I don’t watch sports. If you asked me the difference between baseball and football I’d be able to say they both involve balls and in the former they hit it with a bat, in the latter they hit each other. I don’t do sports. I can barely swim and my dog despairs when I once again throw a ball about 5 feet. That said, I think there are numerous topics associated with the olympics that are worth contemplation. Some are tidbits that I randomly picked up, some are facts I read up on because they are linked to issues I care about.

Tidbit #1: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/12/rio-chefs-use-leftover-olympic-food-to-feed-the-poor/

5000 meals for the poor for 17 days. 5% of 208 million Brazilians are hungry each day – that is over 10 million people, most of them children whose physical and cognitive growth will be stunted.

I’m all in favor of applauding good efforts and bringing attention to the issue of food waste on this planet, but the numbers are staggering, for just one country, aren’t they?

Serious reading #1: http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/state-of-calamity/

Before spoiling your morning with too much dismal information, here is some art – photographed, I believe, 2 years ago at a Brazil exhibit in Frankfurt (I think it might have coincided with the 2014 FIFA world soccer cup also in Brazil – another sport that involves a ball, hitting it with your foot….)

Multiple artists using traditional materials (beading), available materials, (plywood, PVC tubes) video installations and tinfoil.