T P O

T   P   O
The Patient Ox (aka Hénock Gugsa)

G r e e t i n g s !

** TPO **
A personal blog with diverse topicality and multiple interests!


On the menu ... politics, music, poetry, and other good stuff.
There is humor, but there is blunt seriousness here as well!


Parfois, on parle français ici aussi. Je suis un francophile .... Bienvenue à tous!

* Your comments and evaluations are appreciated ! *

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

"Poor Boy" - Elvis Presley


Elvis Presley




Elvis Presley (1935-1977)
-------
"Poor Boy"

[They call me poor boy, poor boy, poor boy
But I ain't lonesome and I ain't blue
'Cause I could never be a poor boy
As long as I've got a darling like you.] ...Refrain...

Ain't got a crust, ain't got a cent
Can't buy a jug, can't pay the rent
I got a heart full of dreams
And a lot of memories
And that's enough for me

{Refrain}

Can't buy a house, can't buy a lot
Ain't got a bean, I ain't got a pot
But what I got is a heart full of
Love and memories
And that's enough for me

{Refrain}

Don't have a pig, don't have a cow
I don't have a horse to pull a plow
But what I got is a heart full of
Love and memories
And that's enough for me

{Refrain}
 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Responding to Don Shelby - by TPO (aka JJ Sefton)





Responding to Don Shelby's, "Why I worry about China"
(in MinnPost.com)
--------

J J Sefton (also known as TPO) had the following comment(s) on Mr. Shelby's article ....

Zounds, where to begin?!

As a naturalized American, I may be able to offer a different perspective on this highly-charged topic that is constantly on everybody's mind.

Many years ago, as a child growing up in Ethiopia, I was learning to read English in school from a book called,"The Green Primer." The first story was titled, "Alladin and the Lamp." It began thus: Once upon a time, there was a wizard. He lived in China. He came to Africa to look for a lamp ....

Fast forward to today. Now, as I see them, the Chinese have always been very industrious, and goal-oriented. They are a tenacious nation that deserve a lot of respect because they understand what "accommodation" means. They accommodate religion to politics, and politics to economics, economics to techonology and science, etc., etc.

Napoleon once said of China, "Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." Well, China has awoken, and she is shaking the world! In the few years since China has been a major world economic player, the Chinese have been to Africa and they have done a lot more good than bad.

The United States has been lazy, lethargic, and short-sighted for the last thirty years at least. American economic concentration has been in the financial world where patriotism, conscience, or any semblance of integrity are left at the door. Manufacturing, innovations, and energy conservancy have been disregarded. We've been shipping jobs abroad. Right after 9/11/01, suddenly there was a mad need for U.S. flag lapel pins. Only thing, almost all of them were made in China ... go figure!

And as far as the U of M and its research efforts go, its discoveries will never guarantee American supremacy for long. Perhaps, it would be better to work alongside your rival, share knowledge, and look to the long-run benefits of cooperation rather than suspicion and perhaps greed.