| Dell to close shopping mall kiosks
DALLAS — Dell Inc., which has been pushing its computers into more retail stores, said Wednesday it will close its 140 shopping mall kiosks in the United States. Dell now sells computers and other devices in more than 10,000 stores around the world, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Best Buy Co., and the kiosks may be losing some of their novelty. Tony Weiss, the vice president of Dell's global consumer business, said closing the kiosks "fits in with how our broad global retail strategy is evolving." Dell began opening the kiosks in 2002 to boost sales of notebook computers, which didn't fit as well within the company's practice of selling directly to customers over the Internet and by phone. Notebook customers wanted to see and feel the machines before buying.
Bragg may shield Fayetteville's economy
Fort Bragg may help cushion the blow for this region if the national economy spirals into recession, as some experts are predicting. But people who work in retail and other service jobs in Fayetteville could still be hit hard during coming months, if rising prices and consumer jitters continue to curb spending. "People didn’t spend as much money and stores didn’t do as much hiring during the holidays as they did in the past, due to the economy," said Glenn McQueen, manager of the Employment Security Commission in Cumberland County. President Bush on Friday responded to the increasingly dire forecasts for the nation’s economy by pitching as much as $150 billion in tax relief. He also called for a tax break for individuals, probably in the form of a one-time rebate similar to 2001 when individuals got $300 checks and households got $600.
New plan outlines growth strategy
Hockenbrocht crafted the plan for the Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth, a group dedicated to ensuring the economic health of Jackson County. "Economic development is about understanding who we are, what the assets are in the community and building a plan around what's here," said Hockenbrocht, a founding member of JCEG. "What we want is new private investment in businesses that are already here and investment from others who might come here." The document was circulated around town Monday. Some key priorities in the plan include business retention and outreach, a focus on technology, demolishing vacant and abandoned buildings, and creating a plan to improve the "look" of Jackson's entrances from all directions. He is encouraging people to read and submit comments on the report, and the group hopes to unveil a final draft this summer.
Beyonce, Fall Out Boy, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, U2 And Gorillaz Kick ...
But don't worry about getting lost and dizzy amid the rush of rabid shoppers — here's a handy guide of highlight gifts you'll find hitting stores this week ... Dangerously in LoveSounds?: Still need proof that compact discs are going the way of the dodo? According to BestBuy.com, three of the top five hottest-ticket music items going on sale this week aren't even CDs — they're DVDs. One of the video discs in question is "The Beyoncé Experience Live," which commemorates a tour so huge it needed two corporate sponsors in its tag line ("... brought to you by Samsung and L'Oréal Paris"). The DVD features her September 2 show at Los Angeles' Staples Center, where Jay-Z made a special appearance and Destiny's Child reunited for "Survivor." The gig went down two days before her 26th birthday, which ties in quite nicely with the fact that the show was based around her latest album, B'Day.
A little help from a friend has big effect on Novak Djokovic
In Djokovic's case, the transformation started in Amersfoort in the Netherlands in July 2006; for Murray, the hope is that the fuse was lit three weeks ago in Doha, Qatar. If the British No1 can draw consolation from his first-round defeat in the Australian Open, it is that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, his French conqueror, reached the final and that Djokovic, his friend from junior days, delivered exhilaratingly on his promise these past two weeks in partnership with Marián Vajda, a relatively obscure Slovakian coach, whose world ranking as a player did not exceed No34 in 1987, when the depth in the men's game was not as pronounced as it is today. True, the new Australian Open champion was not replacing a coach, and character, of Brad Gilbert's repute when Vajda came on board 18 months ago.
A coarser world invades mall life
At 2 o'clock on a Friday afternoon at Arundel Mills mall, sun streamed through the skylights illuminating the vast food court. Snacking shoppers filled fewer than half of the brightly hued chairs. And in the relative quiet, the Winter family of Friendship Gardens had a peaceful lunch.
"We're a mall family," said Bill Winter, 33, a truck driver. "We come here and just wander. It's a place where you can take your children, out of the weather, and they can run around. You can get some exercise, have something to eat, have some family time."
Four hours later, after darkness had blanketed the food court skylights, Arundel Mills had become a busier, louder - and considerably younger - place.
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Suharto 'was Indonesia's Pol Pot'
Suharto seized power from Sukarno in 1965-66 and ruled with an iron fist for another three decades. Suharto was buried today in a state funeral in central Java after a long illness. "I don't want to lash out at a dead man but I cannot forgive Suharto," said Japanese-born Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno, Sukarno's third wife. "He was Indonesia's Pol Pot," she said, referring to the late leader of Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rouge. Ms Dewi, a former bar hostess born as Naoko Nemoto, married Sukarno at age 19 in 1962 after he was charmed by her on a state visit to Tokyo. After Sukarno died under house arrest in 1970, she returned to Japan where she has become a television personality and runs a jewellery and cosmetics business.
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