| Republican puts out 'action alert' claiming Rice will be ...
Meanwhile, a Republican Congressman sent out an "action alert" claiming that "we've gotten word that Waxman will issue a subpoena to Secretary Rice tomorrow morning," adding that such a move could allow the GOP to show how Democrats are "trying to win the political war for themselves no matter its effect on Americas efforts to promote peace and democracy abroad." "I can only assume that members of Congress would rather have the secretary of State be focused on issues of war and peace," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a press briefing today, and then listed her obligations over the next month. He added, "So she can be doing those things, or she can be testifying before Chairman Waxman's committee about an issue that has been about as investigated as an issue can possibly be investigated." He was responding to an inquiry regarding whether or not Rice would agree to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform prior to the Memorial Day recess, as requested by Rep.
Con artist targeted mentally ill victims
A woman who allegedly conned at least two mentally disabled people out of money is wanted by South San Francisco and Seattle police. Ruby Rene Thomas, 48, of Fresno, allegedly conned a mentally challenged elderly man into buying her $5,000 worth of jewelry at Tanforan Shopping Center and opening a checking account to funnel $42,000 taken from a Seattle, Wash. mentally challenged woman. Thomas has a history of committing similar crimes and is allegedly part of sophisticated group of criminals, according to a statement released yesterday by the South San Francisco Police Department. Thomas, identifying herself as Ruby Molina, befriended the mentally challenged man several weeks ago at the shopping center. She persuaded the man to open two separate accounts at two jewelry stores and purchase her $5,000 worth of jewelry.
A new game harnesses the PS3 for serious mudslinging.
So you blew $600 on a PlayStation 3, but before long you started wondering why. What does its souped-up hardware do that your old console can't? Problem is, no game has really pushed the PS3's much-ballyhooed seven-core Cell processor into the red zone. Until now. MotorStorm, the new all-terrain racing title from Cheshire, UK-based Evolution Studios, uses the console's monstrous processing power to render glistening, hyperrealistic … mud?! Yup. And Evolution designer Paul Rustchynsky says that the filthy f/x really do boost gameplay. Typical in-game road surfaces are smooth as glass, with two-dimensional images (such as white lines and skid marks) layered over them. But the ground in MotorStorm is like a character — it has depth. As the sequence on the left shows, when a pack of big rigs, dune buggies, and dirt bikes race around the mountain paths, they dig more and more tracks into the ground.
'Cheap chic' unisex retailer Forever 21 to invade Canada
Forever 21, a Los Angeles-based company that sells “ripped-from-the-runway" fashion aimed at teens and college kids at stores across the United States, will open a flagship Canadian boutique across the street from Toronto's Eaton Centre mall this summer. The retailer hopes to follow in the steps of retailers such as Zara of Spain, the Gap Inc. unit Old Navy and H&M of Sweden, which has made a big impact in the category since launching in 2004. .
Braselton's busting at the seams: New shopping helps increase ...
As fast as families can move into their new homes, developers are building places for them to shop in Braselton and Hoschton. Braselton Planning Director Kevin Keller said that residents rarely protest rezonings for new commercial development at town council meetings. Many people, like Chateau Elan resident Uli Henssge, are glad to see their property values increase, because convenient shopping increases a home's market value. "It's certainly the easiest money we ever made," Henssge said. Henssge and his family moved in April 2000 from Lawrenceville. At the time, the Vineyards shopping center with Publix had not been built, Hamilton Mill was developing and the Mall of Georgia was new. The convenience of area shopping is wonderful, Henssge said. "I believe growth is great, growth is inevitable and growth brings benefits." Terri Wadsworth of Hoschton is more skeptical.
• Cleveland to celebrate its cameo in 'Spider-Man 3'
Clevelanders can celebrate the city's role in the filming of "Spider-Man 3" with special events planned for the summer block buster's opening in May. There will be free screenings at the new Cinemark Strongsville Theater and at Tower City Cinemas, but only for contest win ners and invitees. No tickets have been set aside for the hundreds of extras who worked on the movie, which filmed action scenes on Euclid Avenue last year. Organizers said it would be difficult to accommodate so many people. Promotional preview screenings will be Thursday, May 3, as part of the new Cinemark Strongsville Theater's opening at Westfield SouthPark shopping center, said Dan Thompson, marketing coordinator for Cinemark Theaters. The 14-screen theater is part of a $60 million expan sion and renovation at SouthPark.
Businesswomen of the year raise a smile
Dental entrepreneurs Haleh and Golnar Abivardi have won the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the year award for Switzerland. The sisters were praised for their courage and vision in founding modern "lifestyle" dental centres in prime locations in Zurich. A further opening is planned for London. It is awarded by the French champagne company in honour of its founder, Barbe Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, a widow who turned round her husband's firm to create the highly successful Veuve Clicquot brand in the 19th century."We are honoured. This is an internationally known prize," Haleh Abivardi told swissinfo ahead of the ceremony.The sisters, both qualified dentists in their 30s, founded their first Zurich Dental Centre in the shopping mall at the city's main station in 2003.Their aim was to offer a comprehensive service it is open late 365 days a year for busy commuters, city residents and families.The centre is designed to be welcoming and has an underwater theme, complete with its own aquarium built into the walls."What we did was actually quite revolutionary because instead of a normal dentist office we made a huge dental clinic in the middle of a shopping mall and we wanted all the specialists under one roof," explained Haleh Abivardi."Because we were in a shopping mall we had this idea of a walk in - walk in and smile."It was an immediate success, drawing in an estimated 30,000 clients."The first day we started with 20 people, today we have over 150 it's a very big practice," Golnar Abivardi told swissinfo.The centre also offers aesthetic dentistry, such as teeth whitening which is becoming more popular in Switzerland - and orthodontics.
The Wal-Mart Weekly: which departments could go away?
Welcome to the eighth installment of The Wal-Mart Weekly -- a new weekly column dedicated to bringing you insight, wit, facts, results, opinions and just a bit of everything else when it comes down to a very hot topic these days: Wal-Mart.Last week I looked at Wal-Mart Stores' (NYSE:WMT) international plans and history. Where is the retailer going with its business plans outside the U.S. market? It's had not that good of luck in some markets (South Korea and Germany) while starting to really look hard at growth markets like India and China.This week we'll shift back to the U.S. to look at what departments inside Wal-Mart Supercenters may not be pulling their own weight in terms of sales. Generally, retail sales are measured in dollars sold per square foot of selling space. Are there departments inside Wal-Mart stores that may not cut it? Let's find out.Wal-Mart's U.S.
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