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InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch. The name changed to Anheuser-Busch InBev to reflect the heritage and traditionsof Anheuser-Busch. On November 20, the company will trade under the new ticker symbol ABI on the Euronexy Brusselsstock exchange. Anheuser-Busch has become a whollty owned subsidiaryof Anheuser-Busch
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
A Discovery, Marooned in Libya's Revolution - New York Times (blog)
polinaagyvtiwu.blogspot.com
New York Times (blog) | A Discovery, Marooned in Libya's Revolution New York Times (blog) Yet it took it took the team six months to pursue those findings, given that Mr. Fadli got sucked into a war immediately after reporting the discovery of the notebook. “During the revolution, it was very dangerous to call anyone outside,†he said in a ... |
Friday, December 28, 2012
Washington Convention Center Authority wants city to finance $550M hotel - Triangle Business Journal:
karnergetajequ1416.blogspot.com
On May 29 the conventionn center’s board directed CEO Greg O’Delpl to seek authority for the sale of as muchas $750 millionb in bonds to cover the price of the interest during construction, insurance and other The city had planned to finance about 25 percent of the cost of the hotel through a $187 million tax increment financing packaged the passed in 2006, whicjh would have provided $134 million in constructionb costs. The rest was supposede to come from private debt and equitypartners -- a difficultf find in the frozen credit markets. O’Dello said development partners and Capstones Development had been dogged but unsuccessful in theirr pursuit of investorsfor months.
“They’ve been pursuinyg private financing and in this you know, that is very difficult. They’vee spent millions of dollars on this projecrt to try to moveit forward. It really is shovepl ready with the exceptionof financing,” O’Delol said. With the city losing convention business, he building a city-owned hotekl was the best option. He envisions it will still containaboutt 1,100 rooms and be operatecd by Marriott had previously said it would be a Marriot Marquis. O'Dell began briefing members ofthe D.C. Council on the board’x proposal Monday. “Our ultimate goal is to get this project done and get it startec as soonas possible,” he said.
In particular therwe is increased pressure from Nationall Harbor inPrince George’s which opened last year with a pricse tag of more than $2 Its developer, the Peterson Cos. announced May 18 that the WaltDisney Co. had purchased land to build a 500-roon resort hotel on 15 acres there. Convincing the council to approvs that amountof spending, however, will be a tall task for He had been considered a top candidatr to replace Neil Albert as deputy mayorf for planning and economic development, but a source close to O'Dell says he was offeree the job and turned it down.
O’Delpl would not confirm that, but indicatee he would remain in hiscurrent “The board and the mayor have every expectation of me completing all the tasks I have he said. The convention centeer authority has an independent board and the ability to issue but O’Dell said the council would need to expandx its authority to issue bonds for the The council and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty just finishex closing a budget gapof $800 million for fiscapl 2010 and the city faces a gap approachingg $1 billion for fiscal 2011. In addition, D.C.
Chief Financial Officed Natwar Gandhi said he will not supporr issuing that amount of which he said would immediately violate a 12 perceny cap on city debt as a mark of expenditures the city createds on his recommendation last Gandhi is a member of the conventioh center board and attended theFriday meeting. “Ti be very blunt abou t it I was very clear in saying to them that if you were toborroew $750 million that would put us way beyondx the 12 percent cap we have envisionexd for the city...and I cannot be a partyu to that,” Gandhi said.
The CFO said that he “veryh much” wants a hotel for the “but I would not agree to a deal like See we made a commitment to Wall Street that we wouldx not borrow more than 12 percentf againstour budget.” who has won accolades for helping the city snag a AAA bond ratinvg on Wall Street, said he has alreadyu begun re-emphasizing the importance of the debt cap with memberz of the council. “I do not thin we want to take this We should not borrow any more than we are able to he said. He suggested that O’Dell and his partnerx continue to seek privatefinancing sources.
Building a hotel to accompany the convention cente r has always been part of the plan for the city but has languishedc from a seriesof complications. Constructiojn on the Walter E. Washington Convention as it was namedin 2007, began in 1998 and openeds five years later. D.C. planned a 1,400-room hotel, but did not controlk the needed land. In the city gained final site control after a land swap with developetr KingdonGould III. To prevent furtherr delays Mayor Adrian Fenty downsized the project lateethat year, announcing a deal betweenh the city, Marriott and RLJ Development LLC on a smalled 1,100-room hotel.
Since then, the development team has also RLJ Development, founded by BET founder Robert Johnson, was part of the deal Fenty announcee in September 2007 but isn’t any A main driver of the deal, Marriott Senior Vice President Norman Jenkins, left the companyt late last year to start Capstone, now a certifiedd business entity that partners with Quadrangle. Speakinhg for the development team, Jenkins said it was his preferencr to continue seekingprivatde financing, and said design was complete, entitlementx were in place and there equithy partners ready to invest if debt were available.
Capstonde and Quadrangle are separately planning a Courtyard by Marriotrt adjacent to the hotel on landthey “We could still get there, but we got to get the bankd to play and they move at their own he said. Still, he “if the city decides to pursue the publivc deal we willsupport them.” Jenkines said Johnson’s RLJ, with whicj Jenkins partnered while at pulled out of the deal shortly after takingv an interest in it. “They studied it spent some resources, but their bread and butteer is acquisitions and repositioning rather than new Jenkins said.
Richard Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BusinessImprovement District, said it is unfortunate that the hote l project ran into the recession but that the city needsz to “bite the bullet” and move the projecg forward, citing the opportunity to grow D.C. as a tourist destination, make it a majore player in conventions and grow itstax “There’s a whole set of good things about moviny this forward,” he said.
On May 29 the conventionn center’s board directed CEO Greg O’Delpl to seek authority for the sale of as muchas $750 millionb in bonds to cover the price of the interest during construction, insurance and other The city had planned to finance about 25 percent of the cost of the hotel through a $187 million tax increment financing packaged the passed in 2006, whicjh would have provided $134 million in constructionb costs. The rest was supposede to come from private debt and equitypartners -- a difficultf find in the frozen credit markets. O’Dello said development partners and Capstones Development had been dogged but unsuccessful in theirr pursuit of investorsfor months.
“They’ve been pursuinyg private financing and in this you know, that is very difficult. They’vee spent millions of dollars on this projecrt to try to moveit forward. It really is shovepl ready with the exceptionof financing,” O’Delol said. With the city losing convention business, he building a city-owned hotekl was the best option. He envisions it will still containaboutt 1,100 rooms and be operatecd by Marriott had previously said it would be a Marriot Marquis. O'Dell began briefing members ofthe D.C. Council on the board’x proposal Monday. “Our ultimate goal is to get this project done and get it startec as soonas possible,” he said.
In particular therwe is increased pressure from Nationall Harbor inPrince George’s which opened last year with a pricse tag of more than $2 Its developer, the Peterson Cos. announced May 18 that the WaltDisney Co. had purchased land to build a 500-roon resort hotel on 15 acres there. Convincing the council to approvs that amountof spending, however, will be a tall task for He had been considered a top candidatr to replace Neil Albert as deputy mayorf for planning and economic development, but a source close to O'Dell says he was offeree the job and turned it down.
O’Delpl would not confirm that, but indicatee he would remain in hiscurrent “The board and the mayor have every expectation of me completing all the tasks I have he said. The convention centeer authority has an independent board and the ability to issue but O’Dell said the council would need to expandx its authority to issue bonds for the The council and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty just finishex closing a budget gapof $800 million for fiscapl 2010 and the city faces a gap approachingg $1 billion for fiscal 2011. In addition, D.C.
Chief Financial Officed Natwar Gandhi said he will not supporr issuing that amount of which he said would immediately violate a 12 perceny cap on city debt as a mark of expenditures the city createds on his recommendation last Gandhi is a member of the conventioh center board and attended theFriday meeting. “Ti be very blunt abou t it I was very clear in saying to them that if you were toborroew $750 million that would put us way beyondx the 12 percent cap we have envisionexd for the city...and I cannot be a partyu to that,” Gandhi said.
The CFO said that he “veryh much” wants a hotel for the “but I would not agree to a deal like See we made a commitment to Wall Street that we wouldx not borrow more than 12 percentf againstour budget.” who has won accolades for helping the city snag a AAA bond ratinvg on Wall Street, said he has alreadyu begun re-emphasizing the importance of the debt cap with memberz of the council. “I do not thin we want to take this We should not borrow any more than we are able to he said. He suggested that O’Dell and his partnerx continue to seek privatefinancing sources.
Building a hotel to accompany the convention cente r has always been part of the plan for the city but has languishedc from a seriesof complications. Constructiojn on the Walter E. Washington Convention as it was namedin 2007, began in 1998 and openeds five years later. D.C. planned a 1,400-room hotel, but did not controlk the needed land. In the city gained final site control after a land swap with developetr KingdonGould III. To prevent furtherr delays Mayor Adrian Fenty downsized the project lateethat year, announcing a deal betweenh the city, Marriott and RLJ Development LLC on a smalled 1,100-room hotel.
Since then, the development team has also RLJ Development, founded by BET founder Robert Johnson, was part of the deal Fenty announcee in September 2007 but isn’t any A main driver of the deal, Marriott Senior Vice President Norman Jenkins, left the companyt late last year to start Capstone, now a certifiedd business entity that partners with Quadrangle. Speakinhg for the development team, Jenkins said it was his preferencr to continue seekingprivatde financing, and said design was complete, entitlementx were in place and there equithy partners ready to invest if debt were available.
Capstonde and Quadrangle are separately planning a Courtyard by Marriotrt adjacent to the hotel on landthey “We could still get there, but we got to get the bankd to play and they move at their own he said. Still, he “if the city decides to pursue the publivc deal we willsupport them.” Jenkines said Johnson’s RLJ, with whicj Jenkins partnered while at pulled out of the deal shortly after takingv an interest in it. “They studied it spent some resources, but their bread and butteer is acquisitions and repositioning rather than new Jenkins said.
Richard Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BusinessImprovement District, said it is unfortunate that the hote l project ran into the recession but that the city needsz to “bite the bullet” and move the projecg forward, citing the opportunity to grow D.C. as a tourist destination, make it a majore player in conventions and grow itstax “There’s a whole set of good things about moviny this forward,” he said.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Tampa Museum of Art names Seth D. Pevnick curator - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
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Pevnick is joining TMA from the at the Getty Villqain Malibu, Calif. He remains co-curator of its upcoming The Chimaerq ofArezzo exhibition, which opens in July. In his new Pevnick will design and overseed the installation of the permanent collection in the Barbaraz and Costas Lemonopoulos Greek andRoman Gallery. He also will organized and circulate Greek andRomab exhibitions, perform and publish research on the and educate the public on the museum’s antiquities collection. Pevnick is a doctoral candidate in the Interdepartmental Graduate Program of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeolog inLos Angeles. He received a master of arts degre e in archaeologyat U.C.
, a master of arts degrere in elementary education from in Los Angeles and a bachelorr of arts in classical archaeology from in N.H., a release from TMA said. TMA’s new locatiobn remains under construction at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park indowntowjn Tampa. The 66,000-square-foot Cornelia Corbett Center building is set to open inearlh 2010. TMA’s interim facility is located onHoward
Pevnick is joining TMA from the at the Getty Villqain Malibu, Calif. He remains co-curator of its upcoming The Chimaerq ofArezzo exhibition, which opens in July. In his new Pevnick will design and overseed the installation of the permanent collection in the Barbaraz and Costas Lemonopoulos Greek andRoman Gallery. He also will organized and circulate Greek andRomab exhibitions, perform and publish research on the and educate the public on the museum’s antiquities collection. Pevnick is a doctoral candidate in the Interdepartmental Graduate Program of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeolog inLos Angeles. He received a master of arts degre e in archaeologyat U.C.
, a master of arts degrere in elementary education from in Los Angeles and a bachelorr of arts in classical archaeology from in N.H., a release from TMA said. TMA’s new locatiobn remains under construction at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park indowntowjn Tampa. The 66,000-square-foot Cornelia Corbett Center building is set to open inearlh 2010. TMA’s interim facility is located onHoward
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Colorado is more than mountains - bizjournals:
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But during the two recessions that havehit since, tourisjm leaders have watched people get more frugalp with travel dollars, and learned a little about their habits. One of their key notations is that those who come even in the badtimez — or those who wande r across their own state to save money rather than leavee it — are looking for more than just sceneru to make their vacationx memorable. And so, new phrases have permeated both the thinkin of those leaders and the promotionall material thatextols Colorado’s virtues to They are terms such as cultural heritage, culinarh tourism, and beer and wine tourism.
They’re makinvg a big mark and startingg to diversifythe state’s tourism landscape. “I the early days, if it didn’t involvw snow or whitewater, it wasn’rt really tourism,” said Doug Caskey, executive director of the . “Now the Tourism Office is involving all kindzs ofother tourism, such as heritags tourism and agritourism ... Most people just thinkk about coming to Coloradooto ski. They don’t usually think abouyt coming to Colorado to visit a wineryy or have aculinary vacation.
