Fortress Of Freedom Board

[Maurice Ali]

Ahhh..... I needed a break.....




So I was stressing out over my life. The reason was because I was in denial. I failed to check out things like retirement options and stuff like that. What to do with the family I have – first born you know – and have to take care of. It all comes back to haunt you sooner or later. I was stressed out, so I took charge and the stress levels are subsiding. You see reality clearly. You see what motivates you and why..,..



I see a five year old kid (me) – one year younger than the others in grade one. Physical Education back then, we had to run against each other across that tar mac and away we went. I was faster than the others and turning my head so I can see what was going on behind me. One of the popular kids was huffing and puffing behind me full speed. So what did I do? I slowed down to let him win because I wanted to belong – I wanted to be loved with this group I grew up in. That was it right there. I had no home or culture, other than what was in front of me. Fast forward 60 years and nothing has changed, except that I know I am in charge whether I wanted it or not and those people that treated me badly – are still your tribe – and you are in-charge with the ability to change things – if you are smart enough.....



I would have loved to be just in charge of myself. Live for yourself and if life is not worth living – you just end it. I don’t have that option. I have responsibilities to other members of my family, and I have a moral imperative to help humanity because I can. Fortunately I am in really good health – I actually don’t look or feel my chronological age. I have the time to try and make change for the better.



On paper – I should have more than enough resources to do all of this. But I can’t take any chances. So going forward I’m playing for keeps! But that means I only accept the sure thing and go from there. So that is what solved a lot of my angst this week. The angst was putting off thinking about retirement. Everyone does it – retirement to those still working is sort of like death. And it is death in a way – death of that former part of your life. Those like me haven’t done what I am doing now. They haven’t looked at their options in retirement. However I have started looking into it and I have some strategies. That lifts a huge weight off your chest. Anyway - that was what was going on this week. You can try to deny things and put it aside – then the reality just pushes you into it and you have to act and do things. I started to do it one day in a week and then you still started getting nervous about it all and had to resolve things all at once. But it is better this way.....




Goodnight.....

[Maurice Ali]

We may get some concert reporting over in Europe:

[Maurice Ali]

Just a quickie…..


I’m just in the middle of things in the old personal life. Nothing exciting but they have to get done. I have no time and now I can’t even get enough time to sleep. I have to learn to say “no” to people. You can’t live healthy on a few hours of sleep.



Anyway, everything else is on hold until some things get sorted out. I kind of like have a few moments here and there to myself and realize some people have all the time in the world to themselves. How did I lose that without a wife and kids?



I wonder what some of my old profs would say to me about what to do in the position I’m in right now. They would probably say I have wasted my time in a futile mission. They are probably right - but anthropology says I would never have a life anyway, so it’s better to take the “flyer” and give stupidity a go because you never know. Anthropology was right - no career even with threats of law suits - they just pay you off to go away - but you can’t do that forever. Difficult female relationships - outside of religion and the race thing you pretty much have all of society against you even if you find true love - what a life? So I took the crazier path in life. The ones that saved their pennies for a comfortable life (never lived) all seem to have died early in life. You need a reason to get up in the morning. I have a reason even if most see it as misguided. And everyone seems to add that I’m good at it - what - good at what - futility - but reality always or sometimes has a way of finding something good out of something futile - it’s just unexpected that’s all…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/y2zql_a6t2o?si=bWVzZBvbkIBvdg1Q

[Maurice Ali]

I’m still taking care of things in the personal life.



This works out well as nothing special is happening at the orgs. If we had gone ahead with FOFSTOCK 2 I would be swimming in debt but planning the event right at this is moment - not crushing debt, but like the first time. You do still wonder if it would have been worth it? I hate to say it but: No!







Not for me handling all the cost but maybe “Yes” if we had some help. Originally I really was going to pull the trigger on FOFSTOCK 2 late last year with the original estimate which was exactly the same as the original FOFSTOCK and adding in inflation. But then they doubled the cost inexplicably and that was that! Central Park was a whole different animal coming in at a quarter million dollars Canadian but typically you go in with a group and this is not that hard once you get the date (we had two) and get your head used to the new numbers - but the trade war killed that!




Our venue planned in Central Park for FOFSTOCK 2!



So I bought some guitars instead and started on that path.




Strangely, Central Park in the end may have been the least costly alternative to me personally, but here you are selling the event to others as opposed to owning the event at Yonge-Dundas Square. Owning it means you retain all the rights and can make a documentary and all that. Central Park is in another universe but puts you on the map of real concerts and music festivals.



Music festivals are dying this year, so all this may have withered away before my eyes. Small festivals and concerts are still planned - but the big ones seem distant now which is why I changed the purpose of the FOFSTOCK not-for-profits to what it is today. Snooze and you lose and that dream - really was not a dream but an attainable reality in 2024 - maybe gone for good in 2025 - time will tell…..



Why bring this up now - it’s because some of the stuff I’m doing now is impacted on if I went ahead with things and the impact would have been negative. So it would have been worse for me right now if the music festival was a go. Everything has a price but I probably did the right move on this one.




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

It is like the same old song this week.



Taking care of more financial stuff. Then finding out the bank screwed up every major figure and the costs keep going down for me. Just never sign an agreement with a bank without checking everything out yourself. Yesterday was almost 2 grand in savings right there. They still owe me some money and you just keep at it. But sign that agreement and it’s all over. A signed agreement trumps anything verbal in a court - at least from when I was in business school…..



That continues. More decisions are made about retirement strategies - and nothing to do about the above. The key thing is not to trust the usual trusted things. Play it super safe with retirement cash…..



Guitar corner:




My new “old” Helix!



After buying my heavily discounted Helix pedalboard from Cosmo, Line 6 just introduced the latest version on Wednesday and dropped the prices on the current. I’m still almost 300 cheaper in price but wow that was fast. The new unit comes out at the end of the year and at double the price of what I paid. It literally will cost 3400 dollars after taxes! Too much for me - but that is almost the cost of a Gibson Les Paul Standard. And for an electronic device that eventually gets outdated.


But the big thing - guitars and getting more of them are now a thing of the past for me.




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

Stuff with the banks should be sorted out now?



It just amazes me how “upitty” banks get it they send you a contract to sign rife with mistakes and you scratch them out and initial and write in the correct amounts and send it in and they have to closed the deal because my numbers are correct. You get a polite acknowledgement that everything is complete and all the niceties - but they are still pissed that you did that and now some money owed to me is still outstanding - said to be coming to me - and all the rest. It will come but they are delaying everything now.







I haven’t forgotten about petitioning the Security Council to get our advocacy out there. The Security Council can meet on a whim and the default is for the meetings to be public but they can go private at their whim. The meetings are only for member nations but they can bring anyone at their whim. Basically they can do as they please because they have veto power.



They do have informal meetings that can take place in other conference rooms and not just the Security Council Chambers. But an even better way is to simply target those meetings that have nothing to do with you but have all the Security Council members available. So, if I attend an event about oceans or forests it’s because the members of the Security Council are there and any written statement or speech will be heard by them. And what is our official reason to register and attend: We are a journalist org and need to attend to document the event for journalistic purposes while addressing possible issues from our in-depth reports and concerns from members of the public.







On the retirement front: I have fleshed out all the variables. I used to sell retirement plans as in annuities when I worked for Metropolitan Life in my 20s. I was good at it and actually would win awards. That was 40 years ago and I had graduated from Ryerson Business School and York University. I was licensed as an insurance agent and also a financial planner. Wow, so long ago I forgot about all that until I forced myself to look into my retirement situation.




How time flies…..





https://youtu.be/-FhbKsX9giw?si=9i9J-7bSf_21rH-A

[Maurice Ali]

Some good news today…..



Remember back in the spring when I was receiving one thousand dollar penalties - one after another - for each corporation I submitted to the CRA because I didn’t do it online. Well I have received relief on three corporations so far. The last one is like the others but each decision is not a precedent for the others, so I will cross my fingers on the last one. But this is three thousand saved on Friday and add that to the two thousand saved on Thursday with the banking stuff - well this is major relief.



Oh, and of course the Bank’s word is worthless. They never intended to send the money they owed me back to me as promised. So I called them up again and after thirty minutes (probably trying all the methods on the number to try and keep it - may of even used AI) they again agreed with my revised numbers and said it may take another three business days to get my money! This just goes to show what happens when you know the score and don’t sign the bogus numbered agreement foolishly thinking a bank never makes mistakes - they do! They will continue to mess with me until the contract is in force. I’ll just have to keep an eye on things.




So the end of the week was the bank and the CRA. That right there is stress. But much weight was lifted off my shoulders. Still one last thousand dollar penalty up in the air - but good news so far.




The Fates



And where does this money go to now - it goes to the advocacy to make everyone’s life better. And that’s no lie in my case. I actually do have a way to do this. And just how did this all happen and why me? Ask Tthe Fates - they know everything…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/UA2_1RxkUV8?si=hhqu4xmKYMbCGqLW

[Maurice Ali]

Well I sort of took a day off.



Guitar Corner:



The only thing I did on Sunday was to buy a Tonex One guitar pedal. I bought it because the only thing the upcoming Helix can do that mine can’t is cloning - sort of like recording an amp/ cabinet that you come across and digitizing it and putting it in the pedal board. So I figured I would buy the cheap Tonex One pedal for 240 bucks and that itch would be scratched.




I hate hardware that comes with a wifi connection and needs that connection to work and the new Helix has that! Capture will be done in the cloud and my fear is that the cloud services will eventually become subscription services and a wifi card is needed for that. So the idea was buy the el’cheapo pedal and stay happy with the OG Helix that just works on its own and probably never needs to be connected to the net ever again.



It didn’t work out. All the Tonex One pedals at Long&Mcquade on Sunday were demos so I bought one I could return no problem. The problem was incredible hum and noise from the pedal itself. Then found out many had the same problem and returned them. So I got my refund that afternoon and never looked back. I have no real amps to clone anyway, this was just FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) about something that happened outside of the pedal board anyway in the new machine. So I learned a little something today.



I’m set for now in guitar world. If the new hardware and software lives up to the claims and I need them, then maybe I’ll upgrade and keep the Helix I have now as a back up. I got mine new in the box and as cheap as they will ever sell. But even the Tonex One needed an account and registration for the hardware to work and a whole bunch of expensive add-ons to really make it work as promised.



Dishonorable mention to all those YouTubers praising the pedal like the second coming of Christ and then you listen to the sounds and the hum and noise is there if your radar is up for it! Don’t believe the hype…..




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

Seems like boring times for me - but so much is being resolved now.



One more letter of relief and then the CRA and they will now be off my back. I run so many companies that the CRA calls me up regularly unlike what they tell the public to prevent scams. I can tell from the location when the call comes in and you better pick up those calls! Anyway all that angst may soon be lifted.



The bank still has not given me my money back! Man, they expect you to sign whatever they put in front of you and if you see blatant errors in their favor and correct them - they get pissed off. The numbers I used were the correct ones and in my favor so they keep trying to find a way to get out of it. They can’t so they keep delaying the transfer…..



I now have a new method of advocacy to implement and start trying new things instead of doing the same things that have already been tried. We shall see what happens now but the Securiy Council members are the key to any initiative becoming “flesh”.



While I’m working and have benefits, I need new glasses. I second guessed not having my eyes lasered but for now the glasses work well for me and cellphones I live by. But I need a new pair and they are not cheap. I bought my last two at Hakim Optical and they are in bankruptcy protection. They are the largest chain here and I could get the new specs before they go under. Pay by credit card for sure but if another more solvent eye place exists I’ll go there. My lenses are super expensive and rare - that’s the problem. The Zeiss lenses have to be flown in from Germany.


Retirement is not for a few years but at least I have a plan now. That takes a lot of angst off your mind. I development a broad plan and then nailed down the specifics and will continue down the options as this is kind of fun - and I did sell retirement products when I was in my 20s. How time marches forward.




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

The weekend was not a waste.



FOFSTOCK will probably endorse the NAM (Neural Amp Modeling) open source and possibly the future standard for modeler files for guitars, bass and drums for electronic music devices. Currently big tech wants to license and own the modeler file field but music has been raped enough by big business especially hi tech. The files you use or make in your music should not be tied to a company or specific device in any way. This is the way forward.



Electronic pedal boards and electronic drums use files the emulate real amps, cabinets (that contain the speakers) and simulate the drums and symbols for drummers. These song files should not be the property of big tech for profit.




My new “old” Helix!



The Helix modeler I use doesn’t access the internet for any reason. The internet for musical equipment “could” be a trojan horse” for payment or subscription services or usage statistics - use your imagination. Everything in my box is mine and under my control. The next unit has wifi and usually you need that for subscriptions. Doesn’t mean it has to be - but wifi opens the door. What would happen if you removed the wifi card after purchase - the board probably would not work.



So - open source and hopefully universal standard for NAM!



Back to my regular old man rants tomorrow…..




Goodnight…..




https://youtube.com/shorts/isIkvYFw9XA?si=4mXlc2jE5Mv_ZKxZ

[Maurice Ali]

So all that work and hassle on the weekend was not in vain, this worked out really good as NAM is the way to go!

[Maurice Ali]

A really busy day so this will be short.



We are still toying with the idea of another paper newspaper. I’ll have to check the cost and see how much it will cost. So don’t count the chickens before they hatch…..








Yes we have a newspaper box in the office. We do need a new issue of the physical paper though!


Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

We should be back up.



More later…..

[Maurice Ali]

So, all three of my main computers have the NAM programs installed. That pretty much ends guitar and guitar equipment purchases for now.




The NAM modeler!



If FOFSTOCK 2 was going on as planned, I would just be concerned getting on with the show and the deal with the financial aftermath later. I’m usually more hawkish on projects, but given the price increases and all that happened lately, it was better that FOFSTOCK 2 was out on hold.




Our venue planned in Central Park for FOFSTOCK



I also think the film festival is also a no go so that part these forums will be archived.



The forums were down today. Our servers are located on the west coast after the big outage in 2008. The good aspect of that move was that we always had the east coast or west coast to stay in touch no matter what. The bad aspect is if the nightly updates screw up the forums - fixing it only happens after noon as that is 9:00am their time. So now you know what happened.



Another relaxing weekend it I can ever call it that. Some shit always messes plans up!




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/hhTil3abdjM?si=16FWsoVugJjx2_qv

[Maurice Ali]

Calling cell phone companies on a Friday night…..




I swear, calling a big telecom in the worst times can get you deals. Normally you have to call and get kicked around to get anything done during business hours. Calling the regular line got me this bored woman who said there was nothing she could do. But I ended up calling the sales department at this big telco out of frustration and got this “extremely happy” sales guy on the phone. Normally people figure these lines are dead after 5:00pm - but no!



I told him I wanted the promo for 80gjgs for 60 bucks and he said: I’ll give you 80 gigs for 50 bucks! That is what I pay now for the 60. So I said “yes” and the only question from me was to make sure it wasn’t a contract - no! And the only question from him was the start date. Done - he says so I politely ended the call before he thought better.



The email comes through and the salesman was good on his word. I got 20 more gigs and pay nothing extra. They never give you this on pre existing plans over here. Anyway, calling the lonely sales staff on a Friday night worked for me…..



And before you think anything or that it’s no big deal - some shenanigans were going on in that sales office (as a former sales guy - don’t ask me
how I know) - I just went with the flow and it worked out for me! The whole thing was hilarious - especially compared to the previous call…..




Later…..





https://youtu.be/844vMK-1CNo?si=tWh4ska-83F3ySLc



(NSFW)
https://youtu.be/vh3Di3LY6Ns?si=IKcOgyMAVMLn2nr3