Together We Can
This one gave me shivers – the good kind. Together we can – take the pledge:
Starbucks Press Release
Thanks to a good friend who forwarded this . . . haven’t seen any slowdown in the Starbucks I visit. 🙂
January 16, 2009
Facts about Starbucks in the Middle East Arabic Language Statement
It is disheartening that calls for boycotts of Starbucks stores and products, which are based on blatant untruths, have had direct impacts on local economies and residents, and have also led to violent situations involving our stores, partners (employees) and customers.
Our more than 160,000 partners and business associates around the globe have diverse views about a wide range of topics. Regardless of that spectrum of belief, Starbucks Coffee Company remains a non-political organization. We do not support any political or religious cause. Further, allegations that Starbucks provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army in any way are unequivocally false. Unfortunately, these rumors persist despite our best efforts to refute them.
What we do believe in, and remain focused on, is staying true to our company’s long-standing heritage — simply connecting with our partners and customers over a cup of high quality coffee and offering the best experience possible to them – regardless of geographical location. Though our roots are in the United States, we are a global company with stores in 49 countries, including more than 230 stores in nine Middle Eastern countries. In countries where we do business, we are proud to be a part of the fabric of the local community — working directly with local partners who operate our stores, employing thousands of local citizens, serving millions of customers and positively impacting many others through our support of neighborhoods and cities.
Myths
Is it true that Starbucks provides financial support to Israel?
No. This is absolutely untrue. Rumors that Starbucks Coffee Company provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army are unequivocally false. Starbucks is a publicly held company and as such, is required to disclose any corporate giving each year through a proxy statement. In addition, articles in the London Telegraph (U.K.), New Straits Times (Malaysia), and Spiked (online) provide an outside perspective on these false rumors.
Has Starbucks ever sent any of its profits to the Israeli government and/or Israeli army?
No. This is absolutely untrue.
Is it true that Starbucks is teaming with other American corporations to send their last several weeks of profits to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army?
No. This is absolutely untrue.
Is it true that Starbucks closed its stores in Israel for political reasons?
No. We do not make business decisions based on political issues. We decided to dissolve our partnership in Israel in 2003 due to the on-going operational challenges that we experienced in that market. After many months of discussion with our partner we came to this amicable decision. While this was a difficult decision for both companies, we believe it remains the right decision for our businesses.
Middle East Partnership and Operations
Do you work with a Middle East partner to operate Starbucks stores?
Through a licensing agreement with trading partner and licensee MH Alshaya WLL, a private Kuwait family business, Starbucks has operated in the Middle East since 1999. Today Alshaya Group, recognized as one of the leading and most influential retailing franchisees in the region, operates more than 274 Starbucks stores in the Middle East and Levant region. In addition to its Starbucks stores, the Alshaya Group operates more than 1,700 other retail stores in the region, providing jobs for more than 15,000 employees of more than 35 nationalities.
We are extremely fortunate and proud to have forged a successful partnership for the past ten years and look forward to building on this success.
In which Middle Eastern countries do you operate?
We partner with Alshaya Group to operate Starbucks stores in Egypt, Kuwait, KSA, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Jordan and Lebanon in the Middle East region. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many communities, and we are committed to providing the Starbucks Experience while respecting the local customs and cultures of each country we are a part of. We are also committed to hiring locally, providing jobs to thousands of local citizens in the countries where we operate.
Are you still operating Starbucks stores in Israel? If not, do you have plans to re-open should the opportunity arise?
We decided to dissolve our partnership in Israel in 2003 due to the on-going operational challenges that we experienced in that market.
When and where the business case makes sense and we see a fit for the Starbucks brand in a market we will work closely with a local partner to assess the feasibility of offering our brand to that community. We will therefore continue to assess all opportunities on this basis. At present, we will continue to grow our business in the Middle East as we have been very gratified by the strong reception of the brand in the region. We continue to work closely with our business partner, the Alshaya Group, in developing our plans for the region.
Contact Information:
Starbucks Coffee Company
Customer Relations
(800) 235-2883
info@starbucks.com
Sweet Home Alabama – As You’ve NEVER Seen it
Courtesy of my friend, Momcat, who shares my quirky sense of humor:
ROCKING RUSSKIES
Written by To The Point News
Thursday, 06 March 2008
Prepare yourself for this one – maybe with a Stoli martini or two.
Back in the days of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Red Army had an official choir composed of male soldiers and musicians. It still exists. The Red Army Choir performs throughout Russia to this day.
Now consider the Finnish rock band called The Leningrad Cowboys. A little while ago, they held a concert in Russia, in which – to the screaming applause of Russkie teen-agers – they got the Red Army Choir to join them on stage for a performance of “Sweet Home Alabama.” In English. You couldn’t make this up.
We’re talking seriously off the wall here. Better have that Stoli ready when you watch it:
(Prepare to die, laughing!) DA! Da! Da!
