Monthly Archives: August 2026
Cannabis Use Disorder in American Adults
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 28th August 2026In December 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14370, declaring it federal policy to increase medical marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) research and directing the Attorney General to expedite the movement of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. The order stated that marijuana has credible scientific support for pain, medically related anorexia, and nausea and…
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Random Thoughts About Inflation
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 24th August 2026Inflation, the sustained rise in the general level of prices, is almost as old as money itself. Although individual prices may increase because something becomes scarce, true inflation occurs when prices rise broadly and money consequently loses purchasing power. There are seemingly endless ways to make prices rise and thereby erode the purchasing power of…
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Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 19th August 2026Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disorder that occurs almost entirely in people over the age of 50. Its name is somewhat misleading: although it literally means “rheumatic pain in many muscles,” the muscles themselves are not primarily diseased. Much of the inflammation appears to involve structures around the joints, including bursae and tendons, particularly…
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The Metropolitan Opera Archives
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 16th August 2026The performance history (1883-1985) of the Met was compiled in print and released in the massive Annals of the Metropolitan Opera in 1989. It was published in two volumes. The first was Chronology 1883-1985, while the second was Tables 1883-1985. I had a copy of the print edition that I used frequently. In 2005 the…
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More on the Met’s Problems
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 14th August 2026In this post and the one to follow, I will discuss two problems that are characteristic of the difficulties that have accumulated to the point where the continued existence of one of America’s cultural treasures is threatened or at least seriously challenged. One, the subject of this discussion, is beyond the control of the company….
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Samuel Ramey
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 8th August 2026Samuel Ramey occupies a special place among American opera singers. While he’s appeared in several posts on this site, I have not yet devoted an entire article to his exceptional career. At a time when international operatic stardom was still largely associated with tenors and sopranos, he became one of the rare basses whose name…
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LCO Fall Concert – Program Notes
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th August 2026The Lubbock Chamber Orchestra will present its Fall concert on September 19, 2026 at the Crickets Theater. The notes for the performance are below. They may be modified for inclusion in the program booklet. Tickets may be purchased here. Mozart: Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G Major, K. 525 (“Eine kleine Nachtmusik”) Few works…
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Carl Furillo – The Reading Rifle
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 1st August 2026Carl Anthony Furillo was one of the indispensable members of the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams remembered as the “Boys of Summer.” A powerful, accurate-throwing right fielder and a remarkably dependable hitter, he spent his entire 15-year major-league career with the Dodgers, accompanying them from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. He was less celebrated than Jackie Robinson,…
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