Performers gear up for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

NEW YORK (AP) — Growing up in Chicago, Broadway star Brittney Mack faithfully watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV after fulfilling her own parade duties. Now she’s getting ready to bundle up, hit the streets of Manhattan and be part of the big one for the first time.

Mack, who plays one of the wives of Henry VIII in the hit musical “Six,” is slated to perform a mashup of some of its songs live Thursday with her castmates and band in front of a televised audience of millions.

“I’ve got my long johns and it’s going to be epic,” she says. “I finally get to meet Snoopy. That’s really my dream — to see the big Snoopy balloon, honestly.”

Astronaut Snoopy will hover overhead as the parade returns to its pre-pandemic form this year, with its route restored through Manhattan and high-flying helium balloons once again pulled by handlers.

This year’s parade — the 95th annual — will snap back to form after bowing to pandemic restrictions last year. It will feature 15 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 36 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 800 clowns, 10 marching bands and nine performance groups and, of course, Santa Claus bringing up the rear.

New balloon giants joining the line-up include Ada Twist, Scientist; the pint-sized hero from “The Mandalorian” and the Pokémon characters Pikachu and Eevee on a sled.

Mack and her castmates have learned new choreography, been over the new music and will rehearse on the street in front of the department store to get it right. With the weather looking brisk, she’s kindly ordered handwarmers and footwarmers for her fellow “Six” performers. “I won’t be home to watch it, but I think the trade-off is pretty good,” she says.

Her grandmother is taping the parade from Mississippi while her mom and the rest of her family will be cheering from Chicago. Mack may be used to performing live but this time is special.

“The adult in me that has worked so hard to get here is like, ‘You know what? You’ll be fine. You’re in it. Get it together,’” she says. “I think I also will feel better when I see Snoopy, so it’ll all be good.”

In addition to “Six,” Broadway will be represented by the casts of “Chicago,” “Waitress,” “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and “Wicked.” The Rockettes will be there, as will the cast of the upcoming NBC live production of “Annie.”

Maya Bowles, who will be there representing the Tony-winning “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” recalls waking up every Thanksgiving in Atlanta and making pound cake with her mother while watching the parade before gathering with her family at grandma’s house.

“It definitely does feel so special coming back after this long, long pause,” she said. “So much has changed so quickly. I feel like, for me, it’s weird not being with them for the holiday, but I’m super-grateful to be doing what I’ll be doing.”

As in years past, the New York Police Department said it will block off all vehicle access points to the parade route with sand-filled garbage trucks, other heavy vehicles and approximately 360,000 pounds of concrete barriers. Thousands of officers are assigned to the parade route, including counterterrorism teams. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said there were no specific, credible threats to the parade.

There will be new floats led by the cast of “Girls5eva” — Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Busy Philipps — Nelly and Jordan Fisher, while Jon Batiste will be on an alligator-themed float celebrating Louisiana’s music, food and culture.

Other celebrities on hand will include Carrie Underwood, Jimmie Allen, Kelly Rowland, Rob Thomas, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Foreigner, Andy Grammer, Mickey Guyton, Chris Lane, Miss America Camille Schrier, Muppets from “Sesame Street” and the three past and current hosts of “Blue’s Clues” — Steve Burns, Donovan Patton and Josh Dela Cruz.

Some of the returning balloons will be “The Boss Baby,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” Chase from “Paw Patrol,” the Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald, Red Titan from “Ryan’s World,” Papa Smurf, Sonic the Hedgehog and SpongeBob SquarePants.

The Macy’s parade has been a traditional holiday season kickoff and spectators often line up a half-dozen deep along the route to cheer about 8,000 marchers, two dozen floats, entertainers and marching bands.

Last year, the usual 2 1/2-mile route through crowded Manhattan was scrapped in favor of concentrating events to a one-block stretch of 34th Street in front of the retailer’s flagship Manhattan store. Many performances were pre-taped and most of the parade’s performers were locally based to cut down on travel. The balloons were tethered to specialized vehicles instead of being controlled by handlers.

-Associated Press

Storms snarl Thanksgiving travel in US

A pair of storms packing heavy snow and hurricane-force winds left tens of thousands without power in the United States on Wednesday and wreaked havoc for Americans traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday.

On one of the country's busiest travel days of the year with an estimated 55 million people planning to drive or fly, highways in the West and Midwest were closed because of snow, and hundreds of flights were canceled.

Giant, colorful character balloons floating through Manhattan during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, a cherished staple, might be grounded for Thursday's festivities because of gusting winds in the Big Apple.

"An extremely active weather pattern is in place across much of the US," the National Weather Service said.

A snow storm that caused near white-out blizzard conditions in Colorado dumped a foot of snow in Wyoming on Tuesday, and was barreling eastward toward the Great Lakes region in the central US.

Plows worked through the night at the airport in Minneapolis, a snow-savvy city girding for possibly its biggest November dump ever.

At the airport in Denver, which was hit with a foot of snow, nearly 500 flights were canceled and another 500 were delayed.

On Monday night, 1,000 people slept at the airport.

Among them was Sonya Washington, bound for Thanksgiving with family in Atlanta, who sat on a plane for two hours as the snow fell until her flight was canceled. The next possible direct trip is Thursday night.

"Thanksgiving is over, then," Washington told the Denver Post.

Out west, a dangerous storm hit southern Oregon and northern California that meteorologists are calling a "bomb cyclone" -- a rapidly intensifying winter storm caused by a precipitous drop in atmospheric pressure.

'LIKE BOMB GOING OFF'

"The drop typically creates violent weather that arrives like a bomb going off," The Oregonian newspaper said.

It dumped a foot of snow, forced roads to close and prompted warnings for people to just stay home.

One wind gust Tuesday in Lake Tahoe, Nevada was clocked at 93 miles (155 kilometers) per hour. Hurricane force begins at 74 mph.

The US Northwest has not been hit by such a powerful storm since 1962, said Marc Spilde of the National Weather Service.

"This storm threatens to bring rain and mountain snow to much of California, including places like San Francisco and Sacramento, places that were largely spared by the past week's rain," said Accuweather senior meteorologist Brian Thompson.

The National Weather Service said while the two separate storms are expected to weaken Wednesday and Thursday, holiday travel would be affected through the weekend.

It also warned of the potential of flash floods in southern California through Thanksgiving Day because of heavy rain.

The storms and high winds have left nearly 300,000 people without power across five states, including Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to poweroutages.us, a utility tracking site.

The nasty weather and blizzard conditions have also forced the closure of major travel routes, including Interstate 5, the main thoroughfare from Oregon into California.

Motorists on the highway reported being stuck for hours on the road overnight, with some having to sleep in their cars.

