A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe

Not a Luxury
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The natural tendency is to treat matters of the spirit as luxury items -- sort of an appendage to life. Eating, sleeping, making money -- these things are given priority and the time dedicated to them is sacrosanct. But prayer, meditation and study fit in only when you feel like it, and are pushed aside on the slightest whim.

You've got to make your priorities faithful to your inner self. You've got to ask yourself if this is what your life is all about.

Set a schedule for spiritually enriching activities. Be as tough with that schedule as a workaholic would be with his business.

A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman

Panama coffee quality slips as price slump hits

Reuters, 10.24.02, 2:39 PM ET

By Robin Emmott

PANAMA CITY, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Panama coffee is losing the quality that only recently won it the reputation as "the fine wine" of Latin America's coffee crop, as low prices forced growers to cut back on vital fertilizers and other agricultural needs.

Panama's coffee producers, who grow specialty arabica coffee in volcanic soil free from chemical fertilizers, say around 90 percent of Panama's 5,000 highland growers are letting quality slip because they don't have the money to maintain crops at the highest standards.

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Berkeley to Vote on Politically Correct Coffee

Published on Thursday, October 24, 2002 by the San Jose Mercury News
Berkeley to Vote on Politically Correct Coffee
Measure O: Would Restrict Sale of Brewed Drinks to Fair-Trade, Organic and Shade-Grown Brands

by Sandra Gonzales

In ever-so-progressive Berkeley, yet another hot political debate is simmering. This one over coffee, no less.

And, if it's up to Rick Young, Berkeley voters will take their cup of brew fair-trade, organic and shade-grown.

Young, an environmentally and socially conscious lawyer on a mission to have all brewed coffee sold in Berkeley be politically correct, is sponsoring a November ballot measure that would make it the nation's only city to restrict the sale of coffee to those standards.

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Friends of organic coffee beans, unite!

Iowa City, Ia.
Drop the nonorganic coffee beans, dirtbag.

They won't be allowed in Iowa City if a small group of residents has its way.

The group has proposed an ordinance that would ban the sale of coffee drinks made from beans that are not either organic, fair-trade or shade-grown. Anyone caught selling other coffee could face a fine of at least $250 and up to three days in jail for a simple misdemeanor.

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Make your own fireworks over Lady Liberty

This website has nothing to do with coffee, but I want to share it with you. It's fun. Turn up your volume and try it!

Lady Liberty Fireworks

RABBI PLISKIN'S DAILY LIFT

Daily Lift #129 Enthusiasm Is Contagious

We are all influenced by the emotional states of the people we interact with. In the presence of cheerful, sincerely kind, upbeat people, we find it easier to become more cheerful and positive. Conversely, in the presence of someone who is negative, kvetchy, irritable, and angry, we easily feel more negative or uncomfortable ourselves. The person whose state is more intense and enduring will have a greater influence on the states of others, for better or worse.

Because the state of enthusiasm is contagious, if you want to increase your own level of enthusiasm, it makes sense to be around other people who are enthusiastic. Even talking to an enthusiastic person for a few minutes is frequently sufficient to elevate our own state. At times just talking to an enthusiastic person on the telephone will raise our spirits.

Your own enthusiasm will have a positive influence on the lives of others. By being enthusiastic you will be doing many acts of kindness. At times, you won't even be aware that your enthusiastic state was helpful to someone else. This can add a dimension of motivation for developing a greater amount of enthusiasm. Not only will you gain yourself, you will also be helping numerous others.

(From "Enthusiasm: formulas, stories, and insights" (2002) p.82; available from http://www.artscroll.com)

Aboutcoffee.net blog service gets hacked

Pyra sparked up its popular Blogger.com site after shutting it down earlier today in response to a hacker attack. The hack compromised individual accounts, locking out site users from their blogs.

Pyra has not yet determined when the hacker first got access to Blogger accounts, but the attack appeared to have started “early this morning,” Shellen said. Pyra took down the Blogger site at around 9 a.m. PT, and it was offline for about two and a half hours, he said. It was brought up at about 11:25 a.m.

Blogging, essentially the process of keeping an online journal of daily observations, has started to catch on with the mainstream. Celebrities, such as former Star Trek star Wil Wheaton, have their own blogs as well. Meanwhile, blogging has been the subject of a series of Doonesbury comic strips this week.

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Coffee Fest Seattle Exhibit Space Completely Full!

Seattle Show is November 8-10

Over 250 Exhibit Booths

Every space on the exhibition floor has been reserved. This marks the first time in Coffee Fest’s 32 shows that every last possible space on the show floor was filled. This will be an exhibition not to be missed!

Exhibitors:

Adstick Custom Label –Agtron - Allann Bros. Coffee Co. Inc. - Allsorts Premium Packaging - Ambex, Inc. - Anacortes Carts & Crafts - Arezzo Biscotti - Astoria/General Espresso - Atlas Coffee – ATM Card Services -Atomic Distributors - Bakers Breakfast - Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters - Bellissimo Media Info Group Inc. - Best Beverage Equipment - Big Train – Blendtec - Boyd Coffee Company – Brewmatic - Bridge Industries – Bridgetown Coffee - Brightway Ind. - Bruce & Clark Bubble Tea - Burgess Enterprises - Cacelin Corp. – Café de Costa Rica - Cafe Mam - Cafe Style - Caffe D'Amore - Cafe D'Arte - Caffe Fantini - Caffe Luca - Caffe Vita - Cappuccine, Inc. - Casa Del Caffe - Clean That Pot - Cocoa Pub - CoffeeByTheBag.com – CoffeeCo - Coffee Coins – Coffee Dispenser Cleaner Company - Concepts Plus - Concept Communications – Corsair Carts & Kiosk - Cravens Coffee - Cutters Point Coffee – Danisco - David Rio Coffee - Da Vinci Gourmet, Ltd. - Design & Layout Services - Diedrich Manufacturing - Dilettante Chocolate - Dillanos Coffee – D’Italia Espresso Co - Dixie Food Service – Dominic’s Coffee Co - DMX Music - Dr. Smoothie Ent. - D&M Coffee - Elixir Tonics & Teas - Emerald City Espresso Machines - Endicott Coffee Roasters - Eric Stone Specialty Sales – Espresso Parts NW - Espresso Specialists - Espresso Supply - Evergreen Orchards - Exotic Beverage & Spice - Extreme Foods/Jet Tea - E'Ola - Fastcap LLC/Cruisin Cap - FatPort Corporation – FESCO – FETCO - Fidalgo Bay Roasting Co. – Flavorganics - Fresh Cup Magazine -Ghiradelli Chocolate Co. - Good Earth Tea - Granelli Ice - Great Products – Gruenwald Manufacturing - Guittard Chocolate Co. Guayaki Sustainable – Hamilton Beach Commercial - Handmade By Me - Harlan Fairbanks - Hawaii Coffee Co. – Hint Mint - Hookah Wholesalers - IFive Brands, dba Penguin Mints - Imperial Software - Inlytes Productions - Innovated Products - InterAmerican Commodities - Island Oasis Frozen Cocktail - IVETA Gourmet Inc. - Java Jacket - Java! Java! Coffee Co. - Jewels Flour Shop - Josuma Coffee Company - Juice Marketing NW - Jurez Coffee - Lables Plus - La Spaziale - LBP Manufacturing - Life Is Good - Long Grove Confectionery – MA Graphics Inc.- Mahlkoenig Inc. - Malandro Records - McSteven's Inc. – Medosweet Farms - Mellelo Coffee Roasters - Michaelo Espresso – Millrock – Mocafe - Monin Inc. - Mont Blanc - Moon Harvest – Moonstar Chai - Mostly Muffins - NewLeaf Designs LLC - Nikola's Biscotti – Nitrocream - Northwest Label – Norwest Brokerage - Novopack - NSI Inc. – Nutrifaster – Ootopia – Oregon Chai - Pacific Bag, Inc. - Pack Plus Converting – Panache Gourmat Baking Co – Partech Inc. - Ponderosa Roasting Maint. & Mfr - Poverty Bay Coffee Co - Professional Creations - Rab Bar - Rancilio S.P.A. - Rocket Chocolate - Rough Ideas Inc. - Routin America - Salmon River Foods - Salter Housewares - Scully Interactive – Seattle's Favorite Gourmet Cookies & Dessert Co. - Selby Soft - Select Manuf. - Service Ideas - Silver Cup Coffee - Silver Legacy - Solo Cup – Sonofresco - Specialty Coffee Association of America - Specialty Coffee Retailer - Specialty Products Co. - Squeak'n Clean - Star-K Kosher Certification - Stasero/Calson Industries - Stearns & Lehman, Inc. - Stirling Foods - Surf and Sip Inc. - Swiss Water Decaf - Tea & Coffee Trade Journal - Thermo-Serv - The Good Cow Co. - The Gourmet Retailer Magazine - The McTavish Co. - The Nicewonger Company - Torani Italian Syrups - TransFair USA - Tutto Bene – Uni-Que Foods - United Supply - URNEX/Royal Ent. - Visions Espresso Service - Vita-Mix Corp. - Wally Biscotti - Wax Orchards - Webb Co. - West Farm Foods - Wondermugs, Inc. – Yoguccino - Zenith Specialty Bag Co. - Zoka Coffee Roasters & Tea Co

