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Groups team up to provide shoes for Haiti

2010-01-21T06:09:00.004-08:00

Jan. 20--Total Learning Centers, STORExpress and Pittsburgh's Got Sole are teaming up to provide shoes for earthquake victims in Haiti.

The centers and STORExpress will place boxes at their locations where donors can drop off their shoes, starting January 25 through February. Other businesses are expected to take part in the project.

Pittsburgh's Got Sole will send the shoes to the Soles4Souls warehouse in Alabama. For more information, visit www.PittsburghsGotSole.com.

Credit: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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Boynton Beach, Fla., students work with Nike on design project to help Haiti

2010-01-21T06:09:00.003-08:00

BOYNTON BEACH -- Markers in their hands and brows furrowed in thought, the fifth-graders in Kristy Klein's Forest Park Elementary classroom lean over paper shoe templates, liberally colored in red and blue.

The students are focused on their drawing not only because they get to help design a real Nike sneaker, but because the finished product will raise money for Haiti, a country many of their parents or relatives call home.

The collaboration between Nike and the Boynton Beach school, where about half the students are of Haitian descent, was born out of a text message from a Nike shoe designer to his sister, who teaches at the school.

Immediately after the earthquake last Tuesday, Eugene Rogers was trying to think of a way to raise money to help rebuild the country.

He thought of the school where his sister, Kim Rogers, works as a science coach. It might be cool to get some of her kids to contribute to a shoe design that Nike could sell to raise money for Haiti.

But when the designer mentioned the idea to his boss, the idea grew.

"I have never had a project that elevated so quickly," Rogers said. "I'd share my idea with (a) manager and they would literally grab me and take me to the next person in the chain of command."

Soon, it wasn't a few kids who would contribute, but the whole school. And they'd do it under the guidance of a team of four Nike designers who flew in from Oregon to work with them.

For inspiration, the designers brought samples of leather in every imaginable color and even a couple of finished shoes worn by NBA stars, including LeBron James' size 16s and Kevin Durant's size 20s.

Each student got a paper outline of a shoe and a T-shirt. They were allowed to draw their own vision down to the plastic ends on the shoelaces, which can sport colors or even have words printed on them.

Principal Sharon Brannon said the project was a welcome outlet, especially for students who have not been able to make contact with family in Haiti.

"The hardest thing is the not knowing," she said. "This project is giving them a sense of being able to do something, which is so important. They all want to be able to do something."

Students were told about the project on Friday. Some spent the weekend drawing shoes. Nike designers will likely use a composite of the students' designs to create a shoe that will be sold to raise money.

It was not clear today whether the "Help Haiti Project" shoe will be produced in any numbers or if a few will be made to be auctioned. Ideally, an NBA athlete will wear the shoe to draw attention to the cause.

Fifth-grader Marcdalina Fervil, 11, thought of her aunts and uncles in Port-au-Prince as she designed her shoe. Her mother has not been able to reach them and Marcdalina is worried.

"My mom tells me not to cry and to hold my head up," she said.

Marcdalina calls her shoe Sponge Bob Slams Dunks. It incorporates the Haitian colors and the Nickelodeon character.

"I put my heart into it," she said.

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ANNOUNCES NEW 70 PERCENT ROYALTY OPTION FOR KINDLE DIGITAL TEXT PLATFORM

2010-01-21T06:09:00.001-08:00

today announced details of a new program that will enable authors and publishers who use the Kindle Digital Text Platform (DTP) to earn a larger share of revenue from each Kindle book they sell. For each Kindle book sold, authors and publishers who choose the new 70 percent royalty option will receive 70 percent of list price, net of delivery costs. This new option will be in addition to and will not replace the existing DTP standard royalty option. This new 70 percent royalty option will become available on June 30, 2010.

Delivery costs will be based on file size and pricing will be $0.15/MB. At today's median DTP file size of 368KB, delivery costs would be less than $0.06 per unit sold. This new program can thus enable authors and publishers to make more money on every sale. For example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option, and $6.25 with the new 70 percent option.

"Today, authors often receive royalties in the range of 7 to 15 percent of the list price that publishers set for their physical books, or 25 percent of the net that publishers receive from retailers for their digital books," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. "We're excited that the new 70 percent royalty option for the Kindle Digital Text Platform will help us pay authors higher royalties when readers choose their books."