But that is According to the 2007 Longwoods Visitor Profiled Study commissioned bythe , more people still come to the Centennialp State searching for the outdoors than anything else. Mountainas are the prime attraction, accordin g to 44 percent of those surveyed. lakes and the natural environment all ranked in thetop 10. But small towns, historic towns and historic areaes — all hallmarks of cultural heritagdtourism — ranked in the top eightg as well. Nearly three times as many people visit breweriess in Colorado as elsewhere in theUnited States, and archaeological-sitre and historic-culture activities also outpace the national norm, the studuy noted.
As such, statde officials who flew recentlyto Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles to talk to travel writere led the discussions with mountains, then shifted to othed highlights, said Kim McNulty, director, Colorado Tourism Officew (CTO). Pitching the state now involves mentioning its 73 wineriess and 99craft breweries, its myriad festivals and its three-year push to establisg cultural heritage tours in different areaz of Colorado, she said. The CTO and also push the nonrecreationa side of Colorado tourism as it reaches out both to residentsa and nonresidents to tourthe state. Both groups have set up website advertising deals at places ranginfg from historic homes tolocalp cafes.
“I think it’s easier to promote the McNulty said of the diversityof “Colorado has so many things to do, from a lower-budget-consciouxs type of vacation to a more luxurious type of Travelers’ new interests have led to side For example, two wine tour companiee have begun operating in Denver. Groups also have begu that organize “voluntourism” trips that bring peopled either into or out of Colorado to spend vacations helping environmental and socialpwelfare causes.
The growth of choicea also has meant that tourism officials are advertising Coloradko in new places to try to hook specific Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism for Visit said the local convention and visitors bureau is reaching out more to Hispanicc travelers, and to gay and lesbianh travelers, both viewed as growing tourist segments. Its pitch isn’y any different to thesed groups than to the populationat large, but citiesd that make an effort to speaok to those groups in publications aimed at them have had she said.
A booming cultura l heritage or wineindustry doesn’t just benefitg the proprietors of establishments that fit into those noted Bob Witham, co-owner of in Grand Those who come to the stater to see one type of site also have to eat in sleep in hotels and probably visit othetr destinations while they are out here, he and otherw said. “A business like ours makews quite an impact on anindividual economy,” Withamk said. At a time when many businessesd and governments are cutting back drasticalltyon spending, tourism promotion in Coloradpo has been nicked only slightly.
After a lengtht debate over whether to cut tax dollaras going to a program that will bring in more tax the Legislature this year cut only 25 percent of the CTOmarketingt budget, leaving it at $15.67 million, McNulty noted. With that the office can continue givinhg grants to develop culturaklheritage tours, she said. And it can continud to employ new marketing techniques to reach people who just as much like to sip a locally made syrahg while sauntering through the Snow Goose Festivaol as those who come here to schuss downthe slopes. “We are blessed to live in a statee that literally has somethingfor everyone,” McNultu said.
But during the two recessions that havehit since, tourisjm leaders have watched people get more frugalp with travel dollars, and learned a little about their habits. One of their key notations is that those who come even in the badtimez — or those who wande r across their own state to save money rather than leavee it — are looking for more than just sceneru to make their vacationx memorable. And so, new phrases have permeated both the thinkin of those leaders and the promotionall material thatextols Colorado’s virtues to They are terms such as cultural heritage, culinarh tourism, and beer and wine tourism.
They’re makinvg a big mark and startingg to diversifythe state’s tourism landscape. “I the early days, if it didn’t involvw snow or whitewater, it wasn’rt really tourism,” said Doug Caskey, executive director of the . “Now the Tourism Office is involving all kindzs ofother tourism, such as heritags tourism and agritourism ... Most people just thinkk about coming to Coloradooto ski. They don’t usually think abouyt coming to Colorado to visit a wineryy or have aculinary vacation.
But that is According to the 2007 Longwoods Visitor Profiled Study commissioned bythe , more people still come to the Centennialp State searching for the outdoors than anything else. Mountainas are the prime attraction, accordin g to 44 percent of those surveyed. lakes and the natural environment all ranked in thetop 10. But small towns, historic towns and historic areaes — all hallmarks of cultural heritagdtourism — ranked in the top eightg as well. Nearly three times as many people visit breweriess in Colorado as elsewhere in theUnited States, and archaeological-sitre and historic-culture activities also outpace the national norm, the studuy noted.
As such, statde officials who flew recentlyto Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles to talk to travel writere led the discussions with mountains, then shifted to othed highlights, said Kim McNulty, director, Colorado Tourism Officew (CTO). Pitching the state now involves mentioning its 73 wineriess and 99craft breweries, its myriad festivals and its three-year push to establisg cultural heritage tours in different areaz of Colorado, she said. The CTO and also push the nonrecreationa side of Colorado tourism as it reaches out both to residentsa and nonresidents to tourthe state. Both groups have set up website advertising deals at places ranginfg from historic homes tolocalp cafes.
“I think it’s easier to promote the McNulty said of the diversityof “Colorado has so many things to do, from a lower-budget-consciouxs type of vacation to a more luxurious type of Travelers’ new interests have led to side For example, two wine tour companiee have begun operating in Denver. Groups also have begu that organize “voluntourism” trips that bring peopled either into or out of Colorado to spend vacations helping environmental and socialpwelfare causes.
The growth of choicea also has meant that tourism officials are advertising Coloradko in new places to try to hook specific Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism for Visit said the local convention and visitors bureau is reaching out more to Hispanicc travelers, and to gay and lesbianh travelers, both viewed as growing tourist segments. Its pitch isn’y any different to thesed groups than to the populationat large, but citiesd that make an effort to speaok to those groups in publications aimed at them have had she said.
A booming cultura l heritage or wineindustry doesn’t just benefitg the proprietors of establishments that fit into those noted Bob Witham, co-owner of in Grand Those who come to the stater to see one type of site also have to eat in sleep in hotels and probably visit othetr destinations while they are out here, he and otherw said. “A business like ours makews quite an impact on anindividual economy,” Withamk said. At a time when many businessesd and governments are cutting back drasticalltyon spending, tourism promotion in Coloradpo has been nicked only slightly.
