Ode to the Unbroken Spirit

Next up - a poem on Covid in the style of Walt Whitman.

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Ode to the Unbroken Spirit

O human spirit, resilient and wide,
Emerging from the shadowed halls,
The great cities, the quiet towns,
Where once the streets lay still, silent as the early dawn—
I sing of you, vast and unyielding, rising like the sun,
Beyond the masks and murmurs, beyond the parted crowds,
In the heart of each, a drumbeat, a song,
A knowing that we are bound together,
Threads of a grand, endless fabric.

O nurses, doctors, healers with weary eyes yet steadfast hands,
I see you, bending not to fear,
But to the call of the bedside and the cry of the needy—
You are the arms that hold the world,
The fierce and gentle guardians of hope,
And I, one of many, salute you,
From my window, my porch, my heart,
O spirit that defies the stillness, the sickness, the night.

Another poem in the style of Mayakowsky

 Another poem on eradicating illiteracy in the style of the Marxist poet Mayakowsky

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Words Like Weapons

Illiteracy!
A prison with invisible bars,
Trapping minds in the dark,
Choking thought before it blooms,
Turning hearts into barren wastelands.
I rage against it!

You, with your gilded speeches,
Do nothing but spit into the wind!
Let your words be action, sharp as a blade—
For every unread page is a bullet unfired,
A war left un-fought!

In the alleys, the fields, the factories,
Our brothers and sisters sit in silence,
Not by choice, but by force—
The force of neglect, of a system that fears
The power that knowledge ignites.

Eradicating Illiteracy

 Eradicating Illiteracy

(In the style of Walt Whitman)

O voices of the earth, rise up!
Each one, untamed, each one free, yet all together—a multitude,
We march, not in battle against flesh,
But in a war against darkness, the silent chains of the mind.
Children of the streets, workers in factories,
Mothers, fathers, the old and the young,
You shall be heard! No longer silenced by the unseen barriers,
No longer left behind by the great river of words that flows,
Let the light of learning sweep the plains, the cities, the hills.

Books for the hands of all! Not just for the chosen few.
The ink of knowledge, vast as the sea, must reach every soul,
No more will ignorance bind us,
No more will blank stares meet the beauty of language,
We build a nation with every letter learned,
With every page turned, with every voice raised in understanding.

The Wacky Wanderer of Sacramento

The Wacky Wanderer of Sacramento

(written in the style of Lewis Carroll)

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In Sacramento, where the skies are clear,

Lived a wacky wanderer, full of cheer.

He biked ‘round town with a quirky twist,

And ordered tacos with a flick of the wrist!

With a wide-brimmed hat and sneakers bright,

He’d ride by the river 'til the fall of night.

Through Old Town streets, he’d wobble and weave,

Waving at folks who just couldn’t believe!

A glimpse into literary history: H. Furniss

corresponds with Lewis Carroll on creative matters, 

August 1886.

"Sutter's Fort?" he'd say, with a laugh and a wink,

"Sounds like a sandwich or a mighty fine drink!"

He danced past the Capitol, hands held high,

And blew a kiss to the bluest sky.

At Tower Bridge, he’d shout with glee,

"This mustard-yellow’s quite snazzy, you see!"

And when the trains rolled through with their mighty roar,

He’d tap-dance a jig by the river’s shore.

"Oh my!" he’d chuckle, "What a grand sight—

Sacramento’s glow in the cool moonlight!"

He'd greet every statue, each tree and each street,

With a joke and a grin for all he would meet.

"The farmers' market," he said with pride,

"Is a place where veggies can’t hide!"

He talked to the melons and whispered to greens,

Sharing his thoughts on edible scenes.

He dined on burritos as big as his head,

And danced through the city 'til time for bed.

From midtown murals to the river’s flow,

The Wacky Wanderer had places to go!

The American River sparkled with charm,

He skipped rocks and waved to a passing farm.

“Ahoy!” he cried, “Such a marvelous show—

A city with humor wherever you go!”

In K Street's bustle or Golden 1's roar,

He waltzed with pigeons, never a bore.

With each step, he’d laugh, and he'd hum a sweet tune,

Under the gaze of a silver balloon.

So if you wander to Sacramento’s heart,

Keep an eye out for a joyful start.

The Wacky Wanderer’s laugh you'll hear,

In the city where the funny never disappears!

Introducing QwykrKudos: A New Way to Track Appreciation at Work

 Introducing QwykrKudos: A New Way to Track Appreciation at Work

Hello everyone!

I’m thrilled to introduce you to QwykrKudos—a tool we've developed to keep track of kudos, positive feedback, and recognition received for your work. Whether it’s a message from a colleague, a post on social media, or a word of encouragement from a client, QwykrKudos helps keep everything organized in one place so you can reflect on your accomplishments and the positive impact you’re making.

Here’s a look at the first QwykrKudos post for some context:

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Kudos Post #1
[PREDATED POST]

This is a repost of a Facebook announcement where I shared some exciting news and received kudos for my work. I’m calling this my very first QwykrKudos post as it holds a lot of significance to me.

The original post began like this:

"Dear friends,
I utilized the time off from Facebook to write a new book.
Announcing my latest book - the Sapir-Whorf-Manikutty Hypothesis."

I shared my thoughts and excitement over a new book I’d authored, one that I hope will spark meaningful conversations in linguistics and thought.

---

QwykrKudos is designed to keep moments like these close at hand and to celebrate progress at work. If you’re interested in learning more about QwykrKudos or using it to track kudos in your own office, stay tuned for more updates. Let's make recognition something we cherish and reflect on regularly.

Thanks for reading!

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A Plague Has Passed Our Door

 A Plague Has Passed Our Door

(In the style of Emily Dickinson)

A plague has passed our door today,
Invisible — its form — 
It floats upon the air, unseen,
As silent as a storm.

It whispers through the crowded street,
It steals through halls of light —
And those who breathe its shadowed wind
May vanish in the night.

No knock, no sound, no hurried step,
Its entrance goes unknown —
But all the while, the world recoils,
And waits in fear, alone.

The days grow still, the hours stretch,
The windows closed, the eyes —
But hope, though fragile as the breath,
Still lights the darkened skies.

The Disruptive Dependency Theory -- Part 5

My series on the Disruptive Dependency Theory continues. I've cut and pasted content from my Teaching Note on the Disruptive Dependency Theory into this blog post. As a result, there are some minor indentation and formatting errors. I request my readers to please ignore these, since they don't affect the main arguments. 

The Disruptive Dependency Theory argues that core nations use their political power to maintain dominance over periphery nations, and that this political influence often prevents periphery nations from acting in their own best interests and/or causes them to come to harm in myiad ways.

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The Disruptive Dependency Theory also argues that the core nations use their political power to maintain their dominance over the periphery nations. The core nations are often able to use their political power to influence the policies of the periphery nations, and this has meant that the periphery nations are often unable to act in their own best interests.  

Value of the Theory

Any theory that can be predict with some degree of accuracy whether a nation will be invaded will be considered, by any standards, a useful theory. The value of this theory ought to be in the billions and billions of dollars in savings that rich nations can accrue by simply being more realistic about the world around them. Just one estimate - the United States alone would have saved more than 2 trillion dollars by following the recommendations of the theory.

Victoria’s Jubilee: Celebrating lots of ruling... 

and still not smiling on the coin. 👑😐 #RestingQueenFace

The Limitations of ChatGPT to write history

Many people have started looking at the use of ChatGPT to write history. One researcher (who has multiple Ph.D.s) looked at the performance of ChatGPT in identifying the best American Presidents to date. He found that, while some of the analysis is correct, there are notable lacunae. Some excellent presidents were missed. This reminds us of the oft repeated criticism of ChatGPT, viz., ChatGPT sounds like a over-confident sophomore. It is brimming in confidence but lacks in factuality.