BANNED FROM THE 'BUCKS

No More Lattes For Nameless Man

Dusty | Food & Drink

You will not see one Kitchener man, who will remain anonymous, visiting his local Starbucks anytime soon. He has been banned!

Recently the store told this customer to leave and never come back. His actions were causing so much stress on the barristas that one five year veteran quit and left the industry, while another newer employee had to relocate to a Starbucks in the neighboring town of Waterloo. 

Local Assistant Manager Lowree explains, 'this man, we still do not know his name, would come in daily and we would ask him what his name was. You know our practice of putting names on cups to make things personal? Well, this guy would give us a different name almost every single day. It was hell on our barristas, who make it a point to try and remember every customer by name, especially the regulars."

She went on to explain that this name changing customer was causing confusion with the drinks and embarrassing situations with the staff. Morale dropped as the employees felt like they could not do a stellar job, since they kept getting this guy's name wrong. This name changing problem went on for months until one Tuesday morning a long time employee succumbed to the pressure and walked off the job in tears. She was too distressed to return that day or any day after. She has since changed industries to warehousing where she has little to no customer contact.

This was the final straw in the name battle and an emergency employee meeting was held. 95% of the entire staff showed up and voiced their concerns. After a raucous two hours it was decided to ban this man from the store - an unprecedented action by a Starbucks location.

The very next day, at exactly 10:30 am, the unnamed man was escorted out of the store by two of the more burly employees (Perry and Laura) and was told to not return.

The atmosphere in the coffee shop is now back to normal, with loud, bubbly, engaging barristas foaming up drinks at a cheetah's pace. But, that dark stain of Mr. No-name is still in the back of some employees minds. They admit that their drink making careers may never be the same as before the incident. Most have seen the darker side of the public they serve and can never fully trust someone again. 

Next time you go into a Starbucks and they ask for your name. Don't lie. Remember there is a real person on the other side of the cup.

Beanville | 44:13

ONE LAST DOUBLE DOUBLE BEFORE JAIL

Dusty | Crime Page

Last Saturday night two balaclava clad criminals were picked up by police at a Tim Hortons drive thru. The two had just robbed a convenience store approximately three blocks south. The getaway driver had left the scene and apparently ducked into the Tim Hortons drive thru for a quick coffee. The driver convinced his partner that the police would not think to look in the Drive-thru line at the Tim Hortons, but, would instead be looking for a speeding car driving away from the scene.
The criminals forgot one thing, police officers drink coffee too.
The call came in to Officer McGruff just minutes after the robbery, there was a description of the car and the two robbers. She happened to be in the Tim Horton's parking lot, having just grabbed a large double double and a vanilla dip, when she saw them pull into the drive thru. A long line of cars pulled in behind the criminal blocking them in. Officer McGruff called for back up and stood waiting at the exit of the Drive Thru. When the accused had their coffees and thought they would have be on their way, McGruff was standing there.
They were arrested without resistance and Officer McGruff allowed them to keep their coffees. "Might be the last double double they will see in a very long time", she quipped.

Anytown | 18:59

IS GLOBAL WARMING THE CAUSE OF THE POLAR VORTEX?

Is Global Warming the Cause of the Polar Vortex?

Dusty | Science Page

The term 'Polar Vortex' has recently gained notoriaty and general mass acceptance as a legitimate meteorlogical phenomenon. But, what exactly is this Polar Vortex and what is causing it to appear now?

The PV may be colder in the future!

There is one theory circulating through the weather science community that global warming is actually the root cause of this vortex. The thinking behind this is fairly straightforward: as the earth heats up, due to global warming, warm air rises and goes up - up north. This warm air displaces the cold air that sits at the north pole and pushes it down, swirling it in a vortex as it does so. Therefore, as the earth continues to warm up we will be feeling a lot more of this cold air in the future. Some scientists have even speculated that global warming may cause such an excess of polar air to move south that it will cause another ice age to set in across the upper half of North America.
A little know fact: there have been polar vortexes in the past, even during the time of the dinosaurs, and now they are extinct because of the ice age.
Close to home local TV meteorologist Tim Wrack of Newzwatch 12, has never run across the polar vortex, in all the 23 years he has been working the weather desk, until this year. "There have been cold snaps, winter weather, and arctic breezes that have felt like this vortex, but, they never caused this much attention," he comments. Talking about the changing weather patterns he knowlingly says, "we are entering a new age in weather". With all the new weather events, most likely due to global warming, Wrack feels like a fish out of water. Even a decade ago there was cold, snow, freezing rain, even the wind chill factor. But, lately, he has had to add flash freeze and polar vortex to his vocabulary, just to name a couple. Poking fun at his new reality he jokes, "my weather map is so full of foreign symbols I feel like I am in a bad dream or in Russia". He blames global warming as well.

Toronto | 12:13

MAN BREAKS INTO HOUSE TO LEAVE DONATIONS

Dusty | Crime Page

Break and enter is known as the act of breaking into another's house, car, or other private place, typically with the intent of stealing valuable items. Needless to say, B&E has some very negative connotations. However, does breaking into a residence with the intent of leaving donations dredge up the same image in one's mind - that of a masked man with a pencil thin mustache creeping around on tip toes looking for diamond necklaces? No. So, therefore, is it still B&E? Or is it something completely different - charity perhaps?
One Edmonton man argues his method of giving should not be labelled a crime, but, a happy surprise. This philanthropist 'burglar' regularly breaks into houses and apartments across the city leaving cans of non perishable food items and would like to remain anonymous until he is certain no criminal charges will be laid against him.
His reasoning behind this is well thought out. In fact, it was in large part due to the research he has been conducting for the past two decades for the Psychology Dept at the University of Edmonton. His studies revealed that it is not uncommon for people, when they are down on their luck, to be unable to get over their pride/ego and use a food bank or ask for a helping hand. The study results motivate this Prof to act, to turn action hero, and help the poor and unfortunate.
His method is fairly simple and very effective. First he targets a 'victim', stakes out their residence, waits for an opportunity, then strikes. He has become very adept at climbing into basement windows and scaling balconies. He jokes his charity nights are more of a workout then when he hits the boot camp at his gym. Which I can attest to, as I joined him one night. Strapped with over ten pounds of canned meats and soups, we climbed fire escapes and ladders in dangerously ill lit back alleys to make our way into our recipient's apartment. After the first drop I was exhausted. Yet, Prof Poverty was only getting started. Some nights he does half a dozen break and donates. Sometimes he even leaves small plush toys if he knows their are small children.
He has plans to recruit a small group of activists with the intention of spreading his good work even further afield. He jokes, 'maybe with a small group we can donate bigger items; fridges, furniture, or do a small scale bathroom remodel'. With a heart as big as the Professor's it seems anything could be possible.

2: 46 am |EDMONTON

WOMAN FROM NOVA SCOTIA JOINING MOVEMBER!

Dusty | Canadian Culture Page

Movember, the annual event of growing a moustache and raising awareness for prostate cancer has grown in popularity in the past few years. Depending on where you live it may feel as though every man around you is participating. One survey, of 3,506 Eastern Canadians, put the participation rate at just over half of all men under the age of 30. Sadly, the survey only found one woman participating.

We at Dusty's Digital Digest felt we needed to look into this a bit further, find the true story behind the numbers.

As it turns out, this one woman, Bert (her full name is Bertha, but, she prefers Bert), often joked she could "grow her a bigger 'stash then half her union brothers". This year she decided to take her joke seriously and participate in Movember.
All it took was a short Skype call to confirm Bertha is indeed participating, and doing quite well. Her lip sweater rivals any of the two week growths I follow and blows my wispy lip wig to the curb. During our short conversation Bertha told me of her years being self conscious at the uncommon amount of hair she grew above her upper lip. Her attempts at bleaching, plucking, shaving, have all thankfully come to an end for her as she embraced her unique body and is now showcasing it to the world.
She has gone ever further and joined a moustache-off, a competition between participants to grow the biggest or most creative moustaches.
However, this has not come without its share of criticisms. The moustache-off is made up of competitors from her union, The Brotherhood of Plumbers - Eastern Canada #121, some of whom have raised complaints ranging from her gender to the fact that she is a woman. Most supporters of Bert argue there are only a couple of bad 'stashes who are more than likely worried about losing out to a girl - unconfirmed sources have named them 'Mario' and 'Luigi'.
Bertha was humbled at the idea she could be encouraging countless women across Canada to follow her lead and let their hair grow wild and free. She has no intentions of writing a book about it or landing fifteen minutes on a late night talk show. She is doing this to raise money for prostate cancer.
What a sweetie.

Halifax | 17:57

CANADIAN SNOW BEING USED FOR SNOWCONES DOWN SOUTH

 DUSTY | Foodie Page

A blanket of snow covering trees, roads, or buildings, is a sight many of us Canadians take for granted. But, it is a sight most southern Californians have never witnessed before. That may explain the surprising demand for Canadian snow, which they are consuming by the ton - in the form of snow cones.

A small company, The SNOW Cone Cart, located in Oxnard CA, has recently started using snow in its snow cones instead of the traditional shaved ice. The snow supplier they have subcontracted out to is a Canadian firm located in British Columbia. Owner and operator Carl Mendez believes this 'imported snow' gives him an advantage in the highly competitive snow cone market - and he may be right. Since launching the 'Real SNOW cone', as he dubbed it, his sales have sky rocketed, so much so that he is planning an expansion into new markets and is even looking into a franchising option. Even considering the higher price of the snow cones, due to the increased shipping costs and storage of the snow, Mendez can barely keep up with the demand.

Could this be the start of a new market for one of Canada's least used natural resources?

A comment from the Ministry of Economic Development thinks so. Spokesman Irving Irvine commented, "according to the preliminary numbers, we could be on the forefront of millions of dollars worth of snow being exported...one day we could be looking at adding twenty to thirty thousand good paying jobs in BC alone." Currently snow exports account for under $10,000 in trade.

Interest in the business community is also ramping up with one local entrepreneur starting the process of legalizing claims on snow located atop crown lands, similar to a logging or mining claim. This request is currently pending in the provincial courts, but, is expected to be ruled on in the next few weeks.

On the environmental front, a group of young environmentalists calling themselves AARS (Alliance Against Removing Snow) have started an online petition calling for the ban on extracting and exporting snow. As of today they had just over one hundred thousand signatures. Other environmental groups (WWF, Coalition of the Environment, Treehuggers, Naturalists of BC) have voiced concerns over what they are viewing as another environmental scar caused by business. One tweet from the NOBC that was trending high last week, has really brought the topic to the forefront, "I understand the logging industry replanting the trees they harvest, but, what are they going to do about the snow they take? You can't replant snow! #SAVETHESNOW"

This seemingly insignificant decision to use a scoop of real snow on a snow cone is already causing waves throughout many levels of Canadian society. Is this going to be another oil sands debate, pitting Canadians against one another? 

13:34 | Vancouver

NEWEST CANADIAN LITERARY AWARD - For The Worst Book of the Year

THE BLUE BOX AWARD

Dusty | The Bookshelf Page

There are a variety of literary awards in Canad; The Giller, The Governor General, The Steven Leacock, and countless regional awards. The Readers Bookclub of Canada wants to add another - The Blue Box award. 

Instead of showcasing the cream of the crop, they want to highlight the other end of the spectrum - the worst book of the year!

Why?

The Reader's Bookclub chair S. Scholenburgen explains, "books are not only an investment of money, but, also hours of time. We want to help Canadians NOT read a book that will waste their precious leisure time."

The Reader's Bookclub meets weekly, except for the two weeks around Christmas, and read 50 books a year. They have a simple points systems where they give all the books a rating between 1 and 10. At the end of the year the winner of the award is the book with the lowest number of points. The members, or judges, are common Canadian stock including two seniors, a librarian, a grain farmer, a civil servant, one unemployed graphic designer, a freelance wedding event coordinator, and even someone who went to University for literature. The group makes an effort to appeal to the common Canadian reader.

When asked if a positive award would be better for readers and writers alike, the group had many responses. They thought it was time a different point of view was brought to the awards table to shake things up. They were adamant that if you get rid of 'the junk', as they say, then more people will have better reading experiences and therefore read more. One member also noted this award as a valid reason to clear a book off an already crowded bookshelf.

Looking over their list of previous nominees I noticed Life of Pi was on their list. This book won many awards, was widely read, and even turned into a major motion picture. When questioned about this they all agreed it should have won the Blue Box award. One of the older members was very vocal about this saying, "Yes, a terrible book...Tiger and a boy on a tiny boat seems very far fetched and also very boring. There was also spelling mistakes, right in the title! Pi instead of Pie! That was what really put it over the edge for me."

This year the group has organized their first ever award ceremony. According to the group's twitter feed : The first official awards ceremony will take place at the Ramada, lobby, 7:00 until security kicks us out. #bookawards #blueboxaward

When I commented that the feelings and/or reputation of the author could be damaged, their response slightly shocked me. The group consensus was that any author would be ecstatic to win such an award. The club sends a very uplifting letter explaining their reasons and hope the author will take it as constructive criticism and write a better book. S. Scholenburgen again, "An, let's face it, an award is an award. They can always put it on the dust cover of their book - winner of The Blue Box Award...More than likely we will develop a following here and it will end up, being somewhat of an oxymoron, and selling more books." That is one of the biggest concern the group has with taking this award public. They fear it may spiral out of control and encourage authors to write bad books just to win!

Regina | 15:55