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Friday, March 2, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Strong retail sales are sign of improving economy
FILE - In this May 10, 2011 file photo, people carrying Macy's shopping bags walk past the Macy's flagship store, in New York. Macy?s Inc., which runs Bloomingdale?s and its namesake stores, said Thursday that February revenue at stores open at least a year climbed 4.6 percent to top analysts? estimates. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
FILE - In this May 10, 2011 file photo, people carrying Macy's shopping bags walk past the Macy's flagship store, in New York. Macy?s Inc., which runs Bloomingdale?s and its namesake stores, said Thursday that February revenue at stores open at least a year climbed 4.6 percent to top analysts? estimates. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Many retailers reported strong sales gains for February in the latest sign that Americans are feeling more confident in the economy.
As merchants reported their monthly sales figures Thursday, a diverse group including Target Corp., Macy's Inc. and Limited Brands Inc., reported sales gains that exceeded Wall Street estimates. Even Gap Inc., long mired in a sales slump, posted an unexpected increase.
The figures, based on revenue at stores opened at least a year, are considered an indicator of a retailer's health. Only a small group of retailers report monthly sales figures. But industry watchers say those merchants that do post monthly numbers offer a snapshot of consumer spending, which accounts for more than 70 percent of all economic activity.
"This was a very strong month. A new life has been breathed into the retailers," said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics, a research firm. "Consumers are starting to feel much better about their overall situation."
Overall, merchants on Thursday reported a 6.7 percent increase for February, according to the International Council of Shopping Center's tally of 20 retailers. That's the biggest gain since June 2011 when the index was up 6.9 percent as shoppers took advantage of deep promotions on summer merchandise.
An unusually mild winter, which depressed sales of cold weather goods like coats during the holiday season, turned out to be a blessing in February. It helped to kick off spending of spring merchandise in February. But what had a bigger impact is the improving economy, which boosted shoppers' moods during the month to the highest level in a year, according to a widely-watched barometer of consumer confidence released yesterday by private research group the Conference Board.
Americans particularly are encouraged by the improving job market. The government reported that the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years and the first time since 1994 that unemployment has dropped five months in a row.
Figures released Thursday showed more signs of improvement: The government reported the number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to the lowest point in four years. Economists expect employers to add another 210,000 jobs when job figures for February are out next Friday. The unemployment rate should remain unchanged.
The government also reported Thursday that consumers earned a little more in January and spent most of the extra money. The gains should keep the economy growing at a modest pace.
Meanwhile, Wall Street hit two milestones. The Nasdaq composite index briefly touched 3,000 on Wednesday for the first time since the collapse in dot-com stocks more than a decade ago. Stocks ended lower, but it was still the best February on Wall Street in 14 years. That came a day after the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008.
But there are reasons for some caution. Rising gas prices could threaten consumer spending particularly among the low-to middle income shopper. The price of gas has jumped 45 cents since Jan. 1 and is the highest on record for this time of year, an average of $3.73 a gallon.
That didn't seem to hurt retailers' February results.
Target's sales rebounded after a muted holiday shopping season. Its key sales figure rose 7 percent in February as more people came to stores and spent more on core categories such as food and health care products. Analysts expected a 5.2 percent rise. Excluding the Easter months, which skew results, Target's increase was the biggest since November 2007 when the figure soared 10.8 percent. That was one month before the recession officially started.
Limited Brands, which operates Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works, had an 8 percent increase in revenue at stores opened at least a year. That's better than the 6.2 percent gain analysts had expected.
Limited Brands Inc. has found a niche with its chains, which offer Americans lingerie and beauty and bath products, small luxuries that people will buy for themselves despite the uncertain economy.
And department-store chain Macy's, which has had solid results throughout the recession thanks to its focus on tailoring merchandise to different regions, reported a 4.6 percent increase, better than the 3.5 percent gain expected by analysts.
"We saw good consumer response to our early spring deliveries in women's apparel, and continued strong trends in accessories, shoes, cosmetics, men's and home, which bodes well for the months ahead," said Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Macy's in a statement.
Gap's revenue at stores opened at least a year rose 4 percent in February. Analysts had expected a 1.4 percent drop. The figure was helped by strong demand for spring clothing at its Banana Republic chain, but the North America's divisions of its namesake chain and Old Navy also enjoyed gain. Its international business had a decline.
Not all retailers enjoyed strong sales, though.
Mid-brow department store chain Kohl's had a 0.8 percent decline in revenue at stores opened at least a year. Analysts had expected the metric to be unchanged compared with a year ago. The sluggish performance followed a weak holiday period that forced the chain to deeply discount. However, Kohl's also said that it was pleased with initial sales of its Rock & Republic brand, which launched during the month.
