| Spring items, wet cleanup stood out at Wal-Mart debut
I wandered through the new Wal-Mart Superstore in Belleville on opening day Wednesday. It's laid out pretty much like the store in O'Fallon. I liked all the skylights, though for such a sunny day, the store seemed a bit dim. I expect the staff will get the self-checkout lanes open soon. Spring has definitely sprung, because I saw lots of bathing suits, beachy purses and lawn furniture. Chester Cheetah, the mascot for Cheetos, was near the electronics section, all 7-foot or so of him in an inflatable costume. He was having a hard time attracting children for photos (looks of terror and back-pedaling) while I was there, but adults were stepping right up. As I was checking out the pet supplies at the other end of the store, I couldn't help but laugh when the public address system announced: "We need a wet cleanup by the Cheetos guy." ...
Favre: Best football player ever?
Though he owns virtually every NFL passing record, won a championship in 1997 and is regarded as the ultimate ironman of a violent sport, he never has been bigger than he is today. There's a reason his No. 4 is the highest-selling jersey in a league of countless superstars. He's the guy having the most fun, the old dude with the most appreciation of what's happening to him. ``I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel great,'' Favre said. ``Ten years ago, I thought I'd be around forever and I thought we'd have the success we were having then. I said, `What's the big deal?' Now it's a totally different mentality. I hate to say I'm more appreciative of games like this or seasons like this, because I've always respected and appreciated the game. But the last two years, as I look back, they're a little harder to come by than I once thought.'' It wasn't long ago when his gunslinging approach wasn't amounting to much.
Nexage powers DivX mobile video
Advertisers have had their first look at new TV ratings that track how many people stay tuned to commercials. Commercial ratings i.e. how many actually watched the commercial rather than the programme it was in - also include viewers with digital video recorders who watch ads up to three days after the initial airing. Although some ad execs were concerned about a significant drop-off between the two sets of ratings, the first batch of figures released revealed no big surprises. Commercial ratings across the five major US networks came in only slightly below live programme ratings, down 1 per cent on average among people ages 12 to 34 and among adults ages 18 to 49.
The biggest drop was among adults 50 and older, where commercial ratings were 5 per cent lower.
Archives for: July 2007
So there is quite a lot of apprehension on both sides about what will transpire when Britain's new Prime Minister and America's decaying President have their first proper date. In the nightmare scenario which terrifies diplomats, the two men will find they have nothing in common except their initials. Brown will invite the President to agree to his grand plan for eradicating world poverty; Bush will respond by asking the Prime Minister to sign up to the nuking of Iran. Even if their talks are perfectly amicable, there will be long shadows on the walls of the log cabins in the Catoctin mountains of Maryland. There will be the shades of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq. And there will be the ghost of Tony Blair. Both the GBs had an intensity of relationship with TB that neither will ever have with each other.
Big Government? It’s time to wean Americans of dependency
A party that offers smaller government appeals to Reaganites, but it cannot sustain a majority by making grand efforts to whittle away at programs, only to see Democrats restored to power on the power to expand them. The trick is to wean dependency by offering alternatives that build self-reliance. Health savings accounts. Retirement savings accounts. Promoting private-sector alternatives and competition in health care, transportation and other services. The GOP has to come up with a viable alternative for security conscious individuals who have grown dependent on the mailman. But first it has to get into position to do that. It's easy to look at the current field of presidential contenders and want for more — more in the sense of a Reagan clone. Conservatives have to be willing to accept that the nominee most likely to win the White House won't be the one who tells the country to suck it up and go.
Hunters for the Hungry falling short of goal
Irwin Jacobs, chairman of FLW Outdoors, says he would be wiling to merge the BASS Federation into his tournament operation. The Federation and its parent organization, BASS, have been warring. BASS recently dismissed several Federation leaders, including Roger Fitchett of Virginia Beach. A Bass Fan report said that Jacobs had offered the Federation an open door, saying he would provide dollars to help grow grassroots bass programs. BASS would not be able to survive without the Federation, said Jacobs. “These people at BASS are single-handedly destroying the Federation," he said.. Jacobs had unkind works for Ray Scott, the founder of BASS. Scott has taken the side of BASS against the Federation, Jacobs said. .
MPAA Admits 'Math Error,' Viewers Flock to Online Video
Following a flurry of speculation, eBay confirmed that Meg Whitman, its president and CEO, will step down effective March 31 after a highly successful 10-year tenure. She'll remain on the company's board of directors. Whitman is credited with transforming eBay from an obscure San Jose, Calif.-based auction site into an e-commerce powerhouse with more than 15,000 employees and nearly $7.7 billion in revenue. Be a Rockstar to Your Marketing DepartmentThese days, IT staffers work to fulfill a lot of requests. Like finding an email marketing solution for your marketing department. Lyris ListManager is the robust, scalable, and easily integrated solution your team needs. Download your free trial version today. .
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