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Oct 21, 2003

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." --Albert Einstein

When she returned the call on the borrowed cell phone, she warned the man to "stop joking." Hearing that she was the winner of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," Lateefah Simon cautioned the bearer of $500,000 that "this is a really hard year. Don't play with me." But for this 26 year old, it was real. The MacArthur Foundation, for the last 25 years years, has been awarding fellowships -- "genius grants" -- to people from virtually every discipline. The money comes with no requirements or expectations.