Today Academies of Science use their influence around the world in support of human rights.
There is however another purpose to which academies contribute. When they consist of a limited number of persons eminent for their knowledge it becomes an object of ambition to be admitted on their list.
I worked for the Office of Management and Budget in the White House on nuclear energy policy. But I decided it would be much more fun to have a specialty food store so I left Washington D.C. and moved to the Hamptons. And how glad I am that I did!