[null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://i0.wp.com/25.media.tumblr.com/4ac0be12fb8bbe8029f406a1f5cbdb75/tumblr_mvlibuqLKI1ql0h2wo1_500.jpg", "src": "https://i0.wp.com/25.media.tumblr.com/4ac0be12fb8bbe8029f406a1f5cbdb75/tumblr_mvlibuqLKI1ql0h2wo1_500.jpg", "formatted_filename": "tumblr mvlibuqLKI ql h wo", "alt_text": "Kat", "rendered_width": 500}, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://i2.wp.com/ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/y/tid/50097717.jpg", "src": "https://i2.wp.com/ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/y/tid/50097717.jpg", "alt_text": "Media", "rendered_width": 300, "rendered_height": 300}, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/563637_256822617784275_1981860610_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/563637_256822617784275_1981860610_n.jpg", "rendered_width": 400}, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://i1.wp.com/news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/65709000/jpg/_65709205_purestock_1574r-04567.jpg", "src": "https://i1.wp.com/news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/65709000/jpg/_65709205_purestock_1574r-04567.jpg", "formatted_filename": "purestock r", "rendered_width": 400}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c0.0.400.400/p403x403/60831_10152344702410245_1964005043_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c0.0.400.400/p403x403/60831_10152344702410245_1964005043_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: Great progress on the outdoor labyrinth!", "rendered_width": 403, "rendered_height": 267}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/480744_10151499661104052_1198232493_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/480744_10151499661104052_1198232493_n.jpg", "rendered_width": 300, "rendered_height": 310}, null, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/487779_10151499866089052_2145918876_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/487779_10151499866089052_2145918876_n.jpg", "rendered_width": 300}, null, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/148305_10151461299934052_92773462_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/148305_10151461299934052_92773462_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: Day 3 recyclable cup saves me 10 cents. :)", "rendered_height": 150}, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://i2.wp.com/cf2.vgtstatic.com/thumbll/5/4/54869-v1.jpg", "src": "https://i2.wp.com/cf2.vgtstatic.com/thumbll/5/4/54869-v1.jpg"}, null, null, null, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/397626_10151409741519052_335469411_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/397626_10151409741519052_335469411_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: Only the dog in the chair has changed. :)", "rendered_width": 242, "rendered_height": 242}, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/249898_10151409020644052_46043741_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/249898_10151409020644052_46043741_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: The other basset ... Wild night at Chez Teague. :)", "rendered_width": 242, "rendered_height": 242}, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/734092_581738915188899_630466593_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/734092_581738915188899_630466593_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: Tolkien 'bout my generation. Happy Birthday to the master.", "rendered_width": 242, "rendered_height": 242}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/524679_10151339295798491_1410669913_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/524679_10151339295798491_1410669913_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: \"Like\" this photo if you plan to Explore Georgia in 2013!</p> <p>Pictured: Cloudland Canyon in Rising Fawn, Georgia.<br /> Photo Credit: Sussman Imaging", "rendered_width": 242, "rendered_height": 242}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/540874_572162549466090_304286079_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/540874_572162549466090_304286079_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: MUG SOMEONE: Our \"And also with y'all\" coffee mugs are another way to have serious fun or start The Conversation. They are not on our website yet, but you can order on the phone.", "rendered_width": 242, "rendered_height": 242}, null, {"document_url": "https://teaguenc.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/", "unformatted_src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.59.403.403/p403x403/16800_402166156532749_1217329794_n.jpg", "src": "https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.59.403.403/p403x403/16800_402166156532749_1217329794_n.jpg", "alt_text": "Photo: Northern Lights Season Is Starting !! Are you Ready ?!!</p> <p>Renting a glass igloo in Finland to sleep under the Northern Lights.</p> <p>Aurora season has been in high gear for nearly a month in Abisko, and it looks as though this year could be something very, very special, We are entering the peak of the solar maximum, and if history is any indicator we should see a marked increase in aurora activity.", "rendered_width": 242, "rendered_height": 242}, null, null, null]
Posts Tagged ‘Starbucks


7.31.18 … And yes, stillness is vital to the world of my soul …

By teaguenc Leave a Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: 2018 Labyrinth Walks, “Solvitur Ambulando” – It is solved by walking, Cathedral of St. Philip - Atlanta GA, quotes: T. S. Eliot, quotes:John O'Donohue, Starbucks

“Solvitur Ambulando” – It is solved by walking, 2018 Labyrinth Walks, Cathedral of St. Philip – Atlanta GA: So, I was a little off today. It was a muggy Tuesday morning in Atlanta and weather forecast was for rain for the next few days . I drove in last night and spent the evening with my mom. I was feeling guilty because I had not been here since the first week of July. Although in the past, she made me feel guilty, I think she is now processing that she really doesn’t remember when I was here last and how long ago it was. Her expression of joy at seeing me unnerves me a little bit.

I purchased my Starbucks treats and pulled into St. Phillip’s. As I walked into the sacred space, I noticed in a large planter filled with cigarette butts and a doggy poop bag. So my walk did not start off well given that there is a trashcan within 100 feet of this deposit. I thought to myself, REALLY!

I realized that in order to make this walk beneficial, I might focus on my saved quotations from the last few days. So here they are:

‘And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.’

John O’Donohue

Excerpt from ANAM CARA

On my way out, I cleaned out the planter.

And yes, stillness is vital to the world of my soul.



11.6.13 … End of a era :( … “Young people’s Internet behavior predicts everybody’s Internet behavior. ” …

Tags: $100, 000 Prize, BBC News, Blockbuster, Cool Anymore, Davidson College, Derek Thompson - The Atlantic, End of a era: End of a era, Facebook, Fast Company | Business + Innovation, Gifting Platform, I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy 2013 - YouTube, Innovative Bio Instruction, Jimmy Kimmel, kudos, LOL, Sallie Krawcheck, Starbucks, starbucks spelling, teens, Tumblr, twitter, Wall Street, YouTube Challenge

Blockbuster, End of a era: End of a era 😦

Blockbuster, once synonymous with video rentals, had encountered a steady decline in business as rental services such as Netflix Inc. NFLX -1.77% and Outerwall Inc. OUTR +1.23% \’s Redbox increasingly cut into its business. More recently, Blockbuster has had to contend with growing streaming and on-demand services that consumers can use without leaving their homes.

