The John Lewis Partnership said yesterday that sales at Waitrose, its upmarket supermarket chain, had tumbled by 4.6 per cent last week, the worst result for the year to date. At group level, sales at John Lewis plunged by 14 per cent, in one of the most difficult trading periods in the retailer’s recent history. The figures will cast further doubt on the reliability of data published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics, which showed retail sales down 0.1 per cent in October, far short of the 0.9 per cent decline forecast by leading economists.

this is 1 of my bros m8 doin a back flip

Author: londdead1 Keywords: Lewis Added: November 21, 2008

RE:Generations, a new posthumous release from Nat King Cole, will feature collaborations with such hip-hop acts as Cee-Lo, The Roots, will.i.am, Cut Chemist, Just Blaze, Nas, and TV On The Radio. Says daughter Carole Cole, “With RE:Generations, we want to musically and visually bridge the so-called generation gap and hopefully create mutual admiration and respect between teens, parents and grands of every culture.” [StreetCred.com]

The Roots’ tour bus crashed en route to Paris on Wednesday, November 19. The musicians suffered only minor injuries, however, and ?uestlove took to Twitter.com several hours after the accident to assure his fans that “dog we are soooo alive right now.” [PitchforkMedia.com]

This year’s winner of the Polaris Prize, Caribou’s Dan Snaith, will donate the bulk of his money to charity. Ecojustice and the Stephen Lewis Foundation will receive the donations, while Snaith plans to use the remaining funds to help finance his next album. [Exclaim.ca]

Jody Reynolds, the rockabilly songwriter behind “Endless Sleep,” died this month at the age of 75. With its dramatic performance and unconventional subject matter, “Endless Sleep” helped usher in a wave of tragic teen pop songs. [LAWeekly.com]

Coupons for a free 20-ounce bottle of Dr. Pepper — which the beverage company promised to provide if Chinese Democracy received a 2008 release date — will be available on Sunday, November 23rd, via Dr. Pepper’s web site. Although coupons will only be available for 24 hours, they will be honored at stores until the end of February. [Variety.com]

Keri hilson featuring lil wayne - turnin me on music video

Author: Rafyouraf Keywords: Keri hilson featuring lil wayne turnin me on music video turning Beyonce if were boy halo Diva Leona lewis run Miley cyrus lollipop Akon Kanye west bobby valentino Added: November 21, 2008

L’Ecossais Chris Hoy, médaillé d’or de cyclisme sur piste à Pékin va défier l’Anglais Lewis Hamilton dans le temple du foot britannique.

Sales at John Lewis, the department store group and high street bellwether, plunged by 14 per cent last week, in one of the retailer's worst trading periods in recent history.

Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that they've bumped back the release of Richard Kelly's The Box from its March date all the way until November 6, 2009. Based on the short story by Richard Matheson, "The Box" stars Cameron Diaz as Norma Lewis and James Marsden as Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child who receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences.

The world premier of Fight Night Round 4 (Xbox 360/PS3) will be shown live at Spikes Video game Awards on December 14. Boxers so far confirmed for the game are Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Muhammad Ali. The game is expected to be released sometime in 2009.