In Arizona, the National Weather Service said it expected travel conditions to be "difficult to impossible" from late afternoon Thursday through Friday morning.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

As giant balloons prepare to fly on Thanksgiving, a strict watch on weather

NEW YORK — Astronaut Snoopy might not be cleared for take off. The usually buoyant SpongeBob SquarePants may wind up deflated and depressed. Olaf, the garrulous snowman from “Frozen,” could find himself melting into a heaping puddle on the pavement.

That’s because though New York City plays Thanksgiving host to the annual Macy’s parade, it has a strict and specific set of balloon-flight regulations that have been in place since 1997, when a windswept inflatable Cat in the Hat caused destruction that left one woman in a coma for nearly a month.

So as omnipresent as the mammoth character balloons are, so, too, are weather forecasters, police officers and others trying to guess which way the wind will blow.

Macy’s has a licensed meteorologist — armed with a laptop and an open line to the National Weather Service — on hand every year to observe weather conditions, monitor gusts and help make decisions about the floating characters in the procession.

The Police Department assigns trained officers to balloons and has seven wind-monitoring devices, called anemometers, to measure gusts along the route and guide the parade accordingly.

“We are always attuned to weather conditions for Parade Day,” Orlando Veras, a Macy’s spokesman, said. “We monitor the weather on a daily basis, but at this time, it is too early to make any determinations.”

This year, with high winds in the forecast, parade enthusiasts are particularly anxious that the most famous balloons in America might get grounded.

Maneuvering a massive helium-filled balloon down the 2-mile parade route can be a challenge even in the best of conditions. The biggest of the balloons measures between 50 and 60 feet tall and can be just as long.

The giant balloons also weigh hundreds of pounds and require dozens of trained handlers to guide them through streets lined with gawking spectators and hulking buildings.

To help avoid crashes and other catastrophes each year, every floating behemoth is assigned a supervisor, according to Chief Rodney Harrison, the Police Department’s chief of patrol. He added that each balloon had its own “predetermined flight risk” based on its size and weight.

As the inflated characters hover their way downtown, the supervisors are fed information from the anemometers. They then instruct handlers to reel balloons lower or higher based on changing wind conditions, Harrison said.

According to city regulations, the giant balloons cannot fly at all if there are sustained winds above 23 mph or if gusts exceed 34 mph. Though guidelines for balloon handling had long been in place, the rules became more severe after the accident in 1997.

On that Thanksgiving, balloon handlers were grappling with winds that reached speeds in excess of 40 mph, when a 6-story Cat in the Hat balloon was pushed by the gusts into a lamppost.

One part of the lamppost broke off and fell onto parade spectators, injuring four people, including a 33-year-old woman who suffered a serious head injury and spent more than three weeks in a coma.

While balloon accidents had caused some chaos in the past — even as early as 1931, when a Felix the Cat balloon that was released from the parade later drifted into telephone wires and caught fire — the severity of the 1997 incident caused then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani to launch a city investigation that led to the current rules.

The regulations have not prevented further collisions. In 2005, a giant M&M balloon smacked into a light pole in Times Square and pulled off a fixture that crashed to the ground and injured two spectators.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service was predicting that Thanksgiving Day would bring winds of up to 25 mph, with gusts nearing 40 mph throughout the New York region.

Matthew Wunsch, a meteorologist at the Weather Service, warned that gusts in the densely built parts of Manhattan, where tall buildings create a wind tunnel, could rise even higher.

“It’s going to be windy regardless,” Wunsch said. “But the buildings make it a lot more variable.”

If the giant balloons are grounded, Veras said, it would be only the second time in the history of the Macy’s parade that they were forbidden from taking flight. The first was in 1971, when a cold, wet and windy Thanksgiving kept the balloons on the ground. (There were also no balloons between 1942 and 1944, when the parade was suspended because rubber and helium were needed for World War II.)

The character balloons have been a staple of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1927. This year’s, Macy’s is hoping to feature new versions of two parade fixtures, Snoopy and SpongeBob, and the return of Smokey Bear for the first time since 1993.

Even if winds are high, Macy’s still plans to bring out 40 smaller inflatable figures. The themed floats will still sail down the street and Broadway performers, musicians and marching bands from across the country will still serenade the assembled crowds.

The final decision on whether the parade’s 16 giant balloons get pulled from the lineup this year won’t be made until Thursday morning, officials said.

“It’s going to be a game-day decision,” Harrison said.

2019 The New York Times Company

source: news.abs-cbn.com 

Turn off your phones during holiday gatherings. You'll like it.

This week, Americans will endure flight delays, traffic jams and other logistical miseries to spend time with family and friends. And when the holiday weekend is ending, many will lament that they don’t get to spend enough time with those relatives and friends.

But during the weekend itself, these same lamenters will spend a lot of time ignoring the people around them and distractedly staring into their phones. They will get a notification and disappear down a digital rabbit hole of Facebook posts, text messages and fantasy-football updates. They will monitor the comments on the photos they just posted, instead of engaging with the human beings in those photos.

Many of us have a complicated relationship with our phones. We enjoy them in the moment. Yet when we reflect on all the time we spend looking at a tiny screen, we feel lousy about it. We pine for a less addictive relationship with the online world.

So let me make a suggestion for this Thanksgiving weekend: Turn off your phone, and keep it off for a full 24 hours. I predict you’ll be surprised by how much you’ll like it.

About a month ago, my wife and I decided that our family would spend a Saturday without the internet, a practice known as a Tech Shabbat (a reference to the Jewish day of rest). I wasn’t sure whether I’d like it, I’ll admit, and our kids were even less sure.

But it was wonderful. We hung out with friends, without distraction. We never had to ask, guiltily, “Sorry, what’d you say?” because we had been only semi-listening. In between scheduled activities, we took a walk and played a board game, Settlers of Catan. I spent time thinking about long-term projects instead of replying to unimportant emails. It felt productive, rejuvenating and, yes, fun.

Tiffany Shlain, a filmmaker who popularized the idea of a Tech Shabbat, says that on her day without screens, she laughs more, sleeps better and feels healthier. As she writes in her recent book, “24/6”: “Having one day off each week shocks you anew into the realization of how bizarre it is that everyone is head-down, looking at screens all the time. That should never feel normal.”

My family liked it so much that we did it again a week ago. This coming Saturday, we will put away the phones for a third time, while we are with my extended family.

You should try it, too. In between the material gluttony of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, enjoy a Phone-Free Saturday or Sunday (or, for that matter, Thanksgiving Day).

You’ll have company if you do. When I mentioned my first Tech Shabbat in the email newsletter that I write for The Times, I heard from dozens of readers who have done their own version. Some were Christians who put away phones on Sunday. Some were Jews who observe a full day of rest. Many were secular. Nearly all were trying to find a better balance in our digitally addled world.

