Friday Donuts

Dear Members and Constituents, Last Sunday, the giant disco ball in the sky briefly obscured the sun (aka an eclipse). A nod, perhaps, to the departure from this planet of two disco luminaries: Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees and Donna Summer, it’s queen. Yes, disco was declared dead with the demise of the ‘70s decade, but this may well be the last nail in the coffin. Then again, maybe not. If I were a betting man, my money would be on a tide of curiosity listeners giving a sales boost to the genre these folks epitomized. Who knows, this short-term spike may influence young musicians and before you know it a slew of disco-inspired acts are topping the charts. Crazy talk, you say? Perhaps, but crazier things have been known to happen. Take bell bottom jeans. They came back from the grave, even though they are highly impractical and everyone I know had sworn off them forever – I must confess I’m rooting against a goldfish-filled platform shoe resurgence. Whatever happens, disco was a brainle

Dear Members and Constituents, My trip to Buenos Aires last week opened my eyes to a few interesting contrasts I thought I’d share with you this morning: Wide vs. Narrow: The old San Telmo neighborhood is crossed by narrow cobblestone streets and you can walk them right-up to Avenida 9 de Julio, reportedly the widest street in the world. Talk about over-compensating. Friendly to a Fault: Our hosts were extremely friendly. So were some older gentlemen on the street who were making cat calls and harassing younger women walking by. White vs. Pink: While Cristina Fernandez, the current occupant may be a woman, the seat of government has always been pink. I was surprised to see how accessible the pink house was. America vs. Europe: The city had some very European architecture. Palermo Chico, Calle Alvear, la Recoleta and San Telmo all had an old world feel to them. On the other hand, villa 31 (an illegal settlement condoned by the government) reminded me of a favela Food vs. Fit: A c

[Written by Ed Stocker while JP is out] Dear Members and Constituents, Don't cry for me Argentina The truth is I never left you All through my wild days My mad existence I kept my promise Don't keep your distance This week finds our donut sensei traveling south to Buenos Aires. I picture him standing on a balcony singing to the descamisados in a silk evening gown - Don't cry for me Argentina Your donuts are warm and fluffy Sweet and delicious Good with coffee Every Friday In my Office I expect we will have a full report next week on the state of Donut Culture in Argentina. Until then, it is my pleasure to let you know that Donut Boy Chris Hynes has delivered four dozen of LaMar's donuts for your enjoyment. JP may be gone but the donuts are in the same place. Come and enjoy! -Ed

Dear members and constituents, While attending a Spanish rock concert on Tuesday night I could not help but notice several changes have taken place since I first started going to such events – long, long ago. Perhaps a sign of the times (or just a sign I'm getting older) here are a few developments which caught my eye: A thousand points of light : When the lights went down and the band began to play, a plethora of flickering little candles was there between me and the stage. Lighters were replaced by the glow of a myriad camera phones capturing shoddy images for Facebook. “Lost in the moment” has sadly given way to “capture the moment”. Skin : Lots of skin to be seen. Shorts, skirts and shirts revealing legs, arms and tummies. Surrounded by a sea of people struggling to get a glimpse of what is arguably one of the biggest acts in modern Spanish language music, I discovered an interesting correlation. The surface area of exposed skin is inversely proportional to the attractivene