My Starbuck addiction

[BROOK]

Okay..I confess...I have a terrible vice.....:sad: My morning Starbucks coffee..to be exact...a triple vente latte extra foamy .....:shocked:

Almost every day I go to work...about 4 times a week I stop by my local Starbucks and order one...they even know me by name, and when they see me walk in..they get my cup ready before I even pay.

One morning I was standing in line...waiting for my morning caffeine fix..I noticed a red bag of coffee...it said From Africa to Africa...and there was a sign above it that said for every bag sold..they donate $1.00 to the global fund ....This money will benefit children and adults living with HIV.

So I got my coffee..and went to work. That night I started to try and figure out if I could get an expresso machine...i could buy the coffee and make my own Starbucks coffee..and donate to a good cause....

Problem...I priced expresso machines..and they can be as expensive as $1000.00 :shocked:
So I shopped around for a few days..and at my local department store there it was :naughty:
An Expresso machine with a coffee maker attached for $109.00 :wub2:

I bought it and the coffee at Starbucks..and proceeded to experiment ...it's rather funny....never remove the grounds unless all the steam is released...
Coffee everywhere :mfr_omg: After about the 6th try...I got it...I was able to reproduce my triple vente latte..extra foamy :thumb_yello:

Now here is where it gets really good...check this out :thumb_yello:

I was spending $4.10 for every cup...that is.....

4.10 x 4= 16.40 a week or
52 x 16.40 = 852.80 every year :mfr_omg:

The coffee is 11.50 per bag and that is 1.5 bags a month..
or 17.50 a month

17.50 x 12 = 207.00

So my commitment to this Starbucks project was to donate...this gets really good..now follow me here...

I am now able to sponsor a child for $15.00 a month

here is her picture
http://www.livingcompassion.org/africa/images/kids/lonica-bwalya-6.jpg
Lonica Bwalya

http://www.livingcompassion.org/index3.html
so that is 180.00 per year

so.....I was spending 852.80 a year for coffee...


now I spend 207.00 + 180.00 = 387.00 a year

852.80 - 387.00 = $465.80

Wow....I'm saving $465.00 a year to sponsor a child and donate to the coffee bought at starbucks


This is a win win :thumb_yello:

[Malynda]

Wow, that's awesome! :thumb_yello: I gotta do some investigating and see how I can do this in my life. Way to go, Brook. That rocks!

Love,
Malynda

[Christo888]

Well Brook, Maybe we should meet at Starbucks and see if there are other insights to participate in... but I'll buy you a Latte so you can stay in budget!:mfr_lol:

:thumb_yello:

[BROOK]

You're on Christo888 :thumb_yello: I still have $465.80 a year to play with :lmfao:

After watching this video....I could not resist

YouTube - 100 Children You Must Meet

[BROOK]

Wow, that's awesome! :thumb_yello: I gotta do some investigating and see how I can do this in my life. Way to go, Brook. That rocks!

Love,
Malynda

Okay...say you don't have a coffee addiction.....here's a quick idea

you get 36 friends....to have a fund raiser....Say a Pot Luck Picnic

Each person donates $10.00....along with the pot luck

That will sponsor 2 children for one year....and if 5 people here did that...that would sponsor 10 children...
and it would only cost the price of a pot luck meal and $10.00 :thumb_yello:

Now if 1 person in each state of the United States did that very thing that would sponsor 100 children
Just once a year...imagine the possibilities...36 people one pot luck meal and 10 dollars once a year

[Ross H]

please dont take this the wrong way...

sadley...a lot of money given by charity does not always get to where it should get to...

Grahman Hancock wrote a book called "lords of poverty" early ninties

The UN collected monies from most countries to go into a fund to help 3rd worlds countries...that year they collected 66 billion dollars...only 6 billion made it to help the 3rd world...after investigation he learned that the remaining 60 billion went on administration...HMMM someone lining pockets...

The USA also sent to africa containers of food and shoes...the foods were outdated candy bars and the shoes were unwanted unsellable high heels...really suited for the african enviroment...

just be aware is all im saying...

[BROOK]

So...do you suggest we ignore the problem?

Or do you have a better idea?

Because frankly...I cannot deliver the money personally..or the food
So I have to rely on these kind of avenues..and trust they are doing the right thing....this particular group seems to have it together....but I was hesitant at first..but I would rather try..then do nothing at all

[dagon]

Im guilty as charged. Im a coffee snob. but im ok with it. I gave up most all of my other vices, got to live a little. Im not the devil or a saint, but it is true. my problem is I want out of corporate america altogether. Im avoiding anything corporate. and I find this one to be one of the toughest to give up.... friends dont let friends drink at starbucks.

[dagon]

please dont take this the wrong way...

sadley...a lot of money given by charity does not always get to where it should get to...

Grahman Hancock wrote a book called "lords of poverty" early ninties

...


Grahman Hancock is the man. I love his books...

[Ross H]

yes indeed. I love your intentions:original:. I agree you can only try and hope it gets to where it should. :thumb_yello:

[Ross H]

Grahman Hancock is the man. I love his books...

Yes GH is great...loved his "finger prints of the gods":thumb_yello:

[Ross H]

I love my morning coffee...hmmm yummm....sadley i love my morning ciggie with it:wall:

[dagon]

Yes GH is great...loved his "finger prints of the gods":thumb_yello:

one of my favs.... :thumb_yello:

[THE eXchanger]

xxx

[Ross H]

i buy starbucks coffee-and, have them grind it for me,
and, make it at home !!!

i love their special columbian blend

and, i love to make it; and; put it over ice !!!

with caramel - and, sugar in the raw !!!

That does sound yumm...over ice? must try that.
I'm a honey man myself:cup:...got rid of sugar:mad3:

[BROOK]

I confess..that is what I have in my hand right now..over ice...no sweets though :thumb_yello: Cafeine buzzzz :shocked:

Oh boy it's gonna be a long night :lmfao:

[BROOK]

But seriously...
I have been talking to my boss at work...and he said I might be able to do a pot luck lunch meeting at work...
now there are more the 36 people at my place of business....so if I can pull it off I will have covered one state here....:thumb_yello:

It's all about giving and compassion.....be the change ...

http://www.livingcompassion.org/africa/images/blog090815_1.jpg

[iainl140285]

please dont take this the wrong way...

sadley...a lot of money given by charity does not always get to where it should get to...

Grahman Hancock wrote a book called "lords of poverty" early ninties

The UN collected monies from most countries to go into a fund to help 3rd worlds countries...that year they collected 66 billion dollars...only 6 billion made it to help the 3rd world...after investigation he learned that the remaining 60 billion went on administration...HMMM someone lining pockets...

The USA also sent to africa containers of food and shoes...the foods were outdated candy bars and the shoes were unwanted unsellable high heels...really suited for the african enviroment...

just be aware is all im saying...

Spot on. I always want to give more but we need a better solution than these charitys ...

"Aid money raised by people in Falkirk for those affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has yet to be spent, it has emerged."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8235533.stm

[BROOK]

Any Charity that is manned and controlled by a city, state or government office...the UN especially..I don't recommend...we know what they do with our taxes...and they are a bunch of thieves....with an agenda.

If you are going to donate anything..check out who what and where....for the most part...this group I worked with..I did some homework on. They seem to be on the up and up...they sell some products made directly from the people...and they are not involved with any government..in fact...one of the members of the staff there wants to come here...but is having a hard time getting a passport to come here a speak at events...Maria Kapenda was one of those original children....her story.
YouTube - Transformation from the Inside Out

some of the best stories of this nature come from small groups that reach a level of success..without the corrupt dealings of any government....if you're going to do anything of this nature...do your homework..check them out as best you can.

A Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Transformation


YouTube - Kantolomba: A Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Transformation

[BROOK]

I will add...we can use all the excuses not to help...and do nothing....but if anyone here has a better solution..I'd like to hear it.

giving has always been the key to developing a higher spiritual community...no matter how small...even in giving something so small as a smile to a homeless person when passing by.

When was the last time you said good morning to a homeless person on the street?

This thread was started in the nature of giving...and actually..in doing so...I actually figured out how to save..and give at the same time..

There is no loss of my money..but a whole lot to gain for the people of Africa. $15.00 a month is a lot of money when you have nothing.

Helping them build their own sustainable community is something I wish to be part of....I'm not going to dirty my mind with thought of how not to give....and in the end accomplish nothing.

The shift everyone talks about is happening...and one of the keys to success is GIVING...no matter how small or insignificant....mark my words on this..and take it to the bank.....Giving is the only way to get anything of value in the coming shift....weather it's $15.00 a month to help a child...or a $1.00 for a bag of coffee for HIV..or even just a smile and good morning to a homeless person.

Blessed is he that considereth the poor

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

[THE eXchanger]

xxx

[BROOK]

Yes Exchanger....alas.....one of the last great hurdles in this great coming shift is GIVING

We all talk about what we are going to do for ourselves when the SHTF..where we are going to live..what we are going to do..how we are going to live...

Well my friends...the SHTF already in many parts of the world...it is already happening for people in areas such as the one in the video above.

As we sit at our computer...looking for the next best thread...think that complacency has set in...and your just waiting for it to hit your backyard...while it's already in motion..and has been for a long time in areas like this.

Helen Keller once wrote......"The most pathetic person in the world is the person who has sight, but no vision."

[BROOK]

In the Spirit of GIVING


http://www.livingcompassion.org/images/farm-stand

In April I called in to the talk show and shared my tale of woe. I had come out of my fourth shoulder surgery which was unsuccessful. The surgeon had called with news that I needed a total joint replacement. I went into a tailspin, but then remembered that it was my choice to suffer. Pain, as you have said, is inevitable but suffering is optional.
At the threshold of a breakthrough.
I will be getting the Titanium shoulder with the chrome finish. No biggie.
But I had, a few weeks earlier, dedicated my practice with a charity garden to give produce to my neighbors as a means of generating donations to the Africa project. I was limited in my physical activities but had laid out with string the size of the new and bigger garden. Now, I am a can-do kind of guy. A rugged New Englander who built his own clinic, house, boat and worked as a grease ball mechanic to get me and my family thru grad school. But asking for help? No thank you. I can do it myself.
But now I couldn’t. What we would do for others we wouldn’t do for our self. So, I picked up the phone and let go of my identity. “Hey, I need a hand tilling the soil for this charity garden…”
Well, the help came. And came. And came. Hours and hours of sweaty backs and smiles and lemonade. A few times I went out to the garden and laughed. I was part of something bigger than my egoic will. And it felt wonderful even though the shoulder was paining me something bad.
A half dozen professional growers jumped at the chance to donate starter plants, seaweed fertilizer and steer manure. I played classical music with sonic overlays to stimulate plant growth, sprayed exotic mist laden with secret mystery to increase flowering. A neighbor brought blossoming plants to attract pollinating bees. Another gave me materials to build a farm stand in front of my house with a roof and a hand-painted sign offering free food and the invitation to support needy kids in a slum in Africa. People brought plastic bags for others to take home the free produce. Others brought fruit from their trees to share at my little oasis of generosity.
It is still early in the season, I have some one hundred plants pumping out delicious food. A friend came over to visit, I plied him with Swiss Chard, cucumbers and zucchini squash and little gold tomatoes. The next morning he invited me over for dinner and presented me with two gold maple leaf coins as a donation. I mean he gets a few gold tomatoes from me and gives me $1920 in gold. I came home to my desk and opened the new video on Kantolomba, the coins in my hand.



I don’t know if it was the faces of the children, their elders, the voices singing Acapella or the living compassion at work, but it squeaked open my heart a little wider. The tears of gratitude. And I have found a way to express it.
But the story doesn’t end here.
A good buddy lives a few houses across the park and walks his dogs past my farm stand. He calls to me just as I’m wiping my eyes and sees the rare emotional discharge in public.
I show him the gold (two ounces is really heavy, not like a couple of quarters) and he says he wants to buy them. He offers $1900, smelling a deal. I had checked the internet for the spot price and told him the market value. But he wouldn’t have it, saying he never pays retail and besides, “I’m not gonna get hosed on buying anything from anybody.”
I closed my eyes for a few breaths. I replied, “A street guy might think he was getting cheated, but another guy might see this as an invitation from God to show up.”
I’m not sure, but that seemed to turn his heart. “Okay, I’ll give you two grand. The pictures of the kids in Africa convinced me, not this God talk…..”
The magic continues, to be part of something bigger than my personal security and control.
Thank you for everything. I have no complaints, whatsoever.
Gasshō
Rico

[Swanny]

I used to work for VSO (http://www.vso.org.uk/) as a volunteer.
What a robbin bunch of bastards they are :thumbdown:

[BROOK]

There are many ways to give...you don't have to give to a charity if it is uncomfortable....

