Last week, we opened the discussion on the war in Ukraine, and we received a flood of feedback from readers. Today, we make room for some… 

Jeff T. has this to say: “Stop the funding, STOP THE WAR!”

And Jim S. adds: “If Putin were really smart (or had advisors and not just a bunch of scared ‘yes’ men) he could simply declare victory and annex the current eastern portion of Ukraine. This provides him with the land bridge to Crimea which he wanted, and would stop active aggression immediately.

“Of course, if Ukraine wanted peace, they would have to accept Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and eastern Ukraine at roughly the same place as maps currently show.

“Ukraine is unlikely to accept and Western allies prefer the status quo, but it would seem the best option to avert (or at least delay) WWIII.”

Finally today, Susan J. says: “AMERICA IS BROKE. Banks are failing. Price of gold is rising.

“Where's Janet Yellen hiding? STOP WASTING U.S. tax dollars on false pretenses.

“For GOOD reason, Ukraine and Zelensky have lost the War. No time left to train pilots in AMERICA's F-16s. Zero. Zip. Nada.

“Shut it down. Bring all U.S. troops and equipment HOME — TODAY.”

Thanks to our readers for taking the time to write in; tune in Friday for several more of our readers’ opinions. 

Send your opinions to, feedback@newsyoucanacton.com

Your Rundown for Wednesday, May 31, 2023...

Life On Mars

“At some point, we will be forced to pick our poison” says Paradigm’s tech expert Ray Blanco. 

And today he’s discussing the many metals required to manufacture our favorite tech gadgets… including ESG-approved technology. 

Specifically?

“Deep sea mining is a relatively energy efficient process, considering that polymetallic nodules occur above the surface of the ocean floor. Making the process more like retrieval than conventional mining.

“A 2020 study suggests that using deep sea mining as an alternative to terrestrial mining would reduce emissions for nickel by 80%, copper by 76%, manganese by 22% and cobalt by 29%. 

“The demand for cobalt is projected to exceed land deposits by over four times by 2050,” Ray notes. 

“Another argument in favor of the process is that transportation via ship is far more efficient than any method on land.

“The campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions worldwide must also be factored in, when the materials required to produce clean energy solutions simply can not be mined on land.

“The processes we use to mine these metals on land also have steep costs,” says Ray, “and mining the oceans is arguably a significant improvement in many ways.” 

Admittedly, however, there are very few case studies. “A study conducted in the 1980s off the coast of Peru has left physical damage on the seafloor that is still visible, and loss of marine life that is still measurable. 

“Miners would need to prove that technology and mining methods have advanced enough to not risk similar consequences.

“The most significant obstacle in the mining process is returning the sediment pulled from the sea floor back under the photic, or ‘sunlight’ zone, so as not to block sunlight from the aquatic life which require it.”

Ray concludes: “Scientists have mapped more of the surface of Mars than they’ve mapped of the ocean floor… 

“The concerns surrounding potential impacts of deep sea mining are both legitimate and significant,” he says. “More research and testing needs to be done.” 

Market Rundown for Wednesday, May 31, 2023

S&P 500 futures are down 0.45% to 4,196. 

Oil is waaaay down (-1.55%) to $68.35 for a barrel of West Texas crude. 

Gold, on the other hand, is up 0.30% to $1,964 per ounce. 

And Bitcoin is down almost 3% this morning to $27,170. 

Send your comments and questions to, feedback@newsyoucanacton.com