Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz changed how America drinks coffee. Now, he wants to change the political system.
The leader of the coffee giant says US political leaders have created a “crisis of confidence” with their political wrangling that is wreaking havoc on the economy. He said he wanted to give a voice to all citizens by hosting a national telephone forum yesterday.
He is also running ads in the New York Times and USA Today ahead of the event, featuring an open letter that urges Americans to participate in the forum and insist politicians end their hyper-partisan behavior.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
“We must send the message to today’s elected officials ... that the time to put citizenship ahead of partisanship is now,” Schultz said in the letter.
The forum comes weeks after Schultz called on other CEOs to halt contributions to US political campaigns until US leaders become financially disciplined and stop their political wrangling. The CEOs of more than 100 companies, from AOL to Zipcar, joined Schultz in his pledge to halt contributions and do what they could to stimulate growth in their industries.
Schultz, who heads Seattle-based Starbucks, which operates more than 17,000 stores globally, said he was moved to hold the forum after receiving hundreds of e-mails and letters from citizens. They were struggling to find jobs, keep their homes or send their children to school given the economic conditions.
Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社
“It looks like we struck a nerve with so many people,” Schultz told the Associated Press. “I feel a personal responsibility to create a public dialogue and make a voice for people who feel like they can’t be heard.”
“America is at a fragile and critical moment in its history,’’ Schultz said in his letter. “We must restore hope in the American Dream.” While it is a divisive time in politics, analysts do not anticipate the move will have any negative impact on the company’s bottom line. “Even if someone doesn’t agree with his personal opinion, it is unlikely to send them elsewhere for coffee,” said Bart Glenn, an analyst with D.A. Davidson.
(AP)
星巴克執行長霍華德‧舒茲改變了美國喝咖啡的習慣。現在，他要再出手，但這次要改變的是美國政治體系。
這位領導咖啡王國的巨人說，政治領袖已因政治惡鬥，引發一股「信心危機」，造成經濟上的嚴重破壞。他說要在昨天主辦一場全國電話論壇，為全民發聲。
他也在《紐約時報》與《今日美國報》刊登一封公開信的廣告，信中號召美國人參加這場論壇，並且堅決要求政治人物停止黨派互鬥的行為。
舒茲在這封信寫道：「我們必須把訊息傳達給當今的民選官員…現在是把公民權利擺在黨派利益之上的時候了。」
發起該論壇的數週前，舒茲呼籲其他執行長，在美國領導人尚未遵守財政紀律，並尚未停止政治口水戰之前，停止提供競選政治獻金。這些一百多家公司的執行長，包含美國線上到網路租車公司Zipcar等，都加入舒茲的籲求，誓言暫停捐款，並且盡力促進產業成長。
舒茲率領以西雅圖為總部的星巴克，目前全球連鎖店已超過一萬七千家，他說因受到上千封民眾寄來電子郵件與信件的感召，才決定發起此論壇。這些民眾因經濟困頓，目前正面臨找不到工作、無法維持家計，或無法讓子女就學的窘境。
舒茲告訴美聯社說：「看來我們觸怒了好些人。」但他說：「我出於一股使命感，創造一個能讓大眾對話的論壇，並且替感到心聲無法被聽見的人們發聲。」
舒茲在其信中寫道：「美國正處於歷史上一個脆弱與關鍵的時刻。」他表示：「我們必須重新對美國夢懷抱希望。」因目前正處政治分裂之際，分析師預料舒茲所為，將不會對公司的盈虧底限，造成任何負面的影響。D.A. Davidson投資公司分析師巴特‧葛蘭表示：「即便有人不認同其個人見解，但也不致於棄星巴克而喝其他家的咖啡。」
（美聯社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
In today’s digital age, every click and swipe generates data, and the need for reliable and efficient data management has become critical. This is where data centers come into play. Data centers include servers, storage drives, networking equipment, and other hardware to manage, process, and store vast amounts of digital information. __1__ For that reason, some companies are pursuing an unusual idea: placing data centers under the surface of the ocean. What makes underwater data centers cheaper than traditional land-based ones? For one thing, the cool temperature of the ocean means that companies can cut down on the high cost of
A: Apart from BTS’ J-Hope and EXO’s Xiumin, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan is holding six concerts in Kaohsiung. B: And versatile British musician Jacob Collier is visiting Taiwan for the first time, performing in New Taipei City tonight. A: US singer Lauv and rock band LANY will also stage individual shows in Kaohsiung next week. B: Plus, Singaporean singer JJ Lin will hold two concerts at the Taipei Dome in early June. A: Which show are you going to? A: 除了BTS的J-Hope和EXO的Xiumin，香港歌王陳奕迅正在高雄熱唱6場。 B: 而多才多藝的英國歌手雅各柯里爾首度訪台，今晚即將在新北開唱！ A: 美國歌手洛夫、搖滾樂團藍尼下週也分別在高雄演出。 B: 此外新加坡歌王林俊傑則將於6月初，首次挑戰台北大巨蛋嗨唱兩場。 A: 你想去聽誰的演唱會？ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
US President Donald Trump on Monday last week signed the TAKE IT DOWN ACT (Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act), bipartisan legislation that enacts stricter penalties for the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery, sometimes called “revenge porn,” as well as deepfakes created by artificial intelligence. The measure, which goes into effect immediately, was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and later gained the support of First Lady Melania Trump. Critics of the measure, which addresses both real and artificial intelligence-generated imagery, say
1. 我不夠快。 ˇ I wasn’t fast enough. χ I wasn’t enough fast. 註：enough用作副詞時，一般放在它修飾的形容詞或其他副詞後面。例如： The tea is hot enough.（茶是夠熱。） He did not work hard enough.（他不夠用功。） 但enough用作形容詞時，前置或後置都可以。例如： There is enough food (/food enough) for us. 2. 今晚七時我們將開董事會。 ˇ We are having a board meeting at seven o’clock this evening. ˇ We are having a board meeting this evening, at seven o’clock. χ We are having a board meeting this evening at seven o’clock. 註：如果有多個時間副詞，一般單位大的放在單位小的後面。例如： I was born in May 1939. The meeting was held at five o’clock yesterday afternoon. 但如果大的單位是說話者強調的重點，則可以放在前面，但後面要有逗號，表示停頓。例如： He arrived yesterday afternoon, at about five o’clock. 3. 我生於麻州波士頓。 ˇ I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. χ I was born in Massachusetts, Boston. 註：一般而言，地點副詞的位置，範圍大的放在範圍小的後面。例如： Before
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