Sunta

I will really miss Tammy Faye Mesner. I just loved her. She embodied what Christianity is supposed to be about. She was also incredibly smart, funny, and kind. Let me know your thoughts about Tammy, a truly marvelous spirit.

No, please explain This article is a re-print. It explains far better than I could, and gives links to Websites to obtain further information: Technological advances during the last century led to low mortality rates and high birth rates across countries around the world. In addition to this, increased migration and concentration of population clusters in selected locations have put extreme pressure on the surrounding regions. Scientists are now predicting that unless we bring a healthy balance in the growth rate many countries will be facing acute food shortage and our environment may face irreversible damage that will jeopardize our future. According to a UN report, the world population is predicted to grow from 6.5 billion to 9.1 billion by 2050. Can you imagine the pressure this will put on our scarce resources? Some common definitions of Population For a brief overview of world population, read this. This article gives a brief history of the unprecedented growth in population since the last century. It also provides reference for different theories on population growth. You can also visit this website for a look at the population statistics for countries and their major cities. Population Growth and the Environment 'Overpopulation indicates a scenario in which the population of a living species exceeds the carrying capacity of its ecological niche. In common parlance, the term usually refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment (the planet Earth). Read this article on overpopulation to know how overpopulation can lead to acute shortage of resources. Though the birth rate has fallen in some economically advanced countries, it has increased alarmingly in other countries, leading to increased pressure on land and other resources. Since human habitat and livelihood are closely interconnected with the surrounding ecosystem, increased pressure from population can cause irreversible damage to fragile ecosystems. Significantly, in some cases, technological advances of developed countries lead to more exploitation of natural resource than the so-called developing countries. So the problem is not simply population growth but finding the right balance between population growth and sustainable development. These issues are discused here. Visit this website for a more comprehensive look at population issues. Pressure on Scarce Resources There is a growing imbalance between the demands of human populations and the resources that support human life. Fresh water, land, finite resources like fossil energy are depleting very fast because of increased pressure to meet the growing demand of an expanding population. According to a study most replacement of eroded agricultural land is now coming from marginal and forest land. The pressure for agricultural land accounts for 60 to 80 % of the world's deforestation. The fresh water that is consumed or used up by agriculture is not recoverable. Already daily news and reports tell us that competition for water resources among individuals, regions, and countries and associated human activities is already occurring with the current world population. Overfishing has led to almost complete extinction of some species of fish as even the smallest fish gets caught in the net to meet market demands. In regions like eastern Canada, for instance, overfishing has been so severe that cod fishermen have no fish to catch, and the economy of that region has been devastated. For details visit this webpage. The Future Current trends in population growth indicate that fertility rates have been decreasing in some high-risk regions. But the growth rate is still not stable enough to provide relief. According to reports, more than 99 % of that growth occurs in the poorest countries already torn by strife. For projections of world populations, download this file. You can also visit this site to know more about issues related to population growth and environmental concerns. What are the current trends in population growth across the globe? Do we consume more than we can regenerate? Will there be enough food to go around? Will climate change lead to droughts and disrupt agriculture? These are some of the key questions discussed in the report here.

What now? Do we castrate the men with more than 5 children? Or tie the tubes of women with 6 children? My point is simple. How many is too many? And....says WHO? Well, as I have said many, many, many times on this thread (I guess it falls on deaf ears), I do not advocate tying tubes or castration or anything similar to that. All I want is for people to become educated about the impact of population on the environment and then make their own decision about childbearing. That's it. For some reason, people always seem to get very angry over my use of the term "become educated", as if I'm implying that they are "uneducated' in general. I'm not implying that. There are many things in this world I would like to become educated about. One thing I am educated about is the impact of population on the environment. Thus, I have made the decision to (possibly) adopt rather than bear, children. This is my own personal decision, based on what I have learned regarding carbon footprints, and the impact of population on environment. If someone were to truly delve into, and learn, about the issue, and then go on to decide to still have many children, then that is their right. I am not trying to take that right away and would not advocate for anyone who would try to take that right away. But my hope would be that by learning about the issue, perhaps they would choose to, say, have one child and adopt the rest. If they choose that, then great. If not, then that is their decision and no one should be able to take that decision away from them. It's like this: say that alot of people didn't know that smoking causes lung cancer, and someone posted a thread saying "I wish people would become educated about the effects of smoking before they decide to smoke or not." The poster would certainly hope that once people knew the effects of smoking, they might choose not to smoke. It's not to take anyone's decision away, it's simply to hope that people would have the opportunity to to learn about the effects of smoking, before making the decision, so that they could make an informed decision. Does that make sense?

