warri0r45

Whether it's for uni or school, what's your preferred method of studying? I've recently got into the habit of going over lecture notes and typing key points/important parts into a word file. I then print these notes out a few weeks before the end of semester test so I can go over them again. Some of the benefits I find in this method is that I go over the material at least twice (once in class and once when typing it out again), and I can also spend time to grapple with parts I might not be able to understand and type them up in my own words. What about you guys? Perhaps we can all get something out of this.

Pierced From Within by Suffocation (album).

Deliverance by Opeth (album).

Hell yeah, the crowd gave Smith a standing ovation for being so courageous. It definitely made for a great climax to the match. Thankfully Johnson knocked his stumps over a few overs from the end of play. Good to hear how well the McGrath foundation did as well. :thumbup:

I think this is when we stop to think for what it's all worth. Sure, some people can change for the better. But the same criminals sometimes end back up in prison time after time again. It's a chance. And in the case of a deranged murderer, I don't think society - the people in danger here - would consider taking that chance over someone who is a major threat to them. Obviously you judge people on a case-by-case basis. I'm not suggesting to give people like the deranged murderer a second chance if it means there's a risk of re-offending.

If you are suggesting that the death penalty is an unnecessary measure, then I agree. If neither the threat of life in prison nor the death penalty is enough to deter these people, then using the irreversible punishment of death as punishment exceeds what is necessary. Yep. Which is why I said that a death penalty is pretty much exactly the same as life imprisonment. No better. No worse. I disagree that death (/=/life imprisonment also) exeeds what is necessary because that implies that there is a lesser measure which would work. The aim of both is to stop the person from ever harming society again. As far as I can see, there is no lesser measure which would achieve the same effect. The role of prison isn't only to separate the criminal from harming society; it's also to try and rehabilitate the person to give them a second chance at fitting in. It's not going to be possible in every case, but regardless, sometimes it is.

Well the old saying goes that God helps people who help themselves. But praying can help if all else fails. A saying I'd suggest is in need of serious revision. God doesn't "help people who help themselves", obviously the people who help themselves... help themselves. God is absolutely redundant there, and thanking him solely for any achievement is denigrating the effort you put into it. As for praying, it may help psychologically, but in reality there's no evidence that it does anything.

Leading Vision by Gorod. Quickly becoming one of my favourite death metal albums ever.

Just sent one through, haha. Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I was out for half the day and got wrapped up watching cricket on TV. (Still listening to Neurotripsicks)

Neurotripsicks by Gorod (album).

While I don't think there's significant risk to a very small amount of passive smoking, consistent passive smoking is definitely dangerous, and does cause lung cancer. This is exactly why people want to ban cigarettes in workplaces and public places. Saying that people must be brainwashed if they speak out against smoking is seriously condescending. If you are exposed to it often enough, you could end up with lung cancer for your troubles. Hardly comparable to farting, and the comparison to looking at fat people is just beyond ridiculous.

To be fair, I think Zierro has a good point. One of the few justifiable reasons I can see for the death penalty is that it eliminates the threat of people with no remorse re-offending in case they escape from prison. As for how many people escape from US prisons, in 1998 it was 6530, which was around 0.5% of the prison population. The good thing is that this percentage is decreasing, and more AWOL prisoners are captured than those that escape. Perhaps the most promising statistic here is that virtually no one escapes from federal prisons: Perhaps the most dangerous members of society (especially those with with no remorse who are likely to re-offend) should go to these maximum security federal prisons, and it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that's exactly what would happen.

Harmony Corruption by Napalm Death (album).

I'm amazed at how many people want smoking banned. I'm the last person to be comfortable around smokers, but I definitely wouldn't go so far as to make it illegal.

By documentary-style I mean that it documents some real-life, unscripted issue. My favourite at the moment has to be the American show Cops. I love the raw realism of it and it really gives you great respect for those who work in law enforcement. I also have this morbid fascination with the kind of people seen on the show. So, what's your favourite?

Great CD. Love them lots. :thumbup: Also try In Absentia if you haven't already.

So What by Miles Davis.

Do they actually like the taste? No, the drinkers I mentioned always complain about the taste and only drink for the effect. I didn't even know it was possible to enjoy the taste until I came across an alcohol topic on TIF. I suppose we can only argue with our respective experiences, but that's about the most bizzare thing I've ever heard. Ask any average guy/girl in any pub around Australia and I'm sure they'd say they like the taste of their drink.

Do they actually like the taste?

First, if the images are real, he's not sending them to appease any social images, he's just using the image held in a persons mind to reinforce the fact that it really is God visiting them. He could also appear as a burning bush, a bright light, or a purple hippopatamus for all that matters. If a person thought Jesus was a purple hippo, God would present himself to them as a purple hippo. Plus, why would God send an image to everyone? If everyone receives an image then he proves his existence, which is kinda what he doesn't want. The whole reason that our God image is of a white God is because we are a white society. In Africa, there are instances of dark-skinned Marys and Jesuses (awkward plurals), in Asian countries, of Asian forms of them, so on and so forth. That was both a missionary tactic (Look, he's like you, worship him) and just an assimilation change that the culture forced on the religion. I'm not talking about sending an image to everyone, only about having a consistent message. Clearly you have a different opinion on this, but the argument goes that people seeing culturally unique religious references (e.g. a white Jesus) are probably seeing a fake representation taught to them by society rather than the real thing. In other words, they're inventing things that aren't real.

Good to see you like Gorod. :thumbup: Another good French metal band is Gojira. They're a death/thrash/groove metal hybrid. They don't sing in French or anything, though.

I'm a Catholic but I don't really believe in the whole apparition bit, but if God is all powerful, wouldn't it be possible for him to present to the viewer what they perceive Jesus and Mary as rather than what they truly are. Or if you take the crazy/environment-induced idea, of course they would see the Jesus/Mary as they've been presented, the Caucasoide type rather than the Mediterranean version, since they're creating the image. Of course, you can use "if god is all powerful" as a scapegoat for any crazy explanation, but It doesn't make it any less crazy. There's absolutely no sense in god sending apparitions only to appease cultural references which everyone grew up with. If he was the real deal, he'd send a culture neutral apparition to everyone, i.e. the true one. If he isn't doing that, then it's probably just people imagining things/over-hyping natural occurrences.

You suck at making threads.

Agreed. I've always been a fan of an opt-out system for organ donation.

Cannibal Corpse, Atheist and Pestilence are all releasing new albums this year. I hope they're good ones. :thumbup: