pianogonzology

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Suffering . . .

(from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/president-trump-rips-lavar-ball-yet-again-blasting-him-fool-n823211)
". . . Trump (recently) escalated his feud with the father of one of the three UCLA basketball players who was detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting (LaVar Ball), calling him a "fool." . . . "It wasn't the White House, it wasn't the State Department, it wasn't father LaVar's so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence - IT WAS ME," Trump tweeted early Wednesday. "Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man's version of Don King, but without the hair." . . . "ungrateful" . . . LaVar Ball, known for his bombastic public persona, has refused to thank Trump, telling CNN on Monday: "How'd he help? If he helped, I would say thank you.". . ."

(https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-pocahontas-insult-makes-mockery-native-americans-diverse-history-ncna824471, Arvina Martin is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and is Stockbridge-Munsee)
" . . . Trump had the opportunity to show respect to a group of brave Americans by bearing witness to their stories, and he squandered it. Instead of preparing something meaningful to say to these American heroes, he chose to reveal his own ignorance in conversational banter. He could have acknowledged the place of importance that these men hold in their home communities, and how they continue to be role models to so many. He could've acknowledged the sacrifices they made despite the terrible crimes the United States has inflicted on so many Native people living within its borders. He could have, at the very least, acknowledged the Code Talkers' accomplishments somewhere other than in front of the portrait of the architect of so much mass death and displacement for indigenous people. . . . But he didn't, because he had no idea how great they were. And he has no idea how great they are, let alone who they . . . are.

Note: These are not anomalies. These are not gaffes. Not only has he been accused of similar transgressions to those of Roy Moore, Louis C.K., Al Franken and Harvey Weinstein, in addition this person exhibits symptoms of a severe problem on a daily basis causing the general population of this country much suffering.

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Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Above . . .

(http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/politics/trump-john-dowd-obstruct-justice/index.html

". . . there is no question that a president can be removed for, as the US Constitution dictates, any "high crimes and misdemeanors.". . . Unlike a criminal case heard by a judge or jury, impeachment is a political process that comes down to votes: a majority in the US House of Representatives to impeach and a two-thirds vote of the US Senate to convict. Yet both sets of proceedings can follow the kind of special counsel investigation now underway. . . Whether that or any of the President's other actions would offer sufficient grounds for an obstruction-of-justice conviction could rest with a court, or it may turn out, only with the two chambers of Congress. . . "

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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

2,492 . . .

2,492

(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_consecutive_games_played_streaks)
". . . The record of playing in 2,632 consecutive games over more than 16 years is held by Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken surpassed Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees, whose record of 2,130 consecutive games had stood for 56 years. Before Gehrig, the record was held by Everett Scott (1,307 consecutive games), a shortstop with the Red Sox and Yankees whose streak ended in 1925, less than a month before Gehrig's began. Scott broke the previous record which was established by George Pinkney (577 consecutive games) from 1885–1890. . . "

. . . so, give or take, I have logged 2,492 blog posts since I began this, yes many of them were frivolous; some of them were silly; a number of them had absolutely no point at all; several of them contained typos and other errors of which I am NOT proud; some of them were a bit clever. But I did it! And believe me, I well know, expect and deserve NO AWARD. I have posted a blog containing a thought, a fantasy, a musing, a digression, a song, a photo, an otherwise 'unconsidered' (hopefully to someone) issue - but they were there, each and everyday since February 9, 2011. . . and here is the first one . . . (for any and all that may, or may not, give a fig). . .

". . . I've always been curious about blogging and wary of tweeting. I mean, who really wants to know every fleeting thought that crosses my warped little mind? And I base this curiosity and wariness on my own tastes. In all honesty, I have little to no interest in the fleeting thoughts of too many people. If I think about it hard enough, I may be able to conjure up two or three names. But pop 'icons', actors/actresses (or other 'entertainers'), media 'celebrities', 'news' commentators, talk show hosts and politicians for the most part, have difficulty enough formulating a coherent sentence let alone expressing any thought, sentiment or observation about a topic that would be of even the most remote interest to ME. . . So having said THAT, I begin my first blog. Yes, the thoughts, sentiments, observations, incoherent (and hopefully a few coherent) sentences and fleeting thoughts of MINE for all to see! . . What the $*&#k was I thinking???? . . . "

Working
©1998 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Monday, December 4, 2017

Obstruction. . .

(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/feinstein-senate-russia-probe-building-obstruction-case-against-trump-n826031)
". . . A Senate investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election has revealed a possible obstruction of justice case against President Donald Trump, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said on "Meet The Press" Sunday. . . "The [Senate] Judiciary Committee has an investigation going as well and it involves obstruction of justice and I think what we're beginning to see is the putting together of a case of obstruction of justice,” Feinstein, the panel's top Democrat, said. . .“I think we see this in the indictments, the four indictments, and pleas that have just taken place and some of the comments that are being made," Feinstein added, referencing the indictments of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates, who face charges that include conspiracy and money laundering that were uncovered during Special Counsel Bob Mueller's investigation into potential links between Trump and Russia. . . "

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Sunday, December 3, 2017

Intelligence . . .

(from https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20121218/iq-test-really-measure-intelligence#1)
". . . A new study of more than 100,000 participants suggests that there may be at least three distinct components of intelligence. So you could not give a single, unified score for all of them. . . Researchers' understanding of the complexities of the human brain has evolved, and so too has the notion of IQ, what it really means, and how it is most accurately captured. . . It is time to move on to using a more comprehensive set of tests that can measure separate scores for each type of intelligence. . . there are at least three components that affect overall performance on tests. These include short-term memory, reasoning, and verbal recall. . . Lifestyle factors count, too. For example, gamers -- or people who play a lot of computer games -- score higher on tests of reasoning and short-term memory. Smokers do poorly on tests assessing short-term memory and vocabulary, while test takers who have anxiety don't do as well on short-term memory tests, the study shows. . . IQ is a massive oversimplification of the spectrum of human cognitive ability. . . "

. . . But now for a completely different kind of intelligence . . .

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Saturday, December 2, 2017

Average . . .

(from https://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2017-11-10/2017-gop-tax-reform-bill-ignores-lessons-of-ronald-reagans-1986-bill By Claudine Schneider)
". . . This Isn't Reagan's Tax Reform . . . I know this firsthand because I voted to do just that when I was a member of the House of Representatives in 1986, the last time Congress passed major tax reform legislation. But my fellow Republicans don't seem to have learned the lessons of President Ronald Reagan's reform efforts. The 1986 reform rested on a bipartisan deal to lower tax rates in exchange for closing loopholes and exemptions. Revenue neutrality was at the core of the deal, and the reform was meant to be broadly distribution neutral as well, meaning that everyone would benefit, not just the richest. The main driver for our bill was clearly to increase the efficiency of our tax system – something no one can argue against – and not to score partisan points. . . In the 30 years since bipartisan tax reform last passed, the global economy has gone through dramatic changes. Technology and trade have made it easier to move goods, ideas and capital across the globe and to locate them wherever the tax laws are most lax or beneficial. Emerging economies have lifted millions of people out of poverty and reshaped the global political order. And policy decisions driven by an increasingly narrow set of powerful interests have driven economic inequality to dangerous heights leaving us with a world where only eight men own as much wealth as half of humanity, according to Oxfam. . . Indeed, adjusting our tax code to fit the times is necessary. But the bill introduced in the House of Representatives with President Donald Trump's support is not good for the average citizen or for our country. . ."