Random

~ "Beleaguered coffee giant" Starbucks will be closing 100 low performing stores and cutting back on their expansion. They are also getting rid of their breakfast sandwiches because "...the scent of the warm sandwiches interferes with the coffee aroma..." -- Link

Just in case the Starbucks suits are tuning in -- I do think that it is important to mention again, on behalf of my coffee drinking friends, that there is not a Starbucks coffee outlet on Guam -- even though there are 170,000 people living on the island and the military is in the process of moving in another 20,000± people. From what I've heard there isn't anything even in the same league on the island. This could be the opportunity to turn your poor struggling company around.

~ "Church plants," "sister churches," and "satellite congregations" may be a thing of the past. In 2008, the language of missiology is changing, so look for "church franchises" in your town. -- Link

There is a bit of that going on but it seems premature to see franchising as normative -- especially if at some point the people in the congregation begin asking for a say in how things are run.

~ A day at the beach in South Korea -- Oh, my... -- Link (via)

~ Sean is picking a winner but not a score. I'm not as smart as he is so I'll pick the score but not the winner. The score of Super Bowl XLII will be 29 to 17 -- based on the Super Bowl averages in this millennium. Actually, the winner will be the Arizona economy -- $300-$400 million. The fans who make it to Arizona won't really care who wins. They'll just be so excited to have 60+° weather that they'll spend, spend, spend...