Dr. X's Free Associations

Food, Beverages & Books

I covered the ice cream beat this week, but I've got a couple of other retail F&B observations.

1) Starbucks is selling tiny whoopie pies and other petite calorie-packed snacks.  They've even added bite-sized cupcakes to the menu.  You probably know that $4 regular-size cupcakes and pricey tiny cupcakes for the calorie conscious have been all the rage for some time.  But $1.95+tax for a Starbucks, one-bite cupcake?

Though nobody is going to buy a dozen of these cupcakes for $24, the price per dozen drives home the point that these little guys are expensive.  Nonetheless, the cupcakes should sell well because people aren't just buying a cupcake; they're paying Starbucks to give them a cupcake while also stopping them from eating a larger, diet-busting cupcake.  You might say the customers are paying to have their cake and eat it too.

2) I heard that Whole Foods will be testing beer and wine bars in some of their stores. What do you think about that? I know that many of their shoppers are also craft beer buyers, but ambiance is critical to the experience of having a beer at a bar. Mostly I enjoy a patio on a warm, sunny day or a sidewalk table where the people-watching is good.  I don't want to stare at heirloom tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella while sipping a beer.

_______________________

No, I'm not becoming an F&B retail trends blog, but it occurs to me that using the terms food and beverage and retail trends might get me some links from strange places.  Once I was quoted in Ad Age and another time in Spin Magazine, presumably because I used terms that their paid Googlers were searching.

Who knows? Maybe I'll get a link from Food Retail World or Cupcake News for mentioning bit-sized whoopies and tiny cupcakes.

_______________________

I promise I'll get back to posting on psychology soon. The inspiration hasn't been there lately, not that I'm not thinking about and reading psychology all the time.  I simply haven't been in the mood to write about it.

_______________________

Speaking of reading, I'm looking forward to delivery of The Book of Symbols, recommended by Jungian Analyst Cheryl Fuller.

Reenacting Old Photos

People reenacting old photos of themselves.  An ongoing project.

You must check this out. More here.

H/T Mark Draughn.

Homemade Ice Cream

Do you have to churn this at home?

Donald Trump: Birther & Liar?

Trump was ranting on Chicago radio today, questioning whether Obama was born in the United States.  I doubt Trump's questions are sincere. More likely, this is his disingenuous, cynical effort to appeal to the Republican base.

Trump posted his birth certificate on line. He said it only took him half an hour to get the certificate from the City of New York. He demanded to know why Obama can't produce his birth certificate after four years.

A couple of problems. First, Obama produced his legal state issued birth certificate long ago.

Second, the birth certificate Trump posted was not obtained from New York City in half an hour, because he didn't post a NYC birth certificate. He posted a Jamaica Hospital certificate.

Copies of Trump's hospital birth certificate, and an authentic NYC issued birth certificate (mine) are below the fold.

Changing Times, Changing Drugs Of Choice

Painkillers displacing cocaine as drugs of choice?

“Painkillers exploded on the scene about a year or so ago and it’s all over the place now,” said sheriff’s spokesman Dave Bristow. “Crack cocaine is still out there, but it’s taken a back seat now to painkillers.”

Does anyone think about what this might mean?

Liberal Bias at NPR?

This is Part I of an On the Media discussion of complaints about liberal bias at NPR. There are some interesting nuggets in this segment.

How to think about and evaluate media bias can get pretty complicated. In an interview of a regular listener and critic, the listener argued that there must be something to the claims of liberal bias because NPR receives so many complaints about it.  One of the hosts pointed out that they also receive mountains of mail complaining that the network "bends over backwards in the opposite direction."

I have no doubt that they constantly receive complaints arguing both sides.

This subject deserves a more lengthy, nuanced discussion, but for now check out this post on the Hostile Media Effect.

None of this proves or disproves that there is a general liberal bias at NPR, but it does suggest that perceptions of bias are often in the eye of the biased partisan.

Natural Disasters and Attributions of Divine Punishment

State of Formation has an excellent article by Gretchen Koch on the psychology behind the attribution of divine agency following natural disasters.  Gretchen has an interesting background, with a doctorate in study of religion, informed by cognitive science, psychology and philosphy.  Her own blog, Cheap Signals, is one of my daily reads.

Who Are You Going To Believe, Me Or Your Lyin' Eyes?

The Streamwood, Illinois police officer seen beating an unarmed motorist in this dashcam video is on trial for aggravated battery and official misconduct. Officer James Mandarino followed the motorist, Ronald Bell, to his home, intending to cite him for traffic violations.  Officer Mandarino said that Bell and a passenger in Bell's SUV repeatedly refused to obey his commands and cursed at him.  According to the Chicago Sun-Times, much of Mandarino's testimony concerned the missing soundtrack from the video recording.

Mandarino also testified that he beat Bell with the baton because he feared for his life.  He described Bell's position--on his knees--as a fighting stance.

There is probably more to this story than meets the eye, but to me it looks like Bell is attempting to obey Mandarino's commands  He's having some difficulty because he doesn't want to get beaten to a pulp.

Sun Times

False Confessions

Mark Draughn reacts to a story about an innocent man cleared of a murder after serving nine years in prison. The innocent man had confessed to the crime.

Mark says that modern methods of police interrogation encourage false confessions:

The Predators Lurking Underground

Last Thursday Evening, Riding Northbound in the Underground

Two young men, maybe in their early 20s, board the train at the North Avenue & Clybourn stop. They sit down together near the front of the car on the opposite side of the aisle, facing in my direction. I have an uncomfortable feeling about them. One of the men is looking at something toward the rear of the car, behind me. The expression on his face and the look in his eyes is very determined and predatory.