DTP authors and publishers will be able to select the royalty option that best meets their needs. Books from authors and publishers who choose the 70 percent royalty option will have access to all the same features and be subject to all the same requirements as books receiving the standard royalty rate. In addition, to qualify for the 70 percent royalty option, books must satisfy the following set of requirements:

-- The author or publisher-supplied list price must be between $2.99 and $9.99

-- This list price must be at least 20 percent below the lowest physical list price for the physical book

-- The title is made available for sale in all geographies for which the author or publisher has rights

-- The title will be included in a broad set of features in the Kindle Store, such as text-to-speech. This list of features will grow over time as Amazon continues to add more functionality to Kindle and the Kindle Store.

-- Under this royalty option, books must be offered at or below price parity with competition, including physical book prices. Amazon will provide tools to automate that process, and the 70 percent royalty will be calculated off the sales price.

The 70 percent royalty option is for in-copyright works and is unavailable for works published before 1923 (a.k.a. public domain books). At launch, the 70 percent royalty option will only be available for books sold in the United States.

The Kindle Digital Text Platform is a fast and easy self-publishing tool that lets anyone upload and format their books for sale in the Kindle Store. To learn more about the Kindle Digital Text Platform, visit http://dtp.amazon.com/

About Amazon Kindle

Kindle and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the most wished for, the most gifted, and the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc., seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel; Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Examples of the services offered by Amazon Web Services are Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon SimpleDB, Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS), Amazon Flexible Payments Service (Amazon FPS), Amazon Mechanical Turk and Amazon CloudFront.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including http://www.amazon.com, http://www.amazon.co.uk, http://www.amazon.de, http://www.amazon.co.jp, http://www.amazon.fr, http://www.amazon.ca, and http://www.amazon.cn. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

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MIssion to Haiti: Sheldon volunteers survive earthquake, return home

2010-01-21T06:08:00.002-08:00

Rachel Roozeboom was riding in the back of a truck, returning to Port-au-Prince from a village where she and other volunteers had been distributing clothes and shoes, when the earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12. "Since we were driving, I thought we had blown a tire or something, because we started weaving very quickly," she described.

Rachel Roozeboom was riding in the back of a truck, returning to Port-au-Prince from a village where she and other volunteers had been distributing clothes and shoes, when the earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12.

"Since we were driving, I thought we had blown a tire or something, because we started weaving very quickly," she described. "But when we pulled over, it didn't stop."

Roozeboom, the youth director at First Reformed Church in Sheldon, was one of six people from that church who were in Haiti at the time of the massive earthquake.

"There were six from our church and another five from our community, and some people from our church who had relatives along -- sons, grandchildren, who were from other parts of Iowa and South Dakota," explained the Rev. David Brower, pastor at First Reformed, which has a long history of supporting missions in Haiti. "We've been sending groups with an organization called Mission to Haiti -- I've been here 10 years, and it was going on long before that -- so maybe 20 to 25 years now."

Founded by Bill and Ann Nealey, Mission to Haiti exists to help the Haitian people with their daily needs and bring them the Gospel message. Operating from a base camp, volunteers may use their time and talents in various capacities including vocational training, a Bible school, medical teams, construction teams and distributing food and community aid.

Some of the Sheldon volunteers had been to Haiti before -- Brower said one church member has been there 20 times, another eight times -- but for Roozeboom, this was her first trip to the impoverished Caribbean island.

"I've always been interested in missions, and I'd been able to do some international missions, and they were really eye-opening. God taught me a lot on those trips," she explained. "So I thought I'd take this opportunity to go with the church."

The team from Iowa arrived in Haiti on Jan. 11 and had just made their initial foray into the mission field -- the first of four planned excursions -- on the following day when the earthquake struck. Pre-earthquake, Roozeboom admits she was having trouble coping with how horrible the conditions were in Haiti.

"I thought it was bad before," she reflected. "No drinking water, little shacks to live in, just hardly anything, trash everywhere. I was still trying to understand this Third World country when this happened."

When the truck came to a halt, Roozeboom and her fellow volunteers got out to look around and assess what was happening around them. But they were in an area where there weren't many houses and didn't immediately realize the extent of the damage. As they drove toward the base camp, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

"I've never been more scared in my life," Roozeboom said. "Everything around us was gone, but fortunately, our buildings (at the Mission to Haiti compound) were only cracked, so we could still use them. But we didn't sleep inside; we were too scared for that. We were still able to use our beds, and our belongings were all safe, and we could still get to our medical supplies."

Part of the group was there on a medical mission, so their services and those supplies were quickly put to use.