Blockbuster tried to compete with its own mail business, but that will end in the middle of December, Dish said. However, Dish said it would retail licensing rights to the Blockbuster brand, including its video library, and that it would continue its Blockbuster @Home and On Demand services.

via Dish Network to Close Remaining Blockbuster Stores – WSJ.com.

starbucks spelling, LOL, Tumblr: OK … this is funny.  “starbucks spelling” on tumblr. A collection of misspelled names from the inventors of the \”Frappuccino.\”

via starbucks spelling.

YouTube Challenge,   I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy 2013 – YouTube, Jimmy Kimmel, LOL:  My cruel father probably would have done this.  🙂

Published on Nov 4, 2013

Once again we asked parents to pull a massive prank on their kids and pretend they ate all of their Halloween candy. Here are the results of this year\’s Halloween Candy YouTube Challenge.

via ▶ YouTube Challenge – I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy 2013 – YouTube.

Starbucks, Twitter,  Gifting Platform, Fast Company | Business + Innovation:

A tweet can be used to share links, media, and status updates. But could it soon be used to share Starbucks coffee?

That\’s the promise of a new partnership launched today, Monday, by Twitter and Starbucks, which enables gift certificates to be exchanged via tweets. Called the tweet-a-coffee program, the service allows for spur-of-the-moment acts of generosity between friends, with little to no friction: Just tweet at another Twitter user in order to give a $5 digital eGift hassle-free. It\’s certainly a novel marketing tool. But the larger significance here is how companies like Starbucks are gradually beginning to see Twitter as a potential ecommerce platform.

via Starbucks, Twitter Launch Gifting Platform Via Tweets | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.

Sallie Krawcheck, Wall Street, BBC News:

Although those firings certainly stung, they gave Ms Krawcheck an epiphany – in times of distress, companies react by closing ranks, and diversity, particularly gender diversity, suffers.

“What I saw a thousand times during the downturn was, We’d like to give her that opportunity, but we need to go with the sure thing – we can\’t afford diversity right now,'” she says.

So now, as the boss of 85 Broads, Ms Krawcheck says her goal is to work in a more active way to correct the gender balance at the top.

via BBC News – Sallie Krawcheck: Wall Street boss who was glad to be sacked.

Teens, Facebook,  Cool Anymore, Derek Thompson – The Atlantic:

Programs like Snapchat and other social sites are taking off, and the way these things usually work is that whatever technology teenagers are using today, young adults, and then older adults, will be using tomorrow. Tumblr, Pinterest, Snapchat: All billion-dollar valuations today, and all got their start among the high school and college crowd. Young people’s Internet behavior predicts everybody’s Internet behavior. The fact that they’re getting bored could mean that Facebook is becoming boring—a dangerous idea for a company that relies on the idle time of average people.

Or it could just mean that Facebook has grown up right in line with its audience.

via If Teens Don’t Think Facebook Is Cool Anymore, Should Facebook Worry? – Derek Thompson – The Atlantic.

Davidson College, Innovative Bio Instruction,   $100,000 Prize, kudos:

Prof. David Botstein, former director of Princetons Lewis-Siegler Institute for Integrative Genomics, announced today that he will donate $100,000 each to Davidson College and three other prestigious academic institutions for innovations in teaching biology. Botstein was one of eleven recipients of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, announced earlier this year by Internet titans Yuri Milner, Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki and Mark Zuckerberg. Botstein will share $400,000 of his Breakthrough Award with Davidsons Professor of Biology A. Malcolm Campbell, as well as faculty at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory CSHL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California-San Francisco.\”With these awards, I recognize the successes of these four institutions in the development and delivery of educational programs that are furthering the field of biological research by training the next generation of breakthrough scientists,\” said Botstein. \”I have had the opportunity to participate in the development of these distinct programs and salute the institutions and the program leaders who have achieved the highest standards in science education.\”

via Davidson’s Innovative Bio Instruction Garners $100,000 Prize – Davidson College.


2.6.13 … I would like to have style … 45 and goofy in Atlanta …

Tags: 'Sound of Music' Remake, adult play, African elephants, Atlanta, “Solvitur Ambulando” – It is solved by walking, BBC Nature, Brookhaven - the historic neighborhood, Buckhead, Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration, Coco Chanel, Downton Abbey, Dr. Wilf Nicholls, Driving Mamma Lindsey, ecology, events, Facebook, fashion, FB, followup, Georges Seurat, Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, Indian English, Julie Andrews, kith/kin, labyrinth walking, language, Lenbrook, Library of Congress, LOL, Monopoly, New Year's Resolutions, pop culture, quotes, retroflex, RIP, Serengeti National Park, Spacious, Speakeasy, Starbucks, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Swan House, The Cathedral of St. Philips, The Economist, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Theartblab.com

Coco Chanel, quotes, fashion: via Fashion fades Coco Chanel wall decal vinyl sticker – Polyvore.

adult play, Spacious:  I personally think this is very funny … What do you think, O Spacious One , Cary Umhau?

Over the more than two decades that 10 middle-aged friends from Spokane, Wash., have been locked in a game of Tag, there have been years when almost nothing happened.

But already this week, ‘It’ has changed hands twice.

The game is live only in February so it resumed late last week. Mike Konesky was ‘It’ heading into this year’s action and he made his move on Sunday.

via In Epic Game of Tag, There’s a New ‘It’ – The Juggle – WSJ.

Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration,  Library of Congress, Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, events:

Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust to Commemorate the Civil War Sesquicentennial at the Library of Congress

An estimated 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers lost their lives in the Civil War. These deaths permanently transformed the character of American society.

Drew Gilpin Faust, 28th President of Harvard University and Lincoln Professor of History in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, will join Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Ric Burns in exploring this theme on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at noon in the Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C.

This event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

The event is presented in conjunction with the Library of Congress exhibition “The Civil War in America,” which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the war and runs through June 1, 2013.

As part of the presentation, Burns will feature clips from his PBS documentary “Death and the Civil War,” which was based upon Faust’s book “This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War” (2008), winner of the Bancroft Prize in 2009 and a finalist for both a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Faust will sign copies of her books immediately following the presentation. Also participating in the presentation will be Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

via Harvard University President to Commemorate the Civil War | News Releases – Library of Congress.

Georges Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, followup, FB, Theartblab.com:  I have funny friends … Follow up to  yesterday’s post. …the monkey was the answer to a Jeopardy question.


