J.Crew proves the enduring power of the catalog

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Sure, J.Crew wants to get you in the store, but catalog and online sales are just as important to the retailer.

By Michelle Fox, CNBC Producer

Online spending may be increasing, but the venerable catalog is doing anything but fading away. In fact, it is still an important part of business for retailers.

?It?s basically a marketing tool,? said retail analyst Eric Beder, a managing director at Brean Murray, Carret & Co. ?The beauty of a catalog is that you don?t have to go online to see it, so you can use it anywhere.?

More than 12.5 billion catalogs were mailed out to homes in the U.S. last year, according to the Direct Marketing Association, the largest global association for the marketing community.? And there are still those who use the catalog for what it was originally intended for: More than 89.6 million Americans bought an item from a catalog last year .

CNBC: Power brokers?of?the fashion industry

But these days it is more than just a means to allow customers to order merchandise from the privacy of their homes. Retailers are relying on it to draw in business and spread their brand?s name.

J.Crew, which began as a mail-order business, now has over 300 stores across the U.S. and Canada but it still mails out 40 million catalogs per year.

Because of the marketing punch they pack, J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler, goes over every issue with a fine-tooth comb before it's published.

CNBC: Steve Jobs and Mickey Drexler, a tale of two retailers
??
?I?m looking at the color; I?m looking at the clarity of a picture, the newness, the creativity,? Drexler said.

Roughly 30 percent of J.Crew's revenue comes from online and catalog sales ? the two are tightly intertwined.

?Most of our business goes from catalog to online,? Drexler said. ?I?m always looking at the turn-on item or category or outfit that will drive them to want to shop at J.Crew instead of the millions of choices out there.?

CNBC: J.Crew & The Man Who Dressed America

A couple of years ago, some retailers decided to cut back on publishing catalogs in order to save money. That move proved to be a hard lesson in the power of the catalog, said Ken Ebeling, senior vice president of membership at the Direct Marketing Association.

?Sales plummeted,? he said. ?They realized if they don?t keep their catalogs out there, their e-commerce will decline.?

In fact, some businesses that have never published catalogs before have decided now they want in.

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?
Apparel retailer Express ?has always done direct mail, but about a year and a half ago decided to publish catalogs. It not only shows up in mailboxes, but on different channels like Facebook as well.

?Our twenty-something customer makes little delineation between channels.? She or he enjoys viewing our catalogue online, in her mailbox or on his phone, so we make sure our fashion is always available no matter where our customers want to view it,? Express CMO Lisa Gavales said. ?That said, we haven?t seen any virtual viewing work as well as a good, old fashioned paper catalog.?

New York and Company, another fashion retailer, refers to its new catalog as a ?fashion book.? Titled ?The City,? it not only highlights the company?s products, it also includes nuggets of information about New York. The first edition was published in March of this year, and the second edition came out in May.

CNBC: America?s best-dressed CEOs

?Our assortments are right, our brand is right. We wanted to get out there and express our brand in a way that we never really have before,? New York and Company spokesperson Suzanne Rosenberg said. ?We?ve had a good reaction, both online and in stores.?

Beder believes companies can become more focused within the catalogs and can tailor them for specific events or a certain customer base.

?I think that the trend is going to continue,? he said. ?If anything, we?ve seen more people add catalogs than drop them.?

?J.Crew & The Man Who Dressed America? premieres Thursday, May 24 at 10 p.m. ET, with a re-air at 1 a.m. ET. Below, CNBC's David Faber shares a preview of the program.

?

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'Lost' co-creator regrets promising answers

Mario Perez / ABC

Jack's days on the island ended in the "Lost" series finale, but many unanswered questions remained for fans.

By Ree Hines

The final episode of "Lost" aired two years ago, but for fans of the mystery, talk about that finale and the unanswered questions it left behind never ended. Some loved it, some hated it and many didn't understand it. But "Lost" writer, producer and co-creator Damon Lindelof has no regrets about how it all played out.

He does, however, regret what he promised before the end.