"We had doctors and nurses along," Roozeboom said. "At the camp where we were staying, they provided as much medical care as they could. They stitched up a lot of people, set bones, had to carry some people away that passed away. "

Without any medical training, Roozeboom felt "very helpless," but she tried to pitch in as best she could.

"I was just able to bring people blankets and sheets and give them water to drink," she explained.

Aftershocks made attending to the injured even more chaotic and brought increased panic among the survivors.

"Some aftershocks were worse than others," Roozeboom said. "There wasn't any rhythm to them, they'd just come whenever. Some would last five or six seconds, and you didn't know what else was going to fall down, what else was going to happen."

Prayers helped, but even those were hard to verbalize in the midst of so much tragedy and despair.

"The night of the earthquake, I couldn't even form prayers," Roozeboom remembered. "I was in complete shock. The only verse I could think of was Romans 8:26 -- the Spirit intercedes for you with groans that words cannot express."

One bright spot for the mission team was being able to communicate with their friends and families back home, letting them know they were OK.

"Our Internet was slow, but still working," Roozeboom said. "Pretty quick after it happened, we were able to get word back. We'd try to give short updates."

While they were doing all they could to help the Haitian people, the missionaries were also concerned about how they were going to get back home. At one point, they were sent to the airport for evacuation, but due to the crowds there, they had to return to the Mission to Haiti compound. Finally, a connection with the Mississippi National Guard aided their cause.

"We had tried everything to get out, but nothing was working," Roozeboom said. "There was this lieutenant colonel whose church supported Mission to Haiti. He personally did everything he could to get us out. I guess a load of cargo came in, and he made (the crew) promise not to leave until he came back. So he snuck us into the airport in the middle of the night and onto this cargo plane. It was like something you see in a movie."

Although they had expected to be evacuated to Miami, the plane's first stop was in New Jersey. They were just grateful to be back on U.S. soil -- and more stable ground.

"It was only when we landed in New Jersey that I knew the ground wouldn't shake anymore," Roozeboom recalled.

The Sheldon group eventually made connections to Omaha, where they landed on Friday night.

Since their return, the mission team has gone through a debriefing session to help them cope with what they experienced in Haiti. Before they boarded a Haiti-bound plane, Roozeboom barely knew some of her travel companions; now she feels close with them -- bonded through shock and tragedy.

Roozeboom said she will be content to stay close to home for a while, but the Haitian experience has not totally squashed her interest in future mission trips.

"But I don't think I can go back to Haiti any time soon," she said. "I think it would take quite a bit to get me back."

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Woodland Hills considering uniforms for students

2010-01-21T06:08:00.001-08:00

The new dress code also would require students to wear solid black or white socks or natural shaded pantyhose and black or brown dress shoes, boots or sneakers.

Revisions to the Woodland Hills School District dress code policy would have students revising their wardrobes next year if a plan for uniforms is passed in coming months.

Woodland Hills officials released details of the proposed district-wide dress code for the 2010-11 school year on its Web site last week. The proposed changes came following positive results from a parental survey, PTO requests and feedback from students at Woodland Hills Academy who have worn uniforms since that school opened in August.

The code would require all students to wear solid-colored polo shirts with black dress or casual pants. Girls would be permitted to wear black capri pants, skirts, skorts or jumpers, with skirts no higher than 3 inches above the knee.

Shirts could be long- or short-sleeved, could feature embroidered manufacturers' logos in the upper left corner and would have to be tucked in at all times. Pants would feature belt loops and be belted at the waist with solid black or brown belts.

The new dress code also would require students to wear solid black or white socks or natural shaded pantyhose and black or brown dress shoes, boots or sneakers.

Black shorts no shorter than 3 inches above the knee would be permitted for all students. All clothing would have to be appropriately sized. Spiked jewelry and body piercings other than earrings would be prohibited, pants length could not go past the bottom of a shoe, and pants width shouldn't exceed the size of the shoe.

Outdoor apparel, visible undergarments and unclean clothing also would be prohibited under the new code.

District communications director Maria McCool said parents at Woodland Hills Academy paid an average of $150 to $200 for uniforms, but estimated district uniforms would cost about $50 because its components can be bought at places such as Walmart and Kmart. In addition, the district would provide uniform subsidies to parents meeting dire federal poverty guidelines under the plan.

The school board discussed the proposed dress code during its Jan. 13 meeting. Parents will have opportunities to speak out about the plan until directors make a final vote in March.

