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Unknown commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
4 hours ago
Lovely!
In response to a comment by Fouad
D,C. commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
7 hours ago
Fouad, you ask what cred remains
After our memos, flights and pains.
We spoke of justice, rights and care—
And filed the minutes everywhere.
The charters shone in polished prose,
Each target neat, each outcome rose.
On paper, progress seldom failed;
Reality was more curtailed.
For had we truly done the job,
With skill, with candour—no façade—
A curious thing might then occur:
Our need to exist would start to blur.
A world where children thrived outright,
No hunger left, no needless plight—
Such success, though noble in the telling,
Would leave few posts left worth compelling.
Yet somehow programmes multiplied,
While problems proved more stubbornly wide.
Each shortfall met with earnest tone—
Another task force quickly grown.
We managed well on certain days,
On others… wandered through the maze.
A little vanity here and there,
A donor pleased with careful flair.
Not fraud, perhaps—but human art:
The gentle shading of a chart.
An impact claim slightly enlarged,
A budget line politely charged.
So if the world still limps along,
We might admit we sang the song
Of virtue loudly, year by year—
While progress moved a shade less clear.
Still, credit where a trace is due:
Some lives improved, a child or two.
But had we matched the creed we read,
UNICEF might long be dead.
Instead we gather, seasoned, wise,
Still good at frameworks and replies.
The children’s cause remains our creed—
And also, plainly, our continued need.
After our memos, flights and pains.
We spoke of justice, rights and care—
And filed the minutes everywhere.
The charters shone in polished prose,
Each target neat, each outcome rose.
On paper, progress seldom failed;
Reality was more curtailed.
For had we truly done the job,
With skill, with candour—no façade—
A curious thing might then occur:
Our need to exist would start to blur.
A world where children thrived outright,
No hunger left, no needless plight—
Such success, though noble in the telling,
Would leave few posts left worth compelling.
Yet somehow programmes multiplied,
While problems proved more stubbornly wide.
Each shortfall met with earnest tone—
Another task force quickly grown.
We managed well on certain days,
On others… wandered through the maze.
A little vanity here and there,
A donor pleased with careful flair.
Not fraud, perhaps—but human art:
The gentle shading of a chart.
An impact claim slightly enlarged,
A budget line politely charged.
So if the world still limps along,
We might admit we sang the song
Of virtue loudly, year by year—
While progress moved a shade less clear.
Still, credit where a trace is due:
Some lives improved, a child or two.
But had we matched the creed we read,
UNICEF might long be dead.
Instead we gather, seasoned, wise,
Still good at frameworks and replies.
The children’s cause remains our creed—
And also, plainly, our continued need.
In response to a comment by Fouad
Fouad commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
13 hours ago
You may be Bard , Anon or Fred,
I’m so pleased you continued this thread.
Combined we are all UNICEF bred,
Unlike the Society of the Poets who were dead.
In careers we sweated and tears we shed
And sometimes we even bled
So children could go safely to bed.
While many of them from conflicts fled,
Where disease and malnutrition were the dread
We tried to promote a better life instead.
With both donors and governments we pled,
Even when their budgets were in the red,
The CRC to all we earnestly read,
And gender rights we spread,
No child left behind we said.
But years went by and time sped
Many tortuous paths we tread,
After 80:years are we on sked?
As XUNICEF what is our cred?
I hope we can look positively ahead.
I’m so pleased you continued this thread.
Combined we are all UNICEF bred,
Unlike the Society of the Poets who were dead.
In careers we sweated and tears we shed
And sometimes we even bled
So children could go safely to bed.
While many of them from conflicts fled,
Where disease and malnutrition were the dread
We tried to promote a better life instead.
With both donors and governments we pled,
Even when their budgets were in the red,
The CRC to all we earnestly read,
And gender rights we spread,
No child left behind we said.
But years went by and time sped
Many tortuous paths we tread,
After 80:years are we on sked?
As XUNICEF what is our cred?
I hope we can look positively ahead.
20 hours ago
You seem to recovering well from UNICEF!
Thomas Ekvall commented on ""GRAFFITI ...OR ART?" (by Myra Rudin)"
20 hours ago
Art.
2 days ago
More interesting are the comments at the end of the article.
