February 16, 2012 at 12:58 pm by amyrolph@seattlepi.com (Amy Rolph)
That would be a java chip frappuccino in a trenta venti cup with 16 shots of espresso, a shot of soy milk, caramel flavoring, banana puree, strawberry puree, vanilla beans, matcha powder, protein powder, with caramel and mocha drizzled on top.
That’s what a young man named Logan Warren ended up ordering when he asked a barista to make him the most expensive drink possible. (He had a gift card, after all — why not guzzle it down in one giant cup?)
The total on the bill? $23.60.
Of course, Warren might regret actually finishing the drink, which he described as “tolerable, but not good.”
“Imagine a coffee-based health food smoothie that will put you in the hospital if you drink it all,” he wrote. “That’s how it tastes…like Jillian Michaels with a touch of Chuck Norris.”
Update from Starbucks: It wasn’t a trena-sized cup — that’s a no-no for frappuccinos. But the company is thrilled Warren still had so much fun concocting his birthday beverage.
We’re pleased to hear this My Starbucks Rewards customer was able to find great value in his free birthday beverage and develop a unique creation. As you can see by the receipt, which is dated March 2011, the base beverage was a Venti Frappuccino, not a Trenta. Our Trenta-size cup is only available for Starbucks® Iced Coffee, Tazo® Shaken Iced Tea and Iced Tea Lemonades. To ensure consistent service, this policy has been reinforced with our store partners (employees).
February 1, 2012 at 4:15 pm by amyrolph@seattlepi.com (Amy Rolph)
Jamie Oliver
McDonald’s recently confirmed it will no long use scrap meat treated with ammonium hydroxide to make hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, and all of the United Kingdom is claiming victory.
OK, maybe not all of the UK — just the Daily Mail and so-called Naked Chef Jamie Oliver.
“After years of trying to break America, Jamie Oliver has finally made his mark by persuading one of the biggest U.S fast food chains in the world to change their burger recipe,” the Daily Mail reported this week.
Oliver brought attention to McDonald’s treated meat on this TV show “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” Since then, a photo of pink goo has been making the rounds on social networking sites. The goo appears to be McDonald’s ice cream — but it’s later revealed to be processed meat.
But McDonald’s says their decision to stop using treated meat has nothing to do with Oliver. The company released this statement:
At the beginning of 2011, we made a decision to discontinue the use of ammonia-treated beef in our hamburgers. This product has been out of our supply chain since August of last year. This decision was a result of our efforts to align our global standards for how we source beef around the world.
Here’s what Oliver said on his show, when he first detailed the USDA-approved process of making ground beef.
Besides being used as a household cleaner and in fertilizers, the compound releases flammable vapors, and with the addition of certain acids, it can be turned into ammonium nitrate, a common component in homemade bombs. It’s also widely used in the food industry as an anti-microbial agent in meats and as a leavener in bread and cake products. It’s regulated by the U.S. Agriculture Department, which classifies it as “generally recognized as safe.”
The search site infers demographics based on what websites users visit, then chooses advertising content based on that data. Given a recent announcement from Google about privacy changes, now seems like a good time to find out what the company knows about you.
For the record, Google thinks I’m a 35-44-year-old male. Wrong and wrong. But in all fairness, Google inferred the same about a coworker who is a 35-44-year-old man.
October 4, 2011 at 2:36 pm by amyrolph@seattlepi.com (Amy Rolph)
The plane carrying Amanda Knox and her family departs from Rome's 'Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci' airport for London on their journey back to Seattle on October 4, 2011 in Rome, Italy. (Getty Images)
After disembarking from the London-to-Seattle flight, Knox’s family will speak briefly to reporters. Then they want some time alone.
In this image made from amateur video accessed by APTN, Amanda Knox, right, embraces an unidentified person at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. (AP photo)
Family spokesman David Marriott said Knox doesn’t have concrete plans for the future after landing in Seattle.
“They’ve all been so focused on the appeal,” Marriott said Tuesday. “They’re going to take some time and see what normal looks like now. It’s certainly different than what it was. They’ll take a look at the next steps. Obviously, there’s been a million requests for interviews.”
