Asking: What is Aleppo? - by Hénock Gugsa

 Asking: What is Aleppo? 

 - by Hénock Gugsa -
~~~~~ *** ~~~~~

This minor and misunderstood moment in a candidate's recent interface with the media actually speaks volumes about the mad rush to judgement by the media! What a pack of marauding hyenas they are !!!

I think Mr.Johnson should be given some slack. After-all, he is a libertarian and he doesn't even like foreign entanglements. Why should he be expected to know and differentiate Aleppo from Kirkut?!!

At least three things bother me with the whole flare-up here .... 

1) How many people (including the media) really, actually know or have even heard of Aleppo before?! Even now, many Americans (and especially politicians) don't know Aleppo from, excuse the expression, a hole in the ground.

2) Why should Mr. Johnson be expected to know about Aleppo, and what is wrong with him even admitting his ignorance?  At least, he is not parading around as a know-it-all braggart !!!  Also, Aleppo is not the problem .... The problem is and has always been American ignorance about the world and the resulting, disastrous mule-headed foreign policy.  Everybody knows what the problem is but they are not admitting it.
3) Priorities, priorities !!! Why is the  Syrian city singled out as an American concern when it is being bombed by its own government?  The evil enemy, ISIS, is not even there, and why are we not concerned more about the Russian complicity in the Syrian tragedy, etc.?? .... On another front, world refugee crisis is not entirely from Aleppo or from Syria in general.  There are thousands and thousands of refugees from everywhere else in the world.  

Conclusion ===> So let us talk about Eritrea?  Do Americans know about Eritrea?  Are they going to ask:  What is Eritrea?!

 

Ah, the Past! - by the Doryman

Ah, the Past!
by the Doryman *
 ====== ||| ======

Every blasted time I see a black Lab, I think of Dinah. She was an Iowa farm dog, about my age, way back there in the ’50s. I would see her on occasional Christmas holidays when my parents and I would visit her master, my Aunt June. Dinah could perform two tricks. The commands were: ‘Sittest-the-back-end-down, Dinah’ and ‘lookest-thee-out-the-window, Dinah.’ She was as dependable as the comfort of the living room’s wingback leather chair and the scent of the nearby oil stove.

Every blasted time I smell diesel exhaust, I am reminded of the cozy winter nights of my childhood when I would drift off to the droning voices of loved one’s stories. My memory of those times is like a gallery of Norman Rockwell paintings.

Now there are more and more blasted times. One thought leads to another, and they often end up somewhere in the past. Ah, the past. It’s edging out the future in my mind’s eye as I grow older. I suppose because there is so much more of it.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* Source: Bulletin Board, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Aug. 31, 2016

 

Apparitions ~ by William Butler Yeats

Apparitions
~William Butler Yeats~ BECAUSE there is safety in derision
I talked about an apparition,
I took no trouble to convince,
Or seem plausible to a man of sense.
Distrustful of thar popular eye
Whether it be bold or sly.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.    I have found nothing half so good
As my long-planned half solitude,
Where I can sit up half the night
With some friend that has the wit
Not to allow his looks to tell
When I am unintelligible.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.  When a man grows old his joy
Grows more deep day after day,
His empty heart is full at length,
But he has need of all that strength
Because of the increasing Night
That opens her mystery and fright.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.   

           

*** U.S.A. *** - by Bill Withers

*** U.S.A. *** 

~ ~ ~ by ~ ~ ~
 Bill Withers

Get Zany! - by Hénock Gugsa

 Get Zany! 

- by Hénock Gugsa -

Why be morose, and crotchety?  Old age is bad enough as it is.  So, perk up, lighten up, and get a friend ... preferably non-human ... oh heck, just get a cat.  Make an effort and befriend it!

A cat will ignore you when it thinks you need to be ignored.  But it will be affectionate and cuddly at other times.  Never persistently demanding, a cat will be playful, tolerant, and always good company.

And cats are quiet and unobtrusive most of the time. 

