Slashdot Mirror
Miss Digital World 2005
dnix writes "With the slogan: "Don't hate me because I'm digital" this year we have a nice new Top Digital Model, called Mi, from Shinichi Yoshimoto. She is a nice cybernetic geisha who was chosen from 15 finalists from Italy, Germany, Spain, Pakistan, Iran, Usa, Chile, India, Australia, Brasil and Mexico."
I do believe Brazil is properly: "República Federativa do Brasil".
The government website is at http://www.brasil.gov.br/
'Nuff said.
Brazil is just a hack on the name that English speakers gave it. Like Germany being Bundesrepublik Deutschland. You do not yell at people for referring to it as Deutschland, so why rant when someone says Brasil?
This is going very off-topic, but could the low birth rate also be becuase it takes so long to even get "settled" nowadays? Seriously, you have to have at least a bachelors degree(sometimes more depending on your field) to even get your feet planted financially(esp. if you are like me and paid your own way through school) Plus you have to go through a few years of work just barely treading water while paying insane amounts of money in rent(which unlike a sane mortgage, is not an investment but blowing money everywhere) in order to save enough money to even consider having a kid(unless you don't mind poverty and crappy schools).
Seriously, it's not just the guys, I know a lot of women who are putting off childbirth as long as possible, if not deciding against it altogether. I know devout Catholics who are putting off having children(which for them means putting off getting married and having sex at all) till they are 30 because they just can't afford it. I was kind of shocked the other day when I came to the realization that my mother(who is a college graduate) was as old as I am right now when she had her first child, whereas I am in no way ready for that kind of responsibility/committment.
Progress!
Monstar L
It has nothing to do with how long it takes to get your feet planted. It has to do with our value system and priorities. Not saying they are better or worse, but the fact is more people are doing just what you say - waiting until they are stable and can "afford" a family. Well, the fact of the matter is you can never "afford" a family. If you wait until that day, you will wait a very long time until one day you realize that if you don't just go for it, you will have missed your chance as time will have passed you by.
I got married before I turned 21 (I am 30). Just 2 years ago I had finished college and started my career in IT. Now I have 4 kids. During this whole time money has been tight, but I have always had enough to get by. I have been able to "afford" everything I need and some of the things I want. But it's funny to me to hear friends and others say how they couldn't do it and how they have no money or time. Well, I imagine if I had stayed single I would have found other ways to waste my money and time too. It's all about priorities and going for what you want. If you want a family then you change your priorities. If you don't, then you don't; it's not bad it just is what it is. BTW, my wife and I both come from poor backgrounds. I had to serve in the military 4 years and work to get through college. But, here I am, making a good living and raising 4 children after almost 10 years of marriage. So, it has nothing to do with treading water and struggling just to eat so you can't have kids. It has to do with figuring out what you want, sacrifice, and just doing it instead of complaining about not being able to.
Save the preaching for Church, not slashdot.
Everyone preaches on Slashdot - it's just that the most popular sermon is "You are wrong and I am right."
Of all the opinions that get bandied about in posts, "I like God - He's nifty," is fairly low on the list of offensivenesses.
"Knowledge, sir, should be free to all!"
~Harcourt Fenton Mudd
Pics of many of the finalists (including neck down) here
Strange. Most of them look like that they have breast implants. Doesn't modelers know what a real brests look like? Maybe they shouldn't model and surf internet porn (usually girls with brest implants) all the time but try to have date (usually a girl without breast implants).
Almost everyone can find *someone* who will marry them. After all, there are ugly, desperate girls as well. But, the question, how many chicks could these guys get before their current wife / girlfriend? Speaking as a girl in CS, I can say that while nerds have their advantages (intelligent and driven), they are also on average less social and, frankly, less attractive.
To support you,
Good for you!
I am in a similar position. I am currently in graduate school with three children. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
All of my children were born as a result of planning and much thought and discussion with the wife. We were married for two years before we had our first child. The reason I mention all this is the guy who says "its the people who had children before they were ready who say that no one is ever ready."
This is a stupid attitude. If you don't have children, you have perhaps a 1 in 1e100 chance of fully being ready for them. There are so many unexpected _things_ that happen when you have children that prior preparation cannot see.
Are there folks who are substantially ready for children? Absolutely. Some folks are perfectly set financially for children, while a few are emotionally ready, but neither of those are enough.
My wife and I are far from financially well-off, and money is not easily come by, but by working 20 hours a week part-time in addition to my graduate teaching assistantship, we are able to make ends meet. We have never had an issue with having food on the table, and we make our rent.
Will I be getting an xbox 360? No, but that's okay.
The decision of when to have children, and how many one should have, is a deeply personal question that everyone needs to decide with their spouse. It should NEVER be left to chance, and it should ALWAYS be done only after thorough consideration.
"We don't know what we are doing, but we are doing it very carefully,..." Wherry, R.J. Personnel Psychology (1995)
Some fashion photographers strive for more dynamism in their shots. That's hard to do. Most photographers can't bring it off consistently. A few can. Look at Richard Avedon's work. That's why he's one of the greats.