Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Vilakazi confident of Brondby deal

<Best Offerp>

Vilakazi returned back to the country on Friday after what he termed as a "most successful" trip to Denmark.

The Students captain tells KickOff.com he did well during the trials.

"I played a reserve team match and played the whole 90 minutes. After the game they came to me and said they were impressed by my performance and will talk to my team [Bidvest Wits]," Vilakazi reveals.

"I am now only waiting for Jose [Ferreira] to come back to me," adds the midfielder, who has scored seven goals in 22 League starts for Wits this season.

Vilakazi says he was very happy with the experience of training with Brondby, who have previously played in the UEFA Champions League.

"The highlight point for me was to go there and experience the setup and everything with the club, which I did enjoy very much," he says.

-------------------------------

* Did you know? Vilakazi is one of the best South African performers in the League this season according to our exclusive BAFANA BAROMETER.The Bafana Barometer is a unique ranking system inside our Castle KICK OFF Fantasy League game that forms a virtual Bafana Bafana squad based on the best statistical players in the League.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Curing the Canadian Self-Storage Market's 'Discount Disease'

Canadian self-storage is an odd body. It seems pretty healthy from the outside. The heart of the market is still pumping in customers to keep facilities healthy. Growth is steady. Renovations and additions to existing facilities are regular. But there's a worrisome microbe in the bloodstream-what Canadian Self Storage Association Director Robert Madsen calls "the Online Deals disease."

While self-storage demand is strong, discounting rental rates is a common practice among operators, Madsen says. It's decaying profit and keeping the body that is Canadian self-storage from being its healthiest.

The cure comes in the form of marketing. Competitiveness on the Internet reduces the need for lowering costs to bring in more customers, says Hal Spradling, general manager and operating partner of Toronto-based All Canadian Self Storage. Besides, discounting may not even work as well as it seems.

"It's extremely unlikely these concessions really change anything in the distribution of storage demand," Madsen says. "Self-storage is not a product you can increase market demand just by a price decrease."

A Heart Pumping Steady Demand

While self-storage demand isn't growing rapidly in Canada, it also isn't falling, which Madsen says is a pretty good sign. Occupancies are holding steady or improving slightly. "This will give operators great confidence to hold their rates and even work to improve them to cover some of the rising expenses we've experienced over the years," he adds.

Many operators expect to raise rates in 2014, now that occupancy and rental rates are picking up, says Marc Goodin, a civil engineer and owner of Caraquet & RV Storage in Caraquet, New Brunswick, Canada. "After several slow years, the rentals and rental rates are increasing," he says. A large amount of sites should start increasing rents modestly in the coming year, Madsen agrees.

With consistent demand, many operators have renovations and additions planned for the upcoming year. Vanguard Self Storage will add four buildings to the current six at its site in Peterborough, Ontario, a plan the company was always intending to carry out and chose to do in 2014 because demand was steady enough, says site manager Mark Blodgett.

Likewise, All Canadian Self Storage will add roughly 500 units to one facility and build another in Toronto, Spradling says. Apple Self Storage in Aurora, Ontario, has two expansions and a couple sites in early-stage development, says company president Phil Allan.

Madsen points out that while many existing facilities are being expanded, development of new facilities is much more difficult. "We see a lot of new activity brewing in the industry as existing facilities look to expand," he says. "New developments often see problems in high land and construction costs."

The Discount Disease

Discounting is prevalent throughout the Canadian self-storage industry. Apple Self Storage has no plans for increasing rents in the coming months because competition in the area is adding downward pressure on prices. "Everything is just going to keep pushing it down," Allan says. "We've got a lot of our competitors giving away free months and free this and free that."

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Check out these discounts on products from iTunes, Amazon and Walmart

Download the Disney/Pixar film "The Incredibles" for free today, plus get discounts on products from retailers like Deal Now and Walmart in this roundup from Dealnews.com.

By Donna Doyle, Guest blogger / March 21, 2014

If you're low on cash for the weekend and are looking for something to do to pass the time and entertain the kids, we've found two great freebies that will save the day. You can download Disney Pixar's The Incredibles and get a $5 credit towards an Amazon Local deal for absolutely nothing. These freebies and some great price lows are in today's list of five Editors' Choice deals that we found overnight and early this morning.

Skip to next paragraph

Dealnews.com

Recent posts

Do You Need It?: Whether it's for you to enjoy alone or with the kiddies, you can bag one of Disney Pixar's finest today for absolutely nothing. It yields a saving of a massive $20 and is the best deal we've seen on this movie in any format. (You must sign into your account and connect to iTunes to get this download.)

Do You Need It?: Spring may have finally arrived, but the cold weather and showers aren't necessarily behind us. This Tumi jacket will keep you protected from the wild outdoors at a fraction of the cost of such quality garb at any other store - this particular jacket costs $32 more elsewhere. It's available in sizes from S to XXL, although not in all size/color combinations.

Top Coupon Offer
$5 Amazon Local Credit for any local or national deal
Store: Amazon Local
Price: Free for new customers via coupon "SPRING05"
Lowest by: $5

Do You Need It?: You're just a few clicks away from scoring five free dollars to put towards any local or national activity, sojourn, or buy of your choice at Amazon Local. That's first ever dollar-off coupon we've seen from the store. (Once you've created an account, click on "Welcome" at the top of the page and then enter the coupon code under "Payment Methods". The credit will be added to your account and show at checkout.)

Top Video Game Deal
Microsoft Xbox One Titanfall Edition Game Console
Store: Walmart
Price: $449.96 with free shipping
Lowest by: $50

Do You Need It?: If you haven't yet made the upgrade to Microsoft's newest console, then this Walmart deal might convince you to take the plunge. Not only is this anticipated Titanfall bundle at a current $50 low, but it's also at the cheapest ever outright price we've seen. It comes with the console, full Titanfall game download, and one month of Xbox Live Gold.

