Sirona

Thank you for sharing your composition with us, Daedalus; I enjoyed it immensely and hope that you continue to share other pieces with us. It's wonderful that you had a teacher who was able to foster and develop your passion for music. I'm sure she would have been moved by the tribute. It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. - Albert Einstein

Spell checker is also convenient, free to use and shows consideration to others... I'm not exactly certain on how to phrase my response because the discussion is not very specific but I'll attempt it based on my understanding. So, I believe embarrassment is not a 'stand alone' for better lack of a term emotion and it's something that stems from other emotions such as guilt, shame and pride. To feel 'embarrassment' I think you've first got to be aware of you then yourself relative to others and how they perceive you. So, the emotion 'embarrassment' is a response to your failure to act or speak in a way which is deemed socially acceptable. What follows the awareness that you have defied social norms is a self-conscious emotion; you become concerned how others will judge you and what impact your behaviour/action had in shaping others perception of you. We all desire to 'fit in' and want others to hold us in high-esteem and think positively about us. Behavior and actions which cause embarrassment I believe therefore are accidental since we do desire to fit in. What is embarrassing depends a lot on situation, circumstance and company I think. For example, you would feel more self-conscious tripping and dropping your coffee in front of your employer at work than you would in front of your sibling because you're aware that your employers perception and judgement of you is going to be more volatile than that of your brother/sister. It doesn't always been to be associated with negative experiences either, such as tripping, falling, spilling/dropping for example. Perhaps you've got a date and you've gone to a great deal of effort to make a feast but you also want it to appear understated because you don't want to appear too willing to please early on; your date noticing the effort might make you feel embarrassed. Or you gave your boss a very thoughtful and personal or expensive gift when everyone else just signed a card; this might make you feel embarrassed in front of your employer and colleagues. I think to a certain degree it's a good thing that we have social norms to control the behaviours of those who would otherwise behave in a way that might have damaging consequences to others. Some people, if not deterred by the fear of being ostracised will not act in an acceptable way.

It's not easy to contact HIV, the virus would need to enter your blood stream through a mucous membrane. When you say the solution 'spilled' on you, can you be more specific? Although it is possible to contact HIV from 'occupational exposure' you would need to have had broken skin (wound, cut, scab, etc) or through direct injection into your blood stream from an infected needle. Actually, the HIV virus survives a lot better in the cold and at –70°C it will survive indefinitely. It is kept at –70°C for lab tests because it does not lose viral activity.

I was tempted to buy a new bike online but due to my height (5'2") I really do need to test that the frame is right for me. I think it's difficult to find the bike with the right geometry though when you only take it for a test ride around the block. Some stores allow you to exchange within a two week time frame if you're unhappy which is convenient. I start to experience serious discomfort due to pressure on my perineum after about 2-3 hours of riding. Do you know if the saddle is more likely to be the cause, or the frame? Although I do cycle a lot, I don't consider myself an enthusiast and therefore don't know much about it, so I do appreciate the advice!

I wouldn't say he's particularly young. Michael Moore is very overweight and this could have been a factor. Some studies have shown that having type 2 diabetes will increase your chances of being hospitalised with pneumonia between 25-75% 'possibly because of the harmful effects of hyperglycaemia on the immune system, increased risk of aspiration due to diabetic gastroparesis, and impaired lung function," explain Dr Jette B. Kornum and colleagues of the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.' http://www.ersnet.org/component/flexicontent/items/item/4223-beware-those-extra-pounds-obesity-in-men-raises-risk-of-being-hospitalised-with-pneumonia.html I don't know if Moore has any obesity related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, however, this could be one of the possible contributing factors.

I'm not good at commitment and wouldn't be available for regular meet ups. I like the flexibility of playing online too.

As always, Ten Oz, you have excellent points. Although machines have been taking over jobs for a few centuries, it does have a short/medium term impact on many people and their quality of life and I was just pointing out that the middle class is growing more rapidly currently in emerging markets. Unskilled/semi-skilled jobs such as that of a truck driver, bus driver and taxi driver for example are jobs that pay relatively well and require little skill and easy to find. However with companies like Uber and Google working towards developing self-driving vehicles for example, a lot of jobs are going to be lost. Although it's true that people have always needed to adapt to changing technologies and generally the changes have been good for society, it does cause a shift in culture and class. In the long term people learn to appreciate that technology has reduced the need for labour intensive work, made things more efficient and improved the quality of life in terms of health and safety too. Self driving vehicles for example are projected to save many lives in the future and road accidents make up the large cause of (in most cases) preventable death. However, we can't discount the amount of jobs that will be lost and the families that will suffer as a result.