Ramesh Shrestha commented on "Is happiness a mirage? : Ramesh Shrestha"
5 Mar 2026
Thanks, Thomas, for your observations. I think the state of happiness is a complicated state of mind. At the personal level it is decided by many personal characteristics, including greed. At the national level, which is the focus of the report, depends on countries’ political and economic stability. Costa Rica is among the top five happiest countries although it is not among the ‘giving’ countries. The idea of happiness as described in the report depends on many external factors as much as internal ones. External factors such as direct or indirect political interference, economic interest of foreign ‘friends’ in resource rich countries, etc. Many such countries are fighting terrorism, which appears out of nowhere, which then calls for external ‘assistance’. Who is funding the terror groups. Looking at the countries at the bottom of the list almost all countries are suffering from lack of political stability, which influences people’s income and personal security. There is no reason for so many resource rich counters to be unhappy. The short answer is political instability. Ramesh
In response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Thomas Ekvall commented on "Is happiness a mirage? : Ramesh Shrestha"
5 Mar 2026
The annual rankings of the world’s happiest and least happy countries make for interesting reading. One cannot help noticing that the nations consistently topping the happiness charts are, by and large, the same countries that provide the bulk of UNICEF’s funding. Meanwhile, those at the bottom, the perennial “least happy”, are the very places where much of that funding is spent.
There is, of course, a certain logic to this: prosperous, stable societies tend to generate both the resources and the political will to support international aid, while fragile states struggle with the very conditions that make people unhappy in the first place. Yet the persistence of this pattern, year after year, raises an uncomfortable question.
If development assistance is working as intended, should we not expect at least some movement in the global happiness landscape? Should the list of chronically unhappy countries remain so static? At what point does the lack of change become a signal rather than a coincidence?
This is an invitation to reflect on whether the tools, assumptions, and incentives of the aid system are aligned with the outcomes we claim to seek. If happiness is a proxy for well‑being, dignity, and opportunity, then its stubborn immobility in many countries ought to give us pause.
Perhaps the real question is not why the happiest countries keep giving, but why the least happy remain so unchanged despite decades of effort. That, surely, is food for thought.
There is, of course, a certain logic to this: prosperous, stable societies tend to generate both the resources and the political will to support international aid, while fragile states struggle with the very conditions that make people unhappy in the first place. Yet the persistence of this pattern, year after year, raises an uncomfortable question.
If development assistance is working as intended, should we not expect at least some movement in the global happiness landscape? Should the list of chronically unhappy countries remain so static? At what point does the lack of change become a signal rather than a coincidence?
This is an invitation to reflect on whether the tools, assumptions, and incentives of the aid system are aligned with the outcomes we claim to seek. If happiness is a proxy for well‑being, dignity, and opportunity, then its stubborn immobility in many countries ought to give us pause.
Perhaps the real question is not why the happiest countries keep giving, but why the least happy remain so unchanged despite decades of effort. That, surely, is food for thought.
Detlef Palm commented on "Is happiness a mirage? : Ramesh Shrestha"
4 Mar 2026
Are you happy or unhappy?
Unknown commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
4 Mar 2026
To those who squint at initials and sigh,
And mutter, “AI? Oh my, oh my.”
As if wit must sprout from unaided bone,
Unwatered by circuits cleverly grown.
I started with sums on a hand-cranked machine,
When numbers were stubborn, and screens were unseen.
A slide rule once dangled with pride from my vest—
It multiplied faster than most of the rest.
Then word processors banished the ink from my cuff,
Though carbon paper had made me quite tough.
From floppy to cloud, from fax to the web,
I’ve surfed every wave since the memos we’d deb.
And now comes AI, with its shimmering quill—
A collaborator lacking a will.
It offers a rhyme, a nudge, or a spark,
But cannot supply the seasoned remark.
If progress is cheating, then kindly declare
We must all return to the quill and the prayer.
Shall we etch our logframes on tablets of stone,
And courier drafts by mule alone?
No, tools have evolved since the abacus days,
Yet folly and wit still follow their ways.
The heart of the humour, the sting of the jest,
Are brewed in the mind and served from the chest.
So call me X, or MT, or DC—
A hybrid of past and futurity.
For whether by parchment, processor, or byte,
It’s still the old poet who laughs as he writes.
