6/15/2021

Dear JRB,

            I hope you enjoy your visit to Geneva. My parents lived there for a few years & loved it. My mom joined a hiking group & went on some spectacular walks through the mountains. My husband & I visited there in 1987 & trekked through the alps staying at one mountain lodge, 2 huts & a farm where we ate burgkas, a strong, mountain cheese made every day. We slept above the cows who had bells on which clanked throughout the night. Quite poetic. The next day we traversed a glacier & saw an ibex.

            We were lucky to have that experience because the glacier & ibex may disappear in the not-too-distant future. The glaciers that the ibex inhabit are melting fast. The average temp in Switzerland is rising twice as fast as the global average. That fact was not enough to persuade the Swiss voters to pass a CO2 law two days ago. Environmental Minister & former Pres. Somonetta Sammoruga is bummed about that, so if you meet her, you might express your regrets.

            As long as you are in Switzerland, you should try to meet the guys who started H55, a company that is making batteries for airplanes. They’ve teamed up with an outfit in Canada to retrofit some old seaplanes to run on electricity. While they have a limited range, about half of the flights in America are less than 500 miles so electric planes are perfect for those.

            I hope you give yourself some rest before your big day with VPP tomorrow. He’s a crafty son-of-a-gun so you will need your wits about you when you, two, meet.

            Be well,

            HYITL,

            RCA

PS – Excited to hear that Zahid Quraishi has been confirmed by the Senate as the first Muslim American federal judge in US history. Thanks for nominating him.