It used to be, you walked into a Starbucks, pretended not to notice the smell of egg breakfast sandwiches, considered buying the New York Times but opted for ink-free hands instead of knowledge, and ordered a $4 drink with no fewer than three adjectives. Now, you will walk into a Starbucks and feel guilty. That's because the coffee giant, fresh off installing those Clover machines that are short enough to let you stare down your barista who hasn't yet started on your beverage, will begin stocking its stores with a one-sheet from Good magazine, the uppity rag with the despicable editorial mission of making this world a better place.

Good, which was founded two years ago, has an editorial emphasis on philanthropy and activism. Some of that is translated into the Good Sheet, a folded piece of newsprint that presents information and statistics in a big graphic. The sheet on health care, for example, gives a history of government health care programs, statistics about health care spending, and suggestions about solutions, including notes on those that John McCain and Barack Obama endorse.

Starbucks has timed the introduction for election season, and will feature a new Good sheet for 11 weeks.

“We thought, boy, if we could distribute some of those in the stores, it’s a quick way — without sitting down and reading a five-page article — a quick way to join the conversation,” Mr. Davenport said, adding that he envisioned stores holding discussion nights. [NYT]

Discussion nights? Why not a poetry slam? Acoustic guitar mandatory.

But if for a second you thought this was an out-of-left-field move for Starbucks — which slaves away to shareholders by promising consumers coffee grown in eco-friendly shadows, or something — you know the drill. Starbucks' bottled water, after all, is freakin' named Ethos.