Pre-Registration for Coffee Fest Seattle closes Friday, October 25, 2002

A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe

Integrity
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A good barometer to determine whether something will be of benefit materially, is whether it is the proper thing to do spiritually. A business venture that implies breaking your moral principles will also be detrimental materially.

At times, we experience tremendous pressure when our ethics seem to stand in the way of success --but this is only an illusion. The spiritual and the material are in conflict only to our subjective eyes. In fact, they work in harmony as one.

A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman

Neighbors Uptight About Coffee Shop Name

MANASSAS, VIRGINIA-October 22, 2002 — The name of a new Virginia coffee shop is making some folks gag on their cappuccino. "The Bad Ass Coffee Company" is opening in a Manassas, Virginia, strip mall.

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Coffee makes a splash in tea land

Sam Nagarajan Bloomberg News Tuesday, October 22, 2002
India's growing middle class warms to American-style cafes

BANGALORE, India At a Barista coffee bar in downtown Bangalore, 16-year-old Diya Desai sips an iced cappuccino that costs more than the daily paycheck of two-fifths of India's 1.1 billion people.
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"We don't drink coffee at home, we drink tea," said Diya, a publisher's daughter, sitting with her friends Damini and Bhargavi, whose fathers are a software company executive and an interior designer. "This is the place we come to have coffee."

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Specialty Coffee Business Seminar

(Planning to open your own Retail Coffee Business?)

NOTE: Only 14 spaces left for the Nov 8-10 Seminar

Coffee Fest is excited to bring the “Specialty Coffee Business Seminar” back to the west coast. Presented in conjunction with Coffee Fest Trade shows, the “Specialty Coffee Business Seminar” is designed to ensure your “expertise” from the moment you open your doors. There is no other specialty coffee seminar in America that provides the knowledge and professional experience as you will find in the presenters of this seminar, who combined, offer over 30 years experience in the specialty coffee industry. Seminar is limited to 50 people. Over 800 entrepreneurs have completed this course since 1994.


Who Should Attend?

1) Entrepreneur-minded people considering the benefits of entering the specialty coffee business.

2) Every espresso business owner that desires to improve their quality, volume and the bottom line.

You’ll Learn To:

1) Identify the dream location

2) Develop and write your business plan

3) Negotiate a favorable lease

4) Hire, train and keep your baristas

5) Select your equipment and coffee

6) Extract perfect espresso consistently


Specialty Coffee Business Seminar Registration Includes:

1) Personal relationship with Kent Holloway, David Morris and Bob Burgess

2) Comprehensive Workbook

3) Hands on Espresso Extraction training

4) Course Certificate of Completion

5) Three day pass to Coffee Fest trade show

Hours: November 8-10, 2002

8:00 am – 6:30 pm Friday - 8:00 am – 6:30 pm Saturday - 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Sunday

Find out why previous seminar students say, “No one should go into this business without first attending Coffee Fest’s Specialty Coffee Business Seminar!”

Separate registration required. For more information, visit our web site or call David Heilbrunn at 800-232-0083 ext 13

CoffeeFest.com

Philadelphians Choose Coffee to Represent The City

by KYW's Karin Phillips
If the city of Philadelphia was a coffee, what would it taste like?

Coffee-loving Philadelphians are getting a chance to cast their votes on what brew says "Philly" best at a coffee tasting at the Rotunda at Liberty Place.

A coffee with Philly's personality?

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Coffee connoisseurs prize Ethiopian beans

Cash crop not paying off for farmers
By PATRICK MAJUTE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ethiopia Yergacheffe and Harar may be stars in the firmament of specialty coffees, but in the heart of Ethiopia where the plant was first discovered, farmers reap few benefits from their highly-prized crops.

"For the last three years, coffee has become undependable,' said Abba Milki, an 80-year-old farmer who owns 4,000 coffee trees. "Our livelihood is at stake if the situation doesn't change. We get nothing from the crop; it doesn't even pay for the labor.'

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