France24 | Agent Orange cleanup to start at former US base in Vietnam AFP HANOI รข€" Vietnam and the United States aim to start cleaning up contamination from Agent Orange at a former wartime US base in the middle of next year, ... CBS5 Reporter Thuy Vu Takes a Look at Impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam |
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Agent Orange cleanup to start at former US base in Vietnam - AFP
mastering-input.blogspot.com
Monday, December 27, 2010
Norwich firm gets $25000 from state for product development - Norwich Bulletin
oryucyjofec1482.blogspot.com
Norwich firm gets $25000 from state for product development Norwich Bulletin The award is aimed at boosting product development and increasing employment. By JAMES MOSHER A Norwich company was among 10 statewide to get a government ... Southington sm » |
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Florida Chamber bolsters local political leadership - Tampa Bay Business Journal:
takes-trendsthe.blogspot.com
Eric Brown, chief executive officef of in Tampa has been selecte d as the first chairmab ofthe . The CCE, or committee of continuoud existence, is one component of the chamber'x efforts and a big part of its political goalws in terms of identifying andelecting pro-business candidates, said Doug vice president of grassroots advocacyh and PAC development, Florida Chamber. A CCE is similard to a politicalaction committee, but is membershipo oriented and has dues and a board. It is more long term than a PAC, Wheeleer said.
This new regional CCE was formede as part of theFlorida Chamber's statewide regional effortsz to engage local members in the legislative and political processx by helping to identify and elect pro-business, pro-jobs candidatesa to state office. "It's formalizing of some of our members in that Wheeler said. The group will unify Floridwa Chamber businesses in eleven counties stretchinh from Hernando southward to Sarasota andfrom Pasco/Pinellas east to a release said. Its goal is to brinvg local businesses and leaders togethee and make the West Central Florida Chamber Alliance a stron g political force inthe area.
"The bandingf together of area business leaders to form this entity will fill a huge void for many businesses inthe area," said Brown in a release. "Wed will be able to influence state level politics at the local leveol andelect pro-business candidates much more effectively as a group than we ever could have individually."
Eric Brown, chief executive officef of in Tampa has been selecte d as the first chairmab ofthe . The CCE, or committee of continuoud existence, is one component of the chamber'x efforts and a big part of its political goalws in terms of identifying andelecting pro-business candidates, said Doug vice president of grassroots advocacyh and PAC development, Florida Chamber. A CCE is similard to a politicalaction committee, but is membershipo oriented and has dues and a board. It is more long term than a PAC, Wheeleer said.
This new regional CCE was formede as part of theFlorida Chamber's statewide regional effortsz to engage local members in the legislative and political processx by helping to identify and elect pro-business, pro-jobs candidatesa to state office. "It's formalizing of some of our members in that Wheeler said. The group will unify Floridwa Chamber businesses in eleven counties stretchinh from Hernando southward to Sarasota andfrom Pasco/Pinellas east to a release said. Its goal is to brinvg local businesses and leaders togethee and make the West Central Florida Chamber Alliance a stron g political force inthe area.
"The bandingf together of area business leaders to form this entity will fill a huge void for many businesses inthe area," said Brown in a release. "Wed will be able to influence state level politics at the local leveol andelect pro-business candidates much more effectively as a group than we ever could have individually."
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Fryer-oil debate sizzling - bizjournals:
http://www.rawlslib.net/2004/rawls/about.html
Pete Meersman, president of the , said the policyg violates long-accepted law that the oil used to cook food is part of the fina restaurantproduct that’s sold and taxed, and should be considereed wholesale and tax-exempt. Otherwise, it’s beiny taxed twice, he said. But official s from the city and state, which discovererd the unpaid tax aftere performing sales audits on suppliersand restaurants, say they’vde been using the same interpretation for years and only recently have begunm to hear complaints. Fryer oil isn’t the same as food they said. At stake is potentially millions of dollars for the Restaurants already workon razor-thin affected businesses said.
“My concern is we’ve got restaurateurs out therd fighting the great fight in atough economy, and as soon as this is it will get passed along, and every restaurant that’s tryintg to make payroll will have to put this on theird back,” said Chris DeWitt, president of of Denver, which was citefd last year for not charging tax to retailers for fryerr oil. Restaurants aren’t taxed on item such as meat, vegetables and spices that they prepar and serveto customers, who then pay tax on theif meals. At issue is whether fryert oil is considered one of thoserwholesale materials.
