Questions of the Week

1. If a woman hits a man, is it okay for him to hit her back?
Added by: cszulins

2. Do you look old or young for your age?
Added by: juni

3. Do you think the interrobang should be more commonly used than it is?
Added by: Pregunta

4. Would you buy a car from a bankrupt car company?
Added by: Djm984

5. Is Christmas every bit as magical as it was when you still believed in Santa?
Added by: frogy8thefly

1. What is your wedding party going to be like?
Added by: itsMaria

2. Which Wall-E character are you?
Added by: AGDpixar

3. What Cult Classic Character are you?
Added by: Giles_momma

4. Can you guess the rabbit breed?
Added by: raguluvr

5. Are you a wild or domesticated animal?
Added by: frogy8thefly

Funniest Comments of the Week

In a thread discussing the new code names given to the President elect and his family (all starting with the letter R):
CowDung: Do they go through the alphabet as well? I wonder if the Bush family all had "Q" names.
jealousblues: *radio static* "swarm, swarm president Q'idiot is choking on a pretzel, someone inform Laur...sorry, the Qunt of the situation"

In a News thread about Obama's 1st News Conference:
IRLIteach: I'm comfortable w/ a completely opposite take on this, & I'm comfortable w/ your take on it as *YOUR* take on it, as you can own it. Are you comfortable w/ mine in the same vein? I haven't experienced that willingness on your part yet.
dacash: Well, as long as you're saying what I think you thought you said back when you said it, sure.

Random Thread:
Hael: Violence solves everything.
halzberry: Let's stab the economy.

Random Thread:
Cindy_: That "get out, you don't even fit" is familiar to me, but I can't remember where I've heard that before.
EhFahQ: You told me that the first time we tried to have sex.
Abzurd: Me too, but she meant the bed.

From a thread about Twilight :
DruidMoon: What's with all the alliterate 13 year old girls who magically only know how to read this book?
le_berger: alliteration: Bonny bites boners by billions. illiterate: Bon E Bitz b00nerZ bai gazilliobns
DruidMoon: Alliterate? Isn't that the word for "choosing not to read"?
le_berger: I believe choosing not to read is the word you're looking for here.

Joke of the Week

Racehorse!

I bought a racehorse today. I've decided to call him "My Face". I don't care if he wins or if he just makes me a bit of money. I just want to hear those posh birds screaming "come on my face".

Member of the Week

The member of the week is Noldor. A member since July 2003, Noldor continued a YT tradition of nominating avatars to wear for those to wear who supported the losing Presendential candidate. Gracious in defeat, Noldor still never shies away from sharing his opinion on all topics. Congrats!

JoeInterview's Member Feature

This week's interview features die_numb. This interview was conducted by travbowman.

JoeInterview: First off, how did you find YT?

die_numb: I was randomly searching around for a cool site I could call my own. All my friends had sites they visited regularly, but none of them really appealed to me. So when I found YT on bored.com, I was so excited. Finally I could answer questions and state my opinion without having to read a bunch of netspeak! It was my dream come true, as lame as that sounds.

JI: What would you say is the biggest reason you keep coming back for more?

D_N: The great mix of everything the site offers. I can find a place to talk about everything and anything I could think of, and more. The people on this site are more inviting and more accepting of my personality than those in my life off the site, so I am able to escape to a place where I can be myself. It's nice being able to share my upsets and my triumphs with people who will listen.

JI: You're a big fan of classic rock. How did you get into a genre that is fairly rare for your generation?

D_N: I have my parents to thank for that. Ever since I can remember, they would blast the stereo all day long with Classic Rock 101 from Vancouver. Thinking back, I can picture myself as a 3 year old failing miserably to sing "Life is a Highway" and "Sweet Child 'O Mine."

My favourite memory was of when I was sick with a sore throat. "Jack and Diane" came on the radio, and I really wanted to sing along. But my mom didn't want me to make my sore throat worse, so I went over to my dad and asked if I was allowed to sing. He said yes, and I started to literally scream the entire song. My mom was mad, but I couldn't have been happier.

JI: What other genres get the most spin from you?

D_N: Metal mostly. My favourite metal band is definitely Metallica. Ever since I first heard Enter Sandman, I was hooked. I have the whole Black Album on my mp3 (no iPods for me) and I listen to it everynight. Think of it as my own personal Bible, if you will.

Another band I listen to a lot is Nightwish. They're a symphonic metal band from Finland. The now ex lead singer, Tarja Turunen, has such a haunting voice. I cried the first time I listened to their song "Nemo." The combination of the piano and her voice really struck a chord with me, and still does everytime I listen to it. But their new singer can go die in a hole for all I care, because she pales in comparison.

JI: What's the story behind your screenname?

