...

Last night I met a friend and former colleague out in the Berkshires. She was back in town doing some research at the Museum, and we all celebrated her return, looking forward to hearing about her new life in Dallas, Texas. One of the topics that came up last night was how easy it was to obtain a gun in her new hometown. 

This morning I ran down to the Museum around 10 a.m. to meet with a reporter and give him a tour of the Alex Ross exhibition. It was business as usual... I then did a little holiday shopping in the store, and ran down to the archives to check in with my visiting friend. How quickly the tone of the day changed when I got back to my office... it was here that I first heard the shocking news...

Like the rest of the nation, I can't understand how we have experienced yet another mass shooting. The fact that it included 20 innocent children makes it hit home even more... the senseless killing of innocent people... where does this end? How do we prevent this from happening again?

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Newtown, Connecticut.