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The Horn

March 27, 2007

Happy birthday, Lenore



Happy 90th Birthday, Aunt Lenore!!! You are truly blessed with a wonderful, loving husband and family and I join them in wishing you lots of kisses and hugs on your very special day. Enjoy. Love, ~ Chrissy
Hi Mom, Happy Birthday! 90 years old, holy cow. Wish I could be there today to celebrate with you. Have a wonderful day. Love you very, very much, ~ Loretta

March 14, 2007

A Timely Essay

What follows is an essay on Savonarola by my grandson Tyler, a 6th grader who will turn 12 on March 28th. His father, my son Fred, is a corporate jet pilot for Bristol Myers and his mother, my daughter in law Julia, is an executive educator at the St. Luke's School in Connecticut. Tyler is engineer minded. He is a precocious youngster and he is already a computer wizard. Soft spoken and articulate, he is a creative and avid learner. We love him dearly and we are intensely proud of him.
Girolamo Savonarola, 1452 ~ 1498
Intro: Girolamo Savonarola ended the glory of the Renaissance in Florence by ordering the burning of art and books. Savonarola was a Dominican priest (an order of monks) and the ruler of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498. He was born on 1452 into a family of physicians but Savonarola wanted to be a monk. His reputation as a great preacher attracted many followers. Savonarola became a ruler of Florence with good intentions but, with those intentions, Savonarola made many enemies and he had the same fate as the books and other "vanities" he burned.
Family and Childhood: Savonarola was born on September 21, 1452 in the city state of Ferrara. His parents were Niccolo Savonarola, a physician, and Elena Bonacossi. He was the third of seven children. Savonarola’s grandfather was also a physician and he worked for the Duke Borso d’ Este (the first duke of Ferrara). It was through these many childhood influences that would normally have steered Savonarola toward a career in medicine. Instead, he connected with the Church in his youth by studying the Bible. In addition, he studied famous philosophers like Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. From his Catholic childhood, Savonarola would soon become a monk.

Education and Early Career: From having a father and grandfather who were both physicians, Savonarola was pressured to be one as well. Instead, he was more interested in the writings of Thomas Aquinas and studying Aristotle. Savonarola studied at the University of Ferrara. There he got an advanced degree in the arts. After studying the Catholic Church for a long time, Savonarola found many reasons to become a monk. One of the big reasons he became a monk is because the girl he loved rejected him so he adopted a life of serious religious reflection as a way to deal with the rejection. Finally, in 1475 he achieved his goal by becoming a Dominican priest.

Background: During the time of Savonarola’s adulthood, Italy was experiencing the Renaissance. There was an explosion of art and music, both of which Savonarola preached against. The pope of the time was Alexander VI, who was one of Savonarola’s enemies. At the time, the people of the Catholic Church were praying for the wrong things. For example, instead of praying for God, they prayed for something that didn’t have as much meaning like to win a sport match.

Connection to the Medici: It seems as though another one of Savonarola’s enemies might have been Lorenzo de’ Medici. He thought that the Medici held too much power over Florence, and that the people should have more power. Also, when Lorenzo was dying, he asked Savonarola to help him repent and give him last rites, because he thought that Savonarola was an honest man. Savonarola asked him to release power over Florence. Lorenzo refused to release power and, as a result, Savonarola refused to give him last rites. After the Medici lost its power, Savonarola began his rule over Florence.

Preaching and Leadership Style: Savonarola was one of the great preachers of the Renaissance. Because of this, he attracted many followers. He started preaching at the convent of San Marco. San Marco was the Dominican house in Florence. Many people considered him a prophet because he accurately predicted things that became true such as the death of Pope Innocent III and the fall of the Medici family. When Savonarola became the ruler of Florence he did good things for Florence. This included the opening of a bank called the "Monte de Pieta," meaning "The Bank of the Poor." The bank gave loans to poor people at a low interest rate. Savonarola also liked the idea of democracy and contributed to the idea of Florence’s constitution. But his good ideas were balanced with bad ideas.

Downfall: One of Savonarola’s bad ideas was the "Burning of the Vanities." He sent a group of boys to every house in Florence to ask for "vanities." Vanities are things you have but, don’t need (books and art). Then he would burn it all in a huge bonfire at the town square. Another bad idea of his was that he treated everyone the same and didn’t separate the good from bad. Because of these bad ideas, he was hated by many.

Excommunication and Death: Since many people were scared of Savonarola, they had to do something about him. Pope Alexander VI decided to excommunicate him in 1497. Some of the things that he was charged for were not believing in God, making up prophesies, and secretly fighting against the government. The people of Florence rose up and finally executed him. On May 23, 1498, the people of Florence hanged him on a cross and burned him in town square just like the art and books he burned. He lived a good life, but died as a result of his bad decisions.

Legacy: Savonarola is considered by many Catholics as a great priest and a good leader but his stubbornness led him to poor decisions. Ultimately his leadership even inspired one of Sandro Botticelli’s paintings, the "Lamentation over the Dead Christ." He lived a great life but his poor decisions ended up sealing his fate and ultimately led to his death.

March 12, 2007

We crackpots !

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it. The other was perfect. It always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection, and it felt miserable because it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day, by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace my house."
Each of us have our own unique flaws. But it's the cracks and flaws we have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. So, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!
Submitted by my very dear friend, Stan Zeller

March 9, 2007

Oops !

Whether you support President Bush or you oppose him, what follows is an example of how journalists have not changed.

"It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant ones to edit newspapers! In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly , I am readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I'll, in turn, do my best for the Cause by writing editorials ~ after the fact."
Sound familiar? Could be George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, or any of our various generals since the beginning of the current operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. No; it was a statement made in 1863 by Robert E. Lee.

March 3, 2007

Cerebral detours (?)

Stories told by my doctor friends
Is This Where We're Headed
or are we there already. . .
"An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, "Last night we went out to a new restaurant and it was really great. I would recommend it very highly. The other man said, "What is the name of the restaurant?" The first man thought and thought and finally said, "What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know... the one that's red and has thorns." "Do you mean a rose?" "Yes, that's the one," replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and yelled, "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?
A couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a check-up, the doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember. Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. "Want anything while I'm in the kitchen?" he asks. "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?" "Sure." "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" she asks. "No, I can remember it." "Well, I'd like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so's not to forget?" He replied, "I can remember. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries." "I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, please write it down?" she asks. Irritated, he says, "I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream ~ I got it, for goodness sake!" Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment. "Where's my toast ?"
Three old guys are walking. First one says, "Windy, isn't it?" Second says, "No, it's Thursday!" Third says, "So am I, let's go get a beer. "
A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlor and pulled himself slowly and painfully, up onto a stool. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly, "Crushed nuts?" "No," he replied, "Arthritis."
Submitted by my attorney:
Joseph L. Latwin
Wolff & Latwin, LLP
Purchase, NY 10577
Dad ~ I see you've slain the alien. Now this sounds more like you. I enjoyed the post ~ Loretta