strong-selling cinnamon dolce latte

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm always blathering on about politics, but my true love in life is the WSJ, Forbes, and Fortune. Which is why I couldn't help but love the line from this earnings report on Starbucks today:

"Starbucks Corp. reported that fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 27% as it rolled out new products, including a strong-selling cinnamon dolce latte, and drew new customers into its stores."

Ha! I love a headline with billions of dollars at stake that calls out something called a "cinnamon dolce latte" as a key to revenue growth. Only in America!

As a person who's biggest vice may actually be coffee (at least it is in the running), I love stories about Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. I find it totally fascinating that McDonald's, a company synonmous with hamburgers can actually affect Starbucks earnings by pushing into the coffee space.

I swear, if Starbucks could EVER get food of any sort right (breakfast, lunch, desert, it's all awfully mundane) they would be an even bigger superstar! Oh well, I'll settle for my Grande vanilla Latte.

Higher Ground

Sometimes the bad guy "gets away." While on occasion I have been uncomfortable with it, I have always been a death penalty supporter. There are some people who commit such horrible acts that the truely humane thing to do is to put them down, like a mad dog. I know if some of the things people do to people were done to any of the people I love I would be insane with feelings of wanting justice through full retribution. I don't see why it should not apply to some of these animals just because I don't personally know or love the victims. Someone always does.

So go ahead and throw my name on the pile of the disappointed people to see that Zacarias Moussaoui escaped the death penalty and instead got life in prision. If this isn't a perfect example of the reason for this form of justice, what is?

However, since i have no personal control or influence in the matter (okay, maybe a letter to a congressman, but he got a fair trial), there is not much else to stew on. I guess the biggest problem with this verdict is no so much the loss of a chance for justice, but instead the overwhelming message of vulnerability we send to the world. What terrorist in his "right" mind isn't reading the news today and thinking, "America is weak. They found him guilty, and they let him live!"

Our consolation in this matter I guess can only be that the United states truely does occupy the moral high ground in this matter. Yes, I'm saying it, we are better. Only in America would such a brutal murderer be given a fair trial, and actually let this person off with their lives? (Unless of course you're just an appeaser like Germany and send the terrorists back home). Only in America is it possible for an organized government to say, we'll do our best to pushish you, but fairly, and should you proove your case, we will leave your eventual fate in the hands of God.