Meerderheid Amsterdammers komt bij buurtwinkel

AMSTERDAM – Maar liefst 85 procent van de Amsterdammers komt wekelijks bij een buurtwinkel, zoals een toko of een bakker. Zo’n 8 procent van hen komt zelfs dagelijks bij een buurtwinkel.
Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van de Dienst Onderzoek en Statistiek van Amsterdam. De dienst deed dit in opdracht van het Amsterdam Museum dat een tentoonstelling over buurtwinkels heeft ingericht. De grote meerderheid van de Amsterdammers die minimaal één keer per week bij de buurtwinkel komt, noemen kwaliteit en goede service het vaakst als redenen om naar de winkels te gaan. Ook vakmanschap en nabijheid worden als belangrijke voordelen gezien.

Op de vraag wat buurtwinkels zouden moeten doen om in de toekomst te kunnen blijven bestaan, antwoordt 48 procent dat buurtwinkels meer bijzondere en betere producten zouden moeten aanbieden. Investeren in een goede band met klanten wordt door 41 procent genoemd en 39 procent ziet ruimere openingstijden van de buurtwinkel als een oplossing.
Imago
Het imago van de buurtwinkels is ook goed in de hoofdstad. Bij 90 procent van de Amsterdammers is de eerste associatie bij buurtwinkels positief. Ook is 88 procent het eens met de stelling ‘Een toename van het aantal buurtwinkels zorgt voor een betere sfeer in de buurt’. De bakker is de meest populaire buurtwinkel onder Amsterdammers. Slechts 2% gaf aan alleen een negatieve associatie te hebben bij de buurtwinkel.
De favoriete buurtwinkel van de Amsterdammer is de bakker, maar de (Turkse) groenteman is bijna even populair. De respondenten werd gevraagd voor welke producten zij speciaal naar een etnische buurtwinkel gaan. Brood, groente en fruit zijn favoriet bij de etnische buurtwinkel, maar ook voor lamsvlees, kruiden en olijven gaan mensen speciaal hierheen.

Slinkende aantallen
Het positieve imago van de buurtwinkels betekent niet dat het aantal buurtwinkels toeneemt. Sterker nog, het aantal buurtwinkels daalt al jaren. Met name de buurtwinkels buiten de winkelstraten hebben het erg moeilijk. In 1975 waren er nog 7347 buurtwinkels, in 2010 zijn dat er 3227. Hoewel het aantal winkels in de stad afneemt, is het aantal vierkante meters winkeloppervlak in Amsterdam toegenomen. Deze schaalvergroting heeft zijn weerslag op de buurtwinkels. In 1975 telde de stad 127 grotere supermarkten. In 2010 zijn dit er 131. Het aantal supermarkten is niet heel erg toegenomen, maar wel het aantal werkzame personen in de supermarkten. In 2010 zijn dit er ruim 2 maal zo veel als in 1975. Hierin is de schaalvergroting dus goed zichtbaar. Met name het aantal vestigingen van Albert Heijn is enorm toegenomen. In 1975 waren dit er nog 34, maar met 70 vestigingen in 2010 is 53 procent van de grote supermarkten in Amsterdam van Albert Heijn.
Vaknet-TV, het televisiekanaal voor supermarktorganisaties en personeel, maakte een reportage. Zie hieronder.

Read more at http://www.levensmiddelenkrant.nl/4942/meerderheid-amsterdammers-komt-bij-buurtwinkel

Celebrity Apprentice: Donald Trump Does Not Want Your "Cheesy" Idea of Luxury

As one Celebrity Apprentice feud ends, another one starts right up.

While Meat Loaf nemesis Gary Busey was booted from the boardroom last week, the battle heated up between NeNe Leakes and Star Jones (and surprisingly, cooled off between Leakes and La Toya Jackson).

MORE: Gary Busey hits The Wendy Williams Show after elimination

At the top of the show, Leakes and Jackson made nice, hugging it out after the singer admitted she was hurt by the Real Housewives of Atlanta star's harsh talk. And with that spat out of the way, it was time to stir the pot with Jones (again).

