Sirona

That's a good idea, you do really need to be in the right mood and have time for this album as it will make you feel a range of emotions from pure ecstasy to deep melancholy; each song is so different. I'm not normally a fan of dance/trance/electronica, but this is intelligent music. I love the elements of jazz and classical randomised into each song. For me it's a masterpiece, but do let me know what you think when you get the chance to listen

Cheers Junky! I love the way the song evolves. Have you listened to the entire album?

BT - The Internal Locus

Essentially yes, however this can be said about any job that posseses danger/threat, injury or death of colleagues or a traumatic event such as bullying and/or harassment.

From my understanding, policemen, fire fighters and soldiers experience PTSD when they are placed in danger personally (being shot at, engulfed in smoke, physically attacked, etc) and witnessing their friends and/or colleagues harmed or killed. For example, fire fighters experience PTSD but they don't kill anymore, it's the danger of the job, a traumatic event such as the loss of a colleague etc which causes the stress. I think this is a bit of a loaded question. What about the judge that sentenced the criminal? What about the jury that decided? What about the system that enabled it? By phrasing the question like this, you're asking us to agree with you. A vegetarian may for example ask if the slaughterer at the abattoir gets PTSD.

In war you're killing soldiers, most of whom are not 'bad' people but nationalistic, misguided, believe they are doing the right thing etc (essentially most are 'good'). As an executioner you're killing criminals (rapists, serial killers, murderers). I fail to see your comparison. Note: I am not an advocate of the death penalty, nor am I saying all life is not equal. I am merely saying that I believe people that choose this as a job would have this mind set.

Well, it depends. We are assuming that if they've chosen that particular job that they support the death penalty and probably don't have a moral qualm with executing those that have been tried and found guilty for heinous crimes. They probably do feel somewhat emotional after, which would be a natural response but they're probably able to rationalise and justify their actions with their personal views on justice. Supporting an ideology and carrying out the duty aren't that different; if they personally didn't carry out the job, someone else would. Some people are fairly adept at compartmentising and this particular job would attract those that are able to control their emotions.

Exactly right, Charon. The biggest problem is people claiming for psychological disability (especially depression) because it's difficult to validate. That's certainly true about our ageing population and the Department of Human Services aren't cracking down on the elderly claiming disability but people under the age of 35. As of last year, they are aiming to review 28, 000 disability cases of under 35 year olds and reassess their eligibility (another problem in the past is that cases were not reviewed/audited so in many cases people's situations had changed and the Department of Human Services just didn't know about it). Since last year they have reassessed over 7000 cases and found that 10% of them were no longer medically eligible.

I tend to agree, I've worked with disabled people in the past and haven't found that their disability affected their ability to do the job they were employed to do. Obviously there are different types of disabilities and some may prohibit you from doing certain jobs, however, usually there is some kind of work you can do. Although over 800, 000 people in Australia claim disability pension, I believe very few of them actually can't work and use their disability as an excuse rather than a reason. We also have the Disability Discrimination Act which protects disabled people from employment and workplace discrimination and many companies employ less able people (they represent approximately 10% of our workplace) because they're still able to make a valuable contribution. In a lot of cases, I think it's more about attitude than ability/disability.

That's terrible if I've given you that impression because it's not at all the case. I'm merely trying to represent the perspective from the other side seeing this thread was being dominated by male observation. I'm interested in the male psyche, so please do be honest and not hold back your opinions.

Ha! I've always considered myself an uncomplicated woman; I must've been too generous in my assumption

Precisely. The same goes for father/daughter relationships too. When you're young, you feel like the world revolves around you because you've got no other responsibilities, little experience and exposure to the real world and even little issues escalate to big catastrophes that result in you feeling singled out/bullied. Find solace in the fact that you're not the only one even though at the moment it probably does. On a more positive light, it does get better and differences between you and your parents close but you have different problems. I can't comment on what it would be like to be a parent, but it must be difficult being the villain all the time. Dealing with disability is not a solitary act either, I'm sure your family is just as affected as you are and although anger and resentfulness may seem like natural emotions in this case, try to understand the challenge from your fathers position. It's not about who is right or wrong, the villain or the victim but about understanding how and why people act the way that they do and reconciling differences to be able to cooperate.

