Carson vs Webb ~ by TPO

 

Carson vs Webb * ~ by TPO

(((((( + - / * ))))))

H A P P Y    N E W    Y E A R  !!!  

* Johnny Carson vs Jack Webb 

Lying Clowns ~ by TPO

 

Lying Clowns ~ by TPO 

//// ()()() \\\\ 

 

La réunion d'un père avec son fils !

 

La réunion d'un père avec son fils ! 

[du film: "588 rue Paradis" (1992)] 

 

Intelligence vis-à-vis Education ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

Intelligence vis-à-vis Education ~ by Hénock Gugsa

/// ~~~ \\\ 

 

Wise Counsel from Marcus Aurelius ~ by TPO

 

Wise Counsel from Marcus Aurelius ~ by TPO 

 Marcus Aurelius writes: *

    At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

[To the mind’s natural protestation that staying under the blankets simply feels nicer, Aurelius retorts:]

    So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?
_______________________________________________________
* Source: "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius [TheMarginalian, Maria Popova]

 

Quête noble! ~ de Hénock Gugsa

 

Quête noble! ~ de Hénock Gugsa 

/////// = = \\\\\\\ 

 

Des grands publicitaires (genius admen)! ~ de TPO

 

Des grands publicitaires (Genius Admen)!
---------------------------------------------
"Avec la pâtée casimir,
mon chien a le sourire !"
🤔 🙂 🤪 

 

Le cheval ~ Louise de Vilmorin

 

 

Le cheval (1954)
~ Louise de Vilmorin ~
===================
J’aime porter de longs cheveux
Comme une femme,
J’aime porter un amoureux
Près de sa dame,
J’aime porter le poids fatal
Des inconnus,
J’aime porter le long du val
Les bienvenues.
J’aime la poudre du chemin
Sur mon visage,
J’aime le conseil de la main
Qui m’encourage.
Je fuis mon ombre de cheval
Courant la plaine,
Je crains mon reflet animal
Dans la fontaine.

 

"Baby, it's cold outside!" ~ Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé

 

 "Baby, it's cold outside!" ~ Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé

()()() ~ () ~ ()()() 

 

Once - by Ambrose Harte

 

Once - by Ambrose Harte 

I used to dance,
but the music's gone,
I once had love,
but I'm now alone.
I used to sing,
but I lost my song,
I used to rhyme,
now the timings wrong.
I used to work,
but they shut us down,
I love the country,
but I live in town.
I used to smile,
now I cry instead,
I once had feasts,
now I've only bread.
I once had children,
but now they've grown,
I used to laugh,
but now I moan.
I once was clever,
but I lost my head,
I used to sleep,
now I've got no bed.
I used to swim,
but the sea's dried up,
I once drank water,
now there's ne'er a drop.
I once was good,
but now I'm bad,
I had a soul,
now I'm empty and sad.
I once was fearless,
now I'm filled with dread,
I used to live,
but now I'm dead.
I had directions,
but now I'm lost,
I had a body,
now I'm just a ghost.
 

Bom mesmo ... ~ Luedji Luna

 

 Bom Mesmo e Estar Debaixo D'Agua 

(Good even while drowning)

- Luedji Luna (2021 Latin Grammy's) - 

Fake News ~ by TPO

 

Fake News ! ~ by TPO 

[] [] [] [] []

Steel Grit - Granalla de acera !

 

 Steel Grit  - Granalla de acera !

     Coreografía: Miguel Ángel Berna

      Música original: Alberto Artigas, 

                                 Josué Barrés, 

                                José Luis Montón.
      Letra: Mª José Hernández.

 

The Lightening Repartee! ~ Paul Lynde

 

The Lightening Repartee! 

~ Paul Lynde (Hollywood Squares) ~

 

 

The Giant Tap-Dancing Noses - by R O H

 

The Giant Dancers from Shostakovitch's The Nose
~ by The Royal Opera House ~
================= 

 👯 Happy Tapping !

     To celebrate, enjoy this brilliant clip of the giant tap-dancing noses from The Royal Opera's The Nose!
     Shostakovitch's opera is a surreal and brilliant work about a man who wakes up one morning to find that his nose has gone missing.