The Wexford Carole (with slideshow)
An old Irish favorite:
Good Morning, Kuwait!
Good morning, Kuwait, and another gorgeous morning it is!
For a moment, I wondered why I was doing this – all my college students missing Kuwait are back home for the holidays. But – with all that partying, going to diwaniyya, etc. I am guessing most of you missed the sunrise.
It’s considerably warmer. The day is going to be perfect, warm, comfortable – not hot. Not cold, either. Have a great day, Kuwait!
Bulgur/Burgul and Garbonzo Beans/Hummos – Great Cold Weather Fare
While we were staying with our son and his wife, we had a lot of fun cooking. EnviroGirl shared a great grain recipe, with like seven different grains. It reminded me that I had wanted to find a recipe for the wonderful dish we ate at Naranj, in Damascus so I Googled, and found a recipe that sounded a lot like it – and besides that, it looks really simple.
There are a lot of ingredients I cannot find in Kuwait, but burgul is something easily found. I gave it a try, and AdventureMan and I agreed, it is a total keeper. Looks pretty good, hmmm?
When we sat down to dinner, AdventureMan asked what it was called.
“Burgul and garbanzo beans,” I replied.
“What was it called in Damascus?” he asked.
“Burgul Wa Hummos” I replied, and we both laughed, because it is exactly the same name, except maybe it was called “Hummos wa Burgul,” I might have switched it. Same thing, same thing.
Of course, I changed the original recipe a little. The one we had in Damascus was sinfully butter-y.
Here is the original recipe:
Bulgur and Garbanzo Bean Pilaf
1 1/2 cup Chopped onion
2 tbl Butter or olive oil
1cup Bulgur or cracked wheat
1cup Canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Diced dried apricots or golden raisins
1 stk cinnamon
2 cup chicken broth
2 tbl Sliced natural almonds, toasted in dry skillet
Method :
• Combine onion and butter in deep wide skillet. Cook, stirring, over mediun-low heat until onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in bulgur, garbanzo beans, apricots and cinnamon stick.
• Add broth and bring to boil. Stir once. Cover and cook over low heat until broth is absorbed. about 20 minutes. Let stand. covered, 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast almonds in small dry skillet, stirring, over low heat, about 3 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick from pilaf. Sprinkle almonds over pilaf and serve.
• Makes 4 servings.
I doubled the butter. I added five cloves of finely chopped garlic, which I sauteed until soft. Instead of apricots or raisins, I used those dried pomegranate seeds you find in the Mubarakiyya market – can someone tell me what they are called? So tart, so beautiful, so delicious! It just made this dish.
(Wiki says: Wild pomegranate seeds are sometimes used as a spice known as anardana (which literally means pomegranate (anar) seeds (dana) in Persian)
We used about double the toasted almonds.
This was my very first time ever for toasting almonds. It took me a little longer than three minutes; maybe my low heat is too low, but it was fun, and the toasted almonds make a big difference in the final taste. I had so much fun toasting the almonds that afterwards, I also toasted sesame seeds, just to see if I could (and I could! 🙂 )
I have to tell you, this dish is delicious! We are trying to eat less meat, eat lower on the food chain, and this dish will help us to do that. We figured, we actually could add a little meat – some leftover chunks of chicken, some sausage, or even some shrimp – and it would still be really really good, and keep meat intake minimal.
Does anyone eat burgul for breakfast? It seems to me it would be good with a little brown sugar and cinnamon and pecans, or blueberries?
Butterfly Award
“I’m choosing three blogs to pass it on to and asking that they tell us why they started blogging and then pass the love on to three of their favorite blogs.”
I was nominated for the Butterfly Award by Scars and Souvenirs (I always have a problem spelling “souvenirs!”) and of course, right now while I am travelling and my posts are sporadic and erratic and varying in quality, I feel totally unworthy! Scars and Souvenirs is a very intelligent Syrian blog, written by a woman with a lot of insight and interesting thoughts who lives and works in Damascus, one of my favorite places on earth. I am totally honored she would nominate me.
I discovered blogs when I was moving to Kuwait. I was particularly fascinated by two women bloggers, Jewaira and 1001 Nights (another articulate and intelligent blog; she is, unfortunately, no longer blogging.) I started blogging when my comments began to be longer than the original blog entry and I figured it was time. It was very scary for me, and I made a lot of mistakes with the new technology, but persevered.
There are new bloggers showing up all the time. I would like to nominate three that have fresh, original voices, authentic voices, and from whom I learn more about Kuwait:
Kill the Damn Patient
Danderma’s Blog
Confessions of a Love-Struck Flana
Premarital Testing Made Compulsory in Kuwait
From today’s Al Watan
MPs make premarital tests compulsory
KUWAIT: The National Assembly passed a new law on Tuesday that makes preـmarital medical checks compulsory.
