Ethiopia: Comical Conflict and Angst among the Youth ~ by TPO

 

Ethiopia: Comical Conflict and Angst among the Youth
L'éthiopie:  Le conflt et l'angoisse comique entre la jeunesse
(ጆኒ ምን እዳ ነው / አልማዝ ምን እዳ ነው)
💚 💛 ❤️ 

 

Running Orders ~ by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha

 

Running Orders 

~ by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha ~*

  They call us now,
  before they drop the bombs.
  The phone rings
  and someone who knows my first name
  calls and says in perfect Arabic
  “This is David.”
  And in my stupor of sonic booms and glass-shattering symphonies
  still smashing around in my head
  I think, Do I know any Davids in Gaza?
  They call us now to say
  Run.
  You have 58 seconds from the end of this message.
  Your house is next.
  They think of it as some kind of
  war-time courtesy.
  It doesn’t matter that
  there is nowhere to run to.
  It means nothing that the borders are closed
  and your papers are worthless
  and mark you only for a life sentence
  in this prison by the sea
  and the alleyways are narrow
  and there are more human lives
  packed one against the other
  more than any other place on earth
  Just run.
  We aren’t trying to kill you.
  It doesn’t matter that
  you can’t call us back to tell us
  the people we claim to want aren’t in your house
  that there’s no one here
  except you and your children
  who were cheering for Argentina
  sharing the last loaf of bread for this week
  counting candles left in case the power goes out.
  It doesn’t matter that you have children.
  You live in the wrong place
  and now is your chance to run
  to nowhere.
  It doesn’t matter
  that 58 seconds isn’t long enough
  to find your wedding album
  or your son’s favorite blanket
  or your daughter’s almost completed college application
  or your shoes
  or to gather everyone in the house.
  It doesn’t matter what you had planned.
  It doesn’t matter who you are.
  Prove you’re human.
  Prove you stand on two legs.
  Run.
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* Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, "Running Orders" from Water & Salt.  Copyright © 2017 by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha. 

Dishta Gina ( ዲሽታ ጊና ) - by Tariku Gankisi

 

 

Dishta Gina ( ዲሽታ  ጊና ) 

- by Tariku Gankisi -

The Case for Salt and Other Things ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

The Case for Salt and Other Things *

~ by Hénock Gugsa ~ 

PC ===> TRY THIS ....
When artificial sweeteners hit you mouth, you have sensors that instruct insulin production to start to combat what seems like sugar,  when the artificial sweetener hits you gut, there is another set of signals sent that do the same thing.  Now your cells are deprived of needed energy and your hunger will increase, not to mention that your system starts to ignore the important signals to regulate sugar balance.  This has been documented very well in lab studies and Very high doses of Artificial sweeteners will even cause diabetes in lab animals in a short time........  If this is not believable, you can do a small experiment yourself.  Choose a weight that is hard to lift, bench press or just a couple of push-ups.  Do this once or twice - not multiple reps.  Now take a bite of chocolate or a big drink of diet soda.  Wait 1-2 minutes and repeat the exercise... you should notice its more difficult until the sugar gets into your system.... with the diet soda that never happens because your system got tricked and messed with.  This tricking of your system leads to increased hunger and thus weight gain not to mention the desire for more of your diet soda... hmmm. What a racket.

PC ===> I can get started on the salt debate too. So much regurgitated bs about limiting sodium.  What’s the first thing they put into you when they start an IV ??? Sodium chloride!!! Most important electrolyte in your body.

TL ===> PC:> I can get started on the salt debate too. So much regurgitated bs about limiting sodium.  What’s the first thing they put into you when they start an IV ??? Sodium chloride!!! Most important electrolyte in your body.

PC ===> TL:> yes the salt limiting bs has been debunked but it takes a long time for people to admit they were wrong... if ever.  The American Medical Association had published the debunking in may of 2011 but still docs,mainstream media, food manufacturers etc. are staying on that bs bandwagon.

HG ===> PC:> I'm with you about salt.  I generally don't comprehend the "one-size-fits-all" philosophy of medicine where they don't take into consideration the different makeups of human physiology.  Also why do they mess with the body's messages such as affinity and/or dislike toward certain foods or drinks or even simple things as the need for sleep.  If I feel, I need salt in my food, that's what my body tells me.  And if I feel a nap coming, then off I go to a comfy spot!  

The trick, I think, is not to take things to the extreme, of-course.  And so, I try to follow my common sense guide for moderation.  

I believe also that the body gives us cures that we often overlook ... for instance, our own saliva is a great defense against canker of the lips, balms and chap stick only seal up the sore and shut out natural moisture.  Just like animals, we should be able to find a way to use our own saliva to quickly heal ourselves.  With this realization, I have been able to effectively fight off cold sores which are common in the winter time!  Cats and dogs are my teachers! 🤔😏

PC ===> HG 💯 % agree with you.

PC ===> HG:> this is a tough story to believe but I’ll share it.
Had most of a kidney removed in 1965, had an incredible hunger for all things licorice following that surgery, so much that I got in trouble for eating so much (ice cream store around corner had real licorice ice cream that would stain my face).... I grew a new kidney 😊
In 2000, read an article in Scientific American, large amounts of licorice was able to cause some organs to regrow.. namely the kidneys.

HG ===> PC:> Wonderful ! In Ethiopia, there is an all-encompassing saying (piece of wisdom) : No one knows better the self than the self ( ከባለቤቱ  ያወቀ  ቡዳ  ነው ! ) ... not even the devious shaman ! 🤔

FCM ===> PC:> Marie-Claude is diagnosed 34 days at the hospital.  When she was 5 y-o, she was dialyzed, and tested over and over.
You should see her [now] eating sugar... I'm flabbergasted every day! And when she's in a real craving, she's sad, and eats raw onions with vinegar and salt ....

______________________________________________________

* Culled from HG's Facebook exchanges with friends on 6/7/21
 
 

Coup de Gueule Forte ~ Delphine Seyrig

 

Coup de Gueule Forte 

~ Delphine Seyrig ~

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

Une femme de son temps! 🤔 👍 

... Féminisme avec réalisme et honnêteté ! ....

 Rarement une actrice n'a poussé un cri aussi violent et douloureux !

  

 

 

" Cancel Culture " ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

 " Cancel Culture " 

~ by  Hénock Gugsa ~

Not such a bad thing ... lets you unfollow/unfriend/unsubscribe to people or things that bug you.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FC ===> cancel culture leads to ignorance.

HG ===> FC -- and so we come back to the concept of "perspectives", right ?
 
PC ===> HG -- depends on who’s perspective you like at the time.  Galileo’s perspective got him into trouble with authority because of “Cancel Culture”.  Don’t let that type of idiocy rule your mind.

HG ===> I won't necessarily be starved for knowledge or wisdom if I'm deprived of outright lies, and misdirection. I should be able to make my own judgment and not be led by the nose all the time. Oh and the term "cancel culture" is a deceptive cover that some use to gaslight and muddy the water. We actually have come to a point where we label anything as "cancel culture" when we cannot accept it because it really is wrong ... like murder, like insurrection, like tyranny. So, if I'm accused of practicing "cancel culture" because I don't accept those things, so be it ! Let me be an ignorant idiot !

HG ===> ... Oh, and I try to go by my own perspective as much as possible without forcing it on others !

JS ===> FC -- true, but so relaxing.

PC ===> HG -- as long as you know I respect your perspective, as I hope you respect mine.... this leads us to be able to have constructive debate, (which I love BTW).

PC ===>  

FC ===> Nothing should be cancelled, even what we don't like. Because cancelling something cultural involves ignorance, most of the time.  Here we are between open minded and fairly educated people.  But we have to be careful what we promote, because it will be blindly followed by masses of ignorants [sic] only interested in promoting what they have been indoctrinated by.

 

HG ===>   I wonder if I have scum on my face and they tell me to leave it alone ... if I clear it, will that be "cancel culture" ?! .... That's how ridiculous things have gotten! The "objectivity" of the opposition to "cancel culture" is not wholly objective. I submit that there is some subjectivity there because of all the passion and furor behind it ! 🤔 🤭

 

 

McCarthy and His Master ... ~ by TPO

 

McCarthy and His Master ... 

~ by TPO ~

"At no time, having known Joe Biden for quite some time, does he have the energy of Donald Trump."
   ~ So said the moron Kevin McCarthy who must have forgotten that one of the greatest American Presidents, FDR, served the nation during times of great crises and tribulation.  He was a polio victim and did his job from a wheelchair!  He is the only President who was elected to three terms as Head of the United States Government.

 

 

True Patriotism ! ~ by Jens Böttiger

 

   True Patriotism !
🇩🇪  ~ by Jens Böttiger ~  🇩🇪
🤔 🙂 👍

 

When Friends (family) Feud ~ by TPO

 

When Friends (family) Feud 

 by TPO ~ 

 *************************

    Abyssinia take heed !!! 

*************************

 

Best Damn News of Late ! ~ by TPO

 

Best Damn News of Late ! 

🐂 ~ by TPO ~ 🐂

 

Archie's America! ( የ አርቺ አሜሪካ) ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

Archie's America!

 😀 ( የ አርቺ አሜሪካ ) 😂 

 by  Hénock Gugsa

 

You're Not Imagining It ~ by Donna Ashworth

 

You're Not Imagining It 

~ by Donna Ashworth ~

You're not imagining it, nobody seems to want to talk right now.
Messages are brief and replies late.
Talk of catch ups on zoom are perpetually put on hold.
Group chats are no longer pinging all night long.

It's not you.
It's everyone.
We are spent.

We have nothing left to say.

We are tired of saying 'I miss you' and 'I can't wait for this to end'.
So we mostly say nothing, put our heads down and get through each day.

You're not imagining it.
This is a state of being like no other we have ever known because we are all going through it together but so very far apart.

Hang in there my friend.

When the mood strikes, send out all those messages and don't feel you have to apologize for being quiet.

This is hard.
No one is judging.

