pianogonzology: SMART

Showing posts with label SMART. Show all posts

Friday, April 5, 2019

Genius . . .

. . . ????

(from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/donors-trump-inaugural-committee-got-ambassador-nominations-are-they-qualified-n990116)

". . . When President Donald Trump's pick for ambassador to the Bahamas testified before Congress to make the case for his nomination, he incorrectly stated that the island nation was part of the U.S. It is an independent country. . . For ambassador to the United Arab Emirates — a job so sensitive in the tense Middle East that every previous president gave it to a career diplomat — Trump picked a wealthy real estate developer with no diplomatic experience. . . The ambassador to Morocco? A well-heeled car dealer. The nominee for Iceland? While well-traveled, he had never been to that Nordic country. For Melania Trump's native country of Slovenia? The founder of an evangelical charity who frequently reposted false far-right social media posts on her Facebook page. . . None have diplomatic experience, but they share one trait: All were big donors to Trump's presidential inaugural committee, which is now under federal investigation. . . "

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Thursday, November 29, 2018

Smart? . . .

(from https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/11/trump-general-motors-subsidies-threat?fbclid=IwAR0uCf7rjN_SK2HIE3OuUgxYvCZKRFAZ9_9cHzTBVSCA_K3r7DyMQdc_WLU)
". . . the president of the United States threatening to punish a private company for making a decision based on market realities that are partially his fault is . . . really something! But the whole thing takes on some extra hilarity when you realize, for the 927th time this year, what this not-at-all-smart guy is unintentionally proposing. As Dan Primack points out, subsidies for G.M.-specific electric vehicles do not exist. Rather, there are industry-wide federal tax credits of up to $7,500 available for purchasers of U.S. electric cars, with “aggregate caps of 200,000 vehicles per manufacturer.” In other words, getting rid of the subsidy in its current form would hurt both American consumers and other auto manufacturers. . ."

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Sunday, July 1, 2018

Consequences. . .

(from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/trump-praises-dictator-has-consequences-n883036)
". . . So he's a very smart guy. He's a great negotiator. But I think we understand each other.
(Fox News' Brett) BAIER: But he's still done some really bad things. . . TRUMP: Yeah, but so have a lot of other people done some really bad things. I could go through a lot of nations where a lot of bad things were done. . . Besides the shoulder-shrugging or the muted reaction from GOP lawmakers (that’s now the best way to know when they’re comfortable with something the president said), there’s an important consequence to Trump’s praise of dictators and authoritarian strongmen: What happens when the United States is no longer the world’s moral compass? . . ."

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Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Together . . .

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”
– Napolean Hill

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
– Helen Keller

“None of us is as smart as all of us.”
-Ken Blanchard

“Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.”
– Patrick Lencioni

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."
– Booker T. Washington

“The speed of the boss is the speed of the team.”
-Lee Iacocca

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
–Michael Jordan

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(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!
Watch The Ocean City Ditty Video on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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Sunday, February 25, 2018

Smart . . .

. . . and trustworthy . . .

When I was a kid, I thought adults were smart and trustworthy. Now that I'm an adult, I realize that kids are actually smart and trustworthy.

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Sunday, January 7, 2018

What More . . .

. . . need be said???

(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-insists-he-very-stable-genius-amid-questions-over-mental-n835191)
. . . “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart,” the president said in a tweet. . .

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Friday, August 25, 2017

Forward . . .

. . . onward, upward . . .

I like the term evolution, meaning simply growing, getting better, getting smarter, being more cognizant of your surroundings and better understanding how to interact with them in order to improve my current condition and the condition of those that will remain when I am no longer. So forward I look. Not in a doomsday or defeatist way, but in a positive way that says how can I best spend what little or what great amount of time I have left? And I certainly view that with my close ones in mind, not to mention mankind in general. But I also view it in a musical sense in that no matter how wisely or unwisely I have effectively utilized my creative time until now, I intend to use the time remaining before me in an even more creatively effective way and continue, to the best of my abilities, to make more music

Forward
©2017 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017

More . . .

