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California, with its long coastline littered with white bags, needs a better approach, one that encourages people to make informed choices between disposable and reusable bags. Here are the options: • A piecemeal, voluntary approach by stores. • A hard-line approach, such as a ban. • A simple, market-based solution: a consumption tax. Ireland has taken this route. Since 2002, consumers who forget to bring a bag are charged a 15-cent tax at checkout. Before the tax, Ireland's 3.9 million people used 1.2 billion bags per year. Now it's 230 million. About $9.6 million was raised from the tax in...

Adhamiyah residents look at the clothing being sold at the Adhamiyah Market Council Mall at the once-violent Omar Abdul Aziz street in the northern Baghdad District of Adhamiyah, Aug. 7, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. ADHAMIYAH — Omar Abdul Aziz street was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the months that followed the initial surge of Coalition forces into Iraq’s capital in the summer of 2007. But now, one year later, residents of the Adhamiyah District welcomed a new shop to the area – one that will...

The council plans to ban plastic carryout bags in the city's stores by 2010, unless the state imposes a 25-cent fee on those who request them.

Sadly enough, this is what life looks like here in grim old Thule: "State environmental protection officials plan to forbid all new development of large shopping centers located outside established retail districts within Norway's cities and towns. The goal is to discourage driving...

No denial. France of today is a magnificent nation. The almost perfect blend of shopping opportunities, beauty of architechture and landscape, nice freeways, marvelous food, well educated people and high-tech solutions are just about everywhere. Today, even a place like Paris or Monaco (not "de jure" French) has become poorer than Hamburg, Switzerland, Inner City London and Scandinavia, but Paris and Monaco still live up to their former reputation in many ways. Personally, I admire good old France. Just have a look at it: 25% study Sociology 25% are retired 25% are unemployed 25% are on strike Where does the...

Britney Spears stunned sales staff at a Betsey Johnson store in Sherman Oaks, California on Sunday (13Jan08) when she stepped out of a fitting room completely naked. A day before Spears' bizarre antics outside a Los Angeles courthouse cost her visitation rights to her young son for a month, the singer was stripping in front of shoppers. Spears and her paparazzi boyfriend Adnan Ghalib caused a stir at the upmarket store upon their arrival, and as trendy shoppers watched, Spears grabbed a Betsey Johnson dress and took it to a fitting room. But when she re-appeared, she wasn't wearing the...

A couple were banned for life from a shopping centre - because they were taking photos of their beloved grandchildren. Kim and Trevor Sparshott were ordered to stop taking photos because they were causing a security threat. They were thrown out of the centre after they took out a camera to snap the look on the youngsters' faces when they turned up unexpectedly. Barred for life: Grandparents Kim and Trevor Sparshott were banned from a shopping centre for taking photos of their grandchildrenThe couple were on a four-day break from their home in Spain and wanted to surprise their family...

"This is for these guys," bellowed Goldie Hawn, directing the crowd's attention to the giant fibre-glass elephant she was standing on, "these wonderful creatures in Asia that need our help." Below her, on the pavements of Knightsbridge, people nodded thoughtfully. "We are the highest of the animal kingdom," she continued. "We have a mind and heart and a conscience and this is what this is all about. We know how to help and this is what we're doing today." But at that moment the clock struck nine, Captain Peacock unbolted the door, and the mob stampeded past Goldie and her...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- After getting off to a fast start last month, holiday sales at some of the nation's largest retailers have slowed to an excruciatingly slow pace and mall traffic has dropped dramatically. The results, coming two weeks before Christmas, jeopardize an already weak holiday sales period. Chain-store sales rose a mere 0.2 percent for the week ended Dec. 8, following a disappointing 2 percent sales decline in the prior week, according to a report released Tuesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers. "Consumers continue to be slow in finishing their holiday shopping," said Michael Niemira, the...

Stockholm's most prestigious department store, Nordiska Kompaniet (NK), has had to remove a set of black ragdolls from its Christmas window display after receiving a number of complaints from concerned customers. A visit to NK's Christmas displays has been a part of Stockholmers' staple holiday traditions ever since 1915. This year's theme was “A dream Christmas”. Puppies, dragons and polar bears danced side-by-side with sugar plum fairies and... what appeared to be golliwogs. When the windows were first available for public consumption on Sunday, one featured three of the black dolls emerging from a Christmas package. "The company that does...

