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    One Photo and What It Says About the Presidency

    Last weekend there was published a photo taken at the funeral reception for Barbara Bush, the matriarch of the Bush family who died last Tuesday on April 17, 2018 at the age of 92, having been married to George WH Bush for 73 years. Americans from across the political spectrum (except for the far left) applauded Barbara Bush for her class and candor. She was lionized by historian Jon Meacham as “the first lady of the greatest generation” in the eulogy. The photo from the reception held large symbolic value, and not only to me, because it shows the entire American presidency for the last 30 years. Many commentators said something like this:…

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    A Healthy Intellectual Life: Choices

    ‘Men have become the tools of their tools.” Henry David Thoreau So I have authored eight blog posts since I stopped posting to Twitter three months ago, and pretty much gave up all social media. Those eight essays cost me me many hours and much sweat to write. But they have also been enormously gratifying to complete. I remember hearing someone I very much admire tell my students that if they want to maximize their potential and be the best they can be, they should “turn off their cell phones and read one additional book per week.” His words hit me hard. They prompted me to reflect on how I…