::Homework Crapbox:: (version 2013 & 2014 & 2015 & 2016)
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[Psychology] - The Asshole EffectIt’s true: The rich really are ruder
Mark Kingwell is a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto.
Who among us has not felt the affront? Macadamia nuts arrive in a bag, not on a dish, and something shrivels in the soul. Are we animals? Did we execute the challenging task of being born insanely wealthy only to eat in-flight snacks from a bag?!
We did not. And that is why, when Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-ah was confronted by a bag of nuts on a flight out of New York early last December, she grew enraged and forced the plane back to the gate. As a result of the incident, Ms. Cho, the 40-year-old daughter of the airline’s chairman, Cho Yang-ho, was charged, among other things, with assault and obstructing an airline captain in the performance of his duties.
In custody since Dec. 30, she was was convicted last week of violating aviation safety law and sentenced to a year in prison. Another executive who tried to cover up the incident was sentenced to eight months. Many observers consider the sentences too light, given the rampant nepotism and privilege enjoyed by second- and third-generation members of South Korea’s business elite.
“If she were considerate to people, if she didn’t treat employees like slaves, if she could have controlled her emotion,� the chief judge said, “this case would not have happened.� But consider the deeper truth of the matter: It was not really her fault.
Psychologist Paul Piff has coined a memorable label for the phenomenon: the Asshole Effect. Prof. Piff and his colleagues have shown that there is a reliable correlation, across a range of scenarios, between wealth and inconsiderate behaviour. Wealthy people are more likely to exhibit rudeness in cars, take more than equal shares of available goods, and think they deserve special treatment. Ms. Cho is just a spectacular example of what happens daily at any airport.
When the sheer luck of the birthright lottery is converted via psychological magic into a sense of entitlement, expectations of special treatment and a delusional belief that tax reform constitutes “class warfare� are predictable. Prof. Piff confirms experimentally the arguments of Aaron James’s 2012 book Assholes: A Theory. Like George W. Bush, some people are born on third base and think they hit a triple.
That’s why Ms. Cho’s trial and sentencing should be seen for what it is: an avoidance ritual, a show trial. Pictured in tears after the sentencing, Ms. Cho wrote a forced confession letter in which she said, “I know my faults and I’m very sorry.� This is Galilean recanting for the obscenely plutocentric age.
But her conviction changes nothing. In fact, it allows the current arrangement to endure under a screen of bogus accountability. Meanwhile, those who complain that the verdict is rooted in resentment are right. Resentment is, after all, the rational response of non-jerks when faced with the behaviour of over-entitled jerks. It’s not the rudeness that people hate so much as the assumption that they are allowed to be rude.
This isn’t always a function of wealth, just of narcissism and assumed superiority. I know several witless academic egomaniacs who routinely give themselves a free pass to be uncivil. But because wealth is the most obvious marker of status in capitalist societies, it is also the most powerful lever of being a jerk.
Other entitlement show trials come to mind. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund, is scrambling to salvage the shreds of his reputation, even as lurid evidence emerges of sex parties and pimping. This is the same Dominique Strauss-Kahn who was charged with sexually assaulting a Manhattan hotel maid a few years ago; the charge was eventually dropped and he settled with the maid out of court. (Ken Kalfus’s story, Coup de Foudre, is a brilliant fictional account of the incident, framed as a cringe-making letter of apology.)
Then there’s Francesco Schettino, disgraced captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, wrecked off the Capri coast in 2012, who was recently convicted of multiple counts of manslaughter. Thirty-two passengers and crew were killed in that debacle and Mr. Schettino, who jumped ship, was sentenced to 16 years in jail.
But while this “reckless idiot� – with traces of cocaine in his hair – was entertaining his 25-year-old Moldovan mistress, ordering the pointless and dangerous fly-by to impress her, there was a company, a system, and a set of assumptions all holding him up. His orders, after all, were obeyed.
It is a necessary premise of law that individuals are responsible for their actions, and no sane person would have it otherwise. But the root causes of the asshole effect are not, finally, singular. Such people are made, not born. Until we have a more aggressive plan for attacking luck-entitlements, condemnation of a few hapless exemplars will remain satisfying but futile.
