Friday, December 31, 2021

Harry . . .

Southward bound,
A latte grande on the seat
Between my legs.
All around,
I see the saints,
I see the dregs.
And the byproducts of civilization
Enter, exit from stage left, stage right.

Another monument 
To the elusive and mysterious
Honolulu Harry, 
The richest man I know.
Honolulu Harry,
The richest man in this life 
Or the next.

Through the town,
Sometimes with baggage,
Some without,
Making a livelihood.
Up or down,
Any direction that you choose
And among the fast foods, strip malls and traffic, 
There’s that name again as plain as day.

Harry was certainly rich,
But it only was money.
Very few liked him that much.
Now it seems kind of funny.

Just the sound
Of his name spoken with respect
And reverence that’s owed to him,
Brings to mind
Beneficence 
Without a peer.
And it warms the heart to think of the thousands

Harry helped, but not while he was here. 


(from Put A Finger On It ©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak)



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Thursday, December 30, 2021

Fake . . .

 

https://www.brides.com/fake-engagement-rings-5203353

. . . facts?????? Nope!
All below were either eliminated or are controlled by . . . guess what?  Yep! Vaccines!

(from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/diseases/forgot-14-diseases.html)
#1. Polio . . . was eliminated in the United States with vaccination, and continued use of polio vaccine has kept this country polio-free. 
#2. Tetanus . . . the tetanus vaccine is part of a disease-fighting vaccine called DTaP, which provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).
#3. The Flu (Influenza) . . . Flu symptoms in children can include coughing, fever, aches, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. Every year in the United States, otherwise healthy children are hospitalized or die from flu complications.
#4. Hepatitis B . . . can spread from an infected mother to child during birth. About nine out of every 10 infants who contract it from their mothers become chronically infected, which is why babies should get the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine shortly after birth.
#5. Hepatitis A . . . a contagious liver disease and is transmitted through person-to-person contact or through contaminated food and water.
#6. Rubella . . .  If an unvaccinated pregnant woman gets infected with rubella, she can have a miscarriage or her baby could die just after birth. Also, she can pass the disease to her developing baby who can develop serious birth defects.
#7. Hib . . . can do some serious damage to a child’s immune systems and cause brain damage, hearing loss, or even death. Hib mostly affects kids under five years old. Before the vaccine, over 20,000 kids were infected each year. 
#8. Measles . . . Measles is very contagious, and it can be serious, especially for young children. Because measles is common in other parts of the world, unvaccinated people can get measles while traveling and bring it into the United States.
#9. Whooping Cough (Pertussis) . . . often makes it hard to breathe. Its “whooping” name comes from the sharp breath intake sound right after a coughing fit. In babies, this disease also can cause life-threatening pauses in breathing with no cough at all.
#10. Pneumococcal Disease . . . It causes ear infections, sinus infections, pneumonia, and even meningitis, making it very dangerous for children.
#11. Rotavirus . . . contagious and can cause severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain, mostly in infants and young children. Children can become severely dehydrated from the disease and need to be hospitalized. If a dehydrated child does not get needed care, they could die.             
#12. Mumps . . . best known for causing puffy cheeks and a swollen jaw. This is due to swelling of the salivary glands. Other symptoms include fever, head and muscle aches, and tiredness. Mumps is a contagious disease and there is no treatment. 
#13. Chickenpox . . . causes an itchy rash of blisters and a fever. A person with chickenpox may have a lot of blisters—as many as 500 all over their body. Chickenpox can be serious and even life-threatening, especially in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
#14. Diphtheria . . . It can cause a thick covering in the back of the nose or throat that makes it hard to breathe or swallow. Diphtheria can also lead to heart failure, paralysis, and even death.


This Is Real
- Jax Jones



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Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Tell Me . . .