"If there was one regret that I had (it's that) there were times, over the course of the show, where in interviews I said 'the answers are coming,'" he confessed during a chat with The Verge.

Lindelof explained that as the end drew nearer, his position changed. He said he even warned that those who wanted answers wouldn't be happy with the finale.

But he is happy with those loose ends.

?I take responsibility and authorship for 'Lost,' and in terms of my own feelings about the ending, I make no apologies for it," he insisted. "I do feel like that was the ending that I wanted to do, and I was always comfortable with the ambiguity of the show."

What do you think about Lindelof's comments? And what do you think of the "Lost" finale looking back on it now? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Bin Laden film got no Special Ops help: U.S. admiral

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Padres' offense busts out in win vs. Mets

By HOWIE RUMBERG

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:49 a.m. ET May 25, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) - Padres manager Bud Black tried spinning a tale about extra batting practice in the cages during the rain delay to explain why his offense came alive when the game resumed.

He couldn't do it. The swings that counted were just too good.

Will Venable hit a pair of RBI doubles and Cameron Maybin had two run-scoring singles as San Diego started hitting the moment the tarp came off and beat the New York Mets 11-5 on Thursday night.

"Started raking in the cage and we carried it over out on the field," Black said before giving long pause, followed by a deadpan "no," while trying to contain a smile.

"I thought all night long the guys had really good at-bats," he said after the laughter died down. That was probably, obviously, the best offensive night we had all year."

Jesus Guzman hit a two-run double in a four-run third to help the Padres rebound from being swept in a three-game series in St. Louis. Everth Cabrera had a career-high four hits and Eric Stults (1-0) pitched five innings to earn his first win with San Diego.

Fielding a lineup in which the 6-7-8 batters all had averages under .200, the Padres set a season-high for runs and had their best effort for hits with 18. Cabrera was just 2 for 21 coming in. Nick Hundley homered in the ninth to give every position player at least one hit.

"It was very encouraging just to see up and down the lineup to see the quality of at-bats the guys had," Hundley said. Watching guys like Will and Cabby and Chase just battle and grind. ... It's starting to come a little bit."

Both starters wearing No. 53 returned to the mound following a delay of 1 hour, 8 minutes after the second inning. Stults adjusted better than Jeremy Hefner (0-2), shutting down the Mets for three more innings.

Stults might have gone longer but he was hit by a comebacker on his triceps on the final out of the fourth inning and Black said that it started bothering Stults on breaking pitches after the fifth.

"I think it should be OK," Stults said.

David Wright hit a two-run homer off Matt Palmer in the sixth and he finished 3 for 5 to raise his average to .405 in the first game of the Mets' season-long 11-game homestand.

"He's in a zone like no other," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "His whole approach, I mean, you watch him get ready before a game starts. He's got a routine he sticks with. He believes in it and he gets himself ready to play."

Hefner was making his first big league start - against the team that drafted and signed him in 2007, when New York's current GM Sandy Alderson was running the Padres. Hefner twice chose college over signing with the Mets after they picked him in the 2004 and `05 drafts.

Alderson got Hefner back this winter off the waiver wire from Pittsburgh, which had the right-hander for a month.

Pitching in the rain from the start, Hefner gave up a hit in two innings and the Mets led 1-0 on an unearned run when the rain picked up and the tarp came out. Play resumed 1 hour, 8 minutes later.

"I hadn't experienced that in my career and so I didn't really have anything to base it off of. I felt fine," Hefner said about pitching after the long delay. "After the second inning, from then on, I didn't execute my pitches."

He promptly gave up a double down the third base line to Cabrera to restart the game. After Stults grounded out, the Padres scored four times on four straight hits.

Venable slapped an opposite-field RBI double just inside third base, Maybin had a run-scoring single, Yonder Alonso doubled and Guzman drove in two runs with a double for a 4-1 lead.

Venable and Maybin had RBI hits with two outs in fourth, ending Hefner's night. Venable finished with two hits a night after coming up a triple shy of the cycle.

Hefner gave up nine hits and six runs.

