Friday Donuts

Dear Members and Constituents, What's your legacy?   If you were to be hit by a Meteor tomorrow what would people remember about you? –besides, of course, being the person that got killed by a falling space object. Is it an invention, a heroic act or some culminating achievement? We're not talking history books here. As a practical matter, with over 8 billion people alive today and an estimated 107 Billion ever alive, we can't all be DaVincis, Einsteins or Knievels. Still we can all make a difference in the lives of people around us. Every day we are given a chance to do something, and we ought to make it count. Sometimes I wonder whether the thing I'll be remembered for are these donut missives. So what's yours?  You don't have to answer right now. There's probably still plenty of time. Probably. So come grab a donut, courtesy of Shaun Andrews (donut boy) and think it over. Just don't take too long. You never know what could happen. Happy Friday!

Dear Members and Constituents, What a week. Popeless Monday, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Thursday and Donut Friday! With so much fodder for a note this morning, how do you choose one to write about? I was considering tying them all together, when yesterday I had an “aha” moment and decided to go with V-day (after all, isn’t the greatest of these love?). I was texting my wife when I realized the emoticon for love is "less than three" (i.e. < 3). And while it does not specifically call-out “more than one”, the explicit sideways heart carries in it an implicit couple –technically, I suppose it should be 1<ʎ<3 love="" nbsp="" p="" romantic="" where=""> Of course you're going to love the donuts this morning. Patrick Libra makes his debut as donut boy with an impressive selection which includes a dozen specialties, and although there are no heart-shaped donuts, if you hurry you will find a bear cla

Dear members and constituents Life seems full of contrasts. Some natural, some man-made. Drought in the Southwest, two feet of snow in the Northeast. Famine in Africa, an obesity crisis in the US. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Adam Lanza of Newtown. This coming week we have Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The excesses of carnival leading-up to the sacrifices of Lent. As folks work their way to Mardi Gras, the traditional carnival celebrations themselves show a rich diversity. From doubloons and beads to the various escolas de samba to masquerades and balls. The traditions can vary within a country. Did you know only Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have the escolas de samba? Despite being a tiny country, Ecuador has several regional variances in how the holiday is observed. In Ambato they throw flower petals at you, in Guaranda it’s flour and jelly, whereas in Cuenca the preferred thing to throw your way are water balloons. We also prepare a rich soup called Mote Pata (if you’re curious, y

Dear Members and Constituents, I’m a sucker for sunrises –and sunsets. That magical time when the sun’s rays must traverse through more of our atmosphere to get to us. Long shadows, strong contrasts and exotic colors. Everyday clouds of gray-on-blue turn gold, orange and fuchsia on radioactive green or navy. Imagination is set free to wander magical realms where everything seems possible. I suppose if our planet were to stop spinning around its own axis, that border between day and night would be the only place where life would be possible, somewhere between scorching daytime and frozen night. In such a world, the Goldie Locks zone inhabitants would probably consider their colorful environs ordinary, making treks into daytime to experience the majestic blue and gray skies. As it is, our centrifugal world takes us through day, dusk, night and dawn; all in the comfort of our cozy little existences. All we need to do is open our eyes and enjoy (and, yes, it might require you to go outs