Take It Now . . .

 

https://userguiding.com/blog/what-is-aha-moment-how-to-find-it/

Hey you down there on the ground,

Don’t you think that it’s time 

You should fly?

And do you consider the cost

Of the pride that you wear 

Like a smile?

Take this moment

You’ve got here.

You may not 

Get another try.

Sometimes only

One chance comes around

At a time.

It’s two. That’s the number required

For the dance that we do

To get by.

A few drag you into the mire,

But they’re strong

Many wiles they devise.

Doomed if you don’t learn.

Farce is what you earn from the tragedy.

What have we to gain

By being stubborn?

You’re blue and you don’t know why.

Pieces of you are lost in each fight.

Moment
©2021 Raymond M. Jozwiak
From 'GRAINS' coming June 7, 2022



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                         No Frills

Understand? . . .

https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/cartoon-boss-giving-orders.html

Speaking your mind can be both blessing and curse. 
Doing, you’ll find, is honest but still it hurts. 
But over time you can adjust.
Conscience or no, all doubt will disburse.

I don’t understand there are subtleties. 
I don’t understand more than black and white.

I only see right and only see wrong.
There is only weak. There is only strong.

I can’t comprehend things like empathy,
How to put myself in somebody’s place.
I never considered such things. 
No ‘R’, ‘O’, or ‘I’ could they bring,

So uncomplicated to think of myself, only myself.

Can’t toe the line, cannot learn anything new.
Back in my past, no one expected me to.
One thing I knew, I’m one of few
That could not lose. That’s compulsory.
What a mistake placing your trust 
In one so damaged inside.
So much at stake. See them, see us.
Confusion obscured my lies.

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For The Ride

Shouldn't . . .

https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/science-

explains-why-men-are-bad-at-dancing/

(from https://www.jazzbooks.com/blog/the-office/why-musicians-cant-dance/)

". . . There is a strange phenomenon in the world of musical arts, and that is the mysterious inability for musicians to move their bodies in a graceful manner in response to music. The closest I’ve ever seen to a dancing musician was a guy playing the ukulele while singing and riding a unicycle (incredibly, he didn’t even have a music degree!) While this is a quite impressive feat, it doesn’t really count, does it? I’ve really never met a musician who could truly dance. Like Rodents of Unusual Size, I don’t think they exist. . . "

You Should Be Dancing
- Bee Gees

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For The Ride

Argument . . .

https://www.cleanpng.com/png-argument-conversation-

stock-photography-clip-art-p-936214/

 (from [and in response to]  https://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-banning-guns/#.YooZ5y-B3T8) 

". . . 1. GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE…It’s a cliché, but it’s true: Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. [Guns do kill people. Baseball bats hit home runs. Automobiles cause deaths and injuries. Tractors plow fields. Try accomplishing the latter without the former in each instance.] Getting rid of a particular tool will not stop people committing acts of violence. [Correct. But the number of these acts can be greatly reduced. We do not live in a perfect world and absolutes are few (if any).] Instead, we need to address the root causes that drive people to perpetrate violence, including looking seriously at whether the mental health system is performing as it should. [Not 'instead' but 'in addition to' smart gun laws.]

2. GUNS = PROTECTION. . .Guns are a necessary tool in a violent world. They provide protection from muggings, home invasions, terrorist incidents, and mass shootings. [In some rare cases. In most, they increase the violence. Remember the 'wild west'?] Furthermore, an armed citizenry is (as a last resort) a guarantee against tyranny. Should it ever come to insurrection, then the people would have the means to rise in armed revolt against the authorities and overthrow them. [The danger of this logic is clearly illustrated by the events of January 6, 2021**] Even if it never comes to that, the threat of armed rebellion will help preserve government from tyranny. [The government has built-in items to prevent tyranny. We need to put legislators into the government who know what those are, respect them and promote them.]

