More. . .

. . . more, more. . .

I realize the importance of stimulating the economy and economic growth.  I also know that when it comes to increasing profits (or should I say the 'accumulation of wealth'?) the human race is most certainly on board.  Dylan Ratigan (in his book GREEDY BASTARDS) says that there is good, long-term greed - the type where someone provides a valuable product or service of high quality and reasonable price, and profits from it at a reasonable rate over a long term - and then there is bad, short-term greed (the one practiced by the 'bastards') where someone provides something of little to no value (or even swindles through questionable means) and reaps gigantic profits very quickly. I fear that pursuit of the latter type is much more prevalent these days than the former . . .

(from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/nervous-retailers-hope-post-christmas-rush-1C7659314)
". . . The biggest holiday of the season is over, but retailers are hoping that you aren’t done with your holiday shopping quite yet.

“The next few days are critical for retailers. They’ve got some catching up to do,” said Marshal Cohen, retail industry analyst with NPD Group.

On Wednesday, big chains including Macy's were already pushing their post-Christmas bargains, while major discounters including Wal-Mart were encouraging shoppers to redeem their gift cards right away. But the fallout from a big Christmas storm could hurt their efforts if shoppers decide they prefer a cozy rest of the week at home instead. . ."

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Fascinating. . .

. . . or just bull puckey? . . .

(source http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/im-with-the-band-study-of-rock-star-deaths-finds-solo-artists-at-greater-risk-than-groups/2012/12/20/9d556fbe-4aa6-11e2-8758-b64a2997a921_story.html)

". . .rock and pop musicians are more likely to die prematurely than the general population, and finds that solo artists are twice as likely to die young as members of bands.

Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University and Britain’s Health Department studied 1,489 rock, pop, punk, R&B, rap, electronica and New Age stars who became famous between 1956 and 2006 — from Elvis Presley to the Arctic Monkeys. They found that 137 of the stars, or 9.2 percent, had died, representing “higher levels of mortality than demographically matched individuals in the general population.”. . . "


How about middle-aged, full-time employed, married (with grown children)men who are solo eclectic jazz pianists and also members of rock/prog/folk/jazz-trios struggling to market both music while living the suburban dream and contemplating possible retirement (from the 'non'-music occupation) in another five-to-ten years?

(and while we're on the topic of useless, inconsequential studies, is coffee actually good for me or NOT?!!!)

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Christmas. . .

 . . . shmistmas. . .

. . . so now.  It's come and gone.  Sure, sure, we're supposed to keep the Christmas 'spirit' all year round.  But WHO really does.

Who really does anything to help humanity all year round all the time.  Help everyone always no matter if there is a holiday, or a tragedy, or a book or a tradition or a legacy that one is trying to observe.

Well, at least we bought plenty of gifts and distributed them appropriately to everyone we deemed 'giftworthy'. 

What makes them really giftworthy in the first place anyway???

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Perspective. . .

 (from http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm)
Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25.  During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the week long celebration.  The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.”  Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week.  At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.

The ancient Greek writer poet and historian Lucian (in his dialogue entitled Saturnalia) describes the festival’s observance in his time.  In addition to human sacrifice, he mentions these customs: widespread intoxication; going from house to house while singing naked; rape and other sexual license; and consuming human-shaped biscuits (still produced in some English and most German bakeries during the Christmas season).

In the 4th century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan masses in with it.  Christian leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians.[2]

The problem was that there was nothing intrinsically Christian about Saturnalia. To remedy this, these Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday.

Christians had little success, however, refining the practices of Saturnalia.  As Stephen Nissenbaum, professor history at the University of Massachussetts, Amherst, writes, “In return for ensuring massive observance of the anniversary of the Savior’s birth by assigning it to this resonant date, the Church for its part tacitly agreed to allow the holiday to be celebrated more or less the way it had always been.”  The earliest Christmas holidays were celebrated by drinking, sexual indulgence, singing naked in the streets (a precursor of modern caroling), etc.

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Merry. . .

 (from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/merry-christmas.html)
". . . The use of 'Merry Christmas' as a seasonal salutation dates back to at least 1565, when it appeared in The Hereford Municipal Manuscript:

    "And thus I comytt you to god, who send you a mery Christmas & many."

1843 was also the date of the publication of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol and it was around that time, in the early part of the reign of Queen Victoria, that Christmas as we now know it was largely invented. The word merry was then beginning to take on its current meaning of 'jovial, and outgoing' (and, let's face it, probably mildly intoxicated). Prior to that, in the times when other 'merry' phrases were coined, for example, make merry (circa 1300), Merry England (circa 1400) and the merry month of May (1560s), merry had a different meaning, i.e. 'pleasant, peaceful and agreeable'.