And mutter, “AI? Oh my, oh my.”
As if wit must sprout from unaided bone,
Unwatered by circuits cleverly grown.
I started with sums on a hand-cranked machine,
When numbers were stubborn, and screens were unseen.
A slide rule once dangled with pride from my vest—
It multiplied faster than most of the rest.
Then word processors banished the ink from my cuff,
Though carbon paper had made me quite tough.
From floppy to cloud, from fax to the web,
I’ve surfed every wave since the memos we’d deb.
And now comes AI, with its shimmering quill—
A collaborator lacking a will.
It offers a rhyme, a nudge, or a spark,
But cannot supply the seasoned remark.
If progress is cheating, then kindly declare
We must all return to the quill and the prayer.
Shall we etch our logframes on tablets of stone,
And courier drafts by mule alone?
No, tools have evolved since the abacus days,
Yet folly and wit still follow their ways.
The heart of the humour, the sting of the jest,
Are brewed in the mind and served from the chest.
So call me X, or MT, or DC—
A hybrid of past and futurity.
For whether by parchment, processor, or byte,
It’s still the old poet who laughs as he writes.
4 Mar 2026
Don't bet on it; the left takes pride in defying the basic laws of economics.
In response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
4 Mar 2026
There was an interesting article in The Economist last week indicating that in the US, economic growth did more to reduce poverty than redistribution. That should give some food for thought to the political left.
In response to a comment by Thomas Ekvall
Unknown commented on "Cartoon of the week: Fouad Kronfol"
3 Mar 2026
The veil of anonymity is thin!
In response to a comment by Unknown
Mr Bard commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
Dear Fouad, our sleuth of the verse and the rhyme,
Who seeks out the faces lost somewhere in time.
You ask for the names behind X, MT, and DC,
As if they were filed in a clear inventory!
But an Editor knows that a secret well-kept,
Is where the most mischievous stanzas have slept.
Are they legends from Amman? Or giants from Rome?
Or ghosts of the field office calling this home?
They’ve mastered the art of the "Drafting Disguise,"
With "Pending Approval" right under your eyes.
To unmask a wit is to spoil the game,
When the punchline is better without any name!
So let the initials keep spinning their tales,
Of budgets and blossoms and fiscal exhales.
For whether they're "Secret" or "Discreet,"
The XUNICEF circle is finally complete.
Who seeks out the faces lost somewhere in time.
You ask for the names behind X, MT, and DC,
As if they were filed in a clear inventory!
But an Editor knows that a secret well-kept,
Is where the most mischievous stanzas have slept.
Are they legends from Amman? Or giants from Rome?
Or ghosts of the field office calling this home?
They’ve mastered the art of the "Drafting Disguise,"
With "Pending Approval" right under your eyes.
To unmask a wit is to spoil the game,
When the punchline is better without any name!
So let the initials keep spinning their tales,
Of budgets and blossoms and fiscal exhales.
For whether they're "Secret" or "Discreet,"
The XUNICEF circle is finally complete.
In response to a comment by fouad
3 Mar 2026
There is little disagreement that economic policy should serve ordinary citizens. Growth is not a moral objective in itself. It is a tool. If it fails to improve broad living standards, it deserves correction.
But it is unhelpful to describe the global economy as primarily serving the “frivolous desires of the ultra-rich.” That interpretation overlooks how innovation, capital formation, and entrepreneurship have driven much of the material progress of many decades.
Elon Musk did not merely accumulate wealth. Through Tesla, electric vehicles moved from niche status toward mainstream adoption. Through SpaceX, launch costs fell significantly, expanding satellite access and global communications. One may question aspects of his conduct, but the technological impact is measurable.
Similarly, Bill Gates, via Microsoft, helped digitise the modern economy. His subsequent philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has directed substantial private capital toward global health. Warren Buffett has taken a similar approach to wealth distribution through voluntary giving.
These examples do not resolve the inequality debate. They do, however, complicate the claim that wealth accumulation is inherently socially destructive.
The proposal to establish a permanent UN body modelled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raises practical questions. Climate science requires global coordination of empirical data. Inequality, by contrast, reflects domestic political choices, tax structures, labour markets and institutional design. Creating another international reporting structure risks adding process without adding much else.
