
Letters
Cambridge 02138
"Meat Ball" music, selfless Dr. Rock, gays and the military
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
Who Killed the Men of England?
Cutting-edge science helps historians push further and more fully into the past.
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