3. BANNING GUNS WON’T PREVENT VIOLENCE. . .We do not ban tools just because they are dangerous. Tens of thousands of Europeans die in car accidents ever year, yet we don’t ban cars. Terrorists have used cars and trucks to commit atrocities, yet (again) we don’t ban cars and trucks. Indeed, terrorists in Europe have resorted to using knives and cars precisely because guns are so well-regulated across the European Union. So, banning guns does not stop violence. . . " [We must weigh danger versus usefulness with any tool. Shooting anything can objectively be called unnecessary since other means of sport, hunting etc. are available. Further, (again, there are no absolutes) we cannot PREVENT violence. We can greatly reduce it, but only if we choose. Saving the life of ONE child alone would make it worthwhile.]

**(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_States_Capitol_attack) On January 6, 2021, a mob of 2,000–2,500 supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.[a][28][29] They sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election[30] by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory.[3][31] The Capitol Complex was locked down and lawmakers and staff were evacuated as rioters assaulted law enforcement officers, vandalized property, and occupied the building for several hours.[32] Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes.[19][33] Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.[34]

It Better End Soon
- Chicago

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                               Put A Finger On It

Kind-of-Cover . . .

 

https://www.pexels.com/search/cover/

A blast from the past. The Dark Side's (a Graboski spin-off) You Should Envy Me is covered here by OHO Live Millstone Cellars 2017.  OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve, & Ray Jozwiak

 

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                 Critic’s Choice

Think . . .

. . . about it

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org

(from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-guns-do-not-stop-more-crimes-evidence-shows/)

". . . “If I'm a bad guy, and I know this place has guns, it's not a place I'm obviously going to want to go and do something bad.” . . . Is there truth to this claim? An ideal experiment would be an interventional study in which scientists would track what happened for several years after guns were given to gun-free communities and everything else was kept the same. But alas, there are no gun-free U.S. communities, and the ethics of doing such a study are dubious. So instead scientists compare what happens to gun-toting people, in gun-dense regions, with what happens to people and places with few firearms. They also study whether crime victims are more or less likely to own guns than others, and they track what transpires when laws make it easier for people to carry guns or use them for self-defense. . . Most of this research—and there have been several dozen peer-reviewed studies—punctures the idea that guns stop violence. In a 2015 study using data from the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard University reported that firearm assaults were 6.8 times more common in the states with the most guns versus those with the least. Also in 2015 a combined analysis of 15 different studies found that people who had access to firearms at home were nearly twice as likely to be murdered as people who did not. . ."

El Paso
- Marty Robbins




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            Ambience & Wine

DO SOMETHING . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voANUbQDjxE&t=1s

When are WE going to DO SOMETHING!!!


Warrior's Coach Steve Kerr

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            Another Shot

Ace . . .

https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/ace-of-hearts 

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.

Ace of Hearts
- Ray Jozwiak




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The Eyes . . .

. . . no, the EARS of the beholder . . . 

https://www.unitypoint.org/blankchildrens/article.aspx?id=

51d97eda-93ea-433d-b210-b688784fc9e2

Cover versions of the song 'Let It Be Me'. 

(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be_Me_(The_Everly_Brothers_song)

". . . Cover versions . . . 

1965 – The Shadows recorded the song for their fourth album, The Sound of The Shadows.

1965 – Sonny & Cher recorded the song for their debut album, Look at Us.[vague]

1965 – Skeeter Davis and Bobby Bare included a recording of the song on their duets album Tunes for Two[3]

1966 – Australian pop star Johnny Young, with his backing band Kompany, released this song on an EP. It was a top 10 hit record[vague] in Australia.

1966 – Nancy Sinatra included it on her album How Does That Grab You?

1966 - Manfred Mann on EP Just Like a Woman[4]

1967 – The Sweet Inspirations released their version as a single. The song reached Billboard's R&B chart[vague] and also became a minor Hot 100 hit.[5]

1968 – Françoise Hardy recorded a version for her album En anglais

1969 – Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry had a Top Forty Hot 100 hit[vague] duet with their version of the song. It also charted on Billboard's country chart.[vague]

1969 - Petula Clark included it on her UK album Portrait of Petula.

