Silence ~ by Thomas Hood

 

Silence ~ by Thomas Hood 

\\\\ ()()() ////

There is a silence where hath been no sound,
There is a silence where no sound may be,
In the cold grave - under the deep, deep sea,
Or in wide desert where no life is found,

Which hath been mute, and still must sleep profound,
No voice is hushed - no life treads silently,
But clouds and cloudy shadows wander free,
That never spoke, over the idle ground.

But in green ruins, in the desolate walls
Of antique palaces where Man hath been,
Though the dun fox or wild hyena calls,
And owls, that flit continually between,

Shriek to the echo, and the low winds moan -
There the True Silence is, self-conscious and alone.

 

With Seagren, the Trainee ~ by TPO

 

With Seagren, the Trainee ~ by TPO 

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

 

The Impact of Words during the Pandemic ~ By Schuyler Velasco

 

The Impact of Words during the Pandemic
~ by Schuyler Velasco* ~

     “If you come up with certain phrases that haven’t been put together before, they’re like magical keys that take you to crazy places.”
~ David Lazer, political science and computer science professor at Northeastern University.

     Lazer can name some of the early word-based mistakes that might have helped misinformation about the virus and vaccines take hold. For instance, he thinks naming the process of developing the COVID vaccine “Operation Warp Speed,” was an unforced error. “I probably could have come up with a worse name, like ‘Operation Death Drug’ or something, but [it implied] they were hurrying up and throwing caution to the wind,” he says. “I understand the sentiment, trying to do this as quickly as possible, but it was terrible.”

     Over the summer, the term “breakthrough infections” came under scrutiny, as the medical community worked to dispel the false notion that, because vaccinated people could contract COVID, the vaccine must not have been working. “Maybe the word ‘breakthrough’ is part of the problem,” CNN host Brian Stelter posited to a panel of medical experts on the show Reliable Sources in August. “‘Breakthrough’ implies rare; it implies that something went wrong, and that’s not really the premise of the vaccine.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------
     * Source:  https://expmag.com/2021/10/words-got-us-into-the-anti-vaccine-crisis-heres-how-theyll-get-us-out/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 

The Anatomy of Peace ~ by John Roedel

 

