Paraphrsing . . .

. . . Roman satirist and poet Juvenal

(Paraphrsing Roman satirist and poet Juvenal )… The population has become complacent and easily satisfied with the mundane — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things:  BREAD and CIRCUSES
(If only they'd had  GONZO PIANO)                                                                                  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hear some Gonzo Piano
by Ray Jozwiak
at Bread & Circuses Bistro
Saturday, June 9 at 7:00PM
27 E. Chesapeake Avenue
Towson, MD  21286
410-337-5282
http://bandcbistro.com/

(For Ray's complete schedule, see http://www.rayjozwiak.com)
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Attention. . .

. . .  female members of the Republican Party. . .

 You may want to consider alternatives. . .

(from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/05/paycheck-fairness-act-senate-vote_n_1571413.html)
". . . Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a bill that would have ensured women are paid the same amount as their male counterparts.

The Senate failed to secure the 60 votes needed to advance the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have required employers to demonstrate that any salary differences between men and women doing the same work are not gender-related. The bill also would have prohibited employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their co-workers, and would have required the Labor Department to increase its outreach to employers to help eliminate pay disparities.

The final vote was 52-47, with all Republicans opposing the bill. That included female Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Susan Collins (Maine), Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Olympia Snowe (Maine).

President Barack Obama called it "incredibly disappointing" that Republicans would block a bill relating to equal pay for women. . . "

Note:  Guess Ayotte, Collins, Hutchinson, Murkowski and Snowe have no problem being second-class citizens at the mercy of a 'Man's World'.  Opponents say this is a political move designed to court the womens' vote.  I say GOOD.  Who was it that said, "Women are people too."?

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Moderation. . .

. . . in all things. . . 

I've always thought that ego and self-confidence were pretty much the same thing.  And as in all other things, moderation must be practiced in implementing either.

My music gives me pause in this regard quite frequently.  Truth is, my self-confidence increases daily and reassures me that I am doing what I am supposed to with regard to the music.

In fact, I envy young, creative people (musicians in particular) who have a self-confidence that I could never have dreamed of at their age.  That self-confidence is the fuel that will help the truly talented (and even the marginally-talented who possess it) achieve success.

In my case, I have finally developed a sufficient amount of self-confidence after years of honing my skills.  So one complements the other;  the skills combined with the confidence enable me to perform. In the case of the younger ones mentioned above, their inverse amounts of self-confidence and skills will help them persevere, while those skills they need are developed.

The difference between us is, had I possessed quantities of both of these qualities earlier, I would have had more time to develop my market.

But still I am conscious of allowing the confidence to become too great, in which case the delicate balance would surely be ruined.

All things in moderation.
Know what I mean?

MY EGO
©1998 Raymond M. Jozwiak




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Well Duh. . .

. . .  why would you think anything else?

 (from Cargonews Asia)

 Shareholders of Air France-KLM and Safran voted against big pay-offs for chief executives at the part French state-owned groups as public resistance to lucrative executive pay grows on a continent traumatised by financial turmoil, reported Reuters.

Four-fifths of Air France-KLM shareholders opposed about US$500,000 paid to ex-CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, who also received $1.39 million when he was ousted in October following the airline's poor performance. The stock lost 71 percent last year.

Just over half of shareholders in aerospace group Safran voted against awarding chairman and chief executive Jean-Paul Herteman two years of pay and an extra pension when he steps down. He was paid $1.77 million last year.

The moves, encouraged by the government, are the latest in a series of revolts over pay at annual general meetings as part of the so-called "shareholder spring", which has seen the chief executive of British insurance group Aviva lose his job.

Governments in France and the UK are among those who have promised to get tough on top executive pay as voters grow weary of bank bailouts and the impact of government austerity measures on spending power as the euro zone debt crisis drags on.

France's new Socialist government has said it will flesh out plans to cap the pay of top executives at state-controlled companies by mid-June. President Francois Hollande pledged in his election campaign to limit senior executives' salaries to a maximum of 20 times that of their lowest-paid employee.

In Britain, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has promised legislation this year to tackle high executive pay and leaned on bosses to give up bonuses at banks that were partly nationalised in bailouts after the 2008 financial crisis.

Pierre Moscovici, France's new finance minister under Hollande, earlier welcomed the Safran shareholder vote while calling for similar action at Air France-KLM. The state owns 30 percent of Safran and 15.9 percent of Air France-KLM.

"The government is thus again giving a strong signal of its will for change on the question of remuneration," Moscovici said in a statement.

Ex-Air France-KLM CEO Gourgeon was given the additional $500,000 in return for not working for a competitor for three years. He received an annual salary of close to a $1 billion plus a bonus of $324,731.

Current Air France-KLM CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta told shareholders that Gourgeon had the legal right to keep the money, adding that it was justified because Gourgeon had been approached by several competitors, notably Gulf carriers.

