J.C. Penney sales plunge more than expected

Phil Wahba , Reuters ? ? ? 1 hr.

J.C. Penney Co. reported on Wednesday that sales at stores open at least a year fell 31.7 percent in the fourth quarter, steeper than the 27.8 percent drop analysts expected.

The poor results for the quarter, which included the holiday season, capped a rough first year for Penney's turnaround. The company's shares fell 4.9 percent in after hours trading.

Penney reported a net loss of $552 million, or $2.51 per share in the 14 weeks ended Feb. 2, compared with a loss of $87 million, or $0.41 per share for a 13-week period a year earlier.

Excluding restructuring charges and non cash pension plan expenses, the company posted an adjusted loss of $1.95 per share. It was not immediately clear how that compared with Wall Street estimates for a much smaller loss.

Gross margin was 23.8 percent of sales, down 6.4 percentage points from a year earlier. The company blamed lower-than-expected sales and a higher level of sales on clearance.

The department store chain had $930 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of the quarter.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/j-c-penney-sales-plunge-more-expected-1C8598722

bo jackson hanukkah justin tv justin tv Sarah Savage Jaimie Alexander Army Navy Game

Key military players in Syria's civil war

BEIRUT (AP) ? A list of key military players in the Syrian civil war:

?SYRIAN REGIME: Despite major defections and the loss of significant territory to rebels, the Syrian military remains a potent force against a poorly armed opposition. President Bashar Assad's inner circle has largely remained cohesive and united, avoiding high-level defections that sapped the strength of other regimes, such as Moammar Gadhafi's in Libya, during Arab Spring uprisings. Assad's closest advisers include his younger brother, Maher, who commands forces protecting the capital, as well as the heads of four intelligence agencies that are playing key roles in the government's crackdown.

?PRO-REGIME MILITIAMEN: Shadowy fighters, known as shabiha, recruited from the ruling elite's Alawite sect operate as hired muscle for the Syrian regime. They are believed to be carrying out some of the most brutal attacks of the conflict, allowing Assad's government to deny direct responsibility for them.

?SUPREME MILITARY COUNCIL: Syria's main rebel units, known together as the Free Syrian Army, regrouped in December under a unified rebel command called the Supreme Military Council, following promises of more military assistance once a central council was in place. The Western-backed council is headed by Gen. Salim Idriss, who defected from the Syrian army, and a 30-member group of senior officers. Idriss spent 35 years in the Syrian military and is seen as a secular-minded moderate. The non-lethal aid the U.S. pledged Thursday in Rome will be directed to the military council.

?LOCAL BRIGADES AND MILITARY COUNCILS: Local units made up of tens of thousands of autonomous rebel fighters have very little, if any, central organization or command structure. Many of the fighters defected from the military; others are Syrian citizens who took up arms against the regime.

?JABHAT AL-NUSRA: An Islamist extremist group that has been behind some of the rebels' most significant battlefield successes. The U.S. has designated al-Nusra a terrorist organization, saying it is affiliated with the al-Qaida network. Al-Nusra has claimed responsibility for most of the deadliest suicide bombings targeting regime and military facilities. The presence of Islamic extremists among the rebels is one reason the West has not equipped the Syrian opposition with sophisticated weapons, such as anti-aircraft missiles. Al-Nusra has gained popularity among some rebels for its effectiveness while alienating other, more secular-minded fighters.

?FOREIGN FIGHTERS: Syria has become a magnet for foreign fighters and jihadists who also flocked to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. No credible count of them exists, but anecdotal evidence suggests fighters from Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, the Netherlands and Britain are fighting against Assad's regime. Rebel commanders downplay the presence of foreign fighters, saying the conflict is purely a Syrian uprising.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/key-military-players-syrias-civil-war-143738925.html

fenway park philadelphia flyers 4/20 student loan forgiveness ufc 145 weigh ins record store day 2012 detroit red wings

Olive Garden promises cheaper food, more options?

Isolde Raftery , NBC News contributor ? ? ? 21 hrs.

Fret not, Olive Garden lovers: The ?endless? breadsticks aren?t going away.

But new management has big changes in store for the casual dining chain, which touts family-style Italian food and has struggled with declining sales.

The chain's president, Dave George told investors on Tuesday the changes include creating a new logo and toning down its the ?Old World Style," the Tuscan-style stonework and wooden archways that have been a signature part of Olive Garden restaurants since 2000.

