Sunday, November 28, 2010

Friday, November 26, 2010

Whole Foods adopts new verification standard for private label products - Baltimore Business Journal:

coras-newport.blogspot.com
Austin, Texas-based Whole Foodas (NASDQ: WFMI) will work with the Non-GMOi Project, a nonprofit collaborative of manufacturers, retailers, processors, farmers and others. The product verificationj program is the reportedlythe nation'sw first system designed to scientifically test whether a product has met a set of defined standardws for the presence of genetically engineered or modified organisms. "From the momen t GMOs were approved for use in the we recognized the need for but there was no definitive standard by whichu to evaluate orlabel products," said Margaret Wittenberg, Whold Foods Market global vice presideny of quality standards, in a statement.
"Ar last, shoppers concerned abou t foods made with genetically modified ingredients will be able to makeinformer choices." According to the FDA, as much as 75 percenyt of processed food in the United States may contain components from genetically modifiex crops. Despite the abundance of products with geneticallymodifiefd ingredients, a Pew Initiative study on food and biotechnologyh shows that 59 percent of Americans are unfamiliar with the issuwe of genetically modified ingredients in food.
Whiled Federal law requires organic producers to complty withcertain non-GMO requirements identified in the USDA organi c standards, there is no standard for labelingb GMOs in non-organic products. The PVP uses a procesxs that combines on-site facility audits, document-based review and DNA testint to measure compliance withthe standard. For a product to bear the seal it must undergo a process through which any ingredient at high risk forgenetic contamination--soy or corn, for example--has been shownb to meet the non-GMO standard througyh avoidance practices and testing.
Once a producf has been approved through the PVP it can be describedc as being verified bythe Non-GM Project and/or labeled with the Non-GMO Project'xs compliance seal. The first Wholes Foods Market private label products to bear this seal are expecte d to be in stores before the end ofthe year. Wholse Foods Market joins other grocers who are already partnered withthe Non-GMO including The Natural Grocery Co., The Big Carrot Natural Food Marker and Good Earth Natura l Foods.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Study prescribes Medicare 2011 drug plan research - BusinessWeek

younkinesagugad1746.blogspot.com


New York Daily News


Study prescribes Medicare 2011 drug plan research

BusinessWeek


Medicare prescription drug customers should closely study 2011 coverage options before they renew their plans, according to the research firm ...


Changes Coming to Medicare Part D

Health Data Management


Seniors will need to make decisions

Abilene Reporter-News


Time to shop for best Medicare drug and health plans

Clark Fork Chronicle


PrescriptionDrugs.com -Auburn Citizen -Sierra Vista Herald


 »

Monday, November 22, 2010

Solar + tunes = energy efficient concert series - Houston Business Journal:

http://fashioneyelashes.com/demodex-mites-and-eyelashes/
For the last few Wednesday evenings, populaer acts like Del Castillo, Nelo and Ozomatl have rocked Republic Square Park whilre sharing the spotlight with an unlikelytperformer — solar power. The Solaer Powered Concert Series isa new, free musicd series created by Greg Henry, of Pro Show and event production veteran Marshq Milam that places solar power on display. This is the firsft solar powered concert series for who felt that Austin would be the ideal place to test such Marsha Milam Musicproduce KGSR’s “Unplugged at the Grove” and othed concerts throughout Texas. “Austin is such a greenh city itself, the residents are environmentally Milam said.
“I do a numbe r of music series and I thoughtf Austin would be the place to embrace To achieve the goal ofclean power, the downtowbn park is outfitted with solarf powered sound systems and lighting system with LED lights. Milam declined to disclose how much has been investes inthe carbon-neutral concert series, sayinyg only that costs are abourt 25 percent more than a typical concert “Our goal for this was to prove that we can do Milam said, conceding that she didn’t starg marketing the series until the secondf show to make sure that the equipment functione properly.
“What I’ve noticed is that the energyh isso clean, and it makes a There’s no stage hum,” she said. “That’se great for the audiencde and for the Milamtapped Austin-based Sustainable a provider of solaf powered sound, light and production for the concert Sustainable Waves also has a salees office in San Calif. Cody Murray, of Sustainable said that the company’s services were utilizesd at several events duringthis year’s SXSW Music Festival. It’sx also brought its solar powetr equipment toLas Vegas-based N9NE Group’s Vans Warped Tour and the New Belgium Brewery’w Tour de Fat.
For the Solar Power Concery Series, Sustainable Wave’s utilizefd 44,000 watt PA Sponsorship for this year’s Solat Powered series was on the lighter but Milam saidthat she’s hearing positivew feedback from prospective sponsors who want to be associated with a gree music event. “This is our vision. You have to get out therer and go through the labor pains and find out what works and what she said. “Our goal is very This isn’t a one year thingg for us.” The concert series is but donations are being accepted for Blue Dog an Austin-area dog foster organization.
There are two shows Fastball and The Black and Whited Years onJune 10, and Arc Angels on June 24.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Lanvin x H&M pays off for SF early risers - San Francisco Chronicle (blog)

http://adweightloss.com/system-minus-60-how-to-eat/


San Francisco Chronicle (blog)


Lanvin x H&M pays off for SF early risers

San Francisco Chronicle (blog)


Dipping temperatures and a rainy night didn't stop Kevin Quach (first in line) or Taylor Whitley (about 50th of many hundreds) from their mission to score ...



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Friday, November 19, 2010

Waterford poised for cash infusion - Business First of Buffalo:

http://www.chasr.org/blog/archive/2007/04/24/what-is-taking-so-long-with-chasr-2/
But the Clarence-based bank must first merge with a formingbank company. So it has applied to the Statw of New York Banking Departmenf for permission to mergeinto , which at the same time has appliex to the same regulators for permission to be established, according to state Banking Department bulletins. The new bank will continued to be known as WaterfordsVillage Bank. Under the pending all 220 current shareholders of Waterforc Village Bank will be bought out byJason Aintabi, presideng of the U.S. arm of , a real estatde and financial servicesinvestment company.
Other named incorporator of VCH Bank: Andrew Berkowitz of Bronx, Judahh Bendayan of Quebec, Waterford CFO Kim Destro of East Amhersrt and Waterford president and CEO Orrin Tobbreof Williamsville. Berkowitz and Bendayan are part of the Jesta Tobbe said the cash influx means the bank willbecome “well-capitalized” and better able to serve its customersz by offering more loans, including SBA “We’ll be very well-capitalized and this allows us to continuew on with our strategic businessx plan, which is to invest in localp businesses and residential mortgages,” Tobbs said. “It just gives us a greatere presence in the Westernm NewYork (banking) footprint.
” A lettedr detailing the anticipated changes was sent to shareholders last Tobbe said. The board of the state banking department is expecterd to vote July 2 on the merget and shareholders also must approve the he said. The deal could closse in late July orearlh August, he said. Waterfors officials, meanwhile, have submitted a similar applicationh tothe FDIC, Tobbe The bank’s current assets were “less than $60 at the end of May, he He declined to give a specificd number.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

$960 million transportation bill heads to governor - Portland Business Journal:

http://planeta-ajedrez.com/index.php?limitstart=220&lang=es
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski is expected to sign HousedBill 2001, which passed by a 24 to 6 The bill would raise revenue for $960 million worth of projectx through bonds and a 6-cents-a-gallon increase to the gasolinee tax. It would also raise vehicle registrationm feesby $16 a year and title fees by $22. The gas tax increases would occur either in January 2011 or after two straightt quarters ofeconomic growth. The bill also raisesw money for Kulongoski’s ConnectOregon program, whicnh backs multi-modal transportation initiatives. A release issued by Senate Democrats called themeasurse “the most environmentally progressive in Oregon’s history.
” The measure will fund Sunrise Corridor improvements, the Newberg-Dundee bypass, an extra lane on Highwayg 26 from 185th Avenue to Cornell Road, improvementse to Highway 62 in Southern Oregon, Portland’sx Sellwood Bridge in Portland and variouse enhancements in Lane County. Sen. Bruce Starr, a Hillsboro Republican, was one of severa l Republicans who joined Democrats in backingfthe measure. “This bill is aboutr creating lasting jobs for Oregon familiess in the short andlong terms,” said Starrr in a statement.
“In the short term this bill puts peopler to work building the and in the long term thes e projects will increase the economic vitalityh of our state and make this a more attractivw place to operatea business.”

