Jump on the political bandwagon

I skimmed this article from the New York Times a week or so ago.

The article highlights the new weekly paper now offered by the popular coffee chain, Starbucks. The paper, called "The Good Sheet", will come out weekly and offer a new political issue each week. Set to coincide with the election season, "The Good Sheet" will be issued for 11 weeks.

I first saw this article through a blog I check regularly. I really like the concept. Politics don't tend to interest me. I've somewhat paid attention to the media fodder, but honestly, what I've heard from that hasn't been about the issues. Well, it's been about issues, per se - say Senator Palin's pregnant daughter or Senator Obama's not-exactly-PC comments - but I've not seen much about the politics at hand.

That being said, I'm interested to see what exactly this paper has to offer. According to the article, Starbucks is hoping to generate conversation about these issues through "The Good Sheet". It seems like it is a good idea. Hopefully it is a way to get some of the issues and the candidate's stances out there.

One concern I have is that, as the Times article says, the papers have a emphasis on philanthropy and activism. So, the issues don't sound like they are being presented in a completely unbiased light, unlike how they would appear in a newspaper or other media outlet. I guess a slant in the direction of philanthropy can't be all bad, even if it is a bias.

I'm anxious to see this. I haven't been to a Starbucks since I saw this article, so I guess this is a good excuse to shell out the money on my favorite fall latte - pumpkin spice! - and see what it's all about!

Has anyone else seen these? Even if you haven't, what are your thoughts?