 

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 ~

 

Extremisms ~ by Ryan Knight

 

Extremisms

~ by Ryan Knight ~ 

 

"Afajeshigne !" አ ፋ ጀ ሽ ኝ ! ~ by Michael Belayneh

 

Afajeshigne ! - አ ፋ ጀ ሽ ኝ !
[ You have me embattled ! ]
~ by Michael Belayneh ~
🤔 🙂 👍 🌟 

 

In Autumn - by Rosemary Danielis (on tumblr.com)

 

- In Autumn - 

by Rosemary Danielis (on tumblr.com) 

In Autumn
the leaves have
a sparkle all
their own
✨🍁✨

Conformisim ! ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

Conformism ! ~ by Hénock Gugsa 

~~~ // ~~~

     Conformism is a very hard pill to swallow.  I remember once I almost could have gotten into hot water at my last job.  An administrative assistant to the CEO sent out a company-wide heads-up memo about the latest advertisement drive for our organization (which was an HMO).  She was bragging about how innovative and smart our latest ad was.  One of the venues they were using was billboards on major highways and expressways in the Twin Cities. 

     This particular ad was supposed to be unique because the name of the HMO was written upside down.  So in effect, a motorist going at 75 or 80 mph was expected to twist his head upside-down to be able to read the name.  So I got my digital camera and drove by one location with highway overpasses and exit ramps, etc., which had one of these billboards with our ad on it.  I took a snapshot and sent it as an attachment in a response email to the lady's communique.  I also expressed my opinion on what a bad idea it all was.  I actually pointed out that as a "health and well-being concern", we should not be creating a hazardous and ineffective distraction in our cities' highways.  

     I thought I was doing a proactive thing with my response.  But my immediate supervisors, whom I had copied in my missive, just went nervous and almost catatonic saying to me that I could be getting a serious reprimand or something.  Well, I did not hear anything from  the CEO's office for about a week.  And then I got a lukewarm response where they essentially stood firm on their Management decision.  They even went a step further and poured praise on the vendor saying that it was a prize-winning and acclaimed company.  

     And so ended the drama!

Post script -- Whatever the driving force, I don't think I would have gone thru with such an impulsive reaction had I slept on it for two, or three nights. I should have remembered that in many situations, 'discretion is the better part of valor'! 🤔 😉 

 

A Strange New Trend ~ by Alison Green

 

  A Strange New Trend ~ by  Alison Green *

()()()()()()() 

Few people are as knee-deep in our work-related anxieties and sticky office politics as Alison Green, who has been fielding workplace questions for a decade now on her website Ask a Manager. In Direct Report, she spotlights themes from her inbox that help explain the modern workplace and how we could be navigating it better.  

In today’s topsy-turvy job market, a strange new thing is happening. Employers are increasingly grumbling about job seekers “ghosting” them. These job candidates just don’t show up for their scheduled interviews. And in some cases, new hires accept a job only to disappear.  

Here’s some of what I’ve heard from managers:

    I’m in the medical field and this is happening to us to for the past year 6–12 months. Being ghosted for interviews, people not responding. Five people scheduled to interview, but one shows up. We’ve even hired people who didn’t show up in the first day or didn’t return for the second. Nurses and front office positions. It’s unreal.

    I went from working at a nonprofit to working for a vendor. … Part of my job is hiring, but I’m having a much harder time hiring now than I did at the nonprofit. The pay and benefits are better—we start people at more than the max rate at the nonprofit, hours are more consistent, and we offer good PTO, matching 401k, and insurance. I’ve sent out over 30 offers to interview. Nine agreed to interviews. Three didn’t show up, two failed background checks, two didn’t want to travel … and we’ve made offers to the other two but neither has responded to accept or reject. I’ve never had so many people just not respond or not show up. Is this the new normal? … I’m at a loss and feeling really discouraged.

    I’m hiring for multiple hourly entry-level manufacturing jobs, well above local minimum wage with PTO, benefits, etc. If I reach out for a brief phone interview, only 50 percent respond. If I set up the interview, it’s no longer shocking when someone doesn’t answer the phone. … THEN once I offer a job … nothing. No response. I don’t get it.

Employers, unsurprisingly, do not like this. It’s rude, they say, and unprofessional. And sure, it is. But employers have been doing this to workers for years, and their hand-wringing didn’t start until the tables were turned.

For years I’ve fielded questions from job seekers frustrated at being ghosted by job interviewers. They would take time off from work, maybe buy a new suit, spend time interviewing—often doing second, third, and even fourth rounds of interviews—and then never hear from the employer again. They’d politely inquire about the status of their application and just get silence back. Or they would make time for a phone interview—scheduled at the employer’s behest—and the call would never come. When they’d try to get in touch about rescheduling … crickets. It’s been so endemic that I’ve long advised job seekers to expect never to hear back from employers, and to simply see it as an unavoidable part of job searching.  

