Shoppers welcome holiday sales by buying early, often — and online

Shoppers swooped into stores in droves on Thanksgiving weekend, topping last year’s sales, as more retailers opened their doors earlier than ever on Thursday, luring bargain hunters away from eating another plate of turkey.

And now Cyber Monday is expected to set a record for online shopping this year, for those who prefer the Internet to the mall.

Spending per shopper nationwide averaged $423 — $25 more than last year — from Thursday to Sunday, while total spending increased nearly 13 percent, to an estimated $59.1 billion, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

“I think the only way to describe the Thanksgiving openings is to call it a huge win,” said Matthew Shay, the trade group’s president and chief executive. Shopping, he said, “has really become an extension of the day’s festivities.”

South Florida was no exception, as a flurry of stores, as well as several malls, opened on Thanksgiving. Thursday has seemingly become the new Black Thursday, taking a bite out of the old-fashioned kickoff day of the holiday, Black Friday.

“We had an excellent weekend,” said Humberto Maldonado, director of marketing for Dadeland Mall, which opened at midnight on Thursday. Sales figures are not yet in, but the overall trend was up from last year, he said Monday.

“It was really busy from midnight to 5 a.m., then it slowed, and picked up again at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., and stayed busy all day on Friday,” Maldonado said.

Nationwide, about 35 million people visited stores and shopping websites Thursday, up from 29 million last year. More than double that number — 89 million, up from 86 million — shopped on Black Friday.

“There were more people shopping every single day of the weekend,” Shay said.

Topping off the weekend, Cyber Monday’s early results, tabulated at 3 p.m. Monday, showed that online shopping was up a whopping 25.6 percent compared with the same time period a year ago, according to figures by IBM Benchmark.

Nationwide, most of the weekend’s shoppers — roughly 58 percent — bought clothing and accessories. Another 38 percent bought electronics and 35 percent shelled out for toys, National Retail Federation figures show.

Retailers made an effort to lure people in, with updated mobile shopping applications for smartphones and tablets, and expanded shipping and layaway options.

Still, it remains to be seen whether increased sales over the Thanksgiving weekend will translate to higher sales throughout the holiday shopping season. Analysts have been predicting mediocre sales this year, nationwide, as shoppers remain uncertain about the broader economy. Overall holiday sales are expected to increase 4.1 percent from 2011, compared with sales growth of 5.6 percent last year, the National Retail Federation said.

However, Florida is expected to beat those figures. Buoyed in large part by tourists and snowbirds, the Florida Retail Federation is forecasting a 5.3 percent gain this year over last, to $58 billion, marking the highest percentage growth predicted since the recession. Pre-recession, retail sales peaked at $54.3 billion in 2006.

Christian Cutillo, 26, of Weston, hit Walmart, then Sears, Target and Old Navy after eating Thanksgiving dinner.

She began at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and by 3 a.m. Friday she had finished shopping for all 15 people on her list, mostly buying clothing and toys.

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Flurry of new bills filed in Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE --
Florida lawmakers have filed their first bills of the season.

Most are familiar: a ban on texting while driving, a requirement that parasailing operators carry insurance and a “foreign law” bill criticized by opponents as anti-Islamic.

Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, says she will keep sponsoring the texting while driving measure until it passes. It nearly survived the Senate last year. But former House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, blocked the measure in his chamber, calling it a potential infringement on personal liberty that would be difficult to enforce.

Under Detert’s latest proposal, SB 52, law enforcement officers could tack a $30 texting fine on a driver stopped for another violation. The penalty would not apply to drivers reading a navigational device or traffic safety information, the proposal states.

Detert pitched the measure as “common sense” middle ground. Some lawmakers oppose all new government oversight while others think the rules should go further — banning the use of all electronic devices while driving, Detert said.

“We should put it before members and let them vote on it. And whatever they decide, so be it,” said Detert, adding that she thinks the bill stands a better chance with Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, now speaker.

Weatherford has been publicly impartial on the issue, saying the state needs to balance driver protection with individual rights. He plans to allow lawmakers to hash it out in committee, spokesman Ryan Duffy said. Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, is sponsoring the proposal in the House.

None of the bills filed so far address unemployment, foreclosures or healthcare, which lawmakers often tout as the most important issues facing the state.

A “foreign law” bill is bound to stir controversy in 2013, as it did it 2012.

SB 58, sponsored by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, would make sure Florida law trumps foreign law in marriage, divorce and custody cases. Hays says the proposal doesn’t target a particular group, although he spurred protests from clergy of several faiths in 2012 by delivering anti-Islamic brochures to fellow senators days before a scheduled vote.

The proposal passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

A bill to regulate parasailing companies is also on the horizon after languishing last year under pressure from lobbyists.

Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Boca Raton, filed SB 64, to require parasailing businesses to use sturdy equipment, carry insurance, offer a safety briefing to passengers and not operate in bad weather. The bill is named the White-Miskell Act after Amber White and Kathleen Miskell, who died parasailing in South Florida.

“We need to encourage the industry, to promote it and protect it, and these operators know the best way to do that is protect the people,” Sachs said.

Parasailing is virtually unregulated in Florida (and almost everywhere else), with the state’s 120 companies required only to have a boat license. Parasailing accidents have caused at least four deaths in Florida within the past two years, something most beachgoers don’t realize as they’re strapped into a harness to dangle hundreds of feet over the water.

Lawmakers have filed bills to make sure citizens have the opportunity to testify before government boards or committees take action (SB 50) and to ensure that men and women have equal rights (SB 54). Lawmakers also have filed 19 claims bills, in which victims or their families are seeking damages for an injury or death caused by government employees.

House and Senate committees will begin meeting next month . The 60-day lawmaking session is scheduled to convene March 5.

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Nokia imaging chief to quit

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Nokia‘s long-time imaging chief Damian Dinning has decided to leave the loss-making cellphone maker at the end of this month, the company said in a statement.

The strong imaging capabilities of the new Lumia smartphone models are a key sales argument for the former market leader, which has been burning through cash while losing share in both high-end smartphones and cheaper handsets.

Nokia’s Chief Executive Stephen Elop has replaced most of the top management since he joined in late 2010 and Dinnig is the latest of several executives to leave.

Dinning did not want to move to Finland as part of the phonemakers’ effort to concentrate operations and will join Jaguar Land Rover to head innovations in the field of connected cars, he said on Nokia’s imaging fan site PureViewclub.com.

(Reporting By Tarmo Virki, editing by William Hardy)

Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Justin Bieber Defends Meeting Prime Minister in Overalls

After catching a bit of flack for meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister in a decidedly casual pair of overalls, Justin Bieber took to Instagram Sunday to explain himself.

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"The pic of me and the Prime Minister was taken in a room in the arena where I was performing at that day," Bieber wrote in response to a journalist who criticized the move as "white trash."

"I walked straight from my meet and greet to him," he explained further. "It wasn't like it was like I was going into his environment we were at a hockey arena. Wow am I ever white trash."

The superstar (seen above) was snapped in Canada this week to accept a Diamond Jubilee Medal from the leader of his home country, Stephen Harper.

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Driver mistakenly puts limo in reverse, killing man in Brooklyn: police

William Miller

Police investigate a Brooklyn limo accident that left a passenger dead.

A man was killed in Brooklyn last night after the limo he just exited began rolling backwards and pinned him against another vehicle, cops said.

Viktor Avaveyev, 53, and two relatives were being escorted out of the limo around 6:50 p.m. at Kings Highway and Bedford Avenue in Midwood when the tragedy occurred, cops said.

The driver mistakenly put the car in reverse instead of park and it started moving.

“I heard an impact and a woman screaming,” said witness Yevgeniy Zilberman.

“When I looked out, she was smacking the limo driver and yelling at him. There man was lying on the floor he must have backed right over him,” Zilberman, 27, said.