Stults gave up one hit after the wait. Overall, he allowed an unearned run and four hits in five innings. He was claimed off waivers by the Padres from the Chicago White Sox on May 17.

With 13 players on the disabled list, including starters Tim Stauffer, Cory Luebke and Dustin Moseley, Stults has been a nice addition for San Diego. In his first start, he allowed two runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings.

With Stults out, the Mets tried mounting a rally. Wright's homer to straightaway center field cut the lead to 6-3 and Scott Hairston followed with a single. But Brad Brach relieved and struck out the side.

The Mets scored a run in the second on Hundley's throwing error.

Ronny Cedeno batted leadoff for the fifth time in his eight-year career. He went 0 for 5.

NOTES: Mets manager Terry Collins said struggling 1B Ike Davis would not be sent to the minors to work on his swing. He said he'd be more selective in the matchups he chooses for Davis, who entered Thursday's game hitting .159 (23 for 145). Davis had a two-run pinch-hit single in the eighth... About 10 of Alonso's teammates watched his appearances on the MLB channel before batting practice. They gave him a round of applause when the interview was over. ... NYPD Officer Kevin Brennan, who was shot in the head Jan. 31, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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DeMarco: David Wright's hot bat ? he's hitting .405 ? makes him the pick for NL MVP thus far. But that's just for starters in our feature.

Padres' offense busts out in win vs. Mets

NEW YORK (AP) - Will Venable hit a pair of RBI doubles and Cameron Maybin had two run-scoring singles as the San Diego Padres broke out the offense after a long rain delay and beat the New York Mets 11-5 Thursday night.

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TripAdvisor expands City Guides, releases apps for 30 new cities

Android Central

Traveling to new areas can be both fun and exciting but it also has the potential to be rather frustrating at times. If you're not familiar with the area you are going to you may not know the best places to stay, the best places to eat and the attractions around that you will want to take in. For such cases, TripAdvisor has released quite a few city guides in the past to help those in need find all those things when traveling and now, they've gone ahead and added 30 new cities to the mix bringing the grand total of cities offered to 50. In addition to the new city offerings, they've added some new features to the apps as well:

  • Transit – Users can now view metro or subway stations on a map. Unique to City Guides, the “Nearby Station” feature helps travelers find the closest station to their current location, or to a particular restaurant, hotel, or attraction.
  • TripIdeas - TripIdeas are customized itinerary recommendations based on popular travel themes, such as traveling with family, foodie destinations, and places off the beaten path. Each itinerary includes beautiful large photos for inspiration. Users can keep track of their favorite TripIdeas in their “Saves” list.
  • Offline Map Update – Users can now fully customize their own maps. This feature displays saved destinations, metro stations, and any restaurants, hotels, and attractions of interest, to help travelers plan and have their perfect trip.

If you're looking to be planning a trip in the near future or have one already in the works, maybe TripAdvisor can help make that trip better. The full list of added cities can be found past the break and if you're looking for the full list of all TripAdvisor City Guides available, just hit the source link below to be taken to the Google Play Store listings.

Source: TripAdvisor, Google Play Store

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Diablo III becomes fastest-selling PC game ever, deluge of broken PC mice likely to follow

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Chalk one up for an at least temporary resurgence in PC gaming. Blizzard can vouch that Diablo III has set a new record for the fastest-selling PC game to date: at 3.5 million copies trading hands through Battle.net downloads or retailers in the first 24 hours, and 6.3 million after a week, that's a whole lot of people battling the biggest of Prime Evils in a very short time. Naturally, a Blizzard-obsessed South Korea is accounting for even more activity, where over 39 percent of play at local gaming houses can be pinned on the action RPG, and the tally doesn't even include the 1.2 million bonus copies coming through a World of Warcraft annual pass promo. Before console gamers start packing up their PlayStations and Xboxes in symbolic resignation, D3 isn't the record-setter for the most copies of any game sold in one day -- that distinction goes to Modern Warfare 3's 6.5 million copies spread across multiple platforms. That's still enough to spur on some furious clicking and possibly a glut of dead mouse buttons, but you'll be glad to know there are suitably-themed replacement mice waiting in the wings.

Continue reading Diablo III becomes fastest-selling PC game ever, deluge of broken PC mice likely to follow

Diablo III becomes fastest-selling PC game ever, deluge of broken PC mice likely to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Small Business Consulting Firm Fosters Continuous Improvement ...

There are many management strategies for improving quality and efficiency within a company. Lean and six sigma are two that have gotten a lot of attention lately in the business world. However, these strategies and others like them often fail to bring about the long-term changes that they promise because a company lacks a commitment to quality improvement. A small business consulting firm like the Connell Curtis Group knows that the first step to improving quality is fostering a culture that values innovation and efficiency.

Continuous quality improvement, often referred to as CQI, is a theory of management that came out of the manufacturing sector. Continuous quality improvement means there is a long-term commitment to improving the processes and systems within an organization through changes in the culture within the company.? A quality improvement culture is both client-centered and data-driven. Creating a quality improvement culture at a company takes time and resources. A company may struggle to invest the initial time it takes to train personnel and then continually monitor the processes. However, just like exercising or cleaning your room it may take quite a commitment to begin with, but once it becomes a habit it will be easier to maintain and improve upon. That is why the commitment to quality needs to begin with the leaders of a company.

Whether a company has 10 employees or 10,000, it is up to the executive management team to prioritize quality improvement and communicate it to their employees. Creating an organized and efficient work environment takes time and training, and employees need to know that despite their workload, quality is their first priority. A company?s leadership is responsible for defining the purpose and attributes of a company?s commitment to quality. This may be summarized and communicated through the company?s mission statement, by a separate statement of their commitment to quality, or in their strategic plan. Whatever the mechanism, it needs to be well published and visible to everyone in the company.

While a continuous quality improvement culture starts at the top of the organization, it must also be supported and implemented throughout the entire firm?in all departments, at all levels, and with external stakeholders. It may take time to integrate the whole organization, but having buy-in from middle management to front line staff is important to ensure that all products and services meet quality standards, which is the foundation of CQI. Because employees are vital to fostering a work environment that emphasizes quality, don?t forget about the recruitment process. Integrate questions and scenarios into the interview process that allows you to evaluate whether they understand the values of CQI. New employees are an opportunity to integrate new ideas and encourage avenues for innovation among employees, but you need to be sure they will be a good fit in your organization.

Some academics and business strategists believe that continuous quality improvement is the best possible business culture because it fosters collaboration, flexibility, and above all, innovation. Small businesses are able to quickly adapt to the needs of their customers. However, as the company grows and develops more complex processes and systems, many organizations become unable to adapt to changes in the markets as quickly.? Therefore, committing to developing, implementing, and fostering a continuous quality improvement culture can keep your company from becoming rigid.? With help from a small business consulting firm like the Connell Curtis Group, you can make certain that your organization not only puts the best quality processes and procedures in place, but has a quality improvement culture that ensures your success.

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Eager Egyptians hold landmark presidential vote

An Egyptian man shows his inked finger after casting his vote inside a polling station, in Giza, Egypt, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. More than 15 months after autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak's ouster, Egyptians streamed to polling stations Wednesday to freely choose a president for the first time in generations. (AP Photo/Mohammed Asad)

An Egyptian man shows his inked finger after casting his vote inside a polling station, in Giza, Egypt, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. More than 15 months after autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak's ouster, Egyptians streamed to polling stations Wednesday to freely choose a president for the first time in generations. (AP Photo/Mohammed Asad)

An Egyptian woman votes during the first day of the presidential election in a polling station in Alexandria, Egypt, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Egyptians went to the polls on Wednesday morning to elect a new president after the fall of ex-President Hosni Mubarak last year. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian man smiles as he waits in line to vote in the presidential election Wednesday, May 23, 2012, outside a polling station in Cairo, Egypt. Nearly a year and a half after the ouster of autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, millions of Egyptians lined up for hours outside polling stations Wednesday to freely choose a president for the first time in an election that pits old regime figures promising stability against ascending Islamists seeking to consolidate power. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

An Egyptian woman shows her inked finger after casting her vote inside a polling station, in Giza, Egypt, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. More than 15 months after autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak's ouster, Egyptians streamed to polling stations Wednesday to freely choose a president for the first time in generations. (AP Photo/Mohammed Asad)

Egyptian men wait in line to cast their votes outside a poling center, in Giza, Egypt, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. More than 15 months after autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak's ouster, Egyptians streamed to polling stations Wednesday to freely choose a president for the first time in generations. (AP Photo/Mohammed Asad)

(AP) ? After a lifetime of being told who will rule them, Egyptians dove enthusiastically into the uncertainty of the Arab world's first competitive presidential race Wednesday, wrestling with a polarizing choice between secularists rooted in Hosni Mubarak's old autocracy and Islamists hoping to infuse the state with religion.

Waiting in long lines, voters were palpably excited at the chance to decide their country's path in the vote, the fruit of last year's stunning popular revolt that overthew Mubarak after 29 years in power. For the past 60 years, Egypt's presidents ran unchallenged in yes-or-no referendums that few bothered to vote in.

Still, the choices raised worries among many about whether real democracy will emerge. The final result, likely to come after a runoff next month, will only open a new chapter of political struggle.

Mohammed Salah, 26, emerged grinning from a poll station, fresh from casting his ballot. "Before, they used to take care of that for me," he said. "Today, I am choosing for myself."

Medhat Ibrahim, 58, who suffers from cancer, had tears in his eyes. "I might die in a matter of months, so I came for my children, so they can live," he said, as he waited to vote in a poor Cairo district. "We want to live better, like human beings." He later came out flashing a finger stained with the blue ink used to prevent multiple voting. "Mubarak's policies gave me cancer," he said, referring to the decline in health care under the last regime. "Now I got my revenge."

Adding to the drama, this election is up in the air. The reliability of polls is uncertain, and four of the 13 candidates have bounced around the top spots, leaving no clear front-runner. None is likely to win outright in Wednesday and Thursday's balloting, so the top two vote-getters enter a run-off June 16-17, with the victor announced June 21.

The two secular front-runners are both veterans of Mubarak's regime ? former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and former foreign minister Amr Moussa.

The main Islamist contenders are Mohammed Morsi of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist whose inclusive platform has won him the support of some liberals, leftists and minority Christians.

The debate went right up to the doorsteps of schools around the country where poll stations were set up.

Some voters backed Mubarak-era veterans, believing they can bring stability after months of rising crime, a crumbling economy and bloody riots. Others were horrified by the thought, believing the "feloul" ? or "remnants" of the regime ? will keep Egypt locked in dictatorship and thwart democracy.

Islamists, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, saw their chance to lead a country where they were repressed for decades and to implement their version of Islamic law. Their critics recoiled, fearing theocracy.

Some saw an alternative to both in a leftist candidate, Hamdeen Sabahi, who has claimed the mantle of Egypt's first president, the populist Gamal Abdel-Nasser.

An Islamist victory, particularly by Morsi, will likely mean a greater emphasis on religion in government. His Muslim Brotherhood, which already dominates parliament, says it won't mimic Saudi Arabia and force women to wear veils or implement harsh punishments like amputations. But it says it does want to implement a more moderate version of Islamic law, which liberals fear will mean limitations on many rights.

Many of the candidates have called for amendments to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, which remains deeply unpopular. None is likely to dump it, but a victory by any of the Islamist or leftist candidates in the race could mean strained ties with Israel and a stronger stance in support of the Palestinians in the peace process.

The candidates from the Mubarak regime ? and, ironically, the Brotherhood, which has already held multiple talks with U.S. officials ? are most likely to maintain the alliance with the United States.

A looming question is whether either side will accept victory by the other. Islamists have warned of new protests if Shafiq wins, which they say can only happen by fraud. Many are convinced the ruling military wants a victory by Shafiq, a former air force commander.

"Over my dead body will Shafiq or Moussa win. Why not just bring back Mubarak?" said Saleh Zeinhom, a merchant backing Abolfotoh. "I'm certain we'll have a bloodbath after the elections because the military council won't hand power to anyone but Shafiq."

