The year-end New Yorker has short fiction by Margaret Atwood in which (spoiler alert) a geologist supplies a MacGuffin and a stromatolite is the weapon of choice for an act of revenge. Leave it to Atwood to imbue the pleasures of field geology with menace. And during the holidays no less...
I'll be spending the holiday week in front of a wood stove and occasionally trying to start a cranky snow plow, so this will be the last weekly report for the year. As 2011 draws to a close, I am indebted to my colleagues here in Palisades and on Morningside Heights for their dedication to their work and to our institution. Over the past year, it has been my personal and professional privilege to work with you in meeting the challenges of running such a well-loved place.
To colleagues, friends and your families and loved ones: safe travels, happy holidays, and best wishes for a successful and stimulating 2012.
Art