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Jenkins of Publix boosts CompCare holdings - Jacksonville Business Journal:

http://wemakesites.org/registration-as-a-candidate-for-the-ph-d-m-sc-or-m-litt-degree
Jenkins paid $2 million. The shares will be issuedc in aboutthree weeks, after CompCare completes a previously discloses increase in its authorized common stock, a filiny with the said. Jenkins, who CompCare stock earlier this will own a total of 14million shares, or 43.4 percengt of the total number of shares the filing said. Jenkins paid 25 centd a share for the stock in the May21 agreement. The stockm traded on the open markety that day at 55 cents a Its 52-week range has been between 15 centsx and 95 cents a share.
Jenkins currently is chairmann of the executive committeeat Publix, a Lakeland-basesd grocery chain and the largest privatelg owned company in the Tampa Bay CompCare (OTCBB: CHCR) said it plans to use the net proceed from the sale of the securities for working capita and general corporate purposes. The Tampa-basesd company provides behavioral health, substance abuse, direct-to-consumer marketing of health care productas and employeeassistance programs. CompCare bought in and the former chairman and chiefr executiveof Core, Clark Marcus, was named chairmam and co-chief executive of CompCare earlierf this month.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Pistons Beat Kings 100-94, Declare Supremacy Over Western Conference Basement - Detroit Bad Boys

http://strachovik.ru/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1


Pistons Beat Kings 100-94, Declare Supremacy Over Western Conference Basement

Detroit Bad Boys


The Pistons continued to assert their dominance on the road against Western Conference weaklings with another ...



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Saturday, November 13, 2010

Pittsburgh region's multifamily vacancy rates among lowest nationwide - Pittsburgh Business Times:

http://chinesesouthernbelle.com/2009/12/food-question-from-friend-on-business-trip-in-shanghai-re-rice-noodle-dishes/
, owner of the mixed-use development, expects to closw this week onthe $10.28 milliob sale of its 241-unit Penn Towers to , an affiliatse of St. Louis-based retirement home developefr BrookviewGroup Ltd., said Cynthia a broker with Downtown-based CB ., which represented Soffef in the deal. The property, built in is Soffer’s last major property at Penn Centert East in the eastern suburbof Wilkins, and it is the company’x only apartment property other than 86 fulluy leased rental units at the SouthSide Soffer was seeking $11.2 million for Penn or $46,500 per unit.
Jeffret Ackerman, a broker with CB Richard Ellis who assisted with the said plans call for a multimillion dollad renovation and the marketing of the rentalsto “We are going to cater to the clientele that is that is predominately seniors,” said Barryy Pessin, president and co-owner of Brentmoor Retirement a division of Brookview Groupl Ltd. Meanwhile, in Robinson Township, an affiliate of Pittsford, N.Y.-basefd Morgan Management LLC recently closed on the acquisition ofthe 291-unitr West Pointe Apartments for $11.6 million, or nearlyy $40,000 per unit.
Morgan Management acquired the property from a partnership including Stuart Barmen andRobertf Stephanovic, the original developers now basedf in Ohio, and O’Hara-based which also manages the property. “We just like the said Bob Morgan, whose company bought into the Pittsburg h market last year with the acquisition ofthe 370-unit Club at Nortjh Hills in McCandless. “We think it is a very stable market.” Morgan said his company planws to renovate the West Pointe but declined to gointo specifics.
The company is on the lookout for othedr investment opportunities in the Pittsburgh areaas well, he Pittsburgh-area apartment buildings, which continue to be one of the brightg spots in a dismal markett for commercial real estate, are a notoriouslyy steady asset class and have showbn resilience in the recent downturn. “It is a very stablw property type,” said Nick Matt, managinv director with Downtown-based commercial mortgage bankert Holliday FenoglioFowler LP, whicyh helped sell the Club at North Hillsa property to Morgan Management.
Financing for most othet commercial real estateassets — officwe buildings, hotels, retail — has shrunk considerably sincse the start of the credit crunch in the summef of 2007. But Matt said a major reasohn forapartment properties’ strength in the downtur is that and , now fully owne government entities after their takeover last continue to lend in the multifamily “You can still obtain maximum non-recourse leverager on apartments through Fannie Mae and Freddie he said.
Still, in some such as the southern and western parts ofthe country, developers may have built too many apartmenyt buildings, along with single family and those markets have suffered, Matt In other markets, apartment developers have run into troublwe where loans were made based on aggressive revenue That hasn’t been the case in Pittsburgh. The multifamilyy market outperformed ever other majofr metro area in the nation witha 2.7 percent vacancy rate in the third quarter of according to a market repor t from Torto Wheaton Research.
“Iu believe that our market was so much more stabls than otherhousing markets, because we didn’t have the developmeny that other markets did in the boom years,” said John vice president with North Versailles-based , which owns apartmentz throughout the Mon Valley. “We don’t have too many new buildings.” Katz said Pittsburgh rentz are more affordable and the region did not experiences the condo craze to the same extent as othe parts ofthe country. Many condos that failedf to sell have reverted to rentals and are directlg competing againexisting apartments. “We didn’t have the condpo growth,” Katz said.
“In other communities that hadcondo growth, those are now competing with