It is also worth noting that sustained economic growth has been the single most powerful driver of poverty reduction in the past 50 years, particularly in parts of Asia. Countries that integrated into global markets generally reduced extreme poverty much more rapidly than those that did not.
None of this argues for complacency. Tax systems should be credible. Public services must function. Environmental costs should be priced. Growth that erodes social cohesion is politically unstable.
But the alternative to growth is not fairness. It is stagnation, and stagnation distributes hardship more reliably than prosperity.
The task is not to abandon growth, but to discipline it with sound institutions. That is a more practical ambition than constructing yet another global forum.
But it is unhelpful to describe the global economy as primarily serving the “frivolous desires of the ultra-rich.” That interpretation overlooks how innovation, capital formation, and entrepreneurship have driven much of the material progress of many decades.
Elon Musk did not merely accumulate wealth. Through Tesla, electric vehicles moved from niche status toward mainstream adoption. Through SpaceX, launch costs fell significantly, expanding satellite access and global communications. One may question aspects of his conduct, but the technological impact is measurable.
Similarly, Bill Gates, via Microsoft, helped digitise the modern economy. His subsequent philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has directed substantial private capital toward global health. Warren Buffett has taken a similar approach to wealth distribution through voluntary giving.
These examples do not resolve the inequality debate. They do, however, complicate the claim that wealth accumulation is inherently socially destructive.
The proposal to establish a permanent UN body modelled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raises practical questions. Climate science requires global coordination of empirical data. Inequality, by contrast, reflects domestic political choices, tax structures, labour markets and institutional design. Creating another international reporting structure risks adding process without adding much else.
It is also worth noting that sustained economic growth has been the single most powerful driver of poverty reduction in the past 50 years, particularly in parts of Asia. Countries that integrated into global markets generally reduced extreme poverty much more rapidly than those that did not.
None of this argues for complacency. Tax systems should be credible. Public services must function. Environmental costs should be priced. Growth that erodes social cohesion is politically unstable.
But the alternative to growth is not fairness. It is stagnation, and stagnation distributes hardship more reliably than prosperity.
The task is not to abandon growth, but to discipline it with sound institutions. That is a more practical ambition than constructing yet another global forum.
Unknown commented on "Cartoon of the week: Fouad Kronfol"
3 Mar 2026
Talk about pomposity, I remember that in Khartoum in the early 1970's the US Ambassador used to come to our Sunday softball pickup games with his official car flying the Stars & Stripes.
Unknown commented on "Trump’s “Board of Peace”: diplomacy or imperialism? : Shared by Robert Cohen"
3 Mar 2026
At least he is honest enough to admit and to admonish the western countries on their hypocrisy.
Unknown commented on "Gaza's Children Share the Future They Want : Shared by Tom McDermott"
3 Mar 2026
Highly commendable initiative. Is anyone surprised by the virtual unanimity of the children's responses? Will anyone do something to make their dreams come true? Or are we to expect another "lost generation" in the Middle east?
fouad commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
Am amazed and amused by XUNICEF rhymers so far,
You have managed to raise the bar,
Of wit and poetry by opening Pandora's jar.
With rhymes and limericks on par,
We have begun to electronically spar
In a way we leave no lasting scar.
But we'd love to know who DC, X, MT are,
To judge who will win this jolly war ?
You have managed to raise the bar,
Of wit and poetry by opening Pandora's jar.
With rhymes and limericks on par,
We have begun to electronically spar
In a way we leave no lasting scar.
But we'd love to know who DC, X, MT are,
To judge who will win this jolly war ?
X commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
A strategic plant is the geranium,
With petals aligned to a plan-ium.
It blooms on command,
As per guidance, well-scanned,
And reports in a neat compendium.
We studied its growth indicators,
With baseline-adjusted calibrators.
Though slightly off-track,
We blamed it on lack
Of stakeholder-aligned facilitators.
We formed an Inter-Agency Task Force,
On Floral Alignment (of course).
We met every week,
Though outcomes were weak—
But minutes were thorough and terse.
A midterm review of the pot
Found “impact” was somewhat—well—not.
Yet charts in pastel
Told a far kinder tale,
With arrows that pointed to “hot.”
We drafted a Theory of Flower,
With outputs per bud per hour.