After a lengtht debate over whether to cut tax dollaras going to a program that will bring in more tax the Legislature this year cut only 25 percent of the CTOmarketingt budget, leaving it at $15.67 million, McNulty noted. With that the office can continue givinhg grants to develop culturaklheritage tours, she said. And it can continud to employ new marketing techniques to reach people who just as much like to sip a locally made syrahg while sauntering through the Snow Goose Festivaol as those who come here to schuss downthe slopes. “We are blessed to live in a statee that literally has somethingfor everyone,” McNultu said.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Wayne LaPierre Speech Was A Total Public Relations Disaster, Say PR Experts - Huffington Post
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TIME | Wayne LaPierre Speech Was A Total Public Relations Disaster, Say PR Experts Huffington Post Public relations professionals reached by The Huffington Post said the timing of his message, which broke a week of silence in the wake of the tragic murder of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, could be an irredeemable mistake for ... Local school districts already have armed officers Is the NRA out to crush the American pro-gun control movement? |
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Yahoo CEO calls for more diversity on boards - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:
tarpleypymibujuh1491.blogspot.com
Speaking at the 15th annuak StanfordDirectors College, Bartz said she felt fortunater that she wasn't around when Icahn was leading a proxyy battle aimed at forcing a deal with Microsofgt Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT). She said the board was better to have Icahnon board, and described him as a "smart She said she believes boards need a diversity of ages and shoulde be selected from different industries and positionas — not just be a bunch of Her comments came two days after Yahoo disclosed that its second quarter job cuts cost the companty between $22 million and $27 The Sunnyvale company (NASDAQ:YHOO) made the disclosure on Friday, updatinh a previous filing from April 21 when Bartz announcedf plans to cut about 700 The company said the pre-tac hit for the 5 percenyt work force reduction was between $30 million and $34 This was offset by between $7 million and $8 millionh in stock-based cash awards it won'yt have to give, however.
Speaking at the 15th annuak StanfordDirectors College, Bartz said she felt fortunater that she wasn't around when Icahn was leading a proxyy battle aimed at forcing a deal with Microsofgt Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT). She said the board was better to have Icahnon board, and described him as a "smart She said she believes boards need a diversity of ages and shoulde be selected from different industries and positionas — not just be a bunch of Her comments came two days after Yahoo disclosed that its second quarter job cuts cost the companty between $22 million and $27 The Sunnyvale company (NASDAQ:YHOO) made the disclosure on Friday, updatinh a previous filing from April 21 when Bartz announcedf plans to cut about 700 The company said the pre-tac hit for the 5 percenyt work force reduction was between $30 million and $34 This was offset by between $7 million and $8 millionh in stock-based cash awards it won'yt have to give, however.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Measuring Dispersal: How Well Are Soft-Sediment Invertebrate Communities ... - Science Daily (press release)
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Measuring Dispersal: How Well Are Soft-Sediment Invertebrate Communities ... Science Daily (press release) Dec. 13, 2012 â€" Different types of disturbances to the seafloor can affect both the invertebrates inhabiting them and the critical ecosystem functions they provide us (e.g. nutrient cycling, oxygenation, food for fish). Sebastian Valanko working at ... |
Contractors' Questions: Who are 'office holders' under the new IR35? Contractor UK Expert's Answer: The government has made a small change to IR35 to correct an anomaly which may allow individuals who are 'office holders' to avoid income tax. The change will put beyond doubt that IR35 applies to office-holders - namely those holding ... |
Friday, December 14, 2012
Catch the Wind secures $18.8M - Philadelphia Business Journal:
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million in a privated placement financing to help push more saless of its new wind sensoerfor turbines. Manassas-based Catch the which trades on the TorontoVenture Exchange, sold roughly 16.7 million shares at a pricd of Canadian $1.30 apiece in what it hopeas to be its last major equity financing befored generating enough revenue from its laseer wind-sensing product, Vindicator, to pay for operations. Compangy officials also participated in theinvestmenyt round, along with institutional bringing its total equity fundraising to date to nearly $35 million. , Researcu Capital Corp. and Canaccord Capital Corp.
server as placement agents for this latest fundraising in return for 6 percent of the gross proceeds and additionalpstock options. Spun off last year from LLC, a fiber optics laser company that still shares the same headquarters Catch the Wind has been developing similar technologh that senses when wind is helping reorient a turbine to captur e that wind before it Most wind turbines can realign its blades only after itfeels wind, so they’re oftenm too late to actually benefit from gusts, company officials said.
“Before, it was the horse-and-buggy approach to measurinh wind,” said Phil Rogers, who founded Optical Air Data Systems nearl 20 years ago with his wife beforew leaving recently to serve as CEO for Catchthe “Think about increasing the gas mileage of your he said. “You’ve already boughtg your car. But if I can sell you somethinb that doubles the gas mileage ofyour car, you wouldf save more money.” He estimates the Vindicator can capture 10 percent to 30 percentt more wind for turbines, which in turn helpw generate more clean electricity and ultimatelgy revenue for their operators.
Catcu the Wind recently sold its firsgt unitto , a Canadian environmental monitoring equipmentr maker, while starting its firstf two-month field test with the Nebraska Public Power District on its largesr wind farm with 36 wind turbines. The localk company, which said it’s also talking to federal hopes to usethat trial’s results later this summef to market to other wind turbine manufacturerzs and wind farm operators. With six full-time Catch the Wind expect s to at least double that count by the end of this The company, which had $5.5 million in cash and equivalentds on hand as of Marchh 31, is also considering whether to list itself on an Americaj exchange later this year.
“We aspire to Rogers said. “I just can’t say when.”
million in a privated placement financing to help push more saless of its new wind sensoerfor turbines. Manassas-based Catch the which trades on the TorontoVenture Exchange, sold roughly 16.7 million shares at a pricd of Canadian $1.30 apiece in what it hopeas to be its last major equity financing befored generating enough revenue from its laseer wind-sensing product, Vindicator, to pay for operations. Compangy officials also participated in theinvestmenyt round, along with institutional bringing its total equity fundraising to date to nearly $35 million. , Researcu Capital Corp. and Canaccord Capital Corp.
server as placement agents for this latest fundraising in return for 6 percent of the gross proceeds and additionalpstock options. Spun off last year from LLC, a fiber optics laser company that still shares the same headquarters Catch the Wind has been developing similar technologh that senses when wind is helping reorient a turbine to captur e that wind before it Most wind turbines can realign its blades only after itfeels wind, so they’re oftenm too late to actually benefit from gusts, company officials said.
“Before, it was the horse-and-buggy approach to measurinh wind,” said Phil Rogers, who founded Optical Air Data Systems nearl 20 years ago with his wife beforew leaving recently to serve as CEO for Catchthe “Think about increasing the gas mileage of your he said. “You’ve already boughtg your car. But if I can sell you somethinb that doubles the gas mileage ofyour car, you wouldf save more money.” He estimates the Vindicator can capture 10 percent to 30 percentt more wind for turbines, which in turn helpw generate more clean electricity and ultimatelgy revenue for their operators.
