My World of Religion, Politics, Entertainment and Social Issues

  Today is the third anniversary of the horrific attack on Israeli citizens. Questions remain as to whether or not the Netanyahu administration received advance warning that something of this magnitude was being planned. I have no doubt this will be a primary focus in Israeli elections and subsequent hearings. It was reasonable for Israel to respond to the October 7, 2023 attacks orchestrated by Hamas. For many Israelis, this was the final straw after many centuries of antsemetic actions, culminating in the death of six-million Jews during the Holocaust. The State of Israel was created as a safe haven for Jews who desired a homeland free of persecution. However, we are now faced with the uncomfortable issue of how far Israel went with its retaliation against Hamas, including the deaths of approximately 70,000 Palestinian civilians and massive infrastructure destruction. After all this, Hamas remains in control of Gaza territory. The safety of Jewish people continues to be a m...

  A.I. continues to be the leading topic of discussion on social media, outside of Donald Trump of course. I share concerns that this growing technology needs to be monitored. I am always cautious when posting photos related to news stories, to make sure they are authentic and not altered by A.I. tools. Just out of curiosity, I entered my name into an A.I. search engine, and discovered it had created a three-paragraph biography of me. To my surprise, it had produced highlights of my history correctly. Apparently, A.I. has the capability of doing quick condensing of all information that exists on any topic or person. A big matter of concern is the possibility of A.I. spinning out-of-control, outpacing the human capacity to alter its activity. It seems it would be a simple matter of clicking an off-switch or pulling a plug. However, it is much more complicated than that. I appreciate all the potential good uses of A.I. There simply needs to be safeguards to prevent a science ...

  I was delighted to learn that Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp has decided to ordain married men to the priesthood, beginning in 2028, despite anticipated push-back from the Vatican. This is due to the severe shortage of celibate priests in his diocese. This could be the impetus for change in the outdated rule of mandatory celibacy for priests that was implemented in 1139. Pope Leo can change the mandatory celibacy rule with the simple stroke of a pen. My hope is that he will consider this, since he has demonstrated an openness to reform in the Roman Catholic Church. Those who know me well are aware that I often describe myself as Judeo-Christian, having both Judaism and Catholicism in my background. I spent twenty years of my life working toward reform in the Catholic Church, including pushing for the ordination of women and married men. I was ordained a married priest by a married archbishop in 2006, which caused international headlines to my surprise. The Vatican ruled my ...

  It doesn't surprise me that one in three adults regrets having given up music. For me, this is the biggest regret during my lifetime. I had a promising musical career, having auditioned and being accepted to the Eastman School of Music in 1967. I lasted two years through no fault but my own. During my sophomore year, I became a victim of temptation and spent more time in bars than I did in practice rooms. Consequently, my studies suffered and I left Eastman following my sophomore year. I went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in other disciplines, but classical music always maintained a hold on me. I am grateful to have achieved career successes in fields other than music. However, while in retirement, I found myself longing for a return to my roots. Brenda (also a former musician) and I have been spending a lot of time revisiting classical compositions we love by watching full-length concerts on the Carnegie Hall+ and medici.tv streaming channels. Since my p...

  For lovers of classical music, such as myself, the lengthy article I have linked to below is well worth reading. It is an in-depth analysis of what is occurring with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The situation with the BSO is not unique, in that other orchestras are facing similar difficulties/dilemmas. Although most of my Facebook posts in recent years have focused on political matters, in response to my disgust with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, my background and heart are tied closely to classical music. Having served in both performing and administrative capacities with ensembles, it is disheartening to witness what is currently occurring, more so in the United States than Europe. The crisis with the Boston Symphony Orchestra is multi-layered, which is why reading the lengthy article I provided is worthwhile. It is safe to say that classical music is currently safe in Europe, but the scenario is different in the U.S. Orchestra boards and management are focused on ...

  Speaker Mike Johnson sent House members home early for the July 4th recess. They are not scheduled to return to Washington until July 13th. His reason for sending members home early? He knew there would not be enough votes for Donald Trump's Save America Act. So, instead of enduring a defeat and receiving a rebuke from Trump, Johnson adjourned yesterday's session. It is a sorry state of affairs when we consider that the House has abdicated its duties and the so-called Great American State Fair is essentially void of crowds. I blame both the Trump Administration and the Republican Party for our current pathetic situation. I was a Republican back in the 70's and 80's. The party was very different back then. I am not saying the present Democratic Party is perfect by any means. Democrats need to get their act together, which means stopping all the infighting between moderates and progressives within the party. Sadly, the Republican Party I was once part of is no...

This cartoon captured my attention this morning. I studied the careers and conducting styles of the late Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan intently. Their approaches to conducting and interacting with musicians were as different as night and day. Leonard Bernstein was a force of nature. I have addressed his talent as a composer in a previous post. His conducting was electric! He totally immersed himself in the music and communicated with orchestras with much passion. He valued what musicians offered, and their mutual respect resulted in collaborative concerts. Herbert von Karajan produced many wonderful concerts. However, he was rigid and very much in control of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. I always felt his conducting style was rather unusual, in that he had his eyes closed during entire performances. He claimed this helped him to concentrate on scores. While many have dismissed this as simply a reflection of his desire for perfection, I preferred Leonard Bernst...