Civility . . .

So Petrov says he has nothing against gay people.  Two cabinet ministers and his very own cousin are actually gay.  But he will not abolish the anti-gay law because of the people and their religious beliefs. Is this REALLY why he will not abolish the anti-gay law?

So while Clare is resting in Michael's cell, she has had an arduous day, she falls asleep.  As Michael wrestles with all the facets of his actions and the repercussions upon his loved ones he obviously finds them too much with which to cope.  He takes Clare's scarf and hangs himself from the prison bars in the window of the cell.

As the somber U.S. and Russian Presidents gather to announce their progress in peace talks, and sadly too, Michael's death, they allow Clare (who made the trip as representative of the United Nations) to make the announcement of the latter.  After the 'proper' announcement, Clare takes a pregnant pause and lets Petrov have it challenging him to abolish this 'stupid law' to the astonishment of everyone.

Petrov, of course, denounces the peace plan.

Was Clare correct in speaking her mind to the press and the public about what she felt was an injustice resulting from ignorance or narrow-mindedness, or should she have simply SHUT her mouth?

(based on House of Cards, season #3)

What do you think?

Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html  or at
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

(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)

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

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Limousine. . .

She comes out of the night she wrote every book you've read
Fingering her pearls every bead a lover dead
She wears that feathered hat ends up burning on the bed
Her freedom ring's not cheap the beast the till both must be fed

We twins sit on this leather seat this woman this man
One lives the level of her heart the other's gland's in hand
She serves that wicked brew opens minds opens eyes
Holds up the looking glass cracks to cut the shame that binds

What is is what is not is too
This emptiness inside includes
The mystery awaiting moving you
To be released and not removed

And she runs me down in my limousine
And she picks me up in my limousine
And we drive it home give our breath away
Though I'm left alone no way am I the same

The hand extends the fingers eyed they fondle urging every word
You only have what you give up fluxing in the flow
Holding on to what you want will only keep it out of reach
And lock you up inside yourself and block epiphany

Read the beat the rhythm takes and gives
The bodies dance in primal play
Forever steps alive into today
Here each word points but does not say

And she runs me down in my limousine
And she picks me up in my limousine
And we drive it home give our breath away
Though I'm left alone no way am I the same



Limousine
by John P. Graboski
(Oho [Jay Graboski, David Reeve, Ray Jozwiak]
recorded at Band Bash 2014 - “You’re With the Band!” -May 24, 2014)





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 downloaded digitally 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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New Stuff . . .

. . . April 8th . . .

Fifteen minutes of glory, maybe less
What I wouldn't give for the chance to confess
All my intimate secrets
All my hopes and my desires
I don't care just how valid you think that they are
They've been mine for a long long while
And I'm not ashamed of them

Shut up Joe
How do you really know what's going down
How can you tell if there's a problem somewhere to be found
We all need to gather round
To help everybody else to see
That running your mouth aloud
Makes it that much more difficult
For you and me and our integrity

Went to work at the factory at fourteen
Thought I'd finish my schooling sometime in between
Drunken weekends and futile street fights
And the visits to my best girl
But the time slipped away
I've got bills here to pay
I've got small ones depending on me
My vision is limited

Shut up Joe
How do you really know what's going down
How can you tell if there's a problem somewhere to be found
We all need to gather round
To help everybody else to see
That running your mouth aloud
Makes it that much more difficult
For you and me and our integrity

All my life I've known I'd want to say
Something to my fellow man today
Couldn't let the facts get in the way

We weren't that well acquainted never were
An occasional run-in we preferred
There's one thing that we both believe in
Heard it over and over again
It was something about all the fondness we felt
How the heart can't miss what's not around
If the mind doesn't value it

Shut up Joe
How do you really know what's going down
How can you tell if there's a problem somewhere to be found
We all need to gather round
To help everybody else to see
That running your mouth aloud
Makes it that much more difficult
For you and me and our integrity


Integrity
©2013 Raymond M. Jozwiak
(Instrumental Version) from '2014'
available April 8, 2014 at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak




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)

Coming April 8, 2014  - '2014' by Ray Jozwiak
at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak
Pre-order your copy of "2014" at the iTunes Store NOW

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

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

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

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If You Build It . . .

. . . you should market it . . .

I know.  I've misquoted the line from Field of Dreams but purposely so.  The members of Oho frequently discuss art, inspiration and commitment in music.  And considering the potential to exploit the business aspects pertaining to your music provided by the current technology, it has become even easier to market your music all by yourself.  So should you decide that you have a musical statement to make and that your talent is sufficient to do that, why simply make a recording and stop at that?  You really have to put that recording in front of every possible set of ears that you can.  That is, of course, unless you really don't need to have your statement heard by too many people. . .


(from http://www.madeforsuccess.com/articles/personal-growth/achievement/seven-steps-to-achieving-your-dream-2/)
1. Dream it
Everything begins in the heart and mind. Every great achievement began in the mind of one person. They dared to dream, to believe that it was possible. Take some time to allow yourself to ask “What if?” Think big. Don’t let negative thinking discourage you. You want to be a “dreamer.” Dream of the possibilities for yourself, your family, and for others. If you had a dream that you let grow cold, re-ignite the dream! Fan the flames. Life is to short to let it go. (Also, check out my article “Dare to Dream Again,” Which has been read by close to a million people in the last 4 months alone. You can see it at the website.)

2. Believe it
Yes, your dream needs to be big. It needs to be something that is seemingly beyond your capabilities. But it also must be believable. You must be able to say that if certain things take place, if others help, if you work hard enough, though it is a big dream, it can still be done. Good example: A person with no college education can dream that he will build a 50 million-dollar a year company. That is big, but believable. Bad example: That a 90 year-old woman with arthritis will someday run a marathon in under 3 hours. It is big alright, but also impossible. She should instead focus on building a 50 million-dollar a year business! And she better get a move on!

3. See it
The great achievers have a habit. They “see” things. They picture themselves walking around their CEO office in their new 25 million-dollar corporate headquarters, even while they are sitting on a folding chair in their garage “headquarters.” Great free-throw shooters in the NBA picture the ball going through the basket. PGA golfers picture the ball going straight down the fairway. World-class speakers picture themselves speaking with energy and emotion. All of this grooms the mind to control the body to carry out the dream.

4. Tell it
One reason many dreams never go anywhere is because the dreamer keeps it all to himself. It is a quiet dream that only lives inside of his mind. The one who wants to achieve their dream must tell that dream to many people. One reason: As we continually say it, we begin to believe it more and more. If we are talking about it then it must be possible. Another reason: It holds us accountable. When we have told others, it spurs us on to actually do it so we don’t look foolish.

5. Plan it
Every dream must take the form of a plan. The old saying that you “get what you plan for” is so true. Your dream won’t just happen. You need to sit down, on a regular basis, and plan out your strategy for achieving the dream. Think through all of the details. Break the whole plan down into small, workable parts. Then set a time frame for accomplishing each task on your “dream plan.”

6. Work it
Boy, wouldn’t life be grand if we could quit before this one! Unfortunately the successful are usually the hardest workers. While the rest of the world is sitting on their couch watching re-runs of Gilligan’s Island, achievers are working on their goal – achieving their dream. I have an equation that I work with: Your short-term tasks, multiplied by time, equal your long-term accomplishments. If you work on it each day, eventually you will achieve your dream. War and Peace was written, in longhand, page by page.

7. Enjoy it
When you have reached your goal and you are living your dream, be sure to enjoy it. In fact, enjoy the trip too. Give yourself some rewards along the way. Give yourself a huge reward when you get there. Help others enjoy it. Be gracious and generous. Use your dream to better others. Then go back to number 1. And dream a little bigger this time!

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

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

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

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

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Burning Grey. . .

. . . Oho working hard. . .

Do you mean you were just lying there?
Out of reach of anyone who cares
They have bound you with their loving arms
In the distance I still hear you sound the alarm

Can you see yourself more clearly now?
As if you stepped out of a cloud
Beginning when it seems to end
Above below merging

Your mind doesn't feel
Your fingers don't think
Your eyes do not touch
While the heartbeat goes skipping away

It's now and then you're living
While you wait start the giving
Prove it it's always there
Burning grey without its flare

Obligated but one hand is tied
Constant chattering within your mind
How to leave it no one cares
To hear the silly language spoken there

Your mind doesn't feel
Your fingers don't think
Your eyes do not touch
While the heartbeat goes skipping away

It's now and then you're living
While you wait start the giving
Prove it it's always there
Burning grey without its flare

There's a love that empties its own veins
As they spend they fill up again
The flow traffics through eternity
Carries on in all purity

Now you feel and you think
You see and you touch
With a matrix that springs from your heart
To your hands through your head
Burning grey

It's now and then you're living
While you wait start the giving
Prove it it's always there
Burning grey without its flare

  

BURNING GREY by John P. Graboski
Performed by Oho:  Jay Graboski, David Reeve and
Ray Jozwiak (from an April 2013 rehearsal recording)




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

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

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

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

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Forward. . .

. . . please. . .

Many polls and publications claim that 90% of Americans support background checks for persons buying guns. Still Congress refuses to listen to their own constituents.  They refuse to listen to the very people who put them into office! It's time to put new people in office to represent us.  Start NOW.

Background checks are done for for a number of things on an everyday basis such as hiring employees, due diligence, litigation, when children are involved and before a relationship gets serious among others. A background check is NOT a violation of a right.  It's just plain SMART.

“Society & science are Humanity’s legs,
they both need to keep walking in order for humanity to  move.”
-Anonymous

". . . But I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
-Thomas Jefferson

Let's progress without the members of the current Congress!

Also, please visit:  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)



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

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Lines. . .

. . . Written in Early Spring. . . 

(By William Wordsworth)

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,

The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;

And ’tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,

Their thoughts I cannot measure:—

But the least motion which they made

It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature’s holy plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What man has made of man?

Source: The Longman Anthology of Poetry (Pearson, 2006)

What do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

You can NOW download your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE

Please visit
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Fifteen. . .

Fifteen minutes of glory
Maybe less
What I wouldn't give for the chance
To confess
All my intimate secrets
All my hopes and my desires
I don't care just how valid
You think that they are
They've been mine for a long long time
And I'm not ashamed of them

Shut up Joe
How do you really know
What's going down
How can you tell if there's a problem somewhere
To be found
We all need to gather round
To help everybody else to see
That running your mouth aloud
Makes it that much more difficult
For you and me
And our integrity

Went to work at the factory
At fourteen
Thought I'd finish my schooling
Sometime in between
Drunken weekends and futile street fights
And the visits to my best girl
But the time slipped away
I've got bills here to pay
I've got small ones depending on me
My vision is limited

Shut up Joe
How do you really know
What's going down
How can you tell if there's a problem somewhere
To be found
We all need to gather round
To help everybody else to see
That running your mouth aloud
Makes it that much more difficult
For you and me
And our integrity

All my life I've known
I'd want to say
Something to my
Fellow man today
Couldn't let the facts
Get in the way.

We weren't that well acquainted
Never were
An occasional run-in
We preferred
There's one thing that we both believe in
Heard it over and over again
It was something about
All the fondness we felt
How the heart can't miss what's not around
If the mind doesn't value it

Shut up Joe
How do you really know
What's going down
How can you tell if there's a problem somewhere
To be found
We all need to gather round
To help everybody else to see
That running your mouth aloud
Makes it that much more difficult
For you and me
And our integrity


Integrity
©2008 Raymond M. Jozwiak




What do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

You can NOW download your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE

Please visit
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet