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“Food Truck Fetish Fridays”
By Troy Beckman
June 6, 2012

In an attempt to launch a new series on this blog, I am going to dedicate each Friday to food—specifically, food served from a truck. You see, I recently won (OK, my wife and our friend won) a raffle prize at an event called “Trucko de Mayo” entitling us (OK, mostly me so far) to a free meal from more than 30 different food trucks in the Washington, D.C. area.

With that, I have the unique opportunity to sample a variety of cuisine while inhaling the sweet essence of diesel fumes in our nation’s capital. In doing so, I will review the vendors and dishes…mostly just for fun. More importantly, I hope to decipher whether the food truck craze is justified by virtue of the quality of their menus, or whether it is simply a passing fad to capitalize on our insatiable quest as Americans to eat in every possible location, venue and setting throughout our great country.

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“Earth Day 2011: Going Green in the U.S. Easier than Ever”
By Troy Beckman
April 22, 2011

For many, going green simply means disposing of empty water bottles, beer cans, Pringles containers, boxes of Pop Tarts, and an array of other cardboard boxes from so-called food items into a different collection bin that magically saves the environment while allowing people to belly up to Wal-Mart and buy more product. Saving the environment by consuming more products, in essence.

So what does this mean? In the spirit of American individualist consumerism and, even moreso, following the lead of our nation’s government and corporate entities, it means you are free to define your own meaning of “going green.”

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“Consumer Report: Kush Support Redefines American Ingenuity”
By Troy Beckman
January 29, 2011

The United States of America has a cherished tradition of pioneering product design which has propelled our great nation to the pinnacle of global innovation. Since our country’s inception, every generation of Americans has been shaped by the ingenuity of our greatest minds in an effort live up to our manifest destiny as a beacon of light to the world. While we may have collectively ceded complete dominance over other up-and-coming manufacturing behemoths like China and India, we still lead the way in delivering products that change the world.

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“Name Game: Creativity in Naming Children Gone Awry”
By Troy Beckman
November 17, 2010

Small town white populations are overtaking urban black communities’ long-running dominance in creating ridiculous names–and spellings–for their children.

In grade school spelling tests, it used to be that even the most underdeveloped children were sure to get at least one answer right: their name.  Now that the new wave of millennium babies have risen to the ranks of schoolchildren, their mothers and fathers have placed that trusted notion in serious jeopardy.

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“Better Workouts for a Better Environment at The Greenasium”
By Troy Beckman
October 22, 2010

When we think of going to the gym, many of us immediately conjure up images dodging through massive strip mall parking lots filled with Hummers and holiday shoppers, and flocking toward the luminescent glow of the Gold’s Gym, Bally’s, or L.A. Fitness sign looming in the distance.

What we want is a simple, straightforward approach to counteract the fat-enhancing effects of sitting in an office for 50 hours a week—coupled with our penchant for carne asada burritos—and burn off our excess calories at a place that is clean, convenient, and a comfortable environment. The problem we encounter is that place like this is not easy to find. Until now…

The Greenasium is a new “green” fitness studio that offers innovative, eco-friendly approach for a healthy lifestyle.

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