Hey Sunta, I would never have picked you as a Tammy Faye fan in a miilion years!!!! I had to do a double take when I looked at the thread. I guess I owe everyone an explanation for my Tammy Faye obsession. As you all know, Tammy loved the Gays. She was the first person to reach out to those with AIDS, and the Gay community in general. In the 80's when other so-called "Christians" were saying that AIDS was God's punishment on Gays, Tammy stood with the Gay community and urged compassion. Tammy made many appearances at Gay pride parades around the country and she never said "love the sinner, hate the sin", but rather "God loves you exactly how you are, and I love you too." Jim and Tammy's son is leading a Christian movement that rejects traditional "Christian" condemnation of Gays, inspired by his mother's love of the community. That is the first reason why I love Tammy. The second reason why I love Tammy is because of her personal sense of style and her unwavering commitment to be herself, no matter what. I love her makeup, her clothes, her hair, and her whole manner of speaking. She's the epitome of camp in a totally authentic way. She never tried to be camp, she just was camp. She was a better drag queen than any drag queen who ever graced a stage. I honetly view Tammy as someone who actually knew what Chrisianity is intended to be. And I do think it's entirely possible that she did not know what was going on. I really do. It's more of a feeling than something I have evidence of. It's a gut feeling. I remember waching "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" and just falling in love with her even more. It's a great documentary for anyone interested. I hope I've laid out my reasons for my post in a way that makes sense to those of you scratching your heads because you know me and the post seems out of synch with who I am. It's actually totally in synch with who I am. I will always miss Tammy because she was an American original.

Hi, I really want to get into doing power yoga and I just took my first class. I really loved it, but I was wondering if there's any chance any of the poses or stretches could slip the band? They say it can shift your internal organs, so wouldn't this also increase risk of band slippage? I would be terribly unhappy if I found out I couldn't do it, as I have finally found an exercise that I like!

I really couldn't exercise intensely 90 pounds ago, but now find everything is just so much easier. The one thing I could do when I was 90 pounds heavier was walking, but at a very slow pace.

C'mon, I know someone out there must know something about yoga!

There will be a point at which that will no longer be possible and we'll all have to get proactive about this and other planet threatening behavior. I feel that point is now. I guess I wish others did, too.

there are serious ramifications to overpopulation and our planet. I am thankful that at least one person is able to grasp this fact. This fact is why I started the thread. Unfortunately it seems that others would rather turn a blind eye and get highly offended at the mere suggestion of responsible childbearing than actually learn something about the real issues facing the planet. Well, at least their 15 kids can swim in the polar ice caps. The temperature of that big swimming pool will be just about perfect by the time they grow up.

I consider myself a really good tipper and I never leave less than 20% on a restaurant bill unless the service is really horrible. I often leave more than 20%. I believe that waiters and waitresses have a difficult job and I don't mind rewarding them for serving me. On the other hand, one thing I really hate, is when tips are expected for things I really don't want someone doing for me in the first place. A good example of this is a bathroom attendant. I hate it when I go to the bathroom and the attendant insists on handing me a paper towel. I can get my own paper towel, and handing me a paper towel is not worth a dollar. This pisses me off no end. I would sooo much rather take care of my own hygiene duties and not leave a tip. And, I'd much rather the bathroom be totally empty except for me when I am in it, and an attendant ruins that. The other thing that enrages me is the people who come up to my car and just start washing my windshield while at a red light. (If you don't live in a big city you probably have never experienced this). I roll down my window and scream at them to stop, since they totally expect a tip when they are done. This is actually just another form of begging. And speaking of that, I hate it even ten times more when teenagers, or even little kids, stand in the middle of traffic, causing serious traffic hazards, and hold out buckets for their "basketball uniforms" or whatever. That drives me nuts. Half the time I highly doubt that's even what it's for. I also don't appreciate haircut places and salons expecting such huge tips for like 20 minutes worth of work. I mean, I always do tip, but I feel I am already paying soooo much for what they're doing. I mean, $50 for a 20 minute haircut? and then they expect a 20% tip? I mean the salon is pulling down basically $150 an hour at that rate! That's waaay more money than I make! I almost never tip at places like the ice cream shop or Starbucks. Or if I do, it's just loose change. What they're doing is not really all that difficult and they should be being paid a fair wage in the first place. I don't mind tipping the bellhop, but only if they actually do something for me! I hate it when the hotel attendant opens the door for me and then expects a tip. I would rather open my own door! So, I guess in a nutshell, it depends on the situation, but in general I feel we've gone a little overboard in the tipping department.

Does anyone on this thread understand the correlation between population and global warming?

Hey guys, sorry I've been posting so infrequently. I've been really busy. I just saw "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry" last night and I actually thought it was really, really funny. Has anyone else seen it? I didn't find it offensive at all, as the critics said it was, and I laughed alot throughout. I was interested to get everyone else's take on it. I found it hilarious. Of course it has alot of gross-out, lowbrow humor, but my tastes run the gamut from the most intense foreign/indie films all the way to Adam Sandler. The movie is an equal opportunity offender, making fun of everyone, no one is exempt. And, it actually tried to give a message of tolerance (however elementary the message might be). I really enjoyed myself.

I just want to point out that one of the reasons why people want controls over home schooling is because many (not all) homeschoolers are teaching creationism, which is, of course, gross misinformation. I have no issue with parents raising their children the way they want to without government interference, but I have plenty of issue with teaching incorrect information in the guise of school. If people want to speak about nonsensical, unproven, unscientific theories, they should keep it in church where it belongs, not in anything posing as a school.

Whatever the alimony law is, should apply whether the person remarries a man or a woman. There should not be any difference in treatment to any of the parties involved. I don't know what the alimony law is, but it should be the same across the board in my opinion. Meaning if it's cut off when the woman remarries a man, it should also be cut off when she get remarried to a woman. If it's continued after remarriage, it should continue regardless of the gender she remarried.

Go somewhere else then Actually Derrik I prefer to stay and try to make things better instead of running away. Too bad people like you are the ones that find the corrupt greed of the United States to be just fine and acceptable. If there were no people like you in the US, there would be no greed, no "me, me, me" mentality, and alot more compassion, care, and kindness. Fortunately there's people like me to go to bat against people like you.

Are you saying that the American government charges its own citizens those big fees when they would like to adopt internationally? Well the government per se doesn't have any specific fee. It's more a symptom of our whole incredibly greedy culture which loves to find ways to make outrageous and over-the-top profits from anything and everything, even if it's at the expense of human life. Adoption agencies charging rediculous fees is the tip of the iceberg, and then there's the lawyers, who, as you know, are basically spawns of Satan. (ok, ok, not ALL lawyers, but ya'll know what I mean). The point is, there are thousands upon thousands of families who just can't afford to adopt, period. And it's tragic that babies are being thrown away when so many loving families would welcome them with open arms. The tax credit doesn't do much if one simply doesn't have the money to adopt in the first place. There are so many things wrong with the US and this is just one more atrocity in a nation of many evil-doers. We basically seem to place worship of the almighty dollar ahead of everything here, no matter what. It sickens me no end.

I don't think Tammy Faye was ever charged with anything regarding the scandal. It was my understanding that Jim Baker was the one behind everything. I know I wouldn't want to be lumped in with anything illicit my husband did without my knowledge. I don't believe that she had intimate knowledge of what was happening.