. . . nothing is ever a simple, plain or easy as it appears at first glance. The earlier in life this lesson is learned, the better. My naive and immature generalization about who was good and who was smart and who really gave a damn about me (or other people in general) required much enlightenment in my early elementary school years. This I worked on when I wasn't preoccupied with trying to fit in with my contemporaries and wondering why I couldn't quite accomplish that.

There's More?
©2017 Raymond M. Jozwiak

What do you think?
Tell me at
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My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!
The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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Saturday, March 4, 2017

Not Good . . .

. . . Not Smart . . .

(https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/24/media-blocked-white-house-briefing-sean-spicer)
". . . The White House barred several news organizations from an off-camera press briefing . . . handpicking a select group of reporters that included a number of conservative outlets friendly toward Donald Trump. . . The “gaggle” with Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, took place in lieu of his daily briefing and was originally scheduled as an on-camera event. . . Donald Trump tells CPAC: 'We are Americans and the future belongs to us . . . But the White House press office announced later in the day that the Q&A session would take place off camera before only an . . . “expanded pool” of journalists, and in Spicer’s West Wing office as opposed to the James S Brady press briefing room where it is typically held. . . . Outlets seeking to gain entry whose requests were denied included the Guardian, the New York Times, Politico, CNN, BuzzFeed, the BBC, the Daily Mail and others. Conservative publications such as Breitbart News, the One America News Network and the Washington Times were allowed into the meeting, as well as TV networks CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC. The Associated Press and Time were invited but boycotted the briefing. . . . The decision to limit access to Spicer, hours after Trump once again declared that much of the media was “the enemy of the American people” while speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, marked a dramatic shift. . . ."

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
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My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!
The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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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

What do you think?
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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

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

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Monday, March 9, 2015

Smart . . .

. . . phones . . .

. . . are honestly and truthfully a wonderfully convenient and efficient tool. Not only communication via the internet, phone service and email but all the computing capabilities all at your fingertips any time of day (or night). Magnificent.

But I don't have one. At least not yet. I most certainly have no quarrel with the power and convenience these devices provide.

Back around 2003, when I established my 'Gonzo' brand of independent music, I forced myself to explore marketing possibilities on the web from websites to social media to all the free (and some paid) music promotion and distribution services. More than ten years later, I am still exploring. Not only is there a wealth of potential to explore, new opportunities become available almost hourly.

So, you may be thinking, all the more reason to have a smart phone to enable yourself to access this wealth any and all times. Well . . . yes. But, in truth, I most certainly am not a 'gadget' guy and do not need to own the latest and greatest of all tech things available at any given time. I do, in fact, spend more hours on the laptop than many people with whom I have much in common. And I don't need to resolve questions or uncertainties regarding topics of conversation with others instantaneously. I still am able to research such things at a later time.

I don't intend to discontinue explore web potential to market music. But once I close the laptop, I don't feel the need to have all that capability in my back pocket for instant access. When I need to make a phone call, I simply pull out my ancient Samsung fliptop and make one. No need for a smart phone. . .

. . . at least not yet.

What do you think?

Tell me at
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http://www.ohomusic.com

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2014 Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

The Team . . .

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." --Andrew Carnegie

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." --Helen Keller

"Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." --Patrick Lencioni

"I invite everyone to choose forgiveness rather than division, teamwork over personal ambition." --Jean-Francois Cope

"None of us is as smart as all of us." --Ken Blanchard

"Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." --Mattie Stepanek

"To me, teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one. You become selfless." --Mike Krzyzewski

What do you think?

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Frivolous. . .

. . . use of the terminology?. . .

The captain (Beefheart, that is), was indeed a talented individual. He was creative, eccentric and daring. But genius is a very strong word. . .

ge·nius
noun \ˈjēn-yəs, ˈjē-nē-əs\
1 [count] a : a very smart or talented person : a person who has a level of talent or intelligence that is very rare or remarkable
▪ Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton were great scientific geniuses. ▪ a musical/artistic/creative genius ▪ You don't have to be a genius to see that this plan will never work.
b : a person who is very good at doing something
▪ He was a genius at handling the press.

(by By Rob Chalfen from http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2010/12/captain_beefheart_facts.php)[excerpted and inverted by me]
". . . 1. his 1970 & 1982 music videos, both rejected by tv as too far out, are both in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art.

