INDICATORS

REUTERS - Wrapping up that unwanted picture frame from last Christmas
and giving it to someone else as a gift might not be as taboo as it once
was, according to a study released on Wednesday. The survey of 1,505
American adults, conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive,
found that over half of the respondents admitted to "re-gifting" with
passing on gifts becoming a far more common and acceptable phenomenon.
In fact 78 percent of consumers who were polled felt that it was
acceptable to re-gift some or most of the time.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=
2006-10-05T123059Z_01_NA4209052_RTRUKOC_0_US-LIFE-REGIFTING.xml

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PR WATCH - "Wal-Mart Stores accounts for 65% of Latino music sold in the
U.S. -- more than double the giant retailer's market share in the
general market," writes Ad Age. "Now, it wants to get even better at
marketing to Hispanics." The plan involves "revamping hundreds of stores
during the next two years," according to Simon El Hage of Lopez Negrete
Communications. . . The new model is on display at a Houston, Texas,
prototype store. The prototype features a larger "Hispanic-oriented dry
grocery" and an in-store bakery, run by "an outside Hispanic operator."
El Hage stressed the importance of rural Hispanics to Wal-Mart, saying,
"Because the general-market population is aging, guess who's going into
rural America today? Latinos. So the new rural format for Wal-Mart will
also have to accommodate the new Latino."

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/

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THREE CITIES AGREE TO HELP EACH WHILE WAITING FOR FEDERAL & STATE CRISIS
AID

JESSIE HALLADAY, USA TODAY - Louisville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis
city officials have agreed to offer one another emergency resources in
case of natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other catastrophic
events. In one of the first agreements of its kind in the nation, the
cities have pledged to help each other when a disaster overwhelms one of
them. "While we wait for the (state or federal) bureaucracy to make a
decision about whether or not (to issue) a disaster declaration, you can
get immediate help," said Doug Hamilton, director of the Louisville
Metro Emergency Management Agency. . . The agreement outlines procedures
for the cities to provide police, firefighters and emergency medical
service, public works or other public service employees as needed. To
get assistance, the mayor of the city in need would declare a local
state of emergency and contact the other two cities to request
resources.

http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2006/10/09/daily6.html?jst=b_ln_hl

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