         

Ad Populum Fallacy - by TPO

 Ad Populum Fallacy *

- by TPO -

The ad populum fallacy is the appeal to the popularity of a claim as a reason for accepting it.
The number of people who believe a claim is irrelevant to its truth. Fifty million people can be wrong. In fact, millions of people have been wrong about many things: that the Earth is flat and motionless, for example, and that the stars are lights shining through holes in the sky.
The ad populum fallacy is also referred to as the bandwagon fallacy, the appeal to the mob, the democratic fallacy, and the appeal to popularity.
The ad populum fallacy is seductive because it appeals to our desire to belong and to conform, to our desire for security and safety. It is a common appeal in advertising and politics. A clever manipulator of the masses will try to seduce those who blithely assume that the majority is always right. Also seduced by this appeal will be the insecure, who may be made to feel guilty if they oppose the majority or feel strong by joining forces with large numbers of other uncritical thinkers.
Examples of ad populum appeals:
    “TRY NEW, IMPROVED [fill in the blank with the name of any one of innumerable commercial products]. EVERYBODY’s USING IT!
    “Gods must exist, since every culture has some sort of belief in a higher being.”
    “The Bold and the Listless must be a great book. It’s been on the best seller list for 8 weeks.”
    “Arnold Killembetter’s movie "True Garbage" is the greatest movie of all time. No movie has made as much money as it did.”
    “The fact that the majority of our citizens support the death penalty proves that it is morally right.”
______________________________________________________________   
* Source: http://skepdic.com/adpopulum.html

Asked and Answered - by Hénock Gugsa

Asked and Answered 

- by Hénock Gugsa -

A friend on Facebook recently asked: 
Do yo want to know why teachers teach and retired teachers deeply miss teaching?  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Someone responds:
A really good teacher takes care of his students much like a Gardner takes care of his plants, so the end result will be something everyone can enjoy and be proud of.

And here's my response:
[Similar to the previous person's response] ===> 

A good teacher is like a good farmer.  A good teacher sows seeds of knowledge, and nurtures his/her students with life lessons.  The fruits of a teacher's efforts are slow-coming, but long-lasting.  Furthermore, they are forever self-propagating.  
A good teacher, by my definition, is someone with high integrity who nonetheless is humble and respects his/her students as individual human beings regardless of their age or gender.  After-all, respect engenders respect!  

The Mental Patient - by Hénock Gugsa

 The Mental Patient 

- by Hénock Gugsa -

There is a little, harmless, Ethiopian joke about what transpired between a psychiatrist and a mental patient upon his release from an sanatorium.  

So the patient had been doing extremely well, and the institute was now confident he can be released.  They went thru all the necessary protocol, the paperwork was complete, and the patient was seeing his doctor for a final, exit interview.

The doctor asked the patient a simple but tricky question: Is a man a child even if he is old?  

The patient smiled and answered, "Ah, Doc, a man can always be a child.  It is all a state of mind." 

The doctor was very impressed ... and so without any hesitation, he signed the final release paper and handed it to the patient.

The patient took the paper and the pass card, shook the doctor's hand and started walking to the door.

When he reached the door, he turned one last time to face  the doctor and said this: I still got them, huh doctor?

The doctor looked up, surprised. "What?"

As he walked out the door, the patient pointed a finger at his own head and  said, "My kidneys!" 

"No Little Things" - by Naftali Reich

"No Little Things"
- by Naftali Reich * -
=============

What is the image that comes to mind when we think of the ideal national leader? Someone who has a grasp of the issues, who can see the big picture. Someone who is strong and courageous, who can hold his own in the arena of international affairs in times of war and peace. Someone who has a vision for the future and the ability to make it happen. Someone who, through his words and actions, can inspire and galvanize his people.

[But] what is [a leader's] qualification for leadership? That he is attuned to the spirit of each and every individual [citizen].

And the overriding quality required of a leader ...