2. In 1976 I interviewed Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys, who very enthusiastically claimed Don as a key influence. "A case of the punks!"

3. Zappa helped jumpstart his career, incorporating him into his touring ensemble, though complained Beefheart couldn't cut the arrangements. Several of Zappa's sidemen later defected to the Magic Band.

4. in the mid 70s he wandered in an aesthetic wilderness - his label dropped him, he fell in with some sharp operators connected with the band Bread (!) and tried to record 'safe' pop. His Magic band left him, and he toured with a pick up group. One older cat Ellis Horn had played clarinet with Lu Waters Jazz Band in the 40s and had a feature playing 'Sweet Georgia Brown" on an old albert-style clarinet, upturned at the bell. "He sucked up a cosmic particle into his horn," opined Don.

5. opening acts, in Boston at any rate, included Mississippi Fred McDowell, the NY Dolls, Larry Coryell, Bonnie Raitt/Dave Maxwell, Dr. John & a trained monkey vaudeville act. "Did you like the Dolls? Oh, balls!"

6. Zappa produced the Magic Band's masterpiece, Trout Mask Replica, in 1969, initially as a sort of Folkways-type anthropological field recording at the band's commune. Later Don insisted that it all be re-recorded in the studio, convinced that Zappa had been trying to do it on the cheap. (some of the home tapes made it onto the record anyway) . In the studio, he refused to wear phones, syncing his vocals with the band only via the faint leakage through the thick plate glass.

7. he composed implausibly complex solo guitar pieces like modern acid madrigals.

8. ran his band as a sort of hothouse commune/cult of domineering personality, one veteran later describing the experience as "my Vietnam". He communicated musical ideas via cassettes of his piano playing, singing and late night whistlings over the phone. The musicians were then expected to transcribe these fragments verbatim, and assemble them perfectly into intricate 4-dimensional musical constructions.

9. claimed shamanistic & supernatural abilities; on one occasion the drummer in my band, following around Don & Dr John, witnessed the glass panes of a hotel lobby mysteriously turn opaque as they passed. He was a life-long defender of the rights of animals & wildlife.

10. in the late 60s fused delta blues, beat poetics, Dada/Surrealist techniques, avant jazz, R&B & the kitchen sink into a metaphysics of the imagination that tore a giant hole in the ozone of pop-artistic possibility. Like an American Van Gogh he seemed to open up new landscapes of consciousness as much as of music. . . "

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Sunday, October 9, 2011

Now's the time. . .

. . . for a smart and savvy politician to step up and say, "These Wall Street protesters are correct" - Simply because THEY ARE. I don't think many people would argue that the housing bubble-burst and the financial meltdown were the result of excessive GREED on the part of those in a position to exhibit increasingly large amounts of GREED - OOOORRRR - show some RESTRAINT with regards to their POCKETBOOKS and simply accept a SMALLER PROFIT (or at least remain satisfied to cover costs) IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE NATION!!

from WBAL-TV, Baltimore...
"President Barack Obama discussed the growing movement, saying demonstrators "are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works."

Speaking at a White House news conference, Obama also defended the country's financial sector, which has taken the brunt of protesters' criticism, focusing on Wall Street and its regulators' purported role in expanding economic disparities.

"We have to have a strong, effective financial sector in order for us to grow," the president said.

Still, Obama discussed a need to pursue action aimed at improving government oversight and blamed Republican lawmakers for obstructing financial reforms.

Friday marked the 21st day of the grass-roots Wall Street protests.

Demonstrations have erupted in more than a dozen cities throughout the week, ranging from thousands who marched in lower Manhattan Wednesday after receiving support from local unions, to the dozens of college students who staged walkouts at various college campuses.

The movement started in New York and some of the protests there have been marred by scuffles with police.

New York authorities set up at least one vehicle checkpoint as police appeared in larger numbers throughout the financial district Thursday and established a perimeter around Zuccotti Park, which is considered a rallying point for the largely leaderless movement in that city.

"We hope that our message continues to resonate with everyone who has felt disenfranchised by the current state of our country," said Tyler Combelic, a spokesman for the Occupy Wall Street group."

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