My Annual Review 2024

2024 was full of activity, both personal and professional. Family first. The highlight has always been meeting with our families, especially the grandchildren. Geo and Nava, our Seattle grandchildren (Shie and Leigh’s), are into sports and art. Geo is a soccer superstar who plays on multiple teams with older kids and has infinite energy and a competitive spirit. Nava is also a sports champion but paints very well and attracts many friends. Our Brooklyn grandchildren are into music. Addy and Sy (Aytan and Davina’s) are excellent violinists; they can perform more complex music pieces every year. Addy is more into arts and humanities, and Sy is a born scientist. Their younger brother, Jakey, has caught up with speaking and is a physically active little dictator. Arlo and Emet (Eyal’s), our Portland grandchildren, are computer game wizards. Arlo is starring in the school show and likes drama, and Emet produces terrific one-liners. 

This year, I discovered India and visited the country twice. Northern India showcases outstanding palaces and monuments, and the accumulative heritage of rich, old civilizations. While each civilization has its achievements, they climb to greater heights together. I found the highlight of Southern India to be the lakes, the gardens, and the unique nature. I like the food throughout the country and was impressed with the progress I saw compared to previous visits. It is one thing to speak about economic development, and it’s another thing to watch it happen. I was fortunate to visit Beijing this past month, and the city has changed drastically since my last visit. It is much cleaner, and you can realize that the sky is blue. Stores are modern and elegant, and public transportation works exceptionally well. The optimism I encountered ten years ago was replaced with concerns– as if people say, we have done very well, but what is likely to happen next? However, I found that both the governments and people of India and China take climate change seriously and look for policies to control it (of course, preferably as part of a global agreement). As they grow, both countries insist that their weight in international affairs will be proportional to their economic capacity. As they grow, we will face the growing challenge of living in a multi-polar world peacefully. 

I plan to continue researching, even though I plan to become a Professor at the Graduate School starting next July. The pension fund will pay my salary, I will be engaged with the ARE department and the MDP program, and I hope to continue guiding PhD programs and other students and pursue new research avenues. However, I will be free to travel and won’t be bound by teaching responsibilities unless I want to.  Despite the significant uncertainties and disappointing recent developments, I am optimistic about 2025 and the future– we must be. Happy New Year, and I hope to see many of you in the near future.