Employee theft, shoplifting/organized retail crime (ORC) and administrative error are the top sources of loss impacting retailers, according to an annual survey by the University of Florida with a funding grant from security systems integrator Tyco Integrated Security and Tyco Retail Solutions, a global provider of retail performance and security solutions.

The 2011 National Retail Security Survey found that retail shrinkage in 2011 was 1.42 percent, down from 1.49 percent in 2010. This works out to an approximate $35.28 billion annual loss to retailers because of preventable inventory issues, with 44.2 percent due to employee theft, 25.8 percent to shoplifting and ORC, and 12.1 percent to administrative error. Despite the fact that overall shrink was down, which University of Florida criminologist Richard Hollinger, who conducted the survey, attributed to retailers’ implementation of effective loss prevention solutions to protect their assets, the most affected industry, supermarket/grocery, reported a loss of 2.54 percent, 1.12 percent above the average.

“Of the major causes of shrinkage reported by retailers, grocery stores and supermarkets reported 44 percent attributed to employee theft, 33.3 percent to shoplifting/ORC, 9.9 percent to administrative error, and 6.3 percent to vendor fraud,” Lee Pernice, director of business development, national accounts for Boca Raton, Fla.-based Tyco Integrated Security, told Progressive Grocer.

“Due to their multifaceted supply chains, as well as diverse store operations and departments, the level of risk and exposure of supermarkets to loss are often higher,” continued Pernice. “Additionally, during a down economy, high unemployment and tight budgets typically generate a rise in the shoplifting of essentials like food, as some consumers turn to this activity to help feed their families, or organized retail crime rings sell items on the black or gray market to those in need. In addition, baby formula is, and has always been, one of the most frequently stolen items.”

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/industry-intelligence/id36781/u-s-retailers-lost-35-28b-plus-to-theft-in-2011-survey/

It looks like the Iranian Navy really wanted people to see its new submarine. In a live broadcast on state TV on Wednesday, the Islamic Republic showed off a new Sina 7 submarine that is painted in an unusually bright turquoise blue hue.

So, why exactly would any military want to design its ship in a color that can be easily spotted ? The Daily Mail speculates that the ship's designers mistakenly chose the color, believing it would help the craft blend in with the ocean's waters.

Launched from Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, the Sina 7 and two Ghadir-class submarines represent the first wave of the country's "indigenously built" warships, Iran said.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/iran-unveils-unusually-colored-blue-submarine-211724188.html

We all live in a Yellow Submarine?

The battle has been joined in Missouri over Medicaid with publication of a new study that says expansion of the program would bring billions in benefits. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., took a strong stand in favor of the measure Wednesday and Gov. Jay Nixon, as expected, has highlighted his support for Medicaid expansion as well.

Leaders in the health care community are also turning up the volume as the Affordable Care Act takes hold, putting pressure on legislators to act.

In Kansas City Thursday morning, the Star reported that Nixon announced that he plans to push lawmakers to expand the public health insurance program for the poor to include an estimated 300,000 uninsured Missourians.

Missouri Republicans, who hold super majorities in both legislative chambers, have steadfastly opposed the idea. But Nixon, a Democrat, said he’s come to the conclusion that the expansion is “the smart thing to do, and it is the right thing to do.”

https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/content/28231/expanding_missouri_medicaid_112812?coverpage=2223

The owner of Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis was one of 15 small business owners who met with President Obama today.

Lew Prince is a member of Business for Shared Prosperity, an organization that is pushing Congress to end the Bush-era tax cuts for the top two percent.

Prince says the meeting at the White House this afternoon was unusual because no one was asking for anything for themselves.

“These were small businesses that were in the room because they thought tax cuts for the wealthy do not stimulate the economy and that long-term tax reform and tax planning was the way to solve the debt crisis.”

http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/vintage-vinyl-owner-among-small-business-leaders-white-house-meeting

Michelle Smith is transgender.

She came out early Tuesday night and was the first of 92 people who signed up to give public testimony.

She had a steadfast delivery for the first part of her comments in favor of the ordinance. Then Smith started thinking about her friends and her voice got a little shaky.

“I know a lot of transgender people who are scared every time they go to their job, I have a transgender friend who was fired,” Smith said.

After two hours of public comments, the updated non-discrimination ordinance that includes beefed up projections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in the workplace passed by vote of four to three.