So what went down?

Jones and John Rich took the reigns as project managers for their respective teams this week, taking on the challenge of creating a conceptual ad campaign for the Trump Hotel Collection.

Drama began to fester on Team A.S.A.P. immediately when Jones, who claimed to know about all things high end, came up with a "luxurious" campaign idea for the collection…that turned out to be a dud.

While the team was working on a photo shoot starring Hope Dworaczyk, Jones sent Leakes and Jackson to pick up some items in the middle of Manhattan rush hour—calling them back when she realized it had been a mistake. Once they'd returned, Jones rushed them to help with the shoot, which lead to a flare up with Leakes.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b238179_celebrity_apprentice_donald_trump_does.html#ixzz1KWCDCEZL

PlayStation Network Down for Maintenance

Playstation 3 hacked

There have been many reports of issues accessing the PlayStation Network this morning from both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP) consoles, and via a browser on PC. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has confirmed that this is for maintenance, and that normal service will resume shortly.

No exact timeframe has been given as to when we can expect the PlayStation Network to return, though it’s likely to occur in different regions at different intervals. At present, Electronic Theatre has been lead to believe that access in the UK and mainland Europe will be restored before this evening’s primetime, and North America shall follow later in the evening.

This latest bout of maintenance is likely to be a pre-emptive maintenance designed to cope with the additional users on the network over the bank holiday period, in which it’s likely that record numbers of gamers will take to the PlayStation Network for extended play sessions. Rumours that this issue has been caused by syndicated hacking groups have already been quashed. Electronic Theatre will keep you updated with all the latest details on the PlayStation Network.

-END-

UPDATE: Sony Japan has also confirmed issues with the PlayStation Network in Japan, stating that they are undergoing, "search and recovery efforts." Additionally, they offer an apology: "We apologies to our customers, we apologise for any inconvenience."

Kim Kardashian Compares Herself to Princess Diana

Kim Kardashian

During a recent trip to Europe, Kim Kardashian was surprised to find that the European paparazzi are just as interested in her curves as the ones back home.

“I mean when we went to Paris, and we’d come out of the hotel, there’d be so many fans and so much paparazzi!” Kim told US TV show Extra. Apparently the guy at the Ritz also mentioned to her that he had not seen so much commotion since Princes Diana.

What a delight for the princess of amateur porn to be compared to the Princes of Wales. After all, being a reality television star is just as posh as being beloved royalty.

Princess Diana to be present at Royal wedding?

Princess Diana to be present at Royal wedding?

At the William-Kate wedding, Prince's mother will be present in spirit

The picture of Princess Diana and Prince Charles on their wedding day will perhaps continue to be one of the most enduring images of the last century.
Later this week, as Di's son Prince William exchanges vows, the image will haunt us even more.
Diana, who died tragically in a freak mishap, will certainly be missed at what is being proclaimed as the wedding of the century.
Prince William however has ensured that his mother's family and select friends are present at the event.
According to the Royal Wedding guest list released recently, Lady Di's brother Earl Spencer and his fianc e Karen Gordon have been invited to the wedding. Reports suggest that they will be seated right behind the Middletons and their friends at the abbey.
Here's a quick look at who will be present at the wedding of the century... and who won't:

'Treme' Season 2 gets a slight retool, music sounds just as sweet

When "Treme" debuted in 2010, David Simon's follow-up to "The Wire," had everything going for it: an enviable roster of acting talent, the sumptuous New Orleans backdrop and, quite likely, the greatest vehicle for musical performance of any scripted program. The only thing missing, according to some viewers, was a linear storyline.

But the series about change in the post-Katrina city switches gears, quite appropriately, in its sophomore year.

Season 2 of "Treme" picks up seven months later, with Toni (Melissa Leo) struggling to raise her daughter after her husband's suicide, Janette (Kim Dickens) finding life as a New York chef unfulfilling, Antoine (Wendell Pierce) still unsuccessful making ends meet as musician and LaDonna (Khandi Alexander) trying to maintain her life in New Orleans while her family carries on without her in Baton Rouge.

