Sentress

I'm on about book 11 I would say, and so far it's a decent series. Am I the only one who found book 11 to be a bit difficult to read? It's like she went back to the outline way of writing and I kept getting tripped up over the oddest things. Also, no likey Kyle. I've got to think a bit more on the characters to fully describe the series, but I recommend the series to anyone who is into mythology. Very, very good series. This novel provides enough action and lifelike scenarios to appeal to young teens. One can only hope that some of the shallow characterizations and puzzling connections among the girls and their history will be clarified in future installments.Even though this book is for "teens" I really enjoy the books in the series so far, and they make a quick and somewhat interesting read. I saw that there is a Sons of the Dark series by Lynne. Its like the girls bad counterparts. I am going to read them as well.

Holy moly.. can I enter? :3

I switched over to GMail a couple months ago and am very pleased. My specific reason for switching was because I wanted to use GMail as my spam filter. It works wonders and I get almost no spam these days. In addition since I've gotten used to labels instead of folders I can't really imagine going back.I have recently found some minor drawbacks, the biggest being a lack of lists for contacts. In general though I think GMail has really helped reign in the mess of emails I receive on a daily basis.

Our planet is a paradise for life. But it wasn't always this way. There are two mass extinctions that are fairly well known to most people. The Permian and Cretaceous Mass Extinctions. The Cretaceous is the most well known. It's the "Dinosaur Killer Asteroid" event. The Permian could be due to several factors: Glaciation, Volcanic Eruptions, Possible Impactor, Continental Drift etc.. However, there have really been at least 8 Mass extinctions of life on Earth. There have also been around 3 minor extinction events.Yup. Eight Mass extinction events. Some of these effected life-forms in certain environments such as the oceans. Others were truly destructive, killing life down to the microbial level. The mechanisms behind all of these are not completely understood. However, even though the severity of some of these is hotly debated, the implications are well understood in my opinion: Life is tenacious and very hardy. However, only within a certain, limited, range of environmental conditions. Change these conditions and life will cease to thrive. Any dramatic change has catastrophic implications. "Life" may very well be a "paper tiger." It may appear all-pervasive and tenacious. But when faced with sever and rapid global change, life may not be able to adapt.So, while life is certainly vibrant and hardy, it does require a narrow range of conditions. How do we apply that knowledge to extraterrestrial life? It's difficult, but I suppose it can be done. Exobiologists seem to enjoy trying at least!If we look at Mars we see a dead planet. However, recent evidence points to a dynamic planet which may have had abundant reserves of liquid water. We believe, as evidenced on Earth, that liquid water is required for "life." (The truth is, thinking about life without water is, well, very difficult. Let's go with what we know.) Other recent findings suggest that life on Earth developed rapidly. Far more rapidly than was first thought. There is good evidence to suggest that life took hold on Earth over 3.9 billion years ago. It's very possible that life developed on Earth over 4 billion years ago. Basically, as soon as the house was ready, life may have moved in.What would this say about Mars? Well, if Mars had a history which included liquid water, it is possible that life took hold. We know from our own history that life seems to grab at the first chance it gets. (We have a humongous representative sample of "1" ) If Mars' life-giving environment was stable enough, for long enough, then life should have taken root.. somewhere. But, there is a catch. Mars has problems. It doesn't have the gravity to hold on to it's atmosphere. It does not have a protective magnetic field similar to Earth's. Radiation from solar winds could cause problems. (Mars does not exhibit the "dynamo" effect that Earth does. It's mag field is different. This is fairly rare planets in our system.) These factors combine to make Mars, presently, an inhospitable planet. The water seems to either have frozen underground or been vaporized due to low pressures and leached out into space. What could have happened to life?Life could have developed on Mars. But, it would have been fated to die. As conditions slowly changed, the very small range within such life could have survived would have been drastically effected. As we know from our own history, if such changes last long enough or take place quickly enough, life can neither survive nor adapt. We only survived 8 mass extinctions and 3 minor ones because conditions on Earth stabilized rapidly enough or environmental changes did not cover a large spectrum. If that hadn't of happened, we wouldn't be here.It is possible that there could be some form of life left on Mars. If there had ever been any to begin with that is. I agree that it is somewhat difficult to destroy all life on a planet. However, Earth has never been subject to the conditions that Mars exhibits. There could very well be a "breaking point" where life is doomed to oblivion. If life still exists on Mars, the best bet, imho, would be microbial life beneath the surface. Beyond that, I would say that Mars may be a dead rock. If liquid water existed on Mars long enough for life to take hold, then I believe that there is a 100% chance that we will discover evidence for life when/if the Mars Mission gets there.

