By Wondwossen Mezlekia The recent Starbucks Day of Action escalated the public dispute to another level, described by an activist as color orange or “severe” – red being “imminent” - in a scale of likelihood of public actions. Starbucks has not commented on this to date but there are indications suggesting that the company did feel the heat. Whether the giant would move from its stance remains an interesting story to follow. On December 16, many Starbucks customers including Ethiopian Americans, Fair Trade activists, and University students made it out to the busy streets in the US, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Germany, and other countries. In addition, in what is seen as proof of Oxfam’s sophistication in campaign strategies and the organization’s intimacy with grassroots supporters, a video of the public action was released through YouTube on December 19th - another surprise. The three minutes video is both alarming and full of striking contrasts. It is amazing to see people ...