Renowned around the globe, the Philharmonic has appeared in 430 cities in 63 countries . including the February 2008 historic visit to Pyongyang, DPRK, for which the Philharmonic earned the 2008 Common Ground Award for Cultural Diplomacy.

Decades ago, a few famous folk were lauded for their good works off-screen. Danny Kaye was UNICEF'S first celebrity spokesperson; Audrey Hepburn, after she retired from filmmaking, was also a UNICEF ambassador. Now it's more difficult to name a celebrity without a cause than to name the famous faces who advocate to end war, cure disease or solve impenetrable environmental and humanitarian crises.

You may have noticed that one of the post categories for this blog is “U.S. Aid” and posts under that category are devoted to news and commentary about U.S. efforts to provide financial and humanitarian assistance to other countries. I see this as one of the pillars of the traditional U.S. role in the world.