D_N: It was inspired by a quote, actually. I was reading a story about musicians who had lived on the edge and died young because of it. Think Kurt Cobain or Jimi Hendrix. The quote was "live fast, live young, die numb." Since I'm really into music, rock specifically, the quote really stuck with me, so when I came here, I knew exactly what my SN would be. Oddly enough, I don't remember what it was I read. But hey! I got a cool screenname out of it!

JI: What are your plans after high school?

D_N: I want to study to become a speech language pathologist. To sum up what that is, it's a person who teaches children to speak using sign language activities and phonetic exercises. I needed one until I was 7 because I couldn't talk properly, so I'm inspired to give back and help other children in the same situation. The downside? 4 years of college and 2 years of university. So much school! Besides that, I really want to travel to Europe, especially to France. I'm taking French as a language at school right now, so going to France would really give me the chance to perfect my speaking.

Need I also mention trying new food?

JI: How about teaching French children how to speak over hors d'oeuvres?

D_N: As my dad would say: "That's a consideration."

At the time though, I think I'd like to concentrate more on English. While I do love French, I think I'd like to help children closer to home because I want to work with the same government sponsored agency that offered my speech therapy. My family has never really had extra money, especially when I was younger. Part of me becoming a speech pathologist with that group would allow me help out other children who otherwise couldn't afford it.

JI: What's your relationship with your parents like?

D_N: Very tight. My parents have always been like my best friends, and we've always done everything together. When I was little, my dad would take me and my sister out every weekend to the river. We'd bike ride along the trails, go swimming in the river, and then he'd treat us with a candy bar and a slurpee. He's really the type of guy who will do anything with you.

My mom's the type of mom who you can tell anything to. I love her for that, because I can go to her with all of my worries and insecurities, and she'll be there to listen. Usually, she'll end up telling me a story about things she did when she was younger, so she always manages to cheer me up.

JI: So Metallica is one of your favourite bands, and your profile lists "Rambo" as one of your favourite movies. Are you the kind of gal most people don't want to mess with?

D_N: Haha. That makes me laugh so hard, because you couldn't be any further from the truth. I'm the most passive push-over I know. Tell me to do anything, and I'll do it. If you make me mad, don't count on me telling you, because I'll just keep it to myself.

Oddly enough, my opinions on today's generation, smoking, the death penalty, and criminal punishment would make one think I'm one tough cookie. But think again. It's like I'm wearing a mask, you know? You'll never know what I'm thinking, so you'll never truly know the real me.

But perhaps I have given away too much already. I must put my mask back on...

JI: What's the best thing about living in BC?

D_N: Because "BC is the best place on earth," or so we like to say. But if I had to answer, I'd definitely say the outdoors. I love hiking, climbing, and canoeing. Whenever I want to, I can drive to the lake or the hiking trails because they're all so close to me, pratically right in my backyard. And the cool thing is, nature is everywhere here. Not just in scattered patches, but all over the place. Heck, my house feels like a cabin because it's surrounded by a forest of trees. Not many people can say that.

But aside from that, I also like the lifestyle. BC is a very laidback place to live, which suits me because I'm easygoing. That's why I'd hate to live in Toronto, because it's all hussle bussle in the big city. Not to say Vancouver (half an hour from my house) isn't a big city either, but the people here aren't in as much of a rush with their lives.

JI: What's the worst thing about living there?

D_N: For me a being a student, the worst thing would be the transit system. Where I live in Coquitlam, buses only come every half an hour, and many times my bus hasn't come at all. While the area I live has rapid transit, you have to take a bus to get to the station, and then a second bus after to get to where you're going. It's very time consuming, but it's the only way to get to where I have to go. If I were in power, this is the first thing I'd change.

JI: What's your best subject in school?

D_N: Definitely Writing. At the moment, I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The goal is 50,000 words in the month of November. I've noticed many YTer's are doing this, so I like the support I'm getting, especially from a certain someone *coughRaphaelcough*. I'm also featured in a regular column in my local newspaper. The column is a youth opinion column, and only 6 people out of my area's 115,000 got the job. My last article was about how society pressures women to look a certain way. The most rewarding part of writing that article was getting an email from a woman in her 30's about how she overcame an eating disorder as a teenager. I truly felt touched by her story.

And not to brag, but I just got news today that I won an essay writing contest and will be published in their book. I'm on a roll!

JI: In a post or two, can you summarise your thoughts on societal pressures on how teenage girls are supposed to look?

D_N: The media creates the image of the perfect teenaged girl: Thin with a perfect complexion and no ounce of extra fat. But this standard is horribly difficult to meet, because most females don't have this body type naturally.

However, the pressure pressure attributed to these measures is psychologically damaging. The ideals ravage a young woman’s mind when she is most vulnerable, agonizingly destroying her pound by pound, inch by inch, until there is nothing left to break.