Well I guess since I'm the one who's wacked out sleep-deprived, I should share my weirdest one (that I can remember at least).So I'm asleep and I'm Frodo XD (from LOTR in case you can't remember lol), and my friend Meg is Sam. We've got to go destroy the one ring, but instead of hiking all that way to Mount Doom we're going to drive in those black bodyguard SUVs. o_O We're going along and we need to get gas and snacks and things of that nature so we pull into a gas station in the middle of Rohan. Zomg. Everyone goes in and gets in line with their purchases and I'm the last person to get up there. So I hand the lady at the counter my credit card and she somehow loses it, but doesn't say anything to me right away. So when she hands me my groceries I ask her where my card is, and she says "I don't know." At that point I got on the counter and started screaming at her about "MY PRECIOUS! YOU'VE LOST MY PRECIOUS!"I woke up right after that. o_o;;

I once saw a film of a demonstration of this phenomenon... a pan ofwater was placed in a large vacuum chamber (run by NASA in the 60s, I think). The air was pumped out. At some point the water began to boil. When water turns to a gas there is a "heat of vaporization" that must be supplied (which is why sweating cools you), in this case by the remaining water. Eventually the water cooled enough to freeze, but it was still boiling! (Which made a really big mess--ice chunks flyingeverywhere.)Anyway, I have no idea whether this film has been digitized and placed on the Net, or where to find it otherwise (you might try asking the people in charge of freshman physics at a local university), but it is well worth seeing.

I don't know. *laughs* I had my first kiss when I was 18, exactly before I was eighteen. And it wasn't exactly a kiss between a girlfriend and a boyfriend. *cough* It was unexpected really. XD It happened the day before my eighteenth birthday, I was with my bestfriend Chels that day, we were spending time on a project for Computer studies, and blah blah. And then suddenly there was this weird silence, I dunno what came over her, but well, she leaned over, and telling me it was time I learned how to kiss, and so she planted one on me. o_o;; I wouldn't have been able to get through the whole situation if she didn't laugh at my rather flustered expression, ; but needless to say, I was glad my first kiss wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It would have been nice if it was with a guy though. ^^;;

Yay~! I got 8/10. I was so sure that guy with glasses was a programmer, but then again, don't judge a book by its cover surrely applies in here. Thanks for sharing the link. ^^

Holy crapness, that's scary. Lol. But I guess I could be his Valentine, so after we meet I could call the police and let them investigate this stalker person. And accuse him of violating my privacy. !

The bottom line is Pepsi is nothing more than a third rate Coke clone (2nd rate would be RC cola) it tastes too sugary sweet, D: its as if they said lets make something like coke but with 3 times the sugar. o_OTo me it honestly tastes no better than the generic brand of cola any and every supermarket produces. As for losing its edge Pepsi has never even had and edge. There is something compelling about drinking a soft drink that was once laced with an illicit substance. Even though it has long since been removed we still know that Coke was once "slumming it" for real. In a three legged cauldron no less. o_o *gets shot by Pepsi supporters*XD

Recently, someone I know broke up with their boyfriend of six years. The first thing that came to my mind was "what makes you realise that the relationship is no good after six years, that you couldn't have known at, say, 3, 4 or 5 years?"Apologies if this is too dumb and open-ended a question, but at my age (19) and lack of life experience, I just can't get my head around it. I'm currently in a year-long relationship, and it's bizarre to think that in 2 years it's possible that we'll hate each other. Excluding the obvious betrayals such as infidelity, what the hell would cause that?I understand that the responses will be varied, and it's the range of experiences that I'm interested in hearing. The issue(s) that ended the relationship -- did they arise unexpectedly? Or did you always sort of know? I have this morbid curiosity to know what can make something really really good evaporate into nothing.My friends are too young to help me with this, and I'm too impatient to wait three heartbreaks and a restraining order to find out myself.

In today's world meeting people now takes on new forms and the internet is one of them. I think online is alright for general friendships and having a person/place to converse with especially if you do not converse much off line. People need outlets to talk sometimes. I do think much caution has to be exercised when moving to a romantic stage online as we all hear the horror stories. Some would say that meeting a date online is really no more harmful than meeting a stranger in a bar. But face to face contact will often tell you things you cannot get online. When people are face to face the body chemistry can give signals that may warn you the connection is not good where as you may not sense that online.If you are young with not much dating experience,I 'd highly advise you against it it's too hard in the flesh to see if someones being truthful, and in the long run, you could be setting yourself up for some heartbreak. Think about your mother, and ask her the reason why she wanted you to stop talking to your guy. Maybe she'll be able to clear things up and give you an advice.I have met guys from the internet and in real life and have had probably about the same amount of disappointments from both. People can lie just as much to your face as well, and they do.However I don't think I could say I am head over heels in love with someone until I met them in person. I could care very deeply for them and be open to the possibility that I could maybe fall for them if I met them. There's just nothing quite like looking into a persons eyes, hearing the tone in their voice, and feeling their touch. Sure you can kinda do some of these things online but it's quite limited.As with any type of relationship, proceed with caution and always get to know a person as best you can. Keep in mind that online, you cannot see into their eyes to know if they are sincere. I wish you all the luck Sweety.

