NFL Culmination 2015

     Every year, around this date, we get to enjoy the Super Bowl. When we get to enjoy the Super Bowl that means we get to enjoy the Super Bowl commercials. We always remember the most awesome commercials. This year Pepsi is poised to be the most dominant.

     In between watching the Patriots get blown away,  let's check out the half time show.

     Why?

     We have been told that Pepsi owner of the Pepsi company is spending a nasty amount of money on the budget for the Superbowl this year. It looks like we're going to, at least, see Katy Perry working wonders with her vocals.

     When it seems like we've seen all the ads and marketing that we can see, there's always something more to see. When was the last time you saw Lenny Kravitz in a commercial?

     As you well know, the Pepsi company isn't the only company willing to spend a few million on some commercials. Try to weave the kick in the head from commercials on February 1st. Even the non watching football persons will want to see some of these TV commercials.  Don't fall asleep for the halftime show.

     "The Man", at Frito Lay, Ram Krishnan, chief marketing officer, is ready to go toe to toe in the advertisement ring.

     One might wonder, why Pepsi, who cares? Well, Pepsi owns Gatorade. Enough said.

     Let's look at some statistics:
--spend $3.5 million-$4.5 million on a Super Bowl spot- earn customer loyalty throughout the rest of the year.
-- get everyone's attention- your product gets noticed by 185 million domestic fans for football.

     Maybe we have already discussed this before, but the huge amounts of money being shed for some advertisement is always interesting. We might see the Seattle Seahawks crush a few Pepsi cans while crushing the New England Patriots.

     We'll also see the culmination of the long-running “Crash the Super Bowl” competition in which it , "asks consumers to send in their entries for their videos to be made into the brand’s big game ad, for example. The competition received about 4,900 entries, and the finalists’ videos — which can be viewed on a dedicated website — have racked up more than 3.2 billion impressions"(https://crashthesuperbowl.doritos.com/finalists)

     PepsiCo has reportedly doled out a considerable amount:
--half time show- $4.5 million, not including some 30-second slots
--second-screen paid activity planned with Facebook and Twitter--undisclosed

     Lowden, Pepsi executive, says "PepsiCo’s massive marketing program drives traffic into stores. Retailers love this and offer up more shelf space and coveted end-of-aisle slots. PepsiCo sells more products. It’s a perfect circle.  It’s something that can only come out of its brand’s already-strong associations with the NFL — something many brand advertisers simply don’t and likely never will have so long as PepsiCo continues its relationship with the league".

     Lowden adds: “The NFL would say their best partner, without a doubt, is PepsiCo. We are three years into a 10-year deal. With that comes enormous trust and planning: We started planning Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco a year ago. We plan together and become part of the brand team.”

     Super Bowl plans:

Pepsi-  half-time show starring Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz, plus a lead-in commercial.

-Viewers can "shop" the half time show, buying the items that appear on screen via platforms like Twitter/ ShopTV.

-Twitter Amplify and Facebook activity to promote the second-screen experience throughout the show.

-Outdoor advertising all over the Phoenix area — mysterious "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

     Mountain Dew

     11 ads during the Super Bowl pre-game show to showcase two new “KICKSTART” flavors.

     -Tostidos- official chip and dip sponsor of the NFL is hosting a Super Bowl party experience from January 28 to February 1 in downtown Phoenix.

     Are you ready for some football?

Read a book, or read an e book?

      Once upon a time, some executives in the upper echelon of their companies collaborated to eliminate competition among e book sellers.  The target company was Amazon.com.  Why Amazon, you might ask?  Well, Amazon.com is the marketer of the KINDLE e book readers.  Customers were bewildered by the high price of e books in proportion to hardback books.  Amazon.com cut the prices of bestselling novels to $9.99, taking a loss for the price of best sellers and other e books; the KINDLE started flying off of the shelves. The exception that executives wanted to remove is the fact that $9.99 was substantially below their hardcover prices.  Chronologically speaking, it wasn’t that long ago that Amazon effectively built a monopoly on e book sales and e reader sales.  Obviously, the competition was “ooooohhh aaaahhhhhhh.”

Amazon's market share:                     60 - 90 %

Barnes & Noble's Nook market share:        25 %

iBookstore market share:                   10 % - 15 %

“According to federal court papers, the settlement agreement with three publishers said that for two years they will not restrict, limit or impede an e-book retailer's ability to set, alter or reduce the retail price of any electronic book ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47017081 ; Pete Yost)."

     Wide spread complaints were from: Texas, Connecticut, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and West Virginia. Puerto Rico also joined the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Austin, Texas.

     Why are e books costing so much?  Look at the example above.

     Well, paper doesn't cost very much.  We set it in our consumer minds that because a product isn’t heavy, it is cheap.  The logic will confide that an e book should cost very little or next to nothing because there is no paper, printing, and shipping involved.  Not so, company publisher's costs come from expenses that still exist in an e book world: Author advances, design, marketing, publicity, office space, and staff.

     What was really happening with the price fluctuation was the e book marketplace competition that publishers wanted began to take place. In order to set the $9.99 price, Amazon.com had to lose money.  Gaining a strong customer base along with a huge percentage of the overall market was more important to the retail giant.  Rather than competing on price, e book sellers like Apple, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and others have, up until now, mainly been competing on user experience.  The companies want us to have a relatively great reading experience. Despite the poplarity of the e book experience, we are still a hardcover world.

     Ebook companies could decide on a means of plotting a solution to a two-variable problem on a graph in order to solve the small linear programming problem.  The first step is to the goal: maximize profit via objective function.  The two constraints mildly limit the degree to which the objective can be accomplished.  There are plenty of alternative courses of action in this product-mix problem, though. 

     No need, now.  The government is now telling us that the e books are inevitably going to be set at a low price, anyway.

“Barnes and Noble and Amazon continue to duke it out in the e-reader market. Barnes and Noble currently offers over 2.5 million digital books, magazines and newspapers for its Nook devices. (ABC News; JOANNA STERN (@joannastern) April 12, 2012)"

Don’t use the foam. Get ready to read about beef.

  Using ammonia hydroxide to treat lean beef trimmings will kill pathogens.  This has been the norm for quit sometime.  The food additive NH₄OH, is a widespread antimicrobial utilized by major fast food companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell restaurants.  The Food and Drug Administration has cited the pathogen killer to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS).  Studies found that replacement of sodium phosphate, used prior to the fact; with “…ammonium hydroxide would allow processors to significantly reduce the sodium content of injected fresh meat. ( J Food Sci. 2011 Jan-Feb)” The pink slime has been in use for around 20 years.
     The additive isn’t the safest additive to use.  Customers that take in beef like a vacuum on dirt don’t want to hear that.  Isn’t the customer always right?

     Beef treated with ammonium hydroxide can still be found on grocery shelves, but the listed fast food chains have discontinued its use.  The product additive won’t completely disappear, though, the slime will just get slick about where it is.  The foods with the additive will be labeled, “LEAN FINELY TEXTURED BEEF”.  Soon you will be able to qualify for a degree to shop for the healthy foods.    
In recent headlines, “Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said the campaign against the beef filler called “pink slime” by food activists is a “vicious smear” and called for a congressional probe after more than 200 Iowans lost their jobs. (Bloomberg News, By Chappatta and Brennan on 4/4/ 2012)”
     The alternative that has been mentioned to take the place of the foul sounding additive is citric acid.  This has been accepted.  In the process, there is no foam produced.  The slime is left over after the beef tissue on the slab has been heated to about 100 degrees.  After heating, the product is spun to separate the fat from the lean meat.  The ammonia functioned to kill bacteria during the heating process. Pink slime, the unwanted meat filler, was used as a low-cost additive that was added to fattier meat in order to produce a leaner overall fat content.
     How do you say in brat-terminology? “Ew.”
     Let’s all thank the fast food restaurants, that produce value meals which will stop the heart of any known human being, for not using pink slime.  In the grocery stores, you have to avoid that slime ball yourself.

BUS. TECH. SCOPE

     Being without your sheepish techie gadgets leaves you feeling as if you left your briefs in the drawer.  Keep clean undergarments on, please.

At APPLE, the 3G iPad has busted loose.  Not 3G in the “fall asleep slow” term, but third generation “latest technology to break your purse” term.

     Alas, there is still an app for that.  “A recent survey of businesses between five and 499 employees found that 72 percent have implemented mobile technology in their organization while a third have gone completely wireless. NPD Group reports that 75% of U.S. SMBs plan to buy tablets over the next 12 months – mostly iPads (http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/03/15/how-to-do-business-on-your-brand-new-ipad/,  Eric Savitz, Forbes Staff).”  Innovation looks great on business.  This scratch promises to load interface with customers, streamlining your operations to point out improved results.

