Prisons, profits and public funds.

I haven't rooted this much for the inmates since The Shawshank Redemption. The taxpayers are really getting the hard shower too. Every time there is waste we all pay. Some must be locked up, it's unavoidable. Something stinks about this though.
Let's list the obvious possible abuses;

1. Privatizing prisons could give incentive to lock people up more often and for less reason.
2. Crime is a hot button issue and people want to believe in the law and feel safe. Therefor criticism of the system might collide directly with concern for the aforementioned law & safety thing.
3. Corporate rules (talk about an oxymoron) have never been weaker (and less enforced). Who thinks running a corporate prison system that runs afoul of laws and rights, but that's highly profitable is a good idea?

Here's a nifty info graphic with some good points to help you get your mind right.




Apparently what we have here is a lack of communication.

Thanks for reading.

Worlds

The World is a Vampire

If you contend that no one has made any sense out of what is clearly a world gone mad, I have your man. Not all the answers by a far site, but it's a good start.
This idea that there is much and more wrong with the world is as old as the world, but I don't think I'm going too far out on a ledge to say that many people feel like something something big is going to happen.


Maybe soon too.

I recommend here a piece about the coming collapse and how 'funny' it is that we are all just letting it happen. It's lengthy, so if the average fb comment has your mind wandering mid-way through you shouldn't bother.
Well written, specific with verifiable facts. You can choose to dismiss the sources as corrupt, biased or outright lies, (all three if you like) but it's hard to deny the state of things. And it's getting harder every day.
The focus on exactly what constitutes sanity is not exactly new either, but talking about it and spreading it one person at a time until the tipping point is reached sounds actually attainable.


This series by Tyler Durden recommended from Dangerous Dave Ellis who follows zerohedge.com.
The first installment of this series (here) . Scroll down for the links proper.

A World of Pain

Even with a world of information at our hands, the combined wisdom of the daytime soap/talk show mavens, the millions of self-help books sold or even that knot in your stomach when we see (or participate in) the corporal punishment of a child or youth, still many people rely heavily on the vicious cycle of punishment-shame-guilt-repeat with nothing  more substantial backing it up other than "worked for my folks, works for me".

  

Someone who's studied this stuff connects it with a world out of control. 

The roots of Violence.

According to Alice Miller, violence has its the roots in the fact that children are beaten all over the world, especially during their first years of life, when their brains become structured. She said that the damage caused by this practice is devastating, but unfortunately hardly noticed by society. She argued that as children are forbidden to defend themselves against the violence inflicted on them, they must suppress the natural reactions like rage and fear, and they discharge these strong emotions later as adults against their own children or whole peoples: "child abuse like beating and humiliating not only produces unhappy and confused children, not only destructive teenagers and abusive parents, but thus also a confused, irrationally functioning society." Miller stated that only through becoming aware of this dynamic can we break the chain of violence.

It's a bit tough to agree on improving something that not enough people will admit is wrong in the first place. When you are hard wired to accept whatever treatment you got as 'good enough' because it came from your family/life support, just taking a peek at another way to view it can be very scary.
Information on this important topic is available here and elswhere.
We progress by sharing with one person at a time.

A World at War

1. Privates

Pvt. Chelsea 'Gertrude' Manning (Gertrude is my addition and why not?) was sentenced to 35 years in Levinworth for being the first well publicized whistle-blower to take it all the way.
That sounded bad. It's not an easy topic to deal with straight laced. Damn.
This dude, er broad is committed. I am awed.
Who knows how much time it'll mean, but any is too much of course.
I get it that stealing, even from stealers, even if the stuff is illicit or illegal (stolen even ) is a crime. The message is clear: If the gatekeepers catch you tampering with their shit, they slap you. Hard.
My sympathies and my solidarity are with the friends, the supporters and with Ms. Manning.
You go private.

2. Syria-slee?

Amerika says the Syrian gov't. gassed it's people and the US must strike them down. It must.
World reacts skeptically to this assertion.
Opposition to this latest war gambit grows.
US says limited strikes may do it.
Obama asks congress to decide. Nothing happens (It's Congress, duh).
I think these guys will get their war one way or another.

3. It's tiresome to read yet another batch of geopolitical bellyaching, but there's so much wrong and so little interest I feel I must point out a thing or two. I do drone on don't I?

Thanks for reading

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-23/guest-post-trying-stay-sane-insane-world-part-1
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-05/guest-post-trying-stay-sane-insane-world-part-2