My Dear Friend & POTUS, DJT,

            How was your golf game with Finnish President Alexander Stubb? Did you two break the ice so you could procure some ice breakers? I just learned today that the Finnish have cornered the market on those vessels. I’m sure that they have to keep adapting their designs as the ice conditions keep changing.

Next time you meet, please ask him about his school system. He can help you understand that a focus on equity rather than excellence leads to higher test scores. It’s one of those paradoxes that’s hard to wrap your head around.

            Did you know that the Cavendish banana is at risk for extinction due to Fusarium wilt? Since every banana has the same DNA (they are propagated through cuttings) when one succumbs, they all succumb. I’ve been hearing about this for years, so it’s not yet become critical, but like all diseases, you never know when it will explode. That’s due to the geometric growth involved.

            Why am I telling you this? Because it speaks to the importance of diversity. When a farmer grows a variety of crops, it enables her to avoid the disaster should one crop fail. Since Fusarium wilt lives in the soil & spreads quickly when lots of host plants are around, having non-host plants on the farm slows it down.

            Bottom line – DIVERSITY is good!!!

            If in doubt, please ask Stephen Miller about diversity of thought on college campuses. He was a big advocate for that in 2007 when he was at Duke. He didn’t like having so many left-leaning profs & wanted more of a balance of opinions. Perhaps if he had some teachers who understood him, he wouldn’t be so belligerent.

            Please do more to help Burma! $2 million in aid is not going to go far at all. China has sent more than 135 rescue personnel & experts along with supplies like medical kits & generators. Certainly, we can match that. Be careful not to send stuff that could be used by the junta to attack the citizens. Water & toilets might be a safe bet.

            BYBS,