Knox is likely to be a hot commodity for some time — especially if Donald Trump has any say in future plans. Some news agencies are reporting she started work on a book in prison and already has hundreds of pages written.
“She’ll write, because that’s her way of dealing with things,” stepfather Chris Mellas told the Guardian.
October 4, 2011 at 9:43 am by amyrolph@seattlepi.com (Amy Rolph)
Trump, via Getty Images
When Amanda Knox returns home to the U.S. Tuesday, she’ll have no shortage of so-called friends in high places. But her highest friend might be the real-estate mogul sitting at the top of New York’s Trump Tower.
Donald Trump thinks the newly-acquitted Knox has some star potential, and he wants to help her find a way to pay her legal fees. He told new CNN anchor Erin Burnett Monday that Knox could “become a big star and build some dividends” from her ordeal in Italy.
Trump has long been a supporter of Knox, urging Americans to boycott Italy until her release. (Looks like the Donald might finally be lifting that ban.)
“I’ve been supporting the (Knox) family,” Trump said. “I’ve been helping the family and will continue to help them.”
October 4, 2011 at 9:38 am by amyrolph@seattlepi.com (Amy Rolph)
Amanda Knox arrives from Rome at Heathrow Airport London, Oct. 4, 2011. (AP photo)
Amanda Knox sightings were elusive Tuesday, but the former student was briefly spotted at an airports in Rome and London just before boarding a plane to Seattle with her family.
Knox, newly acquitted of the murder of Meredith Kercher, appeared in high spirits. The 24-year-old smiled at supporters as she carried her bag through the airport and gave one man a hug.
In this image made from amateur video accessed by APTN, Amanda Knox, right, embraces an unidentified person at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. (AP photo)
“We respect the decision of the judges but we do not understand how the decision of the first trial could be so radically overturned. We still trust the Italian justice system and hope that the truth will eventually emerge.”
October 3, 2011 at 9:15 pm by amyrolph@seattlepi.com (Amy Rolph)
Amanda Knox cries after hearing a verdict that acquits her of murdering Meredith Kercher. (Getty Images)
As Amanda Knox was led crying out of an Italian courtroom Monday following her acquittal, a tidal wave of information erupted online.
Some of it was incorrect.
Several news organization got the court’s decision wrong at first, publishing pre-written stories saying Knox “looks stunned” as her appeal was overturned and that she would be “returned to jail in Perugia, Italy.” One AFP story (lately removed from the Internet) even quoted prosecutors saying they were “delighted” with the verdict.
Wrong,wrong and wrong. Besides the stunned look, the exact opposite happened.
Errors aside, here are a few interesting (and correct) Amanda Knox headlines from around the world.
The movie ended after Knox’s conviction, with actress Hayden Panettiere playing the horrified student on her way to prison.
Now that Knox has been acquitted of murdering her British roommate, Lifetime is planning a few updates to the controversial movie. A brief epilogue added at the start of the movie, and an updated coda will reflect recent developments, reports TV Guide.
But that’s not all that’s in store for Knox — far from it.
Knox, 24, might be the most sought-after interview in the country.
Just minutes after her acquittal, Knox was bombarded with interview requests from media. “KQMV Has A Job For Amanda Knox,” was the headline from one Seattle radio station.
“We’re glad you’re free Amanda and look forward to welcoming you home!” a statement from the station. “We believed in you all along, so much so, that we would like to extend an offer of $10,000 to you to come host our morning show for one week with Brooke and Jubal in the morning! We would all love to hear what you have to say and maybe help a little with the legal bills. Once again, welcome home!”
But the big money comes from talk shows, book deals and movie rights.
“I think that anything with her name on it and her face on it will create an interest,” Gene Grabowski, a crisis management expert with Levick Strategic Communications, told MSNBC. “This is the United States of Entertainment. There’s a constant market for entertainment.”
That would be a java chip frappuccino in a trenta venti cup with 16 shots of espresso, a shot of soy milk, caramel flavoring, banana puree, strawberry puree, vanilla beans, matcha powder, protein powder, with caramel and mocha drizzled on top.
