Target launches 6 new brands, all online

target.com

Target has launched six new online-only brands, including Too by Blu Dot, a home furnishings line.

By Dana Macario, TODAY contributor

If you?re looking to buy something from one of Target?s six new brands, you?ll need to skip the store and hit up their website instead. The online exclusive offers include everything from a collection of baby apparel designed for Target by Zutano to home d?cor lines.

?We?re excited that for the first time Target has developed new brands exclusively for Target.com," said Target spokesman Eddie Baeb. "We believe these new brands will further differentiate Target.com from other online retailers and help us create a great shopping experience for our guests.??

The new brands are primarily home d?cor lines, an area that has long been a Target strength. Each of the four home furnishings lines has its own, distinct personality. Too by Blu Dot has a funky, retro '50s vibe, while MudHut features eclectic designs that reflect a global theme, with offerings like Mexican motif and Moroccan gem. Boho Boutique is a home line that is reminiscent of a lower-priced Anthropologie. The last of the home lines, Room 365, is the most contemporary of the home brands.

That Target would focus so heavily on home furnishings for its first online exclusive brands is not a surprise to some retail experts. ?They?ve always been in home goods. They?ve been strong and leaders in that area. And, that strength has eroded in the last two to four years," said Mike Tesler, founding partner at consulting firm Retail Concepts and a marketing lecturer at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. "They?re looking to inject some excitement in that.?

In addition to the four new home-furnishings brands, Target.com is also offering up a women?s clothing line, Labworks, and Zutano Blue, a collection of clothing, and again, bedding and d?cor, for infants.

Online retail isn?t new, but Target?s mammoth push into the virtual space is new. Several retail experts agreed that the new, online venture is a low-risk way for Target to test new brands and increase profit margin. ?The only thing that?s really going on here is higher margins in categories that traditionally aren?t brand-sensitive,? said Rob Frankel, branding specialist and author of ?The Revenge of Brand X.?

Tesler also noted that offering products exclusively online is a good way for the company to experiment with new lines. ?When you test it out online, then you have confidence that it?s going to work in the stores later,? Tesler said. At present, Target has not announced that any of the lines will be introduced in stores. ?There are no current plans to have these brands in Target stores, but we?re always evaluating and considering new merchandise for our stores,? Baeb said.

Although you can only buy the products online, the Too by Blu Dot collection will be featured in five Target locations in Chicago, Seattle,?Los Angeles, San Francisco and Westwood, Calif., through the end of January. There, guests can scan QR codes to buy the items online.

Dana Macario is a Seattle-area writer who loves to shop ? both off and online.

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/01/29/16741351-target-launches-6-new-brands-but-you-cant-buy-them-in-stores?lite

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Eating Recovery Center In The News: Examiner.com | ERC Blog

You are here: Home ? Examiner.com ? Eating Recovery Center In The News: Examiner.com

Chief Marketing Officer Julie Holland, MHS, CEDS is the?National Eating Disorders Examiner. Read an exceprt from her blog on how eating disorders do not discriminate and the prevalence of eating disorders in the LGBT community below, or?to read it in its entirety,?click here.

Eating disorders, body image and the LGBT community

Eating disorders?do not discriminate. Regardless of gender, skin color, religion or income, these potentially deadly illnesses can have detrimental physical, emotional and mental effects. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals are not immune to eating disorders either. In fact, according to some studies, gay men are more likely to have an?eating disorder?than straight men due to increased pressure to meet physical standards that are often considered more ?attractive? within the gay community.*

Eating disorders among the?LGBT community
For some gay men, eating disorders may develop as an outcome of sexual repression. These intense feelings of conflict translate into being dissatisfied with one?s own physical body. Unfortunately, some gay individuals are shamed for who they are by family, friends or colleagues, and often times, they use?disordered eating?behaviors as a means for taking control of something when their lives feel chaotic.

Feldman and Meyer cite the?sociocultural perspective?as a ?prominent explanation for the high prevalence of eating disorders among gay and bisexual men? in their 2007 study, ?Eating Disorders in Diverse Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Populations.?** According to the study, gay and bisexual men have been found to have the same weight and body image pressures and expectations when it comes to relationships as straight women; thus they experience similar unrealistic body ideals.?Disordered eating?behaviors then develop as an attempt to attain these ideals or cope with confusion often surrounding sexual orientation.