1969 – The 5th Dimension covered it on their hit album The Age of Aquarius (album). The song featured lead vocals from Billy Davis Jr.

1969 - Tom Jones included it on his cover album This is Tom Jones.

1970 – Elvis Presley performed a live version on his album On Stage. It later appeared on his compilation album with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016. The album was titled after the Presley hit, The Wonder of You.

1970 – Bob Dylan covered the song on his double album Self Portrait.

1970 - Roberta Flack made a version for her second album Chapter Two.

1972 - Nina Simone released a version on the 1974 album It Is Finished.

1976 - New Trolls released a version on the 1976 album Concerto Grosso n.2.

1980 - Kenny Rogers and Dottie West released a version on the 1980 album Sweet Harmony.[citation needed]

1982 - Willie Nelson recorded the song for his album Always On My Mind and released it as a single.

1994 – Julio Iglesias recorded a version with Art Garfunkel for his album Crazy.

2009 - Rod Stewart recorded a version with Jennifer Hudson for his album Soulbook.

2012 – George Harrison's old demo cover of the song was included in the compilation album, Early Takes: Volume 1.

2014 – Bryan Adams included his version on the Japanese edition of his album Tracks of My Years.

Let It Be Me
- The Pointer Sisters



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                          2014

Notoriety . . .

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-crowd-

children-cartoon-illustration-image49366804

So another learning experience. The blog that previously filled this space was removed for 'violating' Blogger's spam policy. After re-reading the policy, I can tell you I get it. I can also tell you my words were  not intended to express hate nor promote violence of any type. They were meant to express my feeling of inundation by our pop culture (which we ourselves have built) of information wantonly and perpetually published as a result of the notoriety of the parties in question. 

To clarify the impetus of my original thoughts, I must preface- I have the greatest sympathy for anyone that has or is suffering domestic abuse in any form or fashion and believe that they deserve recourse through the legal system. I do NOT espouse violence of any kind and would not promote such a thing in any way.

The parties in question in my recent blog post will remain unnamed. I will only say that while I wish full and complete justice for any innocent person(s) violated in such a way as the parties which inspired my original thought, there are countless and many other issues and wrongs going unresolved that you and I will NOT read about merely because THOSE parties do not possess fame, money or power. And while I don't necessarily think a 'heaven' or 'lord' exists that will help us resolve problems that we refuse solve, I love the sentiment expressed in the song to which I've attached the link below. 

Heaven Help Us All
- Stevie Wonder



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        Black & White Then Back

Analog II . . .

 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/148196643958476196/

Follow-up to my analog synthesizer music posted yesterday, a clever tune by Joe Walsh can be accessed via the link below.  I can't say that I'm as hardcore, old-school as this song's lyrics describe, but my baby grand remains my first-choice of instrument for playing in terms of sonics, expression and dynamics.

(And I do enjoy listening to a good LP on occasion.) Do these things make me an Analog Man????

Analog Man
- Joe Walsh



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            Ambience & Wine

Analog . . .

https://blog.teufelaudio.com/for-the-love-of-analog-

synthesizers-the-documentary-i-dream-of-wires/

Jay bought one of the iterations of the Moog Phatty several years ago. He asked me to if I'd like to 'explore' its capabilities in hopes that we might employ it in the studio with OHO. I happily agreed.  The instrument and I were good friends for a number of weeks. Its mellifluous tones were employed on several compositions (Bleeding the 5th on Gazebo, for one) and makes an appearance on the forthcoming AHORA. I also recorded a suite of some stream-of-consciousness improvisations that I call, with all love and respect, 'Phatso'. Maybe I will release it sometime. An excerpt can be accessed at the link below.

Cut The Rug
from Phatzo (unreleased)

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            Another Shot

Just . . .

. . . a reminder

This is unique,  one and only recorded video/audio performance of piano improvisation based upon the chords of one of my new songs entitled BEYOND, which will appear on "GRAINS," available June 7, 2022. It is a NFT and is  available only through OpenSea. It is available for purchase, at which time it becomes yours and yours alone to do with what you will.

