Skip to main content

Donut Migration


Friends,
Travel and xenophobia. Our views on these topics are often tainted by where we started. If you come from an affluent nation, you take for granted that the doors of every country (outside the “axis of evil”, of course) will be open. The world is your oyster. Come to think of it, if you are an affluent member of a poor country, your outlook is not that different. Could it be the current outbreak of xenophobic paranoia is really a case of wealthism? (if it wasn’t a word before, it is now!). It’s not that we don’t want foreigners -America is, after all, a diverse melting pot. We just don’t want them if they’re poor (uneducated, desperate, bad hombres from ******** countries). Maybe we should update the plaque at the Statue of Liberty. “Give me your tourists, your rich, your investing partners yearning to breathe free” –feels more current. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for capitalism and wealth accumulation as each individual’s reward for pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps and prospering from the fruits of their honest labor. Still, when I hear us wealthsplaining (yes, another new word!) about the drug smuggling and human trafficking crisis, it feels the case being made is too clever by half. This morning, as I grab a donut and wonder, I challenge you to join me in questioning your own biases. Who knows, maybe we can be a tad more compassionate nation, open to the tired, poor and huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
Happy Friday!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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!