| Housing boosts growth
This month the Liberal Party observes its 62nd anniversary. Instead, the two factions claiming party leadership have decided to celebrate the milestone on separate dates. The wing led by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza got together Jan. 19. The faction under Sen. Mar Roxas is set to hold its assembly on Wednesday, Jan. 30. What split the LP was the call made in July 2005 by then-Senate President Franklin Drilon and other party members for President Arroyo to resign in the wake of the Hello, Garci scandal. Atienza and his wing have remained loyal to GMA. Last November Drilon and company appointed Roxas as party president. They did so by virtue of a Supreme Court resolution, which they claimed affirmed their hold on the party. However, former Northern Samar Rep.
Intimidating groups of teenagers adorn the landscape
When I go to the mall I spend a lot of time on the benches in the main concourse watching the crowds go by. I usually come away with new respect for mothers of small children. You can learn much about people and our own demographic by watching shoppers at the mall. I am reminded of how my grandparents, many years ago would angle park their car along the main street of my small town so they could observe the coming and going of Friday night shoppers. I guess I am continuing a family tradition by mall watching. Archie, Betty and Veronica of long ago are no longer on the scene, nor is the local soda joint. The last time we saw that was on "Happy Days" on television. The same sociology is at work today at the mall as was in those old comic books, except that it seems we have more of the Jughead characters than we had in the 40's and 50's.
ShopLocal Retail Index Jumps 60% in November
CHICAGO, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- ShopLocal(TM), the leader in multi-channel shopping and marketing services, today announced that the ShopLocal Index was up 60% in November 2007, compared to the same month last year. This includes a dramatic 84% spike in the two days prior to Black Friday as shoppers searched for the best deals ahead of a big weekend of shopping. With predictions of a "soft" holiday season, retailers aggressively promoted on the Internet and savvy consumers exhaustively researched these offers online to optimize their in-store shopping experience. The flurry of activity described by the November ShopLocal Index resulted in strong sales around Thanksgiving for most retailers. This is reflected in the same-store sales results retailers are reporting for November, a definite improvement compared to September and October.
SoNo woman's e-zine celebrates life's delights
Linda LaSala is the kind of woman you should have in your personal friend wardrobe when you are stumped about (or obsessed with) matters of style.
Shopping for jeans that make you look skinny (or maybe just skinny jeans)? "Ooooh! I've got the perfect ones," says LaSala, listing her favorites, including the cheap (Old Navy) and not-so-cheap (a brand aptly named Hello! Skinny).
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Studio encourages designers' daydreams
As the first Nordic winds have begun to sweep down over the country, skiing and snowboarding fans are beginning to stock up on beanie hats and baggy pants for their annual rite of winter. And this year, well-to-do boarders will be able to hit the slopes on a new collection of one-of-a-kind designer boards released by what may be the country’s premier graphic design studio, Najbrt. .
Mesquite a Nevada golf destination that offers a fair way to play
MESQUITE, Nev. Jim Longlas, a Los Angeles-area resident who repairs MRI machines for a living, was having a cold beverage at Wolf Creek Golf Club this fall and extolling the virtues of Mesquite as a golf destination."Las Vegas got to be too big and too expensive and too crazy,'' he said. "Here, you look out at night and it's quiet and the stars are out, and you don't hear any traffic.''
In two sentences, Longlas came close to summing up what makes Mesquite appealing for a growing number of visitors. Situated 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, the town of about 1,800 offers Vegas-style amenities quality golf, a desert climate, mountain scenery and gambling but at a lower price and a more relaxed, congestion-free pace.Mesquite has six golf courses and seven hotels four of which are casino hotels and two spas.
Nirvana for craft lovers in the Northwest
We ran into each other again that night on a shuttle that took us to Alberta Street, an arts and shopping district with funky stores, galleries, shops and restaurants. The shuttle dropped us at Collage on Alberta, an art-and-craft store filled with rubber stamps, paint, paper and embellishments. After dropping bucks there, we walked to Bolt, a fabric store offering cotton prints, buttons, patterns and notions. Our last stop was Close Knit, a yarn shop where I found some gorgeous sea-foam wool (I recently learned to crochet) and checked out antique buttons. Crawford-Sheppard and I stopped for a quick dinner at Lagniappe, promising home-cooked Southern fare. "Even if you stay home and try to get something done," Crawford-Sheppard said, "you don't get that complete freedom.
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