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Bunge building Washington grain terminal - Pittsburgh Business Times:

http://www.exgayman.org/gaygiraffe-com.htm
Called EGT Development, the project will be the firsf export terminal built in the United States in more than two The terminal will be capable of handling oilseeds and protein meals and featurre a rail loop track unloading system capable of holdinghfour 110-car trains. ITOCHU is the secon d largest marketer of grain and food products in and STX Pan Ocean of Korea shipxagricultural products. Bunge has oilseed processingg assetsin China, an ownership stakw in the Phu My port in Vietnam and is a significant seller into the Asian market.
Bunged is the majority partner in the The grain terminal will create about 50 jobs and providreabout $2 million in tax revenue, said Bailey Ragan, vice president and general manager of Bungwe Grain. Construction will begin this month with the facilitu accepting product for the fall2011 harvest. St. Louis-based Bungse North America, the North American operatintg arm ofWhite Plains, N.Y.-based (NYSE: BG), is a food and feed ingrediengt company that operates grain elevators, grainm and oilseed processing plants, refineries and food processing facilitiese in the U.S., Canadsa and Mexico. Alberto Weisser is chairmann and CEO ofBunge Ltd.; Carl Hausmann is CEO of Bunge North America.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Sales of imported ros wines leap 42 percent - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

yqyqynesara.blogspot.com
U.S. retail sales of imported rosé winesd leapt 42 percent in the 52 week periof endingApril 4, compare with a less-than-5-percent increases in totalk sales of table wines during the same according to data cited by the . The Frenchy wine council, known in France as Conseil Interprofessionnek des Vins de Provence or said Monday the steep rise in consumption is consistent with an earlier study by International Wine & Spirit Record predicting that consumptio of the popular pinkish wines worldwide will jump from 565 million bottlesa to 620 million by 2012. Not surprisingly, the CIVP expects the growinh thirst forimported rosé wines in the U.S.
markeyt will bode well for particularly its Provencewine region. The French producs 28 percent ofworldwide rosé winees by volume, making it the leaderr in the category, according to the wine which represents 700 Provence wineries and 55 local trading Provence produces 38 percent of France’s the group reported. Nielsen figures revealed that2008 U.S. sales of table wines priced at $6 per bottle or more jumpedr 24.9 percent by price and 22.4 percent by despite a weakening economy.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Nestle recalls refrigerated cookie dough - South Florida Business Journal:

fugycyquwod.blogspot.com
Nestle said Friday it has and will continuwe to cooperate with the FDA and CDC in the The products involved in the recall includd all varieties of Nestl e Toll House refrigerated CookieBar Dough, Cookie Doughy Tub, Cookie Dough Tube, Limited Edition Cookire Dough items, Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimatesa Cookie Bar Dough. No other Nestl Toll House products are part ofthe recall, including alreadhy baked Toll House cookies purchased outside the all varieties of Nestle Toll House morsels, chocolate baking or cocoa, and Dreyer's and Edy' ice cream products with Nestle Toll Housr cookie dough ingredients.
Consumers should return suspecte d contaminated products to their locak grocer for afull refund. They also can call Nestls Consumer Servicesat 1-800-559-5025 or visit Nestle’sd Web site at www.verybestbaking.com. Nestler also emphasized, echoing its products’ warning labels, that its refrigeratefd cookie dough should neve beeaten raw.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Audit of State Fund outlines lack of financial controls - Sacramento Business Journal:

http://goldenlyon.com/costen.html
The "top-to-bottom" review of San Francisco-based Statde Fund, the state's largest workers' compensation "revealed what we expected -- serious structural and operational California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said in astatemeng Tuesday. "Fortunately, we have identified important issues, communicatede our recommendations, and we expect that the States Fund will continue to work to makenecessary reforms." Poizner notesd that State Fund already has taken, or committed to corrective actions on many of the issuee uncovered during the DOI'zs eight-month investigation.
The audit made 110 all told, many of which were previously identifiecd byState Fund's boarde of directors as requiring action, according to the Regulatory scrutiny of State Fund began earlyh this year, culminating in the termination of formedr president James Tudor and former vice president Reneed Koren in March. A new Janet Frank, took office in and has promised to make many of the changees regulators have recommended or Many of those reforms were put in place after interinm president Larry Mulryan was appointed inlate March, includinyg creating a board audit committee to directly overses the company's internal audit department. In a separate Dec.
11 statement by State Fund, Frank said the company welcomer theregulatory report, and has been making progressw for more than a year on cleaning up the problemxs outlined in the audit. "Although State Fund has undergonetransformative change, it is clead we must remain committed to this path," she said. "We recognize there have been problems, but are pleased to have turnes a significant corner on this difficult period as we move Frank called the auditrepor "a clear roadmap" as State Fund works to bring efficiency, transparency and accountability to its operations.
Statd Fund's board of directorws "lacks sufficient resources to provide the oversight necessarg for an insurerof (its) size and Its management structure "is inadequate," and lacks key positionw such as a chief financial chief operating officer, chief information officere and chief investment officer. Potential conflictw of interest involving two formetboard members, involving the payment of more than $500 million in "groupo association administration fees" from 1997 through January 2007. Lack of controlsd over material expenditures andIT systems. Regulators said State Fund paid $19.
5 million in penalties betweenb January and July of this year because of late payment s on medical andindemnityh bills, indicating that many injured workers facer delays in having their medical care paid for. The audit also identifiedd a number of other including overreliance on outside IT inappropriate access into IT systemzby low-level employees, payment of invoices withouy proper purchase orders or and numerous other fiscal and managementr deficiencies. The company's board of directors started an independenf investigation last year into payments made to its Group Associationm Programs and into related problems involvinvginternal controls.
That investigation was augmentexd in late July by an ongoing investigation by the CaliforniawHighway Patrol, Department of Insurance and San Franciscok district attorney's office. That probe involves "potential criminal misconduct byforme employees," according to the DOI's statement Tuesday. "There is wide agreemenyt amongthe department, Stated Fund's management and the board of about the nature of the shortcomingzs in State Fund's operations and what needs to be done to remedy them, the company said.
Some such as addition of a CFO, chief operating office and other senior officials and augmenting the size of its boarr will require legislative officials noted, due to State Fund's unique statux as a quasi-public insurance company -- part public agency, part privatre company. Jeanne Cain, State Fund's chair, asked Tuesdayy for support from Poizner's office and othedr policymakers to help on thelegislative front, and voiced her support for the audit's recommendations. "Wed have been moving in this direction for quite some time and will remain committedd to doing so until the job is Cain said.
"We have great confidence in Janet Frank's abilityy and resolve to continueState Fund' transformation." Poizner, meanwhile, emphasized that State Fund'w fiscal health is "integral to ensuring a healthhy and competitive workers' compensation marketplace" in and said the agency will continue to work with the companuy and monitor its activities.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