"You're not going to see stainless steel showing up tomorrow in a Tuscan Farmhouse," George said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

George, who became Olive Garden's president in January, said the look would be ?more relevant.? Olive Garden is part of the Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants chain that includes Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

The chain also plans to make its menus more varied and affordable. Darden Restaurants CEO Clarence Otis said that the changes are being made to be ?more responsive to the financial realities of our guests,? according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Among Olive Garden's changes: smaller plates, cheaper items and lower-calorie meals. New offerings, placed on the menu in October, include a 420-calorie lasagna primavera with chicken and a lunch calzone and sandwich combo that costs $6.95. Two weeks ago, all new uniforms were issued -- a more contemporary black button-down shirt and black slacks, a shift from the wide ties and white shirts.

The overhaul comes after same-restaurant sales fell 1.2 percent in the 2012 fiscal year that ended in May. For Darden, same-restaurant sales are a year-over-year comparison of sale volumes for restaurants open the last 16 months.

?We became overly confident,? read a line in George?s presentation. ?Our historical competitive advantage has narrowed.?

?We were slow to react to changing guest needs,? another slide said. ?The experience takes too long.?

RJ Hottovy, a senior restaurant analyst at Morningstar, said Olive Garden isn't alone. The casual dining market has become tougher in recent years, he said.

"The core casual dining patron finds itself in a much more difficult position than a decade ago -- that's put pressure on traffic trends," Hottovy said.

He said the rise of fast casual restaurants like Chipotle and Panera has also encroached on Olive Garden's market.

Dining experience aside, Darden Restaurants said it also was hurt by reports in November that the company planned to cut employee hours to avoid paying for health insurance as mandated for large companies by the Affordable Care Act. The company has since said it would not reduce the hours of full-time workers.

"That's a theme we're seeing across the restaurant industry, not Olive Garden specifically," Hottovy said. "I think that may have been a little bit overblown ... but I think it will be something that ends up pressuring margins for a lot of restaurants next year."

Olive Garden menus are largely the same at its 818 restaurants, although prices vary. At a restaurant outside of Seattle, a grilled chicken Caesar salad costs $11.95. At the same restaurant, a bowl of minestrone soup costs $5.95, and a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce costs $12.95. (Those previously mentioned doughy breadsticks come with every entr?e and are so popular that they have a Facebook page with 1.5 million ?likes.?)

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/olive-garden-promises-cheaper-food-more-options-1C8595202

kennedy demi moore roy oswalt kevin martin 2012 senior bowl chuck series finale welcome back kotter

Johnny Weir Is Clearly Not Over His Feud With Bethenny Frankel On 'Kathy' (VIDEO)

Johnny Weir's feud with Bethenny Frankel has clearly not cooled any since it erupted in 2010, based on his appearance on "Kathy." The two made headlines for their appearances on the ABC reality competition "Skating with the Stars." Weir was a judge on the show, while Frankel was a contestant.

Tension began almost immediately when Weir questioned Frankel's commitment to the show, and then felt she wasn't respecting the judges. There were reports of behind-the-scenes altercations between the two, and apparently Weir can still get pretty fired up when talking about Frankel.

"If I wanted to be any woman in the world, it would not be Bethenny Frankel," he said. "I was offended, and she wasn?t listening to our remarks." Weir went on to say, "If you?re not a rice person and able to listen to people helping you, what are you doing?"

Come hang out with "Kathy" every Thursday in her new timeslot at 11:30 p.m. EST on Bravo.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Related on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/johnny-weir-bethenny-frankel-video_n_2787204.html

At&t Wireless 9/11 Jerry Lawler

COO Artie Minson Could Exit Aol, Patch Issues To Blame?

Aol Chief Operating Officer Arthur “Artie” Minson could be departing the company soon, we’re hearing, possibly over how the company has been handling hyperlocal news site Patch. A spokesperson declined to comment for this story, Minson hasn’t returned my call, and our sources say that it’s not a done deal. Bloomberg was the first to report on the news. Minson was promoted to the COO job in June of last year as part of a larger reorganization, moving over from his three-year stint as CFO.?His official bio is basically a big list of positions that he’s held at either Aol or Time Warner (hey, remember Aol-Time Warner?) going back to 2004. In his current position, he’s been responsible for leading the company’s three business units ? the membership group, the brand group (which TechCrunch is a part of) and Aol Networks. One explanation we’ve heard for Minson’s departure is that Aol is trying to boost the numbers for Patch?by lumping in traffic and revenue from the Huffington Post’s local sites. Patch is still unprofitable and?missed its sales target in Aol’s most recent earnings report.?Minson was supposedly unwilling to go along with that plan, which is why he’s leaving. None of this has been officially confirmed. The departure of executives like Brad Garlinghouse from Aol?spurred a concerned investor letter back in 2011. The letter also mentioned the departure of Michael Arrington and Heather Harde from TechCrunch. Then exactly one year ago, it?announced a few more departures, including CTO Alex Gounares. Whatever happens with Minson, other exec changes are also happening. Aol is also looking to bring in a new CEO for the content brands division, according to a report from Kara Swisher?out today.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/qdpZ5xXqRso/

Rose Parade 2013 rex ryan PNC Bank Louisville football Fidelity pnc Charlie Strong

Hagel takes helm at Pentagon after bitter fight

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Chuck Hagel was sworn in Wednesday as defense secretary ? President Barack Obama's third in just over four years ? and said that one of his highest priorities will be ensuring fair treatment of troops, veterans and their families.