NEW YORK - Malls and stores were jammed for pre-dawn discounts on everything from TVs to toys on the official start of Christmas shopping as consumers shrugged off worries about rising gas prices and falling home values. The aggressive tactics — bigger discounts and expanded hours like midnight openings — apparently worked Friday. Based on early reports, Macy's Inc., Toys "R" Us, K-B Toys Inc. and others that pushed big price cuts, reported bigger crowds for the early morning bargains than a year ago. Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said they were also pleased with the shopper turnout. Electronic...

Retailers focus more on Thanksgiving Day By SAMANTHA BOMKAMP, AP Business Writer 31 minutes ago NEW YORK - The nation's retailers want shoppers to spend less time eating turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving and more time shopping — whether it's online or on land. For the second year in a row, CompUSA Inc. and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. are opening their doors on Thanksgiving. The exception are stores in Massachusetts where local laws preclude holiday hours. CompUSA also added an extra incentive for consumers this year by providing pumpkin pie for those in line. Iconic toy store FAO Schwarz —...

A disappointing October sales report Thursday sent a clear signal to retailers that they’ll have to pull out all the stops to get shoppers into their stores this holiday as declining home values, tighter credit terms and rising gas prices appear to have left consumers feeling spent. The nation’s biggest chain stores posted the second consecutive month of weak sales results, underscoring their concerns that sales growth this holiday season could be the slowest in five years. “Consumers are exerting a lot of caution,” said Mandy Putnam, vice president at TNS Retail Forward Inc., a Columbus, Ohio-based market research and...

The FBI is warning that al Qaeda may be preparing a series of holiday attacks on U.S. shopping malls in Los Angeles and Chicago, according to an intelligence bulletin distributed to law enforcement authorities across the country this morning.

Sunday Business Post, Global Economics The inexorable fall of the dollar has exposed the inconsistency at the heart of Ireland’s economic policy. If you are thinking about your open-walleted, pre-Christmas assault on Bloomingdales and Saks, the news this week from the international currency markets will lighten your mood. If, on the other hand, you are worried about how you will pay for the pre-Christmas New York shopping trip, then the news will strike a note of caution. The dollar has fallen to close to its lowest level ever against the euro. Today, one euro can buy you close to $1.40,making...

No longer content to offer consumers Swedish meatballs and self-assembly shelves, Ikea in Norway is now offering weary shoppers the chance to sleep over in one of its Oslo showrooms free of charge. From July 23 to July 27, the public will be able to spend the night in special rooms set up in the store, with a choice of bridal suite, complete with hanging chandelier and a round bed, or a luxury suite that includes breakfast in bed. Others can share a bunk in the dormitory, while parents and children can join in the fun in one of Ikea's...

A large retail chain had a problem. It sold three similar power drills: one for about $90, a purportedly better one at $120 and a top-tier one at $130. The higher the price, the more the store profited. But while drill know-it-alls flocked to the $130 model and price-fretters grabbed its $90 cousin, shoppers often ignored the middle one. So the store sought advice from a new breed of "price-optimization" software from DemandTec Inc. What followed offers us a clue about important shifts that technology is bringing to retail shopping. After analyzing an array of variables, including sales history and...

A group of local politicians from Sollefteå in northern Sweden have lodged a complaint to the Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) after viewing an advert that promotes shopping. The three-member consumer delegation - consisting of Micael Melander from the Social Democrats, Tonny Molander of the Greens and Left Party representative Niklas Lind - discussed the advertisement for clothing chain Kapp-Ahl at a meeting on March 23rd. Related Articles Job prospects undone by girlfriend's blog 26th April 2007 Male witch threatened to kill flatmates 25th April 2007 New Miss Sweden risks disqualification 24th April 2007 Article Options Send to a friend Printable...

Which economy will dominate the Globe 10-20 years from now? While the US economy of today is the world's most powerful given consideration to its ability of providing large numbers of households with the blessing of prosperity and, furthermore, the upsurging economy of China probably will be able to fully compete with the Western World in 50-100 years or so, 'Old' Europe still stands a decent chance of strengthening its position visavi these 'parvenu' economies during the next decades. Americans who pride themselves of belonging to and contributing to the most impressive economy on Earth are right in doing so....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFXSS5046FA