Ferris Bueller likes it too!


Is that Beyonce with the umbrella? it looks like she has a little bedunkadunk in the trunk. He is also a favorite artist of mine.

language,  Indian English, retroflex, The Economist:  I actually have wondered about this.

A FRIEND recently asked me what gives Indian English its unique sound. With 22 constitutionally recognised languages in India, and hundreds more spoken, how is it that many Indians’ English accents sound fairly similar? Part of the answer has to do with a set of sounds used across the country: retroflex consonants.

Indian retroflexes are fun to produce. Curl your tongue back and strike your palate, and you’re in position to articulate one. English distinguishes voiced and unvoiced consonants (the difference between [d] and [t], based on whether the larynx vibrates). Many Indian languages further distinguish consonants by whether a puff of air comes out or not (aspirated or unaspirated). So the retroflex consonants in, for example, Hindi, include ʈ (unvoiced unaspirated), ʈh (unvoiced aspirated), ɖ (voiced unaspirated), and ɖh (voiced aspirated). Most Indian languages also include two more retroflex consonants, ɳ and ʂ. It’s common for Indian English-speakers to substitute retroflex ʈ and ɖ where Western English-speakers use [t] and [d], which Indian languages don’t have. This substitution is part of Indian English’s special sound.

via Language in India: The humble retroflex | The Economist.

African elephants,  Serengeti National Park, ecology, BBC Nature: Having seen theses beasts in South Africa, they are truly sensitive beasts … Wild African elephants prefer to live in safer, protected areas and become stressed when they leave them.

Scientists have found African elephants living outside Serengeti National Park are more stressed than those within the protected area.

More elephants also choose to live inside the park, suggesting they “know” which areas are safer to live in, and actively avoid humans.

Details are published in the African Journal of Ecology.

Serengeti National Park helps protect animals from threats such as illegal hunting and habitat disturbance.

via BBC Nature – African elephants prefer Serengeti National Park.

New Year’s Resolutions, Starbucks, Atlanta, Brookhaven – the historic neighborhood: I can only have lattes on weekends and they must be skinny. Exception: I can have one if I walk there … 45 and goofy in ATL this morning.Great morning walk to nearby Starbucks and then through my second favorite Atlanta neighborhood, Brookhaven – the historic neighborhood, not the new DeKalb County city.  Oh, And i meant 45 and foggy … Thank you, autocorrect.

real-time advertising,  2013 Super Bowl ads, 2013 Super Bowl blackout, follow-up:  Very interesting … Sunday’s power outage provided the perfect surprise for brands to pounce on creatively. Tide shrewdly tweeted, “We can’t get your #blackout. But we can get your stains out.” In a dig at their luxury car rival, Audi tweeted, “Sending some LEDs to the @MBUSA Superdome right now…” At Mondelēz International, our Oreo brand team and their agency partners sat together in a war room and came up with this gem, which has since been re-tweeted more than 15,000 times:

This was a big, albeit unplanned moment, but the beauty of real-time content is that there’s always something interesting happening in the world, and always an audience who cares about it. The ubiquity of digital technology and mobile devices enables people at far corners of the globe to share moments together, regardless of where they’re located, their economic status, or how old they are. By focusing content development around these shared cultural moments, marketers can transcend the demographics-driven targeting that has for so long defined the industry, reaching more people in a more relevant way.

We saw firsthand the power of tapping into big cultural moments when we celebrated Oreo’s 100th birthday in 2012. We produced 100 consecutive “Daily Twists,” spotlighting global cultural developments, as they happened, through an Oreo lens. Covering everything from LGBT Pride Month to the Mars Rover landing, we were able to join the global conversation with fresh content, and this timeliness nearly tripled the level of consumer engagement compared to the three months prior to the campaign.

via The Power of Real-Time Advertising – B. Bonin Bough – Harvard Business Review.

Atlanta, labyrinth walking, Solvitur Ambulando – It is solved by walking, Lenbrook, kith/kin, The Cathedral of St. Philips, Swan House, Buckhead, Driving Mamma Lindsey, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Dr. Wilf Nicholls:

So excited I will soon have a new outdoor labyrinth to walk in Atlanta!!   Found this via google from December … A fun lunch at the Lenbrook Grill where i caught up with Katherine and her mom, uncle and cousin. She says hello to you, Catherine and Cary.

After lunch, mom and I took a drive. First stop … St. Philip’s where I walked their recently completed labyrinth.

A few notes from my walk … It’s an absolute perfect winter day in Atlanta. It must be 60° and the sky is clear blue.  I have gone over to the Cathedral of St. Philip  and walked their newly completed 11-curcuit labyrinth. There’s something special about walking the labyrinth for the first time. And there is also something special about walking a labyrinth that you know you will walk many times more.

When you know you’re going to walk it many times, you become very observant of the seasons and the plantings and the landscape around you.

This one is by far the most beautiful one that I have walked in the midst of skyscrapers. That is interesting to me because i grew up here, and when i grew up here, there were no skyscrapers.

Again it was an absolutely beautiful walk on an absolutely beautiful day. And I walked barefoot!! Then we did our usual riding and telling stories … Driving Mamma Lindsey! We drove by the former home my cousins, the Mauldins, and those of Lillian, Catherine, Roline, Bryna, Lethea and Gregor.

And the gates were open to the Swan House. And now I am back at Lenbrook listening to the director of The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Dr. Wilf Nicholls. Current topic is rethinking landscape in light of the seasonal drought … Dr. Nicholls was a very good speaker … even though he doesn’t wear pants … he wears trousers (his joke not mine) … New botanical garden director gets ‘acclimatized’ | Online Athens.

A native of London, Nicholls spent the first 22 years of his career as a horticulturist in Vancouver, British Columbia, a temperate Pacific climate that, despite its northern latitude, is only a single zone cooler than our own. Nonetheless, the torrid temperatures that greeted him upon hisarrival in Athens in early September came as something of a shock. “Ninety-five degrees is just stunning!” he says, “But I’ll get acclimatized, I had to get acclimatized from Vancouver to Newfoundland.”

via New botanical garden director gets ‘acclimatized’ | Online Athens.

And a final birthday celebration with my mom and siblings and one in-law! Julie Andrews, ‘Sound of Music’ Remake,  Speakeasy: Hmmmm … Why?

Speakeasy asked Andrews what she thought of NBC’s recently-announced plans to redo “The Sound of Music” with country singer Carrie Underwood in the lead role that Andrews helped make famous. We also asked Andrews if she planned to play a part in the remake.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Andrews replied. “Listen—how long ago was it out? 50 something years ago? … So, 48 years, probably time that a remake is allowed. Why not? ‘Cinderella’ has been done, ‘Mary Poppins’ has been put on stage in the theater. It’s all part of the process of those wonderful properties going out and reaching another audience. No, I won’t be in it, but I do endorse everything. I mean why not?”

via Julie Andrews Sounds Off on That ‘Sound of Music’ Remake – Speakeasy – WSJ.

Downton Abbey, Facebook, LOL: via Downton Abbey Facebook Recap Season 3 Episode 3 | Happy Place.

Lenbrook, kith/kin:  They have cushions in Fine Dining, too … Helps the residents get up easier. 🙂 Monopoly, pop culture, RIP:  A cat?!? RIP, iron … via A cat?!? RIP, iron ….

Monopoly fans voted in an online contest to add a new cat token to the property-trading game, replacing the iron, toy maker Hasbro Inc. said Wednesday.

Monopoly fans voted in an online contest to add a new cat token to the property-trading game, replacing the iron. George Stahl has details on Markets Hub.

The results were announced after the shoe, wheelbarrow and iron were neck and neck in the final hours of voting that sparked passionate efforts by fans to save their favorite tokens and businesses eager to capitalize on publicity surrounding pieces that represent their products.

via Cat Added to Monopoly’s Token Lineup – WSJ.com.


1.30.13 Another day in NYC … returned to adventures of yesterday like an old pro!

Tags: "Unconditional Surrender", 100th anniversary of Grand Central, Arhaus Furniture, Big Onion, Chelsea/Meatpacking District, Davidson Wasabies, Delta Club, El Anatsui, FIG & OLIVE Restaurant - Kitchen Tasting Bar, Fig and Olive, final thoughts, First-Class Postage, FYI, Grand Central by Billy Collins, Harney & Sons, High Line Park, Ithinkoutsidemybox, LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Lying Figure (2011), NYC, pictures of where I walk, Pomegranate Oolong, Soho, Starbucks, Starbucks name, Starbucks Reusable Cups, The Waldorf Astoria, Thomas Houseago, Times Square, US Airways Club, USPS

NYC, The Waldorf Astoria, Starbucks, Starbucks Reusable Cups, Starbucks name:  As I mentioned yesterday, I was very pleased with the Waldorf this visit.  The hotel as renovated is a huge improvement over the state of the hotel two years ago.  A few things I will note: Salvatore Feragamo bath products are not worth taking for the homeless.  The company is known for leather shoes!  The rooms are large, but the decor still makes you feel as though you walked back in time, which I personally like.  And look at that thick solid wood door.  Makes me feel safe! After checking out, I met my friend Kim, the Davidson Wasabi Founder, and we started off at Starbucks where I used my $1 reusable cup which saves me 10 cents. Of course, I used my Starbucks name “Molly.”  🙂 “I am not looking to make friends when I go into a coffee shop, I just want a drink,” he complains.

Some drinkers are determined to withhold their identities from baristas

“I want a pleasant but respectful distance between me and the person serving me coffee – I don’t want to go clubbing with them.”

Certainly, initial reactions on Twitter were polarised.

While some were enthusiastic about Starbucks’ offer of free coffee to promote the policy change, others were determined to humorously subvert what they saw as a breach of the implicit barista-customer relationship.

The latter is a sentiment that Chris Hackley, professor of marketing at Royal Holloway, University of London, believes many customers will share – particularly those who visit Starbucks’ cafes in order to work, or to find a bit of solitary peace and quiet.

“Some people might like being called by their first name, but I think many will be indifferent, and some might feel awkward – like it’s over-familiar, or a bit of an intrusion into privacy,” he says.

Of course, for years smaller cafe chains and independent outlets have known that striking up conversations over a cuppa is a good way to do business.

Do these beans have your name on them?

But Hackley thinks Starbucks – at least when it is not someone’s regular haunt – could also come under fire for appearing fake.

“Companies can overplay the importance of one-to-one communication. When people are not seeking it – like when they are gathering information on the internet or quickly purchasing a coffee – it can be quite irritating.

“It’s a bogus personalisation of an economic relationship. Friendship needs to be genuine,” he says.

via BBC News – Will you tell Starbucks your name?.

NYC,  Big Onion, Davidson Wasabies,  100th anniversary of Grand Central, Grand Central by Billy Collins, Times Square, Chelsea/Meatpacking District, FIG & OLIVE Restaurant – Kitchen Tasting Bar, Fig and Olive, Arhaus Furniture,  High Line Park, Thomas Houseago –  Lying Figure (2011),    El Anatsui, Ithinkoutsidemybox, “Unconditional Surrender”, Soho,  Harney & Sons,   Pomegranate Oolong,  LaGuardia Airport (LGA),  Delta Club, US Airways Club:

On to bigger and better things … We take the 6 train from 51st street to Grand Central (1 stop), then something to Times Square (not via the S/Shuttle, which would have been quicker), where I get my station pictures of the revelers and the movie poster for Hansel and Gretel … I noticed the ad for the 100th anniversary of Grand Central with a poem that I liked (see above), and so I searched for it …

Poetry in Motion: Grand Central by Billy Collins – YouTube.

So Kim and I arrived in Chelsea/Meatpacking District and toured around for a few minutes … I pointed out some spots CW had pointed out to me the day before ….  (And CW, I went back in the Wonderland Salon and bought the heart earrings for Molly as well as the guidebook on the High Line Park). And then we spotted an Arhaus.  Kim is looking for furniture, so we ventured in … Big Sale … I am glad I do not live near an Arhaus … At heart, we’re adventurers, motivated by unfailing passion and curiosity. Our furniture exemplifies the history and romance of our distinctive worldview. The curve of a leather sofa. The beautifully imperfect, salvaged wood of a rustic dining room table. All works of functional art. And at Arhaus, it’s never just about how a thing looks. It’s about the memories that are summoned—both past and present. Settle in; take a look around. Let our stories become yours.

via Quality Furniture for Home & Home Office | Arhaus Furniture.

Now back on to to the High Line.  Kim and I had several hours, so we walked all 20 blocks and back.  It was fun to walk it two days in a row, because I noticed some more things and saw some things differently …

The first was this sculpture by Thomas Houseago, Lying Figure (2011).  Yesterday I thought the raised parts were his knees and now I realize they are his shoulders without a head. What are the berries?  They look like blueberries, but the birds would have eaten them … and besides, its the end of January. Next we walked along and took note of the wooden chaises (we had been looking at chaises in Arhaus).  Kim noticed that the single chaises were on rail wheels! Yesterday, i focused more on the billboards, but isn’t this amphitheater cool? Kim knows a lot about plants and gardening.  The red berries definitely catch your attention.  Neither of us knew what the succulent looking plant was, but everything planted here is supposed to be native to the area.  And I never knew cedars had berries. Then we quickly focused on the El Anatsui and Kim pointed out a few things I had not noticed the day before … Kim and her husband Tom introduced me to El Anatsui and I have to admit, i feel pretty cool knowing who he is!  Thanks, Km and Tom. And the Ithinkoutsidemybox guy was just setting up.  I chose not to paint again today. ;0 A few more that were just fun or interesting: Then we talked about the wooden “Petticoat Junction” water towers … which my PHd candidate Big Onion Tours scholar did not know why they are a New York thing … And these two new buildings were really interesting.  The first one for the waves and the second because the intensity of the hammered metal decreases as you go up. And a modern rendition of “Unconditional Surrender” … Smokestacks … A resident with a sense of humor. 🙂 A little of this … a little of that … If you are wondering what is at the end … On our return walk,  a few more of the El Anatsui … And now lunch … Again, CW, thank you for the recommendation of the Fig and Olive.  We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and since it was Restaurant Week, we got a great deal!! Lunch $25

APPETIZERS Salmon Ceviche Crostone  and Romaine & Endive Baby Beet Salad

MAIN COURSE Chicken Tajine

DESSERT Chocolate Pot de Crème

FIG & OLIVE Restaurant – Kitchen Tasting Bar and Olive Oil Store.

And finally, off to SoHo via cab from which we saw this funny little gold man …  Who is he, anyone know? In Soho I dragged Kim to  Harney & Sons … they have the best pomegranate oolong tea … and then gave her a hug and headed north.  Kim  hit the furniture boutiques.

Pomegranate Oolong

The full leaves of premium Ti Quan Yin oolong are deliciously infused with tangy pomegranate to create this inspiring yet complex full-bodied blend that brews into a sweetly fragrant, silky textured cup of tea. The Ti Quan Yin oolong used is named after the Chinese “Goddess of Mercy.”

via Pomegranate Oolong.

Great day, Thank you,  Kim,  for birthday lunch and a day in the city!
Back on the 6 train from Spring St. to 51st Street (note the beautiful tiles at Spring). … and then  to LGA. Goodbye, Big Onion via  LaGuardia Airport (LGA). And BTW, the snacks at the Delta Club are far superior to those at the US Airways Club.  So I was glad they are redoing the US Airways Cl.ub

USPS, First-Class Postage, FYI;  46cents!

Wall Street Journal (@WSJ)

1/28/13, 7:04 AM

The price of sending a first-class letter in the U.S. rose a penny Sunday to 46 cents.

First-Class Postage Rate Marches Higher

via First-Class Postage Rate Marches Higher – WSJ.com.

final thoughts, pictures of where I walk:  If you make it this far let me know.  As a followup, my adventure companion sent me a picture that i love (see below).  As we were walking, I told her that I almost always take a picture of my feet walking or standing and that the reason is because when I went to take the bar exam, I was walking over to the Atlanta Civic Center with a classmate and he looked down at his feet and said, “It’s going to be a good day.  My family’s company made this sewer cap.”  It was a good day … we both passed.  Here’s Kim’s picture and her caption: “You and me, a quite unintentional shot!”


1.29.13 … it’s not all about me … but I did have a great day … :)

By teaguenc 2 Comments
Tags: 2013 birthday, Bonsignour, bucket list, Chelsea, Chick-fil-A, Christianity, culture, Dan Cathy, dinner, e, El Anatsui, FDR, FIG & OLIVE Restaurant - Kitchen Tasting Bar and Olive Oil Store, foo dogs, friendship, Gov. Pat McCrory, High Line Park, history, kith/kin, LGTB Controversy, liberal arts education, Lower Manhattan, Meatpacking District, Michael Angelo's Wonderland Beauty Parlor, Michael J. Fox tv show, MTA, NYC, Organic Avenue, public art, raspberry scones, Secret Train Platform, SEO, Starbucks, subway, The Cloisters, The Waldorf Astoria, UNC President Tom Ross

2013 birthday, NYC, The Cloisters, MTA, High Line Park, Chelsea, bucket list, foo dogs: First Stop The Cloisters … A bucket list item.

First thing I noticed this morning was this beautiful set of foo dogs in the window … $35,000 for the pair. 🙂 Next stop … The Cloisters.  I view getting there as part of the adventure.

Subway 6 to Grand  Central  … Subway 7 to Times Square … Love the artwork in the Times Square Station.  There are small tile pictures of New Year’s Eve revelers embedded in the standard white subway tiles. But there are also a MILLION ads for new movie Hansel and Gretel … Kills the interest … No cell service in Times Square Station … BUT a very  nice policeman tried to help … However,  he had never heard of the Cloisters  and kept trying to tell me where the Met was …

Subway A to 190th … Got on Express so I may have to backtrack at some point. Strange to roar through stations. The stations become less and less interesting. No art, not even nice big colorful tile insets identifying the station. Nice fellow passengers assure me it stops at 190th.

187th Yeshiva University is a little cleaner with several men with yarmulkes.