Parents also may send letters about this issue to their school principal.

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Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Karen Youso column: DVDs from Europe use different format

2010-01-21T06:05:00.000-08:00

I got a DVD in Italy. It won't work now that we're home. What can we do to be able to view the DVD?

A The problem is the formatting. In Europe, DVDs use the PAL format, while in the United States it's NTSC. The respective DVD players don't recognize the other's discs. There are two things you can do, said Jessica Mattson of Token Media in Minneapolis.

Computers don't care about the format. You can play the DVD on your computer to view the video.

The DVD can be transferred to NTSC format and then played on your DVD player. The cost is about $40 for a one-hour DVD or $55 for two hours.

For more information, contact Token Media, 211 17th Av. N., Minneapolis, 612-588-7009.

Cured or uncured

Q When a food item, such as a package of hot dogs, says that it's "uncured," what does that mean?

A It means that the meat does not contain sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate, which are added to preserve or "cure" the product, to prevent spoilage.

BRAZILIAN LEATHER SHOES TO BE CERTIFIED

2010-01-20T01:15:00.001-08:00

According to ANBA: On Thursday (20th), during the Couromoda 2010 trade fair, the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI) and the Brazilian Institute for Technology in Leather, Shoes and Artefacts (IBTeC) will sign an agreement of 1.334 million Brazilian reals (US$ 755 million) to implement a project for certification of comfort of Brazilian shoes and safety shoes. Couromoda is the leading fair for the shoe and accessory industry in Brazil, and will be held from January 18th to 21st in the city of S?o Paulo.

According to ANBA: On Thursday (20th), during the Couromoda 2010 trade fair, the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI) and the Brazilian Institute for Technology in Leather, Shoes and Artefacts (IBTeC) will sign an agreement of 1.334 million Brazilian reals (US$ 755 million) to implement a project for certification of comfort of Brazilian shoes and safety shoes. Couromoda is the leading fair for the shoe and accessory industry in Brazil, and will be held from January 18th to 21st in the city of S?o Paulo. The agreement's objective is to increase the products' added value, so as to foster their international market competitiveness. The safety segment encompasses shoes used in healthcare, civil construction, metal-mechanical industry and national security. According to a press release issued by the ABDI, the aim of the agreement in this regard is to "increase the competitiveness of Brazilian companies that manufacture safety, protection and occupational shoes, and which seek international markets, in which meeting technical specifications is crucial." This niche also includes the oil exploration industry, which will also benefit. "Safety shoes worn at oil drilling platforms demand more effective anti-skid properties," explains Jorge Boeira, ABDI's leather and shoes coordinator. In a press release, he underscores that "in this way, Brazil will become adapted to international standards, which should grant prominence to Brazilian shoes in global markets and encourage the use of more modern material and new engineering technologies."
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KIWI(R) & Comcast-Spectacor Join Forces to Ensure That All Americans Can Walk a Mile in Their Own Shoes

2010-01-20T01:14:00.004-08:00

all fans who donate shoes at these designated games will be eligible to win a team-specific MVP package, which includes game tickets, behind-the-scenes tours of the Wachovia Center, autographed memorabilia and a chance for either a Zamboni ride at a future Flyers game or a courtside visit at a future 76ers game.

KIWI(R) Shoe Care, part of the Sara Lee Corporation, (NYSE: SLE), today announced a partnership with Comcast-Spectacor, specifically the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers, in support of Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that facilitates the collection and donation of shoes to those in need across the United States and worldwide.

To support the mission of Soles4Souls, KIWI and Comcast-Spectacor will ask fans to donate new or gently worn shoes in a two-day effort beginning when the Philadelphia 76ers tip off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, January 29th and followed by the Philadelphia Flyers face-off against the New York Islanders on Saturday, January 30th. Willie Green of the Philadelphia 76ers and Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers will also lend their support to this initiative with in-arena, online and radio public service announcements highlighting this community initiative. Further, all fans who donate shoes at these designated games will be eligible to win a team-specific MVP package, which includes game tickets, behind-the-scenes tours of the Wachovia Center, autographed memorabilia and a chance for either a Zamboni ride at a future Flyers game or a courtside visit at a future 76ers game.