I think this is dysfunctional and probably not healthy to continue. Perhaps you should do your best to remain friends in some capacity (not dating). Everything you describe makes it sound very much like you had a lot more emotionally invested in this relationship than she did. Bottomline, you won't be happy until you get over her. Breaking up sucks, and it sounds like you haven't experienced it before. Put your energy into something else. I understand that you love her and understand that you want to be with her, but that may not be the way the cards are dealt. You need to create a life for yourself that is fun and compelling and passionate that is independent of her, so that should the two of you get together in the future, as lovers or as friends, she will add spice to the recipe as opposed to being the main ingredient you're obsessing over.Something I've found to really help minimise the impact of a breakup is to not only delete the numbers off the speed dial, but also archive / delete all the old emails. Get rid of the IM chatfiles. Delete old phone messages. Pick up, pack up and put away absolutely EVERYTHING that reminds you of her. You don't have to pitch it, just put it far away, in storage, out of sight. Someday, maybe, you'll have the distance and perspective to sift through all the old photos, keepsakes, etc... but for now going through that stuff is just picking at scabs.And, I know this sounds cheesy, but go out and *do* something. Turn off the computer and get outside. Join a dodgeball team, get a pet, start a project, pick a hobby, join a 'meetup' or social networking club... heck host a MeFi meetup even. New interests and new people are great distractions from the mopes.Take it from someone who knows: mooning around on the internet is a surefire path to despair. D:

I don't necessarily believe that homosexuality is a belief that is born into you but I don't think it is a choice either. I love my brother very much and have watched him grow into the man he is today. We had a life most people wouldn't want and I believe that the choices that others made affected the way my brother's life turned out just as it has affected mine.My brother is gay. He came out of the closet about 4yrs ago but it was a long time coming. I don't know whether it is wrong or right and it's not for me to decide. This is something that is between God and him. Who my brother chooses to lay down with is his choosing. He has had a christian upbringing so he knows the teachings of the bible. I don't believe that my brother has conciously chosen this lifestyle but this is the natural progression in his life. It is not easy to just turn it off and forget it's there. It's not like you can just stay out of a bar so you don't drink or keep away from people with drugs so that you don't touch the stuff. This has to do with the heart because believe it or not these people's hearts choose people of the same gender.You often read things in the bible and say that that ritual or that 'saying' is something that pertains to that time and place. What if (and I am just throwing this out there) that the things against homosexuality were written down by *person*-phobes. *I know I am going to get flamed for that one*. I mean Paul obviously had something severely against marriage. He often said DON'T DO IT. Does that mean something is wrong with it? Maybe in HIS eyes but the bible often talks of love and spouses and the good that it brings.I am one of those that believe that the bible has to be taken with a grain of salt. It was written by men and inspired by God with the Holy Spirit helping them along... How many times have you or someone you know believe that something you believe is from the Holy Spirit and therefore right only to find out later it was your own closed mind and not a correct interpretation?The bible only speaks of homosexual behavior as sinful. It doesn't mention homosexual temptation. Lust is lust, regardless of what the object of lust is-- and this is covered separately.The bible states that temptation is not a sin-- only that succumbing to temptation is. (Proof: Christ was tempted "but was without sin").Therefore, abstaining from homosexual actions and not lusting, is all that the Bible calls us to do. So its perfectly ok to be "gay" as long as you know your limits.Just my 2cents...

Ethics, what qualifies ethics in prolonging suffering? In the pursuit to qualify these ethics, from what resource are they attributed to.If one has implement euthanasia ?humanely? to stop a dogs ?suffering? why can these ethics not be applied to man.What distinction is there in suffering?The other justifiable killing of people is war or the death penalty, a Pandora?s Box that is widely accepted and legislatively controlled, (a term used lightly).Why do people cling to every vestige of possible life whether healthy or not, this entire issue if properly legislated could have been avoided because people would have right to die and not have to illicit subterfuge in order to die.If this man is guilty of murder proven that she did not wish to die then his crime is murder, if not then let us not judge him for euthanasia. We have no right to dictate the right to live or die.

Most explanations I've read of 666 have to do with Gematria. Of course, many of us know that Hebrew and Greek letters all have numeric values, and thus all words in those languages have a numeric value. The number 666 was probably used to encode a specific person's name so that the author of the Book of Revelation could openly criticize a public figure without fear of blatantly naming that person. Of all the explanations Caesar Nero is the most popular (and the most plausible, I think). Mr. Nero was a terrible persecutor of early Christians and book is generally purported to be written during his reign.Also, it is probable that the number has more general symbolic meanings. In the numerology prevailing at the time 6 was thought to be an imperfect number. I'm guessing this is because of its multiple divisors, but I'm not sure. In any case, the number has that symbolic meaning and its appearance three times is a symbol of its superlative function. Just as we have ever increasing qualifiers in the words "big" "bigger" and "biggest" so it is the case with 666 representing the superlative of that which is disgusting and terrible.Perhaps someone with a greater knowledge of Gematria and numerology can explain these symbolic meanings more properly.