Easy. . .

. . . to verify. . .

After so much talk about guns, school shootings, deaths, children, the constitution, 2nd amendment, rights, militia, concealed carry, assault guns, automatic and semi-automatic, I've come to a conclusion.

Anyone who takes either side of the debate, but refuses to engage in meaningful discussion about, is clearly part of the problem.  They are part of the problem because they do not even want to begin to think about a solution.  (And if they do not think a problem exists. . . well, that's an entirely different story.)

This rant is honestly inspired by the existence of too many cutesy, Fox-news-y, tough-guy, on-line posts on social media regarding the issue.

Personally, I find gratification in facts.  Granted, one must always bear in mind the accuracy of the 'facts' they have received (in this on-line age this is all-too-easy) and verify same before actually BELIEVING them, let alone try to force them on all their social-networks 'friends.'

Want facts?  They're everywhere. . .
Hepburn, Lisa M. and David Hemenway. “Firearm availability and homicide: A review of the literature.” Aggression and Violent Behavior. Vol. 9, 2004: 417-440.
National Research Council of the National Academies, Committee on Law and Justice. “Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review.” The National Academies Press: Washington, D.C., 2004.
Average civilian ownership data for 178 countries: Small Arms Survey 2007, Chapter 2, Annexe 4.
UNODC Homicide Statistics. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Annual Firearms Manufacturers And Export Report. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Report years 1998-2011.
Total NCIS Background Checks, Nov. 30, 1998 to Nov. 30, 2012. Federal Bureau of Investigations. accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Hemenway, David. Director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. Phone interview with FactCheck.org. 18 Dec 2012.
Wellford, Charles F. Professor, University of Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Phone interview with FactCheck.org. 18 Dec 2012.
Wintemute, Garen. Director of the Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California-Davis. Phone interview with FactCheck.org. 18 Dec 2012.
Robertson, Lori. “Violent Crimes and Handgun Ownership.” FactCheck.org. 6 Mar 2008.
Face the Nation. Transcript. CBS News. 16 Dec 2012.
“Facts: Gun Violence.” Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Fatal Injury Reports, 1999-2010. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Undated accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Injury Mortality Reports, 1981-1998. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Undated accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Murder Victim, by Weapon. 2011 Uniform Crime Report. FBI. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Definitions for WISQARS Fatal. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Undated accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Murder Victim, by Weapon. 2006 Uniform Crime Report. FBI. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Table 15. Crime Trends: Additional Information About Selected Offenses. 2007 Uniform Crime Report. FBI. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Table 15. Crime Trends: Additional Information About Selected Offenses. 2009 Uniform Crime Report. FBI. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Table 15. Crime Trends: Additional Information About Selected Offenses. 2011 Uniform Crime Report. FBI. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Nonfatal Injury Reports, 1999-2011. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Undated accessed 20 Dec 2012.
Nonfatal firearm-related violent crimes, 1993-2009. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Department of Justice. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.
This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Transcript. ABC News. 16 Dec 2012.
“Major School Shootings in the United States Since 1997.” Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Undated, accessed 20 Dec 2012.

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Lately. . .

. . . I find the most gratifying way to react to the antics of our elected officials, is to use profanity

Ignoring the sad idiot who thinks the word 'rape' requires qualifiers, how about our 'friends' of the 'right' persuasion who, in 'their daily greed', are at it again, or are still at it, or who appear to always be at it. . . (forever and ever amen). . .

(from AlterNet / By Lynn Parramore)
"Ever since the Richmonder blog  posted a story last weekend pointing to suspicious-looking stock trades made by Paul Ryan on September 18, 2008 – the day Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson met with Congressional leaders to warn of an economic collapse and the need for a giant bailout – the press has been at sixes and sevens. Was it insider trading? Wasn't it? First the story circulated rapidly. Then, when the Romney/Ryan campaign quickly issued denials, some journalists, most notably Benjy Sarlin of Talking Points Memo , leapt to “debunk” the story. Matt Yglesias of Slate , who first credited the story, apologized and backed off.

Earlier this week, I posted an article challenging the denials made by the Romney/Ryan campaign.

John Carney, a senior editor at CNBC.com has responded to my piece on Paul Ryan’s insider stock trades in September 2008. Unlike the Romney campaign, he does not try to claim that Congressman Ryan did not have time to do the trades before markets closed at 4pm. (There is, of course, the possibility that Ryan traded afterhours; that was no part of my story.) Nor does he take refuge in the pathetic argument that some anonymous trustee did it. His objection is that Congressman Ryan’s trading that day followed a larger pattern evident in other transactions that year.

Carney writes:

    He did trade in and out of two financial names in 2008: Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. He sold shares in Citi in January, March, June, August, September and December. He bought Citi in February, April, July and October. In other words, Ryan was following a pattern of alternating between buying and selling shares of Citi throughout the year...

    Ryan sold shares in Goldman in February, August, October, November and December. He bought shares in Goldman in January, March, June and September.

    Notice a pattern here? Each of Ryan’s purchases of Goldman shares coincides with the sale of a share of Citi.

    Ryan follows this pattern of going long Goldman when he sold Citi on September 18. That day, Ryan also took part in a meeting where Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke met with Congressional leaders to make their case that the situation in the financial sector had turned so dire as to threaten the entire economy.

Teasing out meaningful patterns from stock market data is a tricky business. It has a tendency to turn researchers into numerologists – they are constantly tempted to find all kinds of significance in some selection of numbers. But look closely at the qualification with which Carney introduced his discussion of the Goldman purchases:

    “The only breaks in this pattern were (a) when he neither bought nor sold any stocks in his portfolio in May, (b) skipping November’s sale of Citi and selling in December instead, and (c) selling shares in Citi in both August and September .” [emphasis added]

In other words, Congressman Ryan followed a pattern, except when he didn’t. And in what month does Ryan depart from the pattern? Why, by marvelous coincidence, September, of course.

Perhaps half a loaf is better than none, but Carney began his piece suggesting that those who credit the Ryan insider trading story have fallen under the influence of “liberal fantasies.” Yes, he bought Goldman while selling Citi, but the quick second Citi sale was anomalous.  Congressman Ryan, by Carney’s own admission, plainly broke from his routine on September 18, 2008. . . "

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If you can't stand the heat . . .

. . . don't come to the northeastern U.S. today . . .

. . . and Oho's gig on the patio at Bread & Circuses in Towson was hot too.  Lisa's vocals were scorching, Jay's guitar was searing and Dave's drums were sizzling.  Air temperature had to be around 90F. 

The music was good and, for two hours last night, all was right with the world. . .

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WHAT am I gonna do? . . .

. . . ? ? ? 

 The Food Pairing Craze: Down The Same Wrong Road As Wine Scores

July 30, 2011 | Filed under Worth A Look | Posted by Lewis Perdue

The current infatuation with wine and food pairings is headed down the same wrong road as wine scores. Why? Because people are genetically unique and so are their taste buds. No two people experience the same smell, the same taste — or the same wine/food pairing exactly the same way.
Because of that, it’s unreasonable to expect an individual wine-tasting/food-pairing experience to coincide with those of a set of expert high priests/priestesses who pronounce what is “good” and what is not.

Struggling to find the “right” food/wine combo adds a whole ‘nother' level of insecurity to the wine experience. And that first level of insecurity remains as the primary obstacle to broader consumer acceptance of wine. We’ve seen that wine has recently reached parity with beer as a preferred alcoholic beverage. There are a lot of factors associated with that as are well-studied by the Wine Market Council. A lot has to do with rising income among America’s growing Latino population. That follows the trend that wine consumption increases with income and socioeconomic status.
Some of that growth also comes from Millennials who scorn experts, tasting notes and snobbism. And more support comes from rising set of voices such as Tim Hanni, Gary Vaynerchuk and others who have emphasized and recognized the importance of individual palate variations and spoken out against the elitism that still endures as wine’s most prominent paradigm.

This elitism, this dogmatic insistence on perfect pairing has dominated articles and posts that emphasize education, learn, education, learn … and thus carry the unspoken message that the average wine drinker must study, study, study. Hell, if I faced that level of strenuous effort at the market, I’d go for a Jagged Edge IPA or a Racer 5 any day rather than turn my imbibing experience into sweaty- palm quantum chromodynamics final exam that I arrived for stark naked. In fact, we frequently go for a brew at our meals — especially when we’ve gone through several days in a row when we’ve opened a highly rated bottle of wine and found it unworthy of either the calories or alcohol intake. Some nights we open two or three of these before heading for beer or a reliable wine in the cellar. The average wine consumer does not have a cellar, nor are they likely to persist in one bottle of wine after another.

This whole emphasis on correct coupling discourages individual experimentation and raises the perceived risk quotient … and decreases overall enjoyment of the wine and the food.
And least we forget: constrains wine sales.

Just remember: people do not flock to musicians with perfect pitch. If that were the case, The Fray, Green Day, Gaslight Anthem and Matchbox 20 would be non-starters. On the other hand, they WERE non-starters to the elite music critics. But experimenting with what band you listen to lacks the financial penalty inherent in wine. Attacks on scores and perfect pairings are heresy. They also endanger the raison d’être of experts. For, if scores and perfect pairings are not relevant to average consumers, then what value do vino-gurus bring to the table? Make no mistake, there is a powerful and long-established set of vested interests who will defend the status quo as brutally as wholesalers attack the direct shipment of wine. But in the end, we must honor pleasure. Remember enjoyment? That’s what food and wine are about. Just drink it. Just eat it. Just enjoy it.

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You were . . .

. . . always in the right place . . .

 

You were always
In the right place
At the right time
When I needed
You to be there
In the rain or shine
And I don't believe
I ever heard
A word of complaint
Sometimes there was not
A word at all
You were always
There to give me
The direction true
Now it's time I
Must be there
For you.

In a world where
There is danger
And uncertainty
You were there to
Give me comfort
And security
You were like the sun
Upon which could be
Counted to rise
Like the rain you gave
What made me grow
And though now things
Seem confusing
I can't make you see
I'll be here 'cause
You were there
For me.



