Challenge . . .

(More from http://www.concordmonitor.com/Azzi-Trump-media-coverage-U-S-politics-1979775.aspx)
". . . the press chose not to try to understand what was roiling the soul of an angry segment of our body politic. They chose instead to treat Trump as a celebrity and quickly realized they were all welcome to visit on his red carpet – as long as they didn’t soil his precious fabric. . . The Fourth Estate should insist: Donald Trump, prove that you opposed the Iraq War before it happened. Donald Trump, prove that you saw thousands of New Jersey Muslims celebrating 9/11 by dancing on rooftops. Donald Trump, prove that the unemployment rate may be as high as “42 percent.”  Donald Trump, prove that (America is) the most highly taxed nation in the world. Together we’ve all watched as the press became his Boswells, his Bob Woodwards, his stenographers, chroniclers of process than of content, more worshipful of celebrity than of truth. . . .The Fourth Estate, succumbing to its own parochial interests, has failed to deconstruct Trump’s narratives and lies, especially those that might possibly expose its complicity and coziness with power elites and celebrity. . . During 2015, out of 77 Trump statements checked by Pulitzer-Prize winning PolitiFact, 76 percent were rated Mostly False, False or Pants on Fire – a record unmatched by any other candidate. While knowledge is irrelevant to Trump, to Trump’s partisans – or to Trump supporters who hate Hillary Clinton more than they love America – such a candidate should be daily challenged by the press, which should deny him a platform until he fully submits to answering questions. Ignoring truth leads to constraints over what gets publicly discussed and challenged and jeopardizes the American public’s ability to make well-informed decisions about issues of national interest, policy and political leaders. . ."    

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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
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Challenge . . .

(from Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy by John Shelby Spong)
". . . If we reduce this Matthean character (the Canaanite woman) to  literal person, we can deal with her once and for all and then move on.  If she is a symbol, an icon, her challenge will be eternal; her face will change throughout history, but her demands will remain, constantly challenging our security and eroding our barriers.  Jewish readers of Matthew's gospel knew that she was a symbol. Gentile readers, later, would assume that she was a literal figure and that they had dealt with her once they had brought themselves to accept Canaanites.  Perhaps we need to confront the possibility that Christianity has not failed, as our critics constantly assert; the reality, I believe, is that Christianity has never been understood and thus has never really been tried. . . "

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

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://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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Arbitrary . . .

Noise, life joy love family friends fun relaxation inspiration challenge music discipline nature water ocean sand sensitivity humanity macabre pleasure food music drink conversation memory chords music beauty desire motivation amusement green music forest dark blue sky storm violence lightning wind disturbance humidity music rest dedication satisfaction enjoyment wonder questions doubt anticipation regret longing music realization resignation acceptance fortitude positivity focus . . .

Noise
©2014 Raymond M. Jozwiak




What do you think?
Tell me at
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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)

My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

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Leveling . . .

Michael Bloomberg will use his personal fortune to fight, or at least counter, the efforts of the National Rifle Association. $50 million will be dedicated to his new group Everytown for Gun Safety, an umbrella for his two other gun control groups: Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

The new organization will battle the NRA on its own turf and with its very own tactics. Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Actions says Women, and more particularly mothers, will be the key demographic in the outreach to curb gun violence. "Moms are afraid that our children will be taken away. In the end, that's the emotion that's going to win."

Influencing those in charge of writing gun policy though, will be the ultimate goal beginning with creating a political action committee to elect gun safety candidates to office and a 501(c)(4), an IRS classification used to raise unlimited amounts of money to influence voters. It aims to motivate a million pro-gun safety voters to go to the polls in November. The group will also submit a gun safety questionnaire to candidates and keep a score card of how elected officials vote on gun-related issues, another NRA tactic.

By matching the NRA's financial heft, Bloomberg makes the challenge to the NRA a little less daunting. The NRA has spent more than $30 million lobbying elected officials since 1998. Its efforts have been very successful in Congress over the past decade, defeating attempts to ban assault weapons and expand background checks.
(Thanks to http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/15/us/bloomberg-gun-safety-initiative/index.html?hpt=hp_t2)

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

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)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be digitally downloaded at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Millennials. . .

 

 Okay.   That's NOT a millennial.

But. . .

(from The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska.  His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net)
  ". . . Joel Stein, a writer for Time Magazine, has recently written a lengthy article about the Millennials.  As I read it, I realized he was talking about my grandkids’ generation.  To the descriptions I just shared about my grandkids, Stein adds additional notable qualities of Millennials.  Race, sexual orientation, and gender do not matter much.  Some observers see Millennials as self-centered, selfish and narcissistic.  Their voting record (turnout) is disappointing.  They seem to be too busy with “me.”  They are able to live with a high level of chaos and are not motivated to “straighten things out.”
    I confess my German heritage pushes me to make things orderly.  I am clearly out of step with my grandkids, but I am pleased they accept me without hesitation. 
    In Stein’s article he did not burden the reader with a lot of statistics.  He simply states “I have the facts.”  Gallop, the Pew Foundation, universities, and news bureaus are getting the same numbers.  Millennials are not challenging our culture.  They are creating a new one and have not asked permission from anyone over 30. 
    Prior to the Stein article in Time, the Barna Group, a research organization that specializes in religious subjects, published the results of a massive study of Millennials with church backgrounds.  The phenomenon of the cultural changes fostered by the Millennials is hitting churches big time. 
    Researchers have verified the “rise of the Nones.”  The Pew Foundation research found that one in every five American is religiously unaffiliated.  The Barna Group wanted to know  specifically who made up the swelling tide of nones.  Over one-third of all Millennials are nones.  The Barna research became even more specific. Among Millennials who were raised in a church tradition over 50 percent are now nones. 
    The Barna studies show Millennials to be socially mobile, intellectually adventuresome, detached from institutions, and frustrated with churches.  Many Millennials are still interested in religion and want a personal faith.  Christian churches and institutions do not fit in the picture. 
    In the Barna Group research, they introduced new categories for understanding those leaving churches.  They identified sub-groups they called “nomads,” “prodigals,” and “exiles.”  I noted that the categories all indicate significant movement.  With Millennials there is no “status quo.”  They are on the move.
    What is behind all this?  Just now few are venturing a guess.  However, Joel Stein is correct.  We have the facts.  The numbers are not lying.  The patterns that are being described are reality. 
    Are Millennials a case of arrested maturation?  Has mobility produced a new kind of rootless generation?  Is this a product of the flat world dominated by computers that do not need human contacts?  Has Facebook replaced family and primary social groupings?  How does this relate to the emergence churches?
    I do not know how to explain the emerging patterns.  I do know that my grandkids are great young people.  I do not believe the Millennials will let us down.  However, I observe the chaos and get a bit nervous.  I am tempted to join Maxwell Smart and fight the evil of chaos.  Then I am reminded of the first law of chaos.  Chaos increases the possibilities.  Millennials may be the best hope for the future of humankind. . ."
               

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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

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April. . .

 

. . . second. . . 

Coming April 2, 2013
to http://www.cdbaby.com

Creative Musician Ray Jozwiak's new, digital-download only, solo, instrumental piano music release BLACK & WHITE then BACK transports you to aural locales inhabited by emotions, sentiments, memories, hopes, joys and challenges we've all encountered. You may even hear a snippet of a song you remember from childhood, have flashes of your first date, recall aromas from the kitchen when you visited your grandmother, remember your favorite summer vacation or when you fell in love.

BLACK & WHITE then BACK will be available through digital distribution only (www.cdbaby. com).

"RAY JOZWIAK is back with his gonzo piano, boldly taking us to places no-one has gone before, not even him!  (Rod Deacey, Board Member of the Frederick Acoustic Musicians Enterprise (FAME), Musician, Performer, Writer, Poet, Organizer, Emcee, Bluesman 11/20/11)

". . . Anywhere he dabbles along the piano keys, he produces sonic glitz forming impressionistic images. . . " (Susan Frances, cdreview.com)

". . . He’s got some terrific ideas there and an unusual approach to rhythm and song structure. These are fantastic assets and more than one of his songs could find tons of fans who appreciate music which isn’t the same ol’ same ol’ all the time. . . "  (Paul Sedkowski, Fairplayformusic.com)

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very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE

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