Such an odd end to the year. Driving up to an empty ghost town with trash bags of locker contents distributed outside.

Carole Brookins was a commodities trader in Chicago who in 1980 realized the massive gap in info/understanding between markets and government folks, and capitalized on it by forming her own company. She went on to serve as executive director of the World Bank. A hellova career by any standard.

One summer during college I worked for her at World Perspectives. Total nepotism thing. I’ve never been less qualified for anything in my life. But Carole was kind and patient and I learned more about markets and econ and so many things that summer from her and her crew than from any other experience in my life. She was passionate and quirky and amazing and so many more adjectives.

When I graduated from college Carole gifted me a travel wallet, with an assortment of currencies from various countries (yes, pre Euro. I’m old) and a note that basically said “now go use these.” I cashed them in, and probably bought beer instead. But her perspective, her world perspective, has stayed with me. She will be missed.

Forensic scientists caught a deer munching on a human carcass for the first time ever