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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Asia stocks rise after Dow closes above 13,000 (AP)
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Mozilla Boot to Gecko hands-on (video)
Continue reading Mozilla Boot to Gecko hands-on (video)
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Iran's 'Separation:' Oscar glow and slap at Israel
Asghar Farhadi, of Iran, accepts the Oscar for best foreign language film for ?A Separation? during the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Asghar Farhadi, of Iran, accepts the Oscar for best foreign language film for ?A Separation? during the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
In this Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012 photo Israelis wait for the screening of the Iranian movie "A Separation" at a movie theater in Jerusalem. Israeli newspapers warn daily of the Iranian nuclear threat, but for the past week and a half, Israelis filmgoers have packed movie theaters to watch a drama set in Tehran. "A Separation," a domestic drama directed by Iranian Asghar Farhadi, bested an Israeli rival and three others on Sunday to win the award for best foreign film.(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
In this undated photo released by Filmiran film distributing company, Iranian actress Leila Hatami, and actor Peyman Moadi, act in a scene of movie "A Separation" which won the Academy Awards in foreign films. Iran trumpeted the Islamic Republic's first foreign film Oscar win Monday as a triumph over archfoe Israel _ even as audiences in Israel packed theaters to watch the movie that beat their country's entry at the Academy Awards. (AP Photo/Filmiran International Company, Habib Majidi)
Asghar Farhadi, from Iran, poses with his award for best foreign language film for "A Separation" during the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)
Asghar Farhadi, from Iran, poses with his award for best foreign language film for "A Separation" during the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran hailed the country's first Oscar-winning film as a triumph over arch-foe Israel on Monday after an Academy Award race with its own subplots: Iranian officials giving a grudging nod to cinema and Israeli audiences flocking to see a made-in-Tehran drama.
Iran's state-spun praise for "A Separation," which beat out an Israeli film and three others in the foreign language category, was mostly wrapped in patriotic boasting as a conquest for Iranian culture and a blow for Israel's perceived outsized influence in America.
Yet the high-profile attention by the Islamic leadership also represented a rare stamp of approval for Iran's movie industry.
Iranian filmmakers have collected awards and accolades worldwide for decades, but Iranian hard-liners often denounce domestic cinema as dominated by Western-tainted liberals and political dissenters. Some directors and actors have faced arrest or fled the country. In January, a well-known independent film group in Tehran, the House of Cinema, was ordered closed.
Iranian hard-liners had already taken pot shots at director Asghar Farhadi's film even as it racked up international prizes and pre-Oscar buzz. The film explores troubles in Iranian society through the story of a collapsing marriage. Iranian conservatives were upset with the themes of domestic turmoil, gender inequality and the desire by many Iranians to leave the country.
The divide touches on much deeper fissures in Iran.
Iran's young and highly educated population ? nearly half born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution ? feel increasingly estranged from a theocracy that allows no room for political opposition, has tried to muzzle the Internet and is growing more isolated by its defiant nuclear policies.
Farhadi, in his acceptance speech Sunday in Los Angeles, said he hoped the Oscar would raise awareness of Iran's sizable artistic achievements and rich culture that has been "hidden under the heavy dust of politics."
That has been the case in of all places, Israel, which feels its very existence threatened by Iran.
The Iranian film has drawn tens of thousands of Israeli movie-goers since it opened in mid-February. Some came to see the Oscar competition for Israeli director Joseph Cedar's "Footnote," the saga of a Talmudic scholar. But many were drawn by a chance to glimpse inside Iranian society.
"It's very well acted, exceptionally well written and very moving," said Israeli film critic Yair Raveh. "Ultimately you don't think about nuclear bombs or dictators threatening world peace. You see them driving cars and going to movies and they look exactly like us."
After a Sunday screening in Jerusalem, 70-year-old Rina Brick said she was surprised by the humanity of the Iranian bureaucrats portrayed in the film.
"Our image of how Iran works is less democratic than we see here," she said. "The judge, the police, everyone behaves as if they are in a Western country."
Still, Iran's nuclear program was on the minds of some. Israel has not ruled out military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West fears could be used to develop weapons. Tehran insists they are for peaceful purposes like energy production.
Moshe Amirav, a political science professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said he "didn't stop thinking about the bomb the whole time" he was watching "A Separation."
"I said, what a contrast that we see this Iranian film with such admiration, and then when we leave we think about how they want to kill us," Amirav said.
Iranian cinema has reaped praise and prizes at top festivals for decades. But while the government often highlights sporting achievements and technological leaps as a source of national pride, it is typically dismissive of international cultural and entertainment awards.
However, taking the Oscar over an Israeli rival was too powerful for state image builders to ignore.