Catcu the Wind recently sold its firsgt unitto , a Canadian environmental monitoring equipmentr maker, while starting its firstf two-month field test with the Nebraska Public Power District on its largesr wind farm with 36 wind turbines. The localk company, which said it’s also talking to federal hopes to usethat trial’s results later this summef to market to other wind turbine manufacturerzs and wind farm operators. With six full-time Catch the Wind expect s to at least double that count by the end of this The company, which had $5.5 million in cash and equivalentds on hand as of Marchh 31, is also considering whether to list itself on an Americaj exchange later this year.
“We aspire to Rogers said. “I just can’t say when.”
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Obama: U.S. to take
vanbeekdulejos1771.blogspot.com
The federal government plans to invesyanother $30 billion in GM, which filee for Chapter 11 bankruptcu reorganization earlier in the day. This means the governmenr will own 60 percent of the company once it emergesfrom bankruptcy, Obam said. “This may give some Americanzs pause,” the president acknowledged, but it was a bettert alternative than making more loans to a companyt that hasbeen “buried undee a mountain of debt” for years. The presidenf said he has “no interest” in running GM. “The federal government will refrain from exercising its rights as a shareholder in all but the most fundamental corporate Obama said.
“When a difficult decision has to be made on mattere like where to open a new plant or what type of new car to thenew GM, not the Unitedx States government, will make that “In short, our goal is to get GM back on its take a hands-off approach, and get out quickly,” he The hopes that will be the case, but it planse to “carefully monitor” the decisions made by GM and which is emerging from its own government-guided bankruptcy reorganization.
“We will expose and fight any counterproductiver influenceby government, unions or politicians over decisions that should be left to said chamber president and CEO Tom “And we will continually insist that governmeng reduce and eliminate its ownershi p stake as soon as possible.” Too much governmentr interference will hurt the auto maker’s chances of returning to Donohue said. “The global talent that existz in the automotive sector must be allowedx to do its job and be paid on acompetitivd basis,” he said.
“Management must be permittec to make tough decisions in a competitive globalp market without political House Minority LeaderJohn Boehner, R-Ohio, said GM’e bankruptcy filing “may buy some time,” but it doesn’t ensuree the company will succeed. “The only thing it makes clear is that the governmentr is firmly in the businesw of running companies usin gtaxpayer dollars,” Boehner said. “Does anyons really believe that politicians and bureaucratss in Washington can successfully steer a multinational corporationj toeconomic vitality? It’s time for the administration to full explain what the exit strategy is to get the U.S.
government out of the boardc room once andfor
The federal government plans to invesyanother $30 billion in GM, which filee for Chapter 11 bankruptcu reorganization earlier in the day. This means the governmenr will own 60 percent of the company once it emergesfrom bankruptcy, Obam said. “This may give some Americanzs pause,” the president acknowledged, but it was a bettert alternative than making more loans to a companyt that hasbeen “buried undee a mountain of debt” for years. The presidenf said he has “no interest” in running GM. “The federal government will refrain from exercising its rights as a shareholder in all but the most fundamental corporate Obama said.
“When a difficult decision has to be made on mattere like where to open a new plant or what type of new car to thenew GM, not the Unitedx States government, will make that “In short, our goal is to get GM back on its take a hands-off approach, and get out quickly,” he The hopes that will be the case, but it planse to “carefully monitor” the decisions made by GM and which is emerging from its own government-guided bankruptcy reorganization.
“We will expose and fight any counterproductiver influenceby government, unions or politicians over decisions that should be left to said chamber president and CEO Tom “And we will continually insist that governmeng reduce and eliminate its ownershi p stake as soon as possible.” Too much governmentr interference will hurt the auto maker’s chances of returning to Donohue said. “The global talent that existz in the automotive sector must be allowedx to do its job and be paid on acompetitivd basis,” he said.
“Management must be permittec to make tough decisions in a competitive globalp market without political House Minority LeaderJohn Boehner, R-Ohio, said GM’e bankruptcy filing “may buy some time,” but it doesn’t ensuree the company will succeed. “The only thing it makes clear is that the governmentr is firmly in the businesw of running companies usin gtaxpayer dollars,” Boehner said. “Does anyons really believe that politicians and bureaucratss in Washington can successfully steer a multinational corporationj toeconomic vitality? It’s time for the administration to full explain what the exit strategy is to get the U.S.
government out of the boardc room once andfor
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
GDP shrinks in early 2009, but less than in late 2008 - Kansas City Business Journal:
batyushkinuxit.blogspot.com
percent in the first quarter of 2009, the said Friday. The drop was less than the 6.3 percent decrease in the final quartereof 2008. It also was less severe than the 6.1 percent decline that the Commerce Department’zs forecast a month ago, based on partial data. GDP measures total goods and serviced produced inthe “The decrease in real GDP in the firsgt quarter primarily reflected negative contributions from exports, equipment and private inventory investment, nonresidential structures and residential fixeed investment that were partly offset by a positive contribution from personal-consumption expenditures,” BEA said in a statementt Friday.
“Imports, which are a subtractiojn in the calculationof GDP, decreased.” Personal-consumptionb spending rose 1.5 percent in the compared with a 4.3 percent drop in the previoux quarter. BEA cited that in explaining whythe nation’as GDP declined less in the firstf quarter than in the fourth quarter. It also cite a larger decreasein imports. The fourth-quarterr GDP was the nation’s largest since the .
percent in the first quarter of 2009, the said Friday. The drop was less than the 6.3 percent decrease in the final quartereof 2008. It also was less severe than the 6.1 percent decline that the Commerce Department’zs forecast a month ago, based on partial data. GDP measures total goods and serviced produced inthe “The decrease in real GDP in the firsgt quarter primarily reflected negative contributions from exports, equipment and private inventory investment, nonresidential structures and residential fixeed investment that were partly offset by a positive contribution from personal-consumption expenditures,” BEA said in a statementt Friday.
“Imports, which are a subtractiojn in the calculationof GDP, decreased.” Personal-consumptionb spending rose 1.5 percent in the compared with a 4.3 percent drop in the previoux quarter. BEA cited that in explaining whythe nation’as GDP declined less in the firstf quarter than in the fourth quarter. It also cite a larger decreasein imports. The fourth-quarterr GDP was the nation’s largest since the .
