Refuse to Make More Refuse

Dear Members and Constituents,

It would seem garbage is everywhere. Whether you call it waste, refuse or rubbish; we are adept at producing it. The U.S. alone produces over 250 million tons of trash annually. You find it in music (the band Garbage and some genres older generations wish their children would not hear); politics (time to hunker down for a new dose of trash talk as the presidential campaigns heat-up) and even people (white trash, junk in the trunk…). Cyberspace is littered on a daily basis with an estimated 183 billion junk mail messages. Outer space is not safe, with an estimated 600 thousand pieces of “space junk” orbiting the earth (19,000 or so of these large enough for the U.S. Strategic Command to track). Trash can even be seen on the Moon, thanks to newly released NASA orbital pictures of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites.

Further out in the solar system, the donut-shaped rings around Saturn might be thought-of as spatial debris (technically not trash since it’s not man-made). Closer to earth, 48 delicious dough rings await you at my desk, courtesy of Roger Greene (donut boy). Don’t you dare call it junk food!

Happy Friday!

Comments

Bring your own Geiger counter!

Friends, This week’s news were literally radioactive -and I’m not talking about the fallout from the Trump-Putin summit. I’m talking mutate your DNA-exciting news. I’m talking Marie Curie-worthy news. I’m talking Geiger-counter-tilting news. I’m talking… well, you get the (glow in the dark) picture. A study about a lone wolf collared near Chernobyl and tracked on a long trek spawned the headline “ Could Chernobyl Wolves Be Spreading Mutations? ” While one can be forgiven for envisioning a flying wolf with laser eyes and a green aura about it, the disappointing story basically says most mutations are harmful to an animal’s health -and unhealthy animals are unlikely to travel 250 miles and mate with other wolves, contaminating the gene pool. So, much ado about nothing. The desire to open Rocky Flats (a nuclear weapons facility turned wildlife refuge) to the public has triggered some litigation from an environmentalist group. At st...

Donut Doodle Dandy

Dear Members and Constituents, In trying to figure-out Wednesday’s cool-looking Google Doodle ( Jorge Luis Borges’ 112 th birthday ), I stumbled across a list of Google Doodles you’ll never see. This, and a Rockies game later that day, were sufficient inspiration to get my head spinning around what other doodles Google might never noodle? I’m sure you’ll probably have a few ideas of your own, but I was able to come-up with a couple. How about a former Colorado Rockies player whose unfortunate encounter with a moth put him in the news this week? The Matt Holliday doodle might look something like this… Another item which, surprisingly enough, has not been made into a doodle are donuts. Although I was slightly taken aback to find this delicious pastry has not been featured, after the initial disappointment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and take a stab at one (perhaps Google can use it next year for national donut day )… or to celebrate Greek police having “ blown a ho...

Gilding the Donut

Friends, Despite writing about donuts (sort of) for over 20 years, I don’t believe in sugar coating, after all, honesty is the best policy. Gilding, on the other hand I’m good with. Take the church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, (AKA La Compañía). Built in fits and starts between 1597 and 1765, the volcanic rock baroque facade conceals a spectacular interior. I had the chance to go inside this week and although I had heard about the gold leaf work inside, the descriptions had not done it justice. The details from floor to ceiling transport you to another world, perhaps that’s the point. If you’re ever there, be sure to visit. And while you’re there stop by one of the many panaderías … if you’re lucky they might even have a donut. Happy Friday!

Friday Donuts

Search This Blog