the rigid demand of the real estate is still great ? Where I Can Find A ...

Chongqing real estate tax revenue, mainly for public rental housing, low-rent housing, affordable housing construction.

According to the Chongqing municipal government in the first place, the property tax, the main purpose of conservation of land, to limit the number of luxury housing, and to curb the real estate bubble. At the same time through the collection of property taxes on high-end housing prices and consumption to be the necessary constraints. Levied on property tax revenue for public rental housing construction and maintenance.

reporter interviewed some experts and developers believe that the original intention of the Government's property tax levy is not to suppress the property market,chaussure adidas, but to adjust the structure, inhibition of high-end consumer. Chongqing the Dori Real Estate Co., Ltd., said Li Wei, Chongqing high-grade commercial housing levy of property taxes, the short term,outlet hogan, there will be some role for inhibition of high-end real estate consumer. But in the long term, the economic development of Chongqing in the development of the rise of industrialization and urbanization continues to accelerate, the rigid demand of the real estate is still great, and property taxes on real estate general trend does not cause too much impact.

property tax is levied on housing, housing tax residual value or rental income for the tax basis of property rights levied a property tax.

Chongqing Municipality, was among the first to the State property tax levy pilot cities. Although the specific implementation plan is still evolving, but by the multi inquire reporters slightly aware of the general direction of the Chongqing property taxes: mainly for high-end real estate and the fight against real estate speculation, stock and increment are included. The high-end real estate, including villas, luxury apartment real estate, the villas will be in terms of size and price should be levied on property taxes; high-grade large-size real estate shall be the assessed value of property tax more than a certain price, may be the last year Chongqing city real estate sales price of 2-2.5 times. At the same time to combat real estate speculation, to curb the real estate bubble, Chongqing will be owned by individuals, sets of real estate levy property taxes.

value of the property assessment. The tax basis of property taxes and tax rates to ensure an equitable basis, faced with the problem of how to determine. The view from Chongqing, housing the district bit different, the value of the property there is a big difference. Some housing in the suburbs in the past may now expand as the city is located in the city,casque beats, the value can be improved. How to dynamically assess the value of the house is a huge project. On the other hand, if only roughly partition established real estate base price, easy because it is not fair and unobjectionable.

Deng Tao pointed out the importance of another real estate tax can adjust the Income Gap. In general, can afford to buy a villa, large garden house and other high-end housing groups, the affluent society. These high-end real estate owners possession of land resources, as well as other social and public resources should regulate the distribution of income through the tax gap, especially the polarization of rich and poor due to the appreciation of real estate and other assets.

and taxation body, to cultivate an important and stable source of revenue for local governments.

property taxes whether local government to get rid of dependence on become important sources of income of a local government land transfer income, land transfer payments accounted for a higher proportion of local finance in many places in more than 50% land transfer are thus known as the In order to increase revenue, some local governments eager to engage in land acquisition and resettlement, which led to many social contradictions seriously affected social stability. In addition, as urban sprawl, land resources are less and less, Therefore, changing the over-reliance of local government on land revenue to the general trend.

tax experts said, is the general trend in terms of improving the tax system, or to promote the stable development of the real estate market, real estate tax. But objectively speaking, the real estate tax is a systematic project, is also facing many problems to be solved.

property taxes can become a room

Second is how to determine the tax rate. Assume that the real estate tax rate set at 1%, if the real estate price rises higher than the ratio, the tax rate to curb real estate speculation and no real significance. If the tax rate is too high, but also give the real estate industry to new pressures, is not conducive to the stable development of the real estate industry.

In fact, the real estate tax is no stranger to several years ago newspapers, Internet and other media, there are many arguments about the real estate tax, the argument. Especially since last year, along with the hot real estate market, home prices were soaring, and wave after wave of regulation on the property market can be described over the years, the intensity of the largest resort in the continuity of the longest year, but seems to pull live high prices Raise interest rates, limit and control means, one would expect to turn the tide of property taxes become a panacea to curb housing prices.

difficulty surviving to be a solid and steadily push forward

industry believes that the current, which drives prices continue upward, the main theme is still accelerating process of urbanization, and land supply and monetary policy. Property tax levy or the levy, and in front of two main factors, and its minimal impact.