“At first, it does feel awkward, not having screen time,” Barbara Mutezdi said. “But with time, it becomes a habit you crave.” Chantel Hanks said her three young boys make crepes with her husband or build Lego robot vehicles, rather than playing video games.

Arlaana Black, a high-school teacher, has assigned her students to put away their phones for an entire weekend and write a report about it. “Although it was difficult (like any addict weaning from addiction), most reported considerable less stress,” Black wrote to me, “and a few said that they actually sat down for dinner with their parent or parents and had meaningful dialogue for the first time in months.”

To have a successful Tech Shabbat, you should choose ground rules that work for you. We turn off our cellphones, tablets and laptops and stick them in a cabinet. We’re willing to watch sports on television, if more than one person is doing so. We rely on our landline to reach other people.

You may prefer stricter or looser rules. But I recommend against half measures, like keeping your cellphone in your pocket and claiming you’ll look at it only if it rings. Out of sight, out of mind.

There are certainly parts of Tech Shabbat that I find uncomfortable. Making a last-minute plan is tricky, and looking up the answer to an intriguing question is nearly impossible. That’s part of the point, though — to slow down and stop obsessing about the immediate. Many people come up with their freshest ideas when they’re not occupied.

You can also minimize the downsides with a little advance planning. Print out your family’s schedule, as well as anything you need for a looming work project. (I wrote part of this column with a pen.) Print out directions. If you’re smarter than I am, you’ll remember to print directions both to and from where you’re going. Following them in reverse doesn’t always work.

Part of an advance plan is telling friends and colleagues that you’re unplugging for 24 hours. They will probably respect you for it. Margaret Diddams, the provost of Wheaton College in Illinois, doesn’t check her email on Sundays. Her colleagues know to reach her on her phone if an urgent problem comes up. Most problems, of course, are not urgent.

I recognize this approach will be harder for teenagers, who have grown up with texting. But they may need a break more than anyone.

Perhaps most important, make sure that your Tech Shabbat includes a big dose of joy. Shlain’s family starts its 24 tech-free hours by eating a rollicking Friday dinner with friends. If you’re taking your first Tech Shabbat and need to win over a skeptic in the family, you could go out to a favorite restaurant for a meal.

The beauty of turning off your phone this holiday weekend is that there are so many joyful alternatives. Take a hike or play touch football with relatives or friends. Go with them to a museum or local bookstore. Cook an ambitious recipe.

And take a few minutes to give thanks, which is a whole lot easier when you aren’t staring into a screen.


2019 The New York Times Company

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Black Friday sale

A large crowd of people shop during a Black Friday sales event at Macy's flagship store on 34th Street in New York City, U.S., Thursday. The much-awaited nationwide sale happens every Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Amazon says some customer email addresses exposed

SAN FRANCISCO -- Amazon on Wednesday said that a website glitch accidentally exposed names and email addresses of some of the e-commerce giant's customers.

Amazon declined to disclose the extent of the software slip-up.

"We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted," an Amazon spokesman said in response to an AFP inquiry.

There was no breach of Amazon systems or its website, and passwords were kept safe, according to the company.

As a precaution, messages were sent to customers affected by the website mishap letting them know their names and email addresses may have been disclosed by the Amazon website.

Amazon customers in the US and Europe have reported receiving messages from the company, according to tech news website TechCrunch.

The disclosure came on the cusp of the year-end holiday shopping season, with retailers online and in real-world shops offering "Black Friday" bargains pegged to the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

Amazon is the "undisputed e-commerce leader" in the US, with a 48 percent share of online sales here this year expected to equate to some $252 billion, according to analysts at eMarketer.

The market tracker forecast that total e-commerce sales in the US would jump 16.6 percent to $123.73 billion this holiday season as compared with the same period last year.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

"You are pardoned!"

U.S. President Donald Trump declares a Thanksgiving turkey named "Peas" pardoned as National Turkey Federation Chairman Jeff Sveen looks on during the 71st presentation and pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkeys in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S. on Tuesday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US Black Friday, Thanksgiving online sales climb to record high

CHICAGO - Black Friday and Thanksgiving online sales in the United States surged to record highs as shoppers bagged deep discounts and bought more on their mobile devices, heralding a promising start to the key holiday season, according to retail analytics firms.

US retailers raked in a record $7.9 billion in online sales on Black Friday and Thanksgiving, up 17.9 percent from a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics, which measures transactions at the largest 100 US web retailers, on Saturday.

Adobe said Cyber Monday is expected to drive $6.6 billion in internet sales, which would make it the largest US online shopping day in history.

In the run-up to the holiday weekend, traditional retailers invested heavily in improving their websites and bulking up delivery options, preempting a decline in visits to brick-and-mortar stores. Several chains tightened store inventories as well, to ward off any post-holiday liquidation that would weigh on profits.

TVs, laptops, toys and gaming consoles - particularly the PlayStation 4 - were among the most heavily discounted and the biggest sellers, according to retail analysts and consultants.

Commerce marketing firm Criteo said 40 percent of Black Friday online purchases were made on mobile phones, up from 29 percent last year.

No brick-and-mortar sales data for Thanksgiving or Black Friday was immediately available, but Reuters reporters and industry analysts noted anecdotal signs of muted activity - fewer cars in mall parking lots, shoppers leaving stores without purchases in hand.

Stores offered heavy discounts, creative gimmicks and free gifts to draw bargain hunters out of their homes, but some shoppers said they were just browsing the merchandise, reserving their cash for internet purchases. There was little evidence of the delirious shopper frenzy customary of Black Fridays from past years.

However, retail research firm ShopperTrak said store traffic fell less than 1 percent on Black Friday, bucking industry predictions of a sharper decline.

“There has been a significant amount of debate surrounding the shifting importance of brick-and-mortar retail,” Brian Field, ShopperTrak’s senior director of advisory services, said.

“The fact that shopper visits remained intact on Black Friday illustrates that physical retail is still highly relevant and when done right, it is profitable.”

The National Retail Federation (NRF), which had predicted strong holiday sales helped by rising consumer confidence, said on Friday that fair weather across much of the nation had also helped draw shoppers into stores.

The NRF, whose overall industry sales data is closely watched each year, is scheduled to release Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales numbers on Tuesday.

US consumer confidence has been strengthening over this past year, due to a labor market that is churning out jobs, rising home prices and stock markets that are hovering at record highs.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US shoppers browse stores, buy online as Black Friday deals beckon

CHICAGO/NEW YORK - US stores offered deep discounts, entertainment and free gifts to lure bargain hunters on Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday retail season, but some shoppers said they were just browsing the merchandise, reserving their cash for internet purchases.

