Mount Dora Parking

Posted on January 25, 2016 by admin

The 429 Connector is part of a toll-highway system that is now 7/8 complete, and will eventually encircle Orlando, FL. Its builders had a few issues running the final link through the Wekiva Springs State Park (and other protected wetlands), but as you can see by the map below, they got it worked out. [1]

The 429 now connects Disney to Lake County, with an exit arrow pointing to “Mount Dora.”

Mount Dora is now recognized as a tourist destination around the world, and anyone who can afford it, can fly into Orlando International Airport and then drive to Mount Dora in about an hour.

Some people are disappointed upon arrival, as downtown Mount Dora is just three (3) blocks square, with a lot of empty (for rent) buildings within.

There is no more room for street parking in the downtown area, and the available lots were filled long ago.

Mount Dora will retain neither its ‘quaintness’ nor its events & festivals, without serious infrastructure upgrades.

So far, Mount Dora city planners have poured millions of dollars into railroads, cutting down old oak trees, and other concrete ‘improvements’– without addressing basic issues such as parking, traffic flow and pedestrian safety.

There needs to be a FREE (otherwise people won’t use it!) multi-level parking garage at 441 & Donnelly– where the Publix shopping center used to be. Alternative location: 441 & Limit.

Additionally there needs to be reliable (& reasonably-fared) shuttle service from the garage, to the downtown & back– within business hours. Segways can’t be allowed in the streets, and they must yield to pedestrians– always; otherwise it’s insanity. Sidewalks need to be installed around the downtown area, meaning ‘historic’ easements will need to be annexed for pedestrian & bicycle safety.

Some crotchy old-timers will protest, and they need to be shouted down by reason in all forums. Their class hates self-sacrifice, always insisting on the sacrifices of others.

This needs to get done ASAP, and without corruption.

If you’re able to relax, Mount Dora is indeed ‘Someplace Special.’

When it’s overrun with angry tourists & congested traffic, it becomes like everything else under capitalism– ruined.

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Rock & Roll HoF Corruption

Posted on January 23, 2016 by admin

“The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors the legendary performers, producers, songwriters, disc jockeys and others who have made rock and roll [as defined by Rolling Stone magazine– RS] the force that it is in our culture.” [1]

This discussion will focus on the performer section of the Hall, because it’s supposed to be about the music. It’s the artists (and those left out) that define this institution. The rule of eligibility is straight-forward: once an artist has gone 25 years after the release of their first record, they become eligible.

Anyone who knows anything about punk & rap, knows that 2016 inductees Cheap Trick and NWA are first-rate artists– who should have been in years ago, if this institution took the music seriously.

For heavy metal and classic rock buffs, Deep Purple and Steve Miller can be viewed as worthy, as long as it’s recognized that this is around where the line for entry should be. Grand Funk, BTO, etc… are well-below that standard– otherwise the concept of a ‘Hall of Fame’ becomes diluted & meaningless.

The fifth & final 2016 inductee was Chicago, who were (and still are) industry product with very little artistic aesthetic. Their songs suffer from similarity, even their album covers all look the same, unimaginatively titled Chicago I (1969)… Now: Chicago XXXVI (2014). The only reason bands like Chicago lasted & ‘succeeded’ was because they were backed by big-label (Columbia Records here) payola. Chicago had a hard time putting together a decent retrospective (Greatest Hits: Chicago IX [1975]) when it was time, proving after all those years they weren’t even much of a singles band:

The following is a list of important musical artists (arranged by genre), who are NOT in the R&R HoF. I don’t consider this list exhaustive, but every one of them is more worthy of recognition, than Chicago and the rest of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40.

This is essential modern music which any enthusiastic & fair-minded listener needs to know about. The hidden purpose of the R&R HoF (and its Rolling Stone magazine founders), is to keep this vital music away from people– at least until these artists can be coerced into acquiesce to the machinery. Only then will these rock renegades be allowed in from the cold.

My hope is that none of these artists even care about getting into this thoroughly bloated & corrupt institution. They are all too good for this, and their legions of fans know it.

Alt/Punk: Roxy Music, New Order/Joy Division, Big Star, Pixies, King Crimson, Sonic Youth, Captain Beefheart, Husker Du, Minutemen, Soundgarden, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Replacements, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, B-52’s, X, X-Ray Spex, Jane’s Addiction, NY Dolls, Buzzcocks, Black Flag, Runaways, Devo, XTC, PJ Harvey, Babes in Toyland, Bikini Kill, Helmet, Rage Against the Machine, Phish, Mott the Hoople, Television, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Echo & the Bunnymen, English Beat, Gang of Four, Wire, Violent Femmes, Gary Numan, Bauhaus, Soft Machine, Minor Threat/Fugazi, Fall, Dinosaur Jr, Primus, Hole, Bad Brains, Pere Ubu, Nico, Mission of Burma, Breeders, Throwing Muses, Mekons, Fugs, Feelies, Meat Puppets, Slits, Big Black, Smiths, Midnight Oil, Rodriguez…

Heavy Metal: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Queensryche…

Country Influence: Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings…

Blues/Jazz Influence: Slim Harpo, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus…

Rap/Hip-Hop: Afrika Bambaataa, Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul, Boogie Down Productions/KRS, Queen Latifah, Gang Starr…

Classic Rock: Warren Zevon, Graham Parker, Love, Free, Bad Company, Shangri-Las, Boston, REO Speedwagon, Joe Walsh, Them, Joe Jackson, Steve Earle, Richard & Linda Thompson, Fairport Convention, Robin Trower, Guess Who, George Thorogood, Jim Croce…

Pop & Divas: Nina Simone, Carpenters, Pat Benatar, Go-Go’s, Eurythmics, Sinead O’Connor…

Reggae: Toots & Maytals, Peter Tosh, Augustus Pablo, Desmond Dekker, I-Roy, Burning Spear, Big Youth, Lee “Scratch” Perry…

World Influence: Fela Kuti, Antônio Carlos Jobim, King Sunny Ade, Ali Farke Toure, Ravi Shankar, Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal, Tito Puentes, Ruben Blades, Fania All-Stars…

Electronic: Tangerine Dream, Can, Faust, Massive Attack, Moby, Prodigy, Underworld, Bjork…

I’m a small-hall guy so I (unfairly?) excluded artists like Jethro Tull, Procol Harum Kraftwerk, Nine Inch Nails, Cars, Dire Straits, Journey, April Wine, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squire, Living Color, Ministry, Pantera… who all rocked harder (and with WAY more content), than Chicago.

Here’s this artist’s overview of other recent inductee classes:

2015 Worthy Inductees: Green Day, Joan Jett, Stevie Ray Vaughn
2014 Worthy Inductees: Nirvana, Peter Gabriel
2013 Worthy Inductees: Albert King, Randy Newman, Donna Summer, Rush, Public Enemy
2012 Worthy Inductees: Beastie Boys, Guns ‘N’ Roses

Too much fluff has been allowed in, while too much of what is essential rock music has been left out. The R&R HoF is a gross distortion & marginalization of valuable popular culture. Music lovers & kids can remedy this situation by ignoring this political nonsense, and opening their minds– so they can hear music in a new way.

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The Load Rest Travelled

Posted on January 19, 2016 by admin

Makes all the difference

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San Diego Padres 2015-16 Off-Season Wrap-Up

Posted on January 15, 2016 by admin

The MLB off-season is all about the general manager (GM), and what he does to improve the organization. Last off-season, Padres GM A.J. Preller was handed a checkbook by owner Ron Fowler, and he proceeded to make splashes. In hindsight, the only deal that Preller probably regrets is the Matt Kemp trade, although nothing turned out well on-the-field for the 2015 Padres.

Let’s get the Matt Kemp situation straight, and understand what it is. In San Diego, Kemp is a 5th wheel, and he never really fit– which isn’t his fault. The Padres only paid $3.25M of his salary in 2015, with the Dodgers covering the remaining $18M. It’s flipped for the last 4 years, with the Padres owing $73M ($18.25/yr), and LA paying $14M ($3.5M/yr). Preller definitely has to eat contract to deal Kemp, but that was understood when he made the deal for him with a low cost in 2015.

The real question is when will a opportunity present itself for a deal? A high-payroll AL team, desperate to make the post-season, looks at Matt Kemp much differently than the Padres do. If a team like NYY, BOS, DET or LAA (just to throw out examples) thinks he’s the missing piece, then Preller has something they want. At that point, it just becomes a matter of negotiations, with Preller dealing from strength. He’s been doing it all off-season, so there’s no reason why he can’t eventually get it done, to the Padres benefit. It would help if Matt Kemp got off to a hot start and stayed healthy.

Updated 1-17-16

All Padres fans interested in winning agree that Matt Kemp needs to move to the AL where he can DH, because all his value is now in his bat. He can spot-start or fill-in at corner OF (and maybe 1B), but he primarily needs to DH. He’s 31 this season, with a career line of .289/.345/.489, as a CF & RF. Last year it dipped to .265/.312/.443, and much of that can be attributed to being on a bad team, and being asked to field a position he really couldn’t play anymore.

Around two thirds of the teams in the AL are faking it at DH. Only BOS (David Ortiz), KCR (Kendrys Morales), MIN (Miguel Sano!), TEX (Prince Fielder), and TOR (Edwin Encarnacion), have a legitimate DH. One could also add Alex Rodriguez (NYY, age 40) to that list, but he’s a huge regression candidate & injury risk. Notice these are (mostly) competitive teams, that often play deep into October.

As of now, the fakers at DH include: Mark Trumbo (BAL), Adam LaRoche (CWS), Victor Martinez (DET), Evan Gattis (HOU), C.J. Cron (LAA), Billy Butler (OAK), and John Jaso (TBR); with SEA & CLE are still searching.

The only legitimate OF/DH bats left on the free agent market (as of this writing) are Justin Upton & Yoenes Cespedis. After that, DH options drop off to the likes of Ryan Raburn & Jimmy Parades, which is replacement level. Rule # 1 to winning is, stay away from the replacement level.

There’s room somewhere in here to deal Matt Kemp fairly, while minimizing the damage to the Padres. Matt Kemp is a professional hitter, and a proud player who wants to earn his contract. This isn’t a “Manny being Manny” situation, which gives Preller time & room to maneuver, but this needs to get done sometime in 2016.

Wil Myers was A.J. Preller’s steal of last off-season, and if he stays healthy he will rake, and be the face of the franchise for years. That’s a big IF, as health is a skill, but also depends somewhat on luck & other factors. A player increases his value if he has the ability to stay healthy. Cal Ripken, Jr. (BAL) is a clear example of durability providing & enhancing career value. A similar player from his era is Barry Larkin (CIN), who could have been the greatest SS ever, if he had had Ripken’s knack for avoiding injury. Instead Larkin spent much of his career on the DL, and that reduced him to merely a HoFer, which only shows just how good he was when healthy.

If we take a closer look at Barry Larkin’s injuries, we find a mixture of reasons for them. He played most of his career on Riverfront Stadium’s astroturf, which leads to more wear & tear vs. playing on natural grass. That’s something a player can’t control. Larkin blew out his elbow while participating in the Relay-Throw Contest at the 1991 All-Star game, which was mostly his fault. MLB has eliminated that silly contest since that incident. Barry Larkin even had a freak injury where he was struck in the knee by a bat while waiting on-deck; and there’s nothing you can do about something like that. That’s a concise overview & understanding of injury risk.

The Padres are definitely a better team as of this writing. Their 2015 opening day starting infield was: 3B Will Middlebrooks, SS Alexi Amarista, 2B Jedd Gyorko & 1B Yonder Alonso which was probably the worst in MLB. In 2016 it’s 3B Yangervis Solarte, SS Alexei Ramirez, 2B Cory Spangenberg & 1B Wil Myers– which is a fair-to-significant upgrade at every position. Plus the Padres will start the season with an actual CF (B.J. “he needs a nickname” Upton), who is healthy (recall he started 2015 on the DL w/ turf toe in his right foot). In LF Jon Jay is not Justin Upton, but he’s left-handed, affordable, and a good candidate for a bounce-back season. What remains is C Derek Norris & RF Matt Kemp (for now).

The pitching staff is the same at the top with James Shields, Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner– minus Ian Kennedy whom they don’t need. Preller is building the back-end of the rotation & bullpen the correct way: from within the organization, via low-level trades, and by acquiring veteran arms on the cheap. Buy low/sell high– especially with relievers.

Most Padres fans I’ve interacted with like (or at least are willing to be open-minded about) new manager Andy Green and the coaches he’s brought in. All Padres fans are ecstatic about retaining ace pitching coach Darren Balsley.

The key to the Padres off-season was (believe it or not) when Ian Kennedy refused their $15.9M qualifying offer. That allowed Preller the financial flexibility to trade 2B Jedd Gyorko for OF Jon Jay, while eating the $7M necessary to make the deal, and then sign Rameriz as a stopgap SS to top prospect Javier Guerra. The Craig Kimbrel trade and the (4!) Rule 5 picks were also huge, but if Kennedy had accepted that offer (as he could have), then Preller would have been handcuffed and this team would now look a lot different–in a worse way.

Trading a player at the 7/31 deadline vs. keeping them (and extending a QO) is a razor’s edge. A.J. Preller hung onto Justin Upton (& the rest of his assets) at the 2015 trade deadline, because 1) he didn’t like what he was being offered in return, and 2) he owed it to EVERYONE (players, fans, etc…) to stick it out. In September, when it was hopeless, many fans still tuned in, and appreciated every bomb J. Up hit. They were electrifying, and win or lose, that still has value. It all depends on what a GM can get, and if its a flooded buyer’s market (like July 2015), then it’s best to hang onto the player and take the two-months value & the QO-compensation pick.

Preller gambled his entire off-season plan on Ian Kennedy refusing the QO, because he WANTED that compensation pick. It’s a tough call & good GM’s play it close-to-the-vest; and that’s why they’re paid what they’re paid.

By avoiding stone-handed SS Ian Desmond (when many MLB ‘experts’ were clamouring for the Padres sign him), Preller sent a message to MLB that the SD Padres are not interested in being suckers in the bloated free-agent market. General managers of Padres past (Josh Byrnes, Kevin Towers, etc.) would surely have handed Ian Desmond a 5-yr/$80M deal, when he isn’t worth 2-yr/$25M. That kind of bad contract kills any chance of winning.

An efficient GM gets his arbitration players signed quickly, with fair raises because he knows they are underpaid to start. If these players under-perform, they get smaller raises; but they aren’t nickel & dimed, because they are bargains to begin with. Conversely, a saavy GM avoids handing an overly-generous multi-year contract to an arbitration eligible player who doesn’t deserve it (see Jedd Gyorko), as this hurts the organization too.

When the 2015 season ended, the Padres farm system was universally ranked 30th– dead last. With the young talent already added, along with the bevy of picks Preller has lined up for the June amateur draft, the Padres will probably jump up to a the middle-of-the-pack system by the end of the 2016 season. That’s a solid plan with measurable progress, which is just what Padres fans need. A.J. Preller had an ‘A+’ off-season, even if the Padres have a worse record in 2016– and he did it without making splashes. There is a lot more upside with this organization now, and it’s because the Padres finally have a smart general manager.

Final Note to Padres Fans 1-16-16

Before I started posting in the Padres MLB.com forum, I observed the discussions; and it was mostly blame-storming, and always towards Bud Black, Murph, this player, that pitcher, etc…

Every team in sports is operated by a GM, and they are primarily responsible for an organization’s failure or success. They are the ones who must ALWAYS answer the tough questions and solve the difficult problems which inevitably arise. Whether that organization ever wins a championship is mostly on them.

A.J. Preller is definitely running the show for the Padres, and that is a 180-degree turnaround for this franchise, because since inception it’s always been the Show running the Padres.

A fan’s responsibility is to understand as much of what’s going on as possible, and educate other fans. When fans correctly understand when (and why?) to cheer vs. when to call out a mistake, player performance improves because they know they are being watched by intelligent & fair observers. Conversely, when angry fans act out with drunken belligerence, players tend to stop caring. Fans do have an influence, and a big part of it is what YOU share with others & bring to the ballpark.

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All-Time Greatest MLB HoF Ballot Day

Posted on January 6, 2016 by admin

I loved Ken Griffey with the Big Red Machine, so I naturally love loved CF Ken Griffey, Jr.

Junior was drafted #1 overall by the hapless Seattle Mariners in 1989, and went straight to the majors, at age 19. He possessed one of the sweetest lefty swings you will ever see, with unbelievable natural power. He played centerfield at the level of Willie Mays with his range, superior arm strength (with accuracy), and amazing glovework– all of which he made look easy. Affably easygoing, he was groomed in a MLB dugout (as a bat boy), and was pretty much the perfect player for all his years (11) in Seattle.

Mike Piazza was comparable in career value to Carlton Fisk or Yogi Berra– two all-time great catchers.

So understand that Ken Griffey, Jr. & Mike Piazza are NOT the standard for the HoF; they are inner circle, all-time greats.

So how can Ken Griffey, Jr. & Mike Piazza be the only players elected on this all-time talented ballot? [1]

These are the players on this year’s ballot, and they’ll beat just about any HoF team you could put together– from any era:

C Mike Piazza
1B Jeff Bagwell
2B Jeff Kent
SS Alan Trammell
3B Gary Sheffield
LF Barry Bonds
CF Ken Griffey, Jr.
RF Tim Raines
DH Edgar Martinez
SP Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Curt Schilling
RP Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner

Notice I left off 1B Mark McGwire & RF Sammy Sosa, because I do think they went too far with PEDs. There needs to be a line, and that’s it to me.

Barry Bonds received 44.3% of the vote, in his 5th year of eligibility. He was the greatest player ever, and if you don’t recognize that (or exclude him for joining in on what so many others had already been doing), then you’re a hater. He was already a HoFer. Character? Please, this is the MLB HoF, with Cap Anson & Ty Cobb.

