Musing of a Contemporary Pathologist

Category History

Are We a Fearful People?

                      To be persuasive, we must be believable;  to be believable, we must be credible;  to be credible, we must be truthful.                 … Continue Reading →

On Listening to Mahler’s 2nd Symphony for the First Time, Again

Classical music first became important to me when I was a student at Brooklyn College in the late 1950s, although I heard music, especially opera, which my grandfather loved, from childhood. My piano lessons, of course, included compositions by Bach… Continue Reading →

Wanderer

       It has been a few years since the idea of writing an essay about Sterling Hayden first came to my mind and I began collecting articles about him. I am not sure why I felt the need to… Continue Reading →

Heartless hospitals – part 2 (or multiple tirades prompted by a recent David Brooks column)

I have long been a fan of David Brooks, both in the pages of The New York Times and on his weekly PBS’ News Hour commentary every Friday. He is thoughtful and tries to consider alternative viewpoints. For almost 20… Continue Reading →

Hooked (on ice cream)

It’s a balmy late-September evening at Mount Vernon. After a particularly busy day for the retired President, crowded with meetings and tasks, including answering President Adams’ letter by providing some suggestions to calm the ongoing squabbles between Jefferson and Hamilton…. Continue Reading →

A 77-year-old short story for our time

                 For a few months, I have been part of a short-story-reading group operating under the aegis of New York City’s 92nd Street Y. Each week we read and then, via Zoom, discuss a short story. A couple of weeks… Continue Reading →

Thoughts on seeing a rabbi’s recent sermon about the recent brutal savagery in Israel

    In July 1969, just months after the Tet offensive in Vietnam, I began military service as a part of the (Colonel Frank) Berry plan. This program allowed young physicians to complete their specialty residency programs uninterrupted and avoid… Continue Reading →

The greatest jazz pianist

    I have always loved listening to jazz pianists.    The first jazz pianist I ever heard was Erroll Garner (1921-1977) when he gave a concert at Brooklyn College in thelate 50s and he has long been a favorite…. Continue Reading →

Go East, not-so-young man, go East …

     In 1837, Horace Greeley (1811-1872), then founder and editor of the fledging literary magazine The New-Yorker (not related to the modern New Yorker, established in 1925 by Harold Ross and his wife, Jane Grant), wrote “Fly, scatter through… Continue Reading →

A great American speech

Saturday, January 7, 2023      Last night, when it was past midnight in Washington D.C., I was privileged to see and hear one of the great American speeches. Most people did not watch since it came so late in… Continue Reading →

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