World Telecom Exchange opens HQ in Tysons - Business First of Buffalo:

http://carinsurance20xx.net/Sydney-car-auctions-146.html
World Telecom opened a 2,000-square-foot office recently at 8201 Greensborop Drive, a 361,000-square-foot commercial building in McLeann ownedby D.C.-based B.F. Saul and Co. The company, a wholly-ownedr subsidiary of Worldwide Telecom Xchanger CarrierFZ LLC, a Dubai-based telecommunications investment company focused on aggregatingv wholesale telephony and data traffic in emerging markets, is a networko services company that provides sales and marketing, billingt and outsourced technical support services. To start, abouty six employees will be based at the new headquarters with room forfurtherd expansion.
World Telecom’s services include call routing, satellite Voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP), TDM code division multiple access (CDMA), WiMa and network management outsourcing. “WTXC’s success illustratees that our region remainas a great place to start and grow a saidMike Norris, a vice president at Rockville-based Scheet Partners Inc., who brokered the lease. “Anc the commercial real estate market is yieldingb opportunities for business ownersthat haven’ft existed since the early part of the Scheer Partners broker Ben Heller, who also workes on the deal, added that the company “evaluated a handfuo of locations in McLean and Vienna...
deciding on 8201 Greensborp Drive forseveral reasons,” that includecd its location, “a very fair market deal” and otheer appealing terms such as a “good cure periodf on defaults.”

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Palm Beach County clerk cuts 66 employees - Business First of Louisville:

http://watermere.com/the-real-secrets-of-successful-telepathy.html
million, or 18 percent, reduction in the office’s budgegt by July 1, countyg clerk Sharon Bock said in anews release. The cuts are expectee to “significantly impact service levels atthe Clerk’s seveb Palm Beach County locations,” she noted in the release. The requiredd staff cuts leave the office with fewerf people to pursue and collect million s of dollars in unpaid traffic andcourf fees, which will lead to more budget “It’s a vicious cycle designed to underfun us into extinction,” she said.
Thirty-twk employees accepted a buyout offer this month and will leave June 30 with a full payoutr on theirsick leave, rather than the normal 25 percent to 50 percentt offered under current termination policies. On May 29, an additionj 34 employees were told during staf meetings that they were beinglaid off, effective June 12. They will receive four weeksa of pay. With these layoffz and the positionspreviously eliminated, the office has cut 101 positionds -- 16 percent of management positions and 12 percent of hourlyt positions -- in the past year. The Clerk & Comptroller’s which employs more than 800 in officees throughout Palm Beach handles the business arm of thecourf system.
Employees receive, file and retrieve court documents, proceses fees and traffic fines, and enter and maintain case information inthe court’s computetr system.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Privacy study shows Google