China's dependence on land finance is very serious. National Land and Resources recently held a work conference revealed that China's transfer payments amounted to 2.7 trillion yuan, an increase of 70.4%. According to data announced by the Ministry of Finance, the annual national fiscal revenue is expected to break the 8 trillion yuan, if the conservative estimate of 8 trillion yuan, 2.7 trillion yuan in the land price revenue will account for 33.75% of the national fiscal revenue,supra, accounting for local more than half of the level of financial income. Similarly, Chongqing City, the Chongqing City in 2009, through bidding, auction land transactions the amount of 37.3 billion yuan, accounting for 32.71% of the total fiscal revenue.

Chongqing Chongqing City are stepping up efforts to improve the relevant program, is expected to be introduced in the first quarter of this year, documents the introduction of a high-end real estate property taxes. The move is significant for improving the housing structure, and improve the housing system, to curb the real estate market investment speculation, highlighting the determination of the government control the property market. But at the same time it should be noted,casque dr dre, property tax reform is a huge systematic project,ray ban, be cautious, and steadily push forward.

Some industry experts said in an interview with reporters, real estate tax helps the local government to get rid of dependence on The implementation of central-local tax system in 1994, the high-quality sources of revenue, was placed under the central, central accounting for the bulk of the division of shared taxes and local powers have not significantly reduced. Combined with local platform imperfect debt, nor the formation of the local tax system with a long-term mechanism, eventually leading to the prevalence of short-term behavior of the Property taxes somewhat flat, one-time land revenue will be reduced during his tenure over land sales behavior, so that local government has a large, stable source of tax revenue, and help crack the land financial hardship Bureau.

Chongqing Municipal Government to the introduction of high-end real estate property taxes is put forward last year At the low end of the Chongqing Municipality since last year implemented a large-scale public rental housing construction, start the construction of a 13 million square meters this year, plan to start the construction of 13.5 million m2. At the end, Chongqing City has increased the supply of ordinary commercial housing, strict market order, the real estate market is stable and healthy development momentum. In the high-end market,louis vuitton, implemented through property tax adjustment. On the whole, this is the Chongqing municipal government to further improve the housing system, to promote an important part of the healthy and stable development of the real estate market.

Chongqing, Chongqing, Chengdu Institute of Urban and Rural Development chairman Zhao Yisheng said in an interview with reporters, Chongqing City, the upcoming property taxes, unlike property taxes imposed by the western market economy countries, mainly for the consumption of high-end properties levied. In this sense, the Chongqing property taxes like the special consumption tax is necessary for the suppression of the high-end consumer, to control and guide the real estate market.

the

being held here in

experts believe that the Chongqing real estate tax does not mean to completely replace the land finance, or at least difficult to achieve in the short term. Although it is impossible to replace the Land finance, real estate tax in future economic development of far-reaching. To strike a balance between property taxes and land revenue, land revenue through property taxes gradually replaced,hogan, until finally rid itself of land dependency syndrome.

real estate tax to highlight government regulation of property market confidence

The first is the collection of objects. From the Chongqing property tax program, the general direction of housing in high value goods tax. So, what kind of housing is ??? the villas have gardens,adidas, villas inside the sub-detached villas and townhouses.

property tax impact on the market was more psychological level, in fact, Chongqing is a large-scale construction of public rental of the property market is bigger than the property tax. He believes that the massive increase in the protection of housing supply that will change the entire housing market,sac louis vuitton, supply structure, and thus long-term impact on house prices.

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as Rashomon reveals, Only the fact that there is no real. To some extent, Changsha real estate market more and more like a can not read Rashomon.

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Sexual Revolutionaries Mature: Infant Air Max Pas Cher oomers Seek

For anyone who is one particular of 78 million infant boomers inside the U.S.1, you may be listening to a good deal about ways to Air Max Pas Cher develop into an professional at managing your stock portfolio or your cholesterol, but how very good Nike Air Max are you at handling your personal relationship

A brand new survey carried out by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Cialis (tadalafil)2 explores how infant boomers?3 emotional4 and physical intimacy5 has progressed Air Max Pas Cher more than time. The survey reveals that only 50 percent of boomers surveyed are satisfied with the physical intimacy in their connection, and both sexes (41% males, 43% girls) desire additional psychological intimacy.

With so considerably space for enhancement, it could be time for baby boomers to assess their own Connection IQ (rIQ), which may possibly support Air Max Pas Cher couples gain perception they are able to use to boost their relationship.

Based on the survey, about one of three boomers say they?ve intercourse Air Max once a week or more-but nearly two out of three boomers want that they had intercourse that usually.6

?For many boomers, intercourse is anticipated, anticipated and valued,? said Dr. Pleasure Browne, clinical psychologist. ?Boomers want psychological and bodily intimacy, yet numerous are unclear about what to complete when they don?t possess the Nike Air Max happiness, success and closeness in the bed room which they view as their birthright.?

You?ll find boundaries to physical and psychological intimacy. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the road blocks that may perhaps impact boomer men, especially because they age. For some couples, ED has an effect on both partners and may in the end have an effect on a couple?s general romantic relationship.

?Without recognition and appropriate therapy, ED can result in critical harm inside a connection, however it does not need to be considered a barrier,? mentioned Dr. Bob Berkowitz, medical sexologist. ?There are treatments obtainable along with a man and his companion ought to consider talking into a doctor.?

According to Drs. Browne and Berkowitz, the cornerstone of a productive connection is actively communicating and listening so that complications can be elevated and openly talked about. Dr. Berkowitz added, ?Couples ought to make time for one particular an additional, make time away from perform and get rid of barriers to spending high quality time with each other.? For far more strategies, stop by cialisrIQ.

Cialis is authorized for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and is the only oral ED tablet clinically proven to perform up to 36 hours. Cialis is obtainable by prescription only and is just not for every person. Men using nitrates, normally applied for chest discomfort, shouldn?t consider Cialis. This kind of a mixture could lead to a sudden, unsafe drop in blood strain. Probably the most typical negative effects with Cialis had been headache, upset abdomen, delayed backache or muscle mass ache. As with any ED tablet, in the uncommon occasion of priapism (an erection long lasting additional than 4 hrs), men really should look for immediate healthcare focus to keep away from long-term injuries. Guys shouldn?t drink alcohol in extra with Cialis.

Cialis will not defend a guy or his partner from sexually transmitted illnesses, such as HIV. In rare instances, guys getting prescription ED tablets (which includes Cialis) noted a sudden lower or loss of vision. It really is not feasible to identify if these occasions are connected directly for the ED tablets or to other components. If a guy has a sudden lower or loss of eyesight, he should stop taking any ED tablet and look for instant medical attention. Men really should talk about their professional medical conditions and all medications with their medical doctors to ensure Cialis is proper for them and that they?re healthy enough for sexual action.

Personal outcomes may perhaps differ. Cialis hasn?t been examined for numerous makes an attempt for every dose. Cialis is not indicated for romantic relationship enhancement.

1 U.S. census bureau information 2005 (The baby boomer era was born in between 1946 and 1964). Accessed at census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/006105.html

2 Cialis can be a registered trademark of Lilly ICOS LLC.

3 ?Baby boomer? refers to survey participants aged 40-70.

4 Psychological intimacy is defined as the nonphysical components of private connection in close romantic relationships, like mutual conversation and comprehension, also as the sharing of private hopes, fears and desires with one another.

5 Physical intimacy is defined as bodily closeness such as hand-holding, kissing, cuddling, and sexual intercourse.

6 rIQ Survey Results Report, Harris Interactive, sponsored by Lilly ICOS LLC. The survey was conducted on line by Harris Interactive on behalf of Lilly ICOS LLC among 1,012 men and 1,013 females ages 40 to 70 in dedicated (5 or far more many years) romantic relationships inside the United states of america amongst March 27 and March 31, 2006. Figures for education, age, intercourse, race/ethnicity, region and earnings were weighted where crucial to provide them into line with their real proportions within the population. Propensity score weighting was also utilized to adjust for respondents? propensity to be online.

With pure likelihood samples, with 100 % response prices, it?s feasible to determine the probability the sampling error (but not other resources of error) just isn?t higher than some number. Having a pure probability sample of 2,025 adults, 1 could say using a 95 percent probability that the general results possess a sampling error of +/- 3.2 percentage points and +/- 4.4 proportion points each for the males and ladies samples. Sampling error for that numerous sub-sample outcomes is greater and differs. Nonetheless, that will not choose other resources of error into account. This online survey just isn?t depending on a likelihood sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error may be calculated.

Select low priced air max shoes from recognized Air Max Pas Cher Outlet right away with Easy-to-take Delivery service, Tighten Payment & Impressive Customer Care at http://www.officielleairmaxpascher.com.

