The portfolio theory of hiring

A story of flawed beauty

Lincoln and Gen. McClellan shortly after the Battle of Antietam. Stoic faces may have been common in photos back then, but this interview is not going well.

Eight. That’s how much is enough.

When I was a kid, we swam in a pool with Dick Van Patten. Okay, that sounds weird. All of it.

The then aging star from the hit TV show “Eight is Enough” was at a resort hotel at Disney World. He was there with his grandchildren. Round, tan, and happy. Golden fat looks a lot better than a paler form of obesity.

My mom was really excited. Van Patten was famous, and his fictional character had only narrowly bested her in the dubious contest of bulk child-rearing.

This lead role was based in large part on the life of Thomas Braden (journalist, CIA officer) whose book of the same title was the foundation for the “Eight is Enough” TV show. Just like Van Patten’s depiction, Braden had eight children in real life. Anyone who’s a parent knows how crazy that number is. So by “enough,” I wonder if Braden meant: