Jim Alfredson

I've got this really cool Wurlitzer 206a student model that was painted black. I want to replace the speaker grill cloth but I can't decide between classic Fender silver or silver with a turquoise stripe. I'm leaning towards the turquoise, because it would be kinda pimp.

http://www.parts-express.com/speaker-grill-cloth-fabric-silver-turquoise-stripe-yard-36--261-825

A little excerpt from the book: "Millions of people pray to God every day to cure their diseases, solve their financial problems, help them win in Las Vegas, and so on. Christians behave in this way for many reasons: Because so many other people talk about answered prayers; because prayer is a big part of the culture; because of the many statements in the Gospels claiming that God will, in fact, do something as a result of prayer.

Imagine a Christian named Ashley who would like to be intellectually honest with herself. Her desire is to understand what’s really happening with prayer — to understand whether God is actually answering her prayers, or whether her “answered prayers” are in reality simple coincidences. For Ashley, there is an easy way to discover the truth: She can pray in a situation where there is no chance for coincidence to occur. Since coincidence has been eliminated, the only way for the prayer to be answered is for God to actually answer it.

Let us imagine that we, as critical thinkers, wish to formulate an extremely simple and extremely benevolent experiment to test the efficacy of prayer for Ashley. We take Christian veterans who are amputees and we start a program to actively and intensely pray for them. Christians gather together to ask God to spontaneously restore the lost limbs of veterans. We do not pray for prosthetics, or for surgeons to graft on donor limbs, or for medical science to develop a revolutionary new stem cell therapy or gene manipulation. We ask God to spontaneously replace amputated limbs today using only the power of prayer.

What happens if Jesus, who is supposed to be God incarnate, who is supposed to be perfect, omniscient, and incapable of lying, says, “I will do whatever you ask in my name” in a book that the majority of adults in America claim to be literally true? In that case, a critical thinker reasonably expects Jesus to do what he says he will do. We expect Jesus to regenerate amputated limbs in the same way that Christians claim Jesus is eliminating cancerous tumors. There really is nothing else to expect in this situation unless one or more of God’s attributes are false.
Yet we know, with certainty, that prayers for the restoration of amputated limbs will never work. Amputated limbs are never restored through prayer. Every thoughtful, intellectually honest person knows this.

It doesn’t matter how many people pray, how sincere they are, how devout they are, how much money they give to the church, or whether a priest is involved. Nothing ever happens when we pray to restore amputated limbs.

So why won’t God help amputees by restoring their lost limbs? Does God hate amputees? Is God discriminating against amputees? Is there something about amputees that locks them out of God’s prayer answering circle?

These are valid questions, but they are not the correct questions. This is the question a critical thinker asks: Does God answer any prayers? The critical thinker then forms a hypothesis: Every answered prayer of intercession is nothing more than a coincidence. The critical thinker then looks for evidence to support this hypothesis:

The situation with amputees provides evidence that is clear and unambiguous: Prayers to restore amputated limbs never work. In fact, every prayer fails when the possibility of coincidence has been eliminated like this.

Try praying big instead of praying small. Instead of praying to cure one case of rabies, pray to God to completely eliminate the rabies virus worldwide overnight. Note that big prayers like these never work. Again, the chance for coincidence is eliminated.

When the answer to a prayer could be a coincidence, and statistical analysis is performed, it becomes clear that every “answered prayer” is in fact a coincidence. Religious people do not win lotteries more often because they pray to win. Religious people do not get cured of diseases at better rates because their friends pray for them. And so on. The evidence is concrete, consistent, and unambiguous. There is voluminous evidence indicating that belief in prayer is a superstition, and no valid evidence at all indicating that prayers of intercession work.

You can perform experiments yourself, in your own home today, to prove that prayer doesn’t work as described in the Bible. Critical thinkers use the evidence to understand the truth about how the world works.

So why do billions of people on Earth today believe that prayer works? Why is religious inspirational literature filled with thousands of examples of “answered prayers?” What’s happening is simple: Believers, because they lack or ignore critical thinking skills, do not look at evidence correctly. Or they completely ignore evidence. For example, believers fail to take coincidence into account when evaluating prayer’s efficacy, using confirmation bias to make note of the prayers that “work” while ignoring all of the prayers that do not.

How do Christians typically handle the unambiguous evidence that amputees represent? They might come up with rationalizations to try to explain why statements in the Bible are untrue for amputees. Or they might try to explain why amputees are somehow different from other people. Or they might simply get angry and storm away so they can ignore the evidence completely.

To see the reality of prayer, simply read what the Bible says and listen to what Christians say about prayer. Then pray for anything that cannot happen by coincidence. Pray for amputees to see their lost limbs spontaneously regenerated. Pray for an immediate, worldwide end to all cancers and other illnesses. Pray to fly like Superman. If there is no possibility for coincidence to influence the outcome, the number of answered prayers will always be zero."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTtSYi2npVM

Playing Moriarty's tonight with Mark Kieme and Jeff Shoup for Jazz Tuesdays. I will have a very special rig on stage for the occasion. Intrigued? 7pm to 10pm.

Tonight's listening.

So the 'militia' in Oregon has lots of guns and claims the Lord is on their side. Can we call this what it is? Domestic religious terrorism.

If I were the Feds, here's what I'd do: Set up a perimeter around the site a few miles out. Block access to all roads. Nobody goes in or out. Shut off the electricity, phone lines, cell towers, water and sewage, and any other modern amenity that's possible. See how long these tough guys can survive in the woods. I'm sure they'll hunt and fish, so they won't starve, but don't let them have access to social media, phones, internet, electricity, bank accounts, fuel, or anything but what they brought in there with them. Don't let any reporters in, don't let them spread their message (which is not about government tyranny as they claim, but is just out and out greed on their part.)

Good luck, tough guys!

Yes, this is real. Grover Norquist, rightwing intellectual.

https://twitter.com/GroverNorquist/status/683425783470239744

https://youtu.be/C7oSFNKIlaM

From the comments section:

"Why don't they have songs out about being true to your school? Why don't they have songs out about eating your Brussel sprouts?"

Because that shit is fucking lame, you square. No one wants to hear about little Timmy being a good boy for finishing his vegetables and how much he loves his homework. We want songs about how your goofy religion is destroying the world through war. We want songs about Vikings kicking everyone's asses. We want songs about motorcycle riding demon warriors from another dimension descending to Earth and devastating the landscape with flaming swords made of steel.

"you can’t manage that today, this dope-filled world, and get in a long tube with a bunch of demons, and it’s deadly…"

By "that", Copeland is referring to standing in the aisle of the airplane and talking out loud to God. This is his excuse for needing a $6 million private jet. Or two. Which brings up a few questions: 1) Why do you have to stand up and talk out loud to talk to God? 2) You're a preacher; aren't you supposed to talk to the regular public, try to get them to convert, not isolate yourself from them? 3) How is not being able to stand up and talk to yourself out loud "deadly"?

Of course, we're talking about a guy that lives in multi-million dollar mansions who somehow convinces people to keep giving him money even though he offers nothing of value. Kind of like George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise (see what I did there?)

I saw it tonight and it was fun but predictable. A bit lazy, perhaps and essentially a pseudo-reboot. But my biggest issue with it is the same as with most modern movies; the insulting degree to which they purposely manipulate you. "Cry here." "Feel empathy here." "Ok, here's where you should feel joy." It's an assembly-line-by-committee method of movie making that's incredibly tiring and devoid of soul. I honestly couldn't even take Harrison Ford seriously. It was like watching Harrison Ford pretending to be Han Solo at a costume party.

And then there's the overriding smell of monetization. As the LA Times reviewer wrote:

"Sitting in the theater at "Avatar," I felt like I was being pounded into submission by a giant hedge fund. Watching "The Force Awakens," I felt as though I was being shown a trailer for the next four movies in the series."

Everybody knows where it's going. Everybody knows it's just a vehicle to sell merchandise. But it was fun. Like drinking a Coke Slurpee.

Need your acoustic piano tuned? How about some work on your Wurlitzer or Rhodes electric piano? Hammond tonewheel organ or Leslie repair? Give me a shout.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

~Dylan Thomas

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-tamir-rice-modern-day-emmett-article-1.2479611

A conversation with my sisters after Christmas Dinner is still meandering around my head. This will be a bit long, so bear with me.

My second eldest sister started at MSU in 1990. She was able to obtain a small scholarship to pay for her first year ($4000). She worked full-time as a student at the NSCL on campus starting at minimum wage, which was $3.80 an hour. By the time her second year rolled around, she made enough money to pay for it herself. She lived at home, brought her lunch to work, and basically worked her butt off. She graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and was offered a job at the NSCL afterwards. She went to California for a bit, worked in the special FX movie business, then came back to Michigan and still works at the NSCL.

Five years later, in 1995, I attempted to do the same thing. I got a job at the NSCL for minimum wage, which was $4.25 an hour by this time. I didn't have a scholarship but I had saved up some money that summer to pay for most of my first semester. After my first semester, I quickly realized I couldn't afford to take a full credit load, so the second semester I took a half load.

My sophomore year, 1996, I had to do the same thing. Even after working all summer, full-time at the NSCL, I couldn't afford to take a full credit load.

What was the difference?

In 1990, the cost per credit hour at MSU was $65.25.

In 1995, the cost per credit hour had more than doubled to $136.75.

Remember, minimum wage rose a whooping 45 cents in 1991 and sat at that rate until 1997. It was raised to $5.15 in 1997 (I remember getting that wage rate increase) and stayed there until 2007. So 10 years. Guess how much a credit hour at MSU was by 2007?

$280 per credit hour. Or over 4X what it cost in 1990.

Right now it is $452 per credit hour. 7X what it cost in 1990. Minimum wage is $7.25, not even double what it was in 1990.

Do we see the problem?

My elder sister is college debt free. She was able to pay for her education at a Big 10 University thanks to a very kind man helping her get that one, small, $4000 scholarship.

My younger sister meanwhile, who attended college 10 years later, is saddled with over $100,000 in student loan debts.

This needs to change. It is abhorrent that in the richest country in the world, people cannot afford to continue their education. Brazil, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, France, Slovenia, Iceland... I'm sure I'm forgetting some... they all have free college education. And yes, I know free means it's paid for by taxes. That's what taxes are supposed to be used for, not subsidizing multi-billion dollar companies and further enriching the grotesquely wealthy or supporting the bloated defense budget.

Who is the only candidate talking about this right now? I think you know the answer to that one.

Y'all can stop posting that FB status update about Zuckerberg giving away billions. I won it. He gave it to me. So long, Stinktown.

This is wild. Prog? Jazz? Both?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IWmfknaoZ8

Maisy's first Christmas (with us anyway). She hid the entire time until almost everyone was gone.

Christmas 2015

Kind of like World Series titles. USA - 111 REST OF THE WORLD - 0. USA USA USA!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSt9RDIIa0k

I found footage of the Trump rally in Grand Rapids last night.

https://youtu.be/8urkDqSoc54?t=148

Tonight I'm playing with organissimo at the SpeakEZ Lounge from 7pm to 10pm. In honor of this magical holy season, a season that makes us all into anxious little kids... we'll all be wearing our Star Wars Under-Roos beneath our Star Wars pajamas and playing our officially licensed Star Wars - The Force Awakens instruments covering all Star Wars tunes. My new Star Wars Kylo Ren glasses look great with my new Star Wars haircut held in place by Star Wars Han Solo Personal Pomade. Lawrence Barris will be playing through his new Fender Star Wars Millenium Falcon Wookie Classic amplifier while sporting his Star Wars Obi Wan Kenobe Robe and sandals while Randy Scott Marsh will be hitting the Star Wars drum skins (made from real Tauntaun hide) with his Star Wars Sarlac-sticks (they're a bit flimsy but hey...).

Tonight's show is sponsored by Star Wars - The Force Awakens and will be live simulcast on The Moon of Endor to over 3 million Ewoks.

Had a fun session at Big Sky recording studio in Ann Arbor with Stan Budzynski, Bob Schultz, Tosha Owens, Duncan W. McMillan, Jerome Edmonson, and a slew of horn players along with the McKey brothers. Now to play MASH at 10pm with Ari Teitel. Gonna be a funky good time.

It's beginning to look a lot like... Fuck this.