IntenseDebate - SunTzuSays

13 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Will the U.S. swim tea... · 0 replies · +1 points

China is mostly winning medals on the women's side and even then are competitive mostly in longer swims than the US. There are fewer of those than the "sprinting" style events that the US dominates. US medal count includes more gold medals in swimming alone than all of China's swim medals combined. They are still a 3 to 1 advantage in total medals as a result.

If you consider that evidence that China is catching up, I do not. Most of their actual catchup was in the 1990s, when it was discovered that most of their swimmers were doping and were banned. I don't think that bodes well moving forward.

Diving, yes. They're winning there (already). Swimming no.

13 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Will the U.S. swim tea... · 2 replies · +1 points

If true that would probably have more to do with Olympic rules limiting the number of participants per country in swimming finals than with "no Phelps".

US has over 3 times as many swimming medals as any other country historically (Australia is #2 and they are 300 medals behind). So I'd say they will still be far better than most other countries for a long time yet as there's no evidence of anyone catching up.

13 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Is Michael Jordan the ... · 0 replies · +2 points

If it is totally useless to you, why would you have an opinion in the first place? Better still, why would it be worth listening to or reading it? It is unlikely to be an informed and useful thought if you don't care about the subject in the first place.

Generally speaking, if you don't know anything, and don't care to, why say anything at all?

13 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Should immigrant busin... · 0 replies · +1 points

So this would mean that they would only receive tax breaks on home offices, business use of automobile, capital depreciation, business supplies, additional expenses for insurance premiums, retirement contributions, office software, travel, and office furniture. Seems fair to me.

My understanding of the "special" tax credits available is that they mostly apply to investors, not the business owners themselves, and that they're targeting neighbourhoods (largely minority dominated urban areas) rather than immigrants. What actual or proposed special tax advantages could be applied specifically to immigrants or women?

14 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Is Michael Jordan the ... · 2 replies · +1 points

Wilt "wilted" typically under pressure in the same way LeBron seems to today. Putting up great numbers against mediocre players isn't all that impressive per se versus putting up great performances against the top echelon, especially when it matters most.

Wilt barely would make the top 5 all-time as a result. And that would be mostly because they kept changing the rules because he was doing all sorts of unprecedented things (like chasing down his own missed free-throws as alley-oops to himself leading to the lane violation).

If you were going to pick someone from that era, Bill Russell would be acceptable. There's at least an argument for him surpassing Jordan in a way that almost nobody takes Wilt seriously. Kareem even has a case that Wilt doesn't.

14 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Is Floyd Mayweather, J... · 0 replies · +1 points

He also lost twice each to Tony Zale (both KOs) and Harold Green AND Steve Riggio well before Sugar Ray came along. That's a lot of losses to contend with during what should be a boxing prime.

Given that I didn't mention Ali, I'm not sure what pertinence that has to reply with. Yes boxers eventually lose, but they don't lose as often as Graziano did during his prime, nor do they get KO'd very often. Hence the problem with this theory considering him among all-time greats. You may as well have said "Mike Tyson" here and it would make about as much sense.

Principally, the issue at hand is that you are favoring someone without any logical backing or peer assessments that would find it a sensible choice (eg, even people of your generation would probably look at you like you were crazy for saying this). I would like to know why. Did you meet him once? Did you like the movie? See one of his fights as a child? What exactly happens here that makes this guy stand out. Because otherwise, he's certainly a good fighter, and good puncher, but not a great boxer on the Mayweather/Ali/Robinson level and it makes no sense to declare otherwise.

14 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Is Floyd Mayweather, J... · 2 replies · +1 points

Sugar Ray Robinson did knock him out. Just FYI.

Given that the usual answer to this question by people who actually followed boxing is Sugar Ray Robinson, it seems pertinent to note that.

As a further problem with that pick, Graz isn't typically listed in anybody's top 50 list of all-time boxers. If he jumps at least 50 or more other boxers in your mind, then it's probably much like your "Willie McCovey" answer (a similar problem, given that Stretch would have to jump about the same number of baseball players).

14 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Should lie detector te... · 0 replies · +1 points

Why is it that you don't even bother to refute anything? From anyone (much less me)?

14 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Will crowdfunding be t... · 0 replies · +1 points

It's pretty much what buying stock has always been (large body of people pooling money and assets together), it's just occurring in a different venue for raising capital and often providing products or services as an end point rather than dividends and capital gains in the form of money.

I would think the track record of the stock market would be the obvious place to look to see if it is a smart thing or not. I'd say, more or less, yes. Though it's possible there are greater risks for throwing money into a kickstarter or other microloaning structure, it's also possible that you will have more direct "insider" knowledge if it is a friend or a friend's recommendation as to a given project's likely prospects.

14 years ago @ DEBATEitOUT.com - Should lie detector te... · 2 replies · +1 points

Cops themselves aren't necessarily a good determination of lying either. For example, perhaps we may grant they can tell someone is lying, but what about, does that have any bearing on a case or potential crime? Their "feel" for the relative honesty of a story should be based upon gathering other evidence than their mere impression of the person and isn't any more useful in a court for that reason (along with that they are not experts in determining accurately the form and function of deception any more than almost any other person is with awareness of basic psychology).

In addition, this then relies on the officer's credibility itself being always held above reproach. There are numerous cases of corruption and other sources of dishonesty within the blue line to suggest that simply because it's a cops opinion doesn't make it very useful (eg, if it comes down to the cops word versus the other party, that's not "evidence" in any sensible view without any corroboration). Not only would this require an assessment of each individual cops ability to discern accurate lies and deception, but it would require an assessment of these individuals' relative honesty on their own accord. Even "honest" lying in the form of expressing more strongly a belief in guilt which is otherwise unfounded would be false.

IntenseDebate Comment System

Connect with SunTzuSays

My blogs/sites

People I'm following

SunTzuSays