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Project Avalon General Discussion Finding safe places, information and resources for building communities, site suggestions. |
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09-02-2009, 11:19 PM | #1 |
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My Starbuck addiction
Okay..I confess...I have a terrible vice..... My morning Starbucks coffee..to be exact...a triple vente latte extra foamy .....
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 So I shopped around for a few days..and at my local department store there it was An Expresso machine with a coffee maker attached for $109.00 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 After about the 6th try...I got it...I was able to reproduce my triple vente latte..extra foamy Now here is where it gets really good...check this out 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 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 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 Last edited by BROOK; 09-03-2009 at 12:00 AM. |
09-02-2009, 11:26 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 250
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
Wow, that's awesome! I gotta do some investigating and see how I can do this in my life. Way to go, Brook. That rocks!
Love, Malynda |
09-02-2009, 11:35 PM | #3 |
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Location: OC, CA and next...
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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!
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09-03-2009, 12:26 AM | #4 |
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 3,117
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
You're on Christo888 I still have $465.80 a year to play with
After watching this video....I could not resist |
09-03-2009, 12:56 AM | #5 | |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
Quote:
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 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 Last edited by BROOK; 09-03-2009 at 01:07 AM. |
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09-03-2009, 02:37 AM | #6 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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... |
09-03-2009, 02:43 AM | #7 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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 |
09-03-2009, 02:49 AM | #8 |
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Location: Glen Ellen Ca
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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.
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09-03-2009, 02:50 AM | #9 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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09-03-2009, 02:50 AM | #10 |
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Location: Queensland Australia
Posts: 507
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
yes indeed. I love your intentions. I agree you can only try and hope it gets to where it should.
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09-03-2009, 02:54 AM | #11 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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09-03-2009, 02:55 AM | #12 |
Project Avalon Moderator
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Queensland Australia
Posts: 507
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
I love my morning coffee...hmmm yummm....sadley i love my morning ciggie with it
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09-03-2009, 02:57 AM | #13 |
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Location: Glen Ellen Ca
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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09-03-2009, 03:25 AM | #14 |
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Location: Spiritual eXplorer-Canada
Posts: 4,915
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
xxx
Last edited by THE eXchanger; 09-13-2009 at 06:22 AM. |
09-03-2009, 03:34 AM | #15 | |
Project Avalon Moderator
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Location: Queensland Australia
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
Quote:
I'm a honey man myself...got rid of sugar |
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09-03-2009, 04:10 AM | #16 |
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Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
I confess..that is what I have in my hand right now..over ice...no sweets though Cafeine buzzzz
Oh boy it's gonna be a long night |
09-03-2009, 06:54 AM | #17 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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.... It's all about giving and compassion.....be the change ... |
09-03-2009, 12:13 PM | #18 | |
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Scotland
Posts: 974
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
Quote:
"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/...al/8235533.stm |
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09-03-2009, 03:16 PM | #19 |
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Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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. 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 |
09-03-2009, 03:52 PM | #20 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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. Last edited by BROOK; 09-03-2009 at 04:04 PM. |
09-03-2009, 04:15 PM | #21 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
xxx
Last edited by THE eXchanger; 09-13-2009 at 06:21 AM. |
09-03-2009, 04:52 PM | #22 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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." Last edited by BROOK; 09-03-2009 at 05:01 PM. |
09-03-2009, 05:26 PM | #23 |
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
In the Spirit of GIVING
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 Last edited by BROOK; 09-03-2009 at 05:28 PM. |
09-03-2009, 05:45 PM | #25 |
Avalon Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: My Starbuck addiction
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? Last edited by BROOK; 09-03-2009 at 05:49 PM. |
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