It is not enough for a leader to have grand schemes and plans. It is not enough for a leader to deliver soul-stirring addresses to the people. A leader must be able to relate to his people on every level. He must be sensitive to their needs and aspiration. He must empathize with their pain and joy. A true leader cannot stand off in the distance. He must be thoroughly attuned to the most minor requirements of his people in order to lead effectively. For a true leader, there are no little things.
_____________________________________________________ 
* Rabbi Naftali Reich, "No little Things", www.torah.org/legacy 7/14/2008

 

Fate and Choices - by Hénock Gugsa

Fate and Choices

- by Hénock Gugsa -
==== ~~ ====

But acknowledging something "has been dealt to you" is the same as validating the reality of "Fate" (some superimposed external power). It follows then that you should not presume you are powerful because you have been given basically only two choices to begin with: Yes (acceptance) ... or ...  No (rejection).

It is the same idea as when we deal with problems (situations) in computer science using flow charts. The initial statement or question is made, and everything flows from there. As humans, I believe we are dealt the initial cards (Fate) and everything that follows is based on our decisions (Choices) ... and they, in turn, engender further choices. The path we take is a series of connected choices. It can be short and definitive, or it can be long, winding, and indeterminate.

In my opinion, we make a big deal about the choices we make when in reality we have only made one choice. In essence, from the start, we did not really have that much of a power over our choices. The big question then becomes: Do we have the power of knowledge to make the right choice in the beginning? As for the subsequent mini-choices, if we go wrong, it may be possible to correct them, and move on to the next levels.  However, in the long run, as John Maynard Keynes said, we will all be dead!

What is "normal"? - by Dr. Gabor Maté

What is "normal"? 

- by Dr. Gabor Maté -

 

The Purist - by Ogden Nash

The Purist
- by Ogden Nash -
================== 
I give you now Professor Twist,
A conscientious scientist,
Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles!"
And sent him off to distant jungles.
Camped on a tropic riverside,
One day he missed his loving bride.
She had, the guide informed him later,
Been eaten by an alligator.
Professor Twist could not but smile.
"You mean," he said, "a crocodile." 

 

My Ancestry - by Hénock Gugsa

My Ancestry 
(as told to me by my father, Gugsa Asta!)

- by Hénock Gugsa -

=====//======

Legend has it that a tribesman traveled from Zula, an ancestral town in eastern Eritrea, to a place called Adi-Abo which was located in the southwest, in the region known as Tigray.  When he got there, he settled down, got married, and began to prosper.  Soon he became quite wealthy, and achieved a respectable status in the community.  However, he and his wife were childless, and so he was not as content with his life as could be expected.

As it happened, there lived in that town a sorcerer who was quite reputable in his wisdom and extra-sensory powers.  So, the wealthy but childless man decided to go and consult with him for a solution to his problem.

"Why can I not have any children?  Can you give me some medicine to help me and my wife be fruitful?" He begged.

The sorcerer replied, "You must understand that your destiny is unique.  The only offspring you will have is from a lioness."

"But a lioness is a mighty ferocious, and wild creature.  How is it even possible to approach a lioness, let alone procreate with her?"

"Follow my instructions to the letter, and you will succeed in this mission, fear not!"  The sorcerer commanded.

He then told the man where he would find the particular lioness that was destined to give him offspring.  The lioness had a favorite watering spot at a little clearing near a hillside from whence a stream flowed.  The man was to go to that place when the lioness wasn't there, and he was to build a dam and divert the stream in another direction.  Then at the exact spot where the lioness drank, he was to place a large vat filled with mead.  When the lioness came to the spot as usual, she would not find water there ... and because she would be mightily thirsty, she would be forced to drink the potent mead.  When sated, she would head back to her lair for her evening siesta.  The mead was bound to overcome her, and she would fall into a deep slumber.  That would be the time for the man to show his intrepid side, and give her his seed. 

Then would come a waiting period when the man would have to stalk the lioness from a distance and see how she was progressing along.  Not too long after she had given birth to a daughter and three sons as predicted by the sorcerer, the proud father was to repeat the same crafty deception with the mead and get the lioness intoxicated again.  He would then kidnap the four infants with the help of an assistant that the sorcerer had provided.  Additionally, the sorcerer emphasized that they should make sure they stayed downwind from the lioness at all times during their escape.  That way, her eventual search and pursuit of the kidnappers and her babies would be thwarted.