The article, from one of the world's leading newspapers, touches on what a blessing saying "hasta la vista" to socialism really can be - not to mention future prospects! Ask the people who live in the hottest city of Europe - and they don't speak "cockney" or french with a Paris accent. The fall of Communism in Russia and China in combination with the orientation towards pro-capitalism of Scandinavia has already lead to a explosion of trade between the world's 14th biggest economy, Russia, the world's 4th biggest economy, China and the 8th biggest one, the Scandinavian countries (Source: IMF...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

LYNNFIELD, Mass. — Christmas shoppers may be hearing something odd this year — clerks and cashiers wishing them a “Merry Christmas.” Mega-retailer Wal-Mart has announced it will be using the word “Christmas” in its marketing efforts this year. The decision bucks a trend in recent years to avoid saying “Merry Christmas” out of concern that someone in this multicultural society might be offended. But there may be a counter-trend afoot. Macy’s, Target, Sears, Kohl’s and TJX Companies — which owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, A.J. Wright, and Bob’s Stores — are once again recognizing “Christmas” as part of the “holidays.”...

December 1, 2006 Berkeley, California While there are plenty of conservative evils in our society that demand protest, lately there's one that eclipses all others. After ignoring this menace for too long, Scooter and I sprang into action this week, devoting all our energies and talents to confronting and destroying one of this country's biggest threats. Of course I'm referring to that evil juggernaut of right wing capitalism, Wal-Mart. We chose the biggest shopping day of the year to pummel this "bargain bully" - the day after Thanksgiving, or "Black Friday" as it's come to be known. Scooter, as usual,...

Brain mold

Some stores begin shopping season early By SHAILA DANI, AP Business Writer 5 minutes ago NEW YORK - A traditional day of feasting with family could turn into a day of early holiday shopping for some, as retailers offered more options — both online and in stores — than ever this Thanksgiving. For the first time, BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. and CompUSA Inc. opened their doors on Thanksgiving, while online retailer Amazon.com offered special holiday discounts. In the past, grocery retailers and 24-hour convenience stores like 7-Eleven Inc. were the only shopping options on Thanksgiving. Holiday gift shoppers turned to...

Stephen Kenny remembers being in high spirits one evening after imbibing "one martini or maybe three" on his way home from work. He was in such a good mood, in fact, that he decided to get his girlfriend a present. "I logged on to this luxury jewelry Web site and I bought her a pair of $1,500 earrings--or what I thought were $1,500 earrings," said Kenny, who works at an intellectual property law firm in Burlington, Vt. "Maybe my vision was blurred or I just missed a decimal point, but they turned out to be $15,000." When he discovered what...

Once Missing Major From North Carolina Returns To Georgia Base POSTED: 1:28 am EDT September 15, 2006 UPDATED: 1:48 am EDT September 15, 2006 MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A North Carolina native who told authorities she was kidnapped during a shopping trip in Kyrgyzstan has returned to her Georgia Air Force base. Maj. Jill Metzger was reported missing last week and the same week was found by local officials. She is a native of Henderson, N.C. Metzger arrived at Moody Air Force Base at about 6 p.m. Thursday. She had been deployed to Manas Air Base. Metzger told...

BISHKEK, September 6 (RIA Novosti) - A female American soldier from a U.S. military air base in Kyrgyzstan went missing Tuesday in the capital, Bishkek, a spokesman for the base said Wednesday. The woman was last seen on Tuesday in a city mall after she left a group of fellow servicemen from the Manas Air Base while they were shopping. Local police said they had no information about a lost American soldier. "No one has yet notified law enforcement bodies about a lost U.S. citizen," said Sherkozi Mirzakarimov, the Central Asian's first deputy interior minister. The U.S. has been renting...

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - A U.S. Air Force officer went missing while shopping in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the U.S. air base in this Central Asian nation said Tuesday. Maj. Jill Metzger separated from a group of other service members while visiting the central department store in Bishkek on Monday afternoon and has not been seen since, the Manas air base press service said. It said a group of 22 U.S. military investigators and logistics officers were searching for Metzger, along with the U.S. Embassy and Kyrgyz security and law enforcement services. The U.S. military has maintained the air base...

Throw a Party for the Dogs With the Latest Luxury Dog Accessories There's a new twist on a Tupperware party that combines two of Americans' favorite pastimes -- throwing at-home shopping parties and spoiling their pets. They're called "pupperware" parties. There are new products galore to help make your dog look and feel debonair. So if Fido is going to be your date, you have to outfit him with the latest in socially appropriate gear. Maggie Gallant, a pet trend expert for Animal Planet, told "Good Morning America" about some hot, new luxury dog products that have turned up at...

