Starbucks and Gay Rights

· Here's a nice way to spend a day. Go on a shopping trip, have a coffee in Starbucks, save a kiss for a loved one. But if you are gay, be wary of doing so in Canary Wharf. When gay radiologist Jorg Thieme had the temerity to kiss his male partner there, a scandalised Canary Wharf security guard intervened to prevent "a commotion". Officials, keen to stop "puckergate" gaining momentum, quickly conceded that the security man "exceeded his remit" but the furore refuses to die down. Mr Thieme now threatens legal action unless he receives compensation and formal recognition of his right to kiss any consenting man at Canary Wharf without unnecessary interference. One small step for man, one giant leap for contract law.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/backbench/story/0,14158,1661820,00.html

Make Bono History

Bono is the man of the year.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1142278,00.html

funny we heard that there was an aircraft hanger outside dublin - built just for his ego.

Whirl-Mart Arrest

This from Breathing Planet

Wanted to share this post from Colorado
http://colorado.indymedia.org/newswire/display/12124/index.php

Since its creation in 2001 in Troy, NY, Whirl-mart has been staged in all sorts of places internationally by autonomous organizers and groups - from Arkansas, to Stockholm, to London, to Australia, to Mexico City and lots of places in between. But this is the first known occurrence of an arrest taking place! ther have been threats and police presence, but never has whirling (reclaiming consumer space in a single file line, while not actually shopping) been deemed illegal. Is it me, or is this a broader trend that represents the criminalization of assumed legal behavior as the
police state coagulates its post-911 power. I would love to hear your related stories.

The US has carried out its 1,000th execution.

The US has carried out its 1,000th execution since capital punishment was reintroduced in 1976.

more here

Sam Buck sued for naming her coffee shop...

Thursday, December 1, 2005

Sam Buck sued for naming her coffee shop after herself
A judge in Oregon has ruled that naming your shop after yourself is a trademark violation if your name is too similar to that of a big corporate brand.
A woman named Sam Buck opened a coffee shop in Astoria, Oregon in 2000, two years before a Starbucks opened down the road. She named her shop Sambuck's, and the judge in her case said that she willfully infringed on Starbucks's trademark in so doing.
Now she's stuck with hundreds of thousands in legal fees and the added expense of throwing out all her cups, her sign, etc.

She says she doubts people have trouble distinguishing her 10-foot-wide shop from a Starbucks, and that her business logo is not easily confused with that of Starbucks.

more here

go west

anyone making a trip to west london must visit its latest atraction

http://www.museumofbrands.com/

we know we can't wait..