Congratulations to Ray.

Thanks, John -- that's helpful and makes sense.

This is in the request for information (rather than providing information) category: I've asked before what people think about search firms. The responses have been mixed. I see again that there are a lot of schools using firms. Do those who've had a recent experience with them (or are experiencing them now) find them worthwhile? A positive experience? I'm guessing yes or schools would stop using them.

From talking with editors at journals over the years I think one thing that's really frustrating for them is the number of expedite requests. I'm wondering if imposing a modest fee for expedited requests would cut down rather dramatically on the requests and also serve to provide at least a minimal compensation to the students who're charged with this reviewing requests. While I'm usually against any more imposition of costs on the people who're submitting articles, I'm wondering if this might restore some balance to the process.

Oh, cool. So it does go back to the era of the Revolution. Looks rather large for that time; I guess that's the size of English cannon. I think the ones I've seen from the Revolutionary era are mostly ones we manufactured and -- unsurprisingly -- they're smaller. As to trivia questions: I'm terrible at them. The only times I know the answers are when I took the pictures (and even then, as in this case, I don't know the full story)! This reminds me that I need to ask a Whig & Cliosophic question one of these days....

Nice going, Private & Alberto. As to the cannon, I had that question myself. I'm guessing it has something to do with Princeton's role in the Revolution? And is it original to the (I'm guessing Revolutionary war) or is it a more modern monument to that war?

Turns out that Twelve Years a Slave hasn't opened yet in these parts. I'm sure that'll change soon.

Yes -- Twelve Years a Slave, very soon.