Top Apparel Deal
Barneys Warehouse Sale
Store: Barneys Warehouse
Discount: Extra 50% off select men's and women's clearance apparel
Shipping: Free shipping

Do You Need It?: If you're brave enough to ditch the outerwear (as ill-advised above) and would prefer to splash out on some brand-spanking new spring pieces, then this Barney's Warehouse clearance sale might have what you're looking for - and at a very low price. It's the best ever extra discount we've seen from the store.

Total Savings: At least $107

Donna Doyle is a senior staff writer at Dealnews.com, where this story first appeared.

Monday, March 17, 2014

KelloggsFamilyRewards.com promo AND new code!

Kelloggsfamilyrewards.com is offering St. Patrick's Day promotion: Enter 4 codes and get a bonus of 400 points! This offer is only valid today, 3/17. AND there is a new code available worth 25 points!

New code: There is a new code available worth 25 points! Enter FOURLEAFCLOVER25 for 25 points today! Thanks to Beths for posting this on this blog!

Also, check your e-mail from them that was sent on Thursday. They sent out information about this promotion as well as a bonus code to get a $1.00 coupon off of any Kellogg's, Keebler, Morningstar and more! The code is a once time use only code and cannot be shared.

You can enter the codes on their website.

Thanks to dishatoid01 for posting about today's promo on the blog this morning!

New to KelloggsFamilyRewards.com?

If you are new to KelloggsFamilyRewards.com, it's a free program sponsored by Kellogg's that allows you to get free coupons and other items by entering the codes on participating products into their website. Once you earn enough points from entering codes, you can redeem them for various things like Best Offer. I often cash my points in for .75/1 coupons that will double at Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods.

There are a ton of participating products and you can see this list on their KelloggsFamilyRewards.com.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Shopping Comparison: TheFind Finds Lowest Price More Often Than Google, Bing, Others

In December Danny Sullivan sought to determine which of the major shopping search engines found the best prices for common products. The shopping engines compared in Danny's articles were Nextag, Shopzilla, PriceGrabber, Google, Bing and TheFind:

TheFind's CEO Siva Kumar saw these articles and developed an internal tool to compare his site to these and other online shopping competitors.

TheFind later decided to make that internal comparison tool public facing so that anyone could try it and compare product search results across sites. Clicking any of the branded links above the main results opens a window showing the same query on the selected site.

TheFind contacted us saying that it had been running tests of its results against the shopping engines discussed in Danny's original articles. It looked at 50 queries in six shopping categories, using the same approach and methodology pursued in Danny's articles.

The questions asked in TheFind's research were:

  • Which engine offers the lowest Coupon on the same item?
  • How many stores are returned for a given result?
  • How often are product reviews, offline stores, coupons and other enhanced content featured?
Source: TheFind

The chart above reflects the percentage of times each engine had the lowest price for the 50 sample queries. TheFind said that 78 percent of the time it found the lowest price. By comparison, Google had the lowest price 42 percent of the time. Yahoo performed worst with the lowest price in only 8 percent of queries.

The reason these figures exceed 100 percent is because multiple engines may have "tied" in any given case. In other words, TheFind, Google and Shopping.com might have all found the best available price on the same item.

Source: TheFind

The flip side of the lowest-price comparison is one involving "price premiums." The chart above reflects how much users will pay above the lowest available price by using each shopping engine. (As the overall price winner TheFind used itself as the baseline.)

Because Bing and Yahoo had the lowest prices in only 14 percent and 8 percent of cases, for example, users who buy through them are likely to pay a premium: 25 and 31 percent more on average respectively.

One of the explanations that TheFind offers for its performance vs. the others is the fact that it indexes more stores and product sources. The chart below reflects the average number of sources found for the 50 queries examined.

Source: TheFind

On average TheFind offered 65 stores or sources for each of the 50 queries. Shopzilla by comparison offered an average of five.

TheFind also explored additional or enhanced content in search results. The company looked at availability of coupons, product reviews and local stores that carried the subject products. Across the board TheFind outperformed its competitors.

Source: TheFind

It's important to reiterate that the data and tests above were all performed and provided by TheFind. We did not verify the accuracy of these results. However I spoke to company at length to discuss its testing and methodology. I don't believe the company selected the queries based on a known outcome or otherwise artificially skewed these results.

However the fact that TheFind's tool Compare.TheFind.com is publicly available allows skeptics and anyone else (including competitors) to explore and verify results. Let us know if you do and find anything that contradicts the above data.

Related Topics: Channel: Retail | Search Engines: Shopping Search Engines | Top News

Thursday, March 13, 2014

NJ Transit off-peak discount for train riders to be reconsidered

A report received by state Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson in response to his question of whether NJ Transit could restore off-peak discounts for rail riders has been sent to the circular file.

"I threw the report in the garbage," Simpson said Wednesday during the monthly NJ Transit board meeting.

The report from NJ Transit's rail operations noted that the discounts during weekends and other off-peak hours, which were discontinued several years ago, were not viable for "capacity reasons," said Simpson, who chairs the board.

"I could not come before this body and try to sell that, because it made no sense," he said. "I don't think the report was worth the paper it was written on, so I've asked folks to go back to the drawing board."

Kevin O'Connor, who has been forced out as NJ Transit's vice president and general manager of rail operations, was not at Wednesday's meeting - the first for new executive director Ronnie Hakim.

Coupled with a train fare hike of 25 percent in May 2010, off-peak passengers who lost their 15 percent Printable Coupons had to pay nearly 50 percent more - 64 percent in the most extreme cases.

Off-peak hours generally are outside of 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays.

David Peter Alan, who chairs the Lackawanna Coalition rail advocacy group, said outside of those hours, "there is plenty of room" on the trains.

"I am so glad to hear a commissioner take an active part in matters that really affect us as riders," Alan said after the meeting. "I didn't see that report, but I believe the commissioner said it recommended against restoring off-peak rail fares. And if it said that, he put it in exactly the right place (the garbage)."

Orrin Getz, a member of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers who rides the Pascack Valley Line, noted that Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road have greatly expanded off-peak service by offering discount fares.

Simpson said NJ Transit needs to be creative when looking at opportunities for off-peak discounts - for example, studying the feasibility of a reduced off-peak fare to Hoboken Terminal.