(from https://abcnews.go.com/Health/pediatric-covid-cases-surging-millions-children-remain-unvaccinated/story?id=81880834)
". . . Experts suggest a confluence of factors is likely driving the country's (coronavirus) case rate up amid the surge of the omicron variant, most notably the millions of Americans who remain unvaccinated. . . Many of those who have yet to get the shot are children, despite the fact that in the U.S. anyone over the age of 5 is eligible for the vaccine. . . Now, given the potential for the highly transmissible omicron variant to cause an even greater wave of infections, experts say it is more critical than ever for children to be vaccinated in order to protect them and those around them, from severe disease and hospitalization . . . the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that models, which estimate the epidemic trajectory of coronavirus in the U.S., suggest that the new COVID-19 infections are likely to surge in the weeks to come and could exceed previous peaks, due to omicron. . . More than 90 million Americans are currently unvaccinated -- including 51 million children under the age of 18. . . "Vaccination will prevent infections, and fewer infections will mean lower transmission. Vaccinating everyone in a household who is able to be vaccinated will bring an added layer of protection to the entire household". . . "


Tell Me Why
- Neil Young



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Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Closing . . .

. . . or 'coming in for the kill' 

(from https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/ways-to-end-your-sales-presentation-with-a-bang)
1. Go back to your opening anecdote or idea
2. End with a challenge
3. Invite your audience on a metaphorical mission
4. Use repetition for a dramatic close
5. Offer inspiration
6. Surface their objections
7. Tell a story
8. Ask an unusual question
9. End with a quote

(from me)
1. Hope you'll buy my music at apple music ray jozwiak 
or https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0015LMUMY/ray-jozwiak
or other online retailer
2. If you'll buy my music at apple music ray jozwiak 
or https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0015LMUMY/ray-jozwiak
or other online retailer - I will be SOOO grateful
3. Let's say you bought my music at apple music ray jozwiak 
or https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0015LMUMY/ray-jozwiak
or other online retailer, you would now being enjoying the music
4. See all above - DA!  DAHHH!!!!
5. Buying my music at apple music ray jozwiak 
or https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0015LMUMY/ray-jozwiak
or other online retailer could make you a better person and you could help your fellow man
6. If you feel it's too much trouble to buy my music at apple music ray jozwiak 
or https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0015LMUMY/ray-jozwiak
or other online retailer, it really NOT.  It's easy.
7. Once upon a time, I began selling my music at apple music ray jozwiak 
or https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0015LMUMY/ray-jozwiak
or other online retailer. I hope you'll buy some and tell all your friends and
that you all live happily ever after.
8. Why is a mouse when it spins?
9. “Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is THE BEST.” 
― Frank Zappa


Moment
- ©2021 Raymond M. Jozwiak 
from the forthcoming (June 2022) album 'Grains'



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Monday, December 27, 2021

More Radio . . .


The acoustic, baby grand piano is my tool of choice for constructing my original jazz melodies and improvisational piano music. But I also incorporate electronics, midi, synths, samples, etc into my recordings. When I'm not at the piano, I revel in the opportunity to make music with my long-time friends Jay (Graboski) and David (Reeve) as OHO, in the sacred tradition of that formidable, Baltimore-area musical collective. . . . I would love to hear from you. Please share your comments, suggestions, thoughts, etc., by sending an email. You can also sign-up to receive all the latest Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano news and updates. 


Ray Jozwiak Radio

- Spotify



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Sunday, December 26, 2021

Progress . . .

 f

(from Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow)
". . . In treating yellow fever, (Dr. Benjamin) Rush adopted an approach that now sounds barbaric: he bled and purged the victim, a process frightful to behold. He emptied the patient's bowels four or five times using a gruesome mixture of potions and enemas, before draining off ten to twelve ounces of blood to lower the pulse. For good measure, he induced mild vomiting. This regimen was repeated two or three times daily. Rush was a man of exemplary courage, but it is questionable whether he saved lives or only hastened deaths by weakening the body's natural defenses. . . Hamilton's boyhood friend from St. Croix, Edward Stevens, had turned up in Philadelphia and now attended the couple (Eliza and Alexander Hamilton-both afflicted with yellow fever) . . . Having treated yellow fever victims in the islands, Stevens dissented from the American dogma of bloodletting and bowel pages, which he thought only debilitated patients. He argued for remedies that were "cordial, stimulating, and tonic." To strengthen patients, Stevens administered stiff doses of quinine called "Peruvian bark" as well as aged Madeira. He also submerged them in cold baths before giving them glasses of brandy topped with burned cinnamon. He sedated patient nightly with a tincture of opium (laudanum). To stop vomiting, patients quaffed an aromatic blend of camomile flowers, oil of peppermint, and lavender spirits. . . Stevens achieved spectacular results with Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton, curing them within five days. . . "


Progress

- Chicago



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Saturday, December 25, 2021

Tis . . .