Exactly, you kept it to yourself; that alone suggests there is a social stigma against bigger women. You're 62 now, Robitty? and you've just admitted to it openly. Yet, even know you're protected by your online anonymity. I'm not singling you out, nor am I offended; I just learned early on that life is much more difficult when you're overweight and it's a hindrance, not just in dating but other aspects of life too such as friendships, career, hobbies etc. I noticed men were also less respectful towards me, in many cases (and rightly so) believing that due to my lack of male attention I'd be more willing to please them, satisfy them and be more agreeable since I didn't have a lot of choice. Although this is a natural and true assumption to make, they believe they've made a compromise (risking being socially outcast and/or judged) so they can get love, companionship or sex more easily. I can tell you it's both humiliating and demoralising being on the other side. Now that my body is equal to my face, for better lack of expression, I am finding myself with all sorts of opportunities, especially career wise. A lot of bigger women I know are resentful and bitter about how they are received by society and the disadvantages that come with being overweight. However, to change societies views is very difficult, changing yourself is achievable and for me, it had nothing to do with pressure but 'adaption' is a more correct way of putting it.

I'm not close to anorexic, nor do I see myself as overweight; I'm healthy and fit. I'm just saying that when you spend much of your formative years being bullied about your weight, it's difficult to see yourself as attractive once you lose it. I don't really want to elaborate because it's quite personal as I'm sure you can understand. However, I thought it was necessary to use myself as evidence to support that most men are really not attracted to overweight girls and I say that from personal experience. I've noticed an extraordinary change in the way men see me since losing weight and that's because it's natural to be attracted to healthy and fit people. I don't feel resentful because men can't really help what they're attracted too. Although the OP might have a competitive advantage being attracted to overweight women, most men will compete with other men for women who have qualities that are considered attractive.

No, that's not what I meant at all. By 'fat' personality, I mean I'm still not confident, feel insecure and shy about my body despite not being overweight anymore. The weight loss took about a year, but it's taken years to mentally adjust to getting more attention from the opposite sex.

What is considered 'disabled' in the US? In Australia we currently have over 800, 000 people on a disability pension (our population is around 23.4 million). There were 127,000 claims made in 2013 and only around 72, 000 were rejected. The number of Australians on disability pension grew by 43% between 1997-2007. I find it hard to believe that many people are unable to work. With no disrespect to the OP, I just have no idea what disabled means anymore. So perhaps we should identify that first.

+ for A Brief History of Time I also found From Eternity to Here by Sean Carroll accessible and entertaining; it covers a range of the important modern concepts in physics. It is a 'popular science' book, but it does delve quite deeply into complex areas such as quantum mechanics. You mentioned math isn't your strongest or favourite subject and there is very little math in this book. I recently read The Hidden Reality by Greene and thought this was another great one for us dilettante but probably too simple for the physicists here, but the examples were clear (although some of his analogies bizarre). My only problem with this one was that is was a little too philosophical with a bit too much speculation for my liking.

Funny. If it were also true, I'd be able to use my brain glucose for more useful things other than worrying about weight gain. I was a chubby teenager and completely overlooked, ignored and often teased; boys were absolutely horrible to me. I lost a lot of weight during my first few years of University and once I did, I practically had to beat the guys away. Perhaps men become more understanding and accepting as they get older, or at least stop worrying about what others think. However, I wouldn't want to gain weight again to test this theory. From my experience being both overweight and healthy/fit, I can tell you that men not only notice me a lot more now, but they're also a lot nicer. Thanks to years of insecurity, I unfortunately still have a 'fat' personality.