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Maureen Ryan: 'Mad Men' Recap: Lane's Tragedy

Don't read on unless you've seen "Commissions and Fees," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."

"What is happiness? It's a moment before you need more happiness." - Don in the Dow Chemical meeting

It's somehow appropriate that this episode was full of references to accounts, ledgers, commissions, fees and expenses.

That's because, at the heart of the episode, there was a terrible miscalculation.

Don's fundamentally crippled when it comes to emotions -- he has them, but he often doesn't know how to deal with them or even what they are. He usually self-medicates them away with alcohol or tries to bury them with work or women. He may be slightly more attuned to what's going on inside his heart these days, but that's not saying much, considering the incredibly stunted place he started from.

The strangest dichotomy about him is that he both can and can't understand the pain and longings of other people. He can -- or he could, back in the day -- channel concepts like desire and nostalgia in clever or sentimental ways. So he gets People. But when it comes to the flesh-and-blood individuals around him, he often has absolutely no idea what's going on with them. His inability to truly put himself in the shoes of others lost him Peggy, it lost him Betty, it lost him lots of friendships and paramours and promising relationships.

Because he's Don Draper, he assumes that everyone else is like him. It's not a flaw unique to him -- we all find it hard to navigate our way out of our narcissism, I'm betting -- but his emotional cluelessness is especially pronounced. So he doesn't understand that Lane Pryce is not Don Draper. Lane is not a man who can reinvent himself at the drop of a hat, certainly not at his age. He's the product of a certain era and class, and he spent whatever bravery he had on getting far away from his father and reinventing himself -- just the one time -- as a spiffy New York ad man.

But Lane, like most people, doesn't have an infinite capacity for hobo-ing, for starting over, for shedding an old life and acquiring a new one, as you might acquire a car, for example. When Don told him to "think of an elegant exit," Don meant Lane should find a classy way to leave the firm. It never occurred to Don -- as it did to Lane -- that this was it. There were no more reinventions, no more courage, no more restarts left.

And so it led to one of the saddest scenes -- if not the saddest scene -- in "Mad Men" history: Three partners cutting Lane's body down after his suicide. There wasn't a Roger quip, there wasn't anything to make that moment anything but immensely painful, which is only fitting. Lane's death was tragic; it was treated as tragic, and rightfully so.

I think it was wise of the writers, Maria and Andre Jacquemetton, to slowly prepare us for Lane's death, via Joan's encounter with the blocked door and the others looking over the transom. We needed to be eased into what we knew was coming. Still, back at the start of the hour, when Don and Lane had their showdown in Don's office, I knew it was over then. Chekhov's check exploded, as I predicted it would in recent weeks, and though Lane's angry outburst was full of sensible rationales and justifications, even he knew it was over and that there was no way out. In that scene in Don's office, Jared Harris did a beautiful job of taking us through Lane's rapidly evolving emotional states, from defensive to furious to desperate and, finally, to resigned. Whatever reservations I have on how the story got Lane to this place (and I have a few), I have none about Harris' exceptional work.

When Lane looked up at Don standing over him, it was as if Don himself had risen from the dead. He loomed over Lane like a vengeful god. And weirdly enough, Lane's malfeasance was the cause of Don's career resurgence. Don't ask me to explain exactly how Don's self-hatred fuels his creativity -- it's 4 a.m. as I write this and the birds are singing -- but clearly the incident with Lane led to Don's drop-the-mic schooling of the Dow executives ("I don't want to hear about that letter anymore!").

A big part of Don's resurgence, of course, was the fact that Lane's embezzlement was such a piddly amount, in the grand scheme of things. "My God," I can picture Don thinking, "if he was going to take a risk that could lead to him losing everything, why not do it for something big? If you're going to take a chance or if you're going to do anything that requires a sacrifice or endurance, you might as well go for it." Don decided that the small ball SCDP was playing just wasn't enough. After a season of relative indolence, he finally decided (to the relief of many "Mad Men" fans, I'm sure) to go big or go home.

How will Lane's death weigh on him in the future? Will he just pack it away with the rest of his pain and self-hatred? He has to feel at least partly responsible for the man's death, and perhaps that will become another toxic secret he carries around. Maybe it'll be a way to fuel the next great pitch or campaign. Knowing Don, he'll be able to recycle this tragedy into some kind of big win that leaves him feeling hollow and filled with self-doubt.

