Philharmonic is a tremendous asset to our community
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic gave a wonderful performance of the Requiem by Mozart last Saturday evening at the Embassy Theatre.
Assisted by the IPFW chorus, they performed this beautiful and moving work composed by Mozart just before he died. The Requiem is the rite for a funeral used at a Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The center of the work is the Dies Irae, which was composed in the 13th century and depicts the events of the Last Judgment when Christ will return to the earth to judge the living and the dead just before the end of the world.
The work was almost completed by Mozart except for the Sanctus and Agnus Dei, which were completed after Mozart’s death by Sussmayr.
Hats off to conductor Andrew Constantine for choosing this stupendous work and the orchestra for performing it wondrously. It is for concerts like this and for the stage presentation two weeks before of Mozart’s life that the Philharmonic should be given the full support of this community.
Many communities of the size of Fort Wayne do not have this stupendous asset, and everyone in Fort Wayne should be aware of it and its value and support it fully as long as it continues to give excellent presentations such as this.
Joseph Kretschmer
Vegetarian diet can stop obesity epidemic
The number of Americans considered obese is expected to rise from the current 34 percent to 42 percent by the year 2030, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and discussed at the recent “Weight of the Nation” conference in Washington, D.C.
Diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease and other obesity-related ailments account for countless premature deaths and as much as 18 percent of the $2.6 trillion national cost of medical care.
(www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/study-predicts-42-percent-of-americans-will-be-obese-in-2030/2012/05/07/gIQAeaDL9T_story.html)
The leading causes of obesity are consumption of fat-laden meat and dairy products and lack of exercise. This is particularly critical during childhood years, when lifestyle habits become lifelong addictions.
A five-year Oxford University study of 22,000 people, published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2006, found that those on a vegetarian or vegan diet gained the least weight.
A review of 87 studies in Nutrition Reviews concluded that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.
The time has come to replace meat and dairy products in our diet with wholesome grains, vegetables, and fruits and to undertake a regular exercise program. Parents should insist on healthy school lunch choices and set a good example at their own dinner table.
Nancy Drummond
Releasing Taliban just plain dumb idea
News flash!
“The U.S. is secretly releasing Taliban fighters in an effort to strengthen peace talks.”
Let me get this straight. We are releasing these fighters on their promise to make nice, go back to Afghanistan, become model citizens, get a job at their local 7-11 and never bear arms again. How did this idea work out the last time it was tried?
Remember we released a number of combatants from Gitmo on their promise to also make nice. It wasn’t long before many of them showed up back home and back in the front lines armed to the teeth. So much for their “heartfelt” promises.
Remember these are the people who promiscuously bomb their fellow citizens in schools, on buses, at wedding celebrations and in marketplaces. Their word and promises aren’t worth the papyrus they’re written on.
A hit Broadway show a while back was titled “Damn Yankees.” Maybe our negotiators could star in a sequel, entitled, “Dumb Yankees.”
James Ackmann
Polarization only by GOP? Really?
Why is it that polarization in Congress and society in general only applies to Republicans? Does the left-leaning, Obama-loving media not recognize the polarizing presence of the Lees, Wassermans, Schumers, Bidens, Boxers, Waxmans, Jacksons, Sharptons, Schultzes, Robinsons, et al (and, of course, Obamas)? Sure they do, just choose to ignore it since “all is fair in love — and left.” What a shame, and a sham is our media!
Rich Polk