Following the successful daredevil deed, the man and his offspring left Adi-Abo and returned to Eritrea.  The man stopped and settled in Hatsenna in order to raise his children.  When the children were grown, he first saw to it that his daughter got married and made her home there.  When that was accomplished, the man and his three sons were off and on the road again. 

At long last, the man finally made his home in the place we now call Asmara.  One of his sons, Asmael, stayed there with his father, and they both settled down for good.  Asmael became the patriarch of all the people that lived in that region.  And in time, the town, Asmara, was named after him.

As for the other two sons, they left their father and brother behind and headed east toward Zula.  But midway, the second son whose name was Jenn-Alle decided to veer a little bit to the south toward Adi Keyh (the Red Land).  When he reached Berhenet-Arett, he stopped and this became his home.  Jenn-Alle is our ancestor, and his blood still runs in our family!

Tekle-Semaat, the third son, continued on to Zula.  He settled there and had many offspring.  We believe his descendants, our cousins,  are still there.
/// === \\\    

(Please click on map to enlarge)     

"I'll make it up as I go" - by Diana Krall

"I'll make it up as I go" 

- by Diana Krall -

A smokey, bluesy, jazzy song -- appropriate for this political season ....

From: "The Philosopher’s Stone" - by Hans Christian Andersen

 

From:  "The Philosopher’s Stone"
- by Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) - 
=============================
Now she heard the following words sadly sung,—
“Life is a shadow that flits away
In a night of darkness and woe.”

But then would follow brighter thoughts:
“Life has the rose’s sweet perfume
With sunshine, light, and joy.”

And if one stanza sounded painfully—
“Each mortal thinks of himself alone,
Is a truth, alas, too clearly known;”

Then, on the other hand, came the answer—
“Love, like a mighty flowing stream,
Fills every heart with its radiant gleam.”

She heard, indeed, such words as these—
“In the pretty turmoil here below,
All is a vain and paltry show.”

Then came also words of comfort—
“Great and good are the actions done
By many whose worth is never known.”

And if sometimes the mocking strain reached her—
“Why not join in the jesting cry
That contemns all gifts from the throne on high?”

In the blind girl’s heart a stronger voice repeated—
“To trust in thyself and God is best,
In His holy will forever to rest.”

But the evil spirit could not see this and remain contented.

In response to Giuliani - by Hénock Gugsa

In response to Giuliani
- by Hénock Gugsa -
~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~ [Rudy Giuliani on FOX News: "When they come to save your life, they don't ask if you are black or white, they just come to save you!"  Rudy Giuliani thanked all the police officers who are out protecting us [sic] ....]

But that is their job! And that is what we expect them to do ... to do their job!

The police are public servants, they are expected to serve and to protect.  Neither they nor we should expect them to do any more or any less than their duty.  We  of-course love and care for them as members of the community .... They should be (and are) well compensated.  They should be well-equipped and trained to do their duties just as the military does with one difference.  The police are a civilian force which means that they are civilians and should not have a battle (war) mentality!

There is also one other aspect of our relationship with the police that is often overlooked or hardly ever mentioned.  It is the covenant of trust that we have laid at the feet of the police.  They are bestowed all the power and privileges of the "law enforcer."  Naturally, we expect policemen to carry out the delicate task of the day-to-day application of the law in people's lives.  Most importantly,  we entrust the police with the protection of our lives, our property, and our human rights.  We expect the highest standards of unwavering moral conduct, and we expect responsible, respectful behavior from our policemen.  These are the actual job requirements of the police.  If it is deemed that they cannot be met, that we are asking too much of the police, then maybe these folk need to find other softer or cushier positions like, for example, the clergy. 

Here is a look why the police should not demand respect and special thanks just for doing their jobs ....  Think of your mom and dad ... you expect them to love, protect, and nurture you ... but you don't expect them to do all that because they expect you to thank them.  They're doing their duty and your happiness and welfare is their only reward!

