Big Brother eyes ‘boost honesty’

 

CCTV or speed cameras might be a possible application.
The feeling of being watched makes people act more honestly, even if the eyes are not real, a study suggests.
A Newcastle University team monitored how much money people put in a canteen “honesty box” when buying a drink.

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People act more honestly, if they are watched
A Newcastle University team monitored how much money people put in a canteen “honesty box” when buying a drink. They found people put nearly three times as much in when a poster of a pair of eyes was put above the box than when the poster showed flowers. The brain responds to images of eyes and faces and the poster may have given the feeling of being watched, BBC News reports.

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‘Big Brother’ eyes improve honesty
Being watched by a pair of ‘Big Brother’ style eyes makes people act in a more honest way, new research has found. Scientists from Newcastle University found that people paid three times as much money into an honesty box if they were watched by a pair of eyes on a poster rather than a poster with an image of flowers. The researchers believe their findings provide a valuable insight into human behaviour, as the study suggests that people behave differently when they believe they are being watched because they are worried about how they are perceived.

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Teabreak freeloaders turn over new leaf when faced with a picture of staring eyes
Forget about installing closed-circuit cameras or putting more bobbies on the beat: a picture of a pair of staring eyes could be a simple, low-cost way to deter thieves and freeloaders. Researchers into behaviour at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne have found after conducting a sly experiment on their colleagues that the merest hint that Big Brother is watching can have remarkable effects. The findings could have applications in initiatives to curb anti-social behaviour or in law enforcement, perhaps in areas such as payment for public transport, road safety or the general issue of behaviour in public places. The group hopes to expand the study.

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A brave fighter emerges from his drugs trial hell

Ryan Wilson, one of six volunteers who suffered devastating side-effects from drugs trials in March, spoke of his ordeal last night, showing amazing resolve. He suffered frostbite-like symptoms and the most badly-affected fingers are black to the first joint. His toes, hidden from the cameras during the interview with the BBC’s Six O’Clock News, are in a worse state. Mr Wilson was the worst affected of the volunteers, suffering heart, liver and kidney failure, pneumonia, and septicaemia. His determination to return to a normal life follows what he described as “four months of hell”. Mr Wilson spent four months in intensive care after taking part in tests for the drug firm Parexel in March at Northwick Park Hospital at Harrow, Middlesex. He is to have his toes and part of three fingers amputated.

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Man Claims Jackson Tried to Adopt Boys from Brazil

 

A man suing Michael Jackson says the singer sent him to Brazil to help him adopt boys from that country. F. Marc Schaffel is a former associate of Jackson’s and is suing him for $1.6 million. While being questioned on the witness stand Friday, Schaffel said that he was dispatched to Brazil to help Jackson adopt boys from there.
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Michael Jackson Says He Is “Shocked” Over Associate’s Gay Porn
Jackson, who has twice been accused of sexually molesting teenage boys but never convicted, also says he didn’t think “mothers” would approve of his association with someone who made “gay pornography.”
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Michael Jackson “shocked” by gay porn
Testifying in a $1.5 million breach of contract suit filed by his former video producer, Marc Schaffel, Jackson said that discovering that Schaffel had directed a gay porn film had caused him to break their professional relationship. In a pre-recorded sworn testimony, the Santa Monica Superior court heard the singer’s reaction to this discovery. “I was shocked by what I saw”, he said. He described Mr Schaffel directing the shoot; “ he was telling one what to do with the other and he grabbed their penis or something.”
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China accused of secret organ harvesting

The Chinese government stands accused of unethical organ harvesting in several reports by former military personnel and prisoners. A military doctor, the former wife of a military doctor and prisoners themselves are among those who have testified that hundreds of Falun Gong sect members have had their organs removed and sold by Chinese authorities, Dr. Wenyi Wang told an audience Wednesday at the National Press Club.

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