Still, a sharp rise in online sales brightened the overall outlook for those traditional retailers that have expanded beyond brick-and-mortar outlets, sending their shares higher in day-after-Thanksgiving trading. Stores also had carefully managed inventory, seeking to ward off any post-holiday liquidation that would weigh on profits.

There was little evidence of the delirious shopper frenzy customary of Black Fridays from past years, even as some stores appeared to be getting creative with gimmicks besides heavy discounts to draw in customers.

No actual data for Friday's brick-and-mortar business was immediately available.

Despite anecdotal signs of muted in-store sales - fewer cars in mall parking lots, shoppers leaving stores without purchases in hand - consumers are still expected to spend more overall this holiday season than last, analysts and industry executives said.

Black Friday online sales totaled at least $3.54 billion by 8 p.m. EST (0100 Saturday GMT), up 15.6 percent from a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics, which measures transactions at the largest 100 U.S. web retailers. On Thanksgiving Day, U.S. shoppers spent more than $2.87 billion online.

Adobe projected internet sales would still reach a record $5 billion by the end of the night, with online retailers forecast to rake in an additional $6.6 billion on Cyber Monday.

Indeed, some chains struggled to keep up, with brief online outages experienced by Lowe's, H&M and the Gap, among others, according to website performance monitors.

Macy's Inc customers in several states, including Texas, Arizona and Illinois, took to social media to complain about the retailer's credit card processing system. The company acknowledged that processing was taking longer than usual in its stores and said it was working on the problem.

The hiccups dragged Macy's shares 0.6 percent lower in extended trading. They had ended the regular session up 2.1 percent, boosted by comments from Chief Executive Jeff Gennette, who told CNBC that Macy's was better off this year than last, had robust online demand and was in a good place for holiday promotions.

Macy's and J.C. Penney Co Inc did a better job of ordering and controlling inventory this time, according to Burt Flickinger, managing director of Strategic Resources Group, a consultancy with seven researchers out in the field.

"The turnout this morning has been relatively slow, but it is still the best we have seen in three years," Flickinger said, citing improving consumer confidence, a strong job market and healthy housing prices.

Fair weather across much of the nation also was factor, said National Retail Federation President Matthew Shay.

Some shoppers were enticed by the promise of spectacle, while others felt the pull of nostalgia.

"It's like a hangout, it's an experience," said Jonathan Lin, 17. "All my friends are back from college and we got together."

"There’s something nostalgic about being at the stores this early,” Jennifer Stasiak said at Chicago’s popular Oakbrook Center.

Not everyone found the Black Friday magic irresistible.

“I avoid the store, too many crowds,” said Elana Silverstein, 32, a school counselor enjoying a warm, sunny day at a Los Angeles park. Instead, Silverstein said, she bought several personal items on sale Thursday night through the online marketplace Groupon.

Major retailers generally traded higher on Wall Street. J.C. Penney climbed 0.6 percent and Wal-Mart Stores Inc edged upward. Amazon.com Inc closed up 2.6 percent at a record high.

Target Corp did not fare as well, with analysts noting that it closed its stores for several hours overnight while many rivals kept their doors open. Its shares fell 2.8 percent.

NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE

The period between the US Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas can make or a break a retailer, accounting for as much as 40 percent of annual revenue and leading many businesses to go the extra mile to stoke shoppers' interest.

Godiva gave out free chocolates, while Sephora offered face masks and perfumes. Dancers entertained Bergdorf Goodman shoppers, according to the New York Post.

Many chains, including Wal-Mart, Target, Macy's and J.C. Penney, opened stores on Thursday evening and most were offering extended deals online. Some started offering in-store deals earlier this week.

Macy's said some 16,000 shoppers were lined up outside its flagship Herald Square store in Manhattan when doors opened at 5 p.m. on Thursday for its Black Friday eve sale.

The deepest discounts included more than $200 off some Best Buy TVs; all bras across Victoria's Secret Pink stores priced at $25; half-priced video games at Target; and $50 off PlayStation 4 Pro gaming consoles at Wal-Mart.

Here and there were signs of the pandemonium for which Black Friday was long known.

A confrontation between two men in the parking lot of Willowbrook Mall in Houston left one shot and the other stabbed, though the origins of the clash and whether it was shopping-related was not immediately known, police said.

A false report of gunfire prompted shoppers to flee the Westland Mall in Hialeah, Florida. Stores reopened less than an hour later, a mall security supervisor told Reuters by phone.

Near Birmingham, Alabama, police broke up a fight on Thursday night between two women who may have been arguing over a sale item at the Riverchase Galleria, mall officials said.

The growing online shopping trend, led by Amazon, has forced the toy chain Toys R Us and apparel retailers True Religion, the Limited, Rue 21 and Payless Shoe Source to file for bankruptcy this year.

Still, traditional retailers earn the bulk of their revenue from in-store buys. Shoppers in brick-and-mortar stores can also be easier to tempt with impulse or add-on purchases than online browsers.

Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, was crowded but not chaotic. Shoppers came for deals with nothing specific in mind. Many enjoyed the experience of trying on clothes rather than shopping online.

A Macy's employee there said it was less busy on Friday because the store had been open, and packed, on Thursday.

"They’re all online," said Sarah Jones, 42, an employee at Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island. "I’ve worked in retail my whole life, trust me."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

As Black Friday nears, US stores get creative to battle e-commerce

NEW YORK - The photo op with Santa Claus has long been a holiday mainstay for American children. But this year, shopping malls in several states are scheduling glamor shots for man's best friend.

As the Christmas shopping season kicks into high gear on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, portraits of St. Nick with a family's beloved dog are just one way retailers are looking to attract customers in the face of exploding e-commerce.

Brick-and-mortar stores have expanded their bag of tricks -- and gotten increasingly bold -- as they look to lure shoppers who might otherwise be happy to stay on the couch and pick up gifts while still in their pajamas.

The flagship Bloomingdale's store in New York has held yoga classes, and Nordstrom has displayed Tesla cars near the section for men's suits.

A number of shops now ply visitors with food and drink.

For the holiday shopping season, malls are hosting gingerbread decorating sessions, visits from the Grinch -- Dr. Seuss's beloved Christmas villain-turned-softie -- and ugly Christmas sweater nights.

Temporary ice skating rinks and magical winter decor are also being used to draw customers intent on an in-person holiday experience.

Wal-Mart Stores plans to throw more than 20,000 "holiday parties" at which children can pose for "selfies with Santa."

"All of these retailers are desperate to get people into their stores," said analyst Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, who added a note of caution about all the promotions.

"Whether they work or not is open to debate."

THE DRAW OF THE INTERNET

Most experts predict a solid holiday shopping season, with IHS Markit projecting overall sales growth of 4.2 percent to about $685 billion, said Chris Christopher, executive director at IHS.

Online sales are expected to account for 18.3 percent of holiday sales this year, up from 16.8 percent last year, according to IHS.