Lesbian and bisexual women may not have the same body image pressures as gay men, as these two groups tend to have differing viewpoints on ideal body image. However, gay women often have similar struggles with sexual orientation and a desire to be accepted in society as a whole, and can engage in disordered eating thoughts and behaviors as a means to manage their anxiety.

LGBT adolescents are especially at risk
Adolescents and young adults who struggle with sexual orientation are especially at risk for eating disorders as they cope with ?coming out,? being accepted by their families and fitting in with their peers. A 2009 study by researchers at Harvard University and Children?s Hospital Boston examined the correlation between sexual orientation and binge eating and purging.*** Among the findings were heightened rates of binge eating among both males and females who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or ?mostly heterosexual.?

As is true with most?adolescents, the body image ideals and expectations of teenagers identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender are significantly impacted by the media. Some segments of the LGBT community and gay media place a hyper-focus on an unattainable body image and idealize stylists and the fashion and beauty industries, which are all highly body-conscious.

Source: http://blog.eatingrecoverycenter.com/2013/01/28/eating-recovery-center-in-the-news-examiner-com-5/

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Film Thrasher: THE NEWS BUNDLE: 'Man of Steel' Writer Says Film ...

There is easily a lot riding on this summer's Man of Steel. On one hand, the film's success could ultimately greenlight the long in development Justice League film that has sparked multiple rumors across the internet. On the other, we get our first bout of Superman for the first time in seven years for a hero that has certainly had troubles making it back to the big screen.?

Though early rumors had it that the third act of the script was in trouble, the approach of the hero from the men who brought you The Dark Knight trilogy's Bruce Wayne is still very much up in the air. Now, one of those writers is speaking out and revealing just what makes the new film tick as the goal is to take an alien and make him compelling through human nature.

In the latest issue of Empire (via CBM), screenwriter David S. Goyer discussed Man of Steel and how grounded the script for the film actually is, saying,?"We're approaching Superman as if it weren't a comic book movie, as if it were real...I adore the Donner films. Absolutely adore them. It just struck me that there was an idealist quality to them that may or may not work with today's audience. It just struck me that if Superman really existed in the world, first of all this story would be a story about first contact."

Goyer continues, saying that one of the man focuses will be the fact that despite his human appearance he is still very much an intergalactic species. "He's an alien. You can easily imagine a scenario in which we'd be doing a film like E.T., as opposed to him running around in tights," he continues. "If the world found out he existed, it would be the biggest thing that ever happened in human history. It falls into that idea of trying to humanise the inhuman. He's made out of steel, he's not made out of flesh, metaphorically speaking. We are portraying him as a man, yet he's not a man." Finally, he states that while it was a lot easier to ground Batman due to his vulnerability and humanity, "It is obviously a much longer process with a character like Superman. It is much easier to do a realistic take on Batman. You know nothing can hurt Superman, presumably other than Kryptonite. The challenge was simply: can we figure out a way to make those elements work, quote unquote, in the real world? It's very much a story of a man with two fathers."

Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Richard Schiff, and more, while also directed by Zack Snyder, Man of Steel flies into theaters on June 14th.

Source: http://www.filmthrasher.com/2013/01/the-news-bundle-man-of-steel-writers.html

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Analysis: For Republicans, a world turned "upside down" on immigration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - What a difference one brutally disappointing election can make.

At this time last year, Republican U.S. presidential contenders were competing to act tough on immigration to win favor with the party's conservative base.

Eventual nominee Mitt Romney led the way by advocating "self-deportation" - a plan that essentially called on the government to make life so miserable for the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants, most of whom are Hispanics, that many would leave on their own.

But since Democratic President Barack Obama's decisive victory over Romney in November with the support of more than seven in 10 Hispanic voters, the game has changed.

Many Republicans now see gaining favor with the fast-growing Hispanic voting bloc, which accounts for 10 percent of the U.S. electorate and is growing, as a matter of political survival.

Some remain critical of any plan that would give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. But next-generation Republican leaders - including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, 41, a favorite of the conservative Tea Party movement - are desperate to remove the issue as a liability for the party.

That is why a plan announced on Monday by a bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators including Rubio is widely seen as the best hope in years for a comprehensive immigration overhaul - even though it is similar to a 2007 plan that was shot down by conservative Republicans despite being backed by Republican President George W. Bush.