In an interview with France Inter radio earlier on Thursday, however, Moscovici called on Gourgeon to reimburse the payment."Indeed, morally Pierre-Henri Gourgeon should himself pay it back," Moscovici told France Inter. "The bonus has already been paid, but we are saying very clearly that this is not the right thing to do."

Hollande said before his election that several measures were needed to restore fairness in France, a dig at predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, whose policies Hollande alleged favoured the rich.

The measures included a top income tax rate of 75 percent on income above $1.23 million, in addition to the senior executive pay cap.

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Personal . . .

. . . babbling. . .

I know I’m basically not much different from anybody else;  not terribly special;  not too good but not too bad either.  But even as I look around and feel as though I look like and act like everybody around me, I still feel like I'm different.  Something’s wrong.  Something is unusual and I just can’t seem to put a finger on it.

I've felt this way for most of my life.  During adolescence I thought I didn't belong;  that I was something of an outcast.  I had friends.  But I didn't belong to, or at least I felt like I didn't belong to the 'group' at least the 'group' to which I wanted to belong.

I learned at the end of high school that being an outsider wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  I slowly began to realize that I didn't need to belong to anything.  I certainly did not need to belong to anything to which I didn't want to belong or to anything where the members did not want me to belong.

And now it's not so much a matter of belonging to anything, it's more a matter of my perceptions, observations, analyses and choices.  Now I like being different.

CAN'T QUITE
(from PUT A FINGER ON IT )
©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak




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Sweating . . .

 . . . the small stuff. . .

 I well know the importance of a healthy economy.  I know its importance to me personally, to my family and to the future of the country.  But it seems to me that the (it's not THE LIBERAL, its just THE) press, not to mention numerous and sundry consultants, economists, pundits and 'forecasters' (which may very well be redundant), are exploiting the details of our current crises and consequently, stirring up some sh. . . . . . let us say anxiety.

Case in point (from MSNBC). . .  

"The Labor Department reported Friday that the unemployment rate edged up to 8.2 percent, its first increase in 11 months, as American employers fretted over Europe, higher pump prices and the persistent problems in the housing market. . . "  It's first increase in 11 months!!!   The first ANYTHING doth not constitute a TREND.  And there's the "F" word (no not that one),  I mean "fretted".  Who would know better about "fret" that these guys/girls who cultivate it like Jimmy Carter does peanuts.

". . . Non-farm payrolls rose by 69,000, the lowest increase in a year and well below the 150,000 jobs that economists had expected. . . "  Economists EXPECTED.  So what?  Until they tell my why, how and everything else about why they expected that, why should I fret about what they say?

". . . "It's an awful number. Not only is it awful in its numerical terms, it comes at a very skittish time in the markets because of the European crisis," said Rick Meckler, president of Libertyview Capital Management. . . A number like this brings concern about a global slowdown. The time has probably come to for some new government action in the U.S., Europe and China," . . . " YEAH!  Prolly IS, Rick.  (Who the hell is THIS GUY?  C'mon press.  What makes Libertyview special?)  Of course Rick is upset!!!  And furthermore, ". . . the time has PROBABLY come to(sic) for some NEW GOVERNMENT action in the U.S. . . "????  I do believe Rick may be a Socialist.  (Strange line of business for a Socialist.)

". . . The news came after a government report Thursday that showed the U.S. economy expanded at a 1.9 percent annualized rate in the first quarter, below the initial estimate of 2.2 percent and much slower than the 3.0 percent pace clocked in the fourth quarter. . . "  1.9%;  2.2%;  3%???  A fraction of a percent here and a fraction of a percent there and pretty soon we're talking 3.1%!!!!

". . . "Today's weak jobs report is devastating news for American workers and American families," Romney said in a statement shortly after the data was released. . . "   Exactly what I expected Romney would say. What else is new?

". . . The Obama administration said that while the jobs data was unacceptable, Congress needed to act to help the economy.  "Congress has to take some action because while we see the unemployment rate where it is, it's not acceptable," Solis told CNBC. . . "  (Hilda Solis, U.S. Secretary of Labor)   Well put Hilda.  What does Congress do anyway?

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Babbling? . . .

. . . like the brook . .

 “Whew!!  Mmm, mmm,” I faintly heard from the curb as the car, which came from behind the utility truck in the right lane across the intersection at about forty miles-per-hour, zoomed by me not three feet ahead.  “Not a very good case.  Outside the crosswalk AND against the light. Not much I can do with this one!  Ah, now it’s green.  Of course I’m still OUTside the walk but you’re inside.  Too many lawyers in Baltimore!” 

I said nothing.  In spite of coming within twenty-eight inches of my life, all I could do was laugh.

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