News came this week that Dennis Kent has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Congratulations, Dennis!
Our last public lecture of the 2012 season will be given on Sunday (Earth Day) by Peter Kelemen. Peter's talk is appropriately titled, "Peak Earth: Population, Climate and Energy in the 21st Century." Let me take this opportunity to thank each of this year's speakers - Heather Savage, Pratigya Polissar, Greg Mountain, Donna Shillington, and Peter - for an engaging and well-targeted series of presentations. And special thanks to our Development/Events team - Barb Charbonnet, Erika Freimuth, Stacey Vassallo, and Ronnie Anderson - for making it happen.
The third annual Storke Lecture scheduled for this afternoon is also on the topic of energy, but from the perspective of a member of Columbia's distinguished law faculty, Michael Graetz. Michael's presentation, "Energy Policy: Past or Prologue?" is derived from his recent book, "The End of Energy: The Unmaking of America's Environment. Security,
and Independence." I've been paging through it the last few evenings and it's well worth a look.
No more Music from Big Pink. RIP Levon Helm. From Jon Pareles' obituary in the Times: Dylan once told his band, before they were The Band, "Just keep playing, no matter how weird it gets." Words to live by.
Art