Still, it was hard not to feel like the Don of "Commissions and Fees" was the old Don, a fact even Roger commented on. Much of the office-based storyline felt like an old school episode of the show, in that it was driven by big questions and mysteries: What would Don do? What would Lane do? Would he give up on the idea of suicide after his botched attempt with the Jaguar? (By the way, I may be going to hell for this, but I laughed when the notoriously unreliable car wouldn't start.) How would the other characters react to what Lane did? What was in his note?

Even though I was fairly sure after the scene in Don's office that Lane would die, there was still a great deal of tension in that story line -- welcome tension, given the slackness of several recent episodes -- and that foreknowledge didn't rob the moment of its impact.

But we had to know that something was up early on, didn't we? When he went into his office after his dressing down from Don, Lane got the indelible Don Draper-style back-of-the-head shot; a moment him sitting at his desk, with his back to the viewer, and his beloved New York spread before him. Did Lane ever get his moment of happiness, before a desire for more happiness set in? I hope so. This heartbreaking Englishman deserved it.

Was this a great hour of "Mad Men"? I don't know about that, but Lane's story connected with me on an emotional level like almost nothing else I've seen this season. There's been a lot of commentary lately -- much of it quite thought-provoking, from James Poniewozik and Linda Holmes in particular -- about whether Joan or any of the other characters would really do the things they did this season, or whether the show was forcing them down particular (and somewhat contrived) paths. I thought the latter was the case even before the Joan-Jaguar incident -- that instead of being driven by the characters' organic evolution, the show has been, in a number of cases, forcing the characters down somewhat contrived paths, all of them leading to the same dour, cramped, heavily symbolic place. Without getting deeply into specifics about particular characters (except to say that I never truly bought that Lane would embezzle funds), as I wrote last week, the show is just less compelling when you feel like you know the destination of every person's journey, and that destination is Disappointmentville.

Still, though I felt I knew where Lane was going as soon as he forged that check, his story line in this episode felt right, it felt like an organic place to go with the guy, as sad as it was. The Lane who felt this was the only way out is the Lane I've been watching for a few years; though the embezzlement struck me as out of character, if you accept that he took the money, the suicide did seem like something he would do. Oh, Lane, I'll miss you and your tweed blazers, sir.

Wrapping up, the non-Lane parts of the episode felt a bit like filler. Every season, there's the annual attempt to make Betty seem like a human being, and we got another one in this hour, but as I've said, she bores me, so I didn't care much either way about that story. As for the Sally-Glen stuff, it was pretty weak, given that Marten Weiner, who plays Glen, just isn't a very good actor (he's certainly not in Kiernan Shipka's league). So, in the interest of getting to be before 5 a.m., I'll just say that I wasn't all that compelled by the Glen-Sally-Betty material.

At least the presence of Don allowed for a non-bleak ending to the episode: Glen got to drive Don's car. The Don who is filled with existential despair -- and a deep desire to kick ass in the business world -- might be back, but at least this version of this guy can reach out to another human being in an altruistic moment, and share the ride.

That's something, isn't it?

A few final notes:

• Oh Lane. Your taped-up glasses embody all the sadness in the world.
• Is Don really and truly back? Well, he made us all almost fall in love with Napalm, so I'm going with yes.
• Alan Sepinwall's review reminded me of Don's very similar reaction to another suicide by hanging -- that of Don's half-brother Adam, whom Don had also kicked to the curb.
• I went back and forth on whether Don -- the keeper of an epic number of secrets -- was right to fire Lane for the one secret he kept. But as my husband pointed out, at the time Don's identity deception was discovered, it had no material affect on the firm's bottom line. Of course, it hampered their ability to get defense work in recent years, but that was well after the cat was out of the bag, and, when they were discovered, Bert Cooper was OK with Don's lies because they didn't take money out of the firm's pocket. All things considered, stealing from one's company and lying about it are absolutely fireable offenses, so I understand what Don did what he did. But as someone who's married to an Englishman who was here on a work visa for a long time, I can relate to Lane's horror at losing his visa. That kind of thing is truly a nightmare for foreign workers.
• Where do you come down? Was Don right to fire Lane or should he have given him another chance? Lord knows Don has gotten more than his fair share of second chances. Let me know if you think Don was right in the comment area.

?

Follow Maureen Ryan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/moryan

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What are some good applications for an iPad for use in a high ...