But the saddest thing? Some teenaged girls end their lives because of this pressure. If the current image of female beauty stays as it is, there will only be further cases of this happening.

JI: So what's the key to a girl making it to her 20s relatively unscathed?

D_N: For starters, a girl needs a support network, whether that is her friends, family, people online, or an actual support group. Being able to talk when you're feeling down with someone who feels the same way really helps to maintain your sanity.

But at the same time, you shouldn't dwell on it either, because that will only bring you down. So go outside and discover things you like to do and do them. Happiness is key, and that will come while doing things that you enjoy. It will also help you to realize who you truly are as a person, and that will lead to increased confidence.

JI: You can meet any three YTers anywhere you want. Who are you meeting, and what's the locale?

D_N: DruidMoon - Her house where we'll make hair dolls together and then have sex with them in the closet. She knows what I mean.

Raphael - Anywhere between my house and PA so long as they pay to get me there. It'll be my chance to leave Canada!

luckystar107 - Victoria so we could go to the huge bookstore there, see the Parliament Buildings, go to the wax museum, and then go all around Vancouver Island. It'll be the ultimate Vancouver Island roadtrip!

JI: You've never left Canada? Where else would you like to travel?

D_N: After high school, me and my friend want to backpack across Europe, staying in hostels and taking the trains across the whole continent. It'd be so cool to go to the archives they have there, because I'm really into my family's history, so it would help with the creation of my family tree. Not to mention all the different cultural experiences I would have there. It would be so eye opening.

But other than that, I'd also like to go to Australia and New Zealand. I hear they love Canadians, and the scenery looks absolutely stunning. I'd go scuba diving for the first time, and I'd get to hear the Aussie accent which I love so much.

JI: You recently quit your job. What did you do, and do you plan on getting another one?

D_N: I was a cashier at KFC. It was my first job, and I still can't believe how I managed to stay there for over a year without losing my sanity. The last straw was when a customer got physical and started throwing things at me and cussing me out. I deserve better than that, thank you very much!

My next job will be in December, once NaNoWriMo is over. I want to work as a BSA (Building Service Attendant) for the city. I'd set up and take down confrences, stock the refreshment tables, and do some janitorial work. I'd get $16.50/hr plus 10% instead of benefits. Pretty freakin' sweet for a part time student, I must say!

JI: When was the last time you had a really good laugh?

D_N: Today, actually. My friend had gone to take her driving test, and I was really excited for her. When I saw her, I raced up to her, flung my arms around her in excitement, and shouted "Oh my God! You've got your license now!" She just stared at me with a sad expression, and said, "No I don't. I failed." Immediately, I like sh*t because I had gotten all happy for her failure, but then a smile spread across her face, and she said, "Ha! I got ya!" I had to laugh, because she'd got me good.

JI: Do your real life friends know about youthink, or is YT a "die_numb only" kind of place?

D_N: Definitely the latter. If they came on here, I could no longer be myself, which is one thing I value about this site. It's my escape, a haven is you will. Besides, they'd just end up being like all the other noobs bashed in Journals. Now, you wouldn't want me to do that to them, would you?

JI: What was the last good movie you saw?

D_N: Cinderella Man. I've always been into historical movies, and Russel Crowe did well to bring out that miserable period of time. Not only did it show me what the Great Depression was like, but it was also an inspirational movie of triumph. The movie proves that no matter what it is you're fighting for, you can always come out on top if you fight harder and show better determination than your opponent.

JI: Who always makes you laugh that you read/watch/hear?

D_N: My dad. He's always so sarcastic about everything, and sarcasm is my favourite type of humour. He's funny because his sarcasm is always about real life things, like poor customer service, idiot drivers, or celebrities, so what he says is totally relatable.

JI: Do others find him as funny as you do, or is it an acquired taste?

D_N: Definitely an acquired taste. Most people who first meet him just sit, stare, and act polite. But after being with him for 17 years, you learn to love him.

JI: Do you have a parting shot to share with your fellow YTers?

D_N: Do what you want to do in life, because in the end, it's only your happiness that matters.

This week's article is titled 'Suicide, Live!', and the thread was posted by messedup.

This week's link is titled 'The Facebook of Genesis', and the link was posted by philitup23.

Best Avatar of the Week	Best Profile Design of the Week
MP5	"Room for rainbows" by greenandblue

Featured Article of the Week

What Jail is Like Pt. 1
Excerpt: First, they cuff you. In the front, not behind the back. They put them on kind of tight, which tends to cause minor chafing and redness. I wasn't read my Miranda rights, and was later told they only read those if they plan to interrogate you.

Written by Absynth

Check it all out at YouThink.com!