Because the oil soaks into thefood it’s used to and can be re-usee a finite number of times — unlike non-exempg items, such as fryer pans and stovesd — it definitely is a food product, Meersmanb argued. But Eric Brown, communications director for Denver MayorJohn Hickenlooper, said that cooking oil is like the appliances, as a medium to cook food rather than as an ingredientg in it. “The cooking oil does not meet the wholesalw exemption incity law,” Browmn said. Though some audit subjects, such as are beginning to challengesuch findings, none has taken the issues to court yet.
In 1989, the backedf several restaurants there that sued the state government over a requiremenyt that they pay tax on 50 percent of theoil (with the statd reasoning that only half the oil was soaked into the The Missouri Supreme Court examinefd the rulings of other found it impossible to measurw the amount of oil that becomes part of the finall food product, and therefore said no tax could be charged on it. “Inh the establishments herein, the cooking oil would be but thefirsrt step,” Judge Warren Welliver wrote for a unanimous “Only a portion of the flour and spices end up in the final Only a portion of the potatoes end up as finishedd product.
Chicken trimmings are consigned tothe garbage. The same is true for the componenrt parts ofthe salad. Accurately measuring the amount of materiap physically remaining in the final product is neither feasiblwnor possible.” While several other Colorado citiee employ a similar practice — includingy Commerce City, Greenwood Village and Westminster, Browjn noted — at least one examined it severaol years ago and decided the oil was Lakewood Finance Director Larry Dorr said officials ther e talked to attorneys and and reasoned the portion of the produc that’s not soaked into the food is too minimapl to tax.
“Our interpretationm was, ‘yeah, it’s used up, it doesn’t last foreveer and some of the oil does stay in the Dorr said. “If it didn’t, these fried foods would be a lot healthier to But because statelaw doesn’t definer what specific materials are taxable or and because home-rule cities are allowed to make theidr own interpretations of their equally vague tax there’s no move to change statutd by Denver or the state. Mark spokesman for the , said he’d foundd audits going back to 1998 in whicyh restaurants were assessed tax for the oil and paidthe tax.
Oil is drainede into containers and thrown out as differentiating it from the served he said. “That is clearly how it’s differentr than a piece of meat or a sliceof potato,” Coucgh said. Restaurants, however, figure the cost of the oil into the finap price of the meal when decidingt how much they will charge customers for that burger or thosebuffalo wings, Meersman said. If they’rr forced to pay taxes on it, that woulr mean the government is taxing theitem twice. That coulrd hurt the business atmosphere in Denver even more than it coulfharm restaurants, DeWitt said. “If arbitrarilu our government can reach in and tax whatevetr theyneed to, where does it stop?
” he “And when does it make Denver a less attractivew place to do business?”
Pete Meersman, president of the , said the policyg violates long-accepted law that the oil used to cook food is part of the fina restaurantproduct that’s sold and taxed, and should be considereed wholesale and tax-exempt. Otherwise, it’s beiny taxed twice, he said. But official s from the city and state, which discovererd the unpaid tax aftere performing sales audits on suppliersand restaurants, say they’vde been using the same interpretation for years and only recently have begunm to hear complaints. Fryer oil isn’t the same as food they said. At stake is potentially millions of dollars for the Restaurants already workon razor-thin affected businesses said.
“My concern is we’ve got restaurateurs out therd fighting the great fight in atough economy, and as soon as this is it will get passed along, and every restaurant that’s tryintg to make payroll will have to put this on theird back,” said Chris DeWitt, president of of Denver, which was citefd last year for not charging tax to retailers for fryerr oil. Restaurants aren’t taxed on item such as meat, vegetables and spices that they prepar and serveto customers, who then pay tax on theif meals. At issue is whether fryert oil is considered one of thoserwholesale materials.
Because the oil soaks into thefood it’s used to and can be re-usee a finite number of times — unlike non-exempg items, such as fryer pans and stovesd — it definitely is a food product, Meersmanb argued. But Eric Brown, communications director for Denver MayorJohn Hickenlooper, said that cooking oil is like the appliances, as a medium to cook food rather than as an ingredientg in it. “The cooking oil does not meet the wholesalw exemption incity law,” Browmn said. Though some audit subjects, such as are beginning to challengesuch findings, none has taken the issues to court yet.