"This partnership with Comcast-Spectacor reaffirms the long-standing commitment made by KIWI to not only collect shoes but give them new life in disadvantaged and developing communities across globe, notably in the United States and Africa," said Martin Lind, President of Household & Beverage for Sara Lee Corporation. "This joint initiative provides a unique opportunity for individuals across the Philadelphia region to act both locally and globally in supporting this worthwhile program. We look forward to working with such a highly regarded organization in Comcast-Spectacor and such an engaged community to launch the KIWI Shoe Collection and more, we anticipate terrific support of Soles4Souls from our Philadelphia fans."

"Comcast-Spectacor and KIWI are two companies that have cultivated long-standing, powerful legacies," said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "By partnering to support the mission of Soles4Souls, we can leverage our strong brands with our fans to improve the lives of others in a very real, tangible way."

To learn more about KIWI shoe care products and its support of Souls4Soles, visit www.Kiwicare.com. Individual game tickets for the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers are available now at ComcastTIX.com or by calling 1-800-298-4200. For further details regarding this initiative and the team-specific MVP packages associated with donating, please visit www.philadelphiaflyers.com and/or www.nba.com/sixers.

About Kiwi

Since 1906, KIWI has viewed shoes as a key part of personal grooming and its products as an important part of projecting a certain image to the world. This belief remains true today as KIWI is now sold and marketed in almost 200 countries worldwide. As an integral brand within Sara Lee Corporation's Household & Beverage Division since 1984, KIWI remains the world's number one shoe care brand offering Shoe Polish, Cleaners, Insoles and Shoe Laces. For more information on KIWI, visit www.kiwicare.com.

About Sara Lee Corporation

Each and every day, Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) delights millions of consumers and customers around the world. The company has one of the world's best-loved and leading portfolios with its innovative and trusted food, beverage, household and body care brands, including Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Sara Lee, Senseo and Bimbo. Collectively, these brands generate approximately $13 billion in annual net sales covering nearly 200 countries. The Sara Lee community consists of 41,000 employees worldwide. Please visit www.saralee.com for the latest news and in-depth information about Sara Lee and its brands.

About Comcast-Spectacor

Comcast-Spectacor is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum, four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 60 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; and 3601 Creative Group, a full-service in-house advertising agency. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally-televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.

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OPINION: Dynamics of a village market

2010-01-20T01:14:00.003-08:00

From pin to elephant! Later, when I discuss my experience with Mr S.K. Saria, Managing Director of Soongachi Tea Industries Pvt Ltd, and a member of the Tea Board, whose tea estates in Dooars and Darjeeling record an annual production of around 2 million kg of tea, he says: "Oh yes, that market is simply mind-boggling... you name it and it is available here." Sinclairs' Deputy Manager Avijit Ghosh is more dramatic: "You can buy from a pin to an elephant here." Well, one did not see any elephants here; that had to wait till an expedition to the Garumara Wildlife Sanctuary the next day, but the rest of it was all there. There was an astounding display of wares, ranging from colourful sarees, salwars, dupattas, blankets, shoes and other apparel and accessories, to seeds, grains and pulses, cooking oil, crockery and cutlery, scythes, sickles, big and small knives, saplings, colourful flowers, fruits and vegetables, eggs and dried fish... and, of course, the Bengali staple of paan and supari... it was all there.

These wares were peddled by scores of sellers. As I watched, absolutely fascinated, the paan seller expertly peeled out fresh supari (betel nut) from the fruit and made ready the paan-supari combine. [Amal Mukhi] chuckled and, reading my mind, said: " Aap yeh nahi kha sakte, yeh geeli supari mei nasha hota hei. (You can't sample this; wet supari is intoxicating). People take it for nasha." Not wishing to disabuse him of the image he had formed, I walked on. Rows and rows of 6x6 ft stalls stretched as far as the eye could see and, according to Nabi-ul-Alam, a regular here from Batwari, about 8 km away, more than 3,000-3,500 sellers come to peddle their wares at this weekly haat.

from BUSINESS LINE, January 19, 2010 From the sylvan surroundings of the luxurious Sinclairs Retreat in Chalsa, Dooars, about 85 km from Bagdogra, the last airport in West Bengal and the gateway to Darjeeling, Gangtok and the border areas of Bhutan, a mere 2 km drive to Mangalbari is an experience to cherish.

It is Thursday and this little, nondescript village has sprung to life, buzzing with the kind of economic activity one can hardly associate with a small Indian village. The weekly haat or bazaar was on and the number of footfalls this village saw by sundown would make the best of marketers envious.