Surveys show that creating a festive holiday atmosphere is one way to prompt consumers to pocket their smartphones for a few hours and hit the mall.

About a third of consumers said they enjoyed holiday shopping as a family tradition and 23 percent said they most enjoy holiday decorations, said a National Retail Federation survey.

Tourist Karen Boyd, who was visiting New York this week from Palo Alto, California, said she expects to do half of her shopping online and half of it in stores this year.

"The years I've done 100 percent online, it doesn’t feel like you've done your holiday shopping!" she said near Saks Fifth Avenue's famed holiday window display as Christmas carols played in the background.

NEW APPS AND CURBSIDE DELIVERY

As e-commerce has grabbed bigger market share, chains like Target and Gap have invested heavily in smartphone apps and sophisticated "big data" programs to target consumers and price most effectively.

Upscale department store Nordstrom is offering 24-hour curbside pickup at a handful of stores for the final 9 days of the shopping season.

"Customers increasingly want to shop where, how and when they choose, and 24/7 Curbside Pickup is one service we're offering to support their experience," said Shea Jensen, senior vice president of customer experience at Nordstrom.

Department store Kohl's is taking to heart a common motto -- if you can't beat them, join them.

Kohl's will accept returns of goods bought on Amazon at its stores in Chicago and Los Angeles -- and will pack and ship the unpackaged items back to the online behemoth at no charge.

The hope is that Amazon shoppers will linger and buy a few items from Kohl's.

"We have a really very simple, straightforward objective here, and that is driving traffic is the number one priority we have as a company," chief executive Kevin Mansell said earlier this month.

HEART OF THE PROBLEM?

For Saunders, while doggie pics with Santa might draw pet lovers to stores, other initiatives are less inviting. And for him, the real issue is on the product side.

"A lot of these retailers aren't delivering what people want," he said.

David Simon, chief executive of the mall giant Simon Property Group, said stores should shake up their approach to customer service, highlighting Apple's attentiveness to customers and sleek store design.

"I think if they did that in a more comprehensive way through checkouts service, styling . . . they would see a pickup in their in-store sales," Simon said on a recent conference call.

Shopper Melin Ghotan said "bad customer service" had marred her recent purchase at a video game store -- a clerk balked when the Los Angeles mother requested a second shopping bag for the items.

"I'd have rather bought it online," she said as she walked near New York's lamdmark Rockefeller Center.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

European markets flat as Wall Street stays shut for Thanksgiving

LONDON - Europe's major stock markets were flat to firmer on Thursday, with the US markets shut for Thanksgiving.

"Equities are positive, but typically quiet," in view of the US holiday, said Accendo Markets analyst, Mike van Dulken.

While London and Frankfurt were both more or less flat at the end of the session, Paris made much stronger gains, buoyed by the release of favorable economic indicators for both France and the wider eurozone, traders said.

Business rose sharply across the eurozone in November, a key survey showed, as job creation hit the fastest pace in 17 years and the economic recovery in Europe gained steam.

Analysts said the rise in the headline readings of the survey by data monitoring company IHS Markit was a confirmation that the eurozone economy was resilient against the shock of Brexit and would mean a banner year for economic growth.

In France, private sector activity rose its highest level in six and a half years.

European markets had "had a little wobble" at the start of the session, following a downbeat session in Asia, said IG analyst Chris Beauchamp.

"The drying up of (trading) volumes over the past 24 hours prompted mini-routs in the FTSE and the DAX, but these seem to have run their course with both indices moving off their lows."

German investor sentiment was subdued amid ongoing political uncertainty following the collapse of talks to form a new coalition government at the weekend.

London was burnt by domestic energy supplier Centrica issuing a gloomy profits warning that sent its share price diving almost 18 percent to 134.30 pence.

Earlier, in Asia, equities were mostly deflated, with Tokyo also shut for a public holiday.

The dollar struggled following the previous day's losses as dovish Federal Reserve minutes rowed back expectations for US interest rate hikes.

While board members at the US central bank will likely lift borrowing costs next month, official records of their October meeting indicate some are increasingly concerned about persistently low inflation as well as high equity prices.

The release of the minutes came after data showing a surprise drop in key durable goods orders, fuelling a sell-off in the greenback across the board.

Expectations that rates would be lifted several times next year -- partly through an improving economy and flagged tax cuts -- helped drive the dollar up over the past year.


KEY FIGURES AROUND 1640 GMT (12:40 a.m. Friday in Manila)


London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 7,417.24 (close)

Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.05 percent at 13,008.55 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.5 percent at 5,379.54 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.3 percent at 3,572.07

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 1.0 percent at 29,707.94 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 2.3 percent at 3,351.92 (close)

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a public holiday

New York - DOW: Closed for a public holiday

Euro/dollar: FLAT at $1.1848

Pound/dollar: FLAT at $1.3304

Dollar/yen: FLAT at 111.21 yen

Oil - Brent North Sea: DOWN 15 cents at $63.17 per barrel

Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP 22 cents at $58.24

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US stores get creative to battle e-commerce As Black Friday nears

NEW YORK - The photo op with Santa Claus has long been a holiday mainstay for American children. But this year, shopping malls in several states are scheduling glamour shots for man's best friend.

As the Christmas shopping season kicks into high gear on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, portraits of St. Nick with a family's beloved dog are just one way retailers are looking to attract customers in the face of exploding e-commerce.

Brick-and-mortar stores have expanded their bag of tricks -- and gotten increasingly bold -- as they look to lure shoppers who might otherwise be happy to stay on the couch and pick up gifts while still in their pajamas.

The flagship Bloomingdale's store in New York has held yoga classes, and Nordstrom has displayed Tesla cars near the section for men's suits.

A number of shops now ply visitors with food and drink.

For the holiday shopping season, malls are hosting gingerbread decorating sessions, visits from the Grinch -- Dr. Seuss's beloved Christmas villain-turned-softie -- and ugly Christmas sweater nights.

Temporary ice skating rinks and magical winter decor are also being used to draw customers intent on an in-person holiday experience.

Wal-Mart Stores plans to throw more than 20,000 "holiday parties" at which children can pose for "selfies with Santa."

"All of these retailers are desperate to get people into their stores," said analyst Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, who added a note of caution about all the promotions.

"Whether they work or not is open to debate."

THE DRAW OF THE INTERNET

Most experts predict a solid holiday shopping season, with IHS Markit projecting overall sales growth of 4.2 percent to about $685 billion, said Chris Christopher, executive director at IHS.

Online sales are expected to account for 18.3 percent of holiday sales this year, up from 16.8 percent last year, according to IHS.

Surveys show that creating a festive holiday atmosphere is one way to prompt consumers to pocket their smartphones for a few hours and hit the mall.

About a third of consumers said they enjoyed holiday shopping as a family tradition and 23 percent said they most enjoy holiday decorations, said a National Retail Federation survey.

Tourist Karen Boyd, who was visiting New York this week from Palo Alto, California, said she expects to do half of her shopping online and half of it in stores this year.

"The years I've done 100 percent online, it doesn’t feel like you've done your holiday shopping!" she said near Saks Fifth Avenue's famed holiday window display as Christmas carols played in the background.

NEW APPS AND CURBSIDE DELIVERY

As e-commerce has grabbed bigger market share, chains like Target and Gap have invested heavily in smartphone apps and sophisticated "big data" programs to target consumers and price most effectively.

Upscale department store Nordstrom is offering 24-hour curbside pickup at a handful of stores for the final nine days of the shopping season.

"Customers increasingly want to shop where, how and when they choose, and 24/7 Curbside Pickup is one service we're offering to support their experience," said Shea Jensen, senior vice president of customer experience at Nordstrom.

Department store Kohl's is taking to heart a common motto -- if you can't beat them, join them.

Kohl's will accept returns of goods bought on Amazon at its stores in Chicago and Los Angeles -- and will pack and ship the unpackaged items back to the online behemoth at no charge.

The hope is that Amazon shoppers will linger and buy a few items from Kohl's.

"We have a really very simple, straightforward objective here, and that is driving traffic is the number one priority we have as a company," chief executive Kevin Mansell said earlier this month.

HEART OF THE PROBLEM?

For Saunders, while doggie pics with Santa might draw pet lovers to stores, other initiatives are less inviting. And for him, the real issue is on the product side.

"A lot of these retailers aren't delivering what people want," he said.

David Simon, chief executive of the mall giant Simon Property Group, said stores should shake up their approach to customer service, highlighting Apple's attentiveness to customers and sleek store design.

"I think if they did that in a more comprehensive way through checkouts service, styling . . . they would see a pickup in their in-store sales," Simon said on a recent conference call.

Shopper Melin Ghotan said "bad customer service" had marred her recent purchase at a video game store -- a clerk balked when the Los Angeles mother requested a second shopping bag for the items.

"I'd have rather bought it online," she said as she walked near New York's lamdmark Rockefeller Center.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US Black Friday: more shoppers but less spent per head

WASHINGTON - The American shopping orgy known as Black Friday lured more buyers this year but they spent less per person thanks to great bargains, an industry group said Sunday.

More than 154 million people made purchases during the four-day retail extravaganza that began Thursday on Thanksgiving, compared to 151 million last year, the National Retail Federation said.

Shoppers spent an average of $289.19, compared to $299.60 in 2015.

Sales over the Thanksgiving holiday, which extends into so-called Cyber Monday, are a good indicator of the health of US consumer spending.

Online sales dominated. A total of 44 percent of those who took part in the NRF survey said they had bought via the internet while 40 percent went to a brick-and-mortar store.

"It was a strong weekend for retailers, but an even better weekend for consumers, who took advantage of some really incredible deals," NRF president Matthew Shay said.

The most popular day to shop online was Black Friday itself, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Of those who purchased online over the four-day period, 74 percent did so on Friday, up 1.3 percent from last year.

And of the people who went to actual stores over this shopping period, 75 percent did so on Black Friday, up 3.4 percent from last year, the NRF said.

Millennials, aged 18-34, drove the increase in shopping, with eight out of ten buying something over the long weekend.

Around 56 percent of smartphone owners and 53 percent of tablet owners used these devices to assist with their shopping.

The study was carried out by Prosper Insights & Analytics with a sample of 4,330 people on November 25-26 and has a margin of error of 1.5 percentage points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pinoys take part in annual turkey cook-off

SAN FRANCISCO – The Lake Merced Boathouse featured table after table of turkey, side dishes, and desserts.

All of which came from different recreation centers in San Francisco for a friendly competition over who can prepare the best Thanksgiving dinner in the 16th annual Turkey Cook-Off.

Hosted by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, the goal of the event is to celebrate the diversity of the city through food.

"The Recreation and Park Department has a lot of history and a lot of pride and this is the 16th year we’ve hosted this event," said Phil Ginsburg, General Manager of SF Rec and Park. "It’s totally free. It’s totally open to the community and it is a great kick off to the Thanksgiving holiday."

Filipino-American Tim Figueras is the recreation coordinator of the Gene Friend Rec Center in the South of Market neighborhood, which is historically home to many kababayans.

According to Figueras, this is the first time in years that Filipinos participated so they wanted to be sure to add a common dish found on Pinoy dinner tables.

"What else brings people together than the diversity of food? I think that’s the big key because at our table there were people who didn’t even know what lumpia was and for us to be able to introduce lumpia to them is a huge thing," said Figueras.

San Francisco School Board Member and Filipino American Hydra Mendoza said that with the recent turmoil making headlines around the world events like these are important to strengthen and build the community.

"These are those moments where it’s really about gratitude and giving thanks and just thinking about families and the families that have been disrupted because of the violence that's happening around the world. I think we have to do a prayer for everyone and just find places where we can come together and be with family and really think about what it means to be grateful," Mendoza said.

The Rec and Park Department said as the turn out of the turkey cook-off continues to grow, they hope to keep it free for everyone for years to come.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Obama says US is safe as millions set off on Thanksgiving travel

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - President Barack Obama sought to reassure Americans they were safe as millions of travelers set off for the long Thanksgiving weekend on Wednesday and authorities stepped up security at airports in response to the attacks in Paris two weeks ago.

In New York City, record-breaking crowds were expected on Thursday for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and Police Commissioner William Bratton said the city was deploying more officers at the annual event than ever before.

"Right now, we know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland," Obama told reporters at the White House, two weeks after suspected Islamist militants killed 130 people in a series of coordinated attacks in the French capital.

"We are taking every possible step to keep our homeland safe," he said, flanked by his FBI director and other top security officials on the day before Thanksgiving, when many Americans travel to be with their extended families for a traditional turkey dinner.

Nearly 46.9 million Americans will travel over the long Thanksgiving weekend - the busiest U.S. travel holiday of the year - with 3.6 million going by plane, according to the AAA, a motorist advocacy group.

Most U.S. airports reported flights delays of less than 15 minutes, according to tracking websites. Passengers at airports from Washington to New York said they saw heavier than normal security, but that travel was flowing smoothly.

Americans have become more concerned about threats since the Paris attacks and now identify terrorism as the most important problem facing the nation, Reuters-Ipsos polling shows.

"We have to live our lives right? We're having a good time. We did a cruise and now we're doing New York City," said Karen Damaschino, 47, of San Francisco after landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport to spend the holiday in New York.