The driver, whose name was withheld, was taken into custody, cops said.

Charges were pending early today.

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Shifting tides of Panama real estate echo Miami trends

PANAMA CITY, Panama — As a real estate agent shows off a model apartment — white leather sectional, stainless steel appliances, open concept, ocean views — in the 59-story Yacht Club Tower, and touts its fitness center and pool deck designed to mimic a ship floating on the sea, he makes a telling statement:

“We tried to emulate the Miami style in this building.”

Approaching this Central American capital from the air, the first thing a traveler notices is a skyline on steroids — gleaming towers jutting skyward like so many pickets on a fence. There’s even a Trump high-rise here — the sail-shaped 72-story Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower. And it’s not uncommon for those active in Miami real estate and development circles to try their luck in Panama or move back and forth between the markets.

Although Miami is nearly 1,200 miles from Panama City, the real estate markets of the two cities share certain similarities. Both went through booms and overbuilding and then had way too many empty condominiums. Wealthy Latin American buyers were a salvation in both cities when traditional segments of the market fell off.

“Now that things are starting to pick up in the States, they are picking up here too. Now that there’s not as much economic uncertainty in the United States, people feel more confident about Panama too,’’ said Morris Hafeitz, general manger of Emporium Developers. He used to work in Miami as a project manager for Odebrecht, the Brazilian conglomerate.

Now Hafeitz is trying to sell Allure at the Park, a 50-story building Emporium developed in Panama City’s Bella Vista neighborhood. The building is chock full of amenities — gym, teenage game room, adult lounge, toddler playroom, pool, squash court and even miniature golf on the roof — but one of its main selling points is that it overlooks a park and two low-rise historic buildings. “In the heart of the city without the hassles of the city,’’ said Hafeitz.

During the boom, many buildings in central Panama City went up practically on top of each other. “In the beginning of the boom there were no regulations on density,’’ said Mauricio Saba, a project manager at Zoom Development in Panama City and another Miami real estate alum. “I have a friend who said he could watch his neighbor’s TV from his balcony.’’

Margarita Sanclemente, a Miami real estate broker with offices in Panama City and New York, has seen it all — the boom, the irrational building and the slowdown — and has stuck with the Panamanian market.

She first ventured into Panama in 2005. The Panamanian real estate market, which had been sluggish for more than a decade, was undergoing a rebirth and Americans, lured by low prices and the low cost of living, were snapping up properties.

The sweet spot was the 1,000 to 1,500-square-foot apartment, sans maid’s quarters, which appealed to retirees from Canada and the United States, she said.

That was back when Americans still believed you couldn’t go wrong with real estate. “Some of the buyers didn’t even see the units. We sold them by phone,’’ Sanclemente said. Condo prices at new buildings such as Destiny averaged $98 to $120 per square foot. She herself bought a 1,000 square foot, one bedroom condo for $123,000 back in 2005.

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Never mind shopping; Messiah concert marks start of holiday season

Participating in the annual Messiah sing-in, always made me feel like the Season had begun. I was a member of the community chorus for many years, under the late Dr. Lee Kjelson. It was a wonderful feeling, singing the words from the Bible that foretold the coming of Jesus. Now, decades later, the Messiah sing-in tradition is still going strong.

At 2:30 p. m. on Dec. 9, the Miami Dade College Kendall Campus will present the Civic Chorale of Greater Miami in the 41st Annual Messiah Sing-in at Old Cutler Presbyterian Church, 14401 Old Cutler Rd. in Palmetto Bay. Dr. Kenneth Boos is the artistic director of this time-honored event, and Robert Gower and John Guarente are the conductors. Jay Brooks is the organist. The singers will be backed by the Alhambra Orchestra, conducted by Alfred Gershfeld.

The program will feature the Chorale in a brief concert featuring original works and familiar classical selections. Following the concert, community singers are invited to join the Chorale in the singing of the Christmas sections of Handel’s beloved Messiah.