The Anatomy of Peace ~ by John Roedel 

~~~ **** ~~~ 

 The Anatomy of Peace ...
"When every breath becomes a prayer."
- John Roedel's poetry !

🙂  🙂 🙂

 

A Porcupine in Alaska ~ by "Humanity"

 

 

A Porcupine in Alaska ~ by "Humanity" 

{}{}{} 😮🙏  {}{}{}

     A porcupine was recently caught poking around the visitor center at Alaska’s Katmai National Park & Preserve. How about some fun porcupine facts?

⭐️  A porcupine, aka Needle Beaver, has approximately 30,000 quills on its body. (Not a hugger. We repeat. Not. A. Hugger.)
⭐️ Myth busting. Porcupines cannot throw their quills. Don’t get us wrong, they can throw some sassy barbs, (Porcupines are vocal critters and create a wide array of sounds, including shrill screeches, coughs, groans, whines, savage insults, teeth chatters, and low grunts.) but alas, no quill launching. However, on occasion, loose quills will fall out before it strikes, creating the illusion that they're being shot out. Geez. That was a long way to get to the point.
⭐️ The most popular porcupine hobby is quilting.
⭐️ What a slow poke. Porcupines are slow, attaining a maximum speed of two miles per hour.
⭐️ Porcupines have a strong odor to warn away predators, which it can increase when agitated. The smell has been described as similar to strong human body odor, goats, or some cheeses. (Oh, hey pal. Didn’t see you standing there with……expired goat cheese?)
⭐️ Baby porcupines are called "porcupettes.” That is all.
     Image: Prickly visitor (porcupine) clings to railing outside the visitor center.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Source : "Humanity" 

 

Woke, Critical Race Theory (CRT), etc. ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

Woke, Critical Race Theory (CRT), etc. 

🙌  by Hénock Gugsa 🙌

     Recently, this appeared in the news!
<< Comedian John Cleese has pulled out of a talk at Cambridge University over "woke rules".
The Monty Python actor "blacklisted himself" from the Cambridge Union after a historian who impersonated Adolf Hitler during a society debate was banned.
He argued that he also did a similar impression while on the popular sketch show, so made the decision to withdraw before someone else made him step down.
Mr. Cleese offered an apology to those planning to attend, suggesting they instead find a venue where "woke rules do not apply". >>

 

America: Land of Opportunity - by TIME

 

 America: Land of Opportunity - by TIME 

==== 😔😱😕 ====

     Americans cherish the notion of their country as the land of opportunity, a place where anyone can “pick yourself up by the bootstraps, all those sorts of things,” says photographer Matt Black. He absorbed them along with everyone else growing up in California’s Central Valley. But taking pictures for a local newspaper meant recording a reality that challenged “these mythologies that this country is built on.” Black wondered: “How many other places like this are there in America? It was this kind of base question gnawing at me for many years: Just go see. Go see from this kind of ground level perspective what the country actually looks like.” Starting in 2014, Black spent six years circumnavigating the Lower 48. To plan his route, he sat down with a map and the U.S. Census “and just started making dots.” The idea was to see if he could traverse the nation and return home without climbing above the poverty line, writes Karl Vick. He found that he could, by allowing just two hours’ driving time between dots. “Which blew my mind, honestly,” Black recalls. “It felt like a discovery. It’s something I’d never seen done before, or thought of before, so even before I started traveling I felt like something really significant had been revealed.” 

Read more about Black’s work in his new book, “American Geography.” 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Instagram.com

 

What to Make of Golf ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

 

What to Make of Golf ~ by Hénock Gugsa 

😔😡😩

     "The point of golf is to play the  least amount of golf possible."  - Anonymous

This is true ... the players prefer:
1) that someone (a caddy) carry their clubs and give them tips on what irons to use, where and how to swing, etc.
2) not to exert too much energy getting from one hole to the next ... little golf vans are de-rigueur!
3) to be able to smoke Cuban stogies and conduct capitalist business with their banker or trading partner, etc.
4) inside the country-club, some refreshing martinis before and after a round of golf ... and later a decadent dinner in front of a fireplace and lovely music being piped in to set a relaxing ambience!  

 

                                             

 John Rahm's Amazing Hole-in-One !

Types in a Men's Room ~ Anonymous

 

Types in a Men's Room ~ by Anonymous

()()()()()()()

Sociable Man :    joins friends in a piss whether he has to or not, figures it don't cost anything!

Excitable Man :    shorts have twisted around, can't find opening, rips hole in shorts.

Cross-eyed Man :    looks into urinal in center, pisses on man's shoes on left, flushes urinal on   right!

Timid Man :    can't piss if anyone is watching, flushes urinal pretending he has pissed, comes back later when no one is around !

Indifferent Man:    all urinals in use, pisses in sink!

Clever Man:    no hands, shows off by adjusting tie, looks around for admiring glances.

Frivolous Man:    pisses up and down and across urinal; attempts to hit flies; this type has never grown up. 

Absentminded Man:    unbuttons his vest, takes out his tie, and pisses his pants!

Sneaky Man:    farts silently while pissing, acts innocent, knows man at next urinal will get blame.

Bold Man:    farts long and loud while pissing and then laughs the same way!

Childish Man:    pisses directly into water at bottom of urinal, likes to hear bubbling sound.

Tough Man:    bangs tool against sides of urinal to knock off last drop.  Bangs it too hard, leaves in pain.

Bashful Man:    pisses down leg so no one  can hear it run urinal.

Inquisitive Man:    not interested in his own job, but insists on looking over at next man's tool.

Cock-proud Man:    stands well back so that all can view his outsize tool.  Finishes up with a   prolonged shake and replaces tool with a flourish.

Nervy Man:    grunts and breathes heavily, finally ending up with a resounding fart and thereby spoiling your piss.

Violent Man:    shakes tool after piss with such gusto that hat falls over his eyes and drops of piss fly in all directions.

Retiring Man:    pisses in urinal in most secluded corner and occasionally glances over shoulder to see who's looking.

Dejected Man:    hangs head and enjoys a good long piss.  Probably a hen-pecked husband enjoying the only thing that his wife can't interfere with.

================================

 

"Breakthrough" Phases of the Virus ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

"Breakthrough" Phases of the Virus 

~ by Hénock Gugsa ~

   Isn't it strange that the term "breakthrough" used to have a positive connotation in general conversation ? Now in the age of the pandemic, I am not finding any comfort whenever any mention is made of "breakthroughs", or "variants" !!! ☹️

     I am not critiquing the work that is taking place in the war against the deadly virus and its aftermath. Heroic and super-human efforts are occurring daily around the globe! I am grateful for that !!

     But it seems to me that the media is treating the Corona Virus as a relatable protagonist in our life drama. Every time the virus moves to a new and more virulent stage, the media are calling it a breakthrough instance. Thus the Delta variants are being referred to as breakthrough. It is as if we should be celebrating or something ! Maybe that is the whole (root) problem of communication out there. We should be giving the virus the serious attention and respect it deserves without the puzzling, discouraging, and unhelpful descriptive of "breakthrough" !

 

Progression or Regression ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

Progression or Regression 

~ by Hénock Gugsa ~ 

     Recorded human history is filled with narratives of different stages or arcs that are more specifically called eras or epochs. Beginning with the dark ages, man advanced to the age of enlightenment, to the renaissance, and so on to the industrial age.

     Then we arrived at the age of technology, of Space exploration, and now here we are in the Information Age.  But, have we really progressed and reached closer to the Age of perfection or even near-perfection?

     Are we now back at Square One?  Are we free in spirit, in mind, and in body? And are we in danger of going back to the Dark Ages?!

     I understand that we don't (can't) really go back to an earlier age ... but don't some periods remind us of others in the past although they may actually be even worse.  Note:  Somehow, we hardly ever talk of things improving even when they are.  

     The negative shades in our reality generally overwhelm our impressions and our outlook on life.  There seems to be more dourness and pessimism than positive prognostication.  I find it all very depressing!

 

Mark Zuckerberg's MetaVerse ! ~ by TPO

 

 Mark Zuckerberg's MetaVerse ! 

~ by TPO ~ 

    When I first heard about Zuckerberg using the term "metaverse" in connection with Facebook, all I could think of was "The Lord of the Rings" !
You remember the mantra:
     << One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. >>
     Mark Zuckerberg wants to rule our little planet and everything in it !

 

An Irredeemable Case ! ~ by Emma'nKen

 

An Irredeemable Case ! 

~ by Emma'nKen ~