Monthly Archives: June 2011
The 51st State
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 25th June 2011I don’t know how anyone could have missed this, but many seem to have not noticed. I’m referring to the newest state in the union – the state of Denial. Most of our population seems to have already moved there or are about to do so. It will soon have such a large population that…
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Dow Jones Falls to Zero
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd June 2011It had to happen. According to Google finance the Dow Jones industrial index fell more than 12,000 points today – all the way to zero. But I never thought it could happen in one day. Market timing is really hard. If there was ever a time for QE 3 this is it. Stay tuned for…
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Operatic Excerpts
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd June 2011A few of grand opera’s more embarrassing outtakes Opera has the fewest masterpieces of any major art form. In fact, take away the operas of only four composers (Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini) and there wouldn’t be much to perform. A period of only a century and a half includes all the operas in the…
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The Wall Street Journal and American History
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 15th June 2011The Wall Street Journal today published Students Stumble Again on the Basics of History. In it they present the familiar lament that many American students are deficient in the basics of American history. The following picture was used to illustrate how little our students know about the Declaration of Independence. All is not lost, however,…
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Specialization
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 15th June 2011These article is adapted from a talk given at the graduation dinner for the residents of the Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock on May 27, 2011 Specialization is when people concentrate on one thing or another at which they are good. I will limit my remarks to…
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Social Welfare Programs and Drug Addiction
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 6th June 2011The current debate over how Medicare should be structured has seemed to me to be nothing more than each side declaring that their federally funded healthcare program is better than the other side’s. Paul Ryan’s plan to make Medicare (10 years hence) into a voucher system has been hailed by many as a serious and responsible modification…
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