Founded by Kjelson, the Civic Chorale has been a vital part of the South Florida musical community since 1970. the group is comprised of students and adult members of the community, who share a love for singing and musical excellence. The Chorale is housed at Miami-Dade College Music, Theater and Dance Department, at the Kendall campus. Rodester Brandon is the chairperson.

Singers are asked to bring their own Messiah score, if possible. A limited number will be available for use on the day of the concert.

This is the way it works: Rehearsal for participating singers will be at 2:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 4 p.m. Admission is free, but a goodwill offering will be collected. This year, Miami food trucks will be at the event.

For more information, contact Phee Price, executive director of the Chorale at 305-490-5930 You may also visit the Chorale’s website at, www.civicchorale.info.

String quartet goes to Washington

Congratulations to Miami pianist Alan Mason and Florida International University’s Amernet String Quartet, who on Dec. 6, will perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Mason is an associate professor of music at Barry University and the Amernet String Quartet is in residence at FIU. The musicians will perform in a concert called "From Psalm to Lamentation: A Concert of Cantorial Masterpieces," presented by Pro Musica Hebraica, an organization that was created by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer and lawyer-turned-artist Robyn Krauthammer to present three concerts a year featuring the music of Jewish composers. .

The Dec. 6 concert will pay homage to the golden age of cantors and to the liturgical music of modern times and will feature Cantor Netanel Hershtik and the Hampton Synagogue Choir.

In addition to the Kennedy Center performance, the concert will be presented on Dec. 2, at New York’s Museum at Eldridge Street.

Mason is the music director of Temple Israel of Greater Miami and has performed at the White House, Lincoln center and Carnegie Hall. He has also performed in Rome, the United Kingdom and Israel. He is a leading accompanist of Jewish music and also serves as the program director and accompanist of the Winter Jewish Music Concert presented annually here in Miami. that concert will be on Jan. 19, and will be broadcast live on the JLTV cable network.

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Larry Hagman Dies

Larry Hagman, best known for playing Dallas villain J.R. Ewing, died Friday morning from complications stemming from his recent battle with cancer.

He was 81 years old.

Video: Larry Hagman Talks 'Dallas', Cancer and Veganism

"Larry was back in his beloved Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved most," his family said in a statement via The Dallas Morning News. "When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones. It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for. The family requests privacy at this time."

Hagman's rep says the late actor will be cremated.

His Dallas co-stars Linda Gray (who played his wife Sue Ellen) and Patrick Duffy (who played his brother Bobby) were reportedly at his bedside when he died, The Sun is reporting.

"Larry Hagman was my best friend for 35 years. He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew," Gray told ET in a statement. "He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the fullest ... The world was a brighter place because of Larry Hagman."

"Friday I lost one of the greatest friends ever to grace my life. The loneliness is only what is difficult, as Larry's peace and comfort is always what is important to me, now as when he was here," Duffy said in a statement. "He was a fighter in the gentlest way, against his obstacles and for his friends. I wear his friendship with honor."

Victoria Principal, who played Pamela Barnes Ewing, added, "Larry was bigger than life ... on screen and off. He is unforgettable, and irreplaceable, to millions of fans around the world, and in the hearts of each of us, who was lucky enough to know and love him. Look out God ... Larry's leading the parade."

Video: J.R. Menaces in New 'Dallas'

Hagman, who also starred as Air Force Captain Anthony Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie, was last seen on television in TNT's Dallas reboot, where he returned to play his most well-known character.

"Larry Hagman was a giant, a larger-than-life personality whose iconic performance as J.R. Ewing will endure as one of the most indelible in entertainment history," Warner Bros., Dallas executive producers Cynthia Cidre and Michael M. Robin, and the show's cast and crew said in a statement. "He truly loved portraying this globally recognized character, and he leaves a legacy of entertainment, generosity and grace. Everyone at Warner Bros. and in the Dallas family is deeply saddened by Larry's passing, and our thoughts are with his family and dear friends during this difficult time."

