". . . "We are respected again, I can tell you that. We are respected again," Trump told the naval cadets. "A lot of things have happened. We’re respected again.". . . The evidence — both in nonpartisan polls and in the increasingly critical remarks of exasperated allies — suggests otherwise. . . leaders of long-standing allies like (Japan's President Shinzo) Abe, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May — all initially deferential to Trump and his famous ego — have grown frustrated and at times disapproving. . . Significantly, so have their citizens, increasing the pressure on foreign leaders to distance themselves from Trump’s America. Across 134 countries, the median approval of U.S. leadership dropped 18 points in Trump's first year, to a record low of just 30%, according to a Gallup survey released in January. That was before Trump's decisions to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and impose tariffs on a number of allies, which further alienated many of them. . .The finding echoed a Pew Research Center survey last year that found in all but two of 37 nations polled, Trump got far lower marks than President Obama; the exceptions were Russia and Israel. . . "In the main, it's a preposterous claim to say the U.S. is better regarded in the world when we haven't had for many decades this many crises with our allies," said Nicholas Burns, a career diplomat under several presidents — serving as ambassador to NATO and Greece and as undersecretary of State — and now a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. . ."
(http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/23/cruz-challenger-beto-orourke-dinged-for-saying-nothing-more-american-than-kneeling-during-anthem.html)
". . . Beto O’Rourke, the Democrat challenging GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in the midterm elections, is being slammed by Republicans for saying (included in detailed, thorough, intelligent and respectful remarks in answer to a question from the audience) there is “nothing more American” than kneeling during the national anthem. . . O’Rourke, a Democratic congressman, was asked at a recent campaign event about NFL players who kneel during the anthem. O’Rourke replied, “I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee for your rights anytime, anywhere, any place.”. . . Cruz tweeted (in a not so thorough, intelligent and respectful manner), "Most Texans stand for the flag, but Hollywood liberals are so excited that Beto is siding with NFL players protesting the national anthem that Kevin Bacon just retweeted it. That means all of us us can now win Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon!" . . . "
. . . to recent coverage of ejection of a news reporter from a press event for asking 'tough' questions and comments made by the 'team' in DC . . .
(from http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/respect-quotes/)
"Tolerance only for those who agree with you is no tolerance at all. "
-Ray Davis
"Men are respectable only as they respect."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong. "
-William J. H. Boetcker
“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say."
-Bryant H. McGill
“Treat people the way you want to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. Respect is earned, not given."
-Hussein Nishah
". . . In March, he accused (without any evidence) Obama of wiretapping him: “How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!”. . . In June, he attacked London’s mayor after a terrorist attack there: "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!". . . In July, he gave a political speech at the Boy Scout Jamboree: "Did President Obama ever come to a Jamboree?" (The crowd, in West Virginia, booed at Obama's name.). . .
In August, Trump blamed “both sides” for the violence in Charlottesville, Va.: “I think there is blame on both sides,” he said. “You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. I’ll say it right now.”. . . Last month, he called NFL players who take a knee during the National Anthem SOBs: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say ‘get that son of a bitch off the field?’”. . . Also in late September, Trump attacked Puerto Rico’s mayor, who had criticized his administration’s response to the hurricane there: "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help," he tweeted. "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.". . . None of these statements was about politics or policy or ideology — instead, they were all about his respect for the highest office in the land. . ."
(from https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/taking-a-knee-has-always-been-a-sign-of-reverence-not-disrespect/2017/09/28/8e91981e-a3c9-11e7-8cfe-d5b912fabc99_story.html?utm_term=.c27c87c109cc)
". . . Taking a knee (kneeling on one knee) has always been a sign of reverence, not disrespect. . . Biblically and historically, genuflecting symbolizes a plea for a new relationship . . . Going to church with my parents each Sunday as a child, I learned that posture and place matter. When the priest raised his hands over the bread and wine, that said one thing; when my dad raised his arms in the middle of a song, that meant another. And kneeling, whoever did it, was a sign of respect. It was veneration embodied. It declared that there was something beyond me, greater than me, that needed to be honored in the most obvious and straightforward way possible: by kneeling down. . . So it seems strange that those kneeling at football games are described as disrespectful. In the words of President Trump, they are disrespecting “our country, our flag, our national anthem.” . . . Kneeling as a sign of veneration is clearly not something Trump feels in his bones. . . many of those who side with Trump claim an affiliation with Christianity. Yet theologically, their criticism of the football players could not be more wrong. The posture of the players is an act of faithfulness. . .The act of kneeling in a stadium during the national anthem is, therefore, an act of good citizenship. Drawing on a rich Christian heritage, it venerates a foundational and transcendent good of democracy: the rule of law. Without the commitment that all be treated fairly before the law, whatever their color or creed, democratic citizenship is meaningless. If anyone is showing respect and deference to the American tradition, it is the players who have the courage to call on America to be all that it dreams it is. . . "
. . . as I grow older. But I'm not giving up! I'm not crying for the past, like the spammy emails you receive about the 'good ole days' when men were men and children had to walk uphill (and from) school in three feet of snow without legs, because I firmly believe with age, both individually and societally, things always do get better. (If your gonna make something great again, be sure you can prove that it was truly ever great.) But I do clearly recall viewing adults through a very idealistic lens. Of course my parents taught me (rightly, I might say) to respect my elders and I took that very seriously. I thought that every and all adults were very smart, very reasonable, unselfish, giving, caring individuals who had nothing but the best interest of us all at heart. Not a bad beginning. In hindsight, children should learn to respect all others regardless of any pre-conceived notions 'cause what kind of pre-conceived notion has a child? Only those they've learned from adults. You must learn the respect before learning analysis of education, intelligence or motives. I learned quickly, beginning with college and very clearly at my first full-time job, that that was just not true. Life since then has only confirmed to me that while I may not be the impressive intellect one would write home about, there all all kinds of folks ranging from blindingly bright to barely a flicker, and I for one intend to continue learning and growing. . .
