Come on folks, in the U.S.A. "Democratic" Republic, it's OK to criticize the government for botching things up, after all they are supposed to protect us from this.
Firing the entire NSC's Expert Pandemic team before the storm to give the rich a bigger tax cut was just stupid, just as calling it a hoax and blaming it on others was.
If it was OK to criticize Obama for the stupid things he did, so it should be OK to criticize the present administration; as long as the criticisms are appropriate to the thread, fair, and not just cheap shots and name calling.
We all make stupid mistakes, and if we go on ignoring the mistakes of others, we will have no idea how to correct them. You won't learn from your mistakes by refusing to acknowledge them.
Hard times are ahead, it will get worse before it gets better. By noting what is being done wrong and what is being done right, perhaps we can learn something for the next time. And there will be a next time.
Musicians, bartenders, wait staff, housekeepers, porters, DJs, Karaoke hosts, taxi/uber drivers, fishing boat captains/crew, museum workers, dancers, actors, theme park employees, souvenir shops, tourist attraction owners/employees, restaurant owners, bar owners, and a lot of other people will be without income for a long time to come. And here in Tourist Friendly South Florida there are a lot of people with no income now. They have a right to be angry at the guy who cut health services.
Remember Harry Truman's line, "The buck stops here." The captain of the ship is always responsible.
I'm of the age and gender that is most vulnerable to losing my life, I've already lost most of my income, so I too have a right.
I've been very careful to keep this apolitical, and I think the criticisms so far have been fair.
They are duly noted, no sense repeating them again and again. If they are brought up, take them with a grain of salt.
There will be more mistakes made before this is over, let's learn from them. And let's do this together.
Well, in a couple of weeks the big Mai Mai start showing up about forty miles offshore from my house in the Keys. So not to much more of staying at home.
The good new is fuel for the boat has dropped by $1.50 A GAL. Only around $500 to fill the tank.
No Corona virus in the middle of the ocean. No toilet paper required, plenty of salt water to wash your butt and cool off in!!
Eva took a peak at the supermarket today and come home empty. She said we got more stuff than they do!!
I went to Walmart yesterday for the first time in a couple of weeks and was only able to get less than half of what was on my list. Most of the employees were either trying to restock the shelves or were cleaning and disinfecting the shelves.
One of the items on my list was 2 lbs. of butter. When I got to the shelf, they only had 2 lbs. of butter in the whole section. Rather than getting both of them, I only took one.
A few minutes later a little old lady who was previously behind me passed by and I saw the other pound of butter in her shopping cart. A simple thing like that made me feel good about not being selfish and taking both.
I followed that old lady home and watched her go into her basement, unlock a 300' cubic walkin freezer and stack that 1lb of butter on the 150lbs she purchased within the last two days.
After spending the morning scanning the news articles about the various stimulus packages being proposed and the response steps being taken in relation to Covid 19, it made me think of an old quote:
Winston Churchill — ‘You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing, after they have exhausted all the other possibilities.’
A known way to kill bacteria, germs, fungus, mold and virus's (including Covid 19) is UV light.
A CPAP Sanitizer is a source for UV light that can be used to disinfect small household items—such as toothbrush, hearing aid, dentures or glasses, cell phones, cordless phones,computer mouse, Iphone, Ipod or any household item that will fit into the cleaning chamber.
They are somewhat expensive but readily available.
Would the moderators please pull this thread - it is not music related (never really was) and it's now mainly political so.....
Larry
Last edited by Larry Kehl; 03/20/2012:40 PM.
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Also, even even though I was sorely tempted to shoot down with devastating wit and panache certain political comments I decided not to so as not to make them look bad. Hahaha, yeah right.
I think this thread is very useful and it could help others so keep it up.
To the youth of today I stare out through the window, as isolation begins to bite . It’s not a normal Friday as the virus has gave me fright . There’s no one down the bingo or at the pub tonight A group of youths have gathered they don’t seem to care at all . They are waiting on a cargo so they can have a ball. I remember those nights well and the mess that I,d get in . As I sat up in the park swigging from my tin . Could not wait for Friday to get my little thrill, but there was not a COVID virus waiting for the KILL Sometimes a team with bricks and cans and maybe knives as well But when you seen them coming you could always run like hell From this virus you cannot run if you hang about in teams If any of you catch it , it could kill off all your dreams So listen to what their saying ,I know your not all a bad crew Just doing all the things that many teenagers do Listen to what their saying , keep your distance the noo There is a killer lurking out there , that none of you can see It’s waiting for a victim , I am hoping it’s not me It may feel just like a hangover to any one of you But if you take it home with you or any of your crew It could kill your granny and even your mum and dad too Listen to what I’m saying ,Take heed of what I say and when this is all over you can party another day Take care everyone
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Perhaps many of you have a million friends to talk to when something comes along that may end your life. Perhaps some of you only feel comfortable to express ideas here. Why would anyone try to prevent what little comfort that could be gained by ending this discussion. These discussions and others like them sometime produce music. Some have no ability to hear it.
The lamppost stands with folded arms Its iron claws attached To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail Though it shadows metal badge All and all can only fall With a crashing but meaningless blow No sound ever comes from the Gates of Eden
This thread actually is music related when you look at how many thousands of musicians have been put out of a job by the virus.
Notes has told us about how its affected him and many others. Most of the artists I follow are small independent folks who travel constantly in order to make a living. They've all posted that shows and festivals are cancelled indefinitely.
It's too bad that we didn't know about this oncoming pandemic back in January so there could have been a coordinated response by the government and health officials.
I think it is important to be able to discuss our feelings even though the topic is somewhat controversial at times. In my opinion this virus has the ability to bring a whole lot of people together (by this I mean caring for each other whilst maintaining a social distance).
Here in Australia they had to close beaches because there were so many people gathering on beaches. We as a community need to understand the seriousness of this issue. I suspended some activities I am responsible for in the Village where I live. Some folk thought it over the top now the Government are pushing the same thing.
When it comes to politics. We have been fairly lucky in Oz at least the two sides of politics appear to be on roughly the same page and therefore things are getting done as much as they can. But, our infection rate is increasing at a scary rate.
Anyway that is my opinion. KEEP WELL ALL.
Tony
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
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Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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