Friday Donuts

Dear Members and Constituents, How one sees things is inevitably conditioned by one’s perspective. Take, for example, the shepherd who tells his incredulous buddy about the Pterodactyl he just shot. “Did you kill it?” asks the friend. “No, but I did startled it enough to drop the sheep it had taken”. The newspaper article describing this self-same event tells the tragic story of a hang-glider pilot plummeting to his death, shot-down by a cold-blooded sniper. For those of you gaping in horror, this is a cruel joke (any similarity to actual events is unintended –and highly unlikely). It does help me make the point that our experiences frame our perception. This is the proverbial box we keep being told to think outside of. I recently got a taste of my own ethnocentricity in Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. I awaited my connection, browsing duty-free goods in this giant monument to consumerism, when I had to do a double-take. A Dunkin’ Donuts. This remote enclave had a quintess...

Irony [ahy-ruh-nee] the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning Dear Members and Constituents, I’d like to meet the marketing professional at Sara Lee Corporation who came-up with the name “Superior Coffee” (you know, the stuff in our break room). This person must have (1) a dark sense of humor (2) cojones the size of Alaska and/or (3) lost all touch with reality. Grab a bag and you’ll read it’s not just “Superior”, it’s the “World’s Finest”. But wait, the irony does not end there. The marketing spin goes-on to claim: “It matters. Every pot of coffee brewed. Every sip of coffee tasted. That’s why we put our passion for coffee into every cup you pour. It’s mattered to us since 1908. Superior Coffee. Every cup counts.” Wow! That’s the kind of stuff that gives marketing a bad rap. And yet, we drink it (at least I do). Why? Two words: convenience (it’s there) and cost (the price is right). I think the time is right for a social experiment (inspired by ...

Dear Members and Constituents, I returned from a week-long vacation to South Florida yesterday (I had to make it back in time for Donut Friday). While I was there, three things caught my eye: 1. Dime-a-dozen multi-million dollar mansions. Convertible roofs, marble sea walls and humungous yachts. You imagine it, there's probably a place out there that has it. Keeping-up with the Jonses takes on a whole new order of magnitude down there. If you're looking for a starter home, I saw a $3.2 Million two bedroom, one bath place in Fort Lauderdale you could tear-down to build your palatial mansion. 2. Disney parks up the ying yang. From Epcot to Hollywood Studios to the Magic Kingdom (and that's just some of the Disney parks), who knew there was such a large market for amusement? It's a small world after all. 3. Dunkin Donuts in just about every corner. I kid you not. They're everywhere. Which makes me believe Denver must be a drearily under-penetrated donut market ...

Dear Members and Constituents, How about them Denver Nuggets? Challenging the LA Lakers for the NBA Western Conference title! Granted, game 1 was a heartbreaker -loosing by a basket after leading for most of the game, however, we stole home court advantage last night in an equally contested game 2. Go Nuggets all the way! Alright, I have a confession to make. I jumped on the bandwagon this week. Don't get me wrong, It was fun to witness Chauncey pass the ball to himself off of Kobe's back to get a layup (does Bryant get credited with an assist on the play?). And, yes, I enjoy watching Carmelo Anthony dunk the ball as much as the next guy. That is, I WOULD enjoy watching IF the games were being broadcast by a local TV station (or my basic cable tier, for that matter). Seriously, when did the NBA conference finals become something you need premium cable to watch? Has the NBA fallen so low big television networks won't touch it with a 10 foot pole? (I know there's a clever...

OK, it's not Friday, however, the embedded video below was brought to my attention (so I figured I'd share it with y'all). We should all be so lucky!