Category Archives: Uncategorized
More on Cholesterol Screening in Children
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 12th January 2012I’ve written here about the recommendation that children be routinely screened for lipid (cholesterol, etc) levels. I pointed out that there was no scientific evidence that such screening would convey a health benefit. An opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association reaches the same conclusion. The robust evidence that high levels of…
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The Photos of Robert Cahen – Marilyn Horne
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 8th January 2012Another January birthday anniversary is that of Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934). This incomparable singer set the standard for mezzo-soprano singing for most of the second half of the 20th century. She was one of those few performers whose artistry defied description; you had to hear her to believe that a human being could…
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Faust in HD
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 10th December 2011After several shows of non-standard opera the Met telecasts returned to the most standard of standard operas – Gounod’s masterpiece Faust. This performance (Dec 10, 2011) was the 737th time the company has presented this work which was once such a staple at the Met that it earned the house the sobriquet of Faustspiehaus. This new…
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Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 21st October 2011A new study in the British Medical Journal concludes: In this update of a large nationwide cohort study of mobile phone use, there were no increased risks of tumours of the central nervous system, providing little evidence for a causal association. This has resulted in a sandstorm of criticism of the work. In general, the…
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Monarch Butterflies in Lubbock
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 28th September 2011This is way off topic, but Lubbock has been visited by an unusual number of monarch butterflies over the last week. For the past day all you had to do was stand in your back yard and watch them fly buy. This is a little early for their annual migration. Perhaps we’re headed for another…
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Shostakovich Plays Shostakovich
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 15th September 2011Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) is primarily known as the greatest composer born in the 20th century; though he started out as a pianist. He largely gave up playing to concentrate on composing when he was very young. But later in life he did occasionally perform as piano soloist, though only playing his own compositions. The current Recording…
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Parigi, O Cara
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 2nd August 2011Parigi, O Cara is a beautiful duet that occurs in the last act of Verdi’s La Traviata when Violetta and Alfredo are reunited after a long separation. Parigi, o cara noi lasceremo, la vita uniti trascorreremo. de’ corsi affanni compenso avrai, la tua salute rifiorira’. Sospiro e luce tu mi sarai, tutto il futuro ne…
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Educational Thought of the Day – E Coli in Germany
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th July 2011Thirty one people in Europe recently died from contamination of bean sprouts by E coli, many more were sickened. The sprouts were grown on an organic farm in Bienenbüttel south of Hamburg in Germany. The strain that causes problems is E. coli O157:H7. This variant of the bacteria produces a toxin that causes the hemolytic-uremic syndrome a disorder…
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Cornell MacNeil 1922 – 2011
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 18th July 2011The great American baritone Cornell MacNeil died July 15. MacNeil was part of a grand succession of great American baritones that included Lawrence Tibbett, Leonard Warren, Robert Merrill, MacNeil, Sherill Milnes, and Thomas Hampson. By contrast, there has been only one great American tenor who reached a comparable level of excellence as these baritones –…
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Why This is Such a Great Country.
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 4th July 2011Michigan Inmate Sues State Over Prison’s Porn Ban.
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