Rotundus.com

Russian Man Turns Tables on Bank, Changes Small Print in Credit Card Agreement, Then Sues

I doubt that many actually read their credit card agreements - I guess that the bank doesn't do so either.

Why Choosing to Make Less Money Is Easier Than Ever

"If innovation has become increasingly marginal, then it’s less costly to choose to be a 'threshold earner,' which Tyler Cowen defines as 'someone who seeks to earn a certain amount of money and no more.' If wages go up, Cowen says, a threshold earner will choose to work less or, I would add, choose work that’s so personally fulfilling that it’s indistinguishable from leisure. Accepting a threshold income—maybe as a journalist at a political magazine or an independent graphic artist—is easier when you know you’re not foregoing any amazing new improvements in well-being. And the vast improvements we do see today, such as access to global communications and vast amounts of information on the Internet, tend to be available for almost nothing."

Do Religions Produce "More than Their Fair Share" of Child Abusers?

"While I disagree with Firma’s view that houses of worship are 'breeding grounds' for child rapists, and I believe the manner in which he reaches his conclusion is erroneous, one troubling question remains: Why is the rate of cases about the same for the religious community?"

If Trayvon Were Pakistani…

"It is striking to compare Obama's deliberate and thoughtful commentary about the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin with the military tactic that will forever characterize his presidency: killing people with drones. The president posits that it is wrong to profile individuals based upon their appearance, associations, or statistical propensity to violence. ... But that very kind of profiling and a broad interpretation of what constitutes a threat are the foundational principles of U.S. 'signature strikes' -- the targeted killings of unidentified military-age males."

I was commenting before on one denomination handling an abuse investigation badly, but those on the other side of the case can also step into the bounds of absurdity. Witness here a comment by Brent Detwiler:

If a suspected offender ... is innocent, he won’t mind being reported to law enforcement.

Do you think Mr. Detwiler would mind if someone were to report him to the police as a rapist? I'd imagine so. You should in generally always expect someone to mind if you report them to the police as the perpetrator of some crime. If the evidence is there you may still need to report them, but it seems absurd to argue that they won't mind.

This applies particular to rape investigations, as to a certain extent in such cases you lose simply by being accused. It's the reason why in the UK in recent years anonymity for those accused of rape has been a subject of public debate.

It also doesn't account for the inevitable failures of justice. In any of the world's legal systems, whatever the set of laws and whatever judicial authorities involved, sometimes the innocent are punished and sometimes the guilty go free. The only thing that we can hope to do here is minimize this, not eliminate it.

Up all night: How the tech elite pushes a crazy workaholic culture

Comments from various folks in the tech industry about their working hours.

The One Thing "Don't Be That Girl" Got Right

"I think it's telling that the original Don't Be That Guy campaign is constantly described as "successful" -- but by what rubric? If success is defined simply as inspiring similar campaigns from similar groups, then these groups need to seriously examine whether their goals and motivations really are what they claim. ... The assumption among rape-prevention activists is that alarming statistics must be met with more anti-rape rhetoric, more aggressively delivered, started younger, and embedded more neurotically in the brains of men and boys. But the sheer weight of all this well-intentioned shaming is already causing push-back, and not just from the slavering misogynists these activists imagine they are fighting. Perhaps it's time to consider that what we need is not more anti-rape initiatives, but smarter ones."

Stairway to heaven: 300ft spiral staircase to give Chinese tourists a taste of the high life - as long as you don't have a heart condition

Might be interesting.

Charlie Chaplin’s Not-So-Silent Paternity Case

"In California in 1943, Chaplin faced a paternity suit from ex-girlfriend and fellow actor Joan Berry. Berry claimed that Chaplin was the father of her daughter. Chaplin and Berry’s daughter underwent a blood test that determined that it was biologically impossible for the two to be related. Despite this information, the blood test results were not admissible in court and Chaplin was named the father of the child and ordered to pay child support until her eighteenth birthday."

The answer seems to be that prostitutes are catering to demand for relationships rather than just for sex. To quote an author of a a study on the subject, as cited in a news report:

In recent years, we have come to see a gradual normalization of independent escort prostitution, where sexual encounters have come to resemble quasi-dating relationships ... Our study shows that regular clients of a particular sex provider often come to experience feelings of deep affection, which can progress into an authentic love story.

Here's an estimate reported in the Washington Post that you might not expect:

Approximately 40 percent of high-end sex worker transactions end up being sex-free. Even at the lower end of the market, about 20 percent of transactions don't ultimately involve sex.