He Who MUST Not Be Named:

'an amusing line from huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" (commenting on how lky and mahathir at one point were riding high on the "asian values" bandwagon as being superior to decadent western ways)

'"To East Asians, economic prosperity is proof of moral superiority. If at some point India supplants East Asia as the world's most rapidly developing economic area, the world should be prepared for extended disquisitions on the superiority of Hindu cutlure, the contributions of the caste system to economic development, and how by returning to its roots and overcoming the deadening Western legacy left by British imperialism, India finally achieved its proper place in the top rank of civilisations. Cultural assertion follows material success; hard power generates soft power.'


LONDON (Reuters) - Two Scottish teenage boys escaped a jail sentence for breaking into the tomb of one of Scotland's most violent noblemen and taking a skull to use as a ventriloquist's dummy.

Sonny Devlin, 17, and a 15-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, were put on probation for three and two years respectively under the ancient crime of "violation of sepulchre" -- the first such trial for over a century, newspapers said on Saturday.

Last June, the boys broke into the mausoleum of Sir George "Bloody" MacKenzie, a senior official of Charles II who died in 1691. He earned his nickname for his zealous persecution of Presbyterians.

The court heard the crime was motivated by "immature and drunken bravado more than anything sinister." The boys were accused of stealing the unidentified skull, using it "like a glove puppet" and then throwing it away.


In April last year, I commented:

More New Age management junk: Walmart calls its employees "associates" who "[share] in the company's prosperity". And of course, Singaporeans are being urged to learn from this - if you can't pay your employees decent wages, why not indulge in meaningless, cost-free measures!

I was reminded of this by something I read:

"A newly hired "associate", as Wal-Mart calls its employees, could earn as little as $8 an hour, some 20-30% less than unionised workers at rival supermarkets. Union members might also have benefits, such as health-care insurance... Among other suits, Wal-Mart's most recent class-action suits alleging violations of the Fair Labour Standards Act, including forcing employees to work 'off the clock' and failing to provide work breaks; eight further putative suits alleging that the firm failed to pay overtime; and a suit that could prove costly alleging discrimination against its female employees."

So much for "associates" who "[share] in the company's prosperity".