If blossoms were few,
We simply withdrew
The metric that weakened our power.
Now older, and garden-adjacent,
Our memos far less effervescent,
We chuckle and rhyme
Of another grand time
When “pilot” meant permanent-adjacent.
So here’s to the blooms and the blunders,
To frameworks and fiscal asunders.
We may have grown lean,
But our satire stays keen—
And our self-importance still thunders.
Amen, and pass the watering can.
With petals aligned to a plan-ium.
It blooms on command,
As per guidance, well-scanned,
And reports in a neat compendium.
We studied its growth indicators,
With baseline-adjusted calibrators.
Though slightly off-track,
We blamed it on lack
Of stakeholder-aligned facilitators.
We formed an Inter-Agency Task Force,
On Floral Alignment (of course).
We met every week,
Though outcomes were weak—
But minutes were thorough and terse.
A midterm review of the pot
Found “impact” was somewhat—well—not.
Yet charts in pastel
Told a far kinder tale,
With arrows that pointed to “hot.”
We drafted a Theory of Flower,
With outputs per bud per hour.
If blossoms were few,
We simply withdrew
The metric that weakened our power.
Now older, and garden-adjacent,
Our memos far less effervescent,
We chuckle and rhyme
Of another grand time
When “pilot” meant permanent-adjacent.
So here’s to the blooms and the blunders,
To frameworks and fiscal asunders.
We may have grown lean,
But our satire stays keen—
And our self-importance still thunders.
Amen, and pass the watering can.
D.C. commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
Oh cyclamen, cyclamen, modest and pink,
You sit there pretending you’re smarter than we think.
But we old UNICEF hands know your type well,
A flower that thrives while our budgets fell.
We’ve wrestled with spreadsheets that never quite add,
And logframes that drove perfectly sane people mad.
We’ve drafted proposals in taxis and tents,
And sworn at HQ’s “urgent” requests.
We’ve juggled consultants (some helpful, some not),
And mastered the art of the last‑minute plot.
We’ve smiled through reviews that were “friendly” in name,
And learned that success and survival are much the same.
So bloom if you must, dear cyclamen crew,
We’ve weathered far worse than a petal or two.
For rhyme is our refuge, our harmless delight—
A budget‑free pleasure we still get right.
So here’s to the poets, the jokers, the sages,
Who brighten our inboxes and lighten our ages.
Long may we banter, in prose or in rhyme,
It keeps us all young, at least some of the time.
You sit there pretending you’re smarter than we think.
But we old UNICEF hands know your type well,
A flower that thrives while our budgets fell.
We’ve wrestled with spreadsheets that never quite add,
And logframes that drove perfectly sane people mad.
We’ve drafted proposals in taxis and tents,
And sworn at HQ’s “urgent” requests.
We’ve juggled consultants (some helpful, some not),
And mastered the art of the last‑minute plot.
We’ve smiled through reviews that were “friendly” in name,
And learned that success and survival are much the same.
So bloom if you must, dear cyclamen crew,
We’ve weathered far worse than a petal or two.
For rhyme is our refuge, our harmless delight—
A budget‑free pleasure we still get right.
So here’s to the poets, the jokers, the sages,
Who brighten our inboxes and lighten our ages.
Long may we banter, in prose or in rhyme,
It keeps us all young, at least some of the time.
M.T. commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
Oh cyclamen, you fancy thing,
With petals flipped like butterfly wing.
You sit there prim in pink and white,
Demanding stares from morn till night.
But we old XUNICEF crew know best—
We've faced worse pests in field and quest.
Memos that bloomed then wilted away,
Deadlines that flowered... then decayed.
Yet here we rhyme, in pixel and thread,
About flowers we'd rather see dead.
So raise a quip, let verses take flight—
For wit outlasts any budget fight!
Ken, Fouad, Sree, D.C., Detlef, Tom too—
Keep the ditty chain going, it's good for the crew.
More silliness please, no need to be coy...
The next bloom is yours to enjoy!
With petals flipped like butterfly wing.
You sit there prim in pink and white,
Demanding stares from morn till night.
But we old XUNICEF crew know best—
We've faced worse pests in field and quest.
Memos that bloomed then wilted away,
Deadlines that flowered... then decayed.
Yet here we rhyme, in pixel and thread,
About flowers we'd rather see dead.