The first article of the law stipulates that wouldـbe couples have to undergo medical tests to verify they are free from contagious or hereditary diseases.
In they are free of the diseases outlined in a decree by the minister of health they will get a medical certificate that proves their marriage is safe.
The document is valid for six months only, according to the provisions of the new law.
The second article bans the endorsement of a marriage by any concerned authorities without a valid medical certificate.
If the medical report shows that the possible marriage is unsafe and the wouldـbe couple still insists on getting married, the marriage officer must get a written notice from the couple stating that they are aware of the risks and want to pursue the affair.
The third article of the law stipulates that the minister of health should issue executive statutes for the new legislation which includes the type of medical tests required and the relevant procedures within three months of the new law”s publication in the official gazette.
The fourth article pertains to the privacy of all the information contained in the medical report and stipulates a punishment of up to one year in prison and up to 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars as a fine on anyone who might violate the privacy of such information.
The fifth article stipulates either or both punishments of up to oneـyear in prison and up to KD 1,000 fine on the marriage officer should he violate the provisions of the second article. ـKUNA
Last updated on Wednesday 12/11/2008
Great Kuwait Sand and Surf Challenge: MacQ8
Just wait! Wait ’till you see these photos! Ohhhh, they are awesome! Can you guess which ones I like the most?
Is this adorable or what? 🙂 What a little beauty!
Look at the motion in these two:
Woooo HOOOOO on MacQ8, a totally serious photographer. OK, there are several I like, but that last one knocks my socks off. 🙂 Bravo, MacQ8!
(My apologies, Mac, I thought i published this yesterday, but I forgot to click the Publish button!)
Jump Back In the Market?
Thank you, AbdulAziz, for this interesting article on today’s investment opportunities from Yahoo News: Finances where you can read the entire article>
Why Stocks Are Dirt Cheap
by Jeremy Siegel, Ph.D.
No one can guarantee the future of the stock market. But I believe that stock prices are now so extraordinarily cheap that I would be very surprised that if an investor who bought a diversified portfolio today did not make at least 20% or more on his investment in the next twelve months.
Valuations Low Worldwide
The case for equities at these levels is compelling. The last time we have seen prices this low was more than 30 years ago, when the US economy was in far worse shape than today.
The table below lists the price-to-earnings ratios of the world’s major stock markets as of October 29. It is taken directly from the Bloomberg World P-E Ratio (WPE) screen. These P-E ratios are calculated based on 2008 earnings, of which the first two quarters have already been reported and the 3rd and 4th quarters’ earnings are estimated. Keep in mind that the average historical P-E ratio of the US stock market has been 15 and that when P-E ratios are ten or lower, investors have reaped generous rewards from investing in stocks.
Except for the tech-laden Nasdaq, the US markets are selling at 10 to 11 times 2008 estimated earnings while European markets, save Switzerland, are selling between 7 and 9 times earnings. Asian stocks are also very cheap, as the Japanese Nikkei Index is selling at 11.4 times earnings, not much different than stocks in Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore. The Chinese market, which had been selling at over 50 times earnings last year is now selling at a far more modest 15 times earnings.
Bears will claim that these P-E ratios are too low, since earnings will sharply deteriorate over the next twelve months. Indeed, the last 12 months of reported earnings on the S&P 500 Index have fallen to $51.37 from $84.92 a year earlier. On those numbers, the US market is selling at about an 18 multiple.
But this gives a very distorted picture of the market. Aggregate earnings over the past year are greatly depressed by huge write-offs not only in the financial sector but in other firms. For example, Ford, GM, and Sprint, whose aggregate market value is less than 0.2% of the S&P 500 Index, lowered the S&P’s reported earnings by about $12.00, more than 20% of the current aggregate earnings.
Even if these firms all go bankrupt and their stock prices go to zero, it would have a negligible impact on the market value of a well-diversified stock portfolio. The same is true of the financial sector as S&P adds the huge losses in banks that now have almost no value today to the earnings of profitable firms. This means that the P-E ratio of firms that are still profitable is far lower than the ratio calculated for the whole index.
Furthermore, it is a major mistake to use earnings in a recession when calculating the right valuation of the market going forward. That is because stock values are dependent on earnings far in the future, not just those estimated over the next 12 month.
Since stocks have historically sold at 15 times annual earnings, the earnings of the next twelve months contribute only 1/15 of the value of the firm, or less than 7%. The other 93% of the value of stock is realized beyond the next twelve months. Right now the “normal” level of earnings, based on trend analysis of past 15 years of earnings on the S&P 500 Index is $92 a share.
If the average 15 price-earnings ratio applied to these $92 per share normalized earnings, the S&P 500 Index would be selling at 1380, which is almost 50% above its current level. Even if it takes two, or even three years for earnings to return to thetrend line, the normalized valuation of the market is far above what it is today.
Read the rest of the article HERE.
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