It really would be prudent . . .

. . . donchathink?

(from the Justice Party)
The cost of a college education is rising at an average rate of around 6% annually and is expected to grow at this rate for the foreseeable future. Total college loan debt now tops the $1 trillion mark. A college education validates itself in lifetime earnings, but paying off the debt can take decades to achieve. More and more, only the affluent can afford a higher education. Deserving middle-class and poor students are increasingly unable to follow their dreams.

While the Republicans and Democrats quibble about just how much debt college students should carry and at what interest rate, we believe that higher education should be funded as part of the public education system. Educating our citizens and future leaders without mortgaging their futures should be a top national priority.

"Government has an enormous role in education--and it has not been doing a good job in recent times. Funding for education, from pre-school through higher education, is essential if we are to break the cycle of poverty for millions of people in the U.S. and prepare our students to compete with students throughout the world. Just as government moved our nation forward by committing to provide free secondary education, so too should we commit to providing a higher education for capable students."
                        -- Rocky Anderson, Justice Party nominee for President

Flourishing democracies--and robust economies--require educated citizens. It is unfair for the next generation of young people to mortgage their futures so our society can benefit from their knowledge while they languish in debt.

Sign the petition for College Debt Independence!

The time is right to bring higher education into the public education system just as we have done with primary and secondary education.

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So many things. . .

. . . I'd like to do

So many places to see
And I feel like there's never enough
Time for anything else that I
Might have desire to undertake
Something I'd like to pursue
But the world's just spinning around
Keeps me head and foot bound
Don't know what to do

Give me just
Twelve hours to
Add to my day
Keep all your
Wealth and your money
Take your fame and power
Fortune just give me twelve hours
Twelve hours
Twelve

Time isn't cheap
You pay so dearly
I'm trying to
Make every minute count

Spending my time
Seems like all I do
Can't save up for rainy days
Can't invest in an instrument to
Earn satisfaction
To draw from when
Far in the future
I need to feel
Just what my value has been
There's no interest
That's coming or due
Dividends are so
Precious and few
Don't know
Just what to do 

Give me just
Twelve hours to
Add to my day
Keep all your
Wealth and your money
Take your fame and power
Fortune just give me twelve hours
Twelve hours
Twelve


TWELVE HOURS
(instrumental version from AMBIENCE & WINE)
©2011 Raymond M. Jozwiak





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Found . . .

. . . this

headline on MSNBC the other day. . .

"GOP lawmaker says Democrat drank on the job"

Now let's look at this with a somewhat discerning eye.  First, our 'objective' news organization thought this 'story' would be best promoted by pointing out that there are two opposing U.S. political parties involved in this 'development'.

Second, it appears that one of the principals in the 'story' (from one of the two opposing U.S. political parties) has an problem or an issue regarding either self-control, addiction or mere lack of discrimination in his personal activities.

So not only is there (and how many times do we see THIS??) no story here whatsoever, but the mere semblance of a story that was perceived by this reporter and his (or her) respective editor thought not only was it his (or her) duty focus public attention on a very personal problem of one individual who happens to be an elected official, but this reporter and his (or her) respective editor thought that possibly there could be no better way to maliciously publicize a potentially serious personal condition to the public than to invoke the currently divisive, polarized political climate and make sure that everyone knows that a "GOP" lawmaker said a "Democrat" drank on the job.

I didn't, haven't and do not intend to even read this story.  Quite possibly I have jumped to a conclusion or two in my thoughts and maybe the story is really harmless.  But I don't think so.  And I don't think so for the mere reason that, in spite of however true, tawdry, misguided, inappropriate, misjudging, naive or merely rebellious the latter personage's conduct truly is,  it is in fact, nothing short of irresponsible, inconsiderate and indicative of poor judgement for a news organization to even conceive of, let alone write and publish a headline of this fashion.

Sorry.  But that's the way I feel.

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So what . . .

. . . miracle drug or horrendous malady can do all of the below? . . .

Prevent depression
Prevent prostate cancer
Reduce probability of strokes for women
Ward off Alzheimer’s
Reduce probability of breast cancer
Contain antioxidants
Make you smarter
Deliver a jolt deep in the brain
Not make you more alert
Protect you against type 2 diabetes
Trigger heart attack
Stimulate the adrenal hormones leaving your body’s parasympathetic nervous system (also known as the rest and digest system) inactive
Cause stomach ulcers
Cause birth defects
 
A newly published study of 400,000 participants says that coffee is not a guilty pleasure that may do harm. Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute says there may actually be a modest benefit of coffee drinking. Coffee contains many things that can affect health, from helpful antioxidants to tiny amounts of substances linked to cancer. And surprisingly, caffeine didn't play a role in the results of the new study. It's not that earlier studies were wrong. There is evidence that coffee can raise LDL, or bad cholesterol, and blood pressure (at least short-term) and those can raise the risk of heart disease.

