TULANE TALK

February 4, 2005

Good Morning:

I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Lewis this week. No, not the Saints player. The Michael Lewis Iím referring to is the author of several best-selling books, including Liar’s Poker, a fascinating memoir of his time as a Wall Street trader; Moneyball, an insiderís look into how a major league baseball franchise built a winning team, and The New, New Thing, a profile of Jim Clark, the co-founder of Netscape who recently gave Tulane University $30 million.

In addition to these and other books, Michael is currently a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Bloomberg. His writing often appears in The New Yorker, Slate and Foreign Affairs. He has also served as editor and columnist for the British weekly The Spectator and as senior editor and campaign correspondent for The New Republic. He has also filmed and narrated pieces for ABC-TV’s “Nightline” and hosted a series on presidential politics for National Public Radio.

Through this and other works Michael has proven himself to be one of the most astute observers of our times. This is why I asked him to serve as our 2005 commencement speaker. I know we will all enjoy his stories and benefit from his observations and insights into our culture.

Speaking of our culture, I hope you all have a happy Mardi Gras. Please be safe and sensible and have a wonderful time. Iíll see you Wednesday.

Have a great Mardi Gras weekend,