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.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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