pianogonzology: March 2016

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Unsure . . .

. . . if this is real, or just the Onion ?. . .

(from https://www.change.org/p/quicken-loans-arena-allow-open-carry-of-firearms-at-the-quicken-loans-arena-during-the-rnc-convention-in-july-2)
". . . RECOGNIZE OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO OPEN CARRY FIREARMS AT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION AT THE QUICKEN LOANS ARENA IN JULY 2016

SUMMARY: In July of 2016, the GOP will host its convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Though Ohio is an open carry state, which allows for the open carry of guns, the hosting venue—the Quicken Loans Arena—strictly forbids the carry of firearms on their premises.

According to the policy on their website, "firearms and other weapons of any kind are strictly forbidden on the premises of Quicken Loans Arena."

This is a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at risk. As the National Rifle Association has made clear, "gun-free zones" such as the Quicken Loans Arena are "the worst and most dangerous of all lies." The NRA, our leading defender of gun rights, has also correctly pointed out that "gun free zones... tell every insane killer in America... (the) safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk." (March 4, 2016 and Dec. 21, 2012). . ."

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Revealing . . .

. . . itself. . .

(from http://realprogress.online/2016/03/24/clinton-using-dirty-tactics-trick-washington-voters/)
". . . Denise Gibbs, a Washington resident who supports Bernie Sanders, posted on Facebook that she had received a letter from Hillary Clinton, informing her where and when she can caucus. However, that information was inaccurate. The caucus location on the letter was not her caucus location. The letter also stated to arrive just 30 minutes (early), which led Denise to speculate that, “she wants me to do that, so I would not have enough time to get to my correct caucus location before the doors closed.”. . . "

(from http://www.anonews.co/hillary-clintons-election-fraud-exposed/)
". . . Hillary’s plan to steal Arizona was remarkably simple: Suppress voting on election day, and rely on her large lead with early voters to secure a win. It was a perfectly executed heist. Here’s how she did it: Drastically reduce the number of polling locations to make voting nearly impossible
For starters, polling places were almost non-existent . . ."

(from http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/hillarys_corporate_democrats_taking_down_bernie_sanders_2016013)
". . .Bernie Sanders, however, does present a moral risk for the corrupt Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, which are already turning on one of their own leading candidates. His years in politics so cleanly contrasts with the sordid, scandalized, cashing-in behavior of the Clintons. . . If and when Bernie Sanders is brought down by the very party he is championing, the millions of Bernie supporters, especially young voters, will have to consider breaking off into a new political party that will make American history. That means dissolving the dictatorial two-party duopoly and its ruinous, unpatriotic, democracy-destroying corporate paymasters. . ."

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Stuff . . .

. . . of which movies are made . . .

Is it me, or is it refreshing to hear this news story? No terrorism, no politics, no deaths, no injuries. A hi-jacked plane, freed hostages and . . . a woman . . .

(from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35915139)
Most of the passengers and crew who were on board a hijacked Egyptian plane that was forced to divert to Larnaca airport in Cyprus have been freed. . .EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over after a passenger claimed to be wearing a suicide explosive belt. . .Reports say the lone hijacker wants to talk to his estranged wife in Cyprus, and the Cypriot president has said the hijack is not a terrorist incident. . .Egypt's civil aviation minister said seven people remained on board the jet.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Hope . . .

. . . reigns supreme (saadat tahir)

(from http://www.npr.org/2016/03/27/472056754/despite-the-math-bernie-sanders-has-already-won)
". . .Bernie Sanders scored huge-margin victories Saturday in the caucuses in Washington State, Hawaii and Alaska. . . Sanders won with 82 percent in Alaska, 70 percent in Hawaii and 72 percent in Washington. That Washington margin was even bigger than the Sanders campaign expected — and significant, because there are 101 delegates up for grabs there. . . AP has not yet allocated all the delegates out of Washington State. More will be tallied in his column over the next several weeks, as the state party releases margins by congressional district. But if Sanders' share holds, when all's said and done, he could net more than 60 delegates out of Saturday. . .That's impressive and would cut into Clinton's pledged-delegate lead significantly, by 20 percent. . .It doesn't change the math much, but that might not even be the point. Sanders has a narrow path (laid out below in detail), but he is going to win in lots of places over the next two months in similarly sweeping fashion. Regardless of what happens, when people look back on this 2016 Democratic primary, Sanders won't be dismissed as a gadfly or fringe candidate, as he was treated at the beginning of this campaign. He has already had a major impact on the Democratic Party, on Hillary Clinton and how they talk about the issues he's cared about most for the last 40 years — income inequality, regulation of Wall Street banks and power and influence in politics. . ."

