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Say wealth distribution occurs tomorrow and we all have exactly the same cash, the problem remains that infrastructure in some areas in vastly superior to others. Displacing huge numbers of people is unlikely, as is the huge collective investment in the poorer regions to create comparable standards.

Nothing helpful, I've just never really thought the idea of a wealth distribution via hacking idea through. I'd guess it would end badly but I'm unsure why.

Straight-up equalizing everyone's wealth would probably cause a level of hilarious fuckery too great for mere mortals to comprehend.

That's what I'm thinking. As a doomsday scenario it's potentially a comic masterpiece. I wonder what it'd work out to? Anyone got any ideas what that could be? Global GDP 2012 was UDS 69,110 Trillion, approx population ?

I'm not good with Zero's.

Say wealth distribution occurs tomorrow and we all have exactly the same cash, the problem remains that infrastructure in some areas in vastly superior to others. Displacing huge numbers of people is unlikely, as is the huge collective investment in the poorer regions to create comparable standards.

Nothing helpful, I've just never really thought the idea of a wealth distribution via hacking idea through. I'd guess it would end badly but I'm unsure why.

It occurs to me that a significant change in population expansion would be created just by the new "pope" saying that Condoms were OK and Aids is bad.

So, we're doomed.

With the quality of life front, it seems to me that the first major problem would be defining an acceptable level for humanity. The wall street banker would probably not be happy with the same standard of living as the vast population of the world. I doubt this would be a peaceful change.

In an odd way, perhaps a massive humanitarian crisis could encourage people to not be such scum. I have a feeling that something horrific on an colossal scale really needs to happen before anything really changes.

http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/prisoner-x-s-death-strains-ties-1.1146345

Canberra: He was known as Prisoner X, his crimes unknown. For months he languished in an Israeli prison until he was found dead in his cell in an apparent suicide. Later, rumours would swirl that he was an Australian-Israeli who worked for the Israeli secret service Mossad.
The web of secrecy surrounding the man with at least three names - Ben Zygier, Ben Alon, and Ben Allen - is slowly lifting after Australia's public broadcaster revealed details of his case, unravelling the media blackout that the Israeli government had imposed for more than two years using military censorship laws. The report has also forced the Australian government to admit that it had known about the case all along but kept it under wraps.

Well I'm sure Israel will react to this in the reasonable and measured manner of not giving a shit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21454483

Well, there's a body and claims it is him. Again.

Pm'd!

Something similar in the UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21426396

The High Court has not accepted a bid from school leaders, teachers' unions and councils to change grade boundaries in last summer's GCSE English exams.

Head teachers said they were "bitterly disappointed" the court did not back their claim that pupils had been downgraded in a "statistical fix".

This has been rumbling for a while over here, the point rarely mentioned is funds are allocated to schools in part on performance of pupils. So while the bluster is about "The childrens future" the real push in the first instance was "Our financial future".

I do strongly suspect that exam marking boards are pretty useless. Quite a few of my exam results were identical to others, in one case whole class had the exact same marks and comments on their papers. The school flatly refused to push the matter on our behalf as a number of those grades would have been dropped, leaving a net negative effect for the schools coffers.

This was a number of years ago but I doubt that much has changed.

Basing school budgets on test results is a really fucking bad idea, but I gotta say, as someone who watches education first hand (and lost a job because of budget shortfalls), the financial part is important. Current textbooks, good equipment, and serviceable facilities ain't cheap, and education is one of the first things to get slashed in hard times.

Again, personal experience only here, reality may differ etc.. But I have also noticed a decline in community participation in school events at large. Several primary schools in this area for instance, did not host any kind of X-mas fundraiser. While expecting the community to provide for educational shortfall is unfortunate, it does appear to be a lot more important than thought. Unforeseen/unthought consequences of recession and all that. Never an issue while the cash was flowing.

P3nt, that's pretty much how I approach things, but with the first qualifier of "Do I give a shit?" If not, assume bullshit, ignore and carry about my merry business.

Fuck the fire, tell me more of this "Fudge-cheese". Is that really an accurate summary? I'm Scottish and actually offended I've not heard of this yet.

It may be he does not in fact, know he's saying it. After many years I say this reflexively in/due to a lot of situations and I hardly notice.

Probably not an asshole, but if you don't tell him it's bugging you, you would kind of be I guess.

To commemorate this holy text, filthy assistant shall be laminating an A3 version of it, to be read to all demanding to see me.

I may get him some kind of hat.

edit - Assuming permission is granted?

Ah, sorry I put that badly. I meant more subliminal than accidental. You see the mousemat. You mock the mousemat and sales rep. Then recommend their shit. Applies to every industry I've encountered.

I think i'm getting at it not being overtly corrupt, in the main part. Excessive meals and "corporate days" aside.

That sounds rather convincing. And given it's the LAPD, likely.

From memory the study attributed it to neither, just everyday subtle influence. Most of them were quite surprised when they were told they suggested brand X over Y the vast majority of the time.

Turns out having a poster or stack of post-its or whatnot glanced at daily boosts sales.

I wouldn't totally rule out some form of corruption in some instances, but it does appear to me as accidental bias.

That's already been found. There's a few studies showing that physicians (any kind of physician) are more likely to prescribe drugs that they have had a sales rep talk to them about. Most were quite adamant that they didn't do this kind of thing as well and were genuinely surprised to find out it was the case.

Something similar in the UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21426396

The High Court has not accepted a bid from school leaders, teachers' unions and councils to change grade boundaries in last summer's GCSE English exams.

Head teachers said they were "bitterly disappointed" the court did not back their claim that pupils had been downgraded in a "statistical fix".

This has been rumbling for a while over here, the point rarely mentioned is funds are allocated to schools in part on performance of pupils. So while the bluster is about "The childrens future" the real push in the first instance was "Our financial future".

I do strongly suspect that exam marking boards are pretty useless. Quite a few of my exam results were identical to others, in one case whole class had the exact same marks and comments on their papers. The school flatly refused to push the matter on our behalf as a number of those grades would have been dropped, leaving a net negative effect for the schools coffers.

This was a number of years ago but I doubt that much has changed.