Portrait of Karl Marx (1818–1883)
John Jabez Edwin Mayal - International Institute of Social History
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Today’s Comment
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Guest Commentator, Howard D.
We’ve had letters regarding Starbucks and a comment from Sally C.
Howard continues the discussion with this take on Starbucks’ experiences:
Starbucks has been in business, famously now, for over 30 years under the leadership of ubersturmfuhrer Howard Schulz. Sally C should count herself lucky that she’s only now discovering how it can raise the hackles of any even moderately generous and forgiving sane person…
I wrote the following about 12 years ago, so I can speak with some authority. Further, given the calling the spade a trenching tool style I took in addressing the folks at Starbucks directly, I can attest to the very much greater and more salutary effects of just letting all the venom out, instead of conserving it with a certain forced ironic reserve, which Sally seems to have thought was appropriate.
The diatribe below, which I preserved in a journal I was keeping at the time, was posted to Starbucks on their website on March 7, 2007.
No, they didn’t respond.
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I have now, for three years, made it a practice not to patronize your stores. I personally think your brewed coffee products are swill, as you insist on destroying whatever flavor there may be in the beans (which I suspect are inferior to start with) by burning them for that "distinctive" Starbucks taste.
Now I see in the New York Times today (March 7, 2007) that you are forcing your suppliers to perform nutritional atrocities in the name of seeming to be conscientious to your customers (at least the ones too stupid or clueless to consume in a thoughtful way). The enforced submission of your baked goods providers to your "no trans-fat" rule is, in the great tradition of Starbucks greed and cynicism, asinine insofar as it applies to the use of butter (and other perfectly natural products). This is an instance of what the philosopher Voltaire meant when he said that "the perfect is the enemy of the good." Butter, in moderation, is perfectly good for you, and it certainly tastes better than the dubious substitutes you are forcing your bakers to foist on the public.
As far as I'm concerned, I will redouble my efforts to avoid Starbucks and to encourage my friends to do so as well, not to mention never, but never seeking Starbucks as a venue for meeting.
The only way to stop you is slowly slowly to choke off your supply of customers. The loyal ones clearly are devoid of any sense of taste, and possibly of sufficient brain power to function in a rational world, anyway; but I doubt there are enough of them to sustain your rapacious growth.
Social responsibility indeed. You are robber barons, and as cynical as they come.
The hours are ticking away and if we don’t make the most of our time another day will soon click past.
Unnoticed.
Unappreciated.
Tick Tock.
In clock language:
Enjoy today.
Enjoy the week.
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Tracking Postings – Tracking Time
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Our 445th consecutive posting, committed to 5,000.
After 445 posts we’re at the 8.90 percentile of our commitment, the commitment a different way of marking the passage of time.
We are racing to the 10% mark.
Now there’s a mark, 10%.
And then?
And then will remain only 9 more such marks to fulfill our commitment to the blog.
Time of posting is 12.01am on Tuesday.
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Weather
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
On this day Boston will enjoy warm temperatures, with a high of 70* and a feels-like of 75* and rain.
The next few days will feature varying but seasonal temperatures, seventies to eighties with a lot of sun.
Anyone complaining?
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Dinner
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Dinner Sunday was poached chicken with beans and greens.
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We love getting mail.
Contact me at domcapossela@hotmail.com
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
From Kay K responding to Sally’s comments on ordering coffee at Starbuck’s:
Starbucks also does NOT brew decaf after 12 noon.
And they look at you as if that makes total sense :)
Web Meister responds: Some Starbucks, in Seattle of all places, do not brew decaf at all. One is offered a decaf Americano instead. Sad.
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Chuckle of the Day:
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
A game warden was driving down the road when he came upon a boy carrying a wild turkey under his arm.
He stopped, "Where did you get that turkey?"
"What turkey?"
The game warden said, "That turkey you're carrying under your arm."
"Well, lookee here, a turkey done roosted under my arm!"
The game warden said, "Now look, you know turkey season is closed, so whatever you do to that turkey, I'm going to do to you.If you break his leg, I'm gonna break your leg. If you break his wing, I'll break your arm. Whatever you do to him, I'll do to you. So, what are you gonna do with him?"
"I guess I'll just kiss his ass and let him go!"
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Today’s Thumbnail
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
“Robber baron" is a derogatory metaphor of social criticism originally applied to certain late 19th-century American businessmen who were accused of using unscrupulous methods to get rich, or expand their wealth, for example Cornelius Vanderbilt taking money from government-subsidized shippers, in order to not compete on their routes.
The term was based on an analogy to the German robber barons, local feudal lords or bandits in Germany who waylaid travelers through their ostensible territory, claiming some tax or fine was owed.
"The protectors of our industries".
Cartoon showing Cyrus Field, Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Russell Sage, seated on bags of "millions", on large heavy raft being carried by workers.
en:Puck (magazine); Mayer Merkel & Ottmann lith., N.Y.; Published by Keppler & Schwarzmann - Library of Congress
Let Them Have It All, And Be Done With It! (1882): A satirical cartoon from the German language edition of Puck Magazine, critical of those ostensibly carving up the country for their own benefit.y
1901 US cartoon from Puck depicting John D. Rockefeller as a powerful monarch.
Puck (magazine). Uploaded to Wikipedia by en:User:Rjensen - the English language Wikipedia (log)
I carry his book in here waiting for the occasion to read it.
It never comes.
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Good Morning on this Monday, the twenty-fifth day of June, 2019
Our lead picture is Karl Marx.
our comment tnhis day was from Howard D on Starbucks.
We posted the ticking calendar including the growing number of posts and the Boston weather report.
Dinner tonight, sushi.
We posted a note from Kay K, chirping into the Starbucks discussion.
And a chuckle.
Our thumbnail was on robber barons.
And now? Gotta go.
Che vuoi? Le pocketbook?
See you soon.
Your love.