 


the OHO season!!
. . . if you have the correct perspective!


Well I'll Be
- OHO



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Friday, December 24, 2021

Think Not? . . .

https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photography

It won’t happen.
Turmoil’s not round the bend for us.
All controls are in place;
Neat in their space

See the keeper’s
Keeping vigilant watch
Through a window obscured.
This I assure.

It just can’t
Happen here.

No one saw it 
Sneaking up round the corner. Was
Like a thief in the night
Without a fight.

Quite the artist.
Candy-coating what he’s saying
For his own selfish means. 
That’s how he leans.

Advocate progressive-sounding ideas.
Tell the people what they want to hear.

There’s no hiding
Dissatisfaction you feel. 
Keeps on burning inside.
Still you abide. 


 Can't
- from the forthcoming album 'Grains' 
by Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano
 



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Thursday, December 23, 2021

Homegrown . . .


In case you missed it, OHO (Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak) appeared on WTMD-FM 89.7, Towson, MD radio in October on Kelly Bell's 'Homegrown Headliner' segment.  Listen to the segment by clicking the link below to hear about the band and listen to the Ocean City Ditty (from OHO's GAZEBO album). Also check out the website https://ohomusic.com.


Kelly Bell's Homegrown Headliner, WTMD-FM89.7 Oct 6, 2021
Hear the segment and OHO's Ocean City Ditty



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Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Epilog . . .

 


. . . was actually the mid-section of Third-Hand Intelligence in its original, instrumental form, pre-OHO's Gazebo version came to be. I wanted some space on which to improvise on piano, without making the instrumental tune too long, therefore I separated it and made it a separate song (track).  This is it, in all its glorious imperfection. It served as an Epilogue to the Critic's Choice album in 2005. 




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Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Giving . . .

 . . . time of year

(from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/money-texts-fuel-wave-jan-accountability-note/story?id=81753532)
". . . Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., quoted but didn't name Republican members of Congress who were texting Meadows things including, "The president needs to stop this ASAP," and "Fix this now.". . . The quoted members presumably know who they are, and the public will learn that at some point, too. Beyond that, the lawyer for one of the lead organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally said Tuesday that, with his client cooperating with the committee, lawmakers and "very senior" people in former President Donald Trump's orbit "have good reason to be quivering in their boots.". . . Between prosecutions, lawsuits, committee-acquired data and the cooperation of more than 300 witnesses, it's becoming clear how much is already known and how much is still to be revealed. . . "


The Marvelous Toy
- Peter Paul & Mary



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Monday, December 20, 2021

Single. . .

. . . you may not have heard . . . 
On and on flow the hours
Like rolling waves upon the sea.
And like so many and so varied flowers,
Each one some nectar for the bee.

We're keeping tabs and writing numbers,
Logging each minute in the book.
We have a choice to
Either dread the counting 
Or see the forest if we look.

Store the knowledge.
Hoard the wisdom.
Take the years
And just run like crazy.
Party’s only
What you make it.
Make it into the 
Best you can.

There’s no protection from the power
Generated everyday.
The blazing lights shine 
From each lofty tower
To illuminate the way.

Things that never occur to you
In the spring.
Become clear with each
Passing season.

All options must be on the table.
All points of view be understood.
And if you don’t do ev’ry thing you’re able,
Make sure you do those which are good.



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Sunday, December 19, 2021

Two . . .

