Friday Donuts

Dear Members and Constituents, They say any extreme is bad (too much or too little of just about anything can be harmful). If you doubt this conventional wisdom, just ask Osama Bin Laden (wait, you can’t!). Nonetheless, extreme positions and actions have a certain appeal. They are simple, straightforward and don’t require much thought. In-fact, some extremes can be pretty cool. If you doubt this, just ask any extreme sports enthusiast. I witnessed an example of a cool extreme on Saturday. I’m talking about the stage for the U2 360° tour . It has a unique articulated circular video display made of 888 hexagonal LED screens which tends to make the unprepared concert attendee (i.e. me) do a double-take (wait, did it just do that?). The huge spider-like structure (aka the Claw), the light shows, the sound quality, the ambiance were all awe-inspiring, but are they worth the estimated $25 - $30 Million dollars the stage alone is said to have cost? I’ll let you be the judge of that. Then aga

Dear Members and Constituents, I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another there's a new study out. According to rumors this study about gossip proves we are hardwired to eat-up negative things said about others. In a perverse way, this makes sense. Knowledge is power and having dirt on people gives us leverage over them. Just the latest negative trait being portrayed in a positive light by scientists. I’d like to think we're better than that. Blackmail, backhanded deeds and backstabbing should not be seen as a path to success. Granted, there are many examples of prominent people who have used these traits to their advantage (just read the news). But, do you really want to live in a dog-eat-dog world? At the end of the day, I want to be able to live with myself more than I want the comforts and power of this world. I believe teamwork, truth and trust are a higher path… and let us not forget donuts. They embody what is good and pure about manki

Dear Members and Constituents, Yesterday, at the San Francisco airport, I had some time before my flight so I decided to dine at the steakhouse. It felt like a good match. Here's a place where a captive audience has time between flights and nervous appetites to feed. I was anxiously anticipating that first juicy bite of rare steak. As the waitress arrived, I realized there was something amiss. It was not so much the fact that the meat was cooked to a medium term that dismayed me, but the fact that I had to use a plastic knife to discover it. Sure, I understand it would be a defeatist thing to disarm all would-be terrorists at the security check point, only to turn-around and arm them with a steak knife at the food court. Still, I was a bit disappointed. Fortunately with the donut club you know what to expect and you get it, courtesy of Yuko Aoyagi (donut girl). So come get yours (no need to arrive an hour early, go through security, or use plastic knives). Happy Friday!

Dear Members and Constituents, A few years ago, in business school, I heard the story of the Chevy Nova and it’s disastrous commercial failure in Latin America. You see, “no va” in Spanish means “it does not go” (presumably anywhere). While I was not familiar with that case in particular (perhaps a testament to how bad a flop the launch really was), I had encountered several comical inadvertent translations. There was the time my grandmother (an American visiting us in Ecuador) yelled at the maid from the shower “Cecilia, la sopa”. Cecilia, who spoke no English, was puzzled as to why my grandmother would want soup in the shower (needless to say, she wanted soap –“el jabón”). There was the American exchange student who at an awkward moment revealed she was very “embarazada” (which translates to pregnant, adding to the “embarrassment” she meant to convey). The same student was very “exitada” to see me (I must have been a hot thirteen year old for her to be “aroused”… only later did I re