190th St. Station … very strange … like a prison … except great posters in the elevator! Half mile walk to the Cloisters … Along the Hudson. Gorgeous! The Cloisters is a modern building (1930s) built to hold  to medieval art … as if Benedictine monastery … 1938 … “built as evocation of the Middle Ages “
moustached lion bestiary dragon Doorway … headless angels, Jesus, Mary, Clovis and son View from the Porch Cuxa Cloister
Capitals … One  with monkeys
Cloister means closed but is open to the world at the same time
Planted in garden … Rue, lavender, limes and aloe
Arch with fantastic beasts Pontaut Chapter House
Early Gothic Hall
Panels from destroyed Lady Chapel at St. Germaine
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus 9 heroes
Julius Caesar, Alexander the great or hector of troy, Arthur (pic), King David & Joshua
(But I really loved the dogs!) The Cloisters was well worth the visit.  I shall return!  And the return walk to the 190th St. Station was lovely … Although I wish the kind policemen driving through the park had given me a lift.  🙂 NYC, Chelsea, High Line Park, kith/kin:  Now to Chelsea and a visit with a long-lost, but much-loved childhood friend …

6 train from 190th to 14 th …

190th – like a prison, but the elevator art in the other elevator was equally amusing. 175th – grim …
Woman with bike who was not amused by the singing cowboy!
Posters all advertising “The Lion King”  again, all= overkill
168th –  better, red stripe
BTW never get a raspberry scone at Starbucks … So dry I would not eat it but now am starved!
145th –  yellow stripe, but nothing special
Cowboy playing … …. Singing in Spanish 🙂
135th – no stop
125th –  green stripe,  no art,  express …  Am I on the right train? … Bumpy as we pass other trains … Very bumpy …
110th –  no stop …   96th –  some decor, but no stop …
81st – no stop, but know that is the stop for museum of natural history … 72nd –  clean, no stop, blue stripe …
59th – big stop, blue stripe, kiosks on the platform, transfers …
42nd – purple stripe … train was getting crowded,  but emptying now …
34th Penn Station red stripe — Interesting iron work
23rd – no stop
14th – Out into the sun … NYC, Chelsea, Bonsignour, Organic Avenue:  Now to find Catherine and lunch … Please note … some pictures are the property of CW.  You can probably tell the difference.  🙂 OK, I get off the subway and walk a few blocks … and I decide on Bonsignour on Jane St.  Biggest turkey and avocado sandwich I have ever seen … This little takeout shop in Greenwich Village is just the sort of place to visit when food becomes boring. It’s not that Bonsignour offers many unusual preparations, it’s that everything, even familiar dishes, tastes the way you imagine it should. That means cool poached salmon in a tart sauce of dill, capers and chopped tomatoes, and savory roast chicken breast cooked with scallions and thyme that is moist yet crisp on the outside and covered in herbs. You will also find unusual combinations that work, like lasagna made with chicken, spinach, roasted peppers and pesto. For dessert, Bonsignour offers rich, fudgy walnut brownies, flaky lemon walnut pastries and luscious raspberry linzer torte squares. — Eric Asimov

via Bonsignour – West Village – New York – Restaurants Search – The New York Times.

… then caught up  Catherine and “enjoyed” Splendid Sweet Green Juice and Cauliflower Cleanse Salad.  CW says Organic Avenue is the next Starbucks … I think they need some help with their product names. 🙂 Organic Avenue is the leading provider of organic cold pressed juices, raw food cleansing programs, snacks, superfoods, truly natural beauty products, healthy lifestyle education and community building events. The company helps people learn how to transition and maintain a healthy lifestyle that is pleasurable and sustainable, while also friendly to people, animals and the environment.

Organic Avenue is controlled by Weld North, an investment company concentrating on education, health and wellness, consumer services and marketing businesses. In partnership with KKR, a leading global investment firm, Weld North seeks to make control investments in businesses with high potential for long-term growth in cash flow. With strong and highly motivated management teams, the firm looks to accelerate growth through an obsessive focus on enhancing the customer experience, operational excellence, marketing expertise, and strategic and disciplined management.

via Organic Avenue – About Us.

NYC, Chelsea, Meatpacking District, High Line Park, public art, El Anatsui, kith/kin, friendship: At one point while Catherine and I were walking and talking, she said something to the effect that it was so wonderful that the friends you made were you were little were often the truest … and could survive 35+ years apart.  Children do instinctively bond based on personality, etc. and not on social hierarchy, looks, school, etc. She was right … and I loved reconnecting on a very personal level with a great deal of trust.
As we walk toward the Meatpacking District and the High Line park, we noticed this building being “painted” to look like it has been in a bad fire.  It is for a Michael J. Fox tv show (see… NBC Picks Up Michael J. Fox’s New Comedy Series.)  Kinda cool … Next up was a little window shopping, but no buying.  Really liked Michael Angelo’s Wonderland Beauty Parlor | ART.BEAUTY.DESIGN.STUDIO ~ 212.524.2800. for gifts (it’s a salon) and the FIG & OLIVE Restaurant – Kitchen Tasting Bar and Olive Oil Store.  Then into The Standard, High Line – Boutique Hotels New York City | Hip Hotels Manhattan NYC for a look around.  Great looking restaurant – THE STANDARD GRILL,  ice skating rink, unisex bathroom and artsy fun lobby … via The Standard, High Line – Boutique Hotels New York City | Hip Hotels Manhattan NYC.

Now on to the High Line … (Did I tell CW I always take a picture of my feet?) Meatpacking District, our first encounter on the Highline… fun guy, a little on the short side! The El Anatsui … 

via EL ANATSUI, BROKEN BRIDGE II | Friends of the High Line.

And very interesting to me and CW was the work of David Everitt-Carlson,

“I Think Outside My Box” (ITOMB) was born on 6 October, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, Manhattan as a performance art and community outreach vehicle supporting Occupy Wall Street.

As a solution to signs he had made being constantly blown away or rained upon in the park, artist David Everitt-Carlson settled upon using a box instead of flat cardboard whilst sitting inside and painting. ITOMB was first featured in the Wall Street Journal on 7 October, 2011.

Over the course of the next 48 days, he painted all of 12 panels, each with a different theme and began to branch out into individual smaller signs that could be used by other participants for a small donation.

via I think outside my box: iTOMB HISTORY.

Here is my artwork … very poor … and here it is posted on his site … iTOMB Interactive 2013 – Google+. Off to Lower Manhattan … to find the Labyrinth in Battery Park … But after a walk alongside Ground Zero, St. Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church, we can’t find the labyrinth.  It was destroyed by Sandy and has not been restored.  Next time … Camino de Paz Labyrinths in collaboration with the Battery Conservancy and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation created the Labyrinth for Contemplation situated in the Jerusalem Grove at Battery Park, Manhattan.