"The goal is - you've got the trains running, anyway - to get as many seats filled," he said. "It's the airline model - fill the seats."

Looking at off-peak discounts is part of a large to-do list for Hakim, a Simpson ally who arrives from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

On the bus side, Simpson said he would like to see more alternatives to dropping people off at the already overstuffed Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue in Manhattan, including dropping people off on the street or bypassing the bus terminal to take riders to the East Side of Manhattan.

NJ Transit also is opening up some committee meetings to the public, beginning with the customer service committee at 10 a.m. Wednesday and the administration committee at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the NJ Transit headquarters next to Newark Penn Station.

RELATED COVERAGE

* NJ Transit to consider bringing back off-peak discounts

* Commuters skeptical about idea to bypass Port Authority's bus terminal


Friday, March 7, 2014

Boston Opera House Supplies Largest Book Of Mormon Ticket Inventory to Tickethunteronline; Site Provides 20% Discount On All April Dates

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 06, 2014

Book of Mormon tickets Los Angeles dates and Book Of Mormon tickets Boston dates have received the highest discount from tickethunteronline.com. Ticket Hunter Online's massively successful 20% discount incentive, which has helped make them the number one Pantages theater tickets seller, is now being offered for Boston Opera House.

Customers can get the 20% discount with promo code "wicked" at check out only at tickethunteronline.com.

Tickethunteronline.com has sold an estimated 2100 tickets to the Book Of Mormon Los Angeles tour dates making them the highest selling ticket reseller for the Pantages theater.

Tickethunteronline.com is also offering 100 $25 tickets as a Discount incentive for select Boston Opera House dates. Opening day is April 1st. Check the website for showtimes.

Book of Mormon Los Angeles returned to Hollywood's Pantages Theatre last month. It's a limited 16-week run. The hit Broadway musical won 9 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Two of the stars stopped by Studio 11 LA; David Larsen, who plays Elder Price, and Cody James Strand, who plays Elder Cunningham.

The national tours of The Book of Mormon have broken 47 house records in 22 venues across the country. At Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre, The Book of Mormon has broken the house record 45 times.

The curtain-raising scene of Jesus appearing "in ancient upstate New York" is the first little clue that "The Book of Mormon" is not your average Broadway musical. By the time the show ends, every politically incorrect button has been pushed, every doorbell rung.

The Book of Mormon is the winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Book (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Direction (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker), Best Featured Actress (Nikki M. James), Best Scenic Design (Scott Pask), Best Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt), Best Sound Design (Brian Ronan) and Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman, Stephen Oremus); the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album; four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical, and the Drama League Award for Best Musical.

The Book of Mormon features set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt and sound design by Brian Ronan. Orchestrations are by Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus. Music direction and vocal arrangements are by Stephen Oremus.

Ticket Hunter Online specializes in discount Broadway tickets. They currently have over 300 tickets available for the 'Book of Mormon Pantages Theater' and hundreds of tickets in inventory for the Book of Mormon tickets on Broadway in New York.

More discount Broadway tickets available for Kinky Boots, Motown and Wicked the Musical.


Sunday, March 2, 2014

Unlikely to coach during 2014 season, Wade Phillips is not ready to call it a career

Wade Phillips has resigned himself to that fact there's very little chance he'll be coaching in the NFL in 2014 - for just the second season since he broke into the NFL in 1976 - but not for a moment should people think he's retired.

"Oh, no," Phillips said Thursday. "I enjoy (coaching) too much. I'm hoping somebody will have a bad defense next season, and I'm sure there will be coaches who get fired. I still think I can help someone. Every place I've gone they've won, at least in the first year."

The Texans reached the playoffs for first time in their history in Phillips' first season as defensive coordinator, 2011, and returned to the postseason in 2012 before collapsing last fall and finishing 2-14, the NFL's worst record.

Seven head coaches, including the Texans' gary kubiak collapsed Kubiak, were pink-slipped during or after the 2013 season, but none of the new hires gave Phillips an audience except the Texans' new man, Bill O'Brien, who decided to bring in Romeo Crennel as his defensive coordinator instead.

Phillips said "several" applicants who weren't successful in landing head-coaching jobs had asked if they could use his name as a potential defensive coordinator when they met with their respective clubs. Presumably one of them was Kubiak, who ultimately landed in Baltimore as the Ravens' offensive coordinator.

"I'd always coach for Gary if he wanted me," Phillips said. "I think he's a great coach and he'll be a difference-maker in Baltimore. That's a good fit for him."

He said he does expect to do some consulting work with some NFL team during OTAs or training camp and it's possible he might be brought in to troubleshoot during the season or even be retained as "some kind of senior assistant."

Phillips admitted he gleaned some satisfaction from Seattle's 43-8 rout of Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday because of Pete Carroll's age - 62 - and the fact the Seahawks won this season on the strength of their NFL-best defense.

"It's not about age. It's about how good you are as a coach," the 66-year-old Phillips said. "And was nice to see a team that featured defense be up there. There haven't too many of those (in recent years)."

However, Phillips admitted the outcome "surprised me. All I had to go on was how good Denver's offense was all season. They'd about been perfect. But that first play (when the center snap soared over Peyton Manning's head and gave the Seahawks a safety) affected them more than you might think.

"The thing about the Super Bowl is emotions run higher in that game than any other game. The highs are higher and the lows are lower. If I'm ever in another one, I'll spend a lot of time warning the players about that, about how important it is to stay on an even keel."

Phillips was on the wrong end of the worst Super Bowl blowout ever, San Francisco's 55-10 beating of the Broncos in 1990. He was Denver's defensive coordinator.

"I remember John Elway's first pass went straight into the ground when we had a man wide open at our sideline," he said. "You tell the air just went out of everybody and I saw that (with the Broncos) Sunday."

Phillips' first priority going forward is to get settled in the new home he and his wife, Laurie, are having built in the Memorial area. No matter how or where his coaching career continues, they'll settle in Houston when he does retire. He'd expected that he'd go out with the Texans, but, he noted, "Things don't always work out like you hope."