He's not produced anything noteworthy since The Mating Mind and has some unconventional ideas on eugenics, although despite finding him somewhat unpleasant, I did enjoy the book itself. Although I agree with you on your skepticism of evolutionary psychology, I still find myself interested. Though the testability of theories is the biggest problem, I feel that they're at least a step in the right direction. However, it seems like we're still a long way off when it comes to psychology. At least evolutionary psychology is somewhat scientific or attempts to be.

There are few jobs where a Masters or PhD is a requirement or useful. In some cases it makes employers reluctant to employ you because you're over qualified and will need to be on a higher pay scale. In most careers work experience combined with a solid work ethic is more important. I think self directed learning is undervalued too, there is a wealth of knowledge online as well as lots of free courses, you might not get a qualification out of it, but it's a good way to learn new skills or improve on existing ones. University is very expensive in Australia and being a student here is difficult, so I wouldn't recommend studying anymore than you need to formally.

Although I've never had a problem with spelling, I have poor handwriting skills (although this is a fine motor problem, unlike spelling). I can type fast with almost no errors, text and swipe with no difficulty, however my handwriting is slow and often not legible. I remember always dreading writing exams at school and university because even though I had no difficulty with the work, I always ran out of time due to slow handwriting.

You might enjoy reading 'The Mating Mind' by Geoffrey Miller. I didn't know much about how sexual choice helped shape the evolution of human nature and thought this book was accessible and engaging for those that have little background in evolutionary psychology.

It's not a matter of 'heavy' or 'thin' but people are just attracted to healthy people because they'll have the best chance of giving birth to strong, healthy offspring who are most likely to survive. For example men are attracted to women with wider hips, bigger breasts and thick long hair because it signifies fertility and good health. Most men aren't attracted to very overweight women though, excess weight in the abdomen puts you at risk of many diseases such as heart and liver, diabetes, high blood pressure etc. However, some excess weight in the hips, buttocks and breasts isn't a risk to your health. People who are slightly overweight are also more likely to survive disease and sickness at any given age. All these factors I think contribute to people being attracted to normal/athletic/curvy opposed to thin. However, I think being attracted to very overweight/obese people isn't that common. I'll be honest, I'm very attracted to athletic/muscular men and don't find overweight/obese men attractive at all. When I think about why I don't find it attractive, I know I subconsciously think they will be less adequate and active in bed and less energetic. This might not be true for all athletic/strong men but on average it's a good indicator.

Firstly, why are you assuming one can't be competitive and also compassionate/understanding? I don't understand how competitiveness in unethical; I can understand that someone may/could act unethically in order to achieve their goal, however, you seem to be stating that the nature of competition in society is a bad thing and without context this doesn't make any sense. Who ever said you need to achieve good grades in school or go to University to be successful? I have a Masters with a high distinction average and first class honours yet I get paid less than an electrician, plumber and carpenter (trades which don't require you to finish high school for receive a University education, yet pay very well). There are many ways to be accomplished/successful, not just in monetary ways. What about someone who is competitive in sport or their personal fitness and health? Many people feel good when they are working towards their full potential and wanting to be one of the best at what you feel passionate about doesn't mean you're apathetic towards others.

You could make broccoli soup and freeze it, that's what I do if I have left over food (which is rare). You can throw anything into a soup and it always freezes and reheats well, plus it's nutritious. Australians throw away over four million tonnes of food per year, this is just one country too. We can all contribute to help reduce the worldwide food gap by just buying what we need. Not to mention this food that is uneaten rots and gives off methane which traps heat in the atmosphere. There are other impacts too, such as the wasted water, fuel and other resources which are wasted to grow and distribute the food; these resources can be put to better use. Eshel, I'm not going to reply to your points anymore. Your view on this issue is too simplistic and misguided. This discussion itself on whether it's ethical to eat meat is the wrong approach. We have many issues we need to combat about eating sustainably, conserving our environment and closing the food gap, being 'mean' to animals is a discussion I'm very tired of because it addresses one minor ethical issue and it's only addressed because it's an obvious consequence; what about all the hidden consequences?