@Big_Al said: I sometimes think of people I knew and have met on the various forums over the years. Then, I wonder where many of them are now. I was just thinking the same thing a couple of days ago and thought about starting a thread about it. I thought maybe some folks keep in touch with people who no longer post here. I'd love to hear how they're doing.

@wtg said: Anyway, I wonder if people who are immersed in music, have a brain wired for it, and who devote a lot of time and energy to it, see this as the equivalent of cheap wine in the world of piano lessons, and somehow not up to their standards. We need to remember that for some people, cheap wine is totally OK and even enjoyable! Maybe Payam will get folks into playing, enjoying, and spreading piano music and spreading piano music widely. I think that's a good thing. I think some (perhaps a lot) of established teachers are up in arms over Payam because it is promoting itself by propagating blatant falsehoods about traditional and other methods. To suddenly appear and tell everyone they've been doing it wrong with nothing more than flimsy marketing isn't going to settle with people who, as you said, have invested themselves heavily (money and time) in the study of music and teaching it. A good thing because it may get more people interested in piano? There is a limit. They are cheating their teachers by taking 75% of the lesson income. One has to question the quality of the teachers they will obtain. The way I see Payam right now, it's like those "Learn piano in 2 weeks" frauds that comes along every now and then. But if it works for someone, if only to get them interested, that could be seen as a benefit. And as it was pointed out in the video I posted, Payam's method is not all that dissimilar to a lot of standard methods, despite their claims. But I am worried that they will be taking advantage of ignorance. And it does sound like their main interest is financial, not musical.

Not that hard to find out. Just ask the children of professional chefs. The answers are ultimately of little consequence to the general public.

@jon-nyc said: She has the same haircut 67 years later and it looks great in both pictures. That is a life skill I would like to emulate!

How to escape the trap by Elli Lieberman https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/escalation-trap-pape-and-lieberman-on-iran-war/

I only wish that human beings could bring themselves to admit to themselves and others that they have been and are watching a live streamed genocide in Gaza and other places in Palestine. We were taught to, "never forget." We were taught to believe in international law. We taught ourself that, "holocaust" is a word that no group of human beings owns. The new owner of CBS is a Zionist billionaire that has given more money to the IDF than anyone in history. CBS does not, as no media conglomerate does, operate under the FCC framework that we remember because the framework has been demolished. CBS is now the definition of propaganda. No true journalist can work for it as a reporter. The people who work at CBS now are stenographers. This young person is promising because he hasn't agreed to betray journalism by being a stenographer. I agree completely that everyone must make their way in the world. I understand on the other hand that this is entirely possible to do without supporting a holocaust.

I tried to use it once for otc stuff they sell (can’t even remember what it was) and their website simply wouldn’t let me proceed without a prescription.

@Mik said: Pandora's box was opened from 2015 on. What happened in 2015?

@wtg said: A book about a piano tuner. Thanks, I added it to my list. This reminds me of something I listened to as an audiobook. The title is unfortunately a bit generic, but I really enjoyed it. Love Is Blind, by William Boyd The description makes it just sound like a cheesy romance, but as I recall, there's a lot about piano tuning and music in there that elevated it beyond that. When he is hired as the personal piano tuner for a brilliant pianist, Brodie Moncur suddenly finds himself swept up into a life of luxury that he could never have imagined. But while accompanying his new employer on tours from Paris to St. Petersburg, Brodie falls madly in love with the Russian soprano Lika Blum: beautiful, worldly, seductive—and forbidden. Though seemingly doomed from the start, Brodie’s passion for Lika only grows as their lives become increasingly more intertwined, more secretive, and, finally, more dangerous. A tale of dizzying passion and brutal revenge; of artistic endeavor and the illusions it can create; of the possibilities that life offers and the cruel speed with which they can be snatched away, Love Is Blind is a dazzling work of historical fiction that unfolds across fin de siècle Europe.

Stopped at the grocery store on the way home from day rehav; Mr wtg's first trip to a grocery store since late February. We decided to celebrate... Jeni's was on sale for $4.99 a pint. We got the Gooey Butter Cake (not bad but wouldn't buy again) and the Lemon and Blueberry Parfait (am going back to buy three more). Also got Haagen Dazs Rum Raisin. It was OK, but a bit grainy. Ice crystals.

Nevermind. Losing interest fast.

Another tidbit to show how content free the report was... Ramesh Ponuru in the Washington Post pointed out that the word “inflation” shows up 18 times in the report. But each time talking about how the cost of ad spend and other campaign expenses have gone up. Not once talking about the affordability issues that played such a big role in voter dissatisfaction.

I'm imagining the judge's reaction in court.

She may have memory problems.

Not perfect, but the difficulty level is off the charts: Link to video

@wtg Don't eat them

I plan to get receipts and never let anyone approach me and I'll make sure the pump resets. At almost $5 I don't doubt scammers are as ubiquitous as mosquitoes.

Happy Birthday!