“Keeping up with the Joneses” is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison of oneself to one’s neighbor, where the neighbor serves as a benchmark for social class or the accumulation of material goods. Failure to “keep up with the Joneses” is perceived as a demonstration of socio-economic or cultural inferiority.
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At this stage of my life, I care about myself and my well-being, not the Joneses, and I have no choice but to watch my finances carefully. It’s all that I have to live, so why waste money on things that aren’t essential to living?
You can treat yourself and your loved ones occasionally, but there’s no need to go overboard.
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The unfortunate thing is that some of us don’t pay attention to these lessons until life FORCES us to learn.
I’m certainly in that boat. A lot of lessons I had to learn the hard way. We may not realize there’s a problem until it comes crashing down on us.
Then you just gotta suck it up, take your loss, and rebuild yourself smarter.
It’s crazy that girl had a kid so young though. That means she was active by age 15.
It’s so easy to judge her, but at that age, you’re so hormonal and arrogant–you seriously think you know everything. Is it mostly the parents’ fault? I’d say so. It seems you gotta watch teenagers like a hawk.
She ran away from home, too? Damn. I should consider what her circumstances could have been before I judge her so quickly.
Some people are just born into unfortunate circumstances.
I heard a story about a guy who tried to get his life together and become a cop, but his twin brother stole his identity and committed a crime.
That dude hit the “bad family” lottery.
We all have different struggles.
But if we can overcome those struggles, we come out stronger.
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The loneliness of idealism.
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Very Interesting, You can’t have healing without acknowledgment.
Liv Tyler uncover African American descendant!
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How funny would it have been if she were working her way up the list of names on her family tree and she’s like…
“Genghis Khan??!!”
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This video exposed the generational gap in beliefs and culture.
Surviving A Sundown Town!
Sundown towns , also known as sunset towns , gray towns , or sundowner towns , were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation or violence. They were most prevalent before the 1950s. The term came into use because of signs that directed “colored people” to leave town by sundown.[1]
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The dude stole 230 million and decided to live like a rapper, Bad Idea
The Kid Who Stole $230,000,000
In this video, I break down the story of:
-Malone Lam “Greavys”
-Jeandiel Serrano “Box”
-Veer Chetal “Wiz”
and their friends, who managed to steal over $230 million worth of Bitcoin. From a clever scam to a wild spending spree on luxury cars, clubs, private jets, and more, it all comes crashing down with their eventual arrest in Miami.
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This is why I don’t answer the phone! haha
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Being a man, today, is weird sometimes.
Just stay focused on your goals.
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You Gotta start with Forex Real trader 1 Its a forex Docuseries!!
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Adventure can be found in the unlikliest of places.
I was looking at a map and randomly clicked on a small town called Hot Springs in Arkansas. Lo and behold!
Festivals, water park, camping, off-roading, spas…and 47 natural hot springs!
What a destination!
I seriously thought there was nothing in Arkansas. When I think of Arkansas, I think Little Rock, which is a ghetto as far as I know.
But Hot Springs isn’t! Kind of a small city with a population of 38,000. Not too big, not too small.
Fun doesn’t have to be just Los Angeles, Miami or New York City. We should keep our eyes open. The world is a big place. Don’t settle for just the places that get the most attention. Walk your own path.
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David Noriega investigates how the private prison industry pushes back against its critics to protect profits, and what prison companies are doing to survive.
How Private Prisons Protect Their Profits
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I’ve been thinking about private prisons lately. Think about all the things they do to keep people there.
No wonder they let inmates attack each other. If you get caught, they just make you stay longer.
If they wanted to they could dramatically reduce the violence inside and help people get better. But rehabilitating people doesn’t yield as much profit as keeping them violent.
Just do your best to not be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and stay out of the prison system.
The cons of using a prison to boost the local economy outweigh the pros in the long-term.
I’m not saying that privatization is a bad idea. Perhaps it could work, but I think they should exercise more accountability. I’m actually surprised the government ended that prison’s contract.
The guard in the beginning said he’d have to start over in another field. Wrong! He has the perfect training to be a security guard.
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Private prisons do lobby state legislators . And there have been some egregious examples of prisons actually paying judges to hand out harsher sentences.
Yes, private prisons lobby for harsher sentences
- Lobbying
Private prison corporations lobby lawmakers for stricter sentencing laws, such as mandatory minimums and three-strikes laws. They also lobby for legislation that creates new crimes that require incarceration.
- Campaign contributions
Some politicians have received large campaign contributions from private prison corporations.
- Economic interest
Private prisons benefit from increased occupancy rates, which enrich their shareholders. They also have an economic interest in seeing more defendants convicted in court.
- Spending
Private prison corporations have spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying. For example, GEO Group, the largest private prison corporation in the United States, spent $2.5 million on lobbying between 2004 and 2012.
New Ways Private Prisons Are Making Billions
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