CEO Howard Shultz announced a nationwide closure for 3 hours at 5:30 Pacific to "re-energize" employees and focus on "espresso standards".

Schultz said he wants baristas to share their passion for making espresso, or as he said, "to pull the perfect shot, steam milk to order and customize their favorite beverage."

Schultz said it's part of his refocusing on the coffee customer experience.

Refocusing on the "coffee customer experience" by locking the doors to train employees while the customer waits for a cup of coffee.

I don't remember much about my business classes, but I think this was what we called "unclear on the concept".

I don't really hate Starbucks, but I don't like them either. They sell an "experience" and a crappy cup of joe. Fine, that's your niche, knock yourself out. If I want a good cup of coffee I'll go to Dunkin Donuts and live with the experience.

Well, I would. If we had one around here.

Crap.

from LauraW who's probably got 5 Dunkin Donuts within a half mile of her, which explains why she's a helluva lot more cheerful than me by the time she gets to work.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 01:01 PM | Comments (68)
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I'm not sure I really dig any of these four people (even Sarah Silvermann -- kinda jumped the shark), but I guess this is pretty funny. more...

Posted by: Ace at 12:24 PM | Comments (24)
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Supposedly this is a relative of Obama's, holding a picture of him. I don't think that's been established conclusively yet.

I'm just posting this because I'm so horrified the Hillary campaign would stoop to such tactics.

Sweetness and Light wonders why the AP has been embargoing these pics-- they own them.

Thanks to CAD Daddy.

Dan Riehl with a bit more.

I guess this is nothing. I admit I want to contrive some non-horrible argument to claim it's something, but in a nuanced and acceptable way, but I guess I just can't think of one.

Heh: Well, in case you hadn't heard, this guy named Larry Sinclaire alleged that in 1999 or so he had done coke while Obama smoked crack... and while going down on Obama.

Hm. Sounds credible.

Well, he took a lie detector. He failed as regards both allegations (about the blow and, um, the blow).

Now, here's the link to the results of the lie detector test, but be aware, this is WhiteHouse.com, a site that often posts porn. In fact, I think it's generally a porn site; this is just its "Hustler Magazine Investigative Report" issue.

So, here's the link.

Damn. That would have been sweeeeet.

Thanks to Alice H. and also Daffodil, who have been keeping me abreast of these exciting developments.

Posted by: Ace at 11:35 AM | Comments (60)
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Total. Crap.

Asking for hookers is grounds for firing. That's the gist of a ruling from an Iowa judge, who denies Neil Jorgensen's claim he was unjustly fired.

Apparently this is no longer the United States Of America.

This Won't Happen... under President "Partyman" Obama. [Ace]

Posted by: LauraW at 10:36 AM | Comments (30)
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I missed this from the CNN debate in Austin last week (ok, I had it on, but I wasn't really paying attention). When the topic turned to immigration, Obama said we have to tone down the rhetoric because "We have seen hate crimes skyrocket in the wake of the immigration debate".

Money quote about 42 seconds in:

We have? Where have we seen this?

I know, it's just Obama turning the argument into "what's wrong with America" with ready statistics from the Department of Totally Making Shit Up, and of course Clinton can't pile on because she's a) on life support in this debate, and b) she holds pretty much the same views.

It's a "feel-good" line intended to take the focus off the issue in order to deliver a non-answer answer. One wonders if McCain would have chewed him up on this. That's what one wonders.

For some inexplicable reason, my gut says no.

UPDATE: DrewM points me to an article about an FBI report showing overall hate crimes up 8% in 2006.

An excerpt (from the FBI report):

Ethnicity/national origin bias

Hate crimes motivated by the offenderÂ’s bias toward a particular ethnicity/national origin were directed at 1,305 victims (1233 incidents). Of these victims:

62.8 percent were targeted because of an anti-Hispanic bias.
37.2 percent were victimized because of a bias against other ethnicities/national origins.

So I'll withdraw my complaint and see what the 14 tables say, if anything about causality.

More: nope, I won't either. The numbers don't reflect immigration status, all you can derive anything from are the 5 categories of "Bias motivation" (racial, religious, sexual orientation, perceived ethnicity/national origin, and disability. But in that one category,

2003: 1026 incidents, 1326 victims (lower percentage of Hispanic vs. all other)
2006: 984 incidents, 1305 victims (higher percentage of Hispanic vs. all other)

The numbers don't prove he's wrong, but neither do they prove he's right. And he has no numbers for '07, which as several commenters have pointed out, is the year we all "toned up the rhetoric".