Most of speakers after Smith testified against the ordinance, many said it would violate their religious beliefs.

http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-county-council-updates-non-discrimination-ordinance-include-lgbt-persons

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and others are asking President Obama for an emergency declaration to keep commerce moving along the Mississippi River. Many fear without it Missouri and other states face an economic disaster.

Last Friday, the Army Corps of Engineers began reducing the flow of water from the Missouri River into the Mississippi. Predictions are the water will get so low around St. Louis that in two weeks, barge traffic will be restricted and might have to come to a halt. An estimated $7 billion of cargo normally travels the stretch of river from St. Louis to Cairo, Illinois in December and January. And many of the items are things we use on a daily basis.

“Anything from coal to grains for exports, cements for building products, sugar for food products, petroleum products that keep the refineries open, finished steel, raw materials for steel mills, salt for road salt to keep us safe on the highways for winter time,” explained Marty Hettel, Senior Manager of Bulk Sales for AEP River Operations and a member of the Waterways Council.

It would take 10,000 trucks and 2500 rail cars to transport the same amount of goods that go up and down the Mississippi River on a daily basis.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Sen-Roy-Blunt-asking-Obama-for-emergency-declaration-due-to-low-river-levels-181120551.html

ST. LOUIS • Abdul Shakoor was playing chess, but his mind was not on the game — at least not on his game.
Shakoor, 42, glanced down at his board, made a move and then shifted his attention back to what mattered most: his daughter’s match at the next table.

It was a recent Friday night at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center in the Central West End, and Shakoor was worried that Diamond, 11, had lost concentration.

To say that Shakoor, a single father, harbors lofty ambitions for Diamond is an understatement.

He compares her to a young Serena Williams. Or a female Tiger Woods.

“I have a feeling she is going to be a female world champion,” he said.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/684645da-aa22-5f96-97af-aa8e599ce8b3.html

Florissant, MO: VOODOO FIGHTER RESTORED: Thanks to help from many local persons and businessmen, the McDonnell Douglas built jet near the Civic Center has been restored. Vandals had set fire to the F-101 jet back in May causing extensive damage, Voodoo Fighter Jet that sits on the top of the hill next to the James J. Eagan Center.

Restoration of the F-101 Voodoo Fighter Jet that sits on the top of the hill next to the James J. Eagan Center has been completed. The historic plane was in need of restoration after vandals damaged it in May. The vandals set the plane on fire and painted graffiti on it.

The plane was originally commissioned in 1960. It was dedicated in Florissant in 2004. The plane was built by McDonnell Douglas.

http://www.flovalleynews.com/volunteers-help-restore-historic-voodoo-f-101

This is from an email sent out by a local camera store Creve Couer Camera and I thought it worth passing along.

It's that time of year, Thanksgiving, so get out your camera and be ready to take lots of pictures of family and the wonderful food you can't wait to dive into.

Don't forget to photograph the atmosphere, the food, and the decorations.

When photographing food, remember to:
- Play with your angles - Don't just take photos from straight on, change your angle from low to high.
- Get in close - Take a look at your food by taking close-up shots. If your camera has a macro focusing mode, experiment with it.
- Keep the flash off - Raise the ISO. Food is delicate and your flash can be harsh and make the food look like plastic. Turn on as many lights as possible and pull back curtains to let outdoor light flow into the house.

When photographing people, remember that your table is a great place to take photos before everyone digs in or if they are eating...don't show the half eaten food. Zoom in on the faces!

For a great family photo - At one end of the table have a few people sitting and others gathered around the chairs. You may have to stand on a chair or step stool for the best angle.
For those kitchen photos - Take photos of family members preparing the food, carving the turkey, and just having fun!
For Candids - Remember, candids can be the funniest pictures taken, always have your camera available for that quick photographic moment.

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, Demos has released a new report showing how raising wages in the retail sector would benefit not just workers but the economy as a whole. The study looks at what would happen if the lowest-paid retail employees earned $25,000 a year (the current average is $21,000 for retail sales people and just $18,500 for cashiers).

More than 700,000 Americans would be lifted out of poverty; nearly the same number would rise from near poverty to above 150 percent of the poverty line. Because families living near the poverty line tend to spend almost every penny they have, the additional wages would likely go right back into the economy — Demos estimates that the GDP would increase between $11.8 and $15.2 billion over the next year, leading employers to create an additional 100,000 jobs. The retail sector itself would earn an additional $4 to $5 billion from its own workers. Another way the wage increase might help pay for itself is through greater productivity and higher sales generated by happier workers.


http://billmoyers.com/2012/11/20/tis-the-season/