The 55.7% who (once again) ignored Bonds should lose their voting privilege, because obviously they know nothing about baseball.

Voters who insist on a PED-free HoF are hypocrites for not selecting Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, etc…

Any voter that didn’t have 10 players (the maximum number allowed) on their ballot, is a bum sportswriter. [2]

Baseball fans deserve to see ALL the HoF ballots with their public justifications, because the entire process is broken, with a lack of transparency & fan input.

This is a problem everywhere, in everything.

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Where Were You When…?

Posted on January 1, 2016 by admin

…you learned that Kurt Cobain was dead– apparently of a suicide. Answer: I was in my last days of dental school at Marquette, waiting for a presentation in the lab (Room 305) on how we could refinance and save $$ on our student-loan payments. Someone said Kurt Cobain was dead, and I whipped around exclaiming “What?!” in disbelief as the news leaked out- shotgun blast to the head, heroin syringes, suicide note, etc… After that, I only remember a bit of our mathematics-savant classmate busting the speaker as a scam artist. I was numb at first, which then gave way to resentment over Cobain’s cowardice & betrayal. It’s always been hard to listen to Nirvana since his death. Listener’s interpret them differently with the suicide ending.
…you learned that Kurt Cobain was murdered! Answer: I Netflixed Soaked in Bleach (2015) in my living room last night. Others found out much earlier by reading Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain (2004) by Max Wallace & Ian Halperin. [1]

A brief review of the facts, background & suspects: Kurt Cobain was divorcing Courtney Love at the time of his death. Below is Cobain’s handwritten note found in his wallet at the death scene, which has finally been released to the public by the Seattle Police Department (SPD). In it, Kurt Cobain scorns Courtney Love as a “money siphoning whore.”

Tom Grant, a private investigator contacted & hired by Courtney Love on April 3, 1994 (less than a week before Cobain’s body was found), spoke to their attorney Rosemary Carroll at her office on April 13, 1994. Grant claims Carroll pressed him to investigate Cobain’s death, and that Cobain was not suicidal. Carroll also claims that Cobain had asked her to draw up a will excluding Love, because he was planning to file for divorce. Cobain & Love had a prenuptial agreement, which would have cut her out of the big money from Nirvana’s royalties.

Rosemary Carroll also provided Tom Grant (in a breach of client confidentially) with this handwriting practice note, which she found in Courtney Love’s backpack left at her home:

This is now widely interpreted as Love practicing the forgery of Cobain’s handwriting used in the final four lines of his ‘suicide note’:

Rosemary Carroll has not commented publicly on any of this.

Rosemary Carroll, attorney for Love & Cobain

Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain had a newborn at the time, Francis Bean Cobain; who was cared for by their heroin-supplying ‘nanny’ Michael ‘Cali’ Dewitt:

Dewitt remains the murkiest figure in this sordid affair. He’s likely the one who overdosed Cobain at Love’s behest, then staged the fake suicide. Michael Dewitt was never interviewed by the SPD, except for this statement taken over the phone:

Kurt Cobain’s best ‘friend’ at the time of his death was Dylan Carlson, a fellow heroin junkie and hanger-on:

Dylan Carlson it seems, was also used by Courtney Love to conceal the murder, particularly by keeping Tom Grant’s investigations away from the greenhouse room above the garage, where Cobain’s body laid for days before being discovered. Here is Dylan Carlson’s police interview:

Both Carlson’s & Dewitt’s interviews were done by Sgt. Don Cameron, who was at Cobain’s death scene and ran the SPD investigation:

Don Cameron’s corruption as a police officer is documented in this clip from Soaked in Bleach:

Courtney Love most-likely paid Sgt. Cameron to derail any attempts to classify Kurt Cobain’s death as suspicious. Also implicated is Nikolas Hartshore (long-time friend of Love), the medical examiner who did the initial exam of Cobain’s body. Autopsy findings were never publicly released, as they would likely prove that Cobain died of a heroin overdose, not of a shotgun blast to the head. [2]

Nikolas Hartshore died in 2002, in a base-jumping accident.

As mentioned earlier, Tom Grant is the PI whom Courtney Love retained to “find Kurt.”