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Friday, February 28, 2014

Tim Cook: Apple TV sales topped $1 billion in 2013

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Apple ( AAPL) Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said the company sold more than $1 billion worth of Apple TV set-top boxes in 2013 and reassured shareholders at the annual meeting that the company is investing heavily in the next generation of products.

"We're working Discount some things that are extensions of things you can see and some that you can't see," Cook said at the annual shareholders' meeting on Friday, referring to a 32 percent increase in research and development costs last year.

Cook said Apple has acquired 23 companies in the last 16 months and remained on the lookout for interesting technology and companies. While Apple is not "in a race" to acquire the most companies or to spend the most money, that "doesn't mean we won't buy a huge company tomorrow afternoon," he said.

Apple will provide an update about how it will use its massive cash pile, which was nearly $160 billion at the end of last quarter, within the next 60 days, Cook said. The time frame is in line with previous comments that the company would announce its latest cash management plans around April.

Apple repurchased $14 billion in stock in a two-week period earlier this year, under pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn, who had been publicly calling for the iPhone-maker to buy back an additional $50 billion of stock above its existing buyback program.

Icahn withdrew a shareholder proposal for the buyback following Apple's announcement of the $14 billion in stock repurchases. Icahn in late January said that he held more than $4 billion in Apple shares.

Shareholders at the annual meeting at Apple's Cupertino headquarters on Friday re-elected all of Apple's board members.

Apple shares were down 0.6 percent at $524.47 in midday trading on Friday. The shares have clawed back substantial ground since falling below $400 in June, though they are well below the record-high $700 level of 2012, weighed by concerns about whether the company has any new hit products in the pipeline.

Some investors have expected Apple to unveil a wearable device, such as a smartwatch, or a new-fangled television that integrates Internet capabilities.

Cook did not provide any details on new products during his presentation to shareholders, but said the company's existing $99 AppleTV set-top box -- long referred to as a "hobby" by Apple executives -- had racked up $1 billion in sales in the past year.

"It's a little more difficult to call it a hobby these days," Cook said.

In response to a shareholder question about innovation, Cook said that Apple preferred not to tip its hand about new products under development so as not to tip off the competition. "You can see we're getting ripped off left, right and sideways," he said.

Cook also used the event to take pot shots at Google Inc., saying that the majority of users of Google's rival Android mobile operating system are using older versions of the software, presenting a security threat. In contrast, he said that 89 percent of people using devices based on Apple's iOS operating system are using the most recent version of the software.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Amazon And The BBC Make Ripper Of A Deal

Coupon Codes have struck a deal with the BBC to revive the cancelled crime drama Ripper Street. Thanks to Amazon's financial input, the new season will be streamed on Amazon Instant before it airs on the BBC.

The deal shows the power that online streaming companies now have. Being able to create original content and having the financial clout to revive shows that still have a loyal following.

Ripper Street was cancelled last year after two seasons by the BBC who said it "didn't bring the audience we hoped", and stars Matthew Macfadyen and Jerome Flynn as police detectives in the 19th Century at the time the ripper stalked the streets of Whitechapel, East London.

The new season will begin shooting in May and will premiere first on the Amazon Prime Instant on-demand service which will also have the first two seasons available to stream.

The BBC were Cock-a-Hoop with the news, drama boss Ben Stephenson said it was an, "an exceptional opportunity" to bring back the show. He said: "This deal gives fans another series of the show they love at excellent value to the licence fee-payer, ensuring that the BBC can also commission an entirely new, yet-to-be-announced drama series."

Speaking for Amazon, head of Amazon instant video international content acquisition, Jason Ropell said, "We're delighted to have secured not only the highly popular first two seasons of Ripper Street for our Prime Instant Video customers, but we can also confirm today that we will making season three, news that we know will delight the millions of fans of this brilliant British drama."

Sam's Club is testing an online subscription service as the threat from Amazon grows.

Sam's Club is quietly testing a new subscription service that allows customers to order items like diapers and printer cartridges online, a sign the Internet is beginnng to threaten areas of retail that were once considered relatively safe.

Called "My Subscriptions," the service mirrors amazon.com Inc.'s Subscribe & Save program, which was launched in 2007 and has given the Internet retailer a foothold in sales of basic...

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Red Sox Journal: Capuano passes physical; deal now official

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The only time Chris Capuano ever pitched in Fenway Park, he was a high school senior out of Springfield, Mass., playing in an All-Star game against kids from Connecticut. That should change soon.

Capuano's one-year Price Compare with the Red Sox was made official on Saturday, with the left-hander passing a physical and participating in the team's workout. For the veteran right-hander, the chance to pitch for his hometown team overcame the lack of a set role on the staff.

"It really is going to be like coming home," he said. "It's a storied organization. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that as a player?"

Capuano almost became a member of the Red Sox three years ago. Late in the 2011 season, as Boston sputtered to the finish, rumors swirled that the Sox would deal for a pitcher simply to start a tiebreaker game if needed. Kansas City's Bruce Chen and Capuano, then with the Mets, were the two names discussed the most.

"It was an exciting possibility," recalled Capuano, who grew up cheering for Roger Clemens and said he was "devastated" by the 1986 World Series as a kid. "I didn't have a whole lot of time to think about it."

Despite signing during spring training, Capuano doesn't think he's behind the other pitchers. He spent the last several weeks maintaining his typical throwing program even while waiting to sign with a team.

"You do get antsy," he said. "You're at home and you're still throwing your bullpens and getting your work in, but there's a sense you don't want to miss out too much. Fortunately it didn't go longer than it did."

To make room for Capuano on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox officially placed Ryan Dempster on the restricted list.

Seeing is believing

Full-squad workouts have only been going on for three days at JetBlue Park, and already manager John Farrell finds himself having to keep calm about the form on display from Grady Sizemore.

"Two days ago, he had a phenomenal day - running the bases at full speed, his defensive work was at full speed, he's handling live pitching well," Farrell said of the outfielder. "Everything has been very encouraging. We're going to have to temper our enthusiasm or really how much we push him just to gradually get him back into game shape."