The 1st amendment allows me to say anything I want. So that's exactly what I do. It doesn't matter whether its a fact or not. Therefore you must accept and respect anything I say. If you do not agree, than you are bad and you are wrong. And when you disagree, I verbally strike back, and preferably by calling you the most terrible name you have ever been called, and maybe . . .
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)
. . . we're mistaken about the meaning of the word. . . success . . .
Success
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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)
(from The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, translation by John E. Woods)
". . . James (in the course of the meal) had asked him out of the blue what happened, exactly, when a body decayed - . . . "First of all, your guts burst," the director replied, propping his elbows on the table and leaning forward over his folded hands. "There you are lying on your wood shavings and sawdust, and the gases, you see, swell you up, blow you up until you're immense, the way frogs look when naughty boys blow air into them, until you're a regular balloon, and then your abdomen can no longer take the pressure and bursts. Bang! You relieve yourself noticeably -- the same thing happens to you that happened to Judas Iscariot when he fell headlong from the bough -- your bowels gush out. Yes, and after that you're actually socially acceptable again. If granted a holiday, you could visit your heirs without causing much offense. You stink yourself out, so to speak. And if you were to go for a stroll, you'd be quite a fine fellow, much like the citizens of Palermo who are hung up in the Capuchin catacombs near the Porta Nuova. There they hang dry and elegant, enjoying universal respect. All you have to do first is stink yourself out."
"To be sure," the consul said. "Much obliged." And the next morning he vanished. . . "
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)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt)
When (Theodore) Roosevelt read [my(Jacob Riis, the muckraking Evening Sun newspaper journalist)] book (How the Other Half Lives), he came... No one ever helped as he did. For two years we were brothers in (New York City's crime-ridden) Mulberry Street. When he left I had seen its golden age... There is very little ease where Theodore Roosevelt leads, as we all of us found out. The lawbreaker found it out who predicted scornfully that he would "knuckle down to politics the way they all did," and lived to respect him, though he swore at him, as the one of them all who was stronger than pull... that was what made the age golden, that for the first time a moral purpose came into the street. In the light of it everything was transformed.
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)
. . . today lost all respect for their elders? Is this REALLY the major problems with the world today? I don't think they all have. And, I don't think so (in that order) . . .
(http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwari/p/World-War-I.htm)
The spark that started World War I was the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. The assassination occurred on June 28, 1914 while Ferdinand was visiting the city of Sarajevo in the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Although Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the nephew of Austria's emperor and heir-apparent to the throne, was not very well liked by most, his assassination by a Serb nationalist was viewed as a great excuse to attack Austria-Hungary's troublesome neighbor, Serbia.
However, instead of reacting quickly to the incident, Austria-Hungary made sure they had the backing of Germany, with whom they had a treaty, before they proceeded. This gave Serbia time to get the backing of Russia, with whom they had a treaty.
The calls for back-up didn't end there. Russia also had a treaty with France and Britain.
This meant that by the time Austria-Hungary officially declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, an entire month after the assassination, much of Europe had already become entangled in the dispute.
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)
(from Straight No Chaser; The Life and Genius of Thelonious Monk by Leslie Gourse)
". . . He was cool with me. We'd talk about a lot of things. He would always have interesting kinds of ways of being very succinct and candid about his insights. One time someone made a comment to us-during the civil rights days, and things were pretty touchy, black power and all. I had a big Afro and dashikis. We were very conscious of this whole movement. This white guy said something about "you boys" this and "you boys" that to me. I turned to Thelonious and said, "I'm tired of these motherfuckers calling us boys. They don't have to go through all that. We're men." Thelonious said to me, "Ain't no drag, Larry, because everybody wants to be young." I said, "Okay, I'll think on that one." So he could really turn things into nothing with a few words. And there I was, upset, with my fist up in the air about respect. It was interesting. . . "
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