Letters

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Letters from our readers

July-August 2009

Features

Hello from Havana

Raúl Castro is changing Cuba. Will the United States respond?

Theobald Smith

A brief profile of the pioneering comparative pathologist

by Steven M. Niemi

Who Killed the Men of England?

Cutting-edge science helps historians push further and more fully into the past.

by Jonathan Shaw

Lessons from an Unexpected Life

One patient’s struggle with chronic illness highlights the complexities of modern medicine and the healthcare challenge.

RIGHT NOW Harvard research and ideas

Jefferson's Conundrum

Mathematician Lawren Smithline ’94 has decrypted an encoded message sent to Thomas Jefferson in 1801.

Virtual Tumors

Modeling tumors may help scientists beat cancer.

How Depression Lingers

After depression patients recover, their brains still process criticism differently.

John Harvard's Journal University news

A Worldly Week

Commencement celebrants and celebrations faced up to real world problems.

Honoris Causa

The honorary-degree recipients, class of 2009

"Changed Times"

A sampling of the 2009 Commencement week addresses

"This Shaking Keeps Us Steady"

The Senior English address

"Producers of Doubt"

President Faust’s address to the alumni

"If You Love Rats"

The Harvard Medical School Class Day address

"Days With the Family Realist"

A poem for the 2009 Phi Beta Kappa Literary Exercises

“A Passion and a Voice”

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu’s address at the afternoon exercises

Commencement Confetti

Notes and statistics, vital and otherwise

"Resizing," before "Reshaping"

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences tackles a massive budget crisis.

Looming Layoffs

With the endowment down sharply and employee compensation accounting for nearly half of University expenses recently, the administration plans to trim staff jobs.

Liquidity and Leverage

Understanding the University's financial challenges--beyond the endowment's fall

David J. Malan

Expert multitasker David Malan introduces students to computer science.

University People

Honors, arrivals, and departures

Printed Catalogs: R.I.P.

A Harvard fixture bites the dust.

Renewing the Houses

Harvard has released a report on the role of the Houses in undergraduate life, in preparation for a major renovation.

Brevia

Short takes on recent news

Yesterday's News

Headlines from Harvard history

Ghosts

As senior year winds down, a look forward—and back.

Play at the Plate

Baseball catcher Tyler Albright ’11 explains how to play his position.

Spring Sports

Results in tennis and crew

Montage Books, creative arts, performance and more

Improvisational Prodigy

Pianist Malcolm Campbell ’10 is a jazz prodigy.

Feeding an Addiction

Enlisting the food industry in the fight against obesity

Letters & Letterman

Bill Scheft ‘79 writes comedy for David Letterman, as well as novels.

The Hajj, Screened Large

"Journey to Mecca," co-produced by Taran Davies ’93, is a new IMAX film about the Hajj.

Cultures in Conflict

Paul M. Barrett reviews “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West,” by Christopher Caldwell ’83

Shuttered Behind Bars

In a new book, photographer Bruce Jackson presents old ID photo portraits from an Arkansas prison.

Chapter & Verse

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Off the Shelf

Recent books with Harvard connections

Almuni Harvardians far and wide

Slaying Dragons

A crime novelist explores the deepest cracks in the human heart.

And the Winners Are...

Results of the 2009 Overseer and Harvard Alumni Association elected director races

2009 Class Marshals

The elected leaders of the College class of 2009

2009 Harvard Medalists

Three alumni are honored for outstanding service to the University.

2009 GSAS Medalists

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medal honors alumni whose contributions to society emerged from their graduate study at Harvard.

The Senior Celebrants of 2009

Harvard’s most venerable alumni

2009-2010 Cambridge Scholars

Four new graduates are bound for the other Cambridge.

"Thank You, Alumni"

Reunioners and seniors of 2009 give the University a welcome assist.

The SIGnboard

Updates from Shared Interest Groups