There has been a lot of talk in recent days about Dunkin Donuts pulling a Rachel Ray ad spot because of a scraf she’s wearing that Michelle Malkin said “reminds her of the scarfs worn by terrorist extremists.”
Here is what MSNBC is reporting
Dunkin’ Donuts pulled a television spot featuring talk show host and Food Network personality Rachael Ray this weekend after a Fox news commentator associated it with terrorists.
In the ad, Ray is wearing a scarf that Michelle Malkin said in her nationally syndicated column resembled a kiffiyeh, Middle Eastern garb that is “popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos.”
Dunkin’s Senior Vice President for Communications Margie Myers issued a statement saying the scarf “was selected by a stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended.
Read the MSNBC report
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Dunkin’ Donuts was to break ground Thursday on its first LEED certified restaurant — guidelines reflecting tough environmental standards.
The latest Dunkin’ restaurant, to be built out in St. Petersburg, Fla., will include energy-efficient construction and lighting, as well as water-efficient elements. It will serve as a prototype for the Canton, Mass.-based company, said Stephen J. Caldeira, chief global communications and public affairs officer for Dunkin’ Brands, which operates Dunkin’ Donuts.
I thought it might be good to do a short follow up on the last article from Jeff Stukey. In fact as I was thinking about writing a piece a new article came out in the Wichita Eagle.
Jeff Stukey is not in the business of selling financial products. In fact, he said that is the biggest misconception about his job as a fee-only financial firm and owner of Stukey Financial Planning.
…As a fee-only firm, Stukey charges for advice by the hour and does not offer asset management. His is the only local firm that is a member of two “fee-only” associations, Garrett Planning Network and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. He charges $180 to $270 per hour for simple advice. He will present a personal financial plan for an additional fee, if the client wants and can afford it.
You can find more information about Jeff Stukey’s fee-only financial planning service from his website www.stukeyfinancialplanning.com and you can also read the article in the Wichita Eagle.
This article has nothing to do with Dunkin Donuts, but it’s written by a close friend. I thought those in the DunkinDonutsTalk community would enjoy reading it.
We have become a nation that believes we can enjoy constant economic growth with no pain. Not only do we expect prosperity, but we expect a constantly increasing level of prosperity.
But prosperity without sacrifice produces many problems: high gasoline prices, the housing bubble, the broken health care system, Social Security and Medicare systems headed for bankruptcy, the environment headed for disaster.
The generation who lived through the Great Depression and World War II understood sacrifice, but wanted their children to have a “better” life. However, that better life is unsustainable, according to David Walker, former U.S. comptroller general.
In an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Walker said that even though we don’t face an immediate crisis, we suffer from a fiscal cancer that, if not treated, could lead to catastrophic consequences. One of the biggest problems is that we have massive entitlement programs that we can no longer afford.
We don’t like to deal with reality. Because of that, politicians often pander instead of lead. Instead of facing the reality that the stock market is overpriced because of the housing market meltdown, they give us a $120 billion tax rebate. Instead of sustainable renewable energy strategies, a handful of congressmen in corn-growing states give us ethanol (which contributes to the world food shortage). Instead of better public transportation and more efficient automobiles, we get a proposed “tax holiday” on gasoline taxes.
One comparatively bright spot on the political landscape is our governor’s courage in standing firm on the proposed coal-plant expansion in western Kansas. Good for her. We clearly need to recognize that the bill has come due for our cavalier use of fossil fuels. We must embrace the use of renewable energy and find a way to make it work.
We need leaders who have the courage to honestly contend with the many challenges we face and who are willing to lead, not pander. As a nation, we need lofty goals such as transitioning within the next 10 years to 50 percent renewable energy sources, and mandating a retirement program (in addition to Social Security) for all workers, funded by employers and employees, which would have a 401(k)-like option and a personal retirement annuity pension account option.
Now is not the time for us to shrink back and take the route of temporary, quick-and-easy fixes. We need to learn from the past and make bold, sustainable, long-term plans for the future.
We simply cannot afford any more quick and painless fixes. The future of our nation is at risk. We need to act now.
Read this article in the Wichita Eagle