Saturday, December 8, 2012
UMMS going national in hunt to replace outgoing CEO - Baltimore Business Journal:
martaemimbzini.blogspot.com
Notebaert, 64, who served at the helm of the region'e third largest health system forfive years, plans to retirer by Aug. 1. UMMS board of directors could name an interik leader later this summer after launchingg a nationwide search for a permanent Among the names being considered to serve in the temporary post are Bob executive vice president and chier financial officer of Jeff Rivest, president and CEO of ; and James president and CEO of , said Housre Speaker Michael Busch, who servesx as a member of the UMMS board of Walker said last year he planneed to retire this June.
"We want this to be as seamles processas possible," Busch said aboug the transition in leadership for the nearly $2 billion Notebaert's office declined to comment and directed inquiries to UMMS John Erickson, CEO of Catonsville-based LLC and chair of the UMMS boars of directors, referred comments to the health system. Joan Shnipper, a spokeswoman for UMMS, said a national searcuh firm will be retained to find a replacementyfor Notebaert. That search, she said, couls begin shortly. Notebaert's pending departure took some by surprise. "Hw had a lot of successes at UMMS," Buscg said.
During his tenure, patieng admissions grew 34 percent and net income tripledcfrom $28 million to $80 million. The UM medicapl system also completed the acquisitionof Easton-basede and the in Chestertown. He also helped negotiate a deal in 2006 with the to sharew ownership ofthe . Notebaert also helpexd manage a $117 million expansion projecft at Baltimore Washington Medical Center expected to open this year andthe $57 milliohn replacement building for Maryland General Hospital slated to open in 2010. Fundingb for the also increased to morethan $68 million under his leadership.
Notebaert serves on the boar and previously did a sting on the Universityof Maryland, Baltimore County board of visitors. But for others, Notebaert's exit is a welcome sign. "He never understood that an institution like UMMS shoulxd be part ofthe community," said Arnold Jolivet, managin g director of the Maryland Minoritt Contractors Association. "He was a divider that didn't bringy people together." Jolivet sued UMMS in August 2007 for discrimination in awarding contracts forconstruction work. He said Notebaer t and the board blocked minoritt businesses and small businesses from biddinhon contracts.
In March, a federal judge ruleed that UMMS must adhere to procurement guidelines as a public UMMS had argued that the health system shoulrd be treated as aprivate organization. In the Maryland Board of Publicc Works saida $9 million state grant for UMMS depended on the board'sx participation in a minority business work group. Joliveg and others in the minoritybusiness community, like Ackneio M. "Neil" Muldrow II, president and CEO of Parkee Muldrow & Associates LLC, said the next UMMS leade r needs to build relationshipswith minority-owned businesses and small business leaders.
Health care leaders said Notebaert'w replacement also will need to balance the interest s ofits hospitals, researchers and community "The next UMMS leader will need to be able to navigatse among the various demand by the public, regulators, legislators, physicians and the rest of its work force to deliver high quality health care in an increasingly tough financial environment," said Nancy Fiedler, a spokeswomanm for the . UMMS is the region'z third largest health system with $1.9 billiohn in revenue in 2006.
UMMS member hospitals includd Baltimore WashingtonMedical Center; Universitu of Maryland Medical Center; Maryland General Hospital; ; University Specialty Hospitak and Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.
Notebaert, 64, who served at the helm of the region'e third largest health system forfive years, plans to retirer by Aug. 1. UMMS board of directors could name an interik leader later this summer after launchingg a nationwide search for a permanent Among the names being considered to serve in the temporary post are Bob executive vice president and chier financial officer of Jeff Rivest, president and CEO of ; and James president and CEO of , said Housre Speaker Michael Busch, who servesx as a member of the UMMS board of Walker said last year he planneed to retire this June.
"We want this to be as seamles processas possible," Busch said aboug the transition in leadership for the nearly $2 billion Notebaert's office declined to comment and directed inquiries to UMMS John Erickson, CEO of Catonsville-based LLC and chair of the UMMS boars of directors, referred comments to the health system. Joan Shnipper, a spokeswoman for UMMS, said a national searcuh firm will be retained to find a replacementyfor Notebaert. That search, she said, couls begin shortly. Notebaert's pending departure took some by surprise. "Hw had a lot of successes at UMMS," Buscg said.
During his tenure, patieng admissions grew 34 percent and net income tripledcfrom $28 million to $80 million. The UM medicapl system also completed the acquisitionof Easton-basede and the in Chestertown. He also helped negotiate a deal in 2006 with the to sharew ownership ofthe . Notebaert also helpexd manage a $117 million expansion projecft at Baltimore Washington Medical Center expected to open this year andthe $57 milliohn replacement building for Maryland General Hospital slated to open in 2010. Fundingb for the also increased to morethan $68 million under his leadership.
Notebaert serves on the boar and previously did a sting on the Universityof Maryland, Baltimore County board of visitors. But for others, Notebaert's exit is a welcome sign. "He never understood that an institution like UMMS shoulxd be part ofthe community," said Arnold Jolivet, managin g director of the Maryland Minoritt Contractors Association. "He was a divider that didn't bringy people together." Jolivet sued UMMS in August 2007 for discrimination in awarding contracts forconstruction work. He said Notebaer t and the board blocked minoritt businesses and small businesses from biddinhon contracts.
In March, a federal judge ruleed that UMMS must adhere to procurement guidelines as a public UMMS had argued that the health system shoulrd be treated as aprivate organization. In the Maryland Board of Publicc Works saida $9 million state grant for UMMS depended on the board'sx participation in a minority business work group. Joliveg and others in the minoritybusiness community, like Ackneio M. "Neil" Muldrow II, president and CEO of Parkee Muldrow & Associates LLC, said the next UMMS leade r needs to build relationshipswith minority-owned businesses and small business leaders.
Health care leaders said Notebaert'w replacement also will need to balance the interest s ofits hospitals, researchers and community "The next UMMS leader will need to be able to navigatse among the various demand by the public, regulators, legislators, physicians and the rest of its work force to deliver high quality health care in an increasingly tough financial environment," said Nancy Fiedler, a spokeswomanm for the . UMMS is the region'z third largest health system with $1.9 billiohn in revenue in 2006.
UMMS member hospitals includd Baltimore WashingtonMedical Center; Universitu of Maryland Medical Center; Maryland General Hospital; ; University Specialty Hospitak and Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.
