Why My Friends Will Not Be Voting in this Election

My friend Jeremy posted a great blog entry yesterday about what infuriates me when it comes to illegal aliens voting here in America. Jeremy and his Canadian bandmates have lived exclusively in the United States since 2000, working very hard to support themselves and their families while abiding by the restrictive rules of their work visas. Until Jeremy married an American in 2005, he was only allowed to earn money from playing music in a band - NO other side jobs like Starbucks were permitted. When they first moved to Nashville, the band squeezed 7 Canadian adults (4 band members, 2 wives, and their manager) into one house for more than a year to make ends meet. Each band member was making about $300/month for income. Not exactly what you think of when it comes to living the lifestyle of a "rockstar," eh? So here's a group of honest, college-educated, very hard-working individuals who have followed the rules, while living here for two entire presidential terms, having plenty of opinions of their own. Yet they cannot and will not vote in this election, while millions of others - so many of them uninformed - will vote illegally. What is wrong with this picture?!!? Read Jeremy's blog post here.

Posted by email from goldentwig's posterous

Starbucks to close 600 stores

Starbucks announced yesterday that they will be closing 600 stores and will scale back the opening of new stores in 2009. I guess "a Starbucks on every corner" didn't turn out to be quite as profitable for them as they had imagined. Perhaps it was the $4+ cup of coffee which never really seems worth it to me. I am far from a coffee connoisseur however, as I proclaim myself to only be a "social [coffee] drinker," so what do I know? Could it be that clown Ronald and his ubiquitous chain of Mickey D's restaurants and their new low-cost specialty coffees that gave Starbucks a run for its money? Even more likely, it's the sky-high gas prices that drove people to reconsider their financial priorities and cut back on their luxurious lattes.

Personally, I'd like to engage in wishful thinking and believe that it was The Mocha Club which changed Americans' coffee buying habits. Check it out!