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2006 – She's a "grand ole flag," and she'll be waving at nearly 500 shopping malls across America on Flag Day, June 14, thanks to a celebration hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. Shopping centers are uniting in "An Old Glory*ous Celebration," aimed at promoting patriotism, supporting troops and veterans, and honoring the flag. Since the celebration's Memorial Day kickoff, nearly 500,000 shoppers from shopping centers across the country have signed pledge cards saying they'll fly Old Glory on Flag Day, council officials said. "This is a simple yet very powerful show of patriotism...

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton had a fender-bender accident when her Range Rover backed into a car in a parking garage after a shopping trip, her publicist said Friday. Hilton backed into a parked Honda Civic on Thursday. A videotape on the TMZ.com Web site showed Hilton getting into the car, saying goodbye to someone and backing up. The sound of a crash followed. The video showed scrapes on the bumpers of both vehicles. The Range Rover stopped briefly then continued on toward the exit of the parking structure. TMZ.com indicated Hilton failed to leave contact information for the Honda's...

A panel of immigration activists said yesterday that it will not encourage workers and families to walk off the job and keep their children from school as part of a May 1 boycott, but will hold voter-recruitment and petition drives instead.The announcement by activists from the District, Chicago and Los Angeles at a news conference in Washington underlined the split among the mostly Latino activist groups that led huge demonstrations in more than 140 cities in recent weeks, and shows that the grass-roots movement is operating at cross purposes toward the same end -- immigration reform and legal status for...

Shop till you drop (in size) BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on May 25, 1997.) I believe that, in general, women are saner than men. For example: If you see people who have paid good money to stand in an outdoor stadium on a freezing December day wearing nothing on the upper halves of their bodies except paint, those people will be male. Without males, there would be no such sport as professional lawn-mower racing. Also, there would be a 100 percent decline in the annual number of deaths related to efforts to shoot...

SARAH PELMAS and her neighbours looked around their homes in affluent San Francisco and realised they just had too much “stuff�. So, being Americans, they decided to start something. The group of friends took a pledge not to buy anything new — except food, medicine and fresh underwear — for six months. Now, fuelled by the internet, their shopping boycott is catching on. More than 800 people have signed up for the group’s blog — http://sfcompact.blogspot.com — and chapters have opened in Maine, Alabama, Texas, Oregon and Wisconsin, with interest also coming from abroad. “Particularly in America — but worldwide...

'Gang plotted to buy a radioactive bomb from Russia and attack shopping centre' By John Steele, Crime Correspondent (Filed: 23/03/2006) Terrorists linked to an alleged al-Qa'eda gang which plotted a bombing campaign in Britain tried to buy a radioactive bomb from the Russian mafia, the Old Bailey was told yesterday. The gang was also said to have discussed attacking the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, a London nightclub, and gas and electricity facilities The Bluewater shopping centre in Kent A Luton taxi driver who is said to be a member of the alleged gang was given information while in Pakistan...

TEXAS CITY — It was about 7:30 p.m. March 2 when Pauline Perrin, 66, and daughter Susie, 41, left Palais Royal after shopping for sales. Neither woman paid much mind to two young men standing outside the store. “They were well dressed, nice looking, just ordinary guys,” Pauline said. But what happened next got the women’s attention. And it ended with Susie’s wild ride on the hood of a moving car, reassessments of mall security and competing conclusions about whether the La Marque women were brave, reckless or both that night. ‘He Cold-cocked Me’ As Pauline was opening the passenger...

When Montreal's and Toronto's downtown systems of underground passages and shopping centres were first built, they were heralded as the height (or depth?) of modernity, the realization of Leonardo da Vinci's vision of the city of the future. {snip} You can get on the train in Ottawa and never need your coat again. After a traffic- and weather-worry-free ride, you can step off in the Toronto or Montreal train station and, five minutes later, check into the grand old Royal York or sexy Queen Elizabeth -- both connected right to the stations, both with indoor pools and welcoming to families....