He immediately became suspicious of Love during their first interview, and afterwards taped every conversation with her and her cohorts. They are damning evidence against Love, as the lead conspirator in the murder of Cobain. [3]

Equally helpful for those interested in justice, is Grant’s time-line summary of events, including all correspondence with Love, Dylan Carlson, Michael Dewitt, Rosemary Carroll, and the SPD. [4]

Courtney Love has destroyed most of the physical evidence in this case. The greenhouse crime-scene has been torn down, the shotgun melted, and Cobain’s body was cremated only 6 days after it was discovered on 4-8-94. Supposed ‘other suicide notes’ (always sensationally leaked to the press), have also claimed to have been burned by Courtney Love. [5]

One can only imagine the reaction from feminists if this situation was reversed. Does anyone believe Kurt Cobain would be allowed to get away with murdering his wife under the same circumstances? He would be in jail today, with little chance for parole. Not so for Love, who is rich with fuck-you money & clout. Being a woman & mother protects her in this sick society, even if she is a lying psychopath who murdered her husband (the biggest popular icon of his era), for a pile of money.

Knowing all this now makes me feel differently, but only somewhat. Kurt Cobain is still dead, and much of it was his fault. When you become a junkie, you render yourself helpless– becoming vulnerable to parasites & vipers who claim to be your friends:

When you are a rock-star who poses for photos like this, you allow yourself to be led in a bad direction:

Nirvana’s music sounds a bit more hopeful again, knowing the truth.

The evidence discussed here is just the tip of the iceberg. [6] Hopefully soon there will be justice– with this murderer (pictured below) facing a jury of her peers:

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Alive Inside: The Power of Music

Posted on December 24, 2015 by admin

Alive Inside (2014) is the stirring account of Dan Cohen, founder of the non-profit organization Music & Memory, struggling against a broken healthcare system. Along with independent documentary film-maker Michael Rossato-Bennett, they demonstrate music’s ability to reverse memory loss– restoring dignity & sense of self. [all pics google]

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is characterized by cognitive impairment. Agitation is a symptom in 70%-90% of those afflicted with advanced stage ADRDs. This interferes with care delivery and social interaction, ultimately destroying their quality of life. It is a huge problem facing human society, and like most other issues facing humanity, it’s growing worse daily– as illustrated by the graph below:

It should come as no surprise that geriatric healthcare providers suffer some of the highest rates of career burnout. Burnout is a multi-factorial phenomenon, involving environmental, personality, and profession-related factors. Research shows risk for burnout in geriatric healthcare to be between 25-75%, depending on the study– with a likely overall average near 50%. [1]

The problem of elderly care is fundamentally capitalist. As explained in the film, “A doctor can write a prescription for a $1000/month anti-psychotic drug, and it’s no problem. But a patient getting reimbursed for a $40 iPod, as medical therapy, is next-to-impossible…nursing homes have become a shotgun marriage of poorhouses & hospitals.”

This is an accurate description and explains their motivation to over-medicate. It pays-off the big pharmaceuticals, while turning those afflicted with ADRDs into vegetated zombies. These sedated ‘living dead’ are easier for staff to manage, and easier for corporations to milk for insurance profits. Half the patients in U.S. nursing homes receive no visitors.

The WebMD tagline is “Better information. Better health.” Their recommended therapies for ADRDs are: anti-psychotics (major tranquilizers), benzodiazepines (psychoactive hypnotics) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (anti-depressants); all of which are highly toxic, with serious side-effects. These drugs were never meant for use on geriatric patients, and yet today they are the standard-of-care for Alzheimer’s and dementia.

WebMD covers its ass with this blurb (& qualifier) at the end of its ringing pharmaceutical endorsement, “The FDA has placed a ‘black box’ warning on these drugs describing these problems. They can be helpful for many people, though.”

Such is the cruel logic of healthcare under capitalism.

Individualized music as an alternative therapy for agitation in ADRD, involves carefully selected music, based on the person’s lifetime preferences. The easiest way to do this with anyone is to determine their years in high-school. The popular music from that era will usually be their favorite, or at least an excellent starting point.

Watch what familiar music does to 94-year old “Henry” in this clip from Alive Inside:

For this therapy to be effective, it needs to be individualized music. Research shows “a significant reduction in agitation during and following individualized music, compared to classical music. This study expands science by testing and supporting a theoretically based intervention for agitation in persons with ADRD.” [2]

Why does individualized music work? Because music evokes emotions that bring back memories. Any time we remember something, we are actually recalling where we were when we learned it. When we hear a favorite song from the past, we are instantly transported back to that time & place in our minds. No other medium has that power, and PET scans prove it scientifically.

The musicality within all of us is innately human, as chimpanzees don’t have this primal need to connect with other chimps through music. Our musicality remains one of the last areas of the brain affected by ADRDs. Music is a portal to reach people who have slipped into vegetative states, who are otherwise unreachable.

Artists & songwriters understand this better than anyone. They create music for people to enjoy, because it connects them with others. Their music IS the culture, and it’s power to communicate & heal will remain as long as human society exists.

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Johns & Baller Bitches

Posted on December 22, 2015 by admin

Warning: this piece contains obscenity, along with explicit sexual discussion.

The Urban Dictionary defines a baller bitch as a vixen, not to be messed with. Included in this definition are rapper girlfriends, athlete’s wives, and other forms of gold-diggers who insist that women should always use sex as a weapon. This ultra-modern form of something that has always existed in human society can be roughly correlated with the rise in salaries for movie, television, music & sports celebrities in the 1990’s. Everyone follows the money.

I’ve slightly edited for concision, clips from the Female Baller’s Handbook (2008), an online advice piece by Ronnell Coombs– a self-acclaimed expert in the field [pictured below]. Inserted in italics are my responses, as needed.

I consider his ‘guidebook’ to be a valuable first-hand account on the subject, much more raw and to-the-point than 99+% of the feminist drivel whose purpose is to deflect, apologize and mislead its readers– by never identifying the class roots of the problem. Women are encouraged to holdout on sex, in exchange for financial security. This is meant to favor powerful men who can afford it, but in fact, it degrades the value of ALL women & men.

Ronnell Combs: The baller-bitch priority system is simple. You need a good job and a side hustle, which must have potential; for real cash. You need cash for freedom of movement, allowing a greater pick of men, opportunities, work schedule, and recreation. [p.3]

Ric Size: This is the living definition of high-maintenance working girl.

RC: You must understand the superficial nature of people. Be extra careful to control what other people see when they look at you. [p.15]

RS: This is the definition of a viper; and of course, they are trained to be suspicious of anyone else maintaining aspects of their own privacy.

RC: You have to grind your way out of the hood. The formula is clear-cut. You either need a dead-end job, and a super side-hustle, or a career in which you can climb the corporate ladder. The last option, of course is to ‘get in the mix’ and seduce a rich man. The last option is the hardest. [p.23]

RS: …but the most worthwhile.

RC: You will have male fans at the corporation. If they are of equal rank, be nice to them; but avoid fucking them. They are of equal rank; thus they can’t take you to the next level. When you surpass him in rank, you can afford to shit on him, but not now. [p.26]

RS: It’s like that with everybody in corporate.

RC: When a man of higher rank wants to get with you, you are in a tricky situation. You’ll be some form of ‘office groupie’ if you play it wrong, and a high-powered vixen if you play it right. You need to play it right. Size the guy up. Peep to see if he has real power, or just a fancy title. Find out if he’s married. Peep his movement. Smart women will mislead you in order to get ahead. Women are rotten & cut-throat when it comes to powerful men. Never forget that. Disguise this conversation as business talk. [p.26]

RS: Successful straight men are always targets for a well-laid pussy trap. It’s a refined operation on all fronts.

RC: The guy’s primary interest is getting into your panties.

RS: What’s wrong with a fling, as long as it’s safe & between consenting adults?

RC: However you are going to make him psychologically think you are his dream wife. You are thinking business first, all along. He’ll usually invite you on a bullshit date. The stage is usually set for him at this point. You have to play this shit out with a smile on your face. Be charming, pick his brain, figure out his interests, and get into his routine. Figure out where his wife and baby mama went wrong. You should be a bag of excitement one day, but let him see you are knee-deep in a business project the next day.

RS: Which is why so many men don’t date anymore– they are tired of being jerked around with this shit.

RC: When you help him with his projects, make sure he gets ALL the credit. This is something 98% of bitches won’t do. Play the game! Little does this guy know that he is going to help you get that promotion! [p.27]

RS: Men need to be pandered to, because they are weak-minded. Women don’t need any credit at work, because their primary value is fucking. Every time RC writes: “he/him/his” or “guy/man”, he really means “wallet.” This pimp knows his business.

RC: When you do have sex with this guy, you have to turn him out. You have to lick the balls, lick his ass, kiss toes, take it up the ass, drink cum, and be a fucking acrobat. This guy has to be convinced that this is the best sex he’s had in his life. When you are a great businesswoman and a perfectionist in bed, you will cloud a guy’s judgment. Get business handled. A pussy-whipped guy will do anything to control you. You have to allow him to see that power impresses you. Don’t let love or romances cloud your judgment. [p.28]

RS: I must admit the sex sounds intriguing, but that attitude is about as cold-blooded as it gets. Boys, is it really worth it? You’re looking for a good time and perhaps romance if it vibes right, while she’s a professional– playing for keeps. Note: if you don’t have money, you’re not considered to be in her league, so forget it.

RC: Baller-bitches believes that men are dogs, but they are master dog trainers. [p.32]

RS: Men believe that baller bitches are glorified prostitutes, with a stable of rich johns wrapped around their pussies. It’s impossible to believe they are actually happy, fucking these really gross guys in exchange for gobs of money.

RC: There are times when you have to smile in the faces of people you don’t like… stroke an over-inflated ego… and pressure people into helping you. Stay focused on the future. Baller-bitches made it to the top because they made business sacrifices that hood-chicks weren’t willing to make. They live in penthouses, have fleets of luxury cars, and travel the world because they are sleeping with richer, smarter, more useful men. [p.34-5]

RS: After years of living among the jet-setters, how many of these girls become burnt-out junkies? How can this be considered a good model for young women to follow?

RC: I must admit since I wrote this book, I’m not surprised with myself every time someone who read it expresses to me the impact that it had on her life. I wrote this guide to help Black/Latina women improve their wealth status. The ones who have read it are doing exactly that. I’m grateful that I was able to help all these women be better equip to navigate [sic] through the waters of life. [author note on goodreads]

RS: Helping anyone in need is noble, but if the ‘helping’ spirit is misanthropic, it becomes destructive to everyone. What RC has outlined is nothing new, except for the modernized ghetto vernacular and fresh pseudo-science, all to justify this pimping. In the end, it adds up to no love (or even orgasms) for women, who must whore themselves– always. For men, it means a lifetime of vacillating being tricked as johns, and being lonely.

RC: Female ballers have a clear understanding of the money game, and are guilty of acting as if they are better than the average woman, BECAUSE THEY ARE! A female baller is good-looking, financially secure, cunning, energetic, passionate, ruthless, well-read, well-versed, extremely manipulative, consistent, well-organized, ambitious, and will fuck a man’s head off. They are the ultimate vixens, who have mastered the art of “bitchiness.” [p.2]

RS: They are actually the ghetto feminist version of a whore. Their ’empowerment’ is that they get to be their own pimp. Ronnell Coombs, and the rest of his ilk need to be pushed into the light with his colleagues & supporters, so the rest of us can get a better look at their inhumanity, which is debasing society.

There are those of us (men & women) who refuse to play this game anymore, but we are still in the minority. The rest are caught up in this social pathology, with no avenue towards real happiness. Today in the U.S., most marriages have failed, or are failing. The dating industry/scene (match.com, etc…) is a multi-billion dollar wasteland of phoniness & hustling.

Men resist commitment because they fear being trapped. This fear is real. I speak for myself (and other real men), who firmly reject these efforts to dehumanize us. Real men are in control and recognize this hustle before it gets through the door. We are assertive & charming in business & social settings, perfectly content to take care of our own business, until the time a real woman appropriately presents herself.

The issues here are not about men/women, black/white, or gay/straight; but of social class. It is social inequality that is encouraging women from desperate upbringings into this form of prostitution. The elite class of men who can pay for these women end up feeling just as miserable, lonely and rejected as those who could never afford these luxury items.

Despite what the ‘experts’ may say, we owe it to ourselves as human beings to treat each other better than this, but that will only happen after social inequality under capitalism is abolished by a worker’s revolution. A free & equal society, that no longer tolerates misery & prostitution, can only exist under socialism.

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Fully Covered 2

Posted on December 10, 2015 by admin

07 Storm Inside My House– Minutemen
08 Fake Friends– Joan Jett
09 Planet of Sound– Pixies
10 What Goes On– Velvet Underground
11 Good Ol’ Boys– Waylon Jennings
12 Wipe Out– Surfaris
13 It’s So Easy– Guns N’ Roses
14 12XU– Wire
15 Well– Captain Beefheart
16 Clear Head– Graham Parker

Ric Size: guitar, vocals, & photos

Recorded December 03, 2015 @ the Last Minute

Produced by Tomp

These covers were learned (mostly) from pre-Internet music magazines, guitar tablature songbooks & online tabs.

Other songs were transcribed using a revolutionary method called the Think System.

If you think the Pixies in A– then you can play the Pixies in A.

This completes a project, whose purpose was to define influences for fans while highlighting (mostly) under-represented artists. It is obviously also an attempt to tap into their fan bases. This is approximately 20% of my cover-list.

Both of us at Infinitelink & Last Minute Records wish everyone a Happy Holidays!!

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Fully Covered

Posted on December 1, 2015 by admin

These are acoustic solo covers, which you never hear in coffee houses. Infinitelink Records doesn’t own the rights to any of these songs, so they are distributed as videos on our ILR YouTube Channel, for your personal enjoyment.