11/9/2024

My dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            What’s up? It looks like you are at the beach today for a nice sunny, crisp day. Perfect for a bike ride or walk along the ocean. May you clear a spot in your schedule for forest bathing to restore your equilibrium.

            I continue to feel wonky. My cold has migrated to my throat. Sipping lemon tea is bringing some relief but I am not on top of my game. I’ll try to do some forest bathing, too.

            What’s up with this “asset” of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGS) claiming he was charged with the job of assassinating 45? CBS claims the IRGS is seeking revenge for the killing of their General Qasem Soleimani by an American drone in Baghdad in 2020. Of course, we don’t want 45 murdered by foreign operatives, so I hope we learn our lesson that extrajudicial executions set a bad example for the world & should be avoided at all costs!! Violence is never the answer!

            What’s up with COP 29? It’s fascinating that due to Russia’s veto power in the UN, a climate change event is happening in Baku where the world’s first oil fields were developed  in 1846 in Azerbaijan, a nation which makes most of its money from selling fossil fuels.  I hope your crew can make something happen there to encourage the world to finance the acceleration of the energy transition & to reduce planet-warming emissions.

            I wonder how many of the sessions at COP 29 will be about the Rare Earth (RE) mineral shortage caused by the conflict in Burma. You may recall RE oxide is required to produce the magnets in EVs. 50% of the world’s RE comes from unregulated mines in Burma which are ruining the environment. A major overhaul will be required so we can have conflict-free, environmentally friendly RE.

            Please get busy with that.

            BYBS,