But now that the situation is finally reversed, oh the schadenfreude! Here’s a smattering of what workers have written to me about the turnabout:  
    Honestly I LOVE seeing potential employees treating employers the way employers have been treating their candidates for years! And then seeing the employers get all upset about it like they haven’t been behaving exactly the same way. … I really really hope that employers learn a lesson from this and start respecting job seekers a little more (although I’m not optimistic).  

    Maybe this will help employers clean up their act. Honestly, in all my years working and interviewing for jobs, I’ve only had a handful of companies get back to me after an interview. I’ve had so many just go AWOL after an interview that I thought that it was normal employer behavior, and that a company getting back to a candidate to say they were not proceeding was going the extra mile and never something to be expected.  

    If it’s unprofessional and rude to ghost someone in business communications, then why have employers been doing just this for years? It seems perfectly rational to conclude that since they have been ghosting applicants for years, therefore ghosting is normal and acceptable in business.  

    If employers wanted to be treated better, they shouldn’t have spent the last three decades treating candidates with such little humanity. You can’t treat an entire class of people like crap for decades, strip them of rights and protections, and then be upset when we don’t show enough deference to the people asking us to beg for work.  

    Given how many jobs I took the time and resources to apply to, research and show up for an interview who then never bothered to thank me for my time or let me know they filled the position, I can’t even summon up a little bit of empathy for this.  

It’s also worth noting that in many cases, the reason employers are having trouble attracting candidates who stick is because what they’re offering—in pay, benefits, hours, or other conditions of the job—simply isn’t competitive. It might have been competitive a few years ago, but it’s not in this market, and they haven’t updated their thinking to account for that:  

    I work in the public sector and we are seeing plenty of candidates disappearing. Although we have worked on pay the last few years, we are not competitive. Our governing body became very used to the job market conditions during the recession and for several years after where the employer had all the leverage. They are only now beginning to realize how the roles have reversed.  

    For example, we have been trying to fill one of our entry-level positions for the last year:  

    First go-around: no qualified applicants.  

    Second go-around: four qualified applicants, only two showed for interviews. Offered the job to both and they declined.  

    Third time’s the charm, right: We hired somebody and on their third day they didn’t show up to work. Never contacted us and wouldn’t return our calls.  

    Now we’re in the middle of try number four. We have a conditional offer but the candidate has pushed the start date back twice. We’ll see.  

It remains to be seen how long these market conditions will last. But if getting ghosted helps employers better understand what they’ve been doing to job seekers for years, that’s a good thing. And if it reflects a real shift in power toward workers, that’s even better.

* Source: slate.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------  

 Hénock Gugsa's comments ...===>  I have been down this road before and many times too!

For years, I couldn't figure out how or why I was not getting any response even as a professional courtesy.  After all, I went to great length preparing a resume, a covering letter and presented an application.  Sometimes, they required you to fill out an application form along with affidavits of one sort or another ... and you have to complete everything prior to the due date.  Alas, no dice!!!  So I developed a theory they must be throwing my application material in the wastepaper basket or shredder for one logical reason:  They could not pronounce my name, it was a foreign (an ALIEN) name and they could not handle that!  They were not even curious to meet me!

This does not mean there were not exceptions, i.e. good humans in HR departments ... and were it not for them, I wouldn't be here after decades in gainful employment and enjoying retirement!

 

Au barbier ! ~ de TPO

 

 Au barbier ! 

~ de TPO ~

The Focus on Race ! ~ by Hénock Gugsa

 

The Focus on Race !

~ by Hénock Gugsa ~ 

It is also about: National Origin!
You may have lived here 40 years or 50 years or longer as a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen with full legal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit  of happiness ... BUT ...

When strangers ask: "Where are you from?" ... they really mean: What are you?  
They are really not that much interested in who you are ... they're not even interested in you as a fellow human-being !  🤔 😕 ☹️