He called the automatic budget cuts due to take effect on Friday ? to include $46 billion in Pentagon reductions ? "a reality" that "we need to deal with."

In 15 minutes of remarks to Pentagon employees shortly after becoming the nation's 24th secretary of defense, Hagel struck a tone of humility and cast himself as prepared to take on the full range of national security challenges.

A veteran of combat in Vietnam, Hagel said he would strive to be "the kind of leader that you expect and you deserve ? also the kind of leader the country expects and deserves."

Hagel, 66, a former two-term Republican Nebraska senator, was introduced to his Pentagon audience by a fellow Nebraskan ? Army Sgt. 1st Class John Wirth, of Gordon, Neb., a veteran of the Iraq and Afghan wars.

Hagel succeeds Leon Panetta, who became Pentagon chief in July 2011, replacing Obama's first defense secretary, former CIA chief Robert Gates.

Hagel said that after taking the oath of office he spent a few minutes walking through an outdoor memorial to victims of those killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, recalling that he was on Capitol Hill at the moment a hijacked American Airlines jet slammed into the Pentagon.

He said he "reflected a bit on what happened that day," when nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York City, Washington and in rural Pennsylvania. Quoting what he called the words of Winston Churchill, Hagel said, "that was a jarring gong," that set in motion dynamics "that we are living with today."

Hagel took the helm after a bruising Senate confirmation process. He was spending the rest of his first day in the Pentagon meeting with his staff and senior defense leaders.

The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm him. The vote was 58-41, with four Republicans joining the Democrats in backing the contentious choice.

Hagel's only GOP support came from former colleagues Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Dick Shelby of Alabama and Mike Johanns of Nebraska ? all three had announced their support earlier ? and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The vote came just hours after Republicans dropped their unprecedented delay of a Pentagon choice and allowed the nomination to move forward on a 71-27 vote.

Republicans had opposed their onetime colleague, casting him as unqualified for the job, hostile toward Israel and soft on Iran. The objections remained strong well after the vote.

"I continue to have serious questions about whether Chuck Hagel is up to the job of being our secretary of defense," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement. "I hope, for the sake of our own national security, he exceeds expectations."

Hagel joins Obama's retooled second-term, national security team of Secretary of State John Kerry and CIA Director-designate John Brennan at a time of uncertainty for a military emerging from two wars and fighting worldwide terrorism with smaller, deficit-driven budgets.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hagel-takes-helm-pentagon-bitter-fight-081453495--politics.html

john scott barry sanders barry sanders jimmie johnson juan pablo montoya crash chardon high school shooting mark martin

Former Temptations singer Richard Street dies

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Temptations singer Richard Street died of a blood clot in a lung in a Las Vegas hospital at the age of 70, his widow said on Thursday.

Cindy Street said her husband died on Wednesday at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Las Vegas. She had taken him to the emergency room on Friday after he had trouble breathing.

"He was fighting to the very last moment," she said in a telephone interview from Las Vegas. "He was very happy. He had the kind of life he wanted. We laughed all the time."

Street, who had suffered from a blood clot more than a decade ago, was the second ex-member of the versatile Motown band to die this month after Otis "Damon" Harris died at age 62.

The Temptations was one of the leading male vocal groups of the 1960s and early 1970s, surviving several personnel changes to tackle a wide range of musical styles with tight harmonies and well choreographed dance routines.

Street was not in the original 1960s lineup but joined the band in the early 1970s and continued for more than 20 years before pursuing a solo career.

During his tenure, the Temptations released a string of hits including the 1972 chart-topping classic "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and "Masterpiece" released the following year.

"He was very proud of being part of black history," his wife said, adding he loved performing. "He was very proud of what he had done."

Street had completed a 45-show tour in Europe in September and October.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete, but will probably take place next week. Because her husband was a public figure, his widow said she thought she would open the services to the public. Street is also survived by four children.

(Additional reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-temptations-singer-richard-street-dies-cnn-124021170.html

phantom of the opera agoraphobia andrew lloyd webber obscura grok cirque du freak paul pierce