The Labyrinth for Contemplation enables the families of those who lost relatives and friends, visitors, local residents and workers, with an interactive tool for reflection, grieving, honoring, and healing. The Labyrinth transforms the existing Jerusalem Grove of 11 cedar trees into a place of pilgrimage by providing all visitors with the opportunity of actively offering respect through walking the path.

via Camino de Paz Labyrinth for Contemplation in Battery Park – Virtual Globetrotting.

NYC, Subway:  6 train all the way home … NYC, dinner, SEO:  When in Rome … Eat Asian! Birthday dinner — at SEO Japanese Restaurant. Overall, pretty good meal.  I really liked John’s calamari salad … Calamari Salad, Miso Soup, Sushi And Sashimi Combination, Pear and Banana dessert NYC,  The Waldorf Astoria, Secret Train Platform, FDR, history: On the way back to the hotel from dinner, John and I looked down on the train tracks that run directly under the Waldorf Astoria and remembered this little bit of historical trivia – that  FDR had a private entrance from the tracks to the hotel.  One of the bell men overheard us and did a great job telling us about what he knew including that the platform had also been used to get workers in passed picket lines during strikes. Over the weekend we had a chance to visit the long-abandoned Waldorf-Astoria train platform, which allowed VIPs to enter the hotel in a more private manner—most famously it was used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, possibly to hide the fact that he was in a wheelchair suffering from polio. The mysterious track, known as Track 61, still houses the train car and private elevator, which were both large enough for FDR’s armor-plated Pierce Arrow car. Legend has it that the car would drive off the train, onto the platform and straight into the elevator, which would lead to the hotel’s garage. Trainjotting has some more history regarding the platform, known as Track 61, and notes that the quest for it “has become a holy grail for many urban explorers.”

Some fun facts regarding the timeline of the tracks: It was first used by General Pershing in 1938, and less than 30 years after that, in 1965, it was the venue for a party thrown by Andy Warhol (fittingly called The Underground Party).

via Photos: Visiting The Secret Train Platform Beneath The Waldorf-Astoria – Democratic Underground.

And a few thoughts on the Waldorf … when I stayed here two years ago, it was not in good shape.  Well, this time, the public areas look great and our room was quite nice, large with wonderful fixtures.  The service was very good, but not excellent, however.  One thing I missed was turn down service … and the reason is because someone needs to pull the shades down and close the curtains … a great deal of city light and noise comes in at night.  Otherwise, we had an excellent stay. UNC President Tom Ross, Gov. Pat McCrory, liberal arts education: I’m with you, Tom Ross!

“The University’s value to North Carolina should not be measured by jobs filled alone. Our three-part mission of teaching, research, and public service requires that we prepare students with the talent and abilities to succeed in the workforce, because talent will be the key to economic growth. We must also continue to serve the state through our agricultural and industrial extension programs, our Small Business and Technology Development Centers, our Area Health Education Centers, and through the many other ways our faculty and students are engaged in our communities. Higher education plays a key role in ensuring a higher quality of life for all North Carolinians.”

via UNC president responds to McCrory radio remarks | CharlotteObserver.com.

Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A, LGTB Controversy, Christianity, culture:  What a nice twist to this story …

This is why, after discussions with Dan and Chick-fil-A, Campus Pride suspended our campaign. Like Dan, we had faith. It took time to be proven publicly.

Now it is all about the future, one defined, let’s hope, by continued mutual respect. I will not change my views, and Dan will likely not change his, but we can continue to listen, learn and appreciate “the blessing of growth” that happens when we know each other better. I hope that our nation’s political leaders and campus leaders might do the same.

In the end, it is not about eating (or eating a certain chicken sandwich). It is about sitting down at a table together and sharing our views as human beings, engaged in real, respectful, civil dialogue. Dan would probably call this act the biblical definition of hospitality. I would call it human decency. So long as we are all at the same table and talking, does it matter what we call it or what we eat?

via Shane L. Windmeyer: Dan and Me: My Coming Out as a Friend of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A.


1.3.13 We’ve settled in for a long winter’s nap … “live your life, live your life.”

Tags: 12 days of Christmas, atheism, authors, bucket list, Cloudland Canyon, Davidson Basketball, favorites, Finland, Georgia, happy birthday, home, Maurice Sendak, Northern Lights, not waste, products I like, recycling, Starbucks, Tolkien, waste, winter

favorites, authors, Maurice Sendak, atheism:  WOW …

great interview …  “almost certainly I’ll go before you go, so I won’t have to miss you”.

“live your life, live your life.”

An Illustrated Talk With Maurice Sendak (Drawings by Christoph Niemann) – YouTube.

winter, home:  We’ve settled in for a long winter’s nap …These were taken New year’s but they will look like this til spring.  They are hibernating. Tolkien, happy birthday, authors:

Tolkien ’bout my generation. Happy Birthday to the master. 12 days of Christmas:

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love sent to me Ten Lords A-leaping. The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God’s name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

via (2) Advent.

waste: cord tacos … I think I can do this cheaper! 5 Pack of Assorted Cord Tacos Uncovet.

Davidson basketball:  Since I promised to report back … First half was fun … 😦

Davidson managed a 29-29 tie at halftime, a testament to its game plan and aggressiveness despite the prolonged absence of center Jake Cohen, who picked up his second foul 2 minutes, 38 seconds into the game and spent most of the half on the bench.

De’Mon Brooks’ relentlessness on the boards (he finished with 12 rebounds) allowed Davidson to stay even through the first 20 minutes but that was as good as it would get for the Wildcats (7-6).

Duke scored the first 12 points of the second half, its offense finally finding a rhythm against the Wildcats’ defense. Cook, Kelly and Thornton were instrumental in the run, which left the Wildcats in an increasingly desperate situation.

The Wildcats, who missed eight of 10 3-point attempts in the first half, found a brief spark in the second but could get no closer than eight.

They will remember the uncommonly high number of point-blank shots they missed against the Blue Devils.

“Coach kept telling us we had to fight for 40 minutes. That stretch in the second half killed us,” said Davidson guard Tyler Kalinoski, who finished with nine points.

via Duke Blue Devils shake Davidson Wildcats; win 67-50 | CharlotteObserver.com.

Georgia,  Cloudland Canyon, bucket list:  This one is close to home …

Pictured: Cloudland Canyon in Rising Fawn, Georgia.

Photo Credit: Sussman Imaging via Explore Georgia

Starbucks, recycling, not waste:

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX), the world’s largest coffee-shop operator, began selling reusable plastic cups for $1 at its U.S. and Canadian stores today.

