600-pound coffee bike

There is something of the Little Engine That Could in this video. On the other hand, it rather looks more like it couldn't. But they tried!!

Oh man, I wish I had been able to include a picture of this in my book.

Barnes & Noble screwing publishers

I received the following notice from my distributor:

As of November 1, 2010, AtlasBooks will be distributing directly into Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble has recently announced that its business partners must provide free freight.

This is very bad news to all publishers, especially independent publishers like myself. It means publishers will have to pay to ship books to Barnes & Noble. And they have to comply if they want to sell books in their stores. And obviously publishers want to sell books at Barnes & Noble. It is an expectation and demand for free shipping that local, independent bookstores could never dream of. I can only imagine that Amazon will be next to demand free shipping.

Do you think if you purchase a book at barnes&noble.com that they will give you free shipping? I don't think so. Why should they get that book from their suppliers without paying shipping?

Swell. One more way to reduce the market for printed books and run publishers out of business.

Bookstores already have a huge advantage in the publishing business due to their traditional and unique privilege of returning merchandise for a full refund, even months after the sale. Other retailers do not have this ability--just bookstores. This accounts for a huge loss for publishers because when books are returned to the distributor, there is a processing fee. So basically, in the first place you get only a minimum amount for the book to be sold to a bookstore, then if they return it, are charged by the distributor for the wholesale price they credited to you at the time of the sale, as well as a returns processing fee. This represents a major, unknown, and unmanageable cash flow problem.

Where to be during Coffee Week

I was going to suggest going to Coffee Creek* during Coffee Week. But then I read what Coffee Week was and discovered it is, first of all, only occurring in the UK, and second of all, it's quite an important event and I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to be anywhere but at their favorite UK cafe that week. Read all about it in this event announcement found on Baristaexchange.com...

Allegra Foundation is very proud to announce the launch of the first ever UK Coffee Week™ between 27 September – 3 October 2010. [Oops, they're postponing it until next spring!]

UK Coffee Week™ will be an annual programme to promote the success and vibrancy of the UK coffee and foodservice sector.

It provides a valuable opportunity for the coffee industry and consumers to give back to an extremely worthy cause. Money raised during UK Coffee Week™ will help raise awareness and benefit Project Waterfall – an initiative to provide clean drinking water and education to underprivileged communities in African coffee producing countries.

100% of all customer donations will go directly to fund Project Waterfall.

UK Coffee Week™ will incorporate various in-store and regional activities around the UK. We hope to raise up to £1 million with your help.

*But if you want to go to Coffee Creek in the meantime, I'm providing a map:


View Larger Map

Where to be during Coffee Week

I was going to suggest going to Coffee Creek* during Coffee Week. But then I read what Coffee Week was and discovered it is, first of all, only occurring in the UK, and second of all, it's quite an important event and I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to be anywhere but at their favorite UK cafe that week. Read all about it in this event announcement found on Baristaexchange.com...

Allegra Foundation is very proud to announce the launch of the first ever UK Coffee Week™ between 27 September – 3 October 2010. [Oops, they're postponing it until next spring!]

UK Coffee Week™ will be an annual programme to promote the success and vibrancy of the UK coffee and foodservice sector.

It provides a valuable opportunity for the coffee industry and consumers to give back to an extremely worthy cause. Money raised during UK Coffee Week™ will help raise awareness and benefit Project Waterfall – an initiative to provide clean drinking water and education to underprivileged communities in African coffee producing countries.

100% of all customer donations will go directly to fund Project Waterfall.

UK Coffee Week™ will incorporate various in-store and regional activities around the UK. We hope to raise up to £1 million with your help.

*But if you want to go to Coffee Creek, I'm providing a map:


View Larger Map

Where to be during Coffee Week

I was going to suggest going to Coffee Creek* during Coffee Week. But then I read what Coffee Week was and discovered it is, first of all, only occurring in the UK, and second of all, it's quite an important event and I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to be anywhere but at their favorite UK cafe that week. Read all about it in this event announcement found on Baristaexchange.com...

Allegra Foundation is very proud to announce the launch of the first ever UK Coffee Week™ between 27 September – 3 October 2010. [Oops, they're postponing it until next spring!]

UK Coffee Week™ will be an annual programme to promote the success and vibrancy of the UK coffee and foodservice sector.

It provides a valuable opportunity for the coffee industry and consumers to give back to an extremely worthy cause. Money raised during UK Coffee Week™ will help raise awareness and benefit Project Waterfall – an initiative to provide clean drinking water and education to underprivileged communities in African coffee producing countries.

100% of all customer donations will go directly to fund Project Waterfall.

UK Coffee Week™ will incorporate various in-store and regional activities around the UK. We hope to raise up to £1 million with your help.

*But if you want to Coffee Creek, I'm providing a map:


View Larger Map

The case of the voyeuristic coffee cup

I am trying to imagine how this coffee cup helped a man be voyeuristic. What exactly was he doing with the coffee cup? She said he was getting too close. With his coffee cup that obviously has a camera lens poking out of it? This was supposed to have happened in a grocery for pity's sake, so I just don't get it. That pervert! That clever, clever pervert.

Who reads this blog?

Not only you, but lots of other people read this blog. From South Korea to the Ukraine to Luxembourg, people are thirsty for news in the coffee stand world. Maybe they are people who want to start their own stand. Wish I knew what you all want, because maybe I can furnish more of it!

Perky coffee economy

Budget Planner Mint.com