- Donna Ashworth

 

Yes, ..."ENOUGH"! ~ by TPO

 

Yes, ..."ENOUGH" !

 ~ by TPO ~

 

Incontestable ~ by TPO

 

 

 Incontestable 

~ by TPO ~

 

 

The Little People Show Some Muscle! ~ by TPO

 

The Little People Show Some Muscle !

~ by TPO ~

Hedge funds shorted more than 100% of all shares of GameStop.  To do this, they had to sell more shares than actually existed.

The hedge funds never actually owned these shares to begin with, and because they were short-selling they never actually paid for them.

Redditors saw this and decided to buy up all these shorted shares to GameStop, a company that wasn't failing.  The hedge funds would then be forced to buy back as they never actually owned the shares they were short-selling !

The beauty of this is:  If you knew what to look for, you could have seen this coming too.  It isn't mystical, it isn't magic.  They made these billionaires pay back more than what they basically stole by being greedy ... this is a good thing !

 

 

Giving ~ by Katherine Hepburn

 

 "Giving "

~ by Katherine Hepburn ~

      From Katharine Hepburn’s childhood; in her own words ...

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.  Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter.  This family made a big impression on me.  There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12.  The way they  were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their  clothes were neat and clean.

The children were  well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their  parents, holding hands.  They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns,  animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night.  By their  excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before.  It  would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be.  The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say,  "You're my knight in shining armor."  He was smiling and enjoying seeing  his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted?  He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy  eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family  to the circus."  The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver.  Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you  say?"  The ticket lady again stated the price.  The man didn't have enough money.  How was he supposed to turn and tell his  eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20  bill, and then dropped it on the ground.  (We were not wealthy in any  sense of the word!)  My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped  the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on.  He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.  He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a  tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir.  This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home.  The $20 that my dad  gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.  Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside  us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

That day I learnt the value [of Giving.]

The Giver is bigger than the Receiver.  If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. 

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

The importance of giving, [and] blessing others can never be over-emphasized because there's always joy in giving.  Learn to make someone happy with acts of giving.”

 

In the last four years ...! ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

 In the last four years ...! 

~ by Hénock Gugsa ~

Not that there are any new revelations, but we are now more aware of the flaws in American Politics. 

1 - The weakness of the First Amendment, i.e. Freedom of Speech
- free pass is given to bullies, normalization of outrageous speech and acts
- the timidity of the media in not steadfastly challenging lies
- the propagandizing (by some sectors of the media) of conspiracy theories
2 - The role of money
- corrupt media,
- corrupt political parties,
- and corrupt interest groups (churches, and corporations)!
3 - Cynicism everywhere else !
- Defeatism
- Lack of Faith and Will to stand up for Truth
_______________________________________
*******************************************************
Some Practical Tools we almost forgot we had for combating  bullies and demagogues ! ...

1 - Taking away their platforms (i.e. social media presence) when necessary.
2 - Muting bullies when they attempt to disrupt orderly debates and conversations.

 🤔 🤭 🥴 

 

China's Airlines Rules ~ by TPO

 

China's Airlines Rules 

~ by TPO ~

" DEPENDS", anyone ?!

 

The Last 4 Years ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

The Last 4 Years 

~ by Hénock Gugsa ~

FC ===> The last four years are in the category of life experiences. They are neither good or bad, as they are simply events from which other events will emerge.

HG ===> FC, ... Sometimes, I can't swallow neither "good" nor "bad" despite the connectivity between them. But right now, it feels like a respite from whatever situation we've been in; and I'm aware things could change back. I'm thinking positive thoughts to maintain my current state of calm and tranquility.

FC ===> Changing back is impossible, and it's not desirable either.
Change is the constant, let's adapt to it.  😉

HG ===> FC, ... You are right, of-course, 'changing back' is not a plausible concept.  I should have chosen my words carefully.  What I was striving to get across is the idea of a reversal of direction, i.e. going backward instead of forward as in physical motion.

Despite the futility of attempts to affect 'change', as humans, we never tire of trying ... we think and believe that under similar sets of conditions, similar outcomes can be achieved again and again.  But isn't that what scientists believe in when they keep trying to simulate a situation?  Politicians want to take us back to a former time (e.g.- MAGA).  Then, on the other hand, there are those who want to move us forward to a utopia of sorts, and they don't want their idea of 'a perfect world' to change.  

The whole point of my post is to state that I did not particularly like our experiences of the last 4 years, and my subjective prognostication for the years ahead is :  relief and continued improvement.  We'll see !!! 🤔 

 

About the Unresolved ... About Doubt ~ by Rainer Maria Rilke

 

About the Unresolved ... About Doubt 

~  by Rainer Maria Rilke ~

~ I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

~ Your doubt may become a good quality if you train it. It must become knowing, it must become critical. Ask it, whenever it wants to spoil something for you, why something is ugly, demand proofs from it, test it, and you will find it perplexed and embarrassed perhaps, or perhaps rebellious. But don’t give in, insist on arguments and act this way, watchful and consistent, every single time, and the day will arrive when from a destroyer it will become one of your best workers — perhaps the cleverest of all that are building at your life.