03 Jun

Author: Alan Brasky ?// ?Category: iPad Uses

I?m "trial running" an iPad for use in a middle/high school English/Language Arts classroom, and have about 8 days left to find and write about some good uses for it to specifically be used in these classrooms. Just one unit, not a classroom set or anything. Anybody have any suggestions?

Here are some links to check out

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/62720.aspx

http://www.ipadinschools.com/ipad-apps-for-high-school/

http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/wiki/70925/High_School_iPad_Apps.html

Be sure and check out eClicker, the automated response system, Dragon Dictation, and iGoogle. It all depend on the standards you teach, but these are helpful, general tools to use.

You will definitely want Keynote app so you can connect to a projector and develop animated power points. Pages is another must have for word processing.

Good luck!

Leave a Reply

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Will shoppers' increased spending in May last?

In this Wednesday, May 30, 2012, photo, shoppers walk through the South Shore Mall in Braintree, Mass. Some major retailers on Thursday, May 31, 2012, posted sales increases that beat Wall Street estimates as shoppers were lured in by Mother's Day promotions and colorful new styles of clothing. The gains follow a dismal showing from the month before. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

In this Wednesday, May 30, 2012, photo, shoppers walk through the South Shore Mall in Braintree, Mass. Some major retailers on Thursday, May 31, 2012, posted sales increases that beat Wall Street estimates as shoppers were lured in by Mother's Day promotions and colorful new styles of clothing. The gains follow a dismal showing from the month before. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

In this Wednesday, May 30, 2012, photo, a shopper leaves the Armani Exchange store at the South Shore Mall in Braintree, Mass. Some major retailers on Thursday, May 31, 2012, posted sales increases that beat Wall Street estimates as shoppers were lured in by Mother's Day promotions and colorful new styles of clothing. The gains follow a dismal showing from the month before. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

In this Wednesday, May 30, 2012, photo, a man shops at the South Shore Mall in Braintree, Mass. Some major retailers on Thursday, May 31, 2012, posted sales increases that beat Wall Street estimates as shoppers were lured in by Mother's Day promotions and colorful new styles of clothing. The gains follow a dismal showing from the month before. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Americans loosened their purse strings in May, but it may have been a temporary splurge.

Some major retailers such as Target and Macy's on Thursday posted sales increases that beat Wall Street estimates as shoppers were lured in by Mother's Day promotions and colorful new styles of clothing. The gains follow a dismal showing from the month before

Still, it may not be time to celebrate just yet. Revenue growth remains down from earlier in the year and worries about the global economy are starting to escalate again.

Michael Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers, said while May's results are encouraging, he thinks troubling economic data will continue to weigh on consumers' minds in the months ahead.

"There's something out there that's worrying consumer," he said.

Only a handful of retailers representing roughly 13 percent of the U.S. retail industry report monthly sales figures based on stores open at least a year, which is a key measure of health because it excludes the impact of newly opened and closed stores. But economists watch the numbers because they offer a snapshot of consumer spending, which accounts for more than 70 percent of economic activity.

On average, retailers posted a 4 percent rise in in May for revenue at stores open at least a year, according to the international shopping trade group. That's better than the 3.6 percent analysts were expecting. It's also up from the 2.4 percent in April ? the worst monthly performance since November 2009.

But the latest results seem to fly in the face of negative economic news.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 1.9 percent in the first three months of the year, which was slower than expected. Growth of 2.5 percent is typically enough just to keep pace with population changes. The Labor Department also reported that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to a five-week high, evidence that the job market remains sluggish.

And earlier in the week, the Conference Board said its consumer confidence index had its biggest decline in eight months. That ends a period of steady optimism among consumers: The figure is now at the lowest level since January.

Carla Barnes, a 39-year-old public relations manager from Waleska, Ga., said Thursday that spending money on clothing is stressful at a time when groceries are more expensive and salaries aren't keeping pace with the cost of living. Still, she shopped in May.

"I frankly wanted to get the stuff early because of the large selection right now," she said.

May's data shows that other shoppers also loosened their purse strings, too. A variety of retailers, from discounters to luxury chains, posted gains during the month.

Among them, Target, a Minneapolis-based discounter, said its revenue at stores open at least a year was up 4.4 percent, beating the 3.5 percent analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting as shoppers spent more on its expanded food offerings and cheap-chic fashions. Nordstrom, based in Seattle, also said the figure rose 5.3 percent, above the 4.7 analysts were expected, helped by women's shoes, handbags and cosmetics.

