Ah - This is the sort of good stuff I was hoping for :-) Couple of things. How can I back up an opinion that involves, as in the first example I gave, personal taste? I cannot back up my opinion about Blackbeard's Tea Party with anything other than personal experience. Does that mean that anyone is entitled to tell me that my opinion is nonsense? Secondly, can an opinion be formed on the basis of the research of other people? How much should we trust our sources or must we back up our opinions with first hand facts and evidence?