My driver, Amal Mukhi, tells me I should visit the weekly haat, and I keep the camera ready, hoping to capture a few cute/quaint pictures, but as he walks me through the nearly 2 km-long 'market', what unfolds before the eye is sheer magic. It is also education in how people with modest means - farmers, small traders and rural consumers - survive these difficult times, when food prices have gone through the roof.

From pin to elephant! Later, when I discuss my experience with Mr S.K. Saria, Managing Director of Soongachi Tea Industries Pvt Ltd, and a member of the Tea Board, whose tea estates in Dooars and Darjeeling record an annual production of around 2 million kg of tea, he says: "Oh yes, that market is simply mind-boggling... you name it and it is available here." Sinclairs' Deputy Manager Avijit Ghosh is more dramatic: "You can buy from a pin to an elephant here." Well, one did not see any elephants here; that had to wait till an expedition to the Garumara Wildlife Sanctuary the next day, but the rest of it was all there. There was an astounding display of wares, ranging from colourful sarees, salwars, dupattas, blankets, shoes and other apparel and accessories, to seeds, grains and pulses, cooking oil, crockery and cutlery, scythes, sickles, big and small knives, saplings, colourful flowers, fruits and vegetables, eggs and dried fish... and, of course, the Bengali staple of paan and supari... it was all there.

These wares were peddled by scores of sellers. As I watched, absolutely fascinated, the paan seller expertly peeled out fresh supari (betel nut) from the fruit and made ready the paan-supari combine. Amal chuckled and, reading my mind, said: " Aap yeh nahi kha sakte, yeh geeli supari mei nasha hota hei. (You can't sample this; wet supari is intoxicating). People take it for nasha." Not wishing to disabuse him of the image he had formed, I walked on. Rows and rows of 6x6 ft stalls stretched as far as the eye could see and, according to Nabi-ul-Alam, a regular here from Batwari, about 8 km away, more than 3,000-3,500 sellers come to peddle their wares at this weekly haat.

He is a Muslim and the next day being a Friday, he will use it "for prayer and rest". But for the rest of the week he will take his fare - finely ground as well as whole spices, mounds of fresh green chillies, and ready-made masala packets, tea and coffee powder, etc., to other weekly marts in a 100-km vicinity.

Most of the shoppers at this buzzing mart are women, and they are mainly hovering around the vegetable stalls... over a couple of hundred in number. Quizzed about the financial turnover at this weekly mart, Alam consults a couple of other sellers and estimates that about 35,000-40,000 people would visit the market by the evening.

High turnover As most of the traders one spoke to said they sell goods worth around Rs 3,000 during the day, the turnover at this bazaar during the day would be between Rs 10-12 lakh. A fascinating number for a small village.

And that is not all; the economic activity stretches beyond the actual sale.

The sellers, who include farmers, have brought their goods from distances as far as 50-60 km. They do this by pooling resources and hiring vans, pick-up trucks and other vehicles, paying a rent of Rs 50-100 each for the service. This generates another kind of economic activity, providing business to the vehicle-owners, drivers and helpers.

Mouth-watering prices The predominant offering at the mart are vegetables, and the mouth-watering prices on offer, coupled with their freshness, seriously tempted one to carry some home all the back to Chennai! Potatoes, carrots and tomatoes were selling at Rs 6-8 a kg, fresh peas at Rs 20, beans at Rs 12, green chillies at less than Rs 20 and cabbage and cauliflower at less than Rs 10. Onion is the costliest commodity, at Rs 20. And every time one asked the price and moved on, the trader said: "Please buy, I will reduce the price." As one moved on, picking up odd bits of crockery along the way, one came across a flower-seller, selling vibrant-coloured giant dahlias. Even better, he was selling saplings too, and this mobile nursery offered them at throwaway prices - Rs 3 per sapling! Of course they came without soil or a polythene bag, but one decided to carry four saplings back home, hoping that at least one might survive and flower.

No tuar dal here The next stall is that of Rajesh Dhal, who has come from Mal, about 7 km away, and is selling pulses.

With tuar and moong dal prices having touched the triple-digit mark, this is a mandatory halt, but tuar dal is missing. "I used to sell tuar dal at Rs 80 but, as the price is so high, people have stopped buying that, as well as moong dhal. So now I have a lot of chana dal at Rs 40, which is selling very well." Well, rural consumers here are sending out a strong message to their urban counterparts - when something gets too costly, learn to live without it; boycott its use! With sugar prices having touched Rs 50, one looks around for it, but only finds mounds of jaggery instead. Perhaps the rural folk too had decided to give a go-by to the commodity referred to in health parlance as 'white poison'.

