Starbucks Ain’t So Bad

Tom Smith has a message for those taking glee at the recent setbacks at Starbucks: [R]emember what coffee was like before Starbucks.  Some of you (though I doubt it, with the readership of this blog) may have cut your teeth on micro-roasted craft coffee shipped straight from Kona or that African critter's butt to your grinding burr in Seattle.  But most ...

Gas Stations Charging More for Credit Card Users?

Some gas stations are secretly charging credit card users more, ABC News reports. (Video here.) Many Americans have taken up a new hobby -- hunting for the gas station with the lowest prices. But the hunt has gotten exponentially harder as the price of oil has skyrocketed and the posted price may not even be advertised, especially if the ...

George Carlin Dies at 71

George Carlin, a comedian known for his combination of raunchy language and intellectual humor, died of heart failure last evening. He was 71. Carlin was an interesting guy, combining brilliant observational humor with political activism. Like too many comics in the HBO era, though, it often seemed that he was vulgar and outrageous simply because he could rather than ...

Obama’s Jewish Problem

While much has been made of Barack Obama's problems with white working class voters, especially in Appalachia, a more problematic trend may be signs of trouble with Jewish voters, a strong if relatively small part of the Democratic base. Today's NYT features Jodi Kantor's story, "Many Florida Jews Express Doubts on Obama." On Thursday, Mr. Obama will court Jewish voters with an ...

Kentucky and Oregon Primary Predictions

Today's Democratic primaries in Kentucky and Oregon provide something akin to a rematch of the recent Indiana-North Carolina pairing. Hillary Clinton should easily win Kentucky, where Barack Obama hasn't even bothered to campaign, and Obama should take Oregon. The Polls The latest RealClearPolitics average has Clinton up a whopping 29 points in Kentucky and Obama up a comfortable 12 ...

Country Music Starter Set

Tyler Cowen and Alex Massie, an economist and a Scotsman, might seem to be odd sources for advice on American country music but they've both written interesting posts on the topic. Neither grew up with the tradition but they found religion and are now offering recommendations for those looking to wade in. Cowen suggests, Hank Sr., The Byrds, Sweetheart of ...

Hillary Doesn’t Pump Her Own Gas!

The latest kerfuffle in the 2008 campaign is the shocking revelation that Hillary Clinton hasn't pumped her own gas in years. And here I thought that, when the Secret Service pulled up to the pump, she got out and filled 'er up. And probably washed the windows and checked the oil. And the tire pressure. I mean, sure, that ...

Labor Crisis Ahead For NFL

Hard though it may be to believe, a lot of NFL owners are actually strapped for cash -- and are looking at their current deal with the players as the cause: Sometimes financial well-being simply doesn't compute. In a resort hotel where coffee costs over $6, many an NFL owner was kind of crying last week about money. Basically, they don't ...

What Makes Someone an Elitist?

The rule of thumb for American politics in the media appears to be classifying politicians as being on the "beer-track" or "wine-track", or, in the alternative Hillary Clinton formation, "Starbucks vs. Dunkin' Donuts". In other words, if you prefer wine over beer or Starbucks over Dunkin' Donuts, then you are an "elitist", and if not, you're just a "regular ...

$11,000 Coffee Maker

Paul Adams asks, "Could a Coffee Maker Be Worth $11,000?" The short answer is No, at least at the household level, barring the return of Carteresque inflation. But the machine in question, the Clover 1s, isn't aimed at consumers but rather coffee shops. And it sounds pretty spiffy: It brews coffee like a French press, but it's more ...