And in other news...

Members of the Yearning for Zion Ranch (aka the strange polygamist sect that was all over the news but that no one really knows anything about) have recently launched a clothing line for children. FLDSdress.com offers "dresses, overalls, shirts, pants, nightgowns, sleepers, onesies for babies... ankle-to-wrist underwear... denim jeans for boys and 'teen princess' dresses in plain, jacket and vest styles in pastel shades of pink, peach, yellow, green, aqua, blue, lavender and lilac." The clothing line, originally launched to provide clothes for sect-children in foster homes, is now aimed at helping YFZ mothers earn a living. I'm stocking up for my kids right now.



Coffee and world-music-compilation giant Starbucks has announced that it will close over 600 stores by the end of next year. Salon.com reports, "as an economic indicator, that's just plain bad news. If Americans are giving up their Starbucks lattes and settling for the dregs from the office coffee machine instead, you know they're truly desperate." Maybe so, but perhaps a trip back to the days of the 5 cent (and perhaps poor) cup of coffee will remind Americans of the more important things in life. What was once an addicting pick-me-up, consumed to make the day more manageable, has now become a symbol of affluence, food-fashion, and ubiquitous convenience (oh, and it is still addicting). Do we really need a Starbucks on every corner? I guess the economy decides that one too.



Finally, in local news, Data Versus Data will play a show at Rudyard's on Saturday, August 2nd, 2008, with Flowers to Hide and Wicked Poseur. Although no plans have been finalized, it is rumored that the band is working closely with FLDSdress.com to design outfits for the performance. When asked about the upcoming show, drummer Brad T said, "it's gonna' be a great one for sure. I just hope I can get it together, now that they closed the Starbucks inside my apartment."