No snow where I live. Only lots and lots of rain.

bumpity boo ... Here is a great "Good News" story.

Cash Mob
Link

:)

Clean your room... no more

The Swiss have been the world's bank for quite a while.
Now the Swiss are saying they'll be our mother, too.

HA!!! Yea, a pig like that you just don't eat all at once.

Prison Kittens are cared for by staff and inmates:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/15/...curity-prison/

Nice story.

And prisoners having access to a pet of sorts might alleviate a lot of the mental stress many of them are under.

I recently re-watched the whole HBO series, Oz.

For those who don't know, this was HBO's first series, started in 1997. It's about the goings-on at Oswald Maximum Security Prison, and in particular about Emerald City which is an experimental part of the prison.

Anyway, at one point 3 of the prisoners (two of the three were my favorite characters: Augustus Hill and Miguel Alvarez...my very favorite character being Ryan O'Reilly (played by Dean Winters, now known as Mayhem in the Allstate commercials) got to keep and train assistance dogs. I think this is a program that is still going on IRL. Oz was, of course, fiction, but it does a heart good to imagine the inmates who take on the task as connecting with the animal.

"Oz: Dream a Little Dream of Me (#5.3)" (2002)
[Penders and Alvarez are training seeing eye dogs]
Alicia Hinden: Okay, you see the steaks?
Greg Penders: We gonna teach the dogs how to cook?
Alicia Hinden: No, we're going to teach them restraint. I'm going to put them on the floor, and you're going to stop them from eating it.
Miguel Alvarez: All right.
Greg Penders: You gotta be kidding me.
Alicia Hinden: What?
Greg Penders: I haven't seen a steak in six years. Now, you're gonna throw it on the floor so a dog WON'T eat it?

Is there any relationship between teaching empathy and learning it from caring from pets? Can this be a form of rehabilitation?

There are many prison dog programs, as well as several prison horse programs.

Those citation only say such program exist in near zero prisons.

But more important, does a useful relationship exist between teaching empathy and learning it by caring for pets? Not if any program exists. What is the value of (if any) practicing or learning empathy?

Bwahahahahahahahaha... choke... gasp... snort... and I believe he's serious. :lol2:

Perhaps tw is an economist and was trying to monetise empathy?;)

Countless psychological studies have proven the value of empathy in promoting pro-social behavior. As for whether animal interaction actually leads to a measurable increase in empathy, specifically in the inmate population, studies are limited but there are a few, though some are only in German.

It also makes you more likeable on forums

That is what I suspected. Also demonstrated here are the many who think otherwise only because they 'feel' it must be true. Same type people also assumed more jails makes a safer society. Another example of knowledge proven by silly emotion.

Empathy is often cited in studies for better health. But we have a problem with rehabilitation. Apparently less studies (domestically) target this problem. Which is also silly since the US has the world's largest prison population both in numbers and percentages.

An interesting proposition is that empathy (ie caring for kittens) could have lasting consequences for some types of prisoners. But it is only a proposition apparently with few facts to justify it. Still the easily manipulated somehow *know* empathy must be good for all rehabilitation. Without first learning facts.

The question remains for others, with a more adult attitude, to contribute. Does a useful relationship exist between teaching empathy and learning it by caring for pets? And which type of prisoners would best benefit from such programs?

Another interesting question. How might one monetize empathy? Virtually?