The U.S. response to Islamic State has become a top issue in the race to succeed Obama in the November 2016 presidential election. In his statement, Obama tried to allay Americans' concerns.

"I know that families have discussed their fears about the threat of terrorism around the dinner table, many for the first time since September 11th," he said, referring to the 2001 attacks by al Qaeda on New York and Washington.

But he told Americans they should "go about their usual Thanksgiving weekend activities" while remaining vigilant to any suspicious activities.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed that sentiment at a news conference on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where crews were inflating the giant balloons that highlight the Macy's parade, the traditional start to the holiday shopping season.

"One thing I always say, there are some people trying to intimidate New Yorkers. Well, New Yorkers don't get intimidated," he said. "They'll be out tomorrow in droves."

STAY VIGILANT

To underscore Obama's message, his Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson held a photo op at Washington's Union Station just before boarding an Amtrak train to Newark, N.J., on the heavily traveled Northeast corridor, en route home for the holiday

"It should be obvious to the public that there is a heightened presence" of law enforcement officers at train stations, airports and other public places, Johnson said. "We are working overtime to protect the homeland."

Some travel analysts expected airport delays as a result of heightened security.

But at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, one of the country's busiest, Kirsten Bohling, 27, said she was pleasantly surprised by how painless her check-in went.

"Lines are way shorter than I thought they would be and moving 10 times faster than I thought," she said. "I think they were really really prepared."

The FBI sent a bulletin earlier this week to police departments across the country warning of possible copycat incidents after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks and sharing intelligence on how the attacks were carried out.

The U.S. State Department also issued a worldwide travel alert on Monday warning American travelers to remain vigilant, particularly when visiting foreign countries.

As many as 3.5 million people were expected to line the 2.5-mile (4 km) route of the Macy's parade in New York, according to organizers. City officials have made numerous public appearances in recent days seeking to reassure New Yorkers and tourists.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Retailers give shoppers new reasons to use mobile phones in stores

NEW YORK - At some Macy's outlets this holiday season, shoppers who download the retailer’s app will be able to use their smart phones to guide them through the store to products they’re seeking.

At JCPenney, customers will be able to take a snapshot of, for example, boots worn by a person passing by and quickly find out if the store has similar ones in stock. And Staples is testing an app that will allow sales clerks to let customers know how the store’s prices match up against Amazon and other rivals.

Hoping to claw back market share from online rivals - and tired of watching customers use their phones to find better deals than those offered in stores - brick and mortar retailers are trying to give shoppers different reasons to use their phones while doing holiday shopping.

The new apps will allow customers to easily order out-of-stock items for home delivery, to check store prices and even to summon a clerk.

But the retailers’ efforts will face two significant challenges in the looming holiday season: getting customers to embrace the new technology, which is still sometimes glitchy and dependent on in-store systems, and getting them to trust that stores can match the Web’s prices and convenience.

Retail purchases by mobile phone have increased by 34 percent in the last year, according to IBM, which estimates that more than 40 percent of the online traffic and about 20 percent of sales this Thanksgiving weekend will come from smart phones.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll of more than 3,000 respondents this month found that about half of those surveyed said they would use their mobile phones while shopping in stores this holiday season, for such things as making price comparisons, taking photos or researching products. Last year, only about 42% of respondents said they would use their phones while shopping.

Companies that don’t make mobile work are playing a "very dangerous" game, said Jay Henderson, head of IBM’s cloud-based marketing platform. "Retailers that can’t deliver a more personalized experience on mobile devices will start losing customers to businesses that can," he said.

In addition to its pilot program guiding customers to products within stores, and a photo program similar to JCPenney's, Macy's has taken inspiration from dating app Tinder, recommending products to customers online who swipe one way to like an item and the other to reject it.

JCPenney's app can be used to scan barcodes to pull up product information or order out of stock items, and it saves digital coupons - two increasingly common offerings in retailer apps.

“We look at using phones in stores as an enhancement to shopping,” said Kate Coultas, a representative with JCPenney which is heavily focused on mobile this year.

SERVICE WITH A TAP

Stores are trying to make customer service easier, too.

Best Buy's app now lets shoppers call, text or email a representative while in stores.

Target Corp is testing an in-store "digital service ambassador" in 25 Los Angeles stores to help customers use Target apps.

Ulta Beauty is testing an app that will allow clerks to access customer information and point them to products they might like.

Faisal Masud, executive vice president of global e-commerce at Staples, said his company knows that it must satisfy the desires of its customers to find low prices. The company, like many others, will match online and in-store prices of competitors, including Amazon, Best Buy and Office Depot.

Customers “have a phone that is basically a super computer, and they will find it somewhere else” for less if they can, he said.

Companies offering web apps and in-store technologies will also have to grapple with keeping the new apps and systems working and up to date. That means ensuring that WiFi in stores works, and that terminals function.

Recent visits to a Staples store in New York City found that a kiosk set up to allow people to order online wasn’t functioning, and at a JCPenney store in the city, the Wifi didn’t work. Both companies said the problems encountered were unusual and that they have backup systems in place.

"Poorly executed plans can be worse than no mobile strategy at all," said Perry Kramer, vice president at Boston Retail Partners. "The dangers are losing those customers for the rest of the year or for a long time."

Read more at Reuters.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US protesters force closure of mall near Ferguson

US protesters forced a crowded St Louis mall to close for around two hours on Friday, demanding a boycott to post-Thanksgiving shopping and justice for an unarmed black teenager killed by police.

Scores of demonstrators, including young children, shouted "No justice, no peace," and "Stop shopping and join the movement" at the St Louis Galleria Mall.

Around 100 people lay on the floor for four and a half minutes to symbolize the more than four hours that 18-year-old Michael Brown lay in the road after being shot dead by a white police officer in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson.

In New York, police made "several" arrests at a protest in front of Macy's flagship store in Herald Square, a spokesman said, without explaining why the demonstrators had been detained.

About 200 people gathered in support of the boycott of "Black Friday", which comes the day after America's Thanksgiving holiday and sees stores offering steep discounts, leading to often-frenzied consumer spending.

In the San Francisco Bay area, protestors severely disrupted the BART mass transit system for more than two hours by blocking off a train station in Oakland, officials said.

The protestors chained themselves together at the West Oakland station, forcing trains to be stopped into and out of San Francisco, briefly stranding crowds including many heading to malls seeking Black Friday bargains.

The protests came four days after a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict the officer who killed Brown, sparking arson and looting in Ferguson.

At the St Louis mall, shoppers and store staff looked bemused, while others filmed or photographed the protest, or else clapped and shouted their support.

When police officers told AFP they were clearing the building, the protesters had already left.

The management office confirmed that the shopping center reopened at 3:15 pm, around two hours after stores were told police were closing the building.

Although most shops reopened, others kept their doors locked and shutters down even after the mall was back in business.