That change in meaning is apparently viewed with disfavour by Queen Elizabeth II, who wishes her subjects a 'happy' rather than 'merry' Christmas in her annual Christmas broadcasts. The idea of a modern-day merry England is presumably unwelcome at the palace.

The best-known allusion to merriment at Christmas is the English carol God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. The source of this piece isn't known. It was first published in William Sandys' Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern in 1833, although versions of it probably existed as a folk-song and tune well before that but weren't written down. Sir Thomas Elyot, lists the phrase 'rest you merry' in his Dictionary in 1548:

    "Aye, bee thou gladde: or joyfull, as the vulgare people saie Reste you mery."

It is often assumed that the carol's lyric portrays the wish that jovial gentlemen might enjoy repose and tranquility. The punctuation of the song suggests otherwise though - it's 'God rest ye merry, gentlemen', not 'God rest ye, merry gentlemen'. In this context 'to rest' doesn't mean 'to repose' but 'to keep, or remain as you are' - like the 'rest' in 'rest assured'.

'Rest ye merry' means 'remain peacefully content' and the carol contains the wish that God should grant that favour to gentlemen (gentlewomen were presumably busy in the kitchen). It isn't the 'rest' that is being given but the 'merry'. Anyone misreading that comma is in good company though. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen was the carol that Dickens was referring to in A Christmas Carol:

    "The owner of one scant young nose, gnawed and mumbled by the hungry cold as bones are gnawed by dogs, stooped down at Scrooge's keyhole to regale him with a Christmas carol: but at the first sound of

        God bless you, merry gentleman!
        May nothing you dismay!

    Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror."

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The greatness of the"26 Acts of Kindness," idea, in  honor of the students and faculty who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School,  cannot be underestimated. This is truly a wonderful effort that unites those involved in a common, elevating, human endeavor that transcends self and serves the greater good.

But I believe we owe ourselves and  future generations, a new, personal commitment to change the face of humanity, as we know it, and significantly improve our existence. I propose we adopt an “Acts of Kindness” philosophy all day, every day and ALWAYS. The things that we could accomplish through such a philosophy simply boggle the mind.  Limiting our kind acts to 26 is all too like the rear-auto window signs that proclaim “Baby On Board”.  In other words, we need not limit our acts of kindness to a mere total of 26 any more than we should limit our  cautious driving only to situations where we know the person ahead of us has a baby ‘on board’, as though the life of individuals in cars that are alone, have a parent, friend or sibling on board are less valuable (than that of a baby) and therefore deserve less caution on our part when driving.

In order to achieve this impressive height of human potential we will have to dispense with a multitude of pre-existing baggage and self-serving paradigms.  This, needless to say, will be more difficult for some than for others.

We must take great care to prevent these ‘Acts’ from becoming rote ceremony or hollow lip service, like some of us have encountered in our church experience.  By this I mean such as the good Catholic who piously bestows a hearty ‘peace be with you’ upon his pew-mate then blows his car horn furiously while flipping the bird to the parishioner in the proceeding vehicle who doesn’t exit the church parking lot as swiftly as the saintly one would like.

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Disappointed? . . .

(from: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-world-didnt-end-2012-12#ixzz2FgYECchZ)
". . . Well, pinch me if I'm dreaming, but it looks like we're still here.  Which means those crazy theories were wrong. Earth was NOT sucked into a giant plack(sic) hole. The sun did NOT enter an apocalyptic "galactic phase." Solar flares did NOT reverse the poles and fry us. Earth did not smash into a giant planet called Nibiru. . . "

Of our the prospect that the end of the Mayan calendar was to the the apocalypse was a view only held by certain few mis-interpreters.  But doomsday is certainly a lot more fun that simply turning the page of the calendar.

We here at the homestead had our own theories.  One family member had hoped that either aliens from another planet would be visiting us.  Or in the case that was not to be, possibly animals would begin speaking in our own language. 

Another reluctantly admitted that she hoped a certain high-ranking Washington DC personality would effectively self-destruct.

Myself well, I really didn't formulate anything too specific.  The dawning of a new cycle does spark the imagination.  But as for wishes of world peace, loving and caring for our fellow man, the dawning of the age of Aquarius were a little to good to be realistic.  And besides, such things require a long, slow period of development and cannot simply and magically appear overnight. . . from the rubble of our present situation. . . as it were. . .

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