Source :
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/its-true-the-rich-really-are-ruder/article23044015/ -
Vladimir Putin could be world’s richest person with stolen $257B fortune
VLADIMIR Putin could be the world’s richest person with a stolen $US200 billion ($257 billion) fortune, a foreign investor claims.
Hermitage Capital Management CEO Bill Browder claims the Russian president stole billions from his country’s coffers and hid it in overseas accounts.
“I believe (Putin’s net worth) is $200 billion. After 14 years in power of Russia, and the amount of money that the country has made, and the amount of money that hasn’t been spent on schools and roads and hospitals and so on, all that money is in property, bank — Swiss bank accounts, shares, hedge funds, managed for Putin and his cronies,� Browder told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.
That fortune would make Putin more than twice as wealthy as Bill Gates, officially the world’s richest person with a net worth of $US78.6 billion.
Browder said he was once a supporter of Putin (Hermitage was the largest foreign investor in Russia) but was expelled from the country in 2005 after being considered a “threat to national security.�
The former “shareholder activist� claims in his new book, “Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice�, that Putin made a “deal� with wealthy oligarchs, promising to spare them jail time for “stealing profits from companies� if they shared their wealth with him.
He says when he exposed the corrupt oligarchs who were stealing from the state-run companies in which he was investing, Putin turned on him.
“What I didn’t realise then, and it’s become absolutely plain and obvious to me now, based on my experience, is that Putin wasn’t above it all, Putin was intimately involved in it all, and it wasn’t like he was restraining the oligarchs — he was the biggest oligarch. And everything that he’s done since then has come to prove that,� Browder told CNN.
“The power is very simple in Russia — whoever has the power to arrest people is the person in power. And so what Putin does is he has a bunch of guys around him who have the power to arrest people.
“And so it doesn’t matter how rich you are, if you can be arrested, put in jail and have your money taken away, the guy who can do that to you is the most powerful person in Russia.�
Putin has been dogged by corruption claims for years, with The Guardian reporting in 2007 he owned vast holdings in three Russian oil and gas companies hidden behind a “non-transparent network of offshore trusts.� -
Bride chooses a random stranger to marry after the original groom suffers an epileptic fit at her wedding ceremony.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Bareilly/Groom-unwell-bride-weds-guest-in-fit-of-rage/articleshow/46277810.cms -
This time round it's not Indonesia, it's Malaysia. The fires are still raging on, so expect the haze to continue on for at least a few more days.
The most hazardous PM2.5 (ie. 2.5 picometers particulates) reading from this haze is very bad, it's as harmful as cigarette smoke, hence the similar choking sensation. Long term exposure will increase risk of cancers of the respiratory system.
From the Indonesia haze episodes in the last couple of years, every Singaporean household should already have invested in at least 1 decent air purifier. If you've not yet done so, you better do so soon. You can expect haze episodes, whether from Malaysia or Indonesia, to be an ongoing problem every year or so.
A note of caution, if you buy Air Purifiers from Amazon.com, note that these are meant to be used in USA (where a different household voltage of 120V is used, instead of Singapore's 240V). You'll need to buy either a transformer or a converter (technical physics difference, but both serve a similar purpose) with at least 300W capacity, required to transform/convert Singapore's 240V into USA's 120V before the air purifiers can operate.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007E7RY/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005QELT/ -
Vanessa Mae's "I'm a Doun For Lack of Johnnie" track used as backdrop for Lama Dondrup Dorje's Tai Ji demonstration (including all the different Tai Ji styles : Hao + Yang + Wu + Sun + Chen, as well as Ba Gua Zhang + Liu He Ba Fa + Xing Yi Quan martial arts).
Watch from 1:30 onwards :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8qpEU3MQU0&feature=player_detailpage#t=89
Vanessa Mae's Original "I'm a Doun For Lack of Johnnie" music video :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh9j0-Ey3kw -
[Singapore] - A taxi driver's encounter with a China construction worker
http://therealsingapore.com/content/local-taxi-driver-my-experience-prc-construction-worker
Last Sunday night, I encountered an incident with a China construction worker which I want to share with the public.
I was driving around Jurong East around midnight thinking about how I wanted to go to Red Hill View to eat my favourite Yong Tau Foo.
As I was driving along Jurong East Avenue 1, I saw a PRC construction worker trying to flag down my cab.
I actually have deep respect for construction workers as I believe they are very hard working. I never refuse to pick them up even if they might be muddy. I will still pick them up and simply clean my taxi afterward if they do leave mud or dirt behind.
I stopped and the man, in a Northern China accent, said that he was going to Kranji. I told him no problem and he got in.
While driving, I struck up a conversation with the PRC construction worker asking why he was out here alone in the middle of the night.
He explained that he had gone to make a police report and by the time he was done, there were no more trains.
Curious, I asked him what had happened that he needed to make a police report. He also spoke with a thick Norther China accent and I asked him where he was from.
He said that he was from Henan and his name was Zheng Zhi Shan and he was 37 years old. He was working in Singapore as a construction worker and he had needed to make a police report because he had found a wallet that evening.
I listened intently as he shared his story with me.
He said that he had been drinking with his friends that evening but as he was getting ready to catch a train back to his dorm at about 10pm, he saw a wallet on the ground outside Jurong East MRT Station.
He picked it up and found $300 SingDollars inside as well as a work pass showing the face of a dark skinned man.
Mr Zheng thought that the man who had lost his wallet would surely come back as he was probably worried and looking for it, especially given the large amount of money in the wallet.
He waited at the Station for about 20 minutes but no body showed up to claim the wallet. He decided to try and hand it over to the SMRT control officers but they wouldn't accept it saying that he would need to hand it to police at the nearest police station.
They instructed him that he'd need to catch bus 334 and taught him how to get to the nearest police station. However he felt very confused as it sounded very complicated.
In the end, he shared how he had had to seek the assistance of a young girl and it was lucky that she could speak mandarin.He had hurriedly told her what had happened and that he was in a rush as he wanted to catch the last train home.
When she heard what had happened she was touched by what the PRC man wanted to do and she agreed to help him and brought him to the nearest Police station which turned out to be next to Yuhua Community Centre.
At the police station, officers took down his details and what had happened by the time he was finished, the time was already past midnight and he knew he couldn't make it back in time for the last train.
However, His efforts did not go unrewarded as just as he was getting ready to leave the police station, two dark skinned men came into the police station looking for a lost wallet.
As it turned out, the men were actually looking for the wallet that Mr Zheng had just brought in.
I was shocked, how coincidental!
Mr Zheng shared that when the Dark skinned man found out it was him to brought in his wallet he was so overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude and he shook his hand whole heartedly and repeatedly thanked him.
Mr Zheng could not really understand anything else that the man said but he could feel his deep gratitude. $300 is no small amount for foreign construction workers in Singapore.Mr Zheng then came out of the police station and realised that he had no way home as he had well and truly missed his last train already. Shortly after, he flagged down my cab.
I was also touched by his story and how he had clearly gone out of his way to help a total stranger and was not tempted to take any of the money.
I told him that I wasn't going to charge him for the cab fare back to his dormitory. He refused and said that he also understands that taxi driving is not an easy job.
I insisted saying that I wanted to show him the respect I had for his honesty and also reassured him that it was within my means. It also gave me an opportunity to do a good deed. In the end he agreed and even let me take photos together with him to upload to facebook.
Last time I was a photographer with Zaobao and I even gave him tips on how he should relax and hold his head high so he looked better and more comfortable in the photo despite being tired after a long day. I reassured him saying that he should be proud of what he has done and I wanted to share his good deeds with the public.
Even after he left my cab and I told him to go back and rest well, he stood by the side of the road waving me off until I drove away.
I was touched by what had happened this evening and realised that it was already past 1am. I decided to make the trip to Red Hill View and treat myself to my favourite yong tau foo.