 

(from Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow)
". . . John Adams, among others, seemed disillusioned with Madison as a legislator. "Mr. Madison is a studious scholar," the vice president told a friend in April, "but his reputation as a man of abilities is a creature of French puffs. Some of the worst measures, some of the most stupid motions, stand on record to his infamy. . .  for Hamilton, Madison's apostasy was a painful personal betrayal. One of Hamilton's supporters . . . told a friend that Hamilton regarded Madison's opposition to his plan as "perfidious desertion of the principles which [Madison] was solemnly pledged to defend" This falling-out was to be more than personal, for the rift between Hamilton and Madison precipitated the start of the two-party system in America . . . "


One
- Three Dog Night



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Saturday, December 18, 2021

Score . . .

Transcription of the song Money now completed in Logic Pro X. It's a helluvathing. 


So I said,
I've got a roof o'er my head.
Some people can't even say the same thing.
But it's still not a fact
I can take any comfort in.
I want more to make up my legacy.
I'm not poor but everybody's telling me

Money can't buy everything.
You've heard it time again.
No money can't buy happiness.
When will you learn this fact of life my friend?

So I said,
I've got my very own bed.
I don't give it much thought
When I lay down my head.
But it's cold and it's lonely
In December on the street.
Why do you tell me these kinds of things.
I want more of luxuries that wealth can bring.

I want to be a squire a king a country gentleman
If I can if I can.
I want to get respect for what I have 
And not for what I am, 
Just a man, just a man.

So I said,
It's more than daily bread
That I'm talking about.
Can't you hear what I said?
You see, everything changes 
But we have to admit,
What exists needs to be recognized,
Not merely out of our fear of being chastised.



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Friday, December 17, 2021

Aces . . .


When I see that look upon your face
I know that I’ve been dealt an ace of hearts.
Something starts.
Pulse is pounding like a conga drum.
The blood goes rushing to and from my head,
Turns my face to red.

So ante-up and hit me once then hit me twice.
The stakes are high. 
You know I’ve got to keep as cool as ice.
This game we’re in together
Could end as quickly as it starts.
But I’ll just take my chances.
I’ll just take my chances
Cause I know that I have you
And you’re my . . . 
Ace of hearts.
I know that I have you and you’re my 
Ace of hearts.

Deal me in I’m staying for the course
And if I lose don’t feel remorse for me.
You will always be
In my every breath and in my soul.
When chips are down you take control and then
Bring me back again.





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Thursday, December 16, 2021

Think . . .

 

Sailing on an emerald sea.
Advertisements and color photographs
Don’t mean that much to me.
Poolside cocktails; 
Love in the sand. 
It’s like a dream that just came true.
I just don’t know how much that I can stand.
Many temptations are swimming round my head. 
So many places that you’d think I’d like to be instead but . . . 

I’m always thinking of you.
I hope you think of me too.
I only want to be where you are.

Riding to the Wellington Club.
I’d have a driver and he’d take me there.
I’d just sit back and put my two feet up.
Money doesn’t measure the man.
All you can do is spend it; spend again.
It only goes so far. You can’t pretend. 
Many times over I’ve seen it slip away.
I’d like to live that life sometime
But baby not today. Cause . . . 

I get a feeling when I’m with you
That nothing else captures the same way.
You know it’s true.

If you see the pyramids rise
Above the desert sand into the sky,
A greater sight you just won’t realize. 
River fights its way to the sea.
Worthy opponents just can’t hinder it.
It always gets to where it wants to be.
Just like the river, I see my destiny.
It’s right there in your very eyes
Each time you look at me and . . .  


Thinking

- ©2021 Raymond M. Jozwiak
from the forthcoming release "Grains"



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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Perfection . . .

 

(from Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow)
". . . "Is it not time to awake from the deceitful dream of a golden age and to adopt as a practical maxim for the direction of our political conduct that we, as well as the other inhabitants of the globe, are yet remote from the happy empire of perfect wisdom and perfect virtue?". . . "


Perfect World

- Huey Lewis and the News



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Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Deluded . . .

 Maybe something's simply wrong
About my perception of the kind
Of things that soothe or make strong.
All I know though, I've got to say,
And on this thing I've often brooded,
If someone with conviction offers
True and honest expression,
He isn't merely just deluded.

      

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