That's going to be a process all spring long, as Sizemore hasn't played in the majors since 2011. Farrell and the Red Sox have been encouraged by the fact that Sizemore has yet to require additional treatment at this point in spring. Still, his status will be better determined when the games start next week.

Sizemore's showing so far isn't a surprise to Steve Peck, the special assignment scout who looked at Sizemore right before the Red Sox signed him.

"Everybody was aware of Grady. I don't think he fell off the map," Peck said. "The big thing was just making sure the health was there. I've done this long enough to know when a guy's going through his rehab process and just be able to see athletically where he's at and what he's able to do on the field. Over that process, we had a really strong feel of the condition he was in. He looked fantastic."

The real McCoy

Mike McCoy is one of the most versatile players in all of baseball - a man worthy of the "super-utility" designation. A second baseman out of college, McCoy has played three infield spots and all three outfield spots during his 170 games in the major leagues. And on a June day in 2011, he took the hill against the Red Sox.

He did more than just acquit himself. In a series in which the Blue Jays allowed 35 runs in three days, McCoy tossed a 1-2-3 inning against Carl Crawford, Marco Scutaro and J.D. Drew. McCoy has actually thrown 72/3 innings as a pitcher in pro ball, and he's allowed only one earned run.

"That was one of the most thrilling moments of my career," McCoy said. "Even though we were getting beat pretty bad, you're on the mound and you're by yourself. All eyes are on you. It was an interesting experience."

McCoy isn't the kind of player who attracts a ton of attention otherwise. He's known more for his glove - and maybe that should be plural - than his bat, with his ability to play all over the field making him a valuable part of organizational depth.

He's been honing that versatility since first asking for a shot in the outfield while in the Cardinals system.

"I take pride in my athleticism," said the 32-year-old. "I might think I'm better than I am, but I think that I can just go do it."

Having played for Farrell in Toronto, McCoy is familiar with how camp is being run at JetBlue. It also eases the transition, since he's aware of all the different shifts the Red Sox like to run.

Barring injury, McCoy's chances of making the major-league club out of camp are less than slim. But there's tremendous value in having a reliable, defensive-oriented veteran who can play all over the field at Triple A.

"He knows what we expect out of players," said Farrell. "He stays ready and he understands the utility role, which is not always an easy one."

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

NordStrom Coupons & Hottest NordStrom Promo Codes for 2014

Dallas, TX -- ( SBWIRE) -- 01/27/2014 -- There's much to celebrate and look forward to with the start of 2014. NordStrom, Inc., a leading fashion retailer that has been in operation for over a hundred years now, has continued to bring their keen fashion sense and their line of products and offers well into the 21st century. This year would be no different. Taking their 117 shops in 35 stores to just one online shop, the Nordstrom following can only expect more exciting offers, discounts, time limited sales and promos on nothing less than some of the top fashion brands in the industry.

2014 NordStrom Coupons and Promo Codes
First off on the Nordstrom list for 2014 are their NordStrom Promo Codes. Shoppers can enjoy a hefty $25 off on their first order priced above $50. Shoppers will only need to copy and paste the Buy Cheap code upon online check out of the item at NordStrom and they automatically enjoy a slash in their purchase.

For US shoppers, as much as 50% off discounts can be had on, baby gears, women's dresses, coats, sandals, men's clothing, and winter pieces on brands that include - but are not limited to Decleor, Dr. Martens, Dior, Cashmere, and Military.

To avail of these big discounts and price slashes, shoppers don't even need any codes. These offers are, however, good and valid only to US shoppers.

The list can only get better, and the discounts can only get higher. NordStrom has a lot in store for the active outdoorsmen with a 55% discount on all men's active and outdoor apparel, as well as on men's jeans. And while the men may have a lot of reason to dress up for, come Valentine's Season, NordStrom makes sure the women are not to be left under-dressed for their dates - outdoors or otherwise - with 65% discounts on all women's designer collections including sunnies, shoes, pants, capris, dresses, designer sweats, yoga, sports, and outdoor apparels.

NordStrom Special Offer
NordStrom special offers are regular things that shoppers can keep watch of. These special offers of NordStrom to their US shoppers come mostly in forms of rock-bottom prices for regular items such as the 2014 offers on all junior apparel and accessories starting at only $12, women's new arrival clothing starting at only $18, and women's designer items starting only at $45.

This NordStrom list of 2014 special offers extends beyond the closet. For shoppers who feel like they need to redo their home's 2014 look, home and garden deals are also available starting from $4.9.

Looking Ahead to Valentine's Day 2014 Deals
NordStrom knows that the next most awaited holiday after the New Year is the Valentine's Day. With or without dates, NordStrom understands that shoppers can't wait to prep up for the day. With this in mind, the Special NordStrom US Valentine's Deal can already be enjoyed as early as January with Valentine's Day gifts offered starting at only $6. The gift selection are as wide and as varied as watches, jewelries, dresses for Valentine's, or as safe as a gift card.

Another gift card promotion for the US market lets you buy a gift card between $25 to $1000. Offering a NordStrom gift card as low as $25 enables students, teenagers, and basically their non-earning following to make a good impression on their recipients as one with classy, impeccable tastes in brand selection.

The NordStrom Bi-Annual Sales
NordStrom regularly holds bi-annual sales. For kids' and women's clothing, these regular bi-annual sales are held in May and November. And just when shoppers are beginning to think that the mid-year June and July months are long and boring, NordStrom comes through for them with men's clothing sale at June, and the NordStrom Anniversary sale in July.

NordStrom Retail Credit Card and Debit Card
There's an even bigger, better way of enjoying more savings and rewards throughout the year with the NordStrom Rewards Card. Shoppers have the option of choosing between the NordStrom Retail, the NordStrom Debit Card, and the NordStrom Visa Signature Card.

With no annual fee and with very competitive APRs, the NordStrom Retail Credit and Debit Cards are classy addition to your wallet's shopping power. Every use of the card earns you 2 points for every net dollar spent at NordStrom, NordStrom.com, and NordStrom Rack. An accumulated 2,000 points entitles you to a $20 NordStrom Note that can be used to redeem any item of your choice at NordStrom.

