Starbucks vs Flipnotics + ACL + GOD = HURRICANE RITA ?

AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN
COMMENTARY: JOHN KELSO
ACL facing God's steam over lattes
Friday, September 23, 2005
Seems like everyone and his brother is using God to explain natural disasters these days, so here goes.
The reason God was sending Hurricane Rita toward Austin to mess with the Austin City Limits Music Festival?
Easy. It's because God was angry at ACL organizers for picking Starbucks as the only coffee vendor in the festival's Austin Eats food court. And God knows, Starbucks is not an "Austin Eats." Starbucks is a "Seattle Eats."
So naturally, God was trying to scare the snot out of the festival organizers for not picking a local Austin caffeine vendor.
Hey, if TV evangelist Pat Robertson can blame Hurricane Katrina on the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for picking Ellen DeGeneres to host the Emmys, I can blame Rita on ACL for picking Starbucks for an allegedly downhome Austin music affair.
I can make a pretty logical case here. This will be Starbucks' first appearance at the festival. Not coincidentally, this is the first time the festival has had to worry about getting its shorts blown off by a big wind with a girl's name attached to it.
And now this message from God warning event organizers not to be stupid enough to repeat this stunt next year: "Little soggy out there, folks? Well, that's what you get for putting a Starbucks in an 'Austin Eats' food court. Next time I'm sending in the locusts."
There is a connection. Let's see. Rainy. Gloomy. Dank. Dribbly. Goopy. Soggy. Drippy. Moldy. Seattle. Austin City Limits. Hurricane. Hmmm. Eerie, isn't it? Instead of keeping Austin weird, Starbucks' presence could have kept Austin wet.
This situation ticks off some people. Mark Kamburis, co-owner of Flipnotics Coffeespace at 1601 Barton Springs Road, says he served drinks at the previous two ACL festivals. But this year Starbucks has taken his place, and he ain't there.
This doesn't make him happy, because he figures Austin businesses should get first dibs at an Austin event.
"I guess I'm old-fashioned, but this one just hurt," said Kamburis, who figures that he is losing $5,000 to $10,000 in advertising alone by not being at the festival. "Bringing in a corporate Goliath like Starbucks. Maybe I'm losing touch with what Austin is becoming."
I called Capital Sports and Entertainment, the company running the festival, to see why they picked an out-of-towner. But no one returned my call. Without meaning to sound like a detective, I'm guessing it has something to do with money.
Besides, do we really need another Starbucks? There are so many Starbucks in this town that I expect to wake up one morning to find a tiny Starbucks operating a to-go window out of my pants.
Kamburis says that the folks at CSE have been trying to appease him by offering him free festival passes.
May God punish them by backing up their plumbing.

John Kelso's column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 445-3606 or jkelso@statesman.com.
source: http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/09/23kelso.html
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What is ACL ? http://www.austin360.com/xl/content/xl/acl2005/ACL2005.html