Letter to KPCC

Thanks for sending "theshortlist." I have been reading "Need2Know" for some months. That publication has it's ups and downs, but they almost never fail to include something (an article or a tweet) that makes me smile. Reading "theshortlist" for a short time I ask myself, "Why does KPCC have to be so damn serious and verbose?" If you grind on with boring and repetitious Garrison Keillor who is not funny, and continue with "Car Talk" which I find creepy now that it includes a voice from the beyond, I wonder if you have completely lost your sense of humor?

Ron Walcott

Family Pigeon Holes

Sometimes I think about my lack of extended family, or family. But tonight I felt the creepiness of "family" oriented people who revel in the practice of pigeonholing people and never forgetting any little past error. Initially, how depressing to be on the receiving edge of unnecessary and unfair criticism. But on second take how liberating to realize I'm not boxed into their family world and can completely ignore them. Sad people.

Food Giveaway in Pasadena and the Asian Horde

About food distribution. Leaving an inspired talk by General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department, Jan Perry, at Innovate Pasadena this morning I passed by he Pasadena Senior Center where a large gathering assembled for a monthly food distribution. I noted a marked predominance of Asian lady groups loading multiple bags of food into the trunks of very nice cars, much, much newer than mine. They looked more like a horde raping the system rather than hungry children needing to learn. Oh my. I'm going to be accused making a racist observance. But my only defence is that is exactly what I saw.

Semester At Sea New Ship Video

The comments following this video about the Semester At Sea new ship were predictably glowing and, for me, shallow and boring. https://vimeo.com/128899645 

 

For example, "What a beautiful video, " or "Wow, the ship looks great! Congrats SAS!"

Sometimes I feel like such a grouch, but the following atypical comment seems justified in the face of irrational exuberance.

Ron Walcott

Without the disclosure of much detail, the new ship looks interesting. I'm wondering about the segment that shows a classroom with some chairs positioned with their backs to the front; perhaps students will use their smart phones to connect the the instructor.  However, nice windows useful for extended gazing. Further,  I don't understand the strange new technique or reason for having all the talking heads looking to the side, just off center, and never at us, the viewers. That includes you, John. Maybe someone will explain this to me.

Best Healthy Eating Presentation

 I attended a senior health event and heard Carole Bartolotto, MA, RD, Senior Consultant, Regional Health Education, Kaiser Permamente give a talk, "Eat Well for Your Health! Current Trends in Healthy Eating." During her presentation it was obvious that she had read massive amounts of current valid research on her topic.

When the nut cases started asking all their stupid questions such as, "My doctor at UCLA who is a leading expert in his field, a Ph D. teaching doctor, and a Nobel Prize winner said blah, blah, blah." She was able to counter with, "What is the doctor's name? I teach doctors about nutrition. According to the over whelming amount of research that I have read he is wrong.

She went after supplements in a big way. She showed slides of bottles whose labels said it contained St Johns Wort purchased from Walgreens or Sprouts and revealed that tests showed that it contained no St. Johns Wort. Many similar examples. She showed that supplements are not only a waste of money (provide you with very expensive urin), but also may be dangerous.

Her slides comparing side by side  unhealthy and healthy meals on a similar plate were visually spectacular. Much more convincing than numbers.

Bottom line, we all need to eat more vegetables and less meat, salt sugar, fat.

Best talk on healthy eating to date.

USC Please Contact Your Satelite

I just received this "invitation:"

The League of American Orchestras in association with the USC Arts Leadership Program presents The Essentials of Orchestra Management

July 7-16, 2015

This summer, the 2015 Essentials of Orchestra Management workshop will be hosted by USC Thornton School of Music.

Seminar Details
July 7 – 16, 2015
USC Thornton School of Music
Los Angeles, California
Application fee: $60                              
 Tuition & Housing: $3,512

1. I like true invitations, not ones inviting me to empty my wallet
2. Last year at the USC satelite, the Colburn School, during one of their "Art Speaks," the guest speaker told  Colburn music students that very few of them would find  jobs in orchestras because an alarming number of US symphonic groups are going bust.
3. My question is, "What orchestra are these potential administrators going to manage after they spend $3,512 to supposedly learn how to do it?
4. Who are going to be the teachers? People from failed or failing orchestras?

Require advanced chemistry class as part of COMMON CORE?

This article just came in on "Need 2 Know."

http://gawker.com/gov-screw-up-temporarily-legalizes-mdma-and-crystal-me-1690676165

Please note the extremely long list of drugs listed just below the article. Amazing.

Just a personal addition.  When I was a resident at the UCLA Coop during my graduate study days I remember an undergraduate  chemistry major with the last name, Harrison, who was related to the  US president, William Henry Harrison, who made himself famous for two things: 1. He when bare foot everywhere, even to his chemistry classes, for all four years and only put shoes on for his graduation; 2. He samples every known legal and illegal drug known at the time and wrote about each experience in the Coop newspaper, the Chatter Box. It was a time when I remember the day LSD was made illegal. I don't think he would be able to get through the above, 2015 Irish list alive.

Italian Prelude, Hollywood Fugue: SoloDuo Presents the Music and Life of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

In the excellent USC series, Visions and Voices,  I was thrilled to hear the excellent performance by Lorenzo Micheli and Matteo Mela, classical guitar duo, SoloDuo. Following each of three commentaries relating to the composer Tedesco, SoloDuo played two Preludes and Fugues from Tedesco's, "Les Guitares bien temperees" op. 199 (1962) for a total of six. My favorite was the last Prelude et Fuges n. 24 in C minor. I was quite complex and challenging for guitar. Their playing was extremely sensitive. Important melodic lines shared by the performers clearly emerged from the overall texture even in pianissimo. Their sense of ensemble was superb; their technical mastery unchallenged.

During the impressive Italian themed reception William Kanengiser, guitar faculty, USC, pointed out that SoloDuo's excellent togetherness could be seen in their seating position, resembling a "V" whereby each musician can view the hands of the other. Kanengiser comented, "You can't hear the sound until the finger leaves the string."

The commentary was spotty. I was quite disappointed hearing USC professor Alessio Filoppi "READ" when the program writes, "...DISCUSSES the ancestral roots of the composer..." Progfessor Head's discussion was lack luster. Finally, Dr. Westby's delivery brought some life, personal experience, and interest to the night.

Finding and Keeping a Good Dentist

Went through with my 6-month cleaning this morning.

Dental assistant did x-rays. Then Tiffany P. Young, my dentist, started cleaning, probing, scraping. I could see her penetrating eyes above the mask searching earnestly for some blemish. What relief when the polishing began and there were no comments other than, "Keep on flossing, and get in there to your back wisdom teeth."

I remember the first cleaning years ago at my first appointment with her. Coming from other sources who perhaps were more after the cleaning out of my wallet rather than the care of my teeth, the experience was brutal and bloody. She scrapped and probed and it hurt and bled. She complained quite a bit about how I wasn't flossing or brushing properly.

Since that first visit visits, all subsequent visits,  like today, have been a piece of cake. No pain, no blood. Yes, I probably do floss more diligently, but maybe those other so called "dentists" were concentrating on their "other" job.

Predatory Entrepreneurs

My old car is OK. I'm thinking about some upgrades like new seats, cleaning up rust areas, and  new painting.

A mechanic I know came by the house several days ago and wanted to know if I wanted to sell my 1979 VW Rabbit and buy another VW old car.

It is hard for me to have patients with people with a predatory entrepreneur type of thinking. But it was a day after New Years so I willed myself to remain in a good mood while he was there. But I managed to be evil in a devious way.  I explained at great length why I would not wish to part with my car. I could see his eyes glassing over. So I kept on explaining and explaining, all the time maintaining a sparkling attitude. By the end of it all I sincerely hope that he regretted asking.

Why in the world would I want to sell a car I am happy owning, one with which I am familiar with all its myriad aches and pains, and trade it, at probably some expense, for a used car with which I am unfamiliar and which most likely has its own problems with which I am unfamiliar?

Discussion about President Obama with friends on FaceBook

Andrea Del Regno Thank you, President Obama!

December 28 at 11:16pm · Like

Ronald A. Kojis I know the extreme right shrugs this off with the comment they didn't like George W. either; and had one of theirs been in the white house, these "corrections' wouldn't have taken so long. They'd add that Obama is soft on world leadership, irresponsibly ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and asking terrorists to take over those countries and attack us. They point out that the health care scam is unconstitutional and a blatant pandering to the lazy poor. They point out Obama is pro-gay and anti-gun, an obvious assault on the values of god-fearing Christians. They hate that Obama and his Muslim buddies are trying to impose sharia law, destroy Christmas,etc.. How do I know they think and say these things? I listen to Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin.

Yesterday at 11:19am · Like

Mohammed Elzanaty One thing I know for certain is that Obama is the lesser of two evils. Had it been a Republican in the white house, we would have not even had this conversation. We would have started a third war somewhere and you know the rest. Thank God for Obama! Happy Holidays, Ron? I miss talking to you.

Ronald Walcott Ron[Kojis], you said most of it. I can't listen to Fox News because I have no TV, but I am surrounded by believers who do. I'm still haunted by their earnest comment following 9/11, "What if the democrat had been in office!" [I speculate, Maybe no Iraq war and maybe not the longest war in US history?} But Democrats are funny people. I attend the Crescenta-Canada Democratic Club and when Obama was first getting elected the group could talk of nothing else. Now they hardly mention him and his outstanding achievements, almost like he's an embarrassment. Someone please clue me in.Yesterday

7:36pm · Like

Ronald A. Kojis As they say, we're preaching to the choir. Here's one a little off topic, but not much. This morning's news reported on a Mom shopping at Walmart. Her 2 year old, sitting in the shopping cart seat with the Mom's purse, reached in the purse, took out Mom's gun and shot Mom to death. Seems like a no-brainer that we'd all agree there is no reason for the Mom to carry a gun to go shopping at Walmart, especially if she puts the gun within reach of a toddler, but I guarantee that 50% of the country would not only disagree, they'd argue that we need more guns in more places (bars, churches, schools, political gatherings), not less. I flat out don't get it.

Ronald Walcott Yes, I don't get it either.

5 hrs · Like · 1

Ronald Walcott Above I made a few comments about my local Democrat Club. Today they sent a summary for the year. I realize the some say all politics are local. But you would think the club summary would devote at least one sentence to their president, and further, you would think that two years short of the next election they would be talking about their next presidential candidate/s and how the legacy of Obama should be continued. Anyway, the summary in full is as follows:

9 mins · Like

Ronald Walcott

Dear Democrat,

As we pause to say goodbye to 2014, awaiting the stroke of midnight
to welcome 2015's arrival, it is worth looking back at the many
successes that California Democrats achieved - even as our brothers and
sisters across the nation faced an unstoppable red tide.

Because we stuck to our
values, our belief in people and delivered a vibrant and progressive
message, rather than running from our beliefs and accomplishments, we
held every statewide office, returned significant majorities to both
houses of the state legislature and even gained a congressional seat,
despite the lowest voter turnout in decades.
As we reflect upon 2014,
we are already looking forward to the battles before us in 2015 and
2016 and the work we must do to make California an even deeper shade of
blue.

The path to victory
lies with you. Your commitment to our Party, our platform and a
positive progressive future are exactly what we need going forward. Let
us quickly reboot, recharge our batteries and engage in the coming year
with optimism, energy and hope.
May your New Year be one of happiness, health and peace.

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