Beyond
©2021 Raymond M. Jozwiak, from GRAINS availble June 7, 2022

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For The Ride

Lyrics . . .

 

https://mojim.com/usy132954x1x1.htm

Another internet "Find." Problem is, this song is an instrumental and was not recorded with lyrics. It does though, as a matter of fact, have lyrics. So if you're interested just let me know.

Note:  Mojim appears to be a Chinese word for mirror

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                               Put A Finger On It

Surprise . . .

 

https://tunebat.com/Info/T-Tango-Ray-Jozwiak/7z9FB9zOxF9ZmaAG20FVQy

One of my songs appears on Tunebat.com. I had no idea. What is Tunebat.com?  Well . . . 

Tunebat creates web apps used by music fans and creatives. Tunebat.com provides a database where users can browse millions of songs to find harmonic info such as key and BPM. Users can take advantage of Tunebat's search and analysis algorithms to discover new music, and get insights about their own music.

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                 Critic’s Choice

Mythology . . .

 

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/greek-mythology

 (from https://theconversation.com/3-myths-about-the-poor-that-republicans-are-using-to-support-slashing-us-safety-net-89048)

". . . The first myth, that people who receive public benefits are “takers” rather than “makers,” is flatly untrue for the vast majority of working-age recipients. . . Consider Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as food stamps, which currently serve about 42 million Americans. At least one adult in more than half of SNAP-recipient households are working. And the average SNAP subsidy is $125 per month, or $1.40 per meal – hardly enough to justify quitting a job. . . As for Medicaid, nearly 80 percent of adults receiving Medicaid live in families where someone works, and more than half are working themselves. . . (former) House Speaker Paul Ryan said, “We have a welfare system that’s trapping people in poverty and effectively paying people not to work.”. . . Not true. Welfare – officially called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families – has required work as a condition of eligibility since then-President Bill Clinton signed welfare reform into law in 1996. And the earned income tax credit, a tax credit for low- and moderate-income workers, by definition, supports only people who work.

Workers apply for public benefits because they need assistance to make ends meet. American workers are among the most productive in the world, but over the last 40 years the bottom half of income earners have seen no income growth. As a result, since 1973, worker productivity has grown almost six times faster than wages. . . In addition to wage stagnation, most Americans are spending more than one-third of their income on housing, which is increasingly unaffordable. There are 11 million renter households paying more than half their income on housing. And there is no county in America where a minimum wage worker can afford a two-bedroom home. Still, only 1 in 4 eligible households receive any form of government housing assistance. . . "

 
Help
- The Beatles
     

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                   Chromatose

Funniest . . .

https://wallpaperaccess.com/laughter

Headline (that I've seen in a while)

". . . Sean Spicer Blasts Jen Psaki’s Farewell Publicity Tour: ‘This Is So Unethical and Wrong’. . ."

Rob Bluey / @RobertBluey / May 09, 2022

Make 'Em Laugh
(1952): Full Song & Dance - Donald O'Connor - 

Musical Romantic Comedy - 1950s Movies



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                         No Frills

Super . . .

https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/superhero-cartoon.html

Should every man yield to the yearning unashamed

Without hypocrisy and wastefulness;

Squander the strength he’s been endowed with;

Feign superiority as tunnel vision’s all he sees?


I’m trying to develop a superman;

Dionysus evolving into perfect humanity.

Gadding about helping each other get along

Won’t make us build the kind of man I see.

Inferiors are weak copies of betters

Printed on bad paper from old and worn-out plates now gone.

Selection, survivors mastering;

Bettering the species, irrespective of

Everything you’ve ever learned

About what’s right or wrong.

You hear the word, you’re quoting scripture that you learned

Originating from a deity.

But should that motivate your actions?

Such self-serving rewarding scheme.

Yours or mine, that’s what both seem.

Superman
©2021 Raymond M. Jozwiak
from 'GRAINS' coming June 7th



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   Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak