Monthly Archives: October 2014
A Visit to the Doctor
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 30th October 2014A few days ago I went to see an orthopedic surgeon for the care of a minor injury. Actually, I first showed up in his office a week before I saw him. Remember this is the age of the electronic medical record. I was told that before I could be seen I first had to be…
› Read the full entry
Ezekiel Emanuel and the Purpose of Medicine
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 25th October 2014It is amazing how many doctors seem not to have the fuzziest conception of the purpose of medicine. Ezekiel Emanuel who is trained in internal medicine and oncology but who has concentrated on public policy has written an article in the Atlantic that seems to display almost total ignorance of what medicine is about. The…
› Read the full entry
Le Nozze di Figaro in HD
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 18th October 2014Mozart and Da Ponte’s opera Le Nozze di Figaro was telecast in HD today. The opera is utterly unlike any that proceeded it. Its depth of characterization, complexity of ensemble writing, and dramatic propulsion moved opera to a new and higher level of artistic expression. Figaro’s dearth of recitatives allowing one number to flow into…
› Read the full entry
In Search of the Random
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 13th October 2014Baseball’s annual encounter with randomness is well underway. I’ve already written about this – here and here. But the baseball playoffs allow revisiting the topic. Baseball is a sport where the best team loses almost as many games as it wins. Thus, a very large sample size is required to determine which team is the…
› Read the full entry
Macbeth in HD
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 11th October 2014Verdi’s masterful transposition of Shakespeare’s play to the lyric stage received its second HD transmission by the Met. Zeljko Lucic again played the title as in 2008. But today’s focus was Macbeth’s frightening spouse impersonated by Anna Netrebko. The Russian diva has undergone an astounding transformation since her Met debut more than 12 years ago as…
› Read the full entry