But now, "the politics on this issues have turned upside down," said New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, another senator in the bipartisan group crafting the immigration plan.

"For the first time ever, there is more political risk in opposing immigration reform than in supporting it," Schumer said.

REPUBLICANS LOSING HISPANIC SUPPORT

Compared with the bitter, uncompromising politics that have clouded Capitol Hill in recent years, the news conference held by the senators on Monday was practically a festival of love.

There was Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona - who lost the presidential race to Obama in 2008 and is a frequent critic of the administration - heaping praise on the Democratic president for supporting immigration reform.

There was Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, giving credit to Bush for backing immigration changes when many Republicans did not.

During the news conference, Rubio and Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey, another member of the group, made a point of explaining parts of their plan in Spanish, a symbolic reach-out to those who could be affected by it.

The changed dynamic on immigration reflected how "the election was a real wake-up call to Republicans. They have had their eyes opened on Hispanics," said Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Minnesota.

Asked why he thought this immigration bill might succeed, McCain said: "Elections. The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens."

Republican strategist Ana Navarro said McCain - whose state borders Mexico and is about 30 percent Hispanic - could be an important voice to other Republicans on the immigration bill.

"Nobody can talk to other Republicans with the authority that John McCain can about what it means to move the Latino vote," Navarro said.

'AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP'

The group of senators behind the immigration plan - which also includes Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado - said they hoped for quick action.

But even if successful, Congress' revamping of the immigration system is likely to take most of 2013. Congress also will be wrestling with budget issues and Obama's ambitious gun-control proposals in the next few months.

"Today is an important first step in what is going to be a significant and complicated journey," Rubio said.

The plan would create what the senators called a "tough but fair" path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants after undefined improvements to border security and a crackdown on people who have overstayed their visas.

The plan faces some hurdles in the Senate. But the big question will be whether it can clear the Republican-led House of Representatives, which is dominated by conservatives adamantly opposed to anything resembling "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.

One rising star among House conservatives - Paul Ryan, the Budget Committee chairman who was Romney's vice presidential nominee - already has voiced support for Rubio's immigration efforts. Others seem to be loading up to attack such a plan.

"When you legalize those who are in the country illegally, it costs taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs and encourages more illegal immigration," Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, said in a statement.

Many conservatives said they would wait for the final proposal, which will be developed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the final measure will require far more input than it has received so far.

"All members must have an opportunity to debate and amend any legislation that comes to the floor. This effort is too important to be written in a back room and sent to the floor with a take-it-or-leave-it approach," McConnell said. "It needs to be done on a bipartisan basis and include ideas from both sides of the aisle."

Groups that oppose easing the immigration restrictions blasted the plan and predicted that it would meet the same fate as the 2007 bill.

"We expect that once the American public learns of the details of this proposal, and comes to recognize that it will do nothing to fix the problems of our broken immigration system, it will meet with the same overwhelmingly negative response that it received in 2007," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

But backers of a comprehensive immigration plan said there was a new mood of optimism in their ranks.

"The histrionics and demagoguery on immigration have died down, at least for now," said Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party who has launched an immigration reform group.

"There seems to be a different attitude," Cullen said.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by David Lindsey and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-republicans-world-turned-upside-down-immigration-060733361.html

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With The Help Of Citizen Cartographers, Google Launches More Detailed Map Of North Korea

Google Maps is not only a strong product, it’s a strong platform. With its Map Maker tool, people from around the world can participate in making Google’s maps more detailed, accurate and up-to-date. This is exactly what happened for North Korea’s maps, Google announced today. Google’s Senior Product Manager of Map Maker, Jayanth Mysore, discussed what went into these new detailed views: To build this map, a community of citizen cartographers came together in Google Map Maker to make their contributions such as adding road names and points of interest. This effort has been active in Map Maker for a few years and today the new map of North Korea is ready and now available on Google Maps. As a result, the world can access maps of North Korea that offer much more information and detail than before. We know this map is not perfect ? one of the exciting things about maps is that the world is a constantly changing place. We encourage people from around the world to continue helping us improve the quality of these maps for everyone with Google Map Maker. From this point forward, any further approved updates to the North Korean maps in Google Map Maker will also appear on Google Maps. Here’s a before and after look at North Korea, with more details popping up thanks to the Map Maker community: We recently reported exactly how Google is managing its Map Maker community, giving them badges for accomplishments and adding more detail to make Google Maps better. While this community isn’t fully relied upon for Google Maps, it is definitely an important part of the entire system. With everything that goes into making Google Maps the most powerful service of its kind, companies like Apple who are trying to do the work on their own definitely have some catching up to do. Right now, Google allows people from 200 different regions to participate in the editing of the Maps product. Without sounding like a huge downer, this is also probably way safer than a Google Street View truck driving around in North Korea at this point.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/vadWBm4V1jQ/