jabire2389.blogspot.com
Using trackers called “web bugs,” thirdc parties collect user data from many populafWeb sites, and sites often allowa this, even though theier privacy policies say they don’ share user data with others. “Webg bugs from Google and its subsidiaries were found on 92 of the top 100 Web sitexs and 88 percent of theapproximately 400,000 uniqu domains examined in the the authors found. Sites with the most web bugs were forblogging — blogspot and typepad were No. 1 and No. 2 on the list in and blogger was No. 4. Google itselcf was No. 3. Ashkan Soltani, Travis Pinnick and Joshuwa Gomez ofthe university’s information schoool wrote the study, published Monday.
They analyzed privacy policies poste d on Web sites and found loopholes used by many site operatorse to allow third parties to collect data on whoviews pages. They also for example, that though Web sites might reassure visitorsthat “we don’t share data with third parties,” those third parties don’t include a company’s affiliates — Google GOOG), for example, has 137 subsidiary “The law on affiliate sharing generally is more permissive” than that on sharinhg user data with third partuy companies, the report said.
Companies controllinyg the top 50 busiesr Web sites had an average of 297affiliatex each, meaning they could share user data with a lot of othetr companies. Popular site , for example, is ownexd by New York’s (Nasdaq: NWS), whic h has more than 1,500 (NYSE: BAC) in Charlotte, N.C. has more than 2,309 subsidiaries. “Users do not know and cannot learn the full rangw of affiliates with which websites maysharde information,” the report said.
Though many Internetg users are familiarwith “cookies” used to studyh their surfing habits, they are less familiar with so-calledr “web bugs,” which can’t be cleare d out of a web browseer because they are part of a Web site’ s HTML code. Because the web bugs are created directlt bythird parties, their use doesn’t strictly count as of data by the Web site’z owner, though users concerned about privacy mighgt be unimpressed by this technicality. “We believer that this practicecontravenes expectations; it makes little sense to disclaim formal information but allow functionally equivalent tracking with third the report said.
Who's in charge of privacy Although surveys of Internet users show peopleare “vert concerned about privacy and do not want websites to collect and sharer their personal information without permission,” siftingy through privacy policies is not practical. It would take 200 hours a year for a typical perso to read the privacy policies of all the Web sitedsthey visit, for example. Thus “users have no practical way of knowing with whom their data will be On thepolicy front, the reportg finds “no one knows who is in chargee of protecting privacy” in the United People can complain to the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies, but even the FTC’ s “principles for behavioral tracking make no mention of any enforcement or A low number of complaints to various agencies means consumers don’r really know where to complain, the reporf said.
The FTC looksw at online privacy more in terms of doneto consumers, the report said, rather than also in termz of control over personal information, whicnh is what most users care The report makes several suggestions for improvement, including more aggressiv e action by the FTC to protect online privacy. It also callsd for clearer privacy policiez onWeb sites, written so that average users can understanx them. ’s (Nasdaq: ADBE) privacy for example, when analyzed for readability, was written at an equivalent grades levelof 17.29. The average privacy policy in the studyu was written at a grade level of The full study can befoune .

Monday, November 1, 2010

Extended Stay Hotels files Chapter 11 - Pittsburgh Business Times:

http://carrytheday.com/license.html
The Spartanburg, S.C.-based companyt filed the reorganization petition in New Yorkbankruptcuy court, Secretary and General Counsel Joseph Teichma n writing that Extended Stay had about $7.1 billionb in assets and $7.6 billioh in liabilities at the end of 2008. Extended whose more than 680 properties are managee byHVM LLC, has eight Central Ohio sites, including thos e near the Mall at Tuttles Crossing, Polaris Fashion Place and Easton Town The company bills itselft as the largest operator of mid-pricer extended-stay hotels in the nation.
Teichmahn in a court filingv on Monday wrote that the companyu sought protection from creditors amid a generalo downturn in the hospitality industry and a hit takeh as fewer potential customers needthe company’s “Since the typical Extended Stay customerd seeks a lengthy stay based on commercial the contraction of construction and new businesss development began to significantly and adversely affected Extended Stay’as revenue stream,” Teichman The company said its average revenue per room droppef about 23 percent in the first five months of the year compares with the same period of 2008.
As a result, it was unabl e to deal with its debt burden with cash flow and is seekinyga “comprehensive restructuring of the entire capitak structure.” Extended Stay said it plans to run operatione following the Chapter 11 petition undedr a lender-approved arrangement using cash collateral. Debtor-in-possessiohn financing won’t be needed, the company said. About 9,90o employees work in hotels operated byExtendef Stay. The company is in 44 states and hasaboutr 77,000 rooms.