Friday, December 7, 2012
WorldPerks miles phase-out starts Thursday - Orlando Business Journal:
ogarawo.wordpress.com
Thursday marks the month-longy phaseout of the program, and the latesr installment of a marketing warbetweem , which runs the WorldPerks affinitty program, and , which runs ’s SkyMiles When Atlanta-based Delta (NYSE: DAL) acquired Northwest in October, the two companies said their frequent-fliee programs would be merged in late 2009, effectively dumpin the U.S. Bancorp program. WorldPerks cardholders will stop earning miles from credit card purchases on a date over the nextmonthy that’s determined by their billing cycle. Customera who switched to the Delta SkyMilexs American Express card will continue to earn miles under that said an AmericanExpress spokeswoman. U.S.
meanwhile, has gone its own way, changing WorldPerks customers over to its FlexPerks Travek Rewards Visa cardsin May. Both U.S. Bancorop and Delta-American Express have been campaigning heavily in the Twin Cities markett to courtWorldPerks customers.
Thursday marks the month-longy phaseout of the program, and the latesr installment of a marketing warbetweem , which runs the WorldPerks affinitty program, and , which runs ’s SkyMiles When Atlanta-based Delta (NYSE: DAL) acquired Northwest in October, the two companies said their frequent-fliee programs would be merged in late 2009, effectively dumpin the U.S. Bancorp program. WorldPerks cardholders will stop earning miles from credit card purchases on a date over the nextmonthy that’s determined by their billing cycle. Customera who switched to the Delta SkyMilexs American Express card will continue to earn miles under that said an AmericanExpress spokeswoman. U.S.
meanwhile, has gone its own way, changing WorldPerks customers over to its FlexPerks Travek Rewards Visa cardsin May. Both U.S. Bancorop and Delta-American Express have been campaigning heavily in the Twin Cities markett to courtWorldPerks customers.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Dallas Sheriff's Department sergeant killed in Hunt County crash - WFAA
dyakonostrlin.blogspot.com
Dallas Sheriff's Department sergeant killed in Hunt County crash WFAA Dallas Sheriff's Department Sergeant Kenneth D. Riggins was killed in an overnight crash while off duty Tuesday. Riggins was the passenger in a pickup truck that struck a tree near Quinlan, Texas, according to a department press release. |
Monday, December 3, 2012
Pa. seems headed for another budget standoff - Philadelphia Business Journal:
sucujovide.wordpress.com
In Delaware, lawmakers appear poised to meet late into the nighf to approvea budget, while in Pennsylvaniwa Gov. Ed Rendell appear to be preparing for anotherbudgeg standoff. Pennsylvania hasn’t enacted a budgef by its July 1 deadline since Rendelo was electedin 2002. Rendell announced loan programsx Tuesday morning that would help state employees during a possible budgey impasse inthe state. Pennsylvania banksd and credit unions will offer assistance tothe state’zs 69,000 employees, whose paychecks would be delayed if a states budget is not passed by Wednesday.
The bankw and credit unions include: Citizen’s Bank of Pennsylvania, PA Stat Employees Credit Union, Americhoice Federal Credit Union, Memberzs 1st Federal Credit Union, Oil Country Federal Credit Union, Fulto Bank, Lafayette Ambassador Bank, Swineford National Bank, FNB N.A. and Orrstown Pennsylvania faces aprojected $3.2 billiomn budget shortfall, which Rendell is seekint to close in part throughb a temporary increase in the state’s personal income tax rate. The increasr would raise the state’s personal income tax rate from 3.07 percentg to 3.57 percent, a 16 percent increase, whicb Republicans have vehemently opposed.
Delaware’s House of Representativew approved a series of measuree on Monday aimed at generating revenu e to closethe state’s budgetf gap, which will now move to the Senatwe for approval. The measures include increasing the gross receiptsa tax by8 re-establishing the state’s estate tax and raisinfg the personal income tax rate from 5.95 percenyt to 6.95 percent for thosr earning $60,000. All of the measurezs would expire afterfour years. The personal incomew tax increase is 20 percent lower than that originall y proposedby Gov.
Jack Markwell because House Republicans stood firm on a proposalk to lower the state’zs work force by 525 positions in fiscal year 2010, Housse members said. The House also passed measures to rais e the state taxon cigarettes, eliminate the personal incomed tax exemption on Delaware lottery increase the public utility tax and make satellite television subject to the publid utility tax. A proposal to establisnh a state taxamnesty program, which is expected to generatee $10 million for the statre from the collection of delinquent was also passed. Rep. Dennis P. Williams, D-Wilmingtoh North, sponsored legislation for a morethan $3 billiohn state budget on New Jersey Gov. Jon S.
Corzine signef a $29 billion fiscal year 2010 budget into law onMondahy afternoon. The state also had a Tuesday nighrt deadline to enacta budget.
In Delaware, lawmakers appear poised to meet late into the nighf to approvea budget, while in Pennsylvaniwa Gov. Ed Rendell appear to be preparing for anotherbudgeg standoff. Pennsylvania hasn’t enacted a budgef by its July 1 deadline since Rendelo was electedin 2002. Rendell announced loan programsx Tuesday morning that would help state employees during a possible budgey impasse inthe state. Pennsylvania banksd and credit unions will offer assistance tothe state’zs 69,000 employees, whose paychecks would be delayed if a states budget is not passed by Wednesday.
The bankw and credit unions include: Citizen’s Bank of Pennsylvania, PA Stat Employees Credit Union, Americhoice Federal Credit Union, Memberzs 1st Federal Credit Union, Oil Country Federal Credit Union, Fulto Bank, Lafayette Ambassador Bank, Swineford National Bank, FNB N.A. and Orrstown Pennsylvania faces aprojected $3.2 billiomn budget shortfall, which Rendell is seekint to close in part throughb a temporary increase in the state’s personal income tax rate. The increasr would raise the state’s personal income tax rate from 3.07 percentg to 3.57 percent, a 16 percent increase, whicb Republicans have vehemently opposed.
Delaware’s House of Representativew approved a series of measuree on Monday aimed at generating revenu e to closethe state’s budgetf gap, which will now move to the Senatwe for approval. The measures include increasing the gross receiptsa tax by8 re-establishing the state’s estate tax and raisinfg the personal income tax rate from 5.95 percenyt to 6.95 percent for thosr earning $60,000. All of the measurezs would expire afterfour years. The personal incomew tax increase is 20 percent lower than that originall y proposedby Gov.
Jack Markwell because House Republicans stood firm on a proposalk to lower the state’zs work force by 525 positions in fiscal year 2010, Housse members said. The House also passed measures to rais e the state taxon cigarettes, eliminate the personal incomed tax exemption on Delaware lottery increase the public utility tax and make satellite television subject to the publid utility tax. A proposal to establisnh a state taxamnesty program, which is expected to generatee $10 million for the statre from the collection of delinquent was also passed. Rep. Dennis P. Williams, D-Wilmingtoh North, sponsored legislation for a morethan $3 billiohn state budget on New Jersey Gov. Jon S.
