The Resistance, a Christian group based in San Diego, has called for a national boycott of Starbucks because of the coffee company’s new/old logo. “[The logo] has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute,” the group’s founder Mark Dice said in a press release. “Need I say more? It’s extremely poor taste, and the company might as well call themselves Slutbucks.” The mermaid/siren that’s being used to promote Starbuck’s Pike Place Blend coffee (which I happen to like a lot) is actually a bit more modest than her predecessor from the 1970s, which was based on a 16th century Norse woodcut (you can view the logos, compare them, and judge for yourself here).

There are times when Christians should be outraged and should make their outrage known, but, to me, this ain’t one of those times. Have you noticed that there have been a lot of odd things happening in and around San Diego since Lynn Vincent came down with mono? I don’t mean to be a conspiracy theorist, but …

Got your attention, huh? Well, all 7,100 U.S. locations will shut down today between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. for barista re-education. CEO Howard Schultz hopes the three-hour training session will generate enthusiasm among the chain’s 135,000 U.S. employees and help them make better tall, double-shot, half-caf, soy, no-foam, no-whip lattes. Meanwhile, Dunkin’ Donuts plans to be there for the coffee-deprived this evening, offering small lattes, cappuccinos, and other espresso drinks for 99 cents from 1 to 10 p.m.

I am forced, in a metaphorical sense, to go to Starbucks every morning for two hours before work. This is when I write stories and things. I have to go to Starbucks because they open earliest of all the coffee shops besides the Waffle House, and Waffle House coffee cups usually come with dried grits in the bottom, so I go to Starbucks. I pay $2.09 for a large coffee, which remains a ridiculous price for a cup of drip coffee. I order it at 6am, drink it by 8am, and go home to change clothes for my day job. This comes to roughly $60/month for coffee, which is a lot in my tiny writer’s budget. But all things considered, I need a place to write (I live in a tiny house with two and a half other people) and something to drink while I’m writing. And so, I was delighted to hear that Starbucks is floating a new idea:

Facing a slumping economy that threatens to cut into its customers’ coffee budgets and increased competition from McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks is test marketing a bottomless eight-ounce cup of joe priced at just $1.

I might feel a little sheepish about standing in line three times (for refills), but the $1 price may just be worth it.

Who knew that women wait longer for their coffee than men do?  This article seems to know why, but I’m not convinced.  DISCLOSURE: I think any coffee order that’s longer than three (really two) words is a very, very bad thing.  Anyone who orders something with more than three or four words deserves to sit in a waiting room until they’ve paid penance for being out of control.