Syria and Lebanon

In the late 1950s, my family went to a film festival in Damascus. We were in Beirut, and I was too young to remember. Difficult to imagine, but Syria and Lebanon were progressive, open and comfortable, made up of diverse Christian communities dating back to the time of Jesus, a thriving Jewish community, Sunni and […]

Theremin, First Electronic Musical Instrument

The Theremin, an electronic musical instrument invented in 1920, became the foundation for synthesized music. Much of the music we hear today—in movies, commercials, stores—is synthesized, which is cheaper to produce than hiring musicians to play instruments. The electronic music revolution took off in the 1950s and 60s, but right after the Soviet Revolution, Lev […]

DEMOCRACY

“DEMOCRACY” is specifically not mentioned in the US Constitution. Madison and the other writers feared that such a system would degenerate. Madison took his idea of government  such as two houses of congress from the Presbyterian Church, even though he wasn’t a religious fellow. The Greek philosophers derided democracy, likening it to mob rule. It […]