Family . . .

(from http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Movies/The-Nativity-Story/A-Religious-Santa-Claus-Tale.aspx?p=3#u36WE9MK6YKH4F3v.99)
". . . When we turn to the actual text in Matthew and Luke, the questions and problems indicating that these stories are not literal history multiply. Matthew, who wrote between 80 and 85 C.E., wrote the first stories of Jesus' birth. He was also the gospel writer most appreciative of and anchored in his Jewish background. Matthew introduced this birth story with a genealogy that grounds Jesus in a thoroughly Jewish past, describing his lineage from Abraham, through David and the kings of Judah, to the exile and finally to Joseph, whom he identified as "the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ" (Matthew 1:16). Provocatively enough, and quite rare in the ancient world, Matthew adds four women to this lengthy genealogy-- all of whom are sexually tainted in the stories about them in the Hebrew Scriptures.

First there is Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah who became pregnant by her father-in-law in an incestuous relationship (Matthew 2:1, Genesis 38). Yet Matthew says the line of Jesus came through this woman. Next, there is Rahab, who was called "the harlot," who assisted with Joshua's invasion of the promised land (Matthew. 1:5, Joshua 2). Matthew also says the line of Jesus came through this woman. Then there is Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David who in her time was said to have seduced her future husband, Boaz, with the aid of much wine. When Boaz woke up to discover Ruth in his bed, he covered her with his blanket and proceeded to do the honorable thing by marrying her (Matthew 1:5, Ruth 3). The hereditary background of Jesus includes Ruth, according to Matthew. . ."

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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

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
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Also, be sure to visit:
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Tannic or Acidic? . . .

(from http://antiwinesnob.com/wine-articles/whats-the-difference-between-tannins-and-acidity/)
". . .Tannins are often described as bitter, puckery, drying, astringent or akin to the sensation of rubbing a swab of cotton down your tongue. I actually tried this and did see a connection between the two sensations. The flavor of tannin has also been described as the flavor of steeped black tea. (Which also has a high tannin content.) I tried this, too, and found the comparison very helpful in understanding the sensation and taste of tannins in my wine. . .

There appear to be four predominate types of acid found in wine: Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid and Citric Acid. These acids add what is called “structure” and help shape the flavors and aftertaste (also called a wine’s “finish”). Acids also act as a preservative. Another acid-Acetic Acid (vinegar)-is usually present in only trace amounts and contributes to a sweet/sour vinegar taste. Too much acetic acid in wine is not a good thing and can often be detected in super duper cheap table wines. . .

When distinguishing tannins from acidity, it is easier to start by comparing a white wine that has not been aged in oak (perhaps a Riesling-it is usually quite high in acidity) with a deep red wine (perhaps a Cabernet Sauvignon from California or Australia). When you try the white wine, you’ll notice the tart, zingy flavor that makes your tongue salivate a little. Kind of like drinking orange juice. When you try the red wine, you might have that tart, zingy feeling, too (the acid), but what you’ll also notice is that drying, puckery feeling that seems to roll down the middle of your tongue and coat your mouth. The wine feels deep and … complex. That’s the tannins in the red wine. . . "

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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

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)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Oops. . .

I overheard an uplifting little story recently . . . one of two men of indeterminate age says, ‘You seem to be enjoying yourself though, I must say. It’s gotten you out of your box.’  The second responds, ‘Well, I don’t like to be too philosophical but you must live in the moment.  This is only gonna happen once.  You have to enjoy it because it’s not going to come around again.  November 8, 2014 is here now and won’t be back tomorrow. ‘


Truly inspiring.  Only problem is . . . I overheard it on November 6.

 

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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

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)

Also, be sure to visit:
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It's November . . .

. . . yes. . . but still . . .


The moon in June
And sweet perfume
Have been used
In a million love songs
But they just don't belong
In a song about you
Many is the time
I want to tell you that I love you
I tried so hard to write it down
In oh so many different ways
But feeling is the easy part
The telling is hard
Words don't mean anything
Until you try to
Speak from inside of your heart

We'll be together
We'll be together
We'll be together
For a very long time


A Very Long Time
©1990 Raymond M. Jozwiak (another take) 



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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

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)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Threat? . . .