The work that policemen do should not be looked at collectively, but individually.  We should assess a policeman by his record, not just by the fact that he is wearing a blue uniform.  Let us give the police special honor and thanks following a job performance review just like every citizen in the country.  To do otherwise is to invite hubris and abusive behavior from folk whom we have given the highest honor of our trust. 

Depressed! - by Hénock Gugsa

Depressed! 

- by Hénock Gugsa -

I went to church this morning; and when the service was over, I found myself depressed by two things that had happened ... ====>
 
1 - During the sermon, the pastor brought up the topic of the recent social turmoil here regarding police killings of young black men.  The pastor actually began his comment with,  "All lives matter and it saddens us that ...".  I was almost tempted to raise my hand and object, but I restrained myself.  How can he not comprehend that when people have been crying in anguish that "Black lives matter!", there is a contextual (unsaid but understood) reference to inclusion, as if saying 'black lives matter too' ... don't forget us.  Why do things have to be spelled out to people?  Where is your comprehension of language? 
Also, and above all, why are people so reactionary and so defensive?  Why are they so dismissive, and why do they egregiously trivialize the serious concerns of a group with legitimate grievances?!
 
2 - During the "Peace" greetings of the congregants to one another, I shook hands with an old lady who said to me, "Are you a visitor?"  I started to say that I wasn't because I have been there once before.  But then I replied, "Yes."  However, I got neither a "Peace to you,"  nor a "Welcome." ....  Walking home, I thought why should things be this way?  Isn't a church a house of God where everyone is automatically and unquestionably welcome to worship?  Or is God approachable only exclusively to regular congregants?  Is God a bartender?!
-------------------------------------------
Phisshh ... I am so depressed!!

Stirring Photo - by Osman Sagirli

Stirring Photo 

- by Osman Sagirli -

Little girl surrenders when she mistakes camera for gun!
 
Turkish photojournalist Osman Sagirli took the picture. 

The four-year-old girl, Adi Hudea, was at the Atmeh refugee camp in Syria in December 2014. 

The Police State - by Hénock Gugsa

 

The Police State
- by Hénock Gugsa -
====== *** ====== I'm sitting here wondering what next ... I am utterly confused.  Are we in Israel fighting Palestinians?

These days, the Police everywhere in America are actually militarized over and above what has been the norm for years.  They have nightsticks, tasers, Glocks, sniper-rifles (with scopes), shotguns, bullet-proof vests, night-vision goggles, mob-controlling shields, etc., etc. .... And now we are adding "Killer Robots"!!!

And don't forget: The police are presumed to have received thorough training in all aspects of stressful confrontations including proper application of force.  Cops are expected to have and to display mental and physical fortitude.  They are supposed to be well-equipped in every way.

Nonetheless, one wonders: Are the police protected enough?!  What more should be done to lessen their fear of the public that they are supposed to serve and protect?

Is all their armament sufficient or necessary to cope with single life-and-death situations?  Or is it needed to impose and perpetuate a permanent siege mentality? 

I don't know about you, but I sure don't feel particularly well-protected or served.

 

The Blunderbuss Effect - by TPO

The Blunderbuss Effect

- by TPO -

~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~

** From: Epoch Times
===================
7:25 a.m. (July 8, 2016)

A man wrongly identified by Dallas police as a suspect in a sniper attack on police says he turned himself in and was quickly released.

The Dallas Police Department [had] put out a photo on its Twitter account late Thursday of a man wearing a camouflage shirt and holding a rifle with the message: “This is one of our suspects. Please help us find him!” The tweet remained on the account early Friday morning.

The man in the photo, Mark Hughes, tells Dallas TV station KTVT that he “flagged down a police officer” immediately after finding out he was a suspect. He says police lied during a 30-minute interrogation, telling him they had video of him shooting.

Videos posted online show Hughes walking around peacefully during the shooting and later turning over his gun to a police officer.