pianogonzology

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Tunnel . . .

. . . Joe . . .

(source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1997-03-09/features/1997068134_1_cell-holmes-dig)
The recent escape of two convicted killers from Clinton Correctional Facility brought to mind a story I had read years ago about an equally resourceful but less threatening inmate who earned the distinction of the 'only resident of the Maryland Penitentiary to ever dig his way to freedom."Tunnel Joe" Holmes, who on July 8, 1949 was in the eighth of a 20-year sentence for burglary, decided to dig for his freedom. His major motivation was as he feared that his long imprisonment would cause him to "blow up -- as he'd seen others do in nearby cells," said The Sun. After 20 months of steady labor chipping at the slate cell floor under his cot, he completed a narrow, muddy tube 70 feet long that carried him 26 feet down and under the prison's walls to a grassy plot to nearby East Eager and Forrest streets, from which he made his escape. It took Joe 40 days to complete the project and taste freedom. The tunnel, dug with only a nail attached to a stick and bare hands, was only wide enough for him to wiggle through. As he dug, Jo packed the dirt in hand-sewn bags to bring to the surface and flush away in his toilet. He even designed a 9 foot deep by 6 wide drain to dispose of 140 gallons of water nightly. In the early hours of Feb. 18, 1951, Joe packed his clothes and $152 in numbers winnings took forty five minutes to make his way through the tunnel. Upon emerging, he changed into dry pants and shirt and cleared the 7-foot picket fence near the warden's house and dropped into Eager Street. He wisely high-tailed it through Wilmington, Del., Philadelphia, Pa., and New Haven, Conn., returning to Baltimore. Joe was eventually apprehended by police during a Howard Street shootout in a bowling alley after he pulled a $5 holdup the cook in wealthy home on Mount Vernon Place. Joe passed away in 1973. Not sure whether he was 'out' or 'in' at the time.

The case of Matt and Sweat in New York may be every bit as dazzling, but in the present climate of fantastic feats, unconscionable acts and extremely bad people, Joe's story somehow holds a bit of atmospheric romance and harmlessness. . . at least for me.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

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. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

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

Monday, June 15, 2015

Take . . .

. . . NOTHING for granted. . .

(from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33039815) ". . . Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court has upheld the sentence of 1,000 lashes and 10 years of imprisonment on blogger Raif Badawi, despite a foreign outcry. Speaking from Canada, his wife Ensaf Haidar told the BBC she feared his punishment would start again on Friday. Badawi was arrested in 2012 for "insulting Islam through electronic channels". Saudi authorities sent his case for review amidst global protests, after the first round of lashes in January. For four years Badawi ran the Liberal Saudi Network, which encouraged online debate on religious and political issues. Ms Haidar said she had held high hopes that her husband was about to be released, but he remained less optimistic. When they last spoke three days ago he told her not to expect him home in the near future. She called on the countries and rights groups that had campaigned for her husband's release to mobilise once more. Amnesty International activists held a protest demanding the release of blogger Raif Badawi in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Berlin on 22 May 2015 Protests were held following Badawi's first flogging by the kingdom Badawi received his first 50 lashes in January, but subsequent floggings have been postponed. A shaky video taken on a mobile phone showed Badawi being lashed by a member of the security forces. The footage prompted international protests which were repeated every Friday, the scheduled day for the beatings. In March, the kingdom expressed "surprise and dismay" at international criticism over the punishment. At the time, the foreign ministry issued a statement saying it rejected interference in its internal affairs. It is not clear why Badawi has not yet endured a second round though a medical report found he was not fit for the punishment. Saudi Arabia enforces a strict version of Islamic law and does not tolerate political dissent. It has some of the highest social media usage rates in the region, and has cracked down on domestic online criticism. . . "

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. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Damnedest . . .

. . . thing . . .

