pianogonzology

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Beneath . . .

. . . the attractive surface, lies some not-so-obvious truth. . .

(https://www.ajot.com/news/trumps-wasting-time-trying-to-save-factories-michael-schuman)
". . . Listening to our political leaders, you’d think everyone on the planet works in a factory. . . (candidates) want(s) to stop China and Mexico from “taking our jobs” by preventing factories from moving there—and (are) willing to launch a trade war to do so. Michael Short, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, recently claimed that a loss of 264,000 manufacturing jobs under President Obama was “a stark reminder of the failure of his policies,” as if the nearly 10 million other jobs added on Obama’s watch didn’t matter. . . This obsession with factories threatens to undermine sound economic policy. The notion that economic strength should be measured by how many assembly lines one country hosts compared to another is based on outdated thinking. And frantic attempts to save factories are a distraction from the real challenge of preparing economies and workers for the demands of the 21st century. . . in the modern age, it’s debatable how much value a physical factory delivers to most national economies. . . It’s also doubtful whether factories will remain an important source of new jobs in the future. Automation, advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are making it possible for machines to perform more and more of the manufacturing work currently done by people, resulting in “dark factories” that don’t need lights since only robots work there. The Boston Consulting Group figures that by 2025, some 25 percent of all tasks in manufacturing will be automated, compared to around 10 percent today. . ."

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Monday, June 13, 2016

Songs . . .

(from the desk of Rod Deacey)
". . . This Monday, we are delighted to welcome back an inspired performer described by Larry Groce of NPR’s Mountain Stage as “West Virginia’s premier songwriter.” The inimitable TODD BURGE can write and sing you a witty ditty about ANYTHING, and frequently does write about anything, or at least those things that no-one else would think to sing about. Todd’s buddy, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter TIM O’BRIEN says. “… he’s invented his own art form… his songs just keep getting better and better…” As if his stellar songwriting isn’t enough, he also plays a mean guitar, and his vocal gymnastics will blow you away! I think you can tell I like this guy – and you will, too! Come and experience West Virginia’s finest!

Monday’s Piano Prelude will be played for us by another musician from across the river, classical organist JIM MOON, who takes a break from his band, MOON MUSIC, to bring us some Scott Joplin ragtime tunes, sprinkled with classic Dylan, James Taylor and more! We are not sure if Christian will be taking care of our food and drinks or whether it will be surprise substitute Kat, back to help us again!

Three-song cameos will be supplied by award-winning songwriter ANNETTE WASILIK and another of our regular piano meisters, ROCKIN’ RAY JOZWIAK! Ray will also help me out later in the show, playing his best Americana piano… After the feature, poet JOHN HOLLY will read a couple of his poems, I’ll sing a couple of songs and read a poem, and TOMY WRIGHT (with us this week – Yea!) will close the evening…"

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Sunday, June 12, 2016

Literally . . .

. . . sell what you possess. . .

(from Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy by John Shelby Spong)
". . . "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor . . . and come, follow me". . . It was a hard teaching, one that could not be received by the questioner; Matthew tells us that the young man "went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.". . . That conversation then precipitated Jesus; teaching on wealth [in the gospel of Matthew] . . . I always find it interesting to see where biblical literalists cease to be literal. This is one of those places. Far from listening to the demands of Jesus, we have rather developed a Christianity of affluence, in which the poor are judged and blamed for being poor. In the United States the political party that claims to represent the 'religious' or the 'Christian' vote constantly seeks to cut programs aimed at assisting the poor, and to do away with health coverage for any who cannot afford it. . . "

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Saturday, June 11, 2016

Writing. . .

Letters . . .

Dear Mr. Trump,
Writing this on your own level, just to ensure you understand my meaning. I write this without malice, although since I have descended to your level, I do believe that the inclusion of some malice is probably a requirement in the interest of authenticity.

Paraphrasing the late Frank Zappa, 'Donald Trump! Donald Trump, what's got into ya'" You obviously lead quite a grand life. You certainly do not have to worry about funds, although in light of your non-existent interest in transparency-you're probably not as rich as you would like us to believe, they are there in abundance to aid you in practically any pursuit you may choose. But PRESIDENT???!!! . . . of the United States???!!! You could have gone to some small, semi-democratic province in maybe the South Pacific or southern hemisphere and tackled that at the peril of a much smaller population with less notoriety (not to mention power) with which to be concerned. . . but the UNITED STATES???!!! . . . SUZY CREAMCHEESE!!!

Your intentions, however, are another matter still. And this, I only say, because of the wisdom, knowledge and certainty you appear to exhibit in all matters relating to government, justice and people in general. . . which is clearly none at all. In fact, I have made the acquaintance of many an inebriated patron of the local saloons in my area through the years, who exhibit a much better grasp on the political and societal subtleties involved in the office of President of the United States.

So, in order to avoid the danger of overstating (and over-staying) my case (and my welcome), may I just say to you, "Bravo!" You have done an admirable job of arousing some 'sleeping' citizenry and have clarified the need of our present civil servants to question the status quo and the modus operandi of governmental bodies while also managing to entertain. Ah, entertain. I'll bet even you have forgotten that that, I suspect, is the real reason you started this in the first place, and I as well. So, in closing, may I say that I wish you all the best. . . in your ENTERTAINMENT career and hop you have the good sense and foresight to do something drastic, such as, withdraw from the Presidential race in the best interest of the entire country . . . but most importantly, in the best interest of YOURSELF!

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Friday, June 10, 2016

Gonzo . . .

www.entertainmentearth.com

Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano Calendar

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Thursday, June 9, 2016

Rigging . . .

. . . again! . . .

(from http://nbcpolitics.org/hillary-is-not-ahead-by-3-million-votes-and-thats-just-math/)
". . .Shaun King made an interesting point that could change the way we view the entire Democratic primary race. What King revealed in his groundbreaking article is that the 3 million vote advantage Clinton holds is a lie. . . According to King, primary races don’t just include voters going out and casting a ballot. Instead, many states hold caucuses in which a group of representatives vouch for their candidate. The candidate with the most representatives in the room wins in that district, and the candidate who wins the most districts is the winner of the state. . . What happens in these cases is that individual votes are not gathered, therefore no votes go to the winning candidate. . . Bernie Sanders has tended to win most caucusing states. Though Sanders may take more than 70 percent of the caucus vote, these numbers don’t translate to individual votes — they add nothing to the overall count. So, states with millions of Sanders supporters are not counted among the millions in competition with Clinton’s big numbers as a result of this system. . ."

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Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Challenge . . .

(from Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy by John Shelby Spong)
". . . If we reduce this Matthean character (the Canaanite woman) to literal person, we can deal with her once and for all and then move on. If she is a symbol, an icon, her challenge will be eternal; her face will change throughout history, but her demands will remain, constantly challenging our security and eroding our barriers. Jewish readers of Matthew's gospel knew that she was a symbol. Gentile readers, later, would assume that she was a literal figure and that they had dealt with her once they had brought themselves to accept Canaanites. Perhaps we need to confront the possibility that Christianity has not failed, as our critics constantly assert; the reality, I believe, is that Christianity has never been understood and thus has never really been tried. . . "

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