And Cincinnati-based Macy's, which reported its results on Wednesday, said the figure at its Bloomingdale's and namesake department stores was up 4.2 percent. That beat the 4 percent Wall Street expected.

Not every retailer had strong growth, though. The results for some retailers stand as reminders that Americans continue to be cautious about spending.

Wet Seal Inc., a teen retailer, said revenue at stores open at least a year dropped 8.8 percent, which was worse than the 8.3 percent analysts had expected. And department-store chain Kohl's Corp. also said the figure fell 4.2 percent, which was more than the 1.2 percent drop that was expected.

"It's a continuation of the mixed story," Niemira said. "The strong retailers continue to be strong and the weak ones continue to be weak."

___

AP Retail Writer Mae Anderson contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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California and American West Top 2012 State Clean Energy Index

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Vermont (56.5) ranked ninth on the strength of an environmentally minded population, high percentage of hybrid-EV deployment, and energy efficiency measures. Minnesota (54.6) ranked tenth as a notable national leader in ...

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Let's Rock! Elmo Review

Hasbro brings together two things that preschoolers love 1) Music and 2) Elmo into Let?s Rock! Elmo.? This toy is one seriously cute and fun interactive toy. My daughter and I have had a lot of fun singing and making music with Let?s Rock! Elmo.? Elmo is always contagious with fun but the Let?s Rock! Elmo brings it to a new level of fun!? He comes with his very own microphone, drums, and tambourine and likes to share these items with his friends. His cute and witty comments are simply adorable, making this toy irresistible.

Let's Rock! Elmo

Your child, ages 18 months ? 4 years old will enjoy making music and singing with Elmo. Elmo sings 6 rockin? songs, several of which your child will probably already know like ?Elmo?s World?, Alphabet Song,? and other rock and roll songs that at least you will know like ?What Elmo Likes About You? and ?It Takes Two?.

Let?s Rock! Elmo Video Review

Let?s Rock! Elmo Review

Let?s Rock! Elmo will have your child giggling and singing with him as he sings, plays instruments and asks your child to join in by singing and playing the instruments with him. My preschooler loves to sing and has had so much fun singing with Elmo. Plus, the songs are too babyish, so even a 4 year old can have fun with this toy while younger toddlers will enjoy the beat too.

Playing with Let's Rock! Elmo

Let?s Rock! Elmo not only sings but interacts with your child. He?ll ask for your child to give him an instrument, tell your child to play one he isn?t playing with, and even say ?Thank you? for each instrument you give him. He even says cute phrases like ?Is this thing working? Can you hear me?? when you give him the mic. I like that it is easy for little hands to place the mic in Elmo?s right hand, the tambourine in his left hand, and place the base of the drums under his foot. Kids will feel in charge since they can do it themselves. Elizabeth has no problem giving Elmo the instruments and operating the toy.

I really like that if you lose one of the instruments, Elmo will only ask for it 5 times. If you don?t give it to him, he?ll stop asking for it. This is sure to eliminate distress if and when you misplace one of the items for a while. If you find it again, simply reset Elmo.

Let?s Rock! Elmo can even go more interactive with the line of LET?S ROCK! instruments like the Sesame Street Let?s Rock Cookie Monster Keyboard, Elmo Guitar, and Grover Microphone. When your kids play their LET?S ROCK! instruments close to Elmo, and you place your instruments on ?Band Mode?, Elmo will recognize it and ask you to play along with him. We don?t have any of these instruments but just seeing how my daughter enjoys playing with the pretend instruments with Let?s Rock! Elmo makes me see how fun it would be with the real instruments!

This is one seriously cute toy. It would make the perfect gift for kids as young as 18 months through 4 years old.? It is a fun toy for kids as they never know what he is going to say or sing. Plus, every play time is different as they decide what instruments he will play and they will play. I highly recommend this toy for it?s pure entertainment value. I just wish he was around when my kids were a little younger ? or even when I was a kid!

Buy Let?s Rock! Elmo

You can buy Let?s Rock! Elmo at stores nationwide, on the Hasbro website, and on Amazon.com for about $39.99.

This was not a paid post. My own opinions were used based on my perceptions and experience. Thank you to Hasbro who provided the products for review.

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