"It was truly an honor to share the screen with Mr. Larry Hagman," Dallas reboot star Jesse Metcalfe, who plays Christopher Ewing, said in a statement. "With piercing wit and undeniable charm he brought to life one of the most legendary television characters of all time. But to know the man, however briefly, was to know a passion and dedication for life and acting that was profoundly inspirational."

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Frank Sinatra’s greatest ‘fits’

When a hot-tempered Frank Sinatra wanted to break it off with a beautiful woman, he would order loyal valet Tony Consiglio, a high-school buddy from Hoboken, to do the dirty work.

Though it would be nasty, Consiglio admits in his posthumous book “Sinatra and Me: The Very Good Years” that he had no choice.

During their 50 years together, if something went wrong for Sinatra, Ol’ Blue Eyes would say to Consiglio, “You have a problem.”

One night at the Claridge in Atlantic City, Frank was with a gorgeous young actress, Consiglio writes. But when the talk turned to politics, she rubbed Sinatra the wrong way.

RING-A-DING: Frank Sinatra’s valet Tony Consiglio (above) had to find Ava Gardner’s tossed wedding ring.

The lady retired to her room to change into something more comfortable. Sinatra told Tony to deliver dinner — a plate of spareribs — to the woman with a special instruction.

“I went to her room and knocked on the door. She opened the door wearing a beautiful light chiffon dressing gown over a transparent white negligee. She looked beautiful and ready for a long night. I told her that I was sorry to bother her, and that Frank had insisted that I deliver the spareribs.

“When she reached out for the plate I hit her in the face with the ribs, sauce and all. I apologized again and went back to the suite.

“Frank asked, ‘Did you do what I told you?’ I nodded yes.”

Consiglio, who died in 2008, remained with Sinatra for 50 years, from their boyhood days of the 1930s to the crooner’s heyday of the ’30s and ’40s, to his waning years in the 1970s.

“Frank never had to ask where his tuxedo was or why his shoes were not polished. He knew that when I was around, all that he had to do was remember the words to his songs. I took care of the rest, and I enjoyed it.”

The rib incident wasn’t the only time the slavishly devoted Consiglio had to clean up the crooner’s nasty breakups.

After his divorce from Ava Gardner, Sinatra fell in love with classical ballerina Juliet Prowse and wanted to marry her with the caveat that she would give up show business. She said no.

A few days later, Consiglio dutifully turned up at her suite in the St. Moritz Hotel with a big box.

He watched her open the gift from Sinatra. It was a stunning $12,000 full-length white mink coat.

Consiglio recalled, “Alongside the coat was a note: ‘This is your swan song. Frank.’ That was all it said.”

After one particular drag-out fight with his then wife, Hollywood beauty Gardner in the Hampshire Hotel in New York City, Sinatra turned to Consiglio.

“Tony, you have a problem. Ava threw her wedding ring out the window, and she feels bad.’

They were 14 stories up. While Sinatra and Gardner had make-up sex, Consiglio searched the sidewalk with a flashlight for hours. He finally found it by a fire hydrant. All Frank said was “Great.”

Consiglio, was known as “The Clam” for keeping his lips zipped. He was always on call, and he always had in his pocket $10,000 to $20,000 of Sinatra’s cash to cater to his every whim.

Loyalty had no limits if you were a pal or part of the inner circle, but Sinatra liked to keep a very tight leash. One time at the Sands Hotel, Consiglio was spotted watching Nick the Greek, a well known gambler, shoot craps. But Sinatra didn’t want him around The Greek and ordered him back to his room, even though he wasn’t working.

Consiglio, tail between his legs, obeyed.

“Within a half an hour, a tall blonde knocked on my door. ‘I’m here to keep you company and make sure you don’t go back to the craps table,’ ” she said.

Consiglio didn’t leave his room for three days.

cfagen@nypost.com

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