Friday Donuts

Dear Members and Constituents, How much does a character typed on an e-mail contribute to global warming? Until recently, I had taken it for granted that electronic communications were "clean", with zero impact on the environment. I started having second thoughts when I read 1.5% of the world's electric supply is consumed by server farms (and growing at a fairly substantial rate). Rather than go on faith alone, I figured I'd do the math... Before we go on, here are the disclaimers on my analysis: (a) it is based on the top results of my Google searches, (b) the math was not double-checked, (c) sources were not scrubbed for reliability and (d) they are not cited. Therefore, (e) these findings should be interpreted as directional. If we consider there are approximately 150 billion e-mails being sent every day and the average number of words per e-mail is about 110 -with an average word length (in the English language) of 5.1 characters, then we have approximately 30 qua

Dear members and constituents, Last week marked the fourth anniversary of the Friday Donut Club and not even I remembered it. I suppose it only goes to prove that if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it... well, you know. My, how time flies! And it does not matter what calendar you use, the progression of time is inevitable. Whether you think of today as June 20, 2008 (Gregorian Calendar); Sivan 17, 5768 (Jewish Calendar); Jumada t-Tania 15, 1492 (Islamic Calendar) or even 12.19.15.7.15 --15 Zotz 10 Men-- (Meso American Long Count Calendar) the fact is that day counter on your calendar will move ahead again tomorrow. I think it was a wise and anonymous e-mail chain letter sage who once wrote "you should not focus on how many years you are able to put into your life. Instead, try to put as much life as you can into the years you are given" (Or something to that effect, the precise wording eludes me, a curse I must live with due to not having forwarded tha

Dear Members and Constituents, On this "lucky" Friday the 13th, I thought I'd lighten the otherwise somber outlook with an old favorite joke I enjoy re-telling from time to time. You may have seen this classic comic strip. It has two panels in a side-by-side layout. On the left panel you have an angelic figure, surrounded by clouds being addressed by a bearded man in a robe. The quote reads "welcome to heaven, here is your lyre". On the right panel you have what appears to be a demon addressing a condemned soul with the words "welcome to hell, here is your accordion". Now for all you accordion lovers out there, I have nothing personal against the accordion. I think it is a fine musical instrument when used in moderation --kind of like spices with food, it's OK if you use a little... but use too much and... you get polka. If you were to use food (instead of musical instruments) with the aforementioned comic strip, I will let you pick your own person

Dear members and constituents, Is silence golden, or, is it the squeaky wheel that gets the oil? Is it wiser to save for a rainy day, or, eat, drink and be merry -after all, tomorrow we may die? Does God help those who help themselves, or, is it those who wait upon the Lord who will renew their strength and fly on wings like the eagle? If the early bird gets the worm, is that maxim prompting those whose diets do not include vermin to rise late? And what does it mean when people tell you not to take any wooden nickels? I bet a hand-carved wooden replica of Jefferson's effigy would be worth more than a mass-produced five cent coin. Conventional wisdom is sometimes vague and often contradictory. It is not surprising, therefore that, when it comes to donuts, conventional wisdom is sometimes wrong and misguided. I would therefore advise you to experience a healthy sampling of the four dozen Krispy Kreme donuts we have today ready and waiting (courtesy of Jeff King). Come and get them! H