And that's just a small sampling of the arcs in place. The cast and storylines remain as meticulously scattered as before, with a heightened sense of urgency to their respective plights.

Season 1 seemed to pride itself on the slow, thoughtful development -- but Creighton's (John Goodman) death may have unintentionally raised the stakes. Crime is on the rise after the initial shock of the hurricane and most of the ensemble is forced to finally confront the new landscape.

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/04/treme-season-2-gets-a-slight-retool-music-sounds-just-as-sweet.html

Chris Paul Says He Would Hit Mother If Playing Against Her (VIDEO)

Chris Paul would apparently hit anyone if he's playing against them in basketball, even his mother.
The Hornets star had an awesome performance in Game 4 against the Lakers, recording a triple-double and scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. The all-star guard battled Kobe throughout the entire game and after it was all over, TNT's Cheryl Miller asked Paul what it was like to get physical with the five-time champion.
"He would do me the same way. It's all in fun, but it's our livelihood," he said. "I don't care if my mother was on the court. I'd hit her, too."
Paul scored scored 27 points and as Avinash Kunnath of SB Nation pointed out, he had just as many rebounds as Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol combined.
The Hornets tied the series at two. Game 5 will be
Scroll down to watch the video.

Bridal Couture Week comes to glorious end

Bridal Couture Week

KARACHI – Style360 Bridal Couture Week in association with J&S, brought the week to a close in a magnificent way. In keeping with the bold and challenging initiative it had taken up of changing the set everyday – there were red chandeliers on the first day, and egg-shaped lamps and chandeliers on the second – the ramp was decorated with a profusion of red roses and different chandeliers, with white cut-out roses adorning the stage. The show organised by Style360 and sponsored by Pantene opened with Karachi’s home-grown Deepak Perwani, one of the well-reputed and brilliant fashion designers of Pakistan is a name that requires no introduction. His product line includes bridal wear, bridal accessories and saris. 

Deepak Perwani never follows the traditional or ongoing fashion statement of the country; rather he makes ‘his own’. He showcased his latest collection of bridal wear, which was a treat to watch. Reem Abbasi and Amna Kardar came in next. Reem Abbasi is an Islamabad-based jewellery designer who produces not only modern, high fashion jewellery but also intricate and traditional pieces from Pakistan’s rich culture. She considers designing jewellery as an opportunity to make her abstract ideas tangible. Her inspiration is her passion for fashion. Her collection showcased on Sunday night was all about playful nostalgia. 

Marking the end of this first segment was none other than the famous designer Shaiyanne Malik. Shaiyanne is an artist whose canvas encompasses the entire spectrum of Pakistani fashion. She launched her fashion label over twenty years ago, attaining fame overnight, particularly for her bridal couture. In this glitzy and fast-paced world of fashion, SamanZar remains a brand to be reckoned with. Models presenting her bridal collection received huge applause from the audience.

Behind-the-scenes travelogue to holy Mt. Athos

"60 Minutes" producer Michael Karzis is the perfect tour guide to take you behind the scenes on the show's Mt. Athos story. Karzis is the son of Greek immigrants and speaks Greek. Those things surely helped as he and fellow producer Harry Radliffe tried to get permission to film a "60 Minutes" story on the otherworldly Mt. Athos, a self-governed peninsula in Greece that's home to 20 monasteries and some 2,000 monks.

But getting permission was no easy task. "The parliament that exists there, the holy community, is the only parliament on the face of the Earth that has been continually in session since the 10th century," says Karzis. "And these are the guys we were looking to get permission from to shoot on Mount Athos."

The Holy Community turned down requests from "60 Minutes." "They said, 'Thank you very much but, get in line,' Karzis recalls. "I mean, the BBC's been knocking on the door for 40 years, the French, the Germans, they've all wanted to come."

They then appealed to the powerful abbots who run individual monasteries on Mt. Athos and finally had a breakthrough.
Watch part one and part two of Bob Simon's report.

Via http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20056220-10391709.html