Shafiq was met by several dozen protesters screaming "down with the feloul" as he arrived to vote in an upscale neighborhood east of Cairo. Some protesters showed their contempt by holding up their shoes in his direction. On his way out, some mobbed him, swinging their shoes at him as his security hustled him into his car.

Shafiq, who was Mubarak's last prime minister until he too was forced out of his post by protests, has been openly disparaging of the pro-democracy youth groups who led the anti-Mubarak uprising. Critics view him as too close to the generals who took over from Mubarak and whose own reputation is tainted by human rights abuses and authoritarian tendencies.

But with his strongman image, he has appealed to Egyptians who crave stability and fear Islamists.

"The country is going under. We need a president that implements justice and brings back security. Bottom line," said Essam el-Khatib, a government employee voting in the Cairo suburb of Maadi.

Nearby another man, Sayed Attiya, shouted, "What Shafiq? We didn't have a revolution to bring back Shafiq!"

The Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, faced a backlash of its own.

The group was the biggest winner in parliament elections late last year, winning nearly half the seats. But it disillusioned some by seeming too power hungry, demanding to be allowed to form a government and trying to dominate a panel created to draft a new constitution. The panel was scrapped and the process of writing the vital new charter is on hold as politicians struggle over forming a new one.

The image it has cultivated as an advocate of tolerance and piety was damaged by its campaign to discredit Abolfotoh, who quit the Brotherhood to run for president, and its edict that it is a sin to vote for anyone not advocating implementation of Islamic Shariah law.

At a polling station in the village of Ikhsas, outside Cairo, a group of neighbors got into a friendly but frank debate.

"I voted Brotherhood for parliament but I find they are inflexible in their opinions and want to take everything. I can't now find them in the country's top job," Bassem Saber, a 31-year-old accountant dressed in the traditional local robes, told the circle of men. He now backs Abolfotoh.

Khaled el-Zeini, a Brotherhood backer, said people were being unfair.

Fares Kamel, a local trader, interjected with a shout against the Brothers, "We loved them and wanted them but we realized they are all about monopolizing power."

But the group has a powerful electoral machine.

In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Brotherhood vans ferried women supporters to the polls in the poor neighborhood of Abu Suleiman, one of the group's strongholds. The women, in headscarves or covered head to toe in black robes and veils that hid their faces, filed into the station.

"I want to give the Brotherhood a chance to rule," said Aida Ibrahim, a veteran Brotherhood member who was helping voters find their station. "If it doesn't work, they will be held accountable," she said.

Some Brotherhood supporters cited the group's years of providing charity to the poor ? including reduced-price meat, and free medical care.

"Whoever fills the tummy gets the vote," said Naima Badawi, a housewife sitting on her doorstep watching voters in Abu Sir, one of the many farming villages near the Pyramids being sucked into Cairo's urban sprawl.

There were only a few reports of overt violations of election rules Wednesday, mainly concerning candidates' backers campaigning near polling stations. Three international monitoring organizations, including the U.S.'s Carter Center, were observing the vote. Former President Jimmy Carter, the center's head, visited a polling station in the ancient Cairo district of Sayeda Aisha.

The election's winner will face a monumental task. The economy has been sliding as the key tourism industry dried up ? though it is starting to inch back up. Crime has increased. Labor strikes have proliferated.

And the political turmoil is far from over. The generals who took over from Mubarak have promised to hand authority to the election winner by the end of June. But many fear it will try to maintain a considerable amount of political say. The fundamentals of Mubarak's police state remain in place, including the powerful security forces.

"We will have an elected president, but the military is still here and the old regime is not dismantled," said Ahmed Maher, a prominent activist from the group April 6, a key architect of last year's 18-day uprising against Mubarak.

"The pressure will continue," he said. "People have finally woken up. Whoever the next president is, we won't leave him alone."

___

Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb, Maggie Michael and Matt Ford in Cairo and Aya Batrawy in Alexandria, Egypt, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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