On Thu, 29 Nov 2012, Keith Hudson wrote:
> Ed, > > The Weick household ought to count itself lucky! If, instead, you'd dropped > your wallet while buying a bag of nails in a D-I-Y superstore, then the > chances are that you'd not have got your wallet back. See <WalletTest.com>. > > Keith No, I don't think so. A large piece of important data is absent from the results on that site: geography. The whole data set was specific to Illinois, USA. It will not be portable, certainly not to Canada, and no doubt even less to points further afield. -Pete > > > At 12:02 29/11/2012, you wrote: > > My wife lost her purse in a crowded local superstore recently. There was > > quite a lot of money in it, plus credit cards, etc. When she realized she > > had done that, she dashed back to the store and to the lost and found > > counter. She was handed her purse. Everything was in it. Nothing had > > been taken. > > > > Ed > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: <mailto:[email protected]>Keith Hudson > > To: <mailto:[email protected]>RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME > > DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION ; <mailto:[email protected]>de Bivort Lawrence > > Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 4:39 AM > > Subject: [Futurework] Extraordinary honesty > > > > Hi Lawry, > > > > I've changed the thread for the purpose of this particular posting because > > it concerns the subject of Islam you're interested in. It was triggered off > > by your mention of Turkey where a remarkable example of honesty occurred > > some 12/15 years ago. I was in a foursome touring Turkey. One afternoon, the > > husband of the other couple decided he wanted to look the university in > > Istanbul. On the way there, while walking through a park he had a stroke (or > > something to the same effect) which rendered him comatose. This occurred > > early in the afternoon. He was still lying there in the early evening, when > > it was finally realized that an ambulance needed to be called for. Meantime, > > because he hadn't returned to the hotel, I'd been ringing round all the > > hospitals in the city. By coincidence, the hospital I happened to be ringing > > (the 19th) had just received him -- so he'd obviously been lying in the park > > for several hours. When I picked him up from the hospital a few days later > > he suddenly realized that he didn't have his wallet (with a great deal of > > Turkish money) or his (expensive) camera and attachments. Magically, a > > policeman suddenly appeared with the very same items and handed them over. I > > often wonder whether my friend's ownership of his wallet and camera would > > have survived a similar event in the park of an advanced country without a > > predominant Islamic culture. > > > > Keith > > . At 21:52 28/11/2012, you wrote: > > > Greetings, everyone, > > > > > > This matter of corruption -- and especially corruption of intent -- is > > > beautifully laid out in an extraordinary Turkish movie, Takva: a Man's > > > Fear of God. I don't want to give the story away by commenting on it > > > here, but will say that it explores this matter deeply and with great > > > authenticity, intelligence, and integrity. Plus, it is a riveting movie. > > > Our local library has a copy, and so yours may, too. Enjoy! > > > > > > Lawry > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Nov 28, 2012, at 4:38 PM, Ed Weick wrote: > > > > > > > Perhaps the only way to be a completely incorruptible person in today's > > > > world is to sit on a mountaintop or to isolate oneself in a little stone > > > > cell in the depths of a monastery, but even that may not work. There > > > > really isn't much room for purists and idealists. > > > > > > > > Ed > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: <mailto:[email protected]>Keith Hudson > > > > To: <mailto:[email protected]>RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME > > > > DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION ; <mailto:[email protected]>Ed Weick > > > > Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 12:12 PM > > > > Subject: Re: [Futurework] There's more there than I thought > > > > Ed, > > > > The big difference between corruption of senior politicians and > > > > officials in China and that in the West is that the former speak about > > > > it openly as being a (continuing) problem while the latter pretend that > > > > it only happens rarely. It takes slightly different forms in the two > > > > countries. In China, bribes (usually in the form of shares) are given to > > > > close relatives. In the West it's more of a nod to the recipient that if > > > > he "helps" someone he'll be well looked after once he's retired. There's > > > > nothing truer than the old saying: "Every man has his price". Even if > > > > the price is reputational rather than financial, it is never the case > > > > (IMO) that an attempt at bribery is met with indifference. > > > > > > > > In the present Tory government in the UK it would be my opinion that > > > > most of present senior cabinet, including Cameron, plus several > > > > Permanent Secretaries (the top officials in civil service departments) > > > > have been bribed with the promise of good jobs later (e.g. > > > > directorships, consultancies, top jobs with the European Union, etc). In > > > > the previous government under Labour, it was more of a case of the > > > > politicians 'consolidating' hundreds of key supporters with high > > > > salaries and perks in new 'quasi non-governmental organizations' > > > > (quangos) which carry out newly-invented civil service type functions. > > > > In the case of the previous prime minister, Tony Blair, he's been living > > > > off several different streams of income ever since he retired. > > > > Psychologists tell us that children tell fibs and devise strategies > > > > designed to hoodwink others from only three years of age. This suggests > > > > that deviousness is built into us genetically. This ability to deceive > > > > is particularly necessary in any ambitiousness male not wishing to upset > > > > males of higher social ranking (until the right moment to strike comes > > > > along!). Sensible governmental constitutions in the future will not > > > > appeal to idealistic abstractions but how to make its financial > > > > operations as open as possible. > > > > Keith > > > > > > > > > > > > At 15:52 28/11/2012, you wrote: > > > > > Keith Hudson and I had a brief exchange on the merits of Chrystia > > > > > Freeland's "Plutocrats". Both of us were bored after the first forty > > > > > pages or so. He suggested that I read the concluding chapter and give > > > > > up on the rest of the book. I almost did that but then decided I'd > > > > > look at the book here and there and, lo and behold, I've found some > > > > > interesting things. Thus far I've read some of the material on > > > > > "rent-seekers", plutocrats who capture an increasing portion of > > > > > existing wealth rather than producing "value-added" wealth themselves. > > > > > The American and European financial sectors are outstanding examples. > > > > > Working in an environment of decreasing regulation, many people in the > > > > > field have become very rich via the invention and refinement of a > > > > > large variety of securities and by shifting much of the risk of doing > > > > > so onto the public sector, knowing full well that government would see > > > > > them as too big to fail and bail them out if things went wrong. > > > > > Things did indeed go wrong in 2008, and with some exceptions like > > > > > Lehman Brothers, government did bail them out, imposing enormous costs > > > > > on the public sector. > > > > > > > > > > I guess those of us who've paid any attention to the economy in the > > > > > past few years already knew much of that, but Freeland includes a lot > > > > > of extra information and detail that we couldn't have known unless we > > > > > were journalists in the middle of it all, as she was. However, there > > > > > was one thing that was new to me in what I read this morning. That > > > > > was the role played by "rent-seekers" in China's conversion from what > > > > > was supposed to have been a workers' paradise into plutocrat run state > > > > > capitalism. According to Freeland, China is as corrupt at the top as > > > > > America, Europe and oligarchic Russia. I found that rather painful > > > > > because it wasn't supposed to be like that. When I was young and > > > > > highly idealistic, I followed the Chinese Revolution very closely and > > > > > greatly admired Mao Zedong. Mao was going to show us all what the > > > > > world could really be like. Well, what seems to have transpired in > > > > > reality is another road to hell paved with good intentions. > > > > > > > > > > I'll quit here, but may post more as I read more bits and pieces of > > > > > Freeland's book. > > > > > > > > > > Ed > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Futurework mailing list > > > > > <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] > > > > > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Futurework mailing list > > > > <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] > > > > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > ---------- > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