(http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/06/08/412314701/lost-posture-why-indigenous-cultures-dont-have-back-pain)
". . . if you look at drawings from Leonardo da Vinci — or a Grey's Anatomy book from 1901 — the spine isn't shaped like a sharp, curvy S. It's much flatter, all the way down the back. Then at the bottom, it curves to stick the buttocks out. So the spine looks more like the letter J. "The J-shaped spine is what you see in Greek statues. It's what you see in young children. It's good design," (Esther) Gokhale says. So Gokhale worked to get her spine into the J shape. And gradually her back pain went away. . . Americans are also much less active than people in traditional cultures, (Dr. Preveen) Mummaneni says. "I think the sedentary lifestyle promotes a lack of muscle tone and a lack of postural stability because the muscles get weak." Everyone knows that weak abdominal muscles can cause back pain. In fact, Mummaneni says, stronger muscles might be the secret to Gokhale's success. In other words, it's not that the J-shaped spine is the ideal one — or the healthiest. It's what goes into making the J-shaped spine that matters: "You have to use muscle strength to get your spine to look like a J shape," he says. . ."

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Removed . . .

. . . from view . . .

(from Joseph and his Brothers by Thomas Mann- translation by John E. Woods)
". . . A few years more and there would be almost nothing left of the stuff of the Joseph whom Jacob had held in a farewell embrace, as Rebekah had once held him - as little as if his flesh had dissolved into death. Except that, since it was not death that changed him, but life, his form as Joseph remained more or less intact, but less faithfully and perfectly than sheltering death would have kept it in the mind's eye and as it actually, though deceptively, had done in Jacob's mind. But it should still give us pause that, in regard to the content and form of life, the difference between whether it is death or life that removes a person from view is not nearly so important as people would probably like to think. . . "

Friday, June 12, 2015

The Case . . .

. . . for electing Hillary Clinton President of the United States of America. . .

(from http://harpers.org/archive/2014/10/stop-hillary-2/ by Doug Henwood)
". . . boils down to this: She has experience, she’s a woman, and it’s her turn. It’s hard to find any substantive political argument in her favor. She has, in the past, been associated with women’s issues, with children’s issues — but she also encouraged her husband to sign the 1996 bill that put an end to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (AFDC), which had been in effect since 1935. Indeed, longtime Clinton adviser Dick Morris, who has now morphed into a right-wing pundit, credits Hillary for backing both of Bill’s most important moves to the center: the balanced budget and welfare reform.1 And during her subsequent career as New York’s junior senator and as secretary of state, she has scarcely budged from the centrist sweet spot, and has become increasingly hawkish on foreign policy. . . "

Thursday, June 11, 2015

The Stronger . . .

. . . sex? . . .

(from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/careers/why-men-least-pretend-work-longer-hours-n369731)
(A survey of) ". . .3,042 Dutch male workers . . . asked about their personal situations, how many hours they worked and how many hours they thought their peers worked on average. Men who thought they worked fewer hours than their counterparts were found to be less happy than those who thought they worked more, regardless of their working time or income. According to the report's authors, this phenomenon, called "conspicuous work," occurs when "the individual derives status from working more than his peers, which increases his utility." The report states: "In many social groups, an individual can indeed increase his status by telling everyone that he is very busy, preferably even more than others around him. Symmetrically, he can lose status if he has less to do than others." Apparently this phenomenon only affects men. Marion Collewet, one of the report's authors, told CNBC by email: "The patterns of conspicuous work which we identify for male workers cannot be found for female workers in our data.". . ."

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

OHO . . .

. . . and wine. . .

(from http://www.elkrun.com/)

". . . nestled in the rolling hills of Frederick County surrounded by dairy and horse farms and fields of wheat and corn. The name “Elk Run” was chosen for a stream. The deed name to the property is the “Resurvey of Cold Friday.” It was a land grant from the King of England to Lord Baltimore. . . Using new world research and technology while maintaining the traditions and values of old world practices, Elk Run’s focus is on producing high quality wine from high quality grapes. Soils of schist and shale allow for deep roots and good drainage. Seven to eight hundred foot elevations help keep the vineyard safe from frost danger. Warm days and cool nights preserve the fruity character in the wines. . . "

Event: Wine Down Friday’s Presents: OHO
Start: June 12, 2015 6:00 pm
End: June 12, 2015 9:00 pm
Category: Music
Tasting
Updated: March 5, 2015
Legends of the progressive rock scene in Baltimore during the 1970’s and 80’s, OHO currently performs as a trio. It is nearly impossible to describe the OHO sound, but we’ll try, “jazz flecked, jubilant, jangly, folk/prog/rock. www.ohomusic.com