Do you mean that people find it difficult to change their accustomed behaviour? I feel this could have potential for a good discussion but I don't know where to begin as you've just presented us with a statement. It would be useful to phrase it into a specific question so we can address it accordingly.

I agree with you completely that education is the key and like almost everything I've learned, I draw from my personal experience. Being a first generation Australian I can say attitude is largely cultural and stems from understanding, knowledge and experience. I was raised in a very conservative family with culturally Islamic views on my fathers side (I say culturally because Islam had very little influence on our lives except when it came to the position of women and eating pork; alcohol, male promiscuity, violence and doubt in God was perfectly acceptable). I am eternally thankful for my secular state education and although I can't say I learned a great deal academically, I learned how to be a good citizen; to not marginalise women and minorities, embrace multiculturalism, hate is born from fear, the need to control is born from insecurity. Some might say I was indoctrinated by leftists but I believe it has made me a better person. I may be wrong. This is my belief. I've said before many times, I am a technology native and grew up online. Over the years I've participated in many forum discussions and these conversations were no less important in shaping my views and perspective. When you're posting online you should be mindful that you have the power to influence, cause change, inflict harm, educate and inform. I have a great deal of love and respect for those that have made it their goal to inform the misinformed with well thought out, well researched and evidence based knowledge. I've not been here a long time, but there are a lot of excellent role models here (I'm not just speaking of moderators either) who I respect immensely and what makes it such a nice place to be is the diversity and opportunity to learn and educate, but something more too, there is an opportunity to inspire and cause change. Use your time online for good.

I tend to agree with you, Zapatos. However, the problem in the west is that technology and globalisation are eliminating a lot of jobs, particularly for unskilled and semi-skilled workers, so that the middle class are declining. However, in countries like China and other emerging markets the middle-class population is increasing rapidly.

I found this interesting article: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/neil-malhotra-having-sisters-makes-men-more-likely-be-republican It's saying that men who have sisters tend to be more conservative. I'm not certain of it's validity, however, it's an interesting read. According to the article, men who have sisters do less housework and grow to associate housework with 'woman's work' and have a more traditional view of gender roles.

I don't have the words to express my sadness after reading that, Hypervalent. I often feel betrayed by my own silence because I can't count the times I've been bullied by men into silence online and offline; I say it with shame that I've learned to ignore it and not retaliate. The worst part about it is, if you work in a male dominated industry it could be detrimental to your career to speak up against the sexism. I've read this thread several times today before posting because I know the emotional turmoil it's going to bring. http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/careers/surgeon-blows-whistle-on-medical-sexism-she-would-have-been-much-better-to-have-given-him-a-blow-job/news-story/7d1be4aabb608e0405bfa6827ca71f9e http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-10/damning-report-reveals-bullying-harassment-among-surgeons/6763490 http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/silence-about-sexual-harassment-in-hospitals-a-major-issue-doctors-say-20150308-13y9ki.html I feel guilt that I don't have the emotional strength to speak up in the workplace or online. There is that aspect of futility when you're out numbered.

I mostly play board games online in the evenings to relax and distress because I don't enjoy TV and I'm often not quite relaxed enough after work to read. I think strategy board games have improved my problem solving ability, however, I think it's contributed to me being anti-social. Though, it's hard to determine cause and effect; perhaps I like problem solving games because I am anti-social.

We also have a Medicare levy which is taxed at 2.0%. There are exemptions and reductions depending on whether your taxable income is equal to or less than the lower threshold. They also assess spouses income if you're married or defacto and any dependants. So if you're partnered then they assess your combined income. If you have private health care then you're exempt from the additional surcharge and for high income earners this is a good option as it includes dental which is not covered by Medicare. This surcharge is aimed at reducing the demand for public healthcare.