A state TV broadcast said the award succeeded in "leaving behind" a film from Israel. Javad Shamaghdari, head of the state Cinematic Agency, portrayed the Oscar win as the "beginning of the collapse" of Israeli influence that "beats the drum of war" in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Still, Iranian artists and many fans did not try to score any propaganda points and were simply delighted by the country's first Oscar.
Tahmineh Milani, director of the acclaimed 2005 film "Unwanted Woman," said the Oscar was a source of "national pride" that "revived hope in the hearts of all Iranians."
"I feel fresh air in my lungs," said Erfan Khazaei, an art student at Azad University, who watched the Oscar ceremony on satellite TV with four friends. "Now we are more hopeful about the future."
The Academy Awards were not broadcast live on Iranian TV, and many Iranians watched via satellite dishes, which are illegal but widely used. Clips of Farhadi's acceptance speech were later aired on state TV.
"A Separation," tells the story of a couple heading for divorce and dealing with domestic troubles, including a young child and an aging parent. It portrays a husband who is protective of his father, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. He is in conflict with his wife, who wishes to emigrate. Their daughter is torn between them.
While its themes are not overtly political, ultra-conservatives denigrated the film as an indirect slap at the country.
Prominent hard-line sociologist Ebrahim Fayyaz called it a "black realistic film" that portrays the country as an old man, a symbol of tradition and the past who is afflicted with a mind-crippling disease.
He said the movie suggests emigrating to the West as a solution. "The West awards movies that are in the direction of their policies," he told the Nasim news agency.
Iranian authorities have long had an uneasy relationship with the country's filmmakers. The leadership gives latitude to explore many social topics, but draws a sharp line on works with clearly anti-establishment overtones.
In January, the regime ordered the closure of the House of Cinema, an independent film group that had operated for 20 years and counted Iran's top filmmakers, including Farhadi, among its members.
Officials said it lacked the proper permits, but artists and others contend it was a political decision because the group often took liberal stands contrary to the government's cultural policies. Last month, Farhadi proposed that Iranian authorities allow a vote among artists about its fate.
Iranian cinema has for years been one of the nation's main cultural exports, but also the target of political crackdowns.
Last year, film director Jafar Panahi, who won awards at Cannes, Venice and other major film festivals, was sentenced to a six-year house arrest and a 20-year ban on filmmaking after being convicted of "making propaganda" against Iran's ruling system.
In 2007, the Cannes jury prize went to the animated film "Persepolis" based on Marjane Satrapi's graphic novels about growing up during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. She now lives in self-exile in Paris, fearing possible arrest if she returns to Iran.
___
Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Daniella Cheslow in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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Monday, February 27, 2012
Unique Benefits of Condominiums ? hot news
Condominiums are some of the most popular types of housings in the Philippines today. Part of what made it popular, according to real estate experts, is because of its benefits that conform to the fast-changing lifestyles of many modern Filipinos. Here are some of those benefits that made condominiums the most popular and modern type of housing in the Philippines:
Common Benefits of Modern Housings
Like other types of modern housings in the Philippines, condominiums are also known for its location which enables its residents to access their workplaces effortlessly. This is because most condominiums are found near or within business and commercial districts, such as the many condo for sale found in Makati City.
Although found in business and commercial districts, these types of modern housings are still known to maintain the privacy and peace of each of its residents. The view of the whole city from their windows is simply stunning.
Another common benefit that condominiums can also offer is maintainability and security. Although in the past, condominiums were the only types of housing that can offer such advantage, many of today?s apartment buildings and townhouses in business and commercial districts are also known to offer such benefits. This allows its residents to live in luxury while assuring their own security.
However, there are other reasons why condominiums became a very popular type of modern housing in the Philippines. Other than its location or its own maintenance and security personnel, condominiums are also known for its collection of amenities that made it even more popular compared to other popular types of modern housings in the Philippines, particularly with the many new condo for sale.
There are many popular types of condominiums in the Philippines today, and most of them are found in business and commercial districts. Other than the advantage of living within walking distance from their workplaces, residents can also enjoy a few activities through its own collection of amenities.
According to real estate experts, condominiums are the only types of housings found in the middle of a busy district that offers amenities such as gyms, indoor swimming pools, as well as sports complexes, which aims to offer a way for their residents to relieve their stress through gym, swimming, or through sports.
Another unique benefit of condominiums is that there have also been a number of these types of housings found around the outskirts of Metro Manila as well as in the provinces. These types of condo for sale are known as condominium complexes, which are types of condominiums that aim to offer Filipino families with an environment to grow their children safely. For more information visit to our site at http://www.alveoland.com.ph/
Source: http://hotnews.blogspages.com/2012/02/26/unique-benefits-of-condominiums/
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Sterling Life Coaching Stretches Self-help, Self-improvement And ...
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