pianogonzology

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Forget It . . .

(from http://www.alternet.org/story/140137/american_amnesia%3A_we_forget_our_atrocities_almost_as_soon_as_we_commit_them)
". . . Why else send prisoners where they would be beyond the reach of the law -- a place, incidentally, that Washington is using in violation of a treaty forced on Cuba at the point of a gun?. . . torture has been routinely practiced from the early days of the conquest of the national territory, and continued to be used as the imperial ventures of the "infant empire" -- as George Washington called the new republic. . . torture was the least of the many crimes of aggression, terror, subversion, and economic strangulation that have darkened U.S. history, much as in the case of other great powers. . . "

But don't worry, Donald Trump's rantings, Kate Winslet's birthday and the 'adventures' of Real Housewives will soon divert our attention and . . . life goes on . . .

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

Friday, October 9, 2015

What's In a Name? . . .

(from http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Corporate/History/Default.htm)
" . . . In the United States, The Ritz-Carlton Investing Company was established by Albert Keller who bought and franchised the name. In the early 1900s, several hotels were known as The Ritz-Carlton, in places such as Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlantic City and Boca Raton. However, by 1940 none of the hotels were operating except The Ritz-Carlton, Boston. The hotel embodies the finest luxury experience, Yankee ingenuity and Boston social sensibilities. The standards of service, dining and facilities of this Boston landmark served as a benchmark for all future Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts worldwide.

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston revolutionized hospitality in America by creating luxury in a hotel setting:

Private bath in each guest room
Lighter fabrics in the guest room to allow for more thorough washing
White tie and apron uniforms for the waitstaff, black tie for the Maître d’ and morning suits for all other staff, conducive to a formal, professional appearance
Extensive fresh flowers throughout the public areas
A la carte dining, providing choices for diners
Gourmet cuisine, utilizing the genius and cooking methods of Auguste Escoffier
Intimate, smaller lobbies for a more personalized guest experience . . . "

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Laugh . . .

So I've been thinking about the ability to laugh at yourself. No. I mean TRULY LAUGH at yourself; a very important ability. I really believe the people I like best, at this point in my life, are precisely those who can laugh, really laugh at themselves.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Confused . . .

. . . I am.

Don't get me wrong, I love technology, the internet, cell phones, mobile devices. . . I only have a problem with remembering all my passwords to access all these wonderful things. . .

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Memory . . .

. . . issues. . .

(based upon http://www.alternet.org/story/140137/american_amnesia%3A_we_forget_our_atrocities _almost_as_soon_as_we_commit_them)
. . . Torture memos released by the White House elicited shock, indignation, and surprise-latter of which is . . . surprising. Guantanamo was a torture chamber; a place used in violation of a treaty forced on Cuba. Torture has been routinely practiced; the least of the many crimes of aggression, terror, subversion, and economic strangulation darkening the history of the U.S. and many other great powers. Surprising is essentially the reactions to the release of those Justice Department memos, even by some of the most eloquent and forthright critics of Bush malfeasance: Paul Krugman, Hans Morgenthau, who as a scrupulous scholar, also recognized that the historical record was radically inconsistent with that "transcendent purpose." . . .

Monday, October 5, 2015

Auntie Em . . .

. . . there's no place like it . . .

(from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/home)

“Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?”
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

“For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. . ."

― Hermann Hesse, Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”
― Edith Sitwell

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“I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here.”
― Lauren Myracle

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Gigolo . . .

(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Prima)
Louis ". . . Prima was from a musical family in New Orleans. His father, Anthony Prima, was the son of Leonardo Di Prima, a Sicilian immigrant from Salaparuta, while his mother, Angelina Caravella, had immigrated from Ustica as a baby. Prima was the second child of four; his older brother, Leon, was born in 1907, while his sisters Elizabeth and Marguerite were younger. Marguerite died when she was three years old. Leon, Louis, and Elizabeth were all baptized at St. Ann's Parish. They lived in a house at 1812 St. Peter Street in New Orleans, which was mainly populated by Italians, Arabs, Jews and African Americans. . . (Prima died in) 1978, having been moved back to New Orleans. He was buried in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans. His gray marble crypt is topped by a figure of Gabriel, the trumpeter-angel, sculpted in 1997 by Russian-born sculptor Alexei Kazantsev. The inscription on the crypt's door quotes the lyrics from one of his hits: "When the end comes, I know, they'll all say 'just a gigolo' as life goes on without me. . ."