divimg alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/41393?ns=guardianpageName=Business%3A+Bargains+galore+as+Christmas+comes+early+for+shoppersch=Businessc3=The+Guardianc4=Retail+industry+%28Business%29%2CChristmas+%28Life+and+style%29%2CBusiness%2CCredit+crunch+%28Business%29c5=Unclassified%2CCredit+Crunch%2CBusiness+Marketsc6=Julia+Finch%2CMartin+Wainwright%2CPatrick+Barkhamc7=2008_11_21c8=1121628c9=articlec10=GUc11=Businessc12=Retail+industryc13=c14=h2=GU%2FBusiness%2FRetail+industry" width="1" height="1" //divpShoppers were lured back on to the high street yesterday as stores slashed prices in an attempt to kickstart the vital Christmas trading period and shift unsold stock./ppIn the annual game of chicken between consumers and stores, the retailers have blinked first. There may still be 34 shopping days until Christmas, but over the past three weeks sales have fallen off a cliff for many retailers. Faced with what some analysts have warned could be the worst Christmas for 30 years as a result of falling house prices, rising unemployment and rock-bottom confidence, retailers have already resorted to price cuts and promotions./ppIt was Marks Spencer's decision to hold a one-day 20% off "spectacular"- for the first time in four years - that prised many reluctant shoppers out of their homes and offices. /ppBut the shop windows in the West End of London were plastered with posters promising bargains. Debenhams was in the middle of a three-day 25% off sale and there were sale signs up in Jane Norman, Mexx, Clarks, H Samuel, and Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group chains, including Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Bhs./ppNew figures from the Office for National Statistics suggested retail sales were proving unexpectedly resilient. The ONS said sales dropped by just 0.1% in October, leaving them 1.9% higher than last year. This was way ahead of forecasts in the City, where analysts had been predicting a slump of 0.9%./ppBut in recent months economists and retailers have repeatedly questioned the accuracy of the ONS figures. Even the Bank of England has suggested the data should be treated with caution./ppDavid Tinsley, an economist with nabCapital, predicted the official figures would soon catch up with reality: "The figure will probably crash around November or December."/ppSurprise sales can anger shoppers who have bought items at full price and yesterday some MS customers were certainly planning revenge. One woman, who asked to remain nameless, said several of her friends were buying items at 20% off which they had already purchased and planned to return with their original items another day to get a full refund./ppNevertheless, MS boss Sir Stuart Rose insisted the discounts had given the UK's biggest clothing retailer a much-needed boost: "It seems to have touched the spot. It's a riot."/ppShopper Judith Limbert, who had travelled to Oxford Street from Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire for the MS sale, said consumers were waiting for bargains: "In the runup to Christmas I suspect people are going to hang on and hang on, waiting for sales." /ppLimbert had been planning to buy Christmas presents in MS but had been waiting to see if it would offer reductions. She said her family would definitely spend less this year and would look for bargains on the internet. "We've got less money in that our utility bills are higher and food bills are dearer."/ppA survey yesterday said that 80% of consumers plan to spend less this year and there was more gloom from credit rating agency Moodys, whose chief international economist, Ruth Stroppiana, warned: "Britain's retailing sector is expected to come under increasing pressure in coming quarters as the country's highly indebted households continue to rein in expenditure." /ppOver at the new Westfield shopping centre in west London, in the basement food hall of MS's vast store, trolleys were clattering through the tills./ppWith a recession around the corner, it was clearly time to stock up on champagne. A couple from Dorset were piloting a trolley laden with MS bubbly. They bought 36 bottles - and saved nearly pound;450 on the shelf price. /ppThe champagne was a triple bargain. On top of the 20% off was another 10% discount and a pound;5-a-bottle reduction for buying more than 12 bottles. The result was a pound;26 ticket price slashed to just pound;13 a bottle./ppIsabelle Marsh bought 36 bottles for just under pound;500, compared with the pound;936 full price./ppMarsh runs Bournemouth-based Viva Las Vegas, a fun casino business for private parties, and the champagne will be used as prizes. /ppAt the next till her friends Kay and Roger Brahams, from Surrey, who are also in the casino business, were doing exactly the same. They also had a collection of blue spotted bow ties and waistcoats for their croupiers - four waistcoats, four bow ties and two pairs of black trousers for pound;124, down from pound;155 for one day only. "It's for the business," said Roger Brahams. "It is too good to miss." /ppOn the clothing floor, however, there were many shoppers who had used the discount day to bring forward purchases they were planning to make anyway. Mark, a BBC employee, had popped in to buy an pound;80 coat he had his eye on. "My wife rang me this morning to tell me about the sale," he explained. He paid pound;64 and walked away very pleased. /ppIn Sheffield city centre, Carolyn Bowler had nipped out in her lunch break to buy a box of Christmas crackers, but by the time she had heaved her way out of MS she had three of them, plus a new dressing gown./pp"You've to shop carefully these days," she said, as three women marched past with purple Debenhams balloons and leaflets promising "25% off plus look inside for half-price bonus deals"./pp"These offers are bringing people out, no question," said another lunchtime shopper called Marion - "please don't print my surname in case my children read the paper and it spoils their Christmas surprise". The surprise is that Marion is making them clothes herself this year, instead of buying new ones./pp"You've got to cut back at times like these," she said. "We certainly have anyway, because my husband's not had a job since the summer. No one knows what the future holds any more."/ppIt was all music to the ears of Ian Fleming, who was supervising Debenhams balloon women. Enticing punters with the likes of a shimmer bow back dress reduced to pound;37.50 from pound;75, he said: "Shoppers will never get tired of good value and a bargain. This is working. It's even better out at the Meadowhall shopping centre."/ppThat, however, was impossible to check: reporters were barred from doing interviews in the sprawling complex beside the M1 because of the current spate of gloomy stories./ph2Key tactics for shoppers to cash in on stores' price war/h2pIt is the year of the tactical shopper, according to one retail expert, with yesterday's "flash" or "guerilla" sales at MS and Debenhams marking the start of what is likely to be a long and protracted war between high street stores. But for the savvy shopper hoping to secure the ultimate bargain, where and when is the time to strike? /ppIn order to secure the best bargain this Christmas, shoppers should look around and keep an eye out for promotional vouchers, said Lauretta Roberts, editor of Drapers magazine. /pp"My advice to shoppers is shop late. It's a buyers market out there and it is not going to be too difficult to find a bargain."/ppAnother way of saving money is to hit the shops before the official sale. "Even though they don't advertise the fact, many of the big department stores like Selfridges or Harvey Nichols discount their products from December 24. You get the best choice, unlike post-Christmas, when there often little left."/ppA further wave of price cuts can be expected from Boxing Day onwards, with January sales slashing 50% off many products immediately, she said. There are lots of other ways for shoppers to maximise their funds over the festive period. But it requires commitment and tactical thinking, said Martin Lewis, founder of moneysavingexpert.com. /pp"This is the year of the targeted and tactical shopper. As well as promotional sales we are seeing a rash of big discount shopping vouchers," he said. Vouchers currently featured on the website include 30% off at Gap, 40% off at Threshers and 20% off Shudoo, who sell Ugg boots, set to be a Christmas favourite. /ppAnother way of getting the best deal is to use price comparison websites, such as shopping.com, kelkoo.co.uk and pricerunner.co.uk, he said. For example, one Christmas must-have, a Wii Console + Sports Pack, costs pound;184.99 at Dixons, but on tdgstore.co.uk can be found for pound;179.99./pp"Different comparison websites are better for different products," said Lewis, who recommended find-dvd.co.uk for dvds and bookbrain.co.uk for books. /ppOnce the cheapest product has been identified, shoppers should try to buy it through a cash-back website, such as topcashback.co.uk, he added. "Cashback websites are paid 5% for sending you to a particular site, but instead of pocketing that cash they share the proceeds with their users by discounting products further."/ppHe also advises shoppers to use cash-back credit cards, such as American Express, which offers 5% back on purchases for three months. Using a credit card for expensive purchases also protects buyers, he added./ppIn 2007 the average British family spent pound;840 on Christmas. Choosing carefully this year, they could save 5% to 50%, said Lewis. /ppDoesn't all this calculating detract from the joy of the impulse buy? No way, he said. /pp"We are entering a recession, and there are two ways you can deal with it. Stop spending or make the money that you have got go further."br /strongAlexandra Topping/strong/ppstrongBargains/strong/ppstrongGap/strong/ppUltra-low rise jeans was pound;39.50 now pound;9.99br /Saving 75%/ppstrongDebenhams/strong/ppFour Royal Doulton crystal goblets was pound;80 now pound;32br /Saving 60%/ppstrongCurrysdigital/strong/ppLogik DAB digital radio was pound;139.99 now pound;59.99br /Saving 57%/ppstrongHouse of Fraser/strong/ppChristy Sorrento bath towel was pound;22 now pound;11br /Saving 50%/pdiv style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"ullia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/retail"Retail industry/a/lilia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/christmas-xmas"Christmas/a/lilia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/creditcrunch"Credit crunch/a/li/ul/divdiv class="guRssAdvert"a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yessite=Businesscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227227727742112100421654622"img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yessite=Businesscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227227727742112100421654622" border="0" //a/diva href="http://www.guardian.co.uk"guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html"Terms Conditions/a | a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html"More Feeds/a

Motivation: The emerging field of Glycomics requires the development of systems-based modeling strategies to relate glycosyltransferase gene expression and enzyme activity with carbohydrate structure and function.

Results: We describe the application of object oriented programming concepts to define glycans, enzymes, reactions, pathways and compartments for modeling cellular glycosylation reaction networks. These class definitions are combined with current biochemical knowledge to define potential reaction networks that participate in the formation of the sialyl Lewis-X (sLeX) epitope on O-glycans linked to a leukocyte cell-surface glycoprotein, P-selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 (PSGL-1). Subset modeling, hierarchical clustering, principal component analysis and adjoint sensitivity analysis are applied to refine the reaction network and to quantify individual glycosyltransferase rate constants. Wet-lab experiments validate estimates from computer modeling. Such analysis predicts that sLeX expression varies directly with sialyltransferase 2,3ST3Gal-IV expression and inversely with 2,3ST3Gal-I/II.

Availability: SBML files for all converged models are available at http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/~neel/bio_reaction_network.html

Contact: neel@eng.buffalo.edu

Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

The Red Queen said, ‘It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.’ Lewis Carrol

Motivation: Newly solved protein structures are routinely scanned against structures already in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) using Internet servers. In favourable cases, comparing 3D structures may reveal biologically interesting similarities that are not detectable by comparing sequences. The number of known structures continues to grow exponentially. Sensitive—thorough but slow—search algorithms are challenged to deliver results in a reasonable time, as there are now more structures in the PDB than seconds in a day. The brute-force solution would be to distribute the individual comparisons on a massively parallel computer. A frugal solution, as implemented in the Dali server, is to reduce the total computational cost by pruning search space using prior knowledge about the distribution of structures in fold space. This note reports paradigm revisions that enable maintaining such a knowledge base up-to-date on a PC.

Availability: The Dali server for protein structure database searching at http://ekhidna.biocenter.helsinki.fi/dali_server is running DaliLite v.3. The software can be downloaded for academic use from http://ekhidna.biocenter.helsinki.fi/dali_lite/downloads/v3.

Contact: liisa.holm@helsinki.fi

Former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk returns to the heavier rock sound of his old band on his third solo album, tentatively titled "OK Bear" and due in February via his own Lewis Hollow label.img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BillboardNews-Daily/~4/460944195" height="1" width="1"/