The result? Queen Esther at Sea World

7 things you might not know about Starbucks

canada goose uk black friday (Mental Floss) Starbucks is the coffee icon people either love or love to hate. The Seattle company opened its first shop in 1971, and all these years later, the coffee giant is still canada goose outlet vancouver brewing up addictive canada goose outlet phone number drinks and venti sized controversy across the globe. canada goose uk black friday

canada goose factory sale Here are 7 things you might not have known about Starbucks. canada goose factory sale

For three years, Annamarie Ausnes was just another Sharpie scrawled name on a paper cup. She would stop by the same Tacoma, cheap canada goose Washington, Starbucks a few times a week for a morning lift and make small talk with barista Sandie canada goose uk Andersen. No one would have called them friends. And no one could have guessed what would happen next.

For 20 years, Ausnes had suffered from polycystic kidney disease, a rare condition that invariably ends in kidney failure. In the fall of 2007, the 55 year old canada goose outlet real started feeling weak and her doctor confirmed that her kidneys were only operating at 15 percent. Any lower and she'd have to go on dialysis.

Much like a regular spilling his soul to the bartender, Ausnes shared her sad tale with the friendly barista Andersen, who went above and beyond the call of customer service.

buy canada goose jacket Andersen immediately got a blood test, and when she found out she was a match, told Ausnes that she wanted to donate her kidney. A few weeks later, the two women barista and casual professional acquaintance entered the Virginia Mason Medical Center to complete the donation. buy canada goose jacket

The transplant was a success, leaving the only remaining question: how much of a tip do you leave for a kidney?

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2. It could have been 'Pequods'

uk canada goose Nothing says marketing genius like a vague literary reference. uk canada goose

Before the founders decided to name the place after Captain Ahab's first mate, Starbuck, they considered naming it for Ahab's boat, the Pequod. According to a Starbucks spokesperson, they changed their minds when a canada goose outlet toronto friend tried out the tagline "Have a cup of Pequod."

3. About that logo.

At close inspection, the Starbucks logo makes no sense. At closer inspection, it makes even less sense, plus you risk dipping your nose in foam.

cheap Canada Goose There's some lady with long hair wearing a crown and holding what appears to be two. giant salmon? Decapitated palm trees? Miniature sand worms from Beetlejuice? cheap Canada Goose

canadian goose jacket Conspiracy theorists have had a field day with the cryptic image. Anti Semitic groups have claimed that the crowned maiden is the biblical Queen Esther, proving that Starbucks is behind various Zionist plots. Others see parallels to Illuminati imagery. The real story is less about evil conspiracies than prudish graphic design. canadian goose jacket

uk canada goose outlet Since Starbucks was named after a nautical character, the original Starbucks logo was designed to reflect the seductive imagery of the sea. An early creative partner dug through old marine archives until he found an image of a siren from a 16th century Nordic woodcut. She was bare breasted, twin tailed and simply screamed, "Buy coffee!" uk canada goose outlet

In the ensuing https://www.mycanadagoosejacket.org years, Starbucks marketing types decided to tastefully cover up the mer boobs with long hair, drop the suggestive spread eagle tail and give the 500 year old sea witch a youthful facelift. The result? Queen Esther at Sea World.

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4. A Starbucks on every corner

canada goose clearance There are over 16,700 Starbucks locations in more than 50 countries. During a particularly heady period in the late 1990s and early aughts, Starbucks was opening a new store every workday. canada goose clearance

In 2008 and 2009, as millions of Starbucks customers lost their latte money and their homes, cars and first born children to the recession, the coffee giant was forced to shrink just a tad.

It closed 771 stores worldwide and has plans to close a couple hundred more. Australia was particularly hard hit, losing 61 of its 84 Starbucks in July 2008. At least they still have giant beer and koalas.

But before you start feeling sorry canada goose outlet uk sale for the Seattle based mega retailer, consider this statistic gathered by Harper's magazine in 2002, confirming the nagging suspicion that Starbucks is stalking you: 68 of Manhattan's 124 Starbucks are located within two blocks (!) of another Starbucks.

5. Who's 'So Vain' now?

In 2009, Carly Simon filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, claiming the coffee chain had failed to adequately promote her album "This Kind of Love," produced and distributed by Starbucks' house label, Hear Music.

But before she called her lawyer, Simon sent a series of handwritten notes to CEO Schultz, including the following quasi Haiku canada goose premium outlet quoted in the New York canada goose stockists uk Times: "Howard, Fraud is the creation of Faith/ And then the betrayal. Carly."

For its part, Starbucks said it stocked Simon's CD at over 7,000 stores, put it on heavy rotation in the droning Starbucks soundtrack and even kept the slow selling album on the shelves canada goose outlet washington dc way past its expiration date.