Summer Food Fun and Drink 2009 Starbucks in decline - Chapter 4 · Thursday July 16, 2009 by colin newell
In a remarkably lame move, Starbucks is shape-shifting itself into a mom-and-pop neighborhood cafe in Seattle.
A Seattle outlet of the 16,000-store coffee behemoth is being re-branded without visible Starbucks identifiers, as 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea.
And they plan on going head to head with the likes of Victrola, Vivace, Cafe Vita, Cafe D’arte and Stumptown.
From my perspective, I think this latest Starbuck bait and switch is the height of cynicism and breathtakingly shortsighted – even for a foundering behemoth like the jolly green caffeine giant.
Recently I have compared the following chain coffee recently and here is my score…
Lame- Starbucks – Watery, thin, unremarkable… Americano with a puff of whisper thin crema
Slightly Lame- Tim Horton’s – Like their gut wrenching doughnuts, Tim’s coffee has nothing redeeming about it. Coffee flavored mouth wash. Remember, don’t swallow any!
Not so bad- McDonalds – Drip coffee thick enough to plasma cut steel plate. Delicious with an egg McMuffin.
Continuing on Starbucks Seattle plans… they also plan on serving beer and wine.
This marketing move from Coffee Oz northwest is baffling, amusing and kind of sad in a way. In this economy (if I was Howard Shultz), I would be holding my cards real close. But what the heck. Nothing ventured – nothing gained…
Just ignore the aging wizard behind the curtain.
Summer Food Fun and Drink Chapter 11 The downside of twitter · Saturday July 11, 2009 by colin newell
Here’s the thing. If I could sprout an extra lobe in my brain and actually incur the ability to distill my more cogent thoughts down to 140 characters…
I probably still would not twitter.
Because I just typed 140 characters and I haven’t said a golly dash thing!
And you know it.
A lovely young lady (and that fact is irrelevant) that I passed on Friday (on campus) mused that she twitters – but is pretty sure that…
a.) She has no followers
and
b.) No one would really care about what she wrote anyway.
And yet I know for a fact that she is usually surrounded by a gaggle of young men…
and she talks a lot to them.
And they listen with rapt interest.
Because she is interesting.
Intelligent.
And pretty. Not that this indelible fact matters.
There are a couple of other nagging problems with twitter (and, oh yea… Facebook).
They are over run by corporations. We know that Facebook is merely a data mining site used by the man to get more marketing info on us consume-droids.
And now large corporations are signing into twitter because they think it’s hip and it’s marketing ore rich for refining.
It is about as hip as my grand-dad rapping with Dr. Dre.
Bottom line – there is nothing useful anyone can say in 140 characters or less. And when millions and millions are doing it – it just makes it less relevant than space dust.
My opinion.
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Summer Fun Food and Drink 2009 - Chapter 7 Pissed with Readers Digest · Friday July 3, 2009 by colin newell
Hey. I hope I am not the only one that is experiencing this — and strap yourselves in folks. This is a full on rant.
Readers digest. Their book club. Or whatever they call it…
I have a dear old aunt who is in her 80’s – and she is getting a little fuzzy… a bit past her mental prime and all – which is normal.
At some point she got a shill from Readers Digest (Canada) for a free book or two. So they sent her a free book… and then another… and then a box of books. And then she send them a note: No more books!
But the books keep coming. And now they are billing the old dear.
And I am shipping them back – return to sender.
Surely I cannot be the only one ranting about Readers Digest Canada.
Go to their website. It is easy to find. I challenge you to find somewhere on their website where you can e-mail some human being… if only to write…
Enough with the books already!
Readers Digest Canada – please note. My patience is running out.
Colin Newell uncovers Canada’s ugly little secrets so you don’t have to.
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Summer Fun Food and Drink 2009 - Chapter 5 Canada Day Charter rights to be suspended · Sunday June 28, 2009 by colin newell
Want to ride the bus on Canada Day? Plan on leaving your car at home to attend a garden party across town? Hope to bring a couple of bottles of your favorite Pinot Noir or a six-pack of your beloved barley, hops and malt?
Well, be prepared to give it up on Canada Day to B.C. Transit thuggery.
That’s right folks.
The eyes of Canada have been on the Victoria Police department for the last few years as they have suspended civil liberties with bag checks (on buses) and check points on the street corners of the city leading into the downtown core. And now in a cynical move on the part of the folks in blue – B.C. Transit is being employed as a branch of the police in the illegal search of citizens. Your right to ride the bus will be denied if you do not submit to a search. And this is an outrage!
And I beg you. Say no.
In a moment of supreme and mind boggling irony, we are having our Canadian Charter rights suspended on Canada Day – a day we celebrate the founding of our nation – a nation that was built upon fundamental freedoms.
Our grandma’s and granddad’s that gave their limbs and often their life so we could have ours… must be rolling in their graves.
And oddly we know in advance.
When I was 11 years old, I had a neighborhood thug put me in a head lock as he rummaged through my pocket for spare change. He found 11 cents. I was outraged but unharmed – and I promised myself back then, if I ever had advance knowledge of an indignity like this, I would be prepared with countermeasures.
Now I do. Words and knowledge.
If I am crossing town on Wednesday (Canada Day) with my bottle of Pinot, bound for a garden party and some authority figure attempts to pilfer my legally obtained spirits – well, they are going to be in for a surprise.
I know my rights.
So know yours. Please do not shrink and avoid our bus system – if only to avoid confrontation. Step forward and be a Canadian that your ancestors could be proud of.
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