No Starbucks closures in Fort Wayne

No Starbucks shops are closing in Fort Wayne. Here's the list.

Some people are gloating over the closures around the country. Personally, I have nothing against Starbucks. But there were a couple things I wondered about that company:

Q.How they could make money by opening new stores in close proximity to existing Starbuck stores?
A.They weren't making money.

Q.How do they get away with charging $3 for coffee?
A.Because people will pay it. When I buy coffee at a coffee shop, I'm paying for service, atmosphere, and a place to sit down. Having said that, I still don't know why people buy Starbucks coffee at the drive-thru.

Q. Why do people bitch about paying $4 for a gallon of gas but not $3 for a cup of coffee?
A. Gas is a commodity. You can get regular, premium, and super. You pick your octane level and that is what you buy week to week. A price increase can dent your budget. Coffee is a luxury item. People expect to be overcharged.

Email that I received

I am reposting this email that I received. I did remove the sender's name and phone number to protect the privacy of his family. I also had to take out a couple carrots that interfered with my html. Other than that it is unedited. My purpose in this repost is to inform and entertain.

Iam Writing about child support issue , I believe that the constitution states very clearly that you can not just step into a man family , that is the state goverment ,and tell him how to run his house hold ,
This country was found because of the lack of FREEEDOM in England ,and also that a ,man could own his house ,and land , and not be oppressed by the lower courts by taking his home ,and then take his children ,and then turn around and take his job ,and income ,and then oppress him more by illegaly shoving support down his throat.
I believe the parent that files for divorce is mentally unstable , to create such a atmosphere in a family of young children is not stable for this country , and I believe this is all being done ,and calcuated to destroy the family ,which is the foundation of this country ,.
I have a prosecutor that thinks he can prosecute alone on hearsay ,and false allegations ,and this has to stop , the constitution is what protects us from this communist mentallity , which we are under in the US< by these lower court judges ,and prosecutors ,it is TREASON ,that is happening right now by these lower court judges ,and prosecutors
What I have to ask is when did the state think they had a right to interfere with the up bringing of my children or any house hold , ,and then think they could just take my home also , this is not America , the Republic which was to protect the minority from the majority , not attack the family like this goverment is ,
They have committed acts of war against me , now by taking my home ,my income ,my CHILDREN , and now has filed false charges on hearsay ,alone, this is a mockery of the constitution by these lower courts , and Iam standing by the constitution , my rights as a citizen of Indiana,
Again we have treason by the lower courts in America , and acts of war also against the families of america by these prosecutors , they dont beleive in following even Indiana codes ,they think their above the law ,
when the checks ,and balances are dismised then we have a goverment out of control ,and we are their, Iam telling this state lower courts need to be cleansed , and until then all cases must be reexamined ,and no prosecution of any family by these lower courts prosecutors ,and judges ,
I have criminal acts by these lower courts now ,and should be examined immediately , Steve Carter is well aware of all this illegal action by Matthew rentschler of whitley county Indiana ,and Judge Rush ,and Huer ,
they think their above the law , and when this happens we are no longer a free nation ,and which will lead to revolutionary war because of this treason by the lower courts ,
Look it up indiana code 34-26-5-9, 34-26-5-10 it requires a hearing befor e,and after by 30 days none was given me ,and I would have beat it like I did one already it is a weapon for a spouse to use against the other spouse ,and that is not legal ,and not fair to the chldren , RIGHT PROTECT AND SERVE , and the prosecutor refused ,and the judge refused a hearing on , so we have no checks ,and balances any mor e, when they do this illegal act ,
My daughters have even given the judge huer a copy of a paper they made up stateing they wanted to be with me ,and the state thinks they can , over ride a mans family , like this ,this is a act of war ,and treason against the American people ,and the foundation of the family ,
Now they have a bench warrant out because I refused to show up to a iillegal sentenceing , because of the mentallity of this prosector it is dangerous to this country ,and to my family , all a lack of due process , all the way thru ,
NAME REMOVED, PHONE NUMBER REMOVED, I will stand on my rights to have a family ,and not be interferr with thier up bringing ,and will die for my rights to have my family , !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!, this goverment is always complaining about how the fathers dont stay with their families ,and here we have the prosecutor ,and judges trying to keep him from his rights ,!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!
GET OUT OF THE FAMILIES GO MAKE YOUR MONEY ELSE WHERE NOT OF THE BACKS OF INNOCENT FATHERS ,AND THEIR CHILDREN ,
thanks NAME REMOVED the sons of anarchy

New spammer trick

When someone asks me through an instant message if I want to see their web cam, I put them on "ignore" and report them as spam. But now the bots try posing as long lost friends. Tonight, I found an offline message that read "Are you there?" I accidently deleted that, but here is the conversation that follows.

Robert Enders (6/18/2008 11:20:50 PM): Are you a bot>
kirk_dawson (6/18/2008 11:20:56 PM): Hey ipfwpolyscimajor
Robert Enders (6/18/2008 11:21:07 PM): Answer my question
kirk_dawson (6/18/2008 11:21:14 PM): do u remember me?
Robert Enders (6/18/2008 11:21:15 PM): Are you a bot?
kirk_dawson (6/18/2008 11:21:22 PM): it's me Lisa!
Robert Enders (6/18/2008 11:21:33 PM): You have just failed the Turing test.
kirk_dawson (6/18/2008 11:21:38 PM): i finally got my LIVE private CAM set up i'm so nervous

Even though I was suspicious that this was a bot, (None of my friends call me "ipfwpolyscimajor") I took the time to talk to it in order to ensure that I wasn't putting an actual friend on my ignore list. The simplest way to tell if someone is a spambot, is to simply ask. A human would simply deny it, and may even get offended. A spambot would proceed to tell you about its private webcam.

I am now an Official Star Trek Movie Webmaster

It doesn't pay anything, but I can use graphics like this without getting sued.

Comment continuation

I was having a rather lively debate about unemployment insurance on someone else's blog. Unfortunately, that blog's moderator understandably doesn't like the style and tone of those comments. So I've decided to continue the thread here.

Here is a summary of what I've said so far:
The negatives of unemployment insurance.
1. If you don’t lose your job, everything that you spent on UE premiums is wasted.
2. People will often delay getting another job while they collect benefits.
3. Higher benefits mean higher premiums. Premiums add to the cost of employing a person, which causes companies to hire fewer people and pay those people less.

Does the Prime Directive apply here

There are still tribes of Native Americans who do not have contact with the modern world. Should they be told about medicine, sanitation, and agriculture? What about electricity, cars, and Justin Timberlake? Or should everyone avoid contact with them so that their culture can be preserved?

I think that it should be up to the tribe members themselves on whether or not they want anything to do with the outside world. Of course, for them to make that choice they would have to be contacted. It is unfair to them to be denied the very knowledge of all the comforts and conviences that we enjoy. Even after these people learn about modern ways of life, they might decide (and should be allowed to decide) to continue on as they are, just as Amish freely choose to do without cars and I freely choose to do without an iPod.

Suppose the federal government decided to preserve Fort Wayne's way of life and sealed us off in a dome. While the rest of the world gets holodecks, hovercars, and the cure for cancer, everything here stays the same.

Ultimately, a culture cannot be "preserved". Cultures are dynamic, not static. Cultures are enriched by interactions with other cultures. Why insist that one particular culture shouldn't be similiarly enriched?

Classic?

I'm typing this as I donate blood platelets. The guy next to me is watching a Chuck Norris movie on American Movie Classics. Since when is a Chuck flick considered "classic"?