But this mart also spells out the tragedy of small and marginal farmers peddling perishable commodities. Haren Rai is one such farmer, from Mainagudi, about 40 km away, who grows vegetables on his one-acre plot. So, how much profit will he make today? "Well, it is a gamble and it is not always profits. By the end of the day, if I don't sell most of what I have brought, I'll make a loss; I have to either throw it away or sell it dirt cheap. But if I sell everything, then there will be a it is good profit. For farmers, profit and loss go hand in hand." Alam owns some land, on which he grows rice and vegetables, but only for the consumption of his family of six - mother, wife, two brothers and one daughter, whose education is important to him.

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Legacy Recordings; Today's 75th Birthday of Elvis Presley Celebrated With New 'ELVIS 75' CDLegacy Recordings; Today's 75th Birthday of Elvis Presley

2010-01-20T01:14:00.001-08:00

From the moment in early 1956 when Elvis' first string of hits on RCA Victor proclaimed his arrival on the old 'Top 100' - "Heartbreak Hotel," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender" - there were 17 chart titles in 1956 alone - his hammerlock on rock and roll was unquestioned, his influence on the destiny of all popular music about to be engraved in stone.

2010 JAN 22 - (VerticalNews.com) -- In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth (January 8, 1935) comes a new 25-track collection of his most well-known songs. ELVIS 75 follows the December release of the career-spanning 4CD box set, ELVIS 75: GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT. ELVIS 75 was released to all physical and digital retail outlets this past Tuesday, January 5, through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. As the year continues, RCA/Legacy will unveil a full slate of Elvis Presley catalog titles.

The release of ELVIS 75 coincides with a 4-day celebration of his 75th birthday, January 7-10th, centered at Graceland in Memphis. Events will include a birthday proclamation on the front lawn of Graceland, parties, dances, and panel discussions. For further information, please go to www.elvis.com.

In February, 'Viva ELVIS' by Cirque du Soleil(R) opens exclusively in a custom-built theatre at ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter, Las Vegas. This lavish stage spectacular was created in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises and CKX, Inc. 'Viva ELVIS' is a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, and a tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley. Nostalgia, modernity and raw emotion provide the backdrop for his immortal voice and the exhilaration and beauty of his music. Created in the image of The King of Rock 'n' Roll - powerful, sexy, whimsical, truly unique and larger than life - the show highlights an American icon who transformed popular music and whose image embodies the freedom, excitement and turbulence of his era. Significant moments in the artist's life - intimate, playful and grandiose - blend with the timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts. 'Viva ELVIS' focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas and the entire world of entertainment: Elvis Presley. Ticket and show information is available now at www.cirquedusoleil.com/vivaelvis or by phone at 877.253.5847 or 702.531.2031.

>From the moment in early 1956 when Elvis' first string of hits on RCA Victor proclaimed his arrival on the old 'Top 100' - "Heartbreak Hotel," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender" - there were 17 chart titles in 1956 alone - his hammerlock on rock and roll was unquestioned, his influence on the destiny of all popular music about to be engraved in stone. Even after the Beatles' conquest started in 1964, and the revolution of Bob Dylan in 1965, Elvis continued his reign on the charts, slotting nearly four dozen songs on the Hot 100 from 1964 to 1969.

As compiled by Joel Whitburn, Elvis is the top-ranked Hot 100 male artist (by far!) of the 1950s and '60s - and the only act (male, female, or group) ever to be top-ranked #1 for two separate decades. Elvis holds unassailable records for the Most Chart Hits (151), Most Top 40 Hits (104), Most RIAA Platinum Hits (28), Most RIAA Gold Hits (24), and Most Weeks Charted (1,598).

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Soles4Souls; STARKART and Soles4Souls Inc, the Shoe Charity Announce Launch of Star of the Neighborhood National Charity Drive With Their Nearly 4,000

2010-01-20T01:13:00.002-08:00

With the start of the New Year, STARKART and Soles4Souls are teaming up to help spread the word and raise funds for the international shoe charity.

2010 JAN 23 - (VerticalNews.com) -- With the start of the New Year, STARKART and Soles4Souls are teaming up to help spread the word and raise funds for the international shoe charity. STARKART's advertising partners nationwide will have the opportunity to participate in the campaign by collecting donations through their local businesses.

