawyer on the one side and a vigilante crime fighter for his alter ego. The movie starred Ben Affleck and I'm so annoyed I paid for the DVD and it blew chunks. If you go to IMDB there's a listing for it. Ghost Rider is the movie you are thinking of, and I actually liked that movie but then again, I'm a GR fan and there was a lot of 'tribute' stuff in there even if it deviated from the comics. My only complaint on Ghost Rider was that the fight scenes were so short, which normally I have not had that complaint hardly ever in a film. The acting to me was great but the fight scenes seemed cut down a lot. It made Ghost Rider look really cool that he could dispatch people so quick but led for wanting more butt kicking.
I really start to wonder at movie ratings anymore. I suppose this one was rated R because of the maturity of the situations presented and it's inappropriate somehow for kids. I can see for little kids it might not be so great...though I don't know if I would not let a kid see it. Teenagers though, I have no idea why they could not watch it. It should have been rated PG-13 at highest. Then again, Alvin and the Chipmunks was somehow rated PG-13 because of 'mild rude humor' which I'm guessing had to do with a scene of one of the chipmunks pooping and one fart scene. Really it was not meriting this rating at all. It pretty much mimicked the cartoon but was more in detail. There are other movies I really don't get ratings for either but I digress. This movie didn't deserve an R. Yes, it's an adult theme of seriousness but teenagers can understand and not be horrified.