(from NBCNews.com)
". . . House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday warned that the president will "poison the well" for the new Congress if he takes executive action to address the deportation of undocumented immigrants."I've made clear to the president that if he acts unilaterally on his own outside of his authority, he will poison the well and there will be no chance for immigration reform moving in this Congress," Boehner told reporters at his first news conference after big GOP gains in Tuesday's midterm elections. "When you play with matches, you take the risk of burning yourself. And he's going to burn himself if he continues to go down this path," he said. Boehner also pledged that the House will vote to repeal the president's signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, despite the fact that repeal legislation would be headed to a certain veto and perhaps failure in the upper chamber. "Now whether it'll pass the Senate, I don't know," he added. "But I know in the House, it will pass." Boehner Warns Obama: Don’t 'Play With Matches' and Get Burned on Immigration. Boehner said that, although he has "a nice relationship" with President Barack Obama, "my job is not to get along with the president just to get along with him." "My job is to listen to my members and listen to the American people to make their priorities our priorities," he added. Other issues Boehner said he wants to address in the new Congress included energy policy, education reform and changes to the nation's tax and legal systems. Republicans gained at least seven seats in the Senate and at least 14 seats in the United States House. . ."


Isn’t there a law against threatening a U.S. President?

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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

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)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Blowin' . . .

. . . in the wind . . .

A false allegation circulated that the song was written by a high-school student named Lorre Wyatt and subsequently purchased or plagiarized by Dylan before he gained fame.

This allegation was published in a Newsweek article in November 1963; while the story left the claims unconfirmed, it prompted much speculation. Several members of Wyatt's school (Millburn High) and community (Short Hills and Millburn, New Jersey) reported having heard his singing the song and claiming authorship a year before it was released by Dylan, or made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary. Wyatt even told his teacher that he'd sold the song for $1,000 and donated the money to charity, when asked why he had suddenly stopped performing it.

The plagiarism claim was eventually shown to be untrue. Wyatt had performed the song at school and elsewhere months before it was made famous, but not before it had been published and credited to Dylan in Broadside magazine. Wyatt finally explained his deception to New Times magazine in 1974. He credited his initial lie to panic that he wasn't pulling his weight as a songwriter in the school's male folk group, The Millburnaires.

Ironically, an early release of the song appears on The Millburnaires' self-published LP album, "A Time To Sing", released in April 1963. On the disk label, the song is credited to Wyatt, not Dylan. The album later was picked up for national release and renamed "Teenage Hootenanny," by The Millburnaires '63. On "Hootenanny," unlike the self-published album, the song is no longer credited to Wyatt. The Millburnaires' version of the song has a slightly different, somewhat less strident, melody from the versions subsequently released by Dylan and by Peter, Paul & Mary, possibly because Wyatt, who had heard Dylan perform it in a New York club, did not remember it precisely when Wyatt introduced it to his schoolmates.

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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

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)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Fresh . . .

My registered political affiliation is 'non-affiliated' and that's the way I like it. I have learned over many years and through much experience that I just do not make a good club member. This has been true as applicable to the Boy Scouts, Church, Social Clubs and even music-related associations.  It's not a superiority (nor inferiority) complex by any means. It's just that I never feel like I truly 'fit.'

Needless to say neither of the two major (read: MONEY) political parties move me exclusively or sufficiently enough to subscribe.  But I must say, now that the mid-term elections are over, that I have no problem with Republicans taking a majority of the Senate, nor with my home state's replacing its Democratic regime with a Republican.  Three distinct reasons come to mind as to why I feel this way.  They are:

1.  After such a protracted, politically contentious period between the two biggies, I am hoping that some reasonable Republicans (yes, I believe they actually do exist) will step up and help Washington regain its functionality.  Hell, this is a good opportunity for a brand-new hero (or some brand-new heroes) to capture the hearts of the citizenry.

2.  Also, after the gridlock we've seen, possibly some formerly narrow-minded Republicans (or even Democrats, for that matter) will listen, think and learn and even change their minds about SOMETHING for the betterment of her/his constituents.

3.  This is the result of the democratic process and it really is a wonderful thing.  Many countries do not have this.  (yeah, I sound like your high-school civics teacher, right??) The process worked, like it has so many times before and will so many times again.  And if the new majority proves by their actions that they really are not up to the job, there will be another election bringing with it the chance to make another change. 

And although I shouldn't mention a fourth reason, I will anyway. . .should number three become a reality, we'll know exactly where to go to place blame and can take some comfort in the fact that we didn't help put them there.

What do you think?
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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

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)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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