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Perseverance . . .

(from http://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/35-quotes-about-perseverance-and-never-giving-up.html)
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow.
--Mary Anne Radmacher

Fall seven times and stand up eight.
--Japanese Proverb

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.
--Albert Einstein

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
--Thomas Edison

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
--Henry Ford

A failure is not always a mistake. It may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.
--B.F. Skinner

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
--Robert Collier

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
--Confucius (551-479 BC), philosopher

Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.
--F. Scott Fitzgerald

Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.
--Julie Andrews

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
--William Feather

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.
--Dale Carnegie

We will either find a way or make one.
--Hannibal

It always seems impossible until it's done.
--Nelson Mandela

The best way out is always through.
--Robert Frost

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Ah, Trust (again) . . .

. . . wonder WHY this continues to be an issue . . .

(from http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/hillary-clinton/clinton-claim-small-donors-mostly-false-politifact-finds-n542621)
". . . Following (several recent) victories . . . Hillary Clinton thanked her supporters — especially those who have given small amounts of money to her campaign. . . "Keep contributing at hillaryclinton.com. Please, please join the 950,000 supporters who already have contributed, most less than $100, because our campaign depends on small donations for the majority of our support," Clinton said. . . Candidates like to play up their small-dollar donations because they are a sign of grass-roots strength. For instance, the Bernie Sanders campaign often talks up its large small-donor base and small average donations. . . And in fact, of all the 2016 candidates, Sanders has done the best in this regard: Through Jan. 31, Sanders raised $67 million from small donors, or a whopping 70 percent of all the money he took in from individuals, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, an independent group that tracks campaign finance data. . . If one defines "the majority of our support" as dollars, then Clinton is wrong — small donations accounted for 17 percent of all of her individual donations, which is well short of a majority. In fact, the Campaign Finance Institute calculated that a clear majority of the funds Clinton had raised through Jan. 31 from individuals came from donors giving $2,700 — the legal maximum that anyone can give. . . We rate (Clinton's) statement Mostly False. . ."

Friday, March 25, 2016

Everybody . . .

. . . should hear Andrew. One of the most spontaneous, humorous, entertaining and gifted musicians around . . .

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-01/21/104r-012100-idx.html)
". . . Still, White is at his best when he's paying homage to his spiritual mentor John Coltrane with an expansive, exultant multi-theme performance featuring pianist Allyn Johnson, bassist Steve Novosel and drummer T. Howard Curtis. Curtis is particularly effective on "E.J.'s Blues," prodding, pushing and ultimately propelling White's far-reaching harmonic flights. The album concludes with two renditions of "Andrew's Theme," providing further evidence of the saxophonist's seemingly inexhaustible spirit and stamina. . . "

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Never . . .

. . . too soon. . .

. . . to hear this again. . .

Heard somebody say
They overheard you
Just the other day
A simple word
About the way we get along
If only I were sure
Of the semantics
Having doubts 'cause I'm
One hopeless romantic
Could it be
You're slipping away from me

What will I do
If what I'm thinking is true
And you want to be
Really free of me
I won't last very long
Very far from your heart
And this third-hand intelligence
Might be the way that it starts.

Heard somebody say
They thought they saw you
Walking in their way
You were not alone
They said he didn't look like
Thinking to myself
Must be mistaken
Try not to believe
but still badly shaken
Why would you
Deceive me in things you do

So many years
Sharing our laughter and tears
Lasted very long
Maybe I was wrong
Not to ask you
Why you feel
We've drifted apart
And this third-hand intelligence
Might be the way that it starts

Are my sources reliable
Wait and see
Wait and see
Is my psyche too pliable
It could be
It could be

If somebody said
The sky was falling
Would you believe it's true
And change your direction
From spinning round
When it hits the ground

That's just not true
Any believers are few
When you've seen it all
It could never fall
Any more than
I think you could
Tear us apart
And this third-hand intelligence
Might be the way that it starts

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Process . . .

. . . for nomination . . .

(from http://www.cfr.org/elections/us-presidential-nominating-process/p37522)
". . . The presidential nominating process in the United States is one of the most complex, lengthy, and expensive in the world. Every four years, presidential candidates compete in a series of state contests during the winter and spring before the general election to gain their party’s nomination. At stake in each contest—either a primary or caucus—is a certain number of delegates, or individuals who represent their states at national party conventions. The candidate who accumulates a majority of his or her party’s delegates during the months-long process wins the nomination. . . Many presidential candidates begin campaigning informally in early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire more than a year before their primary events. In 2016, the primary calendar kicked off on February 1, when both the Republican and Democratic parties held their Iowa caucuses, and ends at the national conventions in July, when party delegates officially select their nominee. However, since the parties made the process more transparent in the 1970s, presumptive nominees have often emerged much earlier, sometimes only after a few weeks of voting.election. . ."

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Blind . . .

. . . or owned? . . .

(http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/17/kasich-may-not-deny-climate-change-but-he-sucks-on-clean-energy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29)
". . . While it’s great having at least ONE candidate in the GOP race for President who isn’t totally in denial about the biggest threat humanity faces – climate change – he’s just as much in the pocket of the fossil fuel dinosaurs as the rest of them. . . “I think when [Kerry] went to Paris, he should have gone there to get our allies together to fight ISIS instead,” Emily Atkin reports Kasich told a Youngstown questioner. To applause. Because ISIS is TOTALLY going to destroy the world’s agricultural base and wipe out most of the world’s coastal cities by causing a meter of sea level rise. . . ISIS is last year’s enemy, which is fairly typical of the GOP, which never changes its rhetoric or its plans to reflect a changing world. They’ve had the same formula for economic salvation since Reagan: Tax cuts and ending regulation. . . "

Monday, March 21, 2016

More Progress. . .

. . . on Plunge . . . (sing it with us now)

At heaven's door we pick the lock
When all we had to do was knock
Though Alice she rattles her train of chains
The fetters are inward all the same

Take a look as you fall
Passing through another wall
Here is where the corn is cut
The wind comes down
Get off the pot
Get off the pot
Get off the pot

It's your world the way that you live
Eats the smile right off your face
You're not in Kansas anymore
I am the sheath I cry for more

Biding trends and waves of shock
The turbulence it turns me on
Nonetheless we're born and rocked
By divas, drunks and Barbie dolls

I signed up for high-wired acts
If I lose my balance just cut me some slack
I'm holding out for what can be
Emc squared possibility

Experience to be alive
The abstract now is literalized
You have dreams and nightmares to explore
Get the goods
Get off the floor
Get off the floor
Get off the floor

Plunge
latest mix from Blue Ball Studio courtesy of David M. Reeve

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!

The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Sunday, March 20, 2016

In Case . . .

. . . you didn't know . . .

(from http://www.lsuagcenter.com/MCMS/RelatedFiles/%7BA86D8A2D-3D53-4850-862D-CE5AA78A86CC%7D/Medicare-Information.pdf)
". . . Who is eligible for Medicare? A worker who has earned 40 credits provided he/she is paying Medicare tax on those earnings. You earn one credit for every $920 you earn. If you earn $3680 per year you will earn 4 credits. Not to exceed 4 credits per year. What do these credits cover? Medicare Part A, which is hospital insurance. The current (2005) deductible is $912. Pays 100% of covered expenses after the deductible. Cost to have coverage without 40 credits = $375/month (2005 rates)
Who else is eligible for Medicare? The spouse of a worker who has earned their credits, if the following criteria are also met: Spousal Coverage. Must be married – for at least one year – if still married. If Divorced – must have been married at least 10 years. Widow/Widower’s Entitlement.
Worker died with enough credits. Surviving divorced spouse – must have been married at least 10 years. . . Disabled widow/widower. . ."

(http://www.seniorcorps.org/social-security/can-i-collect-social-security-benefits-if-i-never-worked/)
". . . For the majority of senior citizens in the United States, the social security benefits program is a primary source of income which is needed pay for housing, food, medical expenses, and other expenses. While it is widely available, it is largely intended for people who have worked and contributed to the system. However, there are ways that you can obtain social security benefits even if you have never worked. Disability One way that you can collect social security benefits if you have never worked is if you are disabled. The social security benefits program is also available to people who are disabled and unable to work a job that is sufficient enough to provide an adequate stream of income. . ."

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Cheers . . .

. . . to the creativity, originality, perseverance, dedication, open-mindedness, talent, commitment, skill, technique, objectivity, sensitivity, imagination, character, integrity and friendship of Jay, David and Bill who made this song into a glorious musical statement, the depth (and heights) of which I could never have imagined when this composition was bestowed upon me by that mysterious and indescribable musical presence from beyond, which provides the stuff of which sustains me with each new day, almost twenty years ago.

Third-Hand Intelligence
from the forthcoming, tentatively titled 'Male Pattern Radness" by OHO (Jay Graboski, David M. Reeve and Ray Jozwiak) with special guest, executive engineer, co-producer and multi-instrumentalist Bill Pratt

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!

The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak