Carta da Starbucks apela ao fim do uso de armas nos seus cafés

Um ato fortíssimo da marca Starbucks volta a colocá-la no forte apelo à responsabilidade social e, uma vez mais, prova como as marcas devem ter uma consciência dos seus valores e de como podem e devem definir-se no contexto social e junto dos seus consumidores:  atuais e futuros.




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Dear Fellow Americans,
Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That's why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.
From the beginning, our vision at Starbucks has been to create a "third place" between home and work where people can come together to enjoy the peace and pleasure of coffee and community. Our values have always centered on building community rather than dividing people, and our stores exist to give every customer a safe and comfortable respite from the concerns of daily life.
We appreciate that there is a highly sensitive balance of rights and responsibilities surrounding America's gun laws, and we recognize the deep passion for and against the "open carry" laws adopted by many states. (In the United States, "open carry" is the term used for openly carrying a firearm in public.) For years we have listened carefully to input from our customers, partners, community leaders and voices on both sides of this complicated, highly charged issue.
Our company's longstanding approach to "open carry" has been to follow local laws: we permit it in states where allowed and we prohibit it in states where these laws don't exist. We have chosen this approach because we believe our store partners should not be put in the uncomfortable position of requiring customers to disarm or leave our stores. We believe that gun policy should be addressed by government and law enforcement -- not by Starbucks and our store partners.
Recently, however, we've seen the "open carry" debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening. Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called "Starbucks Appreciation Days" that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of "open carry." To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.
For these reasons, today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas -- even in states where "open carry" is permitted -- unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.
I would like to clarify two points. First, this is a request and not an outright ban. Why? Because we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request -- and also because enforcing a ban would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers, and that is not a role I am comfortable asking Starbucks partners to take on. Second, we know we cannot satisfy everyone. For those who oppose "open carry," we believe the legislative and policy-making process is the proper arena for this debate, not our stores. For those who champion "open carry," please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.
I am proud of our country and our heritage of civil discourse and debate. It is in this spirit that we make today's request. Whatever your view, I encourage you to be responsible and respectful of each other as citizens and neighbors,
Sincerely,
Howard Schultz
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NOVO LOGO! Google

A Google começou a revelar o seu novo logótipo, seguindo a tendência global de formas mais limpas, flat, e cores pastel, suavizadas, terminando assim tal como a Yahoo! com anos de bevel e emboss pronunciados e cores fortes.

Aqui fica à data de hoje o atual e o novo, que já começa a ser mostrado:




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YouTube - Minecraft video

O sucesso do Minecraft tem vindo a aumentar. O Guardian comunica esta semana que já atingiu os 33 milhões de utilizadores, e espreitando alguns fenómenos no YouTube, simples filmagens de jogadores mostram-nos dezenas e dezenas de vídeos de 30 e 40 minutos com meio milhão de visualizações.



Só esta paródia abaixo, um vídeo em tudo diferente, já leva mais de 100 milhões de visualizações. Isso: 100! Para terem uma ideia, todo o canal da RTP, o de maior sucesso em Portugal no YouTube, tem 218 milhões com 18.000 vídeos. Portanto, um fenómeno que até já cativou cá em casa o mais velho de 6 anos, ora vejam:


 


https://minecraft.net/



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Lição de Vida do criador de Calvin and Hobbes, BILL WATTERSON

É um dos BUZZ da semana, uma ilustração que virá para ficar e ser partilhada nos tempos que correm por mais umas quantas contas de redes sociais. A lição não é nova, mas o seu autor, o cartoonista Bill Watterson, não é uma pessoa qualquer, e raras são as entrevistas ou citações públicas que vemos dele. Desta feita, são curtas palavras, sobre as coisas simples, a vida e como aproveitá-la melhor, que estão a fazer as partilhas dispararem em flecha. Aqui fica:





Gavin Aung Than é o artista que desenhou a ilustração, baseando-se na BD "Calvin and Hobbes" como tela para as palavras do próprio Bill Watterson; ZenPencils é o projeto onde Gavin faz estas homenagens e trabalho criativo, tendo passado já por várias outras personalidades; podem consultar tudo aqui: http://zenpencils.com



http://zenpencils.com/comic/128-bill-watterson-a-cartoonists-advice/


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