Become known as the new kid cloud kicker with the client engaging device to function as a real time digital projector, flyer or interactive menu for your business. The  SlideRocket application rockets your presentations and marketing objectives.  Constantly sell, cut down on paper use with Evernote, answer calls with the latest eVoice virtual phone solution, Dropbox gives you power to get data anytime, and utilize your realtime payment center through Square.

     Any updated, upgradations can boost your work ahead of our dynamic and competitive marketplace.  Determine what is important in order to utilize technology to its utmost extent.

     Technology is the norm, now. Invest on that statement. “Except they don’t, argues Gina Martin Adams over at Wells Fargo. She calls tech “the new defensive sector,” noting the sector’s low beta, steady earnings, massive cash piles and rising dividends have given it a new mature edge that was missing in 1999-2000 (http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2012/03/15/tech-stocks-snoozing-their-way-into-a-new-bull-cycle/, Jonathan Cheng March 15, 2012).”  The Beta (β) of a stock or portfolio is a number describing the relation of its returns with those of the financial market as a whole.  Beta can be estimated for individual companies using regression analysis against a stock market index.

Move away from your touchpad with the Logitech Cube- small, featherweight mouse. It is designed for travel, fits into any pocket, doubles as a presentation clicker, USB-rechargeable battery lasts a very long time, there’s a power switch on the mouse, Logitech’s minuscule 2.4GHz Unifying USB receivers, and it works with over a dozen other Logitech wireless products.

Rethink your plans.  Get Bold, and T-Mobile will bring your business up to speed with 4G innovations, a powerful network, and flexible plans.  The new Blackberry 9900 4G, in black obviously, is running the new RIM 7 OS.

What about your site?  Utilize the JVC GSTD1BUS.  “Get it…”--Full HD 3D camcorder, 64GB internal Flash memory, SDXC card slot, 5x optical zoom, 3D playback on the 3.5 touch panel LCD without special glasses, F1.2 Super Bright "JVC 3D TWIN HD GT LENS", two Back-illuminated CMOS Sensors, low-light performance, while JVC's unique BIPHONIC audio technology reproduces dynamic 3D SOUND.

Handle your operations with ease. Catch-up, 2012 is wonderful.

 Smile.

Plan B

There are said to be side effects when attempting to be mature after being immature.  When using this emergency contraceptive product the female may have:

• Changes in her period
• Nausea
• Lower abdominal pain
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Breast tenderness

The box tells the patient:  “…you may have an ectopic pregnancy and should get immediate medical attention. (http://planbonestep.com/where-to-get-plan-b.aspx, 2/26/2012)”

Lots of these FAQS could scare you.  Studies are being conducted periodically.

For example: one such study showed that the adjusted odds ratio for gallbladder disease comparing drospirenone and levonorgestrel OCs to nonexposure were 0.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-1.1] and 1.0 (95% CI 0.9-1.1), respectively.  The research concluded, that there is no evidence in these data that drospirenone- or levonorgestrel-containing OC use confers an increased risk of gallbladder disease compared to women not currently exposed to an OC. Nor is use of drospirenone OCs associated with a higher risk of gallbladder disease than use of levonorgestrel-containing OCs. (Contraception. 2012 Feb 9. Drospirenone- and levonorgestrel-containing oral contraceptives and the risk of gallbladder disease.)

Another study demonstrated results from research aiming to examine the effect of COC usage on CYP3A4/5 activity in obese women.  Thirty-four, reproductive-aged (18-35 years old) obese (body mass. The methods utilized index, BMI >30 kg/m(2) ) women were placed on a combination oral contraceptive pill containing 20 mcg Ethinyl Estradiol/100 mcg Levonorgestrel for 21 days starting at the onset of menses. Midazolam pharmacokinetic study was conducted prior to initiation and after 21 days of COC treatment. Serial blood samples were collected and plasma concentrations of midazolam were measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimates using  Midazolam clearance, a surrogate measure of noncompartmental method. Results: CYP3A4/5 activity, was significantly decreased upon COC use (63.3L/hr vs. 53.9L/hr; p<0.05). A median decrease of 5.6 L/hr (C.I: -4.1 to 13.3 L/hr) was observed. However, the magnitude of change was similar to that reported in  Although we hypothesized that obesity exposure normal BMI women. Conclusions: might amplify the impact on CYP3A4/5 activity in COC users, we found that this was not the case. This finding is reassuring regarding potential additional drug-drug interactions in obese COC users as CYP3A4/5 is a major player in the metabolism of many marketed drugs.  (Effect of Ethinyl estradiol/ Levonorgestrel combined oral contraceptive on the activity of Cytochrome P4503A in obese women., Edelman A, Munar M, Elman MR, Koop D, Cherala G., Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2012 Feb 2.)