So although the idea is the same, the rules are different. Although I am not an expert in US taxation (you guys are notorious for your complex system ) but with superannuation employers must make a compulsory (9.5%) contribution on top of your salary/wage. We have a marginal tax rate (https://www.ato.gov.au/Rates/Individual-income-tax-rates/) so basically the more you earn, the higher your tax bracket is. If you're a higher income earner (you earn over 37, 000), it makes sense to 'salary sacrifice' (pay money into your super before tax as you're taxed at a fixed rate of 15%). If you're under 50, your yearly contribution is capped at 30, 000 (before tax contribution) and 35, 000 for those over 50. If your contributions exceed this amount, then you're taxed at the highest income bracket which is 49%. However, your employer might restrict how much you salary sacrifice and income you've already earned can't be sacrificed.

The idea is the same, the implementation is different.

You might find this study interesting then: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070350 I used to play RTS games (AoE, StarCraft) and FPS (Counter-Strike, Doom). These days I only have time for the occasional board game (Agricola, Stone Age, Puerto Rico, Castles of Burgundy), some poker and chess. I haven't played chess online in a while though.

Superannuation tax deduction, negative gearing and capital gains tax.

I would have preferred mint green but they only had it in the vintage cruisers or fixie's. I would like to replace my seat as it's not very comfortable for long commutes. I'm considering using this one just to get to the beach and back. I often do long trips on the weekend and like to ride in the Blue Mountains and need the lower gears. I was thinking about this one: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-2016-REID-OSPREY-ELITE-ROAD-BIKE-27SPD-SHIMANO-SORA-CARBON-FORK-/171989349927 It's got a much bigger range of gears and triple chain rings.

http://www.pnas.org/content/107/38/16489.full According to the study above, more money is not associated with more happiness however, less money is correlated with emotional pain. Who would have thought 'balance' was best? I personally wouldn't want to be a struggling student again, worrying constantly about how I'm going to make ends meet week after week. Being a recent graduate I am not on a great income but it's comfortable and I am able to do the things I love. I care about money, but I am not materialistic by any means; I'm a minimalist and spend a small percentage of my income after expenses on consumables but instead on experiences. I believe it's people, shared experiences, hobbies and leisure which make us happy (not factoring in the genetics or health). I believe when some of you say you don't like money, you're really saying you're not materialistic.

Here's my ride. It's a decent road bike and the lightest in the ladies vintage range at about 12.5kg. I can cover a decent distance (40-50km) but would prefer more gears. The basket adds extra weight but it's too pretty to ditch.

'The Stuff of Thought' Stephen Pinker, because I just can't get enough.

I really believe no matter how busy your schedule is you should make the time to acknowledge and interact with others. My morning routine might be running to work with a hastily thrown together breakfast because I wanted that extra thirty minutes of sleep, but I will stop to talk to my neighbours or building maintenance supervisors if I see them. I'll take the time to interact with the chatty barister even though I'm really not a morning person. I might get to work unprepared because I spent the evening procrastinating but I will still acknowledge my colleagues and make conversation. I really dislike when people sacrifice their relationships with others because they're busy. I'd rather know I gave someone my time and made them feel valued and important, even at the risk of getting to work late, or being disorganised, missing something, having less free time, etc. I know personally, I get very upset when people are too busy to interact with me or push me aside so no matter what's on my schedule, I make sure I don't dismiss others. That's great, Ed. I know I am a long way away yet, but I am really looking forward to retiring. I'm happiest when I'm bush-walking, kayaking, swimming in gorges, climbing rocks, sitting under a waterfall or just lying on the sand or a muddy bank reading.

It may be cheap to produce but they certainly make a lot of profit selling it: http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/64413/Wagner-Kyolic-KY-High-Potency-Formula-112-120-Capsules?source=GS&gclid=CKCB2Pi688sCFVcnvQodhwABdg

Absolutely. They are constantly trying to link specific foods as having 'disease curing properties' or improving your immune system, clearing your skin, etc. However, the evidence is not conclusive like the correlation between smoking and cancer for example. That Australian trial from the University of Western Australia you've sourced was an extremely small as they only studied 146 people over a period of three months. It is also likely that the participants from the group taking the garlic knew as from the smell when burping. It says 'other biases were controlled' but how? Also, participants self recorded their episodes of the common cold and no physical examinations or other tests were taken. I really dislike poor quality trials like this one where the health supplement industry can get their hands on little evidence and data which they can later exaggerate to sell supplements. We also have a responsibility not to circulate poor claims like this and encourage the spread of unproven data and the sales of ineffective health supplements.