warri0r45

To answer your question in a word, yes. Sometimes I think the legal system (be it in Australia or America, but I have a feeling we're not as tough as Americans on this) is too lenient on serious crimes.

Of course it's offensive. To African Americans it's very offensive. If you think about it rationally, it should be no worse than a black person calling a white person "cracker", but in the real world it's much worse. In a nutshell, the reason is because the "n word" has a historical precedent behind it. There's no history behind pejoratives against white people, but blacks in America were once widely seen as sub-human and used as slaves, hence why pejoratives directed at the colour of their skin still provoke such a heated response. At the end of the day, it's just a word. I love how George Carlin used it in a comedy routine. It was so perfectly delivered and didn't come across as offensive at all. I think we could all learn something from that bit - it's not the word you have to worry about, it's the racist [wagon] using it that's the problem.

I don't mind different tax brackets for the rich and poor, so long as they're not outragously different. I've never really taken the time to reason out exactly what I'd be happy with in terms of tax brackets, though.

Epoch of Methodic Carnage by Abysmal Torment (album).

Thrashcore? Edit: I googled it.. sounds pretty cool. So do you like Terrorizer?

It's a pretty weak argument to be honest.. I just googled some of the villains of Spider Man, Superman and Batman and there's no Nazi symbolism to speak of.

Damn it. We really blew it in our first innings with the bat... horrible performance from Australia. It's pretty frustrating to see England win since the series is one that could have really gone either way. Does anyone else think Mike Hussey should be dropped? Despite his century to try and save the game, he's not been anywhere near good enough to be a specialist batsman in an Australian cricket team.

Spot on, but what about the ethical side of things?

Is it ok to photoshop the picture of a celebrity? I would argue that it generates an unrealistic body image that people will try to emulate, which is of course futile because they're competing against a computer program that erases flaws with the click of a mouse. examples Your thoughts? A contrary argument?

Elvenefris by Lykathea Aflame... such a perfect album in pretty much every way.

Not that I know what kind of drugs are avaliable, but I wouldn't rule them out as a possibility. It's something to look into at least.

Being able to do what you want, and being able to be around the people you like. I think personal achievement has a lot to do with it as well.

You should really watch the video, then. I don't know how anyone could laugh at that.. Even if he agreed to a fight, there's an understanding in martial arts that a fight doesn't involve having your head stomped.

Riku, I understand that and it's not what I'm arguing against.

Behold Eradication by Infinitum (album). Wow, this is great... a must listen for anyone into brutal/technical death metal.. My new favourite aussie death metal band.

Without actually reading the book this statement pops out. If they only interviewed people for who the 10k hour rule worked and did not take a random sample of people then the book is completly biased and not scientific at all. Very well spotted. :thumbup: Have you had any formal training in statistics/science by any chance? I suppose you could read the book, and I was just giving an example. It also talks about things related to their successes, such as amazing luck. However, they couldn't have been successful without ten thousand hours in one particular field. Let me try and get this straight... So this 10,000 hour rule suggests that to master a particular field of expertise, you need to practice it for 10,000 hours? Do you mean that you need to practice for at least 10,000 hours or that all of a sudden you become a pro when you've racked up that magical figure? I know which one sounds plausible, and it's certainly not the latter. As people have said, we all learn at different rates, so the notion that all of a sudden you're a pro at something when you notch up 10,000 hours of practice is almost certainly not true. If you're suggesting that there was research proving this, provide the research so we can check it out for ourselves and pick out potential flaws. If you can't provide the research, then I'll remain skeptical.

Barriers by Wayd (album). Awesome!

I have to say, that album has really grown on me. I'd put it up there with The Conductor's Departure or Under A Stone With No Inscription. The only thing that pisses me off about it is the riff at 1:32 in "Those Who Lick The Wounds Of Christ."

Without actually reading the book this statement pops out. If they only interviewed people for who the 10k hour rule worked and did not take a random sample of people then the book is completly biased and not scientific at all. Very well spotted. :thumbup: Have you had any formal training in statistics/science by any chance?

I don't believe that there's some magical point where you suddenly become good at something. Obviously it would be gradual, and some people learn at different paces, but having said that 10,000 hours should be enough to master a particular skill. As for the topic, I would choose the guitar.

I'm not sure how well a panel would work for healthcare claims. It sounds like unecessary beurocracy when people could just get a referral from their GP. In Australia, we have a governmental healthcare system and private health insurance such as Medicare. I'm fine with this system as it allows a safety net for those who need medical treatment, but it also allows that extra safety net for those that pay for insurance.

I just checked it out, and had a good conversation with a guy from Australia... we mostly talked about music and uni. I think it's a great concept.

The New Normal by Cog (album). Love it.

The Olympics. Election in America. A bunch of conspiracy theorists get proven wrong. That kind of thing.

Peace Sells, But Who's Buying by Megadeth (album). First impressions - pretty [bleep]ing average. Slayer and Metallica are way better.