Form an intelligent hypothesis.
Assimilate positive goals.

Momentum to Desirable Customer Service

Where does customer service make a huge difference?  Is it when you get that HACK DOUBLE WITH EXTRA CHEESE, and they give you the ‘special’ one without sauce?

Or, is it when you really are spending a little more change than a dollar bill.  Approach a place of business with a few stacks, and then let somebody tell you that you need to hold your horses for a darn minute, senor.

There was an example:

Car dealerships, such as Momentum BMW, offer many automotive products and services to their area customers. The Managers need to be extremely knowledgeable of quality new BMW vehicles, used cars, and value priced parts.

“Momentum carries a comprehensive line of new 2011 - 2012  BMW vehicles, including the X5, M3, 3-Series, 5-Series and 7-Series, making us a good choice as your Houston BMW car dealer.(Momentum BMW-Houston 2/1/2012)”

World-class customer service would fulfill ambitious missions with services including trust, originality, and customers experiencing their dream being brought into mortal wellness. A Manager’s team has to be a strong, and committed staff with experience surpassing the mere satisfaction of the customers' needs.  Flying low passed satisfaction in businesses like Momentum involves spending time in the community, volunteering donations to Houston Children's Charity, Be an Angel Foundation, and Children's Advocates.

Don’t underestimate that momentum = mass • velocity.  The details of the equation are Mass being customer service, and Velocity being overall sales.  Read those plates.

Customers going to buy a car usually expect that after you've agreed to a selling price - whether through negotiating or the Internet or the Fleet Department -- you'll be herded into the Business Office. There, you have to be aggressive. Customers keep in the forefront of their mind that the Business Manager is actually a salesperson working on commission so the car buying game is not over.  “WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME?”

We, as managers, understand that a balance of confidence, humility and knowledge, together with integrity and skill, will make the ideal businessman/woman.

Maintain mass and you will maximize velocity, towards a more than equal customer service experience.

CELEBRATING VALENTINE’S DAY RESPONSIBLY

We have all heard of the morning after pill.  The better, more respectful term to use is postcoital contraception.  Some choices are better than others.

Ulipristal is effective, but hasn’t shown to have advantages over other drugs.  An older, well tested postcoital contraception pill active ingredient is levonogestrel.

There is a sensitive time period for the application of the morning after pill.  How long is the morning of the morning after?  Well, levonorgestrel is recommended to be utilized up to 5 days after the unprotected intercourse has taken place. 

Supposed you had a Ciroc Valentine’s Day.  The grace period can be extended to February 19, 2012.  Safely, the drug has also been approved for use during the first 3 days.

You got the twisted.  Emergency contraception medicine is not a synonym for ‘abortion pill.’  The set treatment phase gives the term ‘emergency’.  Morning after is termed ‘postcoital’.  So, the emergency contraception pill is to be administered following sex without propalactics, or other safety applications.  The purpose is to prevent unwanted pregnancy. The synonym is ‘morning after’ pill. 

The abortion pill is for women who have already confirmed that they are pregnant.  The abortion pill enables the individual to end an early pregnancy. It is administered 4 to 7 weeks after becoming pregnant.

Over the counter levonorgestrel is available in several brands.  One brand is Plan B One-Step which is a single tablet containing 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel.   Another brand is Next Choice which is taken as two doses.  Each dose contains 0.75 mg of levonorgestrel. The doses are to be 12 hours apart.  It is possible to combine the two into one single dose.  Doctors are able to use the copper-releasing intrauterine device (IUD).  The IUD may be used as an alternative emergency contraception method. The device is inserted by your health care provider within 5 days of irresponsible copulation. The device can be removed after your next period.  The device alternatively can be left in place to provide ongoing birth control.  Emergency contraception is most effective within 24 hours of sex. Afterwards, the emergency contraception may still prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days.

Now that we have all heard of the morning after pill, VALENTINE’S DAY can be a exactly what you have been dreaming of.

HAVE FUN.

Nursing Home Patients being used.

     Today, an article entitled, National hospice company accused of fraud, on 'Health care on msnbc.com' by Jordan Rau, KHN Kaiser Health News, reported that a national hospice company was simply 'IN IT TO WIN IT'. 

     These are nursing home patients.  That is foul play.

"The whistleblowers contend that large numbers of AseraCare hospice patients are discharged while alive: 48 percent of those cared for by the Monroeville, Ala., branch and 79 percent of patients enrolled in the Mobile, Ala., branch. “It is hardly plausible that such a high percentage of Defendants’ hospice enrollees would be discharged alive unless such patients were nonterminal and fraudulently enrolled from the outset,” the lawsuit charges" (Rau, J. KHN 1/5/12', National hospice company accused of fraud)

     The company is AseraCare, owned by the national company Golden Living.  The FEDs are suing.  They were alleging that there were numersous pressures involved for enrollments.  People not in need of hospice were being placed into hospice so that AseraCare could increase their profit margins.

     No matter how the government words the significant laws, there is simply no temptation for abusing the laws.  Companies can't justify their misappropriations of hospice business.

     AseraCare claims the 'whistleblowers' are just sharks.  There is a False Claims Act that entitles the person turning in the lawbreaker to receive a part of the final sum that the government wins in a lawsuit towards the defendant.  Yes, they should get paid.  It takes efforts to blow a whistle.

     AseraCare drifted below the cap placed by Medicare on hospice collections from patients stays.  Even at $22,386 capped in 2008, AseraCare wanted more. 

"In a quest for new patients, AseraCare sent employees to "patrol hospitals," ride along with "Meals-on-Wheels" and go "door-to-door"in housing run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development" (attorney Jim Barger, National hospice company accused of fraud)

     It has to be difficult working for companies with such agendas.  Jobs aren't are easily acquired in our economy.  Somebody has to be responsible for this legally, personally, religiously, and rightfully, though.

Keeping a strong body healthy

The proper function of proteins in the body is very essential to health.  The proteins also have to have a functional structure and cellular integrity.  Getting old keeps humans from being young and healthy, obviously.  Our body ages because various organisms are always subject to attack causing diseases and viruses.  Disease causing agents are termed pathogens.  Pathogens will penetrate the protective layer, the skin, and then move on towards the first line of defense.  Mucous membranes are the first line of defense.  Once the pathogens break through the mucous membranes they are labeled foreign invaders and will subsequently be destroyed by the immune system.

The human body is a model for a city that is always at war.  If the city isn’t reconstructed it will crumble.  What types of defense will a city utilize in the midst of a war?

The human body has two types of immunity:

                -Cellular immunity and humoral immunity

Coming straight out of the bone marrow we introduce antibody.  Antibodies are proteins that are mediated against viral attacks.  “The immune response is triggered by the presence of a foreign macromolecule, often a protein or carbohydrate, known as an antigen” (Voet, Fundamentals of Biochemistry 2006).  B cells produce antibodies, which as we recently said, mature in the bone marrow.  Pay attention to B cells.  B cells flaunt immunoglobulins on their exteriors.  Immunoglobulins snatch foreign invaders, and lock them in the B cells where they are broken and degraded.  The broken antigen is then placed on display.  The circulating antibodies become antigen specific.  The antibodies fluidly mark antigens for destruction.  Some B cells are short-lived.  They survive for a couple of days.  Some B cells live from many weeks to many years.  These potent B cells are called memory B cells. 

“…tolerance…”

Memory B cells mount a secondary response.  This response is more accurate and much faster than the primary response mentioned earlier.

“…sensitivity…”

The immunoglobulins themselves also create a diverse group of proteins.  The differences between the sub classes of immunoglobulins are: different amounts of heavy chains, and various subunits.  “These subunits associate by disulfide bonds and noncovalent interactions to form a roughly Y-shaped symmetric molecule with the formula (LH)₂” (Voet, Fundamentals of Biochemistry 2006).  We have: IgM, IgA, IgG, IgE, and IgD.  We can use an example in accordance with Rheumatology International journal (Novel mutations of MVK gene in Japanese family members affected with hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and periodic fever syndrome, Mizuno 2011).  IgD expression begins when the B cell leaves the bone marrow headed to peripheral lymphoid tissues.  IgD functions to signal B cell activation.  When IgD is unavailable, at abnormally low serum levels, HIDs (hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome) results.

The proper functioning of proteins such as IgD keeps humans healthy.  If IgD does its job acceptably,  by activating  B cells to destroy antigens, the primary and secondary defenses will keep us healthy.  We will continue to get old.  We don’t have to be undesirably broken down and unhealthy, though.

9 Tips for Flat Abs from WebMD

Flat Abs Pictures Slideshow: 9 Tips for Flat Abs from WebMD

Grab you a cup of coffee so you can get wired up and wide out. Ladies, and gentlemen.  It is time to get those beach weather abs: Rectus abdominus and the External abdominal obliques.  You start now so that when summer 2012 gets here you can rock the low cut shirts. 

“Don't get so into your abs that you overlook your other muscles. Your core muscles also include your glutes and back muscles…”

 Stop with the sighing.  You need to work hard and lift weights to get the unable-to-scratch-your-own-back muscles.

In order to get the perfect abs, your back muscles, the Latissmus dorsi must be toned.

Supplements:

HCG.  Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is made by chorionic cell in the fetal part of the placenta during pregnancy.  If you don’t understand the function of the placenta, then maybe an age limit should be on this site.  You understand, though.  You’re able to cut you diet to about 500 calories. A single McDouble from McDonald’s is about 500 calories.  Imagine only eating one a day; nothing else.  No energy you say?  The HCG hormone activates to give the dieter the energy to function normally all day and all night.  You start burning calories with exercise, and before you know it you have lost large amounts of weight.  Taking HCG and not exercising or dieting won’t work.

---STICK TO YOUR DOSAGE---

 

“Are we going to the beach later?”  Ladies you’ll be smiling when you feel like singing Lady Gaga, ‘Paparazzi’.

Stocks Surge After Central Banks’ Action on Debt Crisis - NYTimes.com

You ready to go?

In a quick view of what is happening, and why everything is in the green this season:

The central banks of the most lavish countries, did the superman scene.  They swooped in at the last moment trying to prevent a debt crisis in Europe from exploding into a global panic.  The cent. banks shore up the world financial system by making it easier for banks to borrow American ‘late nites’.

How long will this last you might sarcastically repeat, unknowingly?  Read Frenchy.

Stocks Surge After Central Banks’ Action on Debt Crisis - NYTimes.com

Consumers SPENT $11.4 billion, ShopperTrak reported on Black Friday 2011!

If you missed the sale on Black Friday and the following Cyber Monday then you probably just wanted to wait and pay the full price for the same stuff after the sale was over.  That makes cents.

You gotta be a SHOP-DOG.

Black Friday baller Amanda Rottmueller, a 20-year-old nursing student, bought herself bras and pajamas that toted free slippers from Limited Brands Inc.’s Victoria’s Secret at the Tri-County Mall in Cincinnati.  “The savings are just too good, and I can get something really nice I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise,” she said.   

“Black Friday sales increased 6.6 percent to the largest amount ever as U.S. consumers shrugged off 9 percent unemployment and went shopping.” BLOOMBERG By Matt Townsend and Ashley Lutz - Nov 27, 2011

The NBA Players aren’t locked out, anymore.

Let them in.  BIG, BIG triple header time.  Christmas. 

The NBA begins again on December 25, 2011.  Free agents are open and so are the training camps, as of December 9.  The teams can ball for two weeks before the games.  The schedule will either resume with the already scheduled games, or the schedule will be overhauled.  Tape a TV to your ear hole with the news on.

“On nearly every count, the deal favors the owners, who had sought an overhaul all along. The players made significant concessions, including a reduction of up to $300 million year in salaries, $3 billion over the life of the agreement.” NEW YORK TIMES, By HOWARD BECK, Published: November 26, 2011.

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY, lol

Walmart store choppers used mace against other customers in what authorities referred to as a "competitive shopping" incident. LOL

Did they know you could shop BLACKFRIDAY online, also?

Watch Rihanna's video before they ban it.
http://www.youtube.com/user/swegigonbup#p/u/7/2n2Wq3rUzIc