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WHAT am I gonna do? . . .

. . . ? ? ? 

 The Food Pairing Craze: Down The Same Wrong Road As Wine Scores

July 30, 2011 | Filed under Worth A Look | Posted by Lewis Perdue

The current infatuation with wine and food pairings is headed down the same wrong road as wine scores. Why? Because people are genetically unique and so are their taste buds. No two people experience the same smell, the same taste — or the same wine/food pairing exactly the same way.
Because of that, it’s unreasonable to expect an individual wine-tasting/food-pairing experience to coincide with those of a set of expert high priests/priestesses who pronounce what is “good” and what is not.

Struggling to find the “right” food/wine combo adds a whole ‘nother' level of insecurity to the wine experience. And that first level of insecurity remains as the primary obstacle to broader consumer acceptance of wine. We’ve seen that wine has recently reached parity with beer as a preferred alcoholic beverage. There are a lot of factors associated with that as are well-studied by the Wine Market Council. A lot has to do with rising income among America’s growing Latino population. That follows the trend that wine consumption increases with income and socioeconomic status.
Some of that growth also comes from Millennials who scorn experts, tasting notes and snobbism. And more support comes from rising set of voices such as Tim Hanni, Gary Vaynerchuk and others who have emphasized and recognized the importance of individual palate variations and spoken out against the elitism that still endures as wine’s most prominent paradigm.

This elitism, this dogmatic insistence on perfect pairing has dominated articles and posts that emphasize education, learn, education, learn … and thus carry the unspoken message that the average wine drinker must study, study, study. Hell, if I faced that level of strenuous effort at the market, I’d go for a Jagged Edge IPA or a Racer 5 any day rather than turn my imbibing experience into sweaty- palm quantum chromodynamics final exam that I arrived for stark naked. In fact, we frequently go for a brew at our meals — especially when we’ve gone through several days in a row when we’ve opened a highly rated bottle of wine and found it unworthy of either the calories or alcohol intake. Some nights we open two or three of these before heading for beer or a reliable wine in the cellar. The average wine consumer does not have a cellar, nor are they likely to persist in one bottle of wine after another.

This whole emphasis on correct coupling discourages individual experimentation and raises the perceived risk quotient … and decreases overall enjoyment of the wine and the food.
And least we forget: constrains wine sales.

Just remember: people do not flock to musicians with perfect pitch. If that were the case, The Fray, Green Day, Gaslight Anthem and Matchbox 20 would be non-starters. On the other hand, they WERE non-starters to the elite music critics. But experimenting with what band you listen to lacks the financial penalty inherent in wine. Attacks on scores and perfect pairings are heresy. They also endanger the raison d’être of experts. For, if scores and perfect pairings are not relevant to average consumers, then what value do vino-gurus bring to the table? Make no mistake, there is a powerful and long-established set of vested interests who will defend the status quo as brutally as wholesalers attack the direct shipment of wine. But in the end, we must honor pleasure. Remember enjoyment? That’s what food and wine are about. Just drink it. Just eat it. Just enjoy it.

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Fine wine. . .

. . . time . . . if you're inclined . . . Friday til nine . . . (I get tired of all these attempts at clever etc., don't you????)  BUT . . . THIS FRIDAY, beginning at six . . . 
at Elk Run Vineyard . . .

Doug Alan Wilcox and Ray Jozwiak-Gonzo Piano (joined by Tomy Wright, percussion)  These guys [Doug and Tomy] are GOOD.  Guaranteed!  

Elk Run Vinyard
15113 Liberty Road  Mt. Airy, MD 21771  Phone: 410-775-2513 • Fax: 410-875-2009 • TOLL FREE: 800-414-2513 • elk_run@msn.com





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Bad . . .

 . . . dream . . .

. . . The fortified stone shelter was thought to be strong enough to withstand the trauma that would result from the earth's departing its axis.  It was however, difficult to enter and not large enough to accommodate everyone.  He sat on one of the bus-stop benches, brought into the First National Bank Building to seat the throngs, between his youngest son and his best friend, staring blankly at the obviously futile efforts toward protecting building's inhabitants including the blocking of all windows and doors with concrete.  Catching a last glimpse of the the cloudy grey sky as the concrete wall was sliding into place, his son asked compassionately if he thought Mom had safely reached the shelter and was there a plan to re-unite when the disaster passed.  He tried, however unconvincingly, to comfort his youngest in the affirmative but harbored greater uncertainty than even he wanted to admit. . .

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