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Thứ Sáu, 17 tháng 2, 2012

Babyccinos: Do kids really need espresso?

In Brooklyn, hipster parents are ordering up foamy decaf treats... for 2-year-olds Espresso bars aren't just for grown-ups anymore. Moms and dads in trend-setting New York City neighborhoods have started ordering foamy "babyccinos" for their pint-sized offspring, says Eli Rosenberg at The Brooklyn Paper. "Our children love babyccinos!" says one man with two daughters, ages 2 and 5. Here, a brief guide to this strange coffeehouse trend:

Just what is a babyccino?
There are two varieties. One is simply a tiny cup of decaf cappuccino — a shot of decaffeinated espresso topped with steamed milk. The other is an off-the-menu treat that some baristas will whip up just for little ones, consisting entirely of nothing but frothy steamed milk and foam. Sometimes, to sweeten the deal, baristas throw in a sprinkle of chocolate or cinnamon powder, or a tiny marshmallow or two. They cost up to $2, although some coffee drinkers say they expect a free serving of foam for kiddies when they're ordering several adult drinks.

SEE MORE: The top 8 parenting controversies of 2011

Who came up with this idea?
The trend appears to have started in Australia about a decade ago. The original babyccinos were of the milk-only variety, which made them a pain to make. "They interrupt workflow, create milk wastage, and can be served at a dangerous temperature to a vulnerable consumer," Australian coffee expert Paul Caligiore tells The Brooklyn Paper. But kids loved them, so parents ordered them, says Caligiore. Now it's "difficult to find [an Australian] cafe that doesn't have them on their menu."

How did the trend reach the U.S.?
Babyccinos drifted from Australia to England, possibly thanks to YouTube videos showing parents making the treats for their kids. Word spread, and parents started asking about them in Brooklyn a few years back. "I think it was from a TV show or something," coffeehouse owner Gemma Redwood tells The Brooklyn Paper. "It's a little weird — but we make it."

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Is this safe for kids?
No, this is a "horrible idea," says Jen Chung at Gothamist. Decaf coffee still has some caffeine, which is linked to childhood obesity. Plus, babyccinos are sure to prove a gateway vice, says Paula Forbes at Eater. "First it's decaf espresso, then it's the real stuff, next thing you know your kid's chain-smoking Gauloises. Parents, you've been warned." Well, it's worth the risk, says a parent in a discussion at Australia's Coffee Snobs. "They keep the kids happy so that I can enjoy my coffee in peace!"

Sources: Brooklyn Paper, Coffee Snobs, Eater, Gothamist, Huffington Post

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Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012

Did the GOP really cave on Obama's payroll tax holiday?

Republicans puzzle much of D.C. by suddenly backing off a demand to slash spending in exchange for extending a tax holiday. Is there more here than meets the eye? Washington is on the cusp of something unusual: A bipartisan agreement hammered out well before the 11th hour. On Tuesday evening, House and Senate leaders agreed to a package that will renew President Obama's payroll tax holiday for the rest of the year, as well as raise Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors and extend unemployment benefits for another 10 months. The biggest surprise: House Republicans dropped their insistence that the payroll-tax-cut extension (which will add $100 billion to the deficit) be paid for with cuts elsewhere, a capitulation that infuriated many conservatives. Did the GOP simply give up after badly losing a similar fight in December, or is something else going on?

The GOP caved, big time: Both sides compromised to reach this deal, but Republicans "surrendered," says Steve Benen at The Maddow Blog. Facing the prospect of being blamed for raising taxes on 160 million middle-class workers, "the GOP simply couldn't play the same game" at which it excelled during debt-ceiling and government-shutdown showdowns last year: Hold the economy hostage, wait for Democrats to cave. This time, Democrats had the upper hand and everyone knew it.
"Congress reaches tentative payroll deal"

In some ways, this is a win for conservatives: It's not that simple, says Conn Carroll at The Washington Examiner. This deal "contains a huge, though far from perfect, win for conservatives on the Hill." Letting Americans keep their money is always a victory for anti-tax Republicans. And while this deal commits the right-wing blasphemy of adding to the deficit, it vastly improves on the Democrats' initial proposal: Paying for a payroll tax holiday by soaking the rich with a tax hike.
"Conservatives win on payroll cut"

Republicans are playing Obama like a fiddle: This is terrible fiscal policy, says the pseudonymous Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge. But, by letting Obama "spend, spend, spend," the GOP can win. If the president keeps adding to the deficit at this rate, the U.S. will hit the debt ceiling in September. And if there's another big showdown over raising the national credit card limit before election day, "Obama's chances of re-election plunge." All the GOP has to do is get out of the way and "let Obama blow himself up."
"GOP finally discovers Obama's Achilles heel..."

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Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012

Could Vladimir Putin really face a 'Russian Spring'?

Though the resilient Russian leader is still a near-lock to win back the presidency next month, anti-Putin protests are growing

In the largest protests Russia has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union, tens of thousands of people flooded Moscow's streets in recent days demanding fair elections and the end of Vladimir Putin's "corrupt" government. Putin was president from 2000 to 2008. Barred from a third consecutive term, he has spent the last four years serving as prime minister while his hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, held the presidency. Putin is widely expected to reclaim the presidency in March elections, a scenario which one opposition leader warns could trigger "Russian Spring" protests. Is that realistic and what might it lead to?

The tide is turning against Putin: "Opposition demonstrations have utterly changed the political atmosphere in Russia," says Gideon Rachman at Business Day. Riled up by Putin's United Russia party's rigged parliamentary election victory in December, marchers are carrying signs reading "Mubarak, Gadhafi, Putin." And it's true — "the end of the Putin era is in sight." Just listening to "the insults hurled at Putin" by Russian protesters and "the intoxicating sense that taboos are being broken is reminiscent of the outbreak of glasnost under Mikhail Gorbachev."
"Ice starts to crack under Putin in 'Moscow thaw'"

Be careful what you wish for: I love seeing Russians protest Putin's "heavy-handedness and corruption," says Raymond Sontag at The American Interest. But if this is the start of a Russian Arab Spring, the protesters could be headed for the same turmoil and violence from which Putin claims to have saved them in the 1990s. In a country like Russia that lacks strong freedom-promoting institutions, it does not necessarily forllow that reformers toppling dictators will lead to true democratization. Remember, "such revolution can easily lead... right back to the authoritarianism it sought to displace."
"Divided Russia"

Russians are mad, but not that mad: Obviously, Russians "who take to the streets are upset," Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia's Global Politics journal, tells Agence France Presse. But this is no Arab Spring. What Russians "want is more prosperity, more prospects for the future, not a revolution." The tensions tearing apart Arab countries just aren't present in Russia, and as long as the government reacts with restraint, Putin won't be toppled anytime soon.
"Russia still far from its 'Arab Spring': Analysts"

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