LVJ
©2010 Raymond M. Jozwiak



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Cowboy Justice. . .

. . . is something that we really need. Twice as effective as mercy now for which they plead. If I can't get you to see things the way I do, something happens. I start the process. See it through. Its what I've been taught to do. And I'll teach you.

No one tells me just what I can or cannot do. My advisors, some say, are keepers of a zoo. I don't mind if you think that what they say is real. I'm in charge here, at least that's how they make me feel. That's a part of the deal and it came true.

Gotta see it my way. I'm giving people what I want. It's a price I must pay. We cowboys know how to be gallant.

There's no question of right or wrong here to debate. Disagree though, you'll be subjected to the hate that's influcted on member of the team like you. 'Cause we cowboys will never worry if we're few. Our justice is true. Make no mistake.

COWBOY JUSTICE
©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak

An instrumental rendition of COWBOY JUSTICE
appears on the CD PUT A FINGER ON IT
©2008 Raymond M. Jozwiak
COWBOY JUSTICE sample




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Do we understand. . .

. . . the fact that we're NOT TRYING to understand? We dignify inanity when we should speak up and say, like Peter Finch's character in the movie NETWORK, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." Ann Davidow summed it up nicely on Buzzflash this week. . . .

Will We Ever Get Some Relief From the Witless Muddle that Still Afflicts Our Public Dialogue?
FINDING A VOICE by Ann Davidow

'Let's be clear' has become a popular phrase that usually portends a muddled message. Listen as hard as you might, clarity is not what you'll be hearing most of the time. In fact the phrase is just what politicians use when they are at a loss for words or at least a loss for anything that makes sense. Euphemisms abound in discussions that run the gamut from tax policies to how our various armed conflicts are proceeding.

Everything is on the table we're told when it comes to making a dent in our massive national debt, but of course nothing could be further from the truth. Depending on one's perspective solutions are to be found in what are called "entitlements", teachers' salaries, union contracts and measures to protect the environment, the favorite whipping boys of the right wing while defense and tax cuts remain inviolate. Even when taxes are part of the discussion they are expressed in terms like "tax code expenditures" that soften the effect of procedures that in fact hide special-interest set-asides.

What could be more fiscally irresponsible, for example, than House Republican's intention to support the Defense of Marriage act by insisting legal fees be undertaken despite the Justice Dept's refusal to funds a defense of the legislation? These are supposed to be the "adults", caretakers of our economy, not the purveyors of partisan views that appeal to right-wing supporters. The public is being flummoxed once again by political entities that fail to come clean about what their real goals are, using a phony 'values' context to hide the true nature of narrow views and often a religious sub-text.

Deniers on the right pursue bizarre notions that tend to reduce the viability of their cause - - there was no holocaust, the earth is only six-thousand years old, the president is a secret Muslim who is not a natural born citizen. To carry on such divisive prattle suggests a dearth of ideas in the GOP. Why would wanna-be leaders spend so much time on matters that marginalize their party?

Interspersed with the nonsense, however, conservatives throw in matters of real concern such as rising fuel prices, joblessness and the cost of never-ending war so that voters face absurd battles among the witless. How often is the public informed about the manipulations of speculators on Wall Street who drive fluctuating oil prices at the pump? Does it occur to anyone that there is no good reason for sudden changes in price? After all oil that started out in a pump didn't suddenly become more valuable during the day. I once sat a pump, having paid beforehand for my purchase, watching a young man place cardboard placards on the pumps raising the price of gas by several cents. There had been no intervening delivery so obviously the increase was an arbitrary assessment by the gas-station owner not a reflection of market forces. We've all fallen down the rabbit hole and are having great difficulty making sense of our environment.

In addition to current predicaments at home and abroad we are confronted by people from our past who just will not go away. Donald Rumsfeld's book takes an exculpatory look at the mess he and others in the Bush administration created. At the conservative Hudson Institute Rumsfeld, Scooter Libby and retired General Pace 'examined' the course that took us to Iraq each justifying for the audience a path that led us into a quagmire from which we are still unable to escape. Douglas Feith, former Undersecretary of Defense for policy in the Bush administration, and once referred to by General Tommy Franks as the "dumbest fucking guy on the planet" moderated. It was said early on "that everything that has gone wrong in Iraq - especially those matters that Congress is either investigating or is poised to probe is linked to his office." Nevertheless these Bush stalwarts were pleased to defend their dubious exploits and, infuriatingly, even found moments of hilarity as they elaborated on their observations. Apparently the public's memory is of short duration; many will be content to look back on the Rumsfeld years with reverence, content to celebrate the mindless claptrap that so misled us in the past.

Today, Donald Trump, new-found leader of the mindless, must have nothing much to do other than to keep track of what others are saying about him. He has attacked actor Robert DeNiro for his criticisms saying he wasn't "the brightest bulb on the planet." For his part Trump isn't just a dull bulb he's an electrical grid gone dark.

Will we ever get some relief from the witless muddle that still afflicts our public dialogue?



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