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Crunchy Green Salad

I have a nasty habit of skipping lunch. I don?t do it deliberately; I just honestly forget to eat. Not only is this is uber bad for the old blood sugar levels (read: cranky lady) but it makes me crave the stuff I shouldn?t be eating (chocolate) and over eat when I do get around to feeding myself.

And lately I?ve been feeling bloated and tubby. No surprise that it comes after the month of December with all the food, visiting parents, alcohol, running around, food, presents, wine, and more food? So it is definitely time for a diet reset.

My goal is to eat a healthy lunch every day. Ergo, I will be adding more salads in my life.

Fortunately I loooove veggies! I really like crunchy veggies; they make a really satisfying sound. I like steamed veggies, saut?ed veggies and even some boiled veggies. Kale, spinach, celery, romaine, sugar snap peas, Swiss chard, beets, you name it I?ll eat it! And I?ve never met a salad bar where I couldn?t fill up my plate completely with all the cool extras like sunflower seeds, hot peppers, olives and cheese.

So here is my first foray into making salads more fun at home; I call it Crunchy Green Salad. This is a salad that my kids like too because of that satisfying crunch. And the olives. They?ll eat anything with olives.

Crunchy Green Salad

3 Romaine lettuce leaves chopped
1 stalk of celery finely sliced
5-6 sugar snap peas chopped
A handful of green olives (optional or more/less to taste)
1-2 Tbsps slivered almonds
You can also add some chunks of soft cheese to this; goat, brie etc for a little added protein.

Dressing:
Use your favourite dressing or try this creamy green dressing. I don?t exactly measure when I make salad dressing, I just adjust until it tastes good.
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 heaping teaspoon chimichurri sauce or minced fresh herbs
2 Tbsp Cider vinegar
2-4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
I pour all ingredients into a glass jar and shake shake shake! Add as much or as little as you like to the salad, toss and enjoy.

Source: http://www.familyfuncanada.com/crunchy-green-salad/

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Mali to receive $18.4 million loan from IMF

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mali, the strife-torn West African nation, has been approved to receive an $18.4 million loan from the International Monetary Fund to help stabilize its economy over the next 12 months, the IMF said on Monday.

The Fund said approval of the loan, under its Rapid Credit Facility, will not fulfill all the government's needs but should send a signal that Mali's economy is on the right path, prompting other donors to offer financial assistance.

The IMF first announced in November that it had agreed on a loan with Mali, subject to board approval.

"The disbursement ... is designed to help Mali deal with urgent balance of payments need and catalyze financial support from Mali's international partners, which is critical to Mali's economic recovery," the IMF said in a statement.

Other donors that often support Mali include the World Bank, the African Development Bank and France, the IMF said.

The facility is a quick-disbursing fund for poor countries recovering from natural disasters or conflict.

The United States and the European Union are backing a French-led intervention in Mali against al Qaeda-allied militants they fear could use the West African state's desert north as a springboard for international attacks.

"Mali's economy is traversing a particularly difficult period as a result of the 2011 drought, insurgent attacks in the north of the country and political instability in the wake of the military coup in March 2012," the IMF said.

However, the IMF's mission chief to the West African country, Christian Josz, said Mali is making an effort to improve its economy, which should expand by 4.5 percent this year after contracting in 2012, especially if the weather is favorable to crops.

"But of course there are many uncertainties," he told reporters on Monday.

Mali received a $46 million IMF loan in 2011 but canceled it after soldiers toppled the president in March 2012 and al Qaeda-linked militants seized northern cities.

A leading producer of gold and cotton, Mali faces a budget shortfall, especially since the European Union and the United States suspended aid after the coup.

For 2013, Mali faces a budget shortfall of $110 million, but it will freeze spending unless it is able to plug the gap with development aid from donors, the IMF said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mali-receive-18-4-million-loan-imf-052904440.html

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