Sorry for being all Mr. Pedant McPedantry. I think I'll pick on Starbucks now. I hate those bastards.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 09:48 AM | Comments (89)
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Reports are that Lorin Maazel declared that it tasted "just like strawberry".

... On this site, Maazel had defended the event: "Music is a powerful language in which those of us who are humane and intelligent can speak to each other in defiance of political and cultural boundaries,'' he wrote.

It was probably the first time that North Korea's leader had ever been called "humane'' outside his circle of apparatchiks...

Humane is of course relative and in the eye of the beholder. Dear Leader is far more humane than say a Velociraptor or T-Rex, and his philanthropic accomplishments vastly exceed those of Ed Gein. He's a true Renaissance man. A man for all seasons really.

H/T tigerhawk

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 09:47 AM | Comments (28)
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First attempt to post on the new blogging site. Open thread, I guess. Wherever this shows up. It's so confusing. Dear Pixy: less rubber cement, more paperclips. Or twine. Twine might just be the answer.

Check it out: insane dictators still dig on the upraised power finger. I'm going to start using this handy gesture in my life too. Just have to wait for the right opportunity.

Pimply Bank Teller Kid: Will that be all for today?
Me: No. (upraised power finger) I demand a lollipop!

"You guys never just let me have a frickin' moment for the camera, do ya? What do you mean, 'what are you talking about?' You can't see that I'm overshadowed by a 20-foot tall Mullah head....what? THIS ONE, this one right behind me! Are you fucking blind?"

Posted by: LauraW at 09:08 AM | Comments (2)
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I Bring You The Hard News, People

"Seriously, I would really want to grab Scarlett's breasts," the actress is quoted as saying. "She's got beautiful ones."

This post needs the Drudge siren .gif.

Updated: Thanks to Ace and Slublog for the flaming skull.

Related [Ace]: Turns out Valerie Bertanelli was a dirty, dirty whore. She confesses she cheated on Van Halen, maybe before he cheated on her.

Dude, if a rock star can't keep his squeeze from doing other guys, well... the rest of us are in trouble.

Thanks to Serge.

Posted by: LauraW at 08:51 AM | Comments (47)
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She already lost Texas, pretty much, and this seemed to me inevitable.

Inevitable. Somewhat ironic.

Drudge just has a blurb up now but lots of links at the top about the imploding Hillary campaign.

Yeah. Oh well, that could have been fun.

Here's some shadenfreude: Fear and Loathing in the Hillary for President Campaign.

With a week to go before climactic tests in Texas and Ohio, Hillary Rodham ClintonÂ’s campaign team has slipped into full recriminations mode.

Looking backward, interviews with a cross-section of campaign aides and sympathetic outsiders suggest a team consumed with frustration and finger-pointing about the apparent failure of several recent tactical moves against Barack Obama.

Looking forward, it is clear ClintonÂ’s team has only a faint and highly improvisational strategy about what to do over the next seven days. Simply put, there is no secret weapon.

At Tuesday nightÂ’s debate in Ohio, aides are mapping plans for drawing persistent attention to ObamaÂ’s record without attempting any knockout punch theatrics that could backfire.

Many recent decisions have done exactly that. This has left the campaign awash in anger over who is to blame.

Communications chief Howard Wolfson — echoing a strong belief of the Clintons themselves — blamed the news media Monday for allegedly tossing bouquets to Obama whenever he criticizes Clinton but writing that she is throwing low blows whenever she draws contrasts with him.

Heh. Welcome to the party, pal.

Top aides also are frustrated over the handling of a media uproar Monday regarding a photograph of Obama in traditional African dress during a visit to Kenya. It appeared splashed on the Drudge Report with the accusation that it was “circulated” by “Clinton staffers” over the weekend.

Love it.

Posted by: Ace at 08:05 AM | Comments (26)
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What a fucking cool guy.

I hate celebrities because of envy but sometimes I can say, "Yeah, that guy's okay, I can live with him having a life I can only dream of."

BTW, Will "GOB" Arnett was on Conan last night and he claimed that he had quit smoking by taking on another hobby -- "killing hobos."

"No one's said 'hobos' in like thirty years," Conan said.

Really?

Not saying it really means anything. Of course, I'm taking it to mean something, because I am a narcissist.

Posted by: Ace at 07:25 AM | Comments (36)
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