Online retailers, whose growth was expected to level off after a decade of dizzying gains, experienced a stellar holiday season, according to two preliminary reports released yesterday, as traditional stores like Wal-Mart and Target cemented their place on the Web. Consumer spending online reached $18.1 billion in November and December, a 25 percent increase over 2004, according to the research firm ComScore Networks. Nielsen/NetRatings, another research firm, said Web purchases totaled $30.1 billion in the period, an increase of 30 percent. Unlike ComScore, Nielsen includes spending at online auction sites like eBay and that accounts for its higher figure. Online...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumers spent 8.7 percent more during the just ended holiday shopping period than in the comparable period a year ago, according to a report from an affiliate of MasterCard Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Monday. The study, by SpendingPulse, covered the period from the Friday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday through December 24, Christmas Eve. That period included 30 days in 2005, compared with 29 days in 2004. The report found the biggest increases in spending on home furnishings, up 15.2 percent, followed by consumer electronics and appliances, up...

Call them "Desperate Husbands" -- men who wait until the last minute to go Christmas shopping. Men who wear procrastination as a badge of honor. Girlie men shop online or visit the mall in November, wrap their presents and stash them in the closet. Real men put off shopping until Dec. 24. Because men don't shop. They buy. They are goal-oriented. And what they end up buying is jewelry. Diamond jewelry, to be exact. Square-shaped or pear-shaped, from Harry Winston to Wal-Mart, from Tiffany's to Target, the most dangerous place to be on Christmas Eve is between a desperate husband...

The reason for this shopping guide is not chastise anyone for purchasing what they want or can afford, after all we live in a free market society. It is not a cry of desperation or a call to pass anti-free market laws. This guide is not an endorsement of any one product or company over another. What it is however, is a convenient list of products designed, crafted and produced by Americans for Americans in America (I realize that sounds a little redundant). It also stands to dispel the myth that American made products are more often than not more...

<p>A festive group of high school choir students from Central Islip singing at an Islandia shopping center discovered over the weekend that some people were not in the holiday spirit.</p> <p>After entering a Wal-Mart store, the choir was quickly asked to leave before even starting to sing its first song.</p>

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow these simple rules and you should have no problem. 1. When in doubt - buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why. 2. If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words, "Hey George, can I...

Okay, I've written about shopping here before -- in some ways, as recently as last week, and, if you compare this recent story with this column from 2003, maybe even presciently. I've also written about the way things like eBay are changing our country, and Christmas shopping, in all sorts of ways. But I haven't thought things through in the way that Daniel Nissanoff has. Nissanoff's new book, FutureShop: How the New Auction Culture will Revolutionize the Way We Buy, Sell, and Get the Things We REALLY Want, looks at the long-term impact of easy purchase and resale of, well,...

Washington DC, Dec. 09, 2005 (CNA) - Intervening in the heated debate about the mention of Christmas on the public square, Concerned Women for America (CWA) presented a first Christmas list showing which businesses are honouring the Reason for the Season (the birth of Jesus), which ones are not, and which have mixed records. It first lists the corporation ‘Nice’ or friendly to the Original Christmas tradition.  This year Macy's joins the NICE list because it has returned the explicit mention of Christmas and Merry Christmas to its stores and its ads. L.L. Bean, on the other hand, just barely...

    What memories do you have from Christmases past?  What recipes have been handed down through the years in your family?  Do you have a tradition to share?  A Christmas craft to show?  Is there something that you think of while you are away from home that gives you those warm fuzzy feelings?  Share with us!  We'd love to hear it! Grandma's Old-Fashioned Stack Cake(A Christmas Favorite in Gummy's Family)3/4 cups shortening 1 cup sugar 1 cup molasses 3 eggs 6 cups all-purpose flour 2 t baking powder 1/2 t soda 1 t salt 2 t ginger (ground)...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending rose 0.2 percent in October, as expected, driving the personal saving rate into negative territory for the fifth straight month, a government report showed on Thursday. Personal income also rose in October, by 0.4 percent - slightly less than the 0.5 percent increase forecast by Wall Street, the Commerce Department said. That followed an outsized 1.7 percent rise in income in September, which was driven by insurance payments in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The department's inflation measure - closely watched by policy-makers at the Federal Reserve - rose just 0.1 percent...

  We Support Our Troops!!!!  Thank you for your service!!! Let's hear what YOU want for Christmas this year. If you don't celebrate Christmas, we'd still love to hear what new toy, gadget, gizmo, or whatchamacallit you'd like to have.  If you don't know, Gummy  has some ideas for you!! Just look below.  Some of our Canteeners have offered suggestions, too.       HiJinx Okay, at the top of my political wish list is Zarqawi's head on a spike. At the top of my tech wish list is a top of the line 19" LCD monitor. At the top of...