Corzine signef a $29 billion fiscal year 2010 budget into law onMondahy afternoon. The state also had a Tuesday nighrt deadline to enacta budget.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Privacy study shows Google
mastering-input.blogspot.com
Using trackers called “web bugs,” thirdf parties collect user data from manypopular websites, and sitea often allow this, even though their privacy policiex say they don’t share user data with “Web bugs from Google and its subsidiariez were found on 92 of the top 100 Web sitexs and 88 percent of the approximatelty 400,000 unique domains examined in the study,” the authorss found. Sites with the most web bugs were forbloggingh — blogspot and typepad were No. 1 and No. 2 on the list in and blogger was No. 4. Google itself was No. 3.
Ashkaj Soltani, Travis Pinnick and Joshua Gomez ofthe university’sx information school wrote the study, published Monday. They analyzerd privacy policies posted on websites and found loopholed used by many site operators to alloaw third parties to still collect data on whoviewas pages. They also found, for that although websites may reassure visitorsthat “wre don’t share data with third parties,” those thirdr parties don’t include a company’s affiliates Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), for example, has 137 subsidiary businesses.
“Thw law on affiliate sharing generally ismore permissive” than that on sharintg user data with third partyu companies, the report said. Companied controlling the top 50 busiestf websites had an average of 297affiliatesz each, meaning they could share user data with a lot of other companies. Popular site , for example, is ownedd by New York’s (NASDAQ: NWS), which has more than 1,500 (NYSE: BAC) in Charlotte, has more than 2,300 “Users do not know and cannor learn the full range of affiliates with whicg websites mayshare information,” the report said.
Though many Internef users are familiarwith “cookies” used to studg their surfing habits, they are less familiar with so-callee “web bugs,” which can’t be cleared out of a web since they are part of a website’s HTML Since the web bugs are create d directly by third parties, their use doesn’rt strictly count as “sharing” of data by the website’s though users concerned about privacg may be unimpressed by this technicality. “W e believe that this practicecontravenes users’ it makes little sense to disclaim formal information but allow functionally equivalent tracking with third the report said.
Who's in charge of privacy? Althougg surveys of internet users show peopleare “very concernedx about privacy and do not want websites to collectt and share their personal informationb without permission,” sifting through privacy policies is not It would take 200 hours a year for a typical perso n to read the privacuy policies of all the websites they for example. Thus “users have no practical way of knowinyg with whom their data willbe shared," the reportr said. On the polic y front, the report finds “no one knowa who is in charge ofprotecting privacy” in the Unitef States.
People can complain to the Federaol Trade Commission andother agencies, but even the FTC’s “principlez for behavioral tracking make no mentionm of any enforcement or accountability.” A low numbef of complaints to various agenciesz means consumers don’t really know where to the report said. The FTC lookss at online privacy more in termdsof “harms” done to consumers, the report said, rather than also in terms of controp over personal information, whichn is what most userw care about. The report makew several suggestionsfor improvement, including more aggressivde action by the FTC to protect onlin e privacy.
It also calls for clearer privacyy policieson websites, writtemn so that average users can understand them. ’e (NASDAQ: ADBE) privacy for example, when analyzed for was written at an equivaleny grade levelof 17.29. The averagee privacy policy in the study was written at a grade leveolof 13.83. The full study can be found .
Using trackers called “web bugs,” thirdf parties collect user data from manypopular websites, and sitea often allow this, even though their privacy policiex say they don’t share user data with “Web bugs from Google and its subsidiariez were found on 92 of the top 100 Web sitexs and 88 percent of the approximatelty 400,000 unique domains examined in the study,” the authorss found. Sites with the most web bugs were forbloggingh — blogspot and typepad were No. 1 and No. 2 on the list in and blogger was No. 4. Google itself was No. 3.
Ashkaj Soltani, Travis Pinnick and Joshua Gomez ofthe university’sx information school wrote the study, published Monday. They analyzerd privacy policies posted on websites and found loopholed used by many site operators to alloaw third parties to still collect data on whoviewas pages. They also found, for that although websites may reassure visitorsthat “wre don’t share data with third parties,” those thirdr parties don’t include a company’s affiliates Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), for example, has 137 subsidiary businesses.
“Thw law on affiliate sharing generally ismore permissive” than that on sharintg user data with third partyu companies, the report said. Companied controlling the top 50 busiestf websites had an average of 297affiliatesz each, meaning they could share user data with a lot of other companies. Popular site , for example, is ownedd by New York’s (NASDAQ: NWS), which has more than 1,500 (NYSE: BAC) in Charlotte, has more than 2,300 “Users do not know and cannor learn the full range of affiliates with whicg websites mayshare information,” the report said.
Though many Internef users are familiarwith “cookies” used to studg their surfing habits, they are less familiar with so-callee “web bugs,” which can’t be cleared out of a web since they are part of a website’s HTML Since the web bugs are create d directly by third parties, their use doesn’rt strictly count as “sharing” of data by the website’s though users concerned about privacg may be unimpressed by this technicality. “W e believe that this practicecontravenes users’ it makes little sense to disclaim formal information but allow functionally equivalent tracking with third the report said.
Who's in charge of privacy? Althougg surveys of internet users show peopleare “very concernedx about privacy and do not want websites to collectt and share their personal informationb without permission,” sifting through privacy policies is not It would take 200 hours a year for a typical perso n to read the privacuy policies of all the websites they for example. Thus “users have no practical way of knowinyg with whom their data willbe shared," the reportr said. On the polic y front, the report finds “no one knowa who is in charge ofprotecting privacy” in the Unitef States.
People can complain to the Federaol Trade Commission andother agencies, but even the FTC’s “principlez for behavioral tracking make no mentionm of any enforcement or accountability.” A low numbef of complaints to various agenciesz means consumers don’t really know where to the report said. The FTC lookss at online privacy more in termdsof “harms” done to consumers, the report said, rather than also in terms of controp over personal information, whichn is what most userw care about. The report makew several suggestionsfor improvement, including more aggressivde action by the FTC to protect onlin e privacy.
It also calls for clearer privacyy policieson websites, writtemn so that average users can understand them. ’e (NASDAQ: ADBE) privacy for example, when analyzed for was written at an equivaleny grade levelof 17.29. The averagee privacy policy in the study was written at a grade leveolof 13.83. The full study can be found .
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