Underappreciated. . .

(from wikipedia.com)
Don Patterson was an American jazz organist. Patterson played piano from childhood and was heavily influenced by Erroll Garner in his youth. In 1956, he switched to organ after hearing Jimmy Smith play the instrument. In the early 1960s, he began playing regularly with Sonny Stitt, and he began releasing material as a leader on Prestige Records from 1964 (with Pat Martino and Billy James as sidemen). His most commercially successful album was 1964's Holiday Soul, which reached #85 on the Billboard 200 in 1967. Patterson's troubles with drug addiction hobbled his career in the 1970s, during which he occasionally recorded for Muse Records and lived in Gary, Indiana. In the 1980s he moved to Philadelphia and made a small comeback, but his health deteriorated over the course of the decade, and he died there in 1988.

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Fishy? . . .

Halliburton has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of destroying evidence in the Deepwater Horizon case and in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice pay a fine of US$200,000 and a three-year probation period. In turn, the Department of Justice will not pursue further criminal prosecution of the company for any conduct relating to case.

Oh, and Halliburton made a voluntary contribution of $55 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The plea agreement is subject to court approval.

Does something smell fishy to YOU???!!!

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Weird. . .

As if the real news isn't weird (and depressing) enough, the satire is even goofier.  And adding insult to injury, many people think it's real upon first glance.  Things like:

-Santorum's divorce
-Teen who only texts and rolls eyes to be euthanized
-School of arts seeks to transform boys and girls into insufferable young men and women
-ORCA Act ensures all food and medicine to be 100% GMO within four years

The internet is a wonderful thing.  It makes research and entertainment easy and convenient.
Just be careful not to confuse the entertainment with the research.

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I Am A Historian. . .

. . . says Dr. Reza Aslam during a recent torture session to which he was subject.


Have you seen the interview of Reza Aslam by Fox News that's sweeping the internet? (http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/is-this-the-most-embarrassing-interview-fox-news-has-ever-do) It's been called 'excruciating', 'embarrassing' and 'painful' to watch.

The Fox reporter (I believe her name is Lauren Green) persistently interjects "My question is . . . " most times producing no real question at all or simply positing accusatory statements related to Dr. Aslam's professed faith.

The video is generally labeled a 'debate' while, in fact, there is no debate at all.  It is an embarrassing (to Ms. Green and Fox only) attempt to discredit a scholar which Fox and Ms. Green presume disagrees with their point of view without so much as reading the book produced by the scholar.

Excruciating?  Embarrassing?  Painful?   Maybe!

I call it enlightening.  Enlightening only in the fact that it provides further evidence of the worthlessness of the entire enterprise called Fox News.

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Peek. . .

. . . into my (and Oho's) world the other day. . .

So I didn't memorize Jay's actual address, but I knew the location of the development and I figured after turning into the neighborhood it would be obvious where the band was to setup.

After turning into the main road of the park, I saw Joan walking up the road.  We greeted and I asked where the band was setting up.  She gave us directions and saved the day.

We were able to pull up right next to the band, so I quickly unloaded my gear.  Pam was off to spend some time in Bethany with her sister so we kissed goodbye.

The general plan was for Pam to call me when she was close to Warren's Park so I could remove the cones blocking the entrance to the street on which we were setup so she could drive right down to the band where I could easily load up after we finished.

Setup and sound check complete, we were content to relax before our 6 o'clock starting time.

Pre-recorded Beatles music from a Circque du Soleil production at a comfortable volume level, thoughtfully provided by Jay, was in progress.

Jay and Joan have a beautiful trailer home in the park, impressively large and tastefully decorated.

A bottle of ice cold water was just what the doctor ordered (for me) in light of the type of beverage upon which I over-indulged the prior evening.

Six o'clock start time brought the strains of my piece entitled 'Always You', in consideration of the invitation to the over 70's to partake of the potluck buffet at the start.

I discovered the next day that the gain switch on my Zoom was pushed to the maximum setting, rendering the complete recordings un-listenably distorted.

Pam called eight times during the last set, in hopes I'd hear her and remove the cones that blocked entrance to the road where the bandstand was.  Unfortunately, I did not exert any extraordinary effort to enable myself to hear incoming phone calls and therefore, missed her call.

She parked across the street and fought the Seacrets traffic to enter the development.

All ended (happily?) about 9ish.

A successful performance garnering many appreciative partygoers (and hopefully new fans) in the process.

Pam and I retired to the Atlantic Hotel for a nightcap. . .

 . . . and all's right with the world.

Isn't it????

If you don't believe this, just listen. . . (no lie about the distortion nor the enthusiasm, heart or soul that we put into the performance)


Ocean City Ditty
by John P. Graboski
Performed by Oho Live at Warren's Park, Ocean City, MD, July 27, 2013






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Update . . .

. . . from Oho rehearsals. . .


You’re living your ninth life time is running out
The blood of the lamb has dried and lost its clout
If you show no mercy, no mercy will be your
You’re dated and done for the dot’s on your door

On day one they marked you, put you on the list
Embroidered a burning red letter on your bib
You move with caution, the trap’s laced with lure
You’re dated and done, there’s a dot on your door

Cowards die a thousand times, the brave die only once
If ignorance is bliss, may your joy be out to lunch
If you were meant to hang in life then you will never drown
Dodging the left, the right one brings you to the ground

You’re using the right words, getting the response
Newton was right, you’re life’s a renaissance
Your impedimenta pile up on the floor
You’re locked in this room, There’s a dot on your door

Cowards die a thousand times, the brave die only once
If ignorance is bliss, may your joy be out to lunch
If you were meant to hang in life then you will never drown
Dodging the left, the right one brings you to the ground

Kissing your mother, digging in the dirt
Hoping something of your life will take root and give birth
The vine seeks the light, branches reaching through the clouds
Where love will prune and crown you, relieve you of your shroud

You’re living your ninth life time is running out
The blood of the lamb has dried and lost its clout
If you show no mercy, no mercy will be your
You’re dated and done for the dot’s on your door

Cowards die a thousand times, the brave die only once
If ignorance is bliss, may your joy be out to lunch
If you were meant to hang in life then you will never drown
Dodging the left, the right one brings you to the ground


Dot On Your Door
by John P. Graboski (Oho rehearsal recording of July 11, 2012)





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Another Peach. . .

. . . representing the people. . .


 (from NBCNews.com)
". . . Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa drew rebukes from Democrats and Republicans alike Tuesday after claiming that most young undocumented immigrants are involved in the drug trade.

In an interview with Newsmax, King said that -- out of the population of young undocumented immigrants -- "for every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."

That remark from the noted immigration reform foe prompted a sharp response from Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who is working on legislation to offer a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

"I strongly disagree with his characterization of the children of immigrants and find the comments inexcusable," Cantor said.

House Speaker John Boehner called the characterization "hateful."

"What he said is wrong," Boehner said. "There can be honest disagreements about policy without using hateful language. Everyone needs to remember that."

And South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy argued that "the number of people that have Steve King's precise ideology with respect to immigration is not a sufficient number to derail anything. . ."

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