nathanjones25: December 2011

Sunday, 25 December 2011

Last-minute buyers top off strong shopping season

A last-minute shopper leaves the Toys R Us flagship store in New York's Times Square, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, retailers have begun a big push to snare procrastinating shoppers searching frantically for last-minute gifts and hoping for final-weekend deals. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

A last-minute shopper walks past a window display announcing a sale in New York's Herald Square, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, retailers have begun a big push to snare procrastinating shoppers searching frantically for last-minute gifts and hoping for final-weekend deals. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

A street performer who poses for pictures in exchange for tips dressed like the Grinch beckons customers in front of a billboard announcing last-minute gifts at a store in New York's Times Square, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, retailers have begun a big push to snare procrastinating shoppers searching frantically for last-minute gifts and hoping for final-weekend deals. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 file photo, pedestrians walk along a shopping district on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, retailers have begun a big push to snare procrastinating shoppers searching frantically for last-minute gifts and hoping for final-weekend deals. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 file photo, sale signs are displayed at a North Face store where a shopper browses the racks, in Freeport, Maine. Last-minute shoppers are hitting stores just before Christmas in a surge that is expected to top off an unexpectedly strong holiday shopping season. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

It's that time for caroling, eggnog, holiday cheer ? and for some, a frantic dash to the mall.

Last-minute shoppers hit stores on Christmas Eve in a surge that retailers hope will top off a strong holiday shopping season.

Among them was Len Boswell. He started his shopping at 6 a.m. at Starbucks. Later in the morning he was at a CVS drugstore in Decatur, Ga., picking up candy and a neck pillow for his wife.

"I should have done this a couple of weeks ago," acknowledges Boswell, 68, a director of book publishing at a nonprofit.

Stores are expected to ring up $469.1 billion during the holiday season, which runs November through December. The final week before Christmas can account for up to 20 percent of those sales. Retailers tempered their expectations heading into the season because they worried that Americans weren't ready to spend in the weak economy.

But sales have been brisk during the two-month period, rising 2.5 percent from the start of the season on Nov. 1 through last Saturday, according to research firm ShopperTrak, which did not give a dollar figure. As a result, ShopperTrak upgraded its sales growth forecast to 3.7 percent from its 3 percent estimate heading into the season.

"We're seeing good traffic, good sales," said Sherif Mityas, a partner in the retail practice at A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm. "Even with all the bad news and hesitancy in terms of the economy, consumers are still opening up their wallets more than last year, which is good news."

But at a time when Americans are still concerned about high unemployment, stagnant wages and market uncertainty, retailers aren't willing to leave anything to chance on the final shopping days before Christmas.

Toys R Us and some Macy's have been open 24 hours a day in the days leading up to Christmas. At malls, Abercrombie & Fitch has been offering a blanket 50 percent off on all items while J. Crew and Madewell offered 30 percent off. Retailers' promotional e-mails are up 34 percent from a year ago, according to Responsys, which tracks e-mail activity from more than 100 merchants.

"They're clearly putting their best foot forward on promotions right now," said John Morris, analyst at BMO Capital Markets. Morris estimates that promotional sale activity is up about 7 percent compared with last year, taking into account the level of markdowns and the amount of goods marked down.

Whether it's the sales or just plain-old procrastination, last-minute shoppers were drawn to stores across the country on Christmas Eve.

Taubman Centers, which operates malls across the country including The Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey and Beverly Center in Los Angeles, reported almost-full parking lots at some malls by 10 a.m., earlier than last year. Apparel, electronics, perfume and jewelry were among the biggest sellers.

Macy's, in New York's Herald Square, also was packed with shoppers by late morning. The store has been open around the clock since Wednesday and was set to close at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Kimberly Sylvester, 28, was out for the first time doing her holiday shopping Christmas Eve. She had already spent $160 at Victoria's Secret, taking advantage of a sale ? two bras for $40 ? for her sister. At Macy's, she picked up Lauren by Ralph Lauren sheets marked down to $79. Sylvester, who works with special needs children, said she has been too busy to shop.

At Manhattan Mall in New York, there was a steady stream of shoppers Saturday morning.

Shamek Shider, 22, was among them. He had spent $100 at Macy's on snow suits for his goddaughter on Friday, his first time out holiday shopping. He came back on Christmas Eve and spent $250 on jewelry and clothing at Macy's and J. C. Penney for his mother, sister and other relatives.

"This is when I see the best deals," said Shider, who lives in Newark, N.J.

