Before I jump into the subject of today’s posting, a few words about the process of getting this thing out every week. Recently I was in a group that included folks involved in a variety of creative endeavors. The group leader asked us to comment on our “process.”  Years ago, I posed a similar question to a number of eminent scientists and mathematicians. You will not be surprised to hear...

While I was reading Stephen Pinker’s thoughtful article about Harvard’s battle with the Trump administration in the New York Times, I had an insight that surprised me. Ever since the infamous Elise Stefanik-led congressional hearings which led to the demise of several prestigious college presidents, including Claudine Gay of Harvard, I have feared for the future of higher education in America. I...

How does one choose what to read after War and Peace? During those priceless months of immersion in Moscow, Borodino and places between, I was compiling book recommendations from friends and reading intriguing book reviews, pondering my eventual reentry into the world of good, but not great. As you might guess, I knew it would have to be something short, and probably not a novel, to reduce the...

The garage at the University of Chicago Hospital sells discount booklets for parking in their facility. I should have bought one for this month. This is what’s on my May calendar: 5/1 Physical Therapy 5/9 Gastroenterologist 5/13 Primary Care physician 5/19 Physical Therapist 5/23 Orthopedics 5/27 Endocrinologist Appointment not yet made – Dermatologist Rosellen could expand the list even...

Just as I was about to sit down at my computer to begin this week’s posting, my phone lit up with the announcement that “We have a Pope.” I’m not really part of that We, but it was a historic moment, worth a detour to CNN, where I learned that the new Pope was an American, an outcome that few had predicted. To add a personal note, it turns out that he studied at The Catholic Theological Union...