"We are excited to kick off the New Year with our partners at STARKART," said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls, Inc. "A simple pair of shoes can mean the difference between a good education and none at all in most countries. Their support is truly helping us change the world one pair at a time," he said.

"We are thrilled to partner with Soles4Souls. Our program will give thousands of our local businesses the opportunity to unite for Soles4Souls in their mission of improving the lives of so many around the world," said Jeffrey Rosenthal, CEO of STARKART.

Please join STARKART and their efforts to support Soles4Souls by going into one of the many local businesses in your neighborhood participating in this National Drive or by texting SHOES to 20222 and $5.00 will be charged to your phone bill, which will go directly to Soles4Souls.

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Neiman Marcus, Inc.; Neiman Marcus

2010-01-20T01:13:00.001-08:00

The merchandise categories in the Specialty Retail Stores segment that performed the strongest included women's fine apparel, designer handbags, shoes, men's clothing and precious jewelry.

2010 JAN 23 - (VerticalNews.com) -- Neiman Marcus, Inc. announced the following preliminary company-wide revenues for December 2009.

5 weeks ended

January 2, 2010

January 3, 2009 % Change

Total Revenues

$556 million

$525 million

6.0%

Comparable Revenues

$548 million

$524 million

4.5%

In the five-week December period, comparable revenues in the Specialty Retail Stores segment, which includes Neiman Marcus Stores and Bergdorf Goodman, increased 4.9 percent. Revenue growth trends were the strongest in the Company's stores in the Southeast and New York City. The merchandise categories in the Specialty Retail Stores segment that performed the strongest included women's fine apparel, designer handbags, shoes, men's clothing and precious jewelry.

Comparable revenues at Neiman Marcus Direct in the five-week December period increased 3.2 percent. The merchandise categories in the Direct Marketing segment that performed the strongest included women's fine apparel, shoes, jewelry and handbags.

From a liquidity standpoint, the Company's cash balance as of January 2, 2010 was approximately $595 million compared to $330 million in the prior year. In addition, the Company had no borrowings outstanding under its $600 million asset-based revolving credit facility.

The Company's five-week reporting period is consistent with last year and reflects a 4-5-4 week second quarter.

Neiman Marcus, Inc. operations include the Specialty Retail Stores segment and the Direct Marketing segment. The Specialty Retail Stores segment consists primarily of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores. The Direct Marketing segment conducts both online and print catalog operations under the Neiman Marcus, Horchow and Bergdorf Goodman brand names. Information about the Company can be accessed at www.neimanmarcusgroup.com.

From time to time, the Company may make statements that predict or forecast future events or results, depend on future events for their accuracy or otherwise contain "forward-looking information." These statements are made based on management's expectations and beliefs concerning future events and are not guarantees of future performance.

The Company cautions readers that actual results may differ materially as a result of various factors, some of which are beyond its control, including but not limited to: political or economic conditions; terrorist activities in the United States and elsewhere; disruptions in business at the Company's stores, distribution centers or offices; changes in consumer confidence resulting in a reduction of discretionary spending on goods; changes in demographic or retail environments; changes in consumer preferences or fashion trends; competitive responses to the Company's marketing, merchandising and promotional efforts; changes in the Company's relationships with key customers; delays in the receipt of merchandise; seasonality of the retail business; adverse weather conditions, particularly during peak selling seasons; delays in anticipated store openings or renovations; natural disasters; significant increases in paper, printing and postage costs; litigation that may have an adverse effect on the Company's financial results or reputation; changes in the Company's relationships with designers, vendors and other sources of merchandise; the Company's success in enforcing its intellectual property rights; the effects of incurring a substantial amount of indebtedness under the Company's senior secured credit facilities, senior notes and senior subordinated notes and of complying with the related covenants and conditions; the financial viability of the Company's designers, vendors and other sources of merchandise; the design and implementation of new information systems or enhancement of existing systems; changes in foreign currency exchange rates or inflation rates; impact of funding requirements related to the Company's noncontributory defined benefit pension plan; changes in the Company's relationships with certain of key sales associates; changes in key management personnel; changes in the Company's proprietary credit card arrangement that adversely impact its ability to provide consumer credit; or changes in government or regulatory requirements increasing the Company's cost of operations.

Keywords: Advertising, Currency Exchange Rate, Data Management, Data Systems, Department Stores, Finance, Financial, Information Systems, Information Technology, Investing, Investment, Marketing, Neiman Marcus Inc., Retail

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