Drink for charity, starting now

by Annie Scott on

Kimpton, that hotel and restaurant group that’s paying your baggage fees, has released their holiday beverages, calling them “Cocktails for a Cure.” You can now donate to HIV and AIDS charities by getting sauced at Kimpton hotels and restaurants all across the U.S. and Canada.

The beverages, created by their master mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout, are:

  • Rouge on the Rocks – Milagro Blanco Tequila, Grand Marnier, raspberries and mint
  • Scarlet Night – Bacardi Rum, Campari and white peach puree
  • Ruby Sparkle – Grey Goose Vodka, Grand Marnier, pomegranate juice and sparkling wine

Each costs $12, and every time you purchase one, $1 will be donated to one of the featured charities (listed after the jump). $1 doesn’t sound like a lot to you? Better have five cocktails. Don’t be stingy.

Kimpton’s “Cocktails for a Cure” promotion is part of an annual Red Ribbon campaign. For more than two decades, Kimpton has assisted HIV and AIDS service organizations across North America through employee volunteerism, educational campaigns, corporate donations, and raising funds through special events.
The Cocktails for a Cure event will continue through the end of December, and may benefit a charity near you:
AIDSCare (Chicago); AIDS Housing Corporation (Boston); AIDS Project (Los Angeles); Bailey House Inc. (New York City); Cascade AIDS Project (Portland); Colorado AIDS Project; Design Industries Foundation fighting AIDS (Dallas); Lifelong AIDS Alliance (Seattle); Mama’s Kitchen (San Diego); Phoenix Children’s Hospital; The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation (San Francisco); Utah AIDS Foundation; Vancouver Friends for Life Society; and Whitman-Walker Clinic (Washington DC).

Click here to find out where to go drink for a cure.

Would you want to stay here? Wait for it …

by Jerry Guo on

Aww, isn’t this bed and breakfast nice and quaint? According to their website:

Alicja Hotel is a modern hotel facility located only a few minutes walk to the city centre and 500 meters to the covered market of international trade shows that often take place in Lodz. The outstanding location, family atmosphere and high quality of services are our good points.

Now, here is that same exact hotel from a slightly different angle. I usually I tend to stay away from places that are almost entirely hidden on Google Maps because of the smoke from the nuclear reactor in the backyard, but that’s just me.

Goes to show you not to trust completely what you find on the hotel’s own website).

And for extra points, see this unexpected sight in the bar.

The remote vote

by Annie Scott on

Absentee ballots are all the rage. Are you a remote voter? It’s not hard to vote, even when you’re traveling, if you plan ahead. But sometimes things go awry.

I still vote in Minnesota. It’s done and dusted – well, done and notarized. I was nervous, though, that my ballot wouldn’t arrive in sufficient time for me to fill it out and get it back to the Secretary of State’s office by tomorrow! As the days of last week drained away and the ballot still hadn’t arrived, I confessed to my roommate that if I couldn’t vote because my ballot never got here, I was probably going to lie about it to all my friends because I would be so ashamed and certain it was somehow my fault. Even though I totally requested the absentee ballot at the beginning of October.

It came. I voted. I swear.

Cue panic for those of you who are away from home and don’t have a ballot! Well, there may still be hope for you. Read on.

First of all, Google “absentee ballot” and the state in which you are registered. The rules vary by state, but in some cases, you can even fax your ballot, and you have until tomorrow!

Here’s an absentee voting FAQ and the link for those of you who requested a ballot and didn’t get one in time.

Now vote. I don’t wanna hear your “but I was in the Alps!” nonsense.

[via: Wired]

Three freebie treats on Election Day

by Jamie Rhein on

After you head to the polls to vote on Tuesday, stop in a Krispe Kreme donut place, a Starbucks or a Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream for a free thanks for voting treat.

As blogger Beth Pinsker wrote on WalletPop, Krispe Kreme doesn’t care who you voted for, but that you voted. If you show up wearing your “I Voted” sticker you’ll get a special star-shaped donut with red, white and blue sprinkles. Some Krispe Kreme places may be handing out the traditional round donut, but with the patriotic sprinkles. This offer is only good on Tuesday, and only one donut per customer.

Starbucks is offering a thank you for voting cup of coffee. I found that out when I was looking up the John McCain/Sarah Palin, aka, Tina Fey video from Saturday Night Live. Here’s a link to the Starbucks ad that is using the election as a way to get people to make the world a better place. I guess coffee helps. It helps me. To get your free tall size cup, go to a Starbucks on the 4th and say you voted.

Ben and Jerry’s is giving out free scoops of ice-cream from 5 to 8 p.m. on the 4th. The free scoops, one scoop per customer are to celebrate democracy. From what I can tell, you don’t need to have voted.

Starbucks is offering a thank you for voting cup of coffee. I found that out when I was looking up the John McCain/Sarah Palin, aka, Tina Fey video from Saturday Night Live.

Here’s a link to the Starbucks ad that is using the election as a way to entice people to make the world a better place. I guess coffee helps. It helps me. To get your free tall size cup, go to a Starbucks on the 4th and say you voted.

On the 4th, Ben and Jerry’s is giving out free scoops of ice-cream from 5 to 8 p.m. The free scoops, one scoop per customer, are to celebrate democracy. From what I can tell, you don’t need to have voted in order to get a treat. Although, I’d vote just in case.

“Obama: The Musical” to play in Kenya

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Think front-running presidential candidate Barack Obama is popular in the United States? In Kenya, home of Obama’s father, Obama is absolutely beloved, so much so that a theatre company in Nairobi is currently presenting the hagiographic show “Obama: The Musical.”

The musical, which debuted yesterday and will run through November 5, tells the story of Obama’s young life and his eventual political career. The actors involved in the production are virtually all rabid supporters of Obama, even the actors who play the show’s villains, John McCain and George W. Bush.

The actor playing McCain says he would have preferred to play Obama: “Obama is more fun to portray than McCain,” he says. “I hope he will win.”

The show’s director, George Orido, says he has already received invitations to perform the show in South Africa and the UK.

[via Chris Blattman]