What's great about the cards is that shoppers don't even need to wait to earn the 2,000 points to enjoy the cards' benefits and privileges. Simply by purchasing any item at $100 or above with your NordStrom card upon the day of application, shoppers can already enjoy a $20 NordStrom Note.

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Monday, February 3, 2014

Sharon Randall: Between major awards: daily life

My Aunt Hazel used to say, "I just go a-fightin' all the time."

I know what she meant.

This morning I had several things I planned to do after my husband left for work. Shop for groceries. Pick up dry cleaning. Call my sister. Split a few atoms.

I wanted to get it all done by noon and spend the rest of the day working on a novel I ought to have finished years ago.

Over coffee, my husband said he had to be at work early for a meeting. He thought that would make me offer to pack his lunch for him while he took a shower.

He was right. He padded off to the bathroom singing and I started rummaging in the fridge for leftovers. We'd had gnocchi the night before. I was sure we had extra, but couldn't find it. I was about to go ask him if he'd eaten it when I heard him yell.

It was the kind of yell that says something bad has happened. And usually, it involves blood.

I made it from the kitchen to the bathroom in two seconds flat. And there he stood, the man of my dreams, with water gushing over him, holding the faucet handle he had somehow broken off the wall.

I wish you could've seen him. Well, not all of him. It reminded me of the night we went for a walk and a bulldog jumped over a fence and bit him on the arm.

"I need a screwdriver!" he sputtered, "or a wrench!"

Actually, what we needed was a plumber. But first we needed to shut off the water. I grabbed my laptop to search for a phone number and he got dressed to go out and find the water main.

Somehow, I recalled the name of a plumber we'd used years ago. I dialed his number and prayed he hadn't retired.

Mario answered, God bless him. He was on a job across town, but could be at our place in about an hour.

I kissed him through the phone. Then I ran out to find my husband kneeling prostrate over the water main as if in prayer.

"Spiders," he said, pointing into the hole. "Black widows."

"Oh my," I said, stepping back. He pulled on gloves and reached in to grip the lever. It didn't budge. Not even a little. And it was almost time for his meeting.

"Go," I said, "I'll figure it out."

So he left and I stayed to figure it out - with a little help from my new best friends, Mario and his brother Rico, and the lovely woman at the water district office who took my call and sent someone to shut off our water.

After they left, I hooked up a hose to drain the water heater. (Mario said it should be drained twice a year and the last time we had drained it was never.)

By then it was afternoon and I was starved. So I grabbed lunch, picked up the dry cleaning, got groceries, came home and put it all away. Then I called my sister. She's been under the weather henderson nv. I thought the shower story would cheer her up. It did. We laughed so hard we had coughing fits.

Next thing I knew, it was time for dinner, and I still hadn't spent a minute on the book.

Life is often measured by major accomplishments - awards won, fortunes made, creative works completed.

But it's lived in the smallest of moments - in the everyday, ordinary efforts to take care of our homes and our things and ourselves and those we love.

That's the stuff of life. There is nothing more important.

My mother didn't finish high school. She waited tables and worked in a mill and spent her life caring for her family. I couldn't be prouder of her.

I will finish that book, Lord willing. But if I'm remembered, I hope it's for this: I adored my children and grandchildren; I stood by my husband in his time of need, breaking showers or battling spiders; I was grateful for angels posing as plumbers; and once in a while, I managed to make my sister laugh.

I could do worse.

Every day, we go a-fightin'. The best we can do is take it as it comes and try to figure it out.

Sharon Randall can be contacted at P.O. Box 777394, Henderson NV 89077, or at www.sharonrandall.com.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Christy Mack, Porn Star, Offers Blow Job For Best Lego Creation

Lego enthusiasts across the nation, unite! Porn star Christy Mack took to Twitter with an idea that will make sure you put your building skills to good use:

She's offering oral sex to the person who builds the Online Deals creation.

Seriously. Her exact words: "Whoever builds me the best Lego creation to put in my house gets a blow job." Sounds like an unbeatable offer, right?

Maybe, maybe not. Regardless of whether you've heard of Christy Mack, or find her attractive, the idea of a blow job from a porn star will appeal to some.

However, building a Lego creation worthy of winning the prize?

Unlike the winner of this contest ... the creation itself is not going to come easy. You're gonna have to invest serious time and possibly money here.

All for something that's going to last about as long as Sean Lowe when he finally got Catherine Giudici into bed Sunday night. Talk about ephemeral.

If we're not being clear, Christy clearly knows what she's doing in this arena, and it's not going to take her long to bring your reward to completion.

The Lego creating, on the other hand, will take you an eternity.

If Mack were offering, say, monthly blow jobs for an entire year, or threw in the occasional hand relief as an added bonus, then we'd be talking.

Under the current terms of the deal, however? We're not sure we would jump at the opportunity. Now if it were Kate Upton ... okay, never mind.

As for why Christy is so into Legos, it's not clear. Maybe she has kids? Or just has enjoyed building with the bricks since she was a kid? Who knows, people.

The contest ends on March 1, FYI. Get crackin' fellas.

Five of the best January transfer deals

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Shane Long of Hull City applauds the fans after the Barclays Premier League match against Crystal Palace

With just over a day left in the January transfer window, several clubs have been busy.

Here could be five of the Best Deals made this January.

Juan Mata (Chelsea to Manchester United, £37.1million)

This could the signing that sparks the revival at Old Trafford, with one of the Premier League's best players in recent years being effectively shown the door at Chelsea by Jose Mourinho. Mata has a World Cup and European Championship winners' medal with Spain, and the 25-year-old is just the sort of top-quality player that United have been sorely lacking in midfield.

Luuk De Jong (Borussia Moenchengladbach to Newcastle, loan)

Newcastle have long had eyes on Holland international striker De Jong, who flourished under Steve McClaren at FC Twente - including scoring 32 goals in one season - but whose career stalled after a big money move to Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach. He is still young at 23, and if Alan Pardew can restore his confidence then he could be a steal.

