Via Sullivan, here is a nice defense of Starbucks. I like Starbucks for the same reason I like Barnes & Noble and Borders. They take decent quality experiences to places that lacked them. Sure here in Portland I can go to Stumptown for coffee or Powells for books, but where I grew up decent bookshops and coffee used to hard to find. Not anymore.
George Pelecanos has a new book called the Turnaround. For a long time I thought we was on the showing-great-promise list, but the Night Gardener put him into great territory. Here's hoping he continues the streak.
Tom Friedman has a new book coming out on environmentalism. A lot of people hate on Friedman for his GWOT and globalization cheer-leading, but those people out to give his From Beirut to Jerusalem a try, that is one hell of a book. I suspect the haters are also fretting about global warming and they should be glad that an agenda setter like Friedman will be banging the green drum.
You may have seen that Pat Buchanan has a new book out on why the Good War wasn't a good idea. The American Conservative (which was co-founded by Buchanan) has a series of responses to the book, including a typically good one from Andrew Bacevich, titled "How Good was the Good War". The whole piece is excellent, but I thought this line particularly insightful
"Ripped out of context, the war, especially the struggle against Nazi Germany, has become a parable. Whatever their value as a source of moral instruction, parables offer less help when it comes to understanding international politics. Parables simplify—and to simplify the past is necessarily to distort it."
That is a very good critique of the use of history by most politicians and talking heads.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Mixed
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6 comments:
Tripp - I'm with you on Starbucks. Another key benefit is that they pioneered the development of coffee into a luxury item for the populace. Thousands of coffee shops have thrived because of Starbucks's marketing efforts by selling a product that used to be either a morning beverage or something that old ladies (including my grandmother (Lena - no better name for a grandmother than Lena) drank with their tuna sandwiches at lunch.
Interesting post today, lots to think about. Have you read "Starbucked," by Taylor Clark, by the way? Hands down one of the most fascinating business books I've ever read.
Okay--as one of the Friedman haters I feel compelled to unload some vitriol. He may have been alright during the From Beirut to Jerusalem years, but once he re-issued "The World Is Flat," in hardcover for three bucks more (rather than releasing it in paperback) he became a total sell-out book whore. This "green" book is no different. He is the poster child for finding a market and exploiting it, to the detriment of all good and well-done books on the subject. Please stop giving this man money--he's a glorified hack and he doesn't deserve it.
Hm. I feel better. Thanks!
HLK,
The local alt weekly once did a back of the envelope analysis by looking at indie coffee shops before and after the green tide swept Portland. The finding was that there are more indie shops now than before.
CR,
Have to look at Starbucked, I generally avoid the biz books, but that one looks good.
Your sell out comment made me think of the Smiths fantastic, yet under-rated "Paint A Vulgar Picture" with the following lyric:
"Best of ! Most of !
Satiate the need
Slip them into different sleeves !
Buy both, and feel deceived"
Here's the tune:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zqijmjeaVcQ
T
Reissue!
Repackage!
Repackage!
Another excellent bit there. One can always count on the Moz for well-stated bile.
Oh, and to honor CR's sippin' on the haterade, here is Stig Sneddon's indispensable lounge version of Some Kinda Hate.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_wes_Y2cj60
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