Turkey Grinches?

Starbucks bulldozes over Thanksgiving with its maddeningly premature red holidaycups

This morning, post-workout, I walked into my neighborhood Starbucks and was promptly met with a smile and a bright red cup.

Because as soon as Halloween passes, 'tis (apparently) already the season. From now until the end of the year, holiday decorations and Christmas-themed goods are fair game.

Sorry, Thanksgiving — your drab oranges and browns just don't have the same consumer appeal as cherry red.

The red cup and associated limited-time drink specials are a bigger deal than I realized. The Starbucks Twitter feed is blowing up. Coffee consumers everywhere are talking about how the sugary holiday beverages inside of the cups are brightening up otherwise dreary days.

Sorry, Thanksgiving — your drab oranges and browns just don't have the same consumer appeal as cherry red.

There is even an entire website dedicated to counting down the days 'til red cups are available. (They were supposed to be launched on Nov. 15, or maybe on Nov. 3, but some stores were so excited about the holidays that they just couldn't! Hold! Out! Any! Longer!)

For me, the appeal isn't really there. Maybe because I tend to forego flavored drinks, sticking instead to my syrup- and sugar-less red eye or Americano, and the color of the cup I drink from doesn't have much affect on caffeine content or overall effectiveness.

But also, upon close inspection, the designs featured on the cups this year seem bizarre and irrelevant. My 'tall' said "Let's rediscover why we're best friends," with a faceless man sledding belly-down, carrying a scarf-donning dog on his back. CultureMap assistant editor Caroline Gallay's 'grande' featured a slightly sinister, winking nutcracker proffering an acorn to an expectant squirrel: "Let's remember why we go together so well." I don't get it.

Do the Starbucks holiday cups appeal to you? Tell us why!

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no more trips to Colorado

Bill to legalize marijuana in Texas filed by Dallas Democrat

Photo courtesy of Texas Original

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Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. House Bill 1208 would legalize the cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Adults could also keep up to 10 ounces of cannabis in their residence, as long as it is stored in a secure location.

Smoking or consuming cannabis while in a public place or in a car on a public road would not be allowed.

Gonzalez filed the bill in mid-November, one in a suite of bills that also included expanding insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for LGBTQ couples; and requiring landlords to disclose all fees before a rental lease is signed.

Her bill was filed prior to an initiative launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on December 4 to ban THC products in Texas entirely.

In addition to legalizing recreational use, the bill also makes provisions for its production and sale including requiring that the packaging be child-resistent and clearly labeled, so that it's not confused for candy.

Businesses looking to grow, transport, test, or sell cannabis would need to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the sale of all cannabis and cannabis products. Some of the profits would go towards funding public schools.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Medical cannabis is currently legal in Texas under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed for conditions such as epilepsy, MS, autism, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some cities have also approved decriminalization for the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana, including Austin, Bastrop, Dallas, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and Lockhart.

politics marijuana