2/3/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Did you get a smile out of the news about Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow? Isn’t it nice to have some levity nowadays?

            Sorry to miss our note yesterday. I was off with the 5th graders talking about angles & polyhedra. Those kiddos never cease to amaze me. They were building various 3D shapes using triangles & were supposed to take a photo of their creation to post to SS, a class website. One girl took several photos to show the different kind of angles we had been talking about. A boy realized that to fully capture his 3D shape, he would need a movie. So, he found an app to film his shape spinning & imported the movie to SS. Many are wizards with technology & all I need to do is set them loose & they do magical things.      

You should do the same with some TV folk & encourage them to put some razzle dazzle into next week’s State of the Union Address. Josh Tyrangiel writing in today’s NYT suggests integrating a few short films including animated statistics. He notes, “data can dance now, & any good designer can turn …the abrupt retreat of gas prices into a meme-able moment of drama that brushes back misinformation & solidifies an economic accomplishment…” He’s got lots of other great ideas that I hope you will consider.

Please also consider following the advice of the WP editorial board concerning Myanmar. They suggested “the US & its allies need to do more to liquidate a spider network of businesses & opaque financial deals that sustain the junta, including ties to China & Russia. A new report (shows) …the junta drew support from 64 foreign governments & organizations. Sanctions and other tools could help take down these networks.” Please follow up on that.

I am so happy that “unity is the mantra” of the DNC in its meeting in Philly. I hope you have some fun there this PM.

BYBS,

RCA