| Gold Rush
Small traders clamored to become wholesale importers of cheap goods; on the consumer end, people tried to make money buying and selling just about anything, while larger businessmen clawed for tawkeelaat (agencies) the right to represent a foreign company in Egypt. This fervent, and largely unregulated, economic activity gave rise to a new social class, a nouveau riche that had, through the successful manipulation of a sloppy, nascent market economy, migrated from the lowest socio-economic class up the proverbial social ladder. In the view of the established elite, they brought with them money but none of the cultural tools needed to assimilate into their newfound social status. The films of the 1980s were full of jokes about butchers driving Mercedes and illiterate car dealers buying villas in Zamalek.
Overall Holiday Season Retail Grows 3.6%, MasterCard SpendingPulse ...
Data Source: SpendingPulse, MasterCard Advisors. A macro-economic indicator, SpendingPulse reports on national retail sales and is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, coupled with estimates for all other payment forms, including cash and check. MasterCard SpendingPulse does not represent MasterCard financial performance. SpendingPulse is provided by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard Worldwide. MasterCard Advisors� SpendingPulse, a macro-economic report tracking retail sales nationally, today provided summary results of the 2007 Holiday shopping season. This year, for the period between Black Friday and December 24, retail grew by a seasonally adjusted 3.6% over the same period in 2006. �Overall, sales came in just above the lower end of the range we were expecting, maintaining the slower, modest growth we�ve been seeing throughout the year,� noted Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for MasterCard Advisors.
CVS/pharmacy Becomes an AARP 'Featured Employer'
For Dale Vernon, age 65, CVS/pharmacy store manager in Cleveland, Ohio, it is the training programs, camaraderie, and strength of the industry that he most appreciates about the company. He joined the company in 1996 at age 56, after the appliance company he worked for went out of business. "The youngest two of my six children were still in college, so I was looking for a secure industry to work in and the opportunity for advancement," he said. Vernon rose from assistant manager to manager within six months, and considers the ongoing classroom and on-the-job training at CVS/pharmacy to be invaluable. "CVS/pharmacy places a high value on training managers so that they are up to speed on all the latest initiatives in customer service, merchandising and pharmacy operations -- including helping to educate customers about the new Medicare Part D," Vernon said.
Mass web infection leaves researcher scratching her head
Security maven Mary Landesman is in the midst of piecing together a who-done-it involving the infection of hundreds of websites that are generating an enormous amount of traffic. Or maybe it's a how-done-it. Either way, she's mostly drawing blanks. Landesman is a researcher for ScanSafe, a company that monitors the web surfing of employees at large companies and provides them with real-time intelligence about what sites are spreading malware. When a client visits a site that has already attacked someone else, the service automatically blocks the site from loading in the end user's browser. Viewing some seven billion web requests per month, company researchers see a fair amount of internet gremlins. .
Apple, Think Secret Showdown Ends With a Whimper
When Think Secret founder Nick dePlume was sued, he was still a teenager, aged 19, attending Harvard, a fact that added to Apple's image of being a bully for pursuing the case. Until that time, few realized that one of the most highly regarded "Mac rumor sites" on the Internet was published by such a young person. Access Free B2B Videos and Win a Free Dell XPS Notebook!Learn industry trends, compare solutions, and research vendors. Free access to B2B webcasts and videos on E-Commerce, Networking, CRM, Security & more� And chance to win a Dell XPS Notebook. Register now! .
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