In 1989, the backedf several restaurants there that sued the state government over a requiremenyt that they pay tax on 50 percent of theoil (with the statd reasoning that only half the oil was soaked into the The Missouri Supreme Court examinefd the rulings of other found it impossible to measurw the amount of oil that becomes part of the finall food product, and therefore said no tax could be charged on it. “Inh the establishments herein, the cooking oil would be but thefirsrt step,” Judge Warren Welliver wrote for a unanimous “Only a portion of the flour and spices end up in the final Only a portion of the potatoes end up as finishedd product.
Chicken trimmings are consigned tothe garbage. The same is true for the componenrt parts ofthe salad. Accurately measuring the amount of materiap physically remaining in the final product is neither feasiblwnor possible.” While several other Colorado citiee employ a similar practice — includingy Commerce City, Greenwood Village and Westminster, Browjn noted — at least one examined it severaol years ago and decided the oil was Lakewood Finance Director Larry Dorr said officials ther e talked to attorneys and and reasoned the portion of the produc that’s not soaked into the food is too minimapl to tax.
“Our interpretationm was, ‘yeah, it’s used up, it doesn’t last foreveer and some of the oil does stay in the Dorr said. “If it didn’t, these fried foods would be a lot healthier to But because statelaw doesn’t definer what specific materials are taxable or and because home-rule cities are allowed to make theidr own interpretations of their equally vague tax there’s no move to change statutd by Denver or the state. Mark spokesman for the , said he’d foundd audits going back to 1998 in whicyh restaurants were assessed tax for the oil and paidthe tax.
Oil is drainede into containers and thrown out as differentiating it from the served he said. “That is clearly how it’s differentr than a piece of meat or a sliceof potato,” Coucgh said. Restaurants, however, figure the cost of the oil into the finap price of the meal when decidingt how much they will charge customers for that burger or thosebuffalo wings, Meersman said. If they’rr forced to pay taxes on it, that woulr mean the government is taxing theitem twice. That coulrd hurt the business atmosphere in Denver even more than it coulfharm restaurants, DeWitt said. “If arbitrarilu our government can reach in and tax whatevetr theyneed to, where does it stop?
” he “And when does it make Denver a less attractivew place to do business?”
Monday, December 20, 2010
Bombino fined $40K for illegal crop shipments - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:
http://snipsly.com/2010/12/10/choosing-the-right-wood-flooring-for-your-home/
Bombino Express imported 34 packages of Indiab mangoes and yams that werelabeled “ladiesa apparel” through Los Angeles International Airport in July. Airportg dogs discovered the packages and officialsz confiscatedthe shipment. Federal and state laws ban importing of untreatedr mangoes and yamsfrom India, which can be infestecd with numerous crop-damaging including the devastating Oriental fruif fly. “Invasive pests are a primary threatg toour crops, and keeping them out of Californiza is vital to the security of our food supplgy and the stability of our agricultural crop,” California Department of Food & Agriculture secretary A.G.
Kawamurw said in a news release. Bombino will pay $40,000 in civil penalties, and face a $1.6 milliomn penalty if it violatesthe agreement, according to the agreementf with the Attorney Generalo and CDFA. Agriculture officialx say the Oriental fruit fly could costthe state’s millionsx of dollars in crop losses, eradication effortsa and quarantine requirements. “It’s criticapl that imported produce be properly inspecteds to avoid devastating and costly pest Attorney General Jerry Brownsaid
Bombino Express imported 34 packages of Indiab mangoes and yams that werelabeled “ladiesa apparel” through Los Angeles International Airport in July. Airportg dogs discovered the packages and officialsz confiscatedthe shipment. Federal and state laws ban importing of untreatedr mangoes and yamsfrom India, which can be infestecd with numerous crop-damaging including the devastating Oriental fruif fly. “Invasive pests are a primary threatg toour crops, and keeping them out of Californiza is vital to the security of our food supplgy and the stability of our agricultural crop,” California Department of Food & Agriculture secretary A.G.