Lacina Traore (Monaco to Everton, loan)

The 'gentle giant', all 6ft 8in of him, chose Everton over West Ham after Monaco offered him out on loan. Though the Ivory Coast striker is only 23, he made a name for himself as one of the best strikers in the Russian Premier League with Kuban Krasnodar and Anzhi Makhachkala. Everton fans will also like the fact he has scored a winner against Liverpool in the past.

Mohamed Salah (Basle to Chelsea, £11million).

Goal-scoring winger who tormented Chelsea in the three matches he played against them for Basle. The fleet-footed Egyptian international scored in all three games, and impressed Jose Mourinho so much he used some of the income from Mata's sale to buy him. Chelsea players have likened his style to that of Arjen Robben.

Shane Long (West Brom to Hull, £6.5million)

If you are a club with ambitions of a secure but unflashy mid-table spot in the Premier League, then Shane Long is your man. Hard-working, nimble, and - given the ammunition - a clinical finisher, Hull's move for Long proved the Tigers will spend big to remain in the Premier League's jungle.

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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

'Veronica Mars' TV Series To Stream On Amazon Prime

Deal Now and Warners Bros Domestic TV Distribution have inked a deal to stream the Veronica Mars TV series exclusively on Amazon Prime. The series, starring Kristen Bell, will be available starting today, ahead of the March 14 premiere of the Veronica Mars movie, famously funded by a history-making Kickstarter campaign. The announcement comes a day after CBS and Amazon announced an exclusive streaming deal for upcoming CBS summer series Extant starring Halle Berry. The TV series,created by screenwriter Rob Thomas, first premiered in 2004. The show is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and follows a high school student (Bell) who moonlights as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father. The movie reached its Kickstarter goal of $2 million in just 10 hours back in March. At the end of the 31-day campaign, fans contributed $5.7 million, making Veronica Mars the number one funded project in the film category and the third-highest funded project in Kickstarter history. Here's today's full release:

SEATTLE-Jan. 9, 2014-Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that Prime Instant Video will be the exclusive online-only subscription home for streaming the TV series Veronica Mars in a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Beginning today, Prime customers can enjoy all three seasons of the popular Warner Bros. Television series starring Kristen Bell, and get caught up just in time for the March 14 debut of the Veronica Mars movie.

"The Veronica Mars series has been popular on DVD and Amazon Instant Video for years, so we know how much Amazon customers love this iconic television show," said Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition. "We are excited to become the exclusive subscription streaming home for Veronica Mars and to be able to offer the entire TV series to Prime members to enjoy at no additional charge. With the movie coming on March 14, both die-hard fans and new viewers can easily catch-up on this great show."

"We are thrilled to have Prime Instant Video as a digital distribution outlet for the Veronica Mars TV series," said Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. "Digital distribution platforms such as Amazon's and licensing deals such as this allow the consumer great opportunities whether they're die-hard fans who just can't get enough or a new consumer turned fan who has discovered a fabulous show with dozens of new episodes."

The Veronica Mars movie is coming to select theaters nationwide on March 14th and was made possible by a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign driven by fans of the television show. Launched by Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell, the Kickstarter campaign unleashed an unprecedented level of fan enthusiasm and support, reaching the project goal of $2 million in just 10 hours. At the end of the 31-day campaign, fans contributed $5.7 million, making Veronica Mars the number one funded project in the film category and the third-highest funded project in Kickstarter history. It is the most widely supported Kickstarter campaign ever with more than 91,000 backers, who have remained engaged throughout production with frequent behind-the-scenes updates from Thomas and the film's cast and crew. Amazon Payments handles all the payment processing for funds raised on all Kickstarter projects in the United States.

Veronica Mars is an American television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas, which first premiered in 2004. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and follows a high school student (Kristen Bell) who moonlights as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father.

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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Stock Market Today: Dish's Wireless Deal and Family Dollar's Bad News

Amazon SalesAlthough we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

Expect a strong start to the stock market today, as the DJINDICES: Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI ) gained 53 points in premarket trading this morning. Investors may bid stocks higher in advance of expected good news from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which will release its monthly payroll report tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST. That announcement should show continued improvement in the job market, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 7% and roughly 200,000 jobs created in December.

Meanwhile, news is breaking this morning on a few stocks that could see heavy trading in today's session, including NASDAQ: Dish Network ( DISH ) , Family Dollar ( ) , and SUPERVALU ( ) .

Dish Network will officially cancel its offer for LightSquared today, according to The Wall Street Journal. Dish bid $2.2 billion for the bankrupt company's mobile frequency assets in an auction last year, but complications have developed over negotiations with creditors. Those wireless assets would have been valuable to Dish as it looks to push into the growing market for mobile broadband. Dish's stock is unchanged in premarket trading.

Family Dollar this morning reported disappointing results for its fiscal first quarter. Revenue ticked higher by 3.2% to $2.5 billion -- but that was all due to the addition of new stores, as sales at existing locations fell by 2.8%. Profit ,at $0.68 a share, also came in below expectations. Family Dollar did manage to improve its gross profit to 34.4% of sales, though, which is impressive given the intensely promotional environment in the industry. Yet the company had more bad news for investors, as it announced the departure of its president and COO, Mike Bloom, while slicing its financial outlook for the rest of the year. The stock is down 7% in premarket trading.

Finally, SUPERVALU said this morning that sales ticked lower by 1% in its fiscal third quarter, to hit $4.01 billion. The grocery chain saw earnings climb to $0.12 a share, as compared to the $0.07 loss it booked a year ago. Those profit and sales figures were both slightly below analyst expectations. Still, cost cuts helped profitability jump by more than a percentage point in the quarter, to reach 14.2% of sales. The stock is unchanged in premarket trading.

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Save Up to 70% off with the Joann Fabrics Coupon Codes for January 2014

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Try On Virtual Makeup and Pay With Your Hand with Retail Tech at CES 2014

Traditionally the International Consumer Electronics Show is an event that offers a glimpse of the future in technology from a consumer perspective. CES 2014 is no different-but it wasn't just a glitzy keynote by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer that was creating buzz. Also on display were several technological innovations that suggest a whole new retail world is right around the corner.

