Starkbucks Goes Green -- To Shortchange Customers

The November 2011 issue of the New Agey Natural Awakenings reports:

"Starbucks Corporation has taken it all a step further by designing a pre-certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) prototype store. It features recycled floor tiles, reduced lighting and lower water usage and air conditioning set three degrees higher than usual."

Sounds like Starbucks plans to use:

1. Cheaper floor tiles.

2. Less water.

3. Less lighting.

4. Less air conditioning.

Which means that Starbucks is about to get cheaper, dirtier, darker, and hotter. All to save money. (Disguised as "going green" for the gullible.) This trend fits right in with Starbucks's switch to smaller napkins.

But will Starbucks pass along any of these savings to consumers in the form of lower prices?

Didn't think so.

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Reading Books Helps Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Anna Ferguson Hall, of Georgia's The Brunswick News, reports that:

"Overwhelming research has shown that older citizens who keep their minds sharp and active are more likely to retain a higher level of brain power as they age.

"Keeping the brain active through exercises like reading regularly is vital to preventing memory loss and reduced brain function, said Janice Vickers, executive director of Alzheimer's of Glynn/Brunswick.

" 'There is no question that reading can maintain a healthy brain as you age,' Vickers said. 'The saying is true: If you don't use it, you lose it.'

"An estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, according to the National Alzheimer's Association. That's one in eight older Americans.

"Vickers said the disease, though prevalent in aging citizens, can be avoided or, at the very least, delayed. Working to prevent the condition at an earlier age is key to ensuring a quick mind like Connell's, Vickers said.

"That means flexing the brain as often as possible in a variety of ways.

"Cracking a book or other printed work awakens many functions in the brain, including concentration, vision and comprehension, Vickers said."

Read the entire article.

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