Ryan Eagle, 25, planned to hit South Park Mall in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday morning to shop for presents for his wife. He always shops on Christmas Eve, he said, to get good deals and to people-watch. Last year, he found $200 boots on sale for $50 at Macy's.

"I'm a last-minute person," he said. "I enjoy going out and watching everyone run around."

___

Mae Anderson reported from Atlanta, Ga.

Retailer Writer Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.

Follow AP retail coverage at http://www.twitter.com/AP--Retail.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-24-Last-Minute%20Shopping/id-e8b9daae69de489d8102a1c65806bc0a

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Saturday, 24 December 2011

Anti-Putin protests draw tens of thousands (AP)

MOSCOW ? Tens of thousands of Russians jammed a Moscow avenue Saturday to demand free elections and an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule, in the largest show of public outrage since the protests 20 years ago that brought down the Soviet Union. Gone was the political apathy of recent years as many shouted "We are the Power!"

The demonstration, bigger and better organized than a similar one two weeks ago, and smaller rallies across the country encouraged opposition leaders hoping to sustain a protest movement ignited by a fraud-tainted parliamentary election on Dec. 4.

The enthusiasm also cheered Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who closed down the Soviet Union on Dec. 25, 1991.

"I'm happy that I have lived to see the people waking up. This raises big hopes," the 80-year-old Gorbachev said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

He urged Putin to follow his example and give up power peacefully, saying Putin would be remembered for the positive things he did if he stepped down now. The former Soviet leader, who has grown increasingly critical of Putin, has little influence in Russia today.

But the protesters have no central leader and no candidate capable of posing a serious challenge to Putin, who intends to return to the presidency in a March vote.

Even at Saturday's rally, some of the speakers were jeered by the crowd. The various liberal, nationalist and leftist groups that took part appear united only by their desire to see "Russia without Putin," a popular chant.

Putin, who gave no public response to the protest Saturday, initially derided the demonstrators as paid agents of the West. He also said sarcastically that he thought the white ribbons they wore as an emblem were condoms. Putin has since come to take their protests more seriously, and in an effort to stem the anger he has offered a set of reforms to allow more political competition in future elections.

Kremlin-controlled television covered Saturday's rally, but gave no air time to Putin's harshest critics.

Estimates of the number of demonstrators ranged from the police figure of 30,000 to 120,000 offered by the organizers. Demonstrators packed much of a broad avenue, which has room for nearly 100,000 people, about 2.5 kilometers (some 1.5 miles) from the Kremlin, as the temperature dipped well below freezing.

A stage at the end of the avenue featured banners reading "Russia will be free" and "This election Is a farce." Heavy police cordons encircled the participants, who stood within metal barriers, and a police helicopter hovered overhead.

Alexei Navalny, a corruption-fighting lawyer and popular blogger, electrified the crowd when he took the stage. He soon had the protesters chanting "We are the power!"

Navalny spent 15 days in jail for leading a protest on Dec. 5 that unexpectedly drew more than 5,000 people and set off the chain of demonstrations.

Putin's United Russia party lost 25 percent of its seats in the election, but hung onto a majority in parliament through what independent observers said was widespread fraud. United Russia, seen as representing a corrupt bureaucracy, has become known as the party of crooks and thieves, a phrase coined by Navalny.

"We have enough people here to take the Kremlin," Navalny shouted to the crowd. "But we are peaceful people and we won't do that ? yet. But if these crooks and thieves keep cheating us, we will take what is ours."

Protest leaders expressed skepticism about Putin's promised political reforms.

"We don't trust him," opposition leader Boris Nemtsov told the rally, urging protesters to gather again after the long New Year's holidays to make sure the proposed changes are put into law.

He and other speakers called on the demonstrators to go to the polls in March to unseat Putin. "A thief must not sit in the Kremlin," Nemtsov said.

The protest leaders said they would keep up their push for a rerun of the parliamentary vote and punishment for election officials accused of fraud, while stressing the need to prevent fraud in the March presidential election.

Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov was among those who sought to give the protesters a sense of empowerment.

"There are so many of us here, and they (the government) are few," Kasparov said from the stage. "They are huddled up in fear behind police cordons."

The crowd was largely young, but included a sizable number of middle-aged and elderly people, some of whom limped slowly to the site on walkers and canes.

"We want to back those who are fighting for our rights," said 16-year-old Darya Andryukhina, who said she had also attended the previous rally.

"People have come here because they want respect," said Tamara Voronina, 54, who said she was proud that her three sons also had joined the protest.

Putin's comment about protesters wearing condoms only further infuriated them and inspired some creative responses. One protester Saturday held a picture montage of Putin with his head wrapped in a condom like a grandmother's headscarf. Many inflated condoms along with balloons.

The protests reflect a growing weariness with Putin, who was first elected president in 2000 and remained in charge after moving into the prime minister's seat in 2008. Brazen fraud in the parliamentary vote unexpectedly energized the middle class, which for years had been politically apathetic.

"No one has done more to bring so many people here than Putin, who managed to insult the whole country," said Viktor Shenderovich, a columnist and satirical writer.

Two rallies in St. Petersburg on Saturday drew a total of 4,000 people.

"I'm here because I'm tired of the government's lies," said Dmitry Dervenev, 47, a designer. "The prime minister insulted me personally when he said that people came to the rallies because they were paid by the U.S. State Department. I'm here because I'm a citizen of my country."

Putin accused the United States of encouraging and funding the protests to weaken Russia.

Putin's former finance minister surprised the protesters by saying the current parliament should approve the proposed electoral changes and then step down to allow new parliamentary elections to be held. Alexei Kudrin, who remains close to Putin, warned that the wave of protests could lead to violence and called for establishing a dialogue between the opposition and the government.

"Otherwise we will lose the chance for peaceful transformation," Kudrin said.

Kudrin also joined calls for the ouster of Central Election Commission chief Vladimir Churov.

Putin has promised to liberalize registration rules for opposition parties and restore the direct election of governors he abolished in 2004. Putin's stand-in as president, Dmitry Medvedev, spelled out those and other proposed changes in Thursday's state-of-the nation address.

Gorbachev, however, said the government appears confused.

"They don't know what to do," he said. "They are making attempts to get out of the trap they drove themselves into."

____

Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva and Jim Heintz contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_protests

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Friday, 2 December 2011

CBS and FOX take top honors in November sweeps (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? CBS won the November television sweeps period for the 11th straight year but Fox took the honors with the 18-49 year-old age group most coveted by advertisers, according to ratings data on Tuesday.

ABC finished second to CBS in terms of overall viewers, thanks partly to the success of its Emmy-award winning comedy "Modern Family". But there was little joy for NBC, which came last again among the leading four TV networks despite featuring a slew of new comedy and drama shows.

The November sweeps are one of four periods each year in which detailed viewing habits are measured across the United States and used by local TV stations to set advertising rates.

Fox said it had boosted its 18-49 ratings by 13 percent -- the biggest of any network -- compared to November 2010 to give it a victory in the audience group for only the second time.

Fox said its win among those younger viewers was fueled by new comedy "New Girl", reality show "The X Factor" and pricey dinosaur drama "Terra Nova". In terms of overall viewers, Fox finished in third place.

CBS, which boasts hit comedies "Two Broke Girls" and "Two and A Half Men" along with veteran crime shows "NCIS" and the "CSI" franchise tends to attract older viewers. But the network finished second in the 18-49 demographic for the November sweeps, behind Fox and ahead of female-friendly ABC.

NBC, which has revamped its management and prime-time line-up since being taken over by cable giant Comcast in January, saw a five percent decline in overall viewers during November sweeps.

NBC axed its much talked-about new drama "The Playboy Club" after just three episodes in October, along with new comedy "Free Agents". The network's hopes for its "Prime Suspect" remake have also foundered and production of the crime drama has been suspended pending a decision on the show's future.

CBS is part of CBS Corp, Fox is a unit of News Corp, ABC is part of Walt Disney Co. and NBC is majority-owned by Comcast.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/tv_nm/us_sweeps

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Thursday, 1 December 2011

Syria in state of civil war, death toll 4,000: U.N. (Reuters)

GENEVA (Reuters) ? Syria is in a state of civil war with more than 4,000 dead and increasing numbers of soldiers taking up arms against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the top U.N. human rights official said Thursday.

"We are placing the figure at 4,000, but really the reliable information coming to us is that it is much more than that," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told a news conference.

"I have said that as soon as there were more and more defectors threatening to take up arms - I said this in August before the Security Council - there was going to be a civil war. At the moment that's how I am characterizing this," she said.

The U.N. Human Rights Council is holding an emergency session on Syria Friday following a report by an independent U.N. commission of inquiry that said Syrian forces have committed crimes against humanity including executions, torture and rape.

"I intend to add my voice to the finding of the commission of inquiry with regard to evidence pointing to the commission of crimes against humanity," said Pillay, a former U.N. war crimes judge who will address the one-day session in Geneva.

Pillay noted that she had called in August for the Security Council to refer Syria to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity.

"In my own view, based on our own monitoring of the situation, there is need for prosecution of perpetrators at the highest level for crimes against humanity," she said on Thursday.

The Arab League put Syrian VIPs on a travel ban list on Thursday and European Union foreign ministers readied a raft of economic sanctions against Assad to press him into stopping an eight-month military crackdown on popular protests.

"I want to endorse what was said to me by one of the Arab state ambassadors who is sponsoring the special session tomorrow, and that is of course they also feel totally hopeless, they feel that the sanctions will bite because the wealth is concentrated on the family around him," Pillay said, in a reference to Assad.

"And they feel that the momentum has to be maintained. So the Council session is important, my statements are important, eventually to get to the Security Council and also to get the message to those who are holding back on drastic action by the Security Council, so they will also understand this is serious."

Russia and China, which both have oil concessions in Syria, teamed up in October to veto a Western-backed Security Council resolution condemning Assad's government for violence.

The two powers, joined by Cuba, are also trying to tone down an EU resolution being presented at the rights forum Friday that would strongly condemn Syria and call for the U.N. report on crimes against humanity to be sent to the Security Council, diplomats said.

The United States is among the official co-sponsors of the EU text.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/wl_nm/us_syria_un_rights

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Daniel Craig Calls the Kardashians 'Idiots'

Daniel Craig is known for being an intensely private man. His new wife Rachel Weisz is careful not to say anything about their marriage after a comment she made about children got construed as a big revelation. The James Bond star reveals in a new interview with British GQ that the Kardashians are an example of why he's so tight-lipped about his personal life.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/daniel-craig-calls-kardashians-idiots/1-a-406660?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Adaniel-craig-calls-kardashians-idiots-406660

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Me or Your Lying Phone Records

4) On Nov. 8, Cain said of his third accuser, Sharon Bialek, ??I don't even know who this woman is.? Under questioning, he repeated that when he saw her on TV the previous day, ?I didn't recognize the face. I didn't recognize the name, nor the voice.? But Bialek said she had spoken with Cain on Sept. 30 at a Tea Party event, and Amy Jacobson, a Chicago radio host who was there, confirmed this account. ?They were hugging,? Jacobson told the Chicago Sun-Times. ?She was inches from his ear,? and Cain was telling her, ?Uh, huh. Uh, huh.?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=ff622b35e42a22fbf423e110692da49f

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The crowd called to deciper whale songs

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

In this file photo, a pilot whale with an injured nose rises out of the water as a pod of approximately 100 gather in Loch Carron in Scotland. A new crowdsourcing project is attempting to decipher pilot whale calls.

By John Roach

The collective wisdom of the crowd is being called upon to help scientists decipher the language of pilot and killer whales in a project that could help us operate our machines in harmony with the ocean giants.

To participate, log on to Whale.fm, a project sponsored by Zooniverse and Scientific American, and try to match up similar sounding whale calls.?

The researchers behind the project hope that the wisdom of the crowd will more accurately match the calls than one user can alone.

That is, what I think are two similar sounding calls might not be what you think. If hundreds or thousands of people group the same sounds together, though, they're more likely a match.

Whale.fm is particularly important for basic pilot whale research, since scientists know so little about them. What they do know suggests they communicate in similar ways to killer whales, which are known to live in family groups and communicate among themselves in unique dialects.

Scientists collected the whale calls over the years with underwater microphones suctioned onto whales, dragged behind ships and attached to buoys. Each sound and a corresponding spectrogram ? a visual representation of the whale sound snippet ? are presented for users to find a match.

The site also plots on a world map where the call was recorded and even offers users an option to track specific whales.?

If all goes well and lots of people participate, researchers should get answers to questions such as the size of the pilot whale call repertoire, any differences between the repertoires of long and short finned pilot whales, and how, if at all, the calls change amid noise such as sonar.

The project will also let researchers know how well volunteers agree with each other and, thus, how good we are at collectively categorizing the calls of vocal species such as whales.

This type of crowdsourcing ? tapping the wisdom of the crowd to form a collective intelligence ? has been used for other research projects in the past, including Zooniverse's?Planet Hunters, which is harnessing crowds to find new planets.

If the crowd turns out to be wise enough to help researchers decipher whale songs, what else can we do?

More on crowdsourcing projects:

John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Kids' play has moved to tablets and PCs. In this new age, toy makers and researchers alike are sorting out the benefits ? and detriments ? of playful educational interaction in virtual space.

Source: http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/30/9121479-the-crowd-called-to-decipher-whale-songs

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