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[North Korea] - 100,000 North Koreans enslaved in Russia to fund Kim Jong-un's personal coffers and ostentatious lifestyle. Under an agreement between North Korea and Russia, Russia pays the wages for the 100,000 slaves directly to Kim Jong-un.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/100-000-north-koreans-reportedly-working-abroad-slaves-095824829.html -
John Travolta molests two Hollywood actresses at the Oscars :
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Fun way to load explosive 100kg gas cylinders onto a truck :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA5CZCkUyJ4&feature=player_embedded -
Bad karma for those (including the man himself, for whom this law is supposed to 'protect') with the power to change this anti-cosmoethical law, yet choose to retain it and abuse it for their own selfish political reasons, resulting in the imprisonment of thousands of innocent victims.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/two-thais-await-sentence-insulting-royals-play-213145291.html -
This is why all vehicles should come pre-installed with a sound-enabled video camera.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2037728396367879 -
Woman screaming at several MRT staff causes an MRT officer to shout back at her.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2037735176367201 -
KFC manager pays for poor old blind man's meal out of her own pocket.
http://news.asiaone.com/print/news/singapore/kfc-staff-goes-extra-mile-partially-blind-customer -
Everyone loves it when a sadistic, violent, serial-killing psychopath takes on another sadistic, violent, serial-killing psychopath, both intellectually as well as in martial arts.
Hannibal : "Why did you come?"
Tobias : "I was going to kill you. And why did you invite me?"
Hannibal : "I was going to kill *you*."
Hannibal vs Tobias :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I5yFjdfVX0
Hannibal vs Jack (Morpheus from The Matrix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vwHATDeJhU -
[Internet] - What colours make up this dress?
http://news.asiaone.com/news/science-and-tech/black-and-blue-vs-white-and-gold-what-do-you-see
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/photo-goes-viral-on-social-media-seriously-what-colour-is-this-dress
When asked this question, people on the internet, including Hollywood celebrities, can't seem to agree : some say "blue & gold", others "white & gold", and yet others "blue & black".
Well, *I've* solved the mystery (that no one else seems to have) : whoever uploaded that photo screwed around with the gamma/brightness/contrast settings.
The actual colours of the dress (viewed in real life) are dark gold/brown (so dark that it appears as black), alternating with blue.
When the gamma setting is artificially increased (eg. via Photoshop), the dark gold/brown/black colour thus lightens to appear as gold colour, and the blue colour thus lightens to appear as light blue/white.
The reason whey different people give different answers, is simply that the colours in the artificially gamma-increased photo, fall exactly within the borders of white/blue and gold/black according to the human eye & brain.
Increase the gamma a little bit more, and everyone would agree it's white and gold. Decrease the gamma a little bit more, and everyone would agree it's blue and black.
By deliberately adjusting the gamma settings till the colours are at their borders of change according to the human eye & brain, and you've got yourself a mysterious dress that get people arguing over its colours.
There you have it folks, another mystery solved by yours truly. Thank you, thank you. -
Documentary "Little People Big Dreams" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdlBshZMmn0 -
Wha??? This author says Tharman Shanmugaratnam falls in love easily, has his (glass) heart broken easily, and is easily emotionally traumatized? The author has mistaken "heart of glass" for "heart of stone".
http://therealsingapore.com/content/budget-2015-prudent-pragmatism-fully-clothed-hide-heart-glass -
Wikipedia on "Oh My Darling Clementine"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_My_Darling,_ClementineMuffin Songs - "Oh My Darling Clementine" (2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNHFU5ZjfLUMuffin Songs - "Oh My Darling Clementine" (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHTVh2XfNc4Connie Francis's "Oh My Darling Clementine"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhv3vVNTd6wThe Sweptaways' "Oh My Darling Clementine"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twRr3ygK3TM -
ISIS militants trick mother into ‘eating her kidnapped son’
http://nypost.com/2015/03/02/isis-militants-trick-woman-into-eating-her-kidnapped-son/ -
The problem with Pakistan :
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/latest-viral-sensation-pakistan-rape -
JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Parveena almost got away.
She was on her way home from a visit to her parents in a remote corner of eastern Afghanistan with her children by her side and a small group of women. Two men, their faces covered by kaffiyehs, pulled up on a motor scooter.
“Who is Parveena, daughter of Sardar?� said one, looking at the group of women, their faces hidden behind blue burqas.
No one answered. One of the men took his Kalashnikov and used the muzzle to lift the burqa of the nearest woman — in conservative Afghan society, a gesture akin to undressing her in public. It was Parveena, who like many Afghans used only one name. She grabbed the muzzle, according to her father and her brother, and said, “Who is asking?�
But the gunmen had seen her face, and they fired 11 bullets into her.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/world/asia/afghan-policewomen-struggle-against-culture.html -
Originally posted by UltimaOnline:
Hjdebe