For one thing, retail will literally get a facelift with the new "3D Augmented Reality Makeup and Anti-Aging Beauty Mirror" (quite a mouthful) from ModiFace. This gadget lets consumers at cosmetics counters simulate makeup products-blushes, lipsticks and eye shadows-and anti-aging skincare effects, such as dark spot correction, facelift, browlift, cheek volume enhancement and jaw contouring. The consumer simply stands in front of the Beauty Mirror and uses a touchscreen to work magic in real time and in full 3D. The technology works both on a stand-alone store kiosk, or as an app that can be used on a smartphone or tablet.

"Our new 3D Beauty Mirror is a marketing breakthrough for retailers and beauty brands, particularly for cosmetic counters," says KyungMoon Lee, ModiFace Executive Director of Engineering, in a press release. "It's not only a try-before-you-buy tool in the store or at home, but also a way to capture consumers' interest as they walk store aisles."

The retail revolution will not be taking place just at merchandise counters, but also at the point-of-sale. Next on the horizon is a whole new way to pay-the biometric scanner. At CES, PulseWallet demonstrated a point-of-sale system that scans the customer's hands as a unique security method. When a first time payment is made, the customer swipes a card, punches in a phone number and gets a hand scan. Subsequent purchases in-store can be made just with the hand scan, eliminating the need to swipe a card again.

Seems as if bitcoins will penetrate the world of retail as well. This virtual currency has largely been relegated to online speculating, but several new products promise to lift awareness and usage of bitcoin as a way to pay for virtually anything, including a "bitcoin ATM" that converts paper currency into bitcoins, and a newly launched e-commerce site, BitcoinShop.us, a kind of amazon store card.com that uses bitcoins as the exclusive method of payment.

Last but not least is tracking technology, most notably Apple's iBeacon, which lets retailers target consumers who are in or near their stores with a high degree of accuracy. CES is showing off the technology via a kind of high-tech scavenger hunt at this week's event. Using the CES mobile app, visitors can "collect badges for encountering the location-aware Bluetooth iBeacons placed throughout the CES showfloor." It may be an emerging technology, but iBeacon is already planned for implementation in Apple stores, of course, and some major retailers, including Macy's. In fact, the chain plans to introduce it in its San Francisco and New York City stores within weeks.

One of iBeacon's advantages, according to Shopkick, is the technology's application to both online and offline shopping: "It can also tie at-home browsing to in-store benefit-if [a customer] 'likes' a specific product in the app, shopBeacon can remind her when she enters the store that sells it. It can also deliver department-specific offers throughout the store..." iBeacon competitors, like Qualcomm's "Gimbal Context Aware Platform," are already entering the fray.

There could be a backlash from some technologies such as iBeacon, however: They may be simply too intrusive for a customer's comfort. Already, Nordstrom felt the heat from consumers who, during a test of a new WiFi system, didn't like having their actions tracked in stores.

This is just the beginning of a brave new retail world-and consumers have yet to weigh in on just how much technology they want to help them shop.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

ESPN: Current Mets Payroll About $86 Million

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York did some calculations tonight, and came to the conclusion that the current Mets payroll is just shy of $86 million.

To reach that number, Rubin added up contracts that are already on the books, what arbitration eligible players are slated to make, and what it will cost to round the roster out after that.

According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Mets had an opening day payroll in 2013 that was just north of $93 million. However, the Mets' accounting had last year's payroll at $87 million.

Earlier this offseason, general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters that the 2014 payroll would not be lower than the 2013 payroll. If the Mets make any other signings of note this offseason, the 2014 payroll will indeed be above the 2013 payroll.

Let's get this out of the way...

A team in New York, that's entrenched and has been around for over 50 years, should not be operating with a payroll between $85 million and $95 million.

The Mets, though, just emerged from the Bernard Madoff mess, are coming off five straight losing seasons (that's resulted in plummeting attendance), and just shed a couple of burdensome contracts.

Additionally, even though the payroll will likely be relatively light heading into 2014, the Mets did invest significant dollars this offseason in curtis granderson espn Granderson, Bartolo Colon, and Chris Young. There's also a decent possibility they'll sign Stephen Drew as well.

The Mets' payroll should be higher. As is noted above, though, there are lots of reasons why it hasn't yet returned to where it should be.

That's not something most fans will accept, but no one will care if the team plays well.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow@RisingAppleBlog on Twitter and Instagram, and Like Rising Apple's Facebook page to keep up with the latest news, rumors, and opinion.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

AAP-Cong deal now obvious BJP | The Asian Age

<Best Dealsp>The BJP on Saturday alleged the "match-fixing" between Congress and Aam Admi Party is becoming obvious with each passing day and the ruling party at the Centre is using it's B-team to take on Narendra Modi as it does not have the capacity to face him.
"The Congress does not have the capacity to take on Modi and reply to his arguments. Hence, it has struck an alliance with Aam Admi Party," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said. BJP, which is reportedly concerned about the growing popularity of AAP across the country, dismissed Mr Kejriwal's party as one of elites and not the common people. The party claimed AAP and Congress are not a threat.
"They know Narendra Modi will unfurl the tricolour at Red Fort this Independence day," Mr Hussain said.
Dismissing AAP, he added "people are fast losing their trust in AAP. Their views have changed not in days but in hours."
He recalled that while earlier AAP had promised to put Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit in "handcuffs" for her alleged involvement for corruption charges against her government soon after coming to power, they have done nothing. "Congress too has failed to carry out its threats against AAP", he added.
"Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had announced that the government will probe the source of foreign funding of AAP but is now silent," Mr Hussain said.
In reply to a question on AAP leader Yogendra Yadav's remarks that his party wants to see Mr Kejriwal as Prime Minister, the BJP leader said "the Indian Constitution has given the right to everybody to become the Prime Minister. Every supporter sees his leader as a prospective PM."