My son who has a punk rock band...did a concert in the park last year....no expense...and the entrance fee was a can of food...which they gave to the local homeless shelter...they got 4 shopping carts of food...this is how you think out of the box...in the spirit of giving

Again I ask...what is your solution?

[Kate]

This is an absolutely fantastic thread!!! :thumb_yello:

I came across this interview on conscious media network ages ago and was struck by the simplicity and intergrity of this business venture that helps people with little or no money start up business ventures in developing countries....
VERY inspirational!!

http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/members/framsey.htm



Micro-finance to Developing Countries

Fiona Ramsey is the Public Relations Director for the non-profit micro-finance organisation KIVA.

In this interview, shot in their busy office in San Francisco, she shares how the amount someone in the Western world would spend on a night out, will literally offer a whole new life to someone in the developiong nations.

Fiona explains that the beauty of KIVA is that it allows each donor to directly impact another person in a way that is so meaningful that the lender feels as grateful for the opportunity as the recipient does, half way around the world.

All the loans are paid back without interest and the default rate is incredibly low. For as little as $25, you can connect with someone who has a story to share, a business to grow and a family to support. It is this direct connection that makes you feel so good about your loan and some people have travelled to visit and make lasting connections with the people they have assisted.

To learn more about KIVA and to start making a difference, go to www.kiva.org/

[BROOK]

Oh yeah...I forgot this part...the $180.00 is tax deductible here in the states...doh

[BROOK]

Kate...thank you for that post...that is a great idea..and you get your money back :thumb_yello:

There are many who really don't feel they can give...but there is always a way to do so...you just have to find a way that is comfortable...

Like the guy with the charity garden....that is a story of giving and receiving...then giving again....

This is going to be one of the most important areas of the new shift....and if you really put your mind to it ..there are ways of giving that cost nothing but your time and love and compassion to do so

[BROOK]

I used to work for VSO (http://www.vso.org.uk/) as a volunteer.
What a robbin bunch of bastards they are :thumbdown:

Look who's running that organization :mfr_omg:
PATRON
• HRH The Princess Royal

HONORARY PRESIDENT
• Jonathan Dimbleby

HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS
• Dick Bird OBE
• The Rt Hon Baroness Blackstone PC
• The Rt Hon Earl Cairns CVO CBE
• The Rt Hon the Lord Carrington KG GCMG CH MC PC
• Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe


MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
• Geoffrey Barnett OBE
• James Boyle
• Dr David Bryer CMG
• Tony Cunningham MP
• Dame Judi Dench CH DBE
• David Essex OBE
• Sir Richard Feachem KBE
• John Fowler
• Mike Gapes MP
• Sarah Gilbert
• Sir David Green KCMG
• Justine Greening MP
• Brenda King MBE
• Glenys Kinnock MEP
• Sir Tim Lankester KCB
• Professor Peter Mortimore OBE
• Hugh Richardson
• Professor Bhupinder Sandhu
• Nicholas Selbie ukc
• Charles Sinclair ukc
• Jon Snow
• Alderman Sir John Stuttard

A lot of Royal blood there....do you think they really care? It's a dog and pony show for them

[Swanny]

Yea just one big tax fiddle, they live it up while the volunteers slum it

[BROOK]

http://www.wilcherish.com/cardshop/quotes/pics/shaw7.jpg

YouTube - Don't take things for granted.

[no caste]

Hi BROOK - I like your new small addiction. (She's very cute!) There are also a lot of great ideas here for corporate kinds of activity. The company I worked for usually just went the food bank route.

I want to share this agency here. What I really like about its teacher training and grassroots approach. They do microfinance too. So far, I've not heard negative things about it - I've been paying attention to it for a few years.

'The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of development agencies with mandates ranging from health and education to architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalisation of historic cities. AKDN agencies conduct their programmes without regard to faith, origin or gender.'
http://www.akdn.org/default.asp

[Luminari]

Nice work Brook. :thumb_yello:

[rhythm]

I sopose that true giving will only come from a heart

that can give with no need to recieve

a true giving ,,no conditons...

random acts of kindness

is a beautifulll way to live

where there is need

be of service

give of the self ...

with no need of

thanks....or recognision....

[THE eXchanger]

xxx