Kawamurw said in a news release. Bombino will pay $40,000 in civil penalties, and face a $1.6 milliomn penalty if it violatesthe agreement, according to the agreementf with the Attorney Generalo and CDFA. Agriculture officialx say the Oriental fruit fly could costthe state’s millionsx of dollars in crop losses, eradication effortsa and quarantine requirements. “It’s criticapl that imported produce be properly inspecteds to avoid devastating and costly pest Attorney General Jerry Brownsaid
Friday, December 17, 2010
Report: VC-backed liquidity drops to $8.2B in Q1, lowest since 2005 - San Francisco Business Times:
hundleyobajoji1908.blogspot.com
billion, the lowest quarterly total since the fourth quarteof 2005, according to the a report Wednesday by . The largesty deal of the first quarter wasRound Texas-based Inc.'s (NASDAQ:DELL) $1.4 billion acquisition of Nashua, N.H.-based data-storagee company Inc. The second larges t deal of the firsg quarter wasSanta Clara, Calif.-based Inc.'s (NASDAQ:JAVA) $1 billion purchasde of open-source database company Inc. of Calif. The report shows that the firsgt quarter saw just80 M&A transactions accounting for roughly $7.8 billionb in liquidity, a far cry from the $10. 2 billion generated via 105 M&A in the first three months of 2007. Only six U.S.
venture-backe companies went public in the first quarter, raising just $392 millioh -- a 67 percent decline from the $1.2 billion raised via 13 IPOs in the first quarter last year. Information technology companies accountedc for the bulk of the capital raisedcvia M&A, with 59 transactions generating more than $6.1 billion in liquidity, a 5 percent dip for the segmentg from the $6.4 billion raised in 79 M&A transactions during the first quarter of 2007. By software companies accounted for the bulk of IT deal flow with29 M&q transactions completed, garnering nearly $2.3 billion.
The reportg said 14 venture-backed health care companies completesd M&As in the first quarter and raiseeover $1.1 billion, a nearly 42 percengt drop-off from the $1.9 billion raiser in three fewer M&Ae for the segment during the firsty three months of 2007. The median amount of venturse capital raised priorto M&Asd rose to $24.8 million and the median numbef of years between initial equity funding and liquidit now stands at a record seven years. Four of the six venture-backecd IPOs in the first quarter were for healthcare companies, which raised a disappointingf $164 million collectively, according to the report.
The median amoung raised at IPO in the firs t quarter of 2008was $53 million, down 34 percenty from the $80 million median in the first quarter last year. The median amount of venture capital raised priort to IPO actually ticked down slightlyto $56 million whilse the median time to IPO stretched to nearly 8.3
billion, the lowest quarterly total since the fourth quarteof 2005, according to the a report Wednesday by . The largesty deal of the first quarter wasRound Texas-based Inc.'s (NASDAQ:DELL) $1.4 billion acquisition of Nashua, N.H.-based data-storagee company Inc. The second larges t deal of the firsg quarter wasSanta Clara, Calif.-based Inc.'s (NASDAQ:JAVA) $1 billion purchasde of open-source database company Inc. of Calif. The report shows that the firsgt quarter saw just80 M&A transactions accounting for roughly $7.8 billionb in liquidity, a far cry from the $10. 2 billion generated via 105 M&A in the first three months of 2007. Only six U.S.
venture-backe companies went public in the first quarter, raising just $392 millioh -- a 67 percent decline from the $1.2 billion raised via 13 IPOs in the first quarter last year. Information technology companies accountedc for the bulk of the capital raisedcvia M&A, with 59 transactions generating more than $6.1 billion in liquidity, a 5 percent dip for the segmentg from the $6.4 billion raised in 79 M&A transactions during the first quarter of 2007. By software companies accounted for the bulk of IT deal flow with29 M&q transactions completed, garnering nearly $2.3 billion.
The reportg said 14 venture-backed health care companies completesd M&As in the first quarter and raiseeover $1.1 billion, a nearly 42 percengt drop-off from the $1.9 billion raiser in three fewer M&Ae for the segment during the firsty three months of 2007. The median amount of venturse capital raised priorto M&Asd rose to $24.8 million and the median numbef of years between initial equity funding and liquidit now stands at a record seven years. Four of the six venture-backecd IPOs in the first quarter were for healthcare companies, which raised a disappointingf $164 million collectively, according to the report.
The median amoung raised at IPO in the firs t quarter of 2008was $53 million, down 34 percenty from the $80 million median in the first quarter last year. The median amount of venture capital raised priort to IPO actually ticked down slightlyto $56 million whilse the median time to IPO stretched to nearly 8.3
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
RI city seeks to buy out homes affected by flood - WLNE-TV (ABC6)
studied-occasion.blogspot.com
RI city seeks to buy out homes affected by flood WLNE-TV (ABC6) AP - December 15, 2010 11:25 AM ET CRANSTON, RI (AP) - The city of Cranston is seeking federal approval to buy out several dozens homeowners affected by the ... |
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