So raise a quip, let verses take flight—
For wit outlasts any budget fight!
Ken, Fouad, Sree, D.C., Detlef, Tom too—
Keep the ditty chain going, it's good for the crew.
More silliness please, no need to be coy...
The next bloom is yours to enjoy!
Thomas Ekvall commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
We once had a budget as round as the sun,
With slices for nearly each and everyone.
We portioned with care, and we spoke with conviction,
Of growth that defied fiscal friction.
But pies are prone to reduce,
When donors grow cautious and headlines abstruse.
Each year there's a trimming, a “temporary” freeze,
Explained in bureaucratic ease.
The meetings grow longer, the coffers grow lean,
We measure in decimals what once was serene.
A workshop on “Scaling Down Strategically”
Is funded, though somewhat theatrically.
We draft a new framework, version 10.3,
With targets adjusted to what “ought to be.”
If impact seems smaller when viewed from afar,
We simply redefine what impacts are.
Yet still we assemble, steadfast, unbowed,
Old hands who remain both reflective and proud.
For relevance, like hope, is stubbornly bred,
Especially inside an ex-UNICEF head.
So here’s to the mission diminished? Perhaps.
To programs now fitting in narrower maps.
The world may be changing, the funding may bend,
But satire, at least, we can still defend.
With slices for nearly each and everyone.
We portioned with care, and we spoke with conviction,
Of growth that defied fiscal friction.
But pies are prone to reduce,
When donors grow cautious and headlines abstruse.
Each year there's a trimming, a “temporary” freeze,
Explained in bureaucratic ease.
The meetings grow longer, the coffers grow lean,
We measure in decimals what once was serene.
A workshop on “Scaling Down Strategically”
Is funded, though somewhat theatrically.
We draft a new framework, version 10.3,
With targets adjusted to what “ought to be.”
If impact seems smaller when viewed from afar,
We simply redefine what impacts are.
Yet still we assemble, steadfast, unbowed,
Old hands who remain both reflective and proud.
For relevance, like hope, is stubbornly bred,
Especially inside an ex-UNICEF head.
So here’s to the mission diminished? Perhaps.
To programs now fitting in narrower maps.
The world may be changing, the funding may bend,
But satire, at least, we can still defend.
Detlef Palm commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
I love it !!!!
In response to a comment by D.C.
D.C. commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
3 Mar 2026
In offices scattered from Rome to Rangoon,
We drafted by daylight and sometimes by moon.
With memos that multiplied faster than light,
And budgets that shrank overnight.
We travelled through heat and bureaucratic frost,
Counting each dollar not one to be lost.
Through cyclones and meetings both equally grim,
Our spirits refused to grow dim.
Now older, perhaps, but still quick with a quip,
We gather online for a nostalgic trip.
With rhymes that may wobble but seldom collapse,
And laughter that bridges the gaps.
So here’s to the women, the men, and the pen,
To wit that awakens now and again.
For whether on screen or in far-flung terrain,
The mission and mischief remain.
Sree Gururaja commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
2 Mar 2026
Fouad you made me defend
The Xunicef women who jot
A ditty now and then
To keep pace with the Xunicef men
With rhymes overwrought
On the serious and the inane!
Look forward to more wit
A ditty or rhyme on anything
Funny , silly or what you think fit!!
Sree
The Xunicef women who jot
A ditty now and then
To keep pace with the Xunicef men
With rhymes overwrought
On the serious and the inane!
Look forward to more wit
A ditty or rhyme on anything
Funny , silly or what you think fit!!
Sree
Unknown commented on "Witness Protection: REDACTED"
2 Mar 2026
Very useful , but I would like more details. To be continued .
2 Mar 2026
All the right words are there. Note however that this is a statement from "UNICEF" and not its ED !!
Fouad Kronfol commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
2 Mar 2026
Looks like I have a worthy rival in the rhyming business...
I absolutely welcome it Ken
Even if it is about cyclamen.
The two of us in our den
(I wish we were ten)
Are worthy XUNICEF men
Agile with a PC or a pen.
Amen!!!
I absolutely welcome it Ken
Even if it is about cyclamen.
The two of us in our den
(I wish we were ten)
Are worthy XUNICEF men
Agile with a PC or a pen.
