5/14/2023

JRB,

            How did you feel about your gig at Howard yesterday? It was quite dramatic when you lowered your voice & leaned in to warn “the oldest, most sinister forces may believe that they’ll determine America’s future, BUT THEY ARE WRONG.” Well done!!

            Did you see some of the protest signs the grads held up? How about the one that said, “DOD research is complicit in imperialism?” suggesting that some students are unhappy that the Air Force is granting Howard $12 million to develop tactical autonomy technology. Are you sure you want to “seed a unique science, research, & development ecosystem of small & large businesses, academia & the Department of Defense?” Isn’t that the kind of military-industrial complex that Ike warned us against? Glad to see some students know profiting from war is a bad idea!

            Sorry to miss a few days of letter writing. My daughter came to visit on Fri night & my schedule is mixed up. We are having fun, including playing a new game called, Splendor. Heard of it? Could be useful to teach about economics as cash turns into capital.

            It’s the kind of game that would appeal to CFOs, who according to the WP, are scrambling to chart “a course through the current morass … to assess political risk, market probabilities & opportunity costs…” so they have enough liquidity to make payroll in June. As you well know, the possibility of a default is “leaving investors uncertain about the price of everything they own.” What a mess!

            Please monitor the situation in Bangladesh & Burma where Cyclone Mocha hit. It was a Cat 4 storm with winds & storm surges that could knock out lots of dwellings. Luckily, Cox Bazaar where the Rohingya live in their refugee camps did not get the full force of the storm. As you know, folks in that part of the world are burdened by conflict, poverty, & weak community resilience. They simply cannot afford another disaster. Please figure out a way to help them.

            BYBS,