BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year

Subject: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Dec 21 - 07:28 AM

I admire Elon Musk but he's not my Person of the Year.
Maybe if he paid taxes and was not a robber baron monopolist...
In the day TIME magazine even named Hitler poty.

who is your person of the year?

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: gillymor
Date: 16 Dec 21 - 08:30 AM

For me it's Amanda Gorman. Our nation is not out of the woods by a long shot but I find comfort and inspiration in the timely words she spoke at Joe Biden's inauguration.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Dec 21 - 08:36 AM

Mine is my wife in these pandemic times.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Mrrzy
Date: 16 Dec 21 - 12:38 PM

Does it have to be a human? I kinda like the Delta variant.

Otherwise, maybe Fauci.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 04:13 AM

Maybe if he paid taxes and was not a robber baron monopolist

If he achieves what he wants he will be person of the decade. Namely the transition to EVs & solar globally.

Oh, and it may be chicken feed to him (on paper), but would $50 million prove any point? Given that his shares in Tesla only count when he sells his "stock options", which he has to do at a given time, according to his contract. And how much did he put in of his own "second self-made at the time" fortune to Tesla to get it where it is now?

And how much has he pledged as the prize in finding cost effective atmospheric CO₂ extraction?

You know, when money means little, except as a measure of success, it is instructive what such people do with it, like risk it all on a project with some global worth. On a scale of "0 to 'Jeff Who?'" - how should we rate Elon?

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 04:26 AM

With 20/20 (make that 2020) hindsight could we designate Bill Gates for 2015. The year he warned us of a pandemic. (predicted with absolute certainty, sans timescale).

The TED.com video is out there still, for the world to ignore.

Oh, and he does stuff money into vaccine projects, ostensibly for Ebola, mid decade, but it all counted in 2020. Rather well.

These peeps ain't perfect, they is human. Sometimes good, sometimes notso. After all Hitler & Napoleon gave their country some rather efficient roads. Mussolini made a train run on time, only one, and that was for him to declare his supremecy. Idi Armin had a nice line in humour. Pol Pot - er........... maybe you can't win 'em all!

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 06:28 AM

Helga Macfarlane

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 07:42 AM

Mo Salah. For being the best footballer in the world, for giving boundless joy to millions of people in this world of gloom and doom and for doing it all with a smile on his face.

Shoot. (you too, Mo!)

Or if that sticks in yer craw, maybe some unknown nurse or care worker who puts their heart and soul into their work, never a thought for themselves, all for a pittance, or a volunteer at a vaccination centre, working until two in the morning, all for free (as at Home Park in Plymouth). Or maybe lots of them. Why pick just one!

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 07:55 AM

Now that Elon can be the role model for corporate industrialists he should be, and pave the path with an example of good citizenship and paying taxes.
Its hard to track the evolution of a genius with a plan. Giving back usually comes at the tail end. In the meantime he has outdone all those who tried to vanquish him.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 08:00 AM

Why pick just one!

That's the trouble. Honouring one person leaves so many equally deserving people out.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 09:48 AM

go for it

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 12:53 PM

I would nominate a class of people - like the man next door, an ardent Trump supporter, who still went ahead and got the COVID-19 vaccines and booster. (His wife didn't, and right now she's ill with COVID and I'm awaiting test results because we spoke at the back fence last week when she complained about having a cold.)

To get the vaccine despite the party line against it - that's laudable.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 07:06 PM

Duty and self preservation aside, small miracles are often best.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 09:13 PM

Me.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Neil D
Date: 18 Dec 21 - 02:35 AM

My beautiful wife Christina is a geriatric registered nurse. One who cares deeply for the residents in her care. Besides providing excellent medical care, she always goes above and beyond when it comes to making their lives cheerier. Earlier this week she bought 2 large trays of Christmas cookies from a home baker out of pocket and made a large pot hot chocolate to treat all the residents on her floor. Many of them said it reminded them of their childhood decades earlier.
One of the really tough aspects of this type of nursing is the occasional loss of patients. It is the unavoidable, inevitable nature of geriatric nursing. This causes some nurses to maintain an emotional detachment, but not Christina. She gives of her heart and does her best to make their lives bearable. One very sad situation she has shared with me on more than one occasion is when a patient is struggling, they get to a place where they dread going to sleep and fight to stay awake, which just makes their situation worse. She is usually able to reassure them that she will keep a close eye on them through the night and sits with them while the fall asleep. Needless to say, her patients adore her, and I am so proud I could burst.
My Person of the Year is, and always will be, my wife.

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Dec 21 - 04:36 AM

That's lovely, Neil, and you've spurred me into giving my own missus an honourable mention. For years she's been the prime mover, along with another fine woman and good friend, in running our local Memory Café (for elderly people, especially those with dementia, and their carers). The fortnightly event was hugely popular for years, which was mainly down to the two of them, and she put so much enthusiasm into the role. After almost two years of not being able to hold the gatherings, today was supposed to be the day of resurrection, but omicron has hit that on the head. She's kept In constant touch with all the members and spends hours on the phone and visiting them at home. Earlier this week we went to a funeral, an hour away, of one old chap and took a couple of members with us, sadly not an infrequent occurrence. Today is a fitting day to give her a mention as it's our 45th anniversary!

Subject: RE: BS: YOUR (unofficial) person of the year
From: Neil D
Date: 18 Dec 21 - 07:57 AM

She sounds wonderful Steve. Congratulations and happy anniversary to you both.