Amen!!!
Habib commented on "Apologies to Myra Rudin: Ken Gibbs"
2 Mar 2026
i cannot but love a flower, full of glory, full of power. habib
Joachim Theis commented on "PORTRAITS (by Myra Rudin)"
1 Mar 2026
Great portraits
D.C. commented on "SG's Statement on Iran"
1 Mar 2026
He says what he has to say. It doesn't make an iota of a difference.
1 Mar 2026
The USA has not signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but that shouldn't give the right to mistreat children. Has it ever occurred to the authorities that these children will become bitter and hateful of the US once released? These children need love and understanding to become productive and future friends of this country.
Horst Max Cerni commented on "Walk for peace: Ramesh Shrestha"
1 Mar 2026
The Walk for Peace may not have achieved peace - neither in Gaza nor prevented the war on Iran,- but seldom has there been so much coverage of a simple reminder that "What the world needs now is peace," Maybe a simple song could create the basis for understanding and harmony: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me..."
Ken Gibbs commented on "Cartoon of the week: Fouad Kronfol"
1 Mar 2026
When I took over the Quetta Provincial Office in Pakistan in 1985, the man whom I was replacing drove to the Quetta airport in a brand new Toyota Crown which he has ordered for himself, and it was flying the UNICEF flag. He was leaving Quetta on the flight that had brought me there. I found the driver who took me straight to the office where I asked for the car to put in the garage; the flag removed and given to me, and the keys were put into my care. I had the impression that the UNICEF flag was only ever to be used by the Representative or above on diplomatic duty. The only time that the flag was used in the four years I spent in Quetta was when our Representative was paying a courtesy visit to the Baluchestan Chief Secretary. Did someone say 'pomposity' ? Obviously, one flag in Quetta was one flag too many.
A few days later, I phoned the SPO in the Islamabad Country Office and asked if he wanted a brand new Toyota Crown? It was an opportune moment because they were just about to order one, so I made a deal. Our senior driver would drive the vehicle to Islamabad providing that he was flown back to Quetta. He'd never been in an airplane before.
Further to complicate matters, the UNICEF Quetta office that I inherited had 30 staff, 15 vehicles and 6 drivers. It took just over 2 years to sort that equation. When I left, the office had 18 staff and possessed 5 reconditioned LandCruisers and an aging Toyota Cressida; serviced by 4 drivers. Seemed to work just fine.
A few days later, I phoned the SPO in the Islamabad Country Office and asked if he wanted a brand new Toyota Crown? It was an opportune moment because they were just about to order one, so I made a deal. Our senior driver would drive the vehicle to Islamabad providing that he was flown back to Quetta. He'd never been in an airplane before.
Further to complicate matters, the UNICEF Quetta office that I inherited had 30 staff, 15 vehicles and 6 drivers. It took just over 2 years to sort that equation. When I left, the office had 18 staff and possessed 5 reconditioned LandCruisers and an aging Toyota Cressida; serviced by 4 drivers. Seemed to work just fine.
Ellen Tolmie commented on "Trump’s “Board of Peace”: diplomacy or imperialism? : Shared by Robert Cohen"
1 Mar 2026
The Board of Rogues
Unknown commented on "Would you like to submit an article for the XUNICEF blog?"
1 Mar 2026
Many thanks indeed to the outgoing editors for their excellent work and welcome to the incoming team! Rozanne
1 Mar 2026
A big THANK YOU to the outgoing editorial team. A warm welcome to the incoming team. Look forward to publishing something someday.
Niloufar Pourzand commented on "Would you like to submit an article for the XUNICEF blog?"
28 Feb 2026
Thanks to the current/new teams!!!
Nuzhat Shahzadi commented on "Would you like to submit an article for the XUNICEF blog?"
28 Feb 2026
Hello everyone
greetings! I will be uploading my writing, and soon. Many thanks to the outgoing editors, and I welcome the new team. I am not sure who the new editors are, though
greetings! I will be uploading my writing, and soon. Many thanks to the outgoing editors, and I welcome the new team. I am not sure who the new editors are, though
Ken Gibbs commented on "Redaction as a Management Tool :"
28 Feb 2026
There may be one small error in the article. The coterie noted should have been P5/D1/D2. Most senior. . . .
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