And it sounded like he had filmed the nearly naked people without health insurance wandering around after having been thrown out on the street Well actually he did not film that. A hospital that's set up to help such people did, and he showed their tape in his movie. Would you prefer we all bury our heads in the sand and not watch such "vulgarity"? Are you saying hospital dumping doesn't happen? Or that we shouldn't see it? Why? So we can continue to feel content as we rest on our insured laurels and sip cognac? if I'm not mistaken, aren't Christians supposed to care about the poor and downtrodden? I wonder if Jesus would have turned a blind eye to such pain and suffering...

how do you KNOW it happened, other than from the mother's claim that it did? Because basic common sense dictates that if it did not, the hospital, the insurance company, their brother, and every other right wing Republican in the known universe would be throwing a hissy fit of collosal proportions to prove it didn't. However, they are all strangly mum on the subject...

Hey February 2006 bandsters! Bumping this and checking in: 92 pounds down and in ONEderland! How about ya'll?

The wealthy film crew with wealthy Michael Moore stood by and watched a child die? Sick, vile, putrid, and greedy. How many poor families without insurance is Michael Moore sponsoring? That'd be a quick way to solve the problem -- everyone who's complaining ante up for just one other family. Problem solved! What in the name of God are you talking about? No, the film crew wasn't there when it happened, nor was Michael Moore. And I think it's really nasty to imply that they were without ever having seen the film. Michael Moore has a foundation that distributes money to those in need and he also makes many personal financial contributions, some of of which are public and some of which are anonymous. Personally I am happy to ante up for another family. In fact I have been looking for a way to do so. I can't afford too much but would happily give what I could afford. I am taking a volunteer job for two hours a day in the morning before I go to my regular job, with an organization that is fighting for universal health care. So yes, some complainers actually do put their money where their mouth is. I never expect you to ever really and truly research something before you start making totally incorrect statements about it, but in this case you really ought to see the movie before commenting.

What makes one say with such certainty that these people don't want to help anyone; and that in fact they would rather see people die if it means increasing their taxes? I suggest seeing the movie Sicko. You will witness hospitals letting children die because of lack of proper insurance. You will witness old people in dire pain, practically naked and with no shoes, wandering aimless and confused, dumped onto the street by hospitals. You will witness September 11th rescue workers unable to get seen by a doctor due to lack of insurance. These stories are real and they are happening to millions of real people. Real people in pain and suffering. Real people who cling to a photo album of their baby because it's all they have left of her after the hospital would not treat her and let her die after hours of the mother pleading for them to treat her. This country is sick, and vile, and putrid, and greedy. I have never cried so much at a movie in my life. It's so easy to look at people and say "that's them. I'm protected. Thank goodness I have good health care." It's so easy to just not care when it happens to the other guy. If we truly cared as a society, we would not tolerate this abhorrent mess. We are complacent, and lazy. We should be out marching in mass protest in the street. We should stand for the people who can't stand for themselves. But make no mistake about it, the majority of our country just doesn't care about people. They care more about the almighty dollar than people's lives, and that's the absolute truth.

Can we for one moment stop focusing on these "27 million" people who "don't care" that they don't have health care and focus on the people who do care that they don't have health care? As a matter of fact, can we talk about the mom in the movie Sicko whose little 2 year old died the hospital refused to treat her because the mother's insurance didn't cover treatment? Let's just talk about her. Because the fact is we live in a country where a hospital would let a baby die and refuse to treat the baby because they might not get their big fat paycheck. ONE baby is too many! If you don't care about this one baby, then you're a disgusting human being. Period.

I don't think a person's race in any way determines whether or not they would be a "good" spouse. I don't think the two are related. Imagine asking "do you think a Caucasian man would make a good husband?" How would anyone be able to answer? They would have to say "It depends on the man". Same thing with this question.

People should marry who they love; white, black, men, women, whoever... as long as the two are consenting adults. With regard specifically to people of different races marrying, one actual possible benefit that is rarely pointed out that is interesting is that the further away two parents are in the gene pool, the healthier the children tend to be, and, in my personal opinion, the more physically attractive too. A new book details this (it's called "hybrid vigor" in the science world). The book is called "Breeding Between the Lines: Why Interracial People are Healthier and More Attractive" by Aron Ziv. On an anecdotal note, all of the mixed race people I know are absolutely gorgeous. I know it's not scientific, it's just my personal observation.