by Damozel | Reuters explores the glee of coffee drinkers who are glad to learn that Starbucks will be closing 600 'underperforming' locations nationwide. I cannot condone this. Before Starbucks came to town, where were all these plucky, innovative independent coffee shops that allegedly was keeping out? Even in my coffee-drinking town, where people will park their laptops for ours, there was a dearth of competition before --- and any competitors that Starbucks subsequently put out of business went down because people preferred Starbucks.
Now independent places are springing up everywhere --- and offering free wireless and food to eat with your coffee that isn't all incredibly rich, expensive crumbly or gooey dessert foods. I now have my coffee at a local bakery where I can blog as much as I like, drink Fair Trade coffee and listen to the sort of innovative music my local Starbucks has inexplicably ceased to play and that I'd never hear. Last time I was at Starbucks they were playing Tony Bennett --- music I rebelled against back in the Seventies because my parents played it ALL THE TIME and which I never, never wish to hear again. (Where, oh where, are the innovative mixes of yesteryear? It was at Starbucks that I discovered the Shins.)
Also at the bakery I can have a croissant with my coffee or even an actual sandwich. The sort of food, in other words, that a lady of a certain age can consume without grave damage to her digestion.
But you won't find me dancing on Starbucks' grave or rejoicing in the closure of a single store. (Psssst, Starbucks: FREE WIRELESS.)
Speaking of laptops, a study shows that 10,000 laptops are lost at 36 US airports every week.
According to the Ponemon Institute, more than 10,000 laptops are reported lost at the 36 largest airports in the US each week and, of those, 65 percent are not reclaimed. They also reported a further 2,000 laptops lost at medium-sized airports, with 69 percent of those not reclaimed. According to the institute, folks also aren't very confident that they'll ever see their laptop again once it goes missing, with 77 percent of the people surveyed saying they had "no hope" of ever recovering a laptop lost at the airport, and 16 percent saying they wouldn't even do anything to attempt to recover it. (Engadget)
I wonder what the airports do with all the ones that get lost and not reclaimed?
Lots going on at the G8 summit. Bush has reaffiirmed that he's not going to let China's human rights record or the Tibet crackdown spoil any pleasure the Chinese might get from having him show up for the opening ceremonies.
"The Chinese people are watching very carefully about the decisions by world leaders and I happen to believe that not going to the opening ceremony for the games would be an affront to the Chinese people, which may make it more difficult to be able to speak frankly with the Chinese leadership," the president said. (Huff Post)
Meanwhile, during conversations at the G8, Bush conceded that the economy 'is not growing as robustly as we'd like.' No. No, it isn't, is it? He has us there. 'He hoped the economic aid checks going out to many in the U.S. "will continue to have a positive effect." (Huff Post) Certainly the 'stimulus package' seems to be having a very positive effect on the porn industry. (HuffPost)
Speaking of Bush's unsinkable optimism, a man flew a lawn chair lifted by helium balloons 200 miles from Oregon to Idaho.
Using his trusty BB gun to help him return to Earth, a 48-year-old gas station owner flew a lawn chair rigged with helium-filled balloons more than 200 miles across the Oregon desert Saturday, landing in a field in Idaho....
An observer said:
"We go outside to look, and lo and behold, there he is. He's flying by probably 100 to 200 feet off the ground.
"He takes his BB gun and shoots some balloons to lower himself to the ground. When he hit the ground he released all the little tiny balloons. People were racing down the road with cameras. They were all talking and laughing." (HuffPost)
Mind you, the 'little tiny' balloons were five feet in diameter. And the chair apparently weighs 400 pounds.
There's an idea for this summer of high gas prices and unrobust growth: a trip across the sky in a lawnchair and many colorful balloons.
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