The white plastic cup has the Starbucks logo on it and holds a tall or grande size drink, Haley Drage, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. The Seattle-based brewer already offers a 10-cent discount to its customers who bring in a reusable mug.

Starbucks served 1.9 percent of drinks in customers’ personal tumblers in its global company-owned stores in 2011, according to its latest global responsibility report. It wants to serve 5 percent of beverages in reusable cups by 2015, the report shows.

via Starbucks Sells $1 Reusable Cups at U.S. Locations – Bloomberg products I like: 🙂

MUG SOMEONE: Our “And also with y’all” coffee mugs are another way to have serious fun or start The Conversation. They are not on our website yet, but you can order on the phone. Northern Lights, Finland, bucket list:

Northern Lights Season Is Starting !! Are you Ready ?!!

Renting a glass igloo in Finland to sleep under the Northern Lights.

Aurora season has been in high gear for nearly a month in Abisko, and it looks as though this year could be something very, very special, We are entering the peak of the solar maximum, and if history is any indicator we should see a marked increase in aurora activity. 10.3.2011 … Travel Insights … I-85 ATL to CLT …

Tags: Abdelbeset al-Megrahi, Amanda Knox, billboards, business models, dying secrets, fads, Ghirardelli Chocolate eat off, Great Recession, hot chocolate, Hot Chocolate 15/5K, jobs, Lockerbie Bomber, LOL, microfinancing, Netflix, philanthropy, planking, private sector, Starbucks, travel, travel insights, tv, twitter

travel, travel insights, billboards: Amanda Knox, Twitter, LOL:  I am sure she will be happy to get home … but the twitter world is cruel … Fleet Street Fox – ‘Her Life Was Hanging in the Balance’: Top 9 Tweets About the Amanda Knox Verdict – TIME NewsFeed. Lockerbie Bomber, Abdelbeset al-Megrahi, dying secrets:

The truth about the bombing of a PanAm airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 will come out “one day, and hopefully in the near future,” the only man convicted the bombing told Reuters in an interview aired Monday.

“In a few months from now, you will see new facts that will be announced,” Abdelbeset al-Megrahi told Reuters. “I don’t want to speak about that because there are people who are looking after that themselves.”

Al-Megrahi’s comments come about five weeks after CNN’s Nic Roberston visited al-Megrahi’s home, where his family said he was in a coma and near death from terminal prostate cancer.

At the time of his late August visit, Robertson found al-Megrahi in a metal hospital bed, attached to an IV drip and cared for by an elderly woman that the family said was his mother. He was, Robertson said, “paper-thin, his face sallow and sunken.”

“Clearly he is in a better condition than when I saw him a month ago,” Robertson said Monday.

via Convicted Lockerbie bomber says truth will eventually come out – CNN.com.

Netflix, tv, business models:  That’s interesting … ” TV Shows make up at least half of Netflix streaming now.” … definitely is the case at my house.

Netflix may dominate the streaming video market, but theres some surprising good news for Hulu from the MIPCOM conference in Cannes. The streaming video audience seems to be moving firmly in the direction of catching up on television rather than watching movies. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos revealed the information at the conference during a joint keynote address with Miramax CEO Mike Lang, telling the audience that “50% and sometimes 60% of viewing is TV episodes now.”The subject came up when Netflixs move into television production was being discussed; not only has Netflix bought the rights to David Finchers remake of the British drama House of Cards, but the company will also be involved in a new series called Lilyhammer, starring Steven Van Zandt. “That can be mis-perceived as Netflix giving up on movies, which its not,” said Sarandos, “Its just consumers saying what they want.”

via TV Shows Make Up at Least Half of Netflix Streaming Now – Techland – TIME.com.

LOL, fads, planking:  Saw this on Facebook … When Parents Text

DAD: So answer me this… If a person planks in the woods does it matter?

hot chocolate, Ghirardelli Chocolate eat off, Hot Chocolate 15/5K , philanthropy:  Philanthropy made fun …

Sunday at the Bucktown 5K, the super team was out in full effect, with their first fund raising task, a Ghirardelli Chocolate eat off.  For $5, people were given 50 pieces of Ghirardelli Chocolate, if they were able to get all 50 pieces of the chocolate goodness into their mouth, they were entered into a raffle for a free Hot Chocolate 15/5K entry and received a free Hot Chocolate race hat!  The line was huge with people stepping up to take the challenge, eat some great chocolate and help out The Ronald McDonald House.

I have been to a lot of races and have seen a lot of things, but this one little booth had one thing that you don’t see a lot of at events, laughing, smiling, cheering and plain old fun.  It was cool to watch.  Check out the image gallery below to see some of the fun.

via Hot Chocolate Hits The Road! | Pace of Chicago.

Starbucks, Great Recession, jobs, private sector, microfinancing:   You go for it, Starbucks!

Starbucks is not hiring baristas or opening any new stores. (After all, they just finished closing 700 branches.) In a matter of speaking, the 40-year-old corporation is adding another tip jar to its counter, one that collects donations for a new jobs fund they’ve set up with Opportunity Finance Network, a national network of community development financial institutions that offer loans to low income business owners. The program, Create Jobs for U.S.A., is not dissimilar to Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong campaign. Donate $5 to the fund and you get a red, white and blue wristband that reads “Indivisible”.

Yes, Starbucks is criticizing the government. “Businesses and business leaders need to do more; we can’t wait for Washington,” the company’s CEO Howard Schultz told Reuters in explaining the coffee company’s inspiration for the program. “I have no interest in politics or political office. I’m just doing this as a private citizen trying to make a difference.”

The microlending technique is the same one they’ve been using for years to support the coffee farmers in third world countries from whom they buy its beans. Starbucks has been operating microlending and microfinance services in countries like Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Ethiopia since at least 2004. These types of programs have been shown to both benefit poor entrepreneurs and provide returns for the banks that offer the loans. (Create Jobs for U.S.A. does not bill itself as a not-for-profit project.) However, Starbucks has also drawn criticism in the past for putting its own interests ahead of those of the business they support.

via Starbucks Plans to Save the U.S. Economy – Business – The Atlantic Wire.

« Previous Entries

What I think about most …

Recent Posts:

Search Dennard’s Clipping Service


Dennard's Clipping Service
Blog at WordPress.com.