It was not immediately clear how much business had been lost.

Shop staff said police had ordered the closure for public safety.

"It ain't my decision," said Luke, a shoe store manager who didn't want to give his last name.

"The police thought it was in the best interest of our customers and our product to close down," he added.

Protesters claimed success.

"It is now a movement and it is spreading across the country and around the world. Black Friday is the next step," said journalist and activist Kymone Freeman from Washington.

"Hopefully we'll see more of this. I think Black Friday protests will continue throughout the Christmas season," he added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Looking for the perfect Thanksgiving meal? Try Turducken

NEW YORK – A three-bird roast called ‘Turducken’ or turkey, duck and chicken stuffed into one big bird is the ultimate holiday meal on Thanksgiving.

The unconventional Thanksgiving bird became popular after American football sportscaster John Madden introduced the royal roast on national TV.

Serving Turducken is quite a tedious task, but thanks to “Turducken queen” Johanna Cook, it is now more accessible to busy Pinay moms.

“Turducken used to be a foodie meal. You would have to be a foodie to go to a weird neighborhood, look for a special butcher, and get it done,” said Cook, “Or you can make it yourself for a lot of time and money, effort. It just takes a lot of effort.”

Known for her Momma Cuisines Online blogs, Cook cooks everyday meals by using simple, accessible and inexpensive ingredients and basic cooking techniques.

“This is already pre-seasoned. You can even get it delivered to you, it’s very easy to make at home, and the way you make this is the same way you make your regular turkey,” said Cook said.

Sarah Leoman tasted Turducken for the very first time. “I was actually surprised at how moist it was. It was very moist and very tender.”

Read more from Balitang America.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Are Black Friday Deals Worth The Hassle?

Now that Black Friday has started the creep into Thanksgiving Day, you may be wondering you’re really getting a deal—or if it’s just more manipulation.

All those signs advertising 25%, 40%, even 50% off can be difficult to argue with, but the truth is that in most cases, what you’ll actually be hunting this Friday is not a good deal, but the thrill of a perceived good deal. Even though discounts have risen since 2009, stores’ profit margins have remained largely the same.

The reason?

None of these goods are priced to sell at full price in the first place. If they happen to, prior to deep holiday discounts, that’s great. But according to The Wall Street Journal:
 
    “Big retailers work backward with their suppliers to set starting prices that, after all the markdowns, will yield the profit margins they want.”

To understand why this is, you first have to understand how markup works. When a supplier sells an item to a retailer, the retailer buys it at a wholesale price and then sets a retail price that nets them a profit that’s double, triple, or even more what they paid. By setting that retail price even higher than normal, stores can advertise and give deep discounts while still maintaining comfortable margins.

Two years ago, The Wall Street Journal found that prices on many popular gift items rise in late fall in preparation for just this practice and stay high through the holidays. The one, odd, exception they found? Blenders, which sink in price the closer it gets to December 25th.
 
But what about doorbusters?

Generally speaking, the only real good deals you’ll find on a Black Friday are those “doorbusters” you see people lining up for days in advance. These are advertised to entice shoppers, and some larger stores will even take a loss on these items, assuming that shoppers will make other purchases once they’re in the store.

Even then, there are some drawbacks. Most retailers only stock a limited quantity of doorbuster items, meaning you may actually have to camp out to get one. Also, if you arrive too late to find your deal gone, be wary of sales people pushing a very similar, much more expensive item your way.

So is getting up at 4 am this Friday morning really worth it?

Probably not.

This year especially. Unless you’re after one of those big, deeply-discounted items meant to draw shoppers in, you probably won’t be saving much. And with many sales starting pre-Thanksgiving and continuing all the way into the holiday season both online and in-store, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do your shopping on your terms.

source: totalmortgage.com

Disney gives folk tale cool makeover in 'Frozen'

LOS ANGELES - Disney has given a chilly makeover to a traditional fairy tale in its latest animated release "Frozen," which could be in the running for an Oscar.

The movie is based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" -- 25 years after Disney's last Andersen adaptation, "The Little Mermaid" -- even if it takes substantial liberties with plot and characters.


The studio's 53rd feature-length film, which has had positive reviews ahead of its release for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, brings to fruition a project which was on Walt Disney's wish list although he never made it.

"Walt Disney was passionate about trying to do a version of this," the film's co-producer Chris Buck told at a press conference to present the film at Disney's Burbank, California studios before its release Wednesday.

Fellow co-producer Jennifer Lee added: "Unfortunately, we dug for some original material but nothing really surfaced .... But we knew that this was special for him.

Although the exact reason Disney himself did not make a film of the 1844 Andersen tale, Lee -- who co-wrote 2012's Oscar-nominated "Wreck-It Ralph" -- said she was not surprised.

"It's a very hard story, it's very symbolic, the snow queen herself is not clearly drawn," she told reporters.

The makers of "Frozen" -- expected to make the animated feature shortlist for next year's Academy Awards in March -- got round the difficulties by making substantial changes.

The two main female roles -- the Snow Queen herself, and Gerda -- have been transformed into sister princesses Elsa and Anna.

Elsa, who transforms everything she touches into ice, flees her kingdom after mistakenly condemning it to an eternal frozen winter. Her sister goes searching for her, aided by rugged mountain man Kristoff and a snowman.

"There are a couple of very powerful elements, like this little girl who has nothing but the power of love and who fights the negativity," said Lee. "Fear is a big thing in our society.

"So the idea of this little Anna, who's an ordinary person who just has this giant heart, trying to go up against the power of fear to fight her way through and save her kingdom and save her sister at the same time, it was so rich."

Elsa is voiced by actress Idina Menzel, who told AFP: "The main thing was to maintain a vulnerability, that no matter how powerful she is, there is a sadness and a loneliness to this character.

"In the beginning, she was written more like a traditional villain and then, when they started working on it, they changed her and made her a much more complicated character and not a villain at all, just someone that was misunderstood," she added.

Visually the wide-screen CinemaScope film is stunning. Animators traveled to Norway to gain knowledge and inspiration to render the snow-shrouded and ice-encrusted landscape.

As if to order, large swathes of the US were gripped by a major winter storm this week, leaving tens of millions of American facing travel chaos as they head off for Thanksgiving family reunions.

Musically it fits into the Disney tradition of showtune songs, with a score by Robert Lopez, who wrote hit musical comedies "The Book of Mormon" and "Avenue Q."

"Frozen" has a 90 percent positive audience rating on the Rotten Tomatoes movie review website, which describes it as "beautifully animated, smartly written, and stocked with singalong songs."

"Frozen" is preceded by a short, "Get a horse!" by Lauren MacMullan, which combines pastiches of black and white Mickey and Minnnie sketches before plunging into 3D virtuosity.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com