Soup Having Sex With Soup

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Jun 10, 2012 "If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes," Picasso said, naming the distinct advantage that artists have always had over pundits and polemicists when it came to perceiving the world as it is; pundits and polemicists being much more likely to insist that the world is whatever a person wants it to be."If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes," Picasso said, naming the distinct advantage that artists have always had over pundits and polemicists. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Nude in Black and White

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Oct 15, 2011 I thought about Susan Dey and blisters and being a hippie last Thursday when I found myself driving around outside the Air and Space Museum looking for a place to park. I was in D.C. for the purpose of lending my body and rancor to the Occupy Wall Street protesters gathering in Freedom Plaza for their first day of rabble-rousing.There was no nuance as far as the eye could see. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Amazon’s Sweatshop

Staff / Truthdig Sep 23, 2011 Amazon's warehouse has brutal working conditions; women are beginning to take over the workforce; meanwhile, a website and app have been developed to tell you how many slaves are working for you. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Starbucks in Gun Activist Crossfire

Staff / Truthdig Mar 4, 2010 Those aspiring screenwriters and novelists clogging up Starbucks may soon have more dramatic material from which to draw inspiration, as the coffee chain has become a reluctant battlefield in the culture wars. Gun enthusiasts and/or nuts have taken to arming themselves before overpaying for coffee. (continued) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Privatizing History in Downtown L.A.

Staff / Truthdig Feb 12, 2010 Olvera Street, the oldest part of downtown Los Angeles, is a pocket of near-authentic Mexican culture where one can buy chorizos, clothing and handicrafts. But the city's budget crisis is leading to a push to privatize the monument, giving way to an influx of Starbucks and Pollo Loco on the historical street. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Starbucks Economy

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Jul 24, 2008 In its own way, Starbucks has a lot in common with SUVs, hot tubs and television screens wide enough to fill a wall. That is, it represents the bit-by-bit extravagances that helped get us into the tight economic jam we find ourselves in today. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

600 Down …

Mike Luckovich / Truthdig Jul 4, 2008 Dig deeper

Starbucks Going From Venti to Grande

Staff / Truthdig Jul 2, 2008 Fine, so the headline was a bit much, but this was one time we didn't mind saying venti instead of large: Turns out that even the top bananas at Starbucks finally realized that they've overextended themselves, and due to the sagging economy, they're closing 600 U.S. retail locations. Great -- so that means there'll be only eight Starbucks stores on every block instead of nine. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Christian Group Slams New Starbucks Logo

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2008 File this one under "Choose Your Battles": The Resistance, a national Christian group based in San Diego, has a problem with Starbucks' new, slightly-more-sexed-up cup design, featuring a bustier version of the familiar siren depicted on the coffee company's logo Resistance founder Mark Dice pointed to the label's "naked woman with her legs spread like a prostitute" and said Starbucks "might as well call themselves" -- wait for it -- "Slutbucks" . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Forbidden Starbucks

Staff / Truthdig Sep 25, 2007 The Starbucks empire is often lampooned for its many, many stores, but the coffee giant has lost one of its most prominent locations. Responding to the demands of more than half a million citizens, the Chinese government closed down the Starbucks in the Forbidden City, the ancient imperial palace complex in the heart of Beijing. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Starbucks Feels the Strain of World Domination

Staff / Truthdig Feb 27, 2007 In a memo distributed to top executives, Starbucks' chairman warned that rapid expansion had unfortunately contributed to the "dilution" and "commoditization of the Starbucks experience." Howard Schultz charmingly went on to lament specific examples of the company's "cookie cutter" problem, but then concluded the letter in a manner one would expect from a Starbucks executive: "This must be eradicated." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Starbucks Loses to McDonald’s in Coffee Smackdown

Staff / Truthdig Feb 4, 2007 A recent taste test conducted by Consumer Reports found McDonald's coffee to be flawless, while Starbucks' offering was "burnt and bitter enough to make your eyes water instead of open." The coffee giant responded with a nondenial denial: "Choosing a brand of coffee is a personal decision, as taste is subjective." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )