WedMDreports that the latest information about the H1N1 virus from the CDC is that it continues to kill and hospitalize people living in the United States. The CDC estimated that there were 2 million new cases from mid-January to mid-February. These cases led to 18,000 hospitalizations and about 310 deaths.
The CDC also has increased its estimates for the deaths from the pandemic which started in April, 2009. The CDC estimates that there have been 42 million to 86 million total H1N1 cases. The estimate of the number of people hospitalized ranges from 188,000 to 389,000 and the estimate for those killed by the virus ranges from 8,520 to 17,620. There were no new figures on the number of children killed by the disease. Last month the CDC reported that the virus might have killed as many as 1,800 children.
The CDC also said 86 million U.S. residents have been vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu, which is both good and bad. It means a lot of people heeded the government's advice and got vaccinated. Unfortunately, it also means there are likely still tens of milions of people in the U.S. with no immunity to H1N1.
Amy Winehouse Partners With Fred Perry for Fashion Collection
Amy Winehouse is collaborating with British label Fred Perry for a 17-piece collection that will arrive in stores in October. WWDreports that the garments will have a black and pink palette. Items in the collection include pencil skirts, capri pants, polo shirts and a mini bowling dress. The pieces will cost between $32 and $150 and will be sold at Fred Perry Authentic boutiques and through select wholesalers. You can see a few more sketches of pieces from the upcoming collection here.
CDC: Swine Flu Killed as Many as 17,000 Americans, Including 1,800 Children
Reuters reports that the H1N1 influenza virus killed as many as 17,000 Americans from April 2009 to January 16, 2010. The CDC says as many as 1,800 of the deaths were children. The CDC estimates that between 183,000 and 378,000 people were hospitalized with H1N1 swine flu during the time period.
Of the 17,000 deaths only about 1,000 to 2,000 were adults over the age of 65. That is atypical of a normal flu season. In a typical flu outbreak about 90% of those killed are over age 65.
The New York Times says the CDC has recorded very little seasons flu this year. Most of the flu cases have been H1N1.
Wine expert Paul Grieco, general manager and sommelier at Hearth Restaurant, discusses which wines go with chocolate for Valentine's Day. Paul starts with the classic milk with chocolate, then heads into adult beverages. He pairs wine with chocolate pudding (sorry, we're going to pass on this combo), and then pairs a sparkling Shiraz with chocolate ice cream. With Black Forest Cake, he drank a Madeira. Of course, champagne and chocolate is a classic pairing. For a box of chocolates, Paul likes a ruby port. We sort of lost focus at this point in the segment, because Al Roker was menacing Hannah with a giant pink bird. And no, that's not the ruby port talking. Take a look:
California Wine Exports Slump Due to Global Recession
For the first time in sixteen years, California wine shipments have dropped overall by 1.6%. The biggest export market for California wines is the United Kingdom which has been hard hit by the recession, according to researcher Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates.
The global shipment volume of wine made in California dropped by 1.6 percent, to 236 million cases, according to 11 months of data and December estimates from Jon Fredrikson, who heads the wine research firm in Woodside, California.
Shipments to the U.K. plunged 36 percent because of the recession, high taxes, rising duties on imports and the drop in the value of the pound, which boosted California wine prices, Fredrikson said today in a telephone interview. Shipments in the U.S. fell 0.4 percent. Revenue for California wineries, whose biggest product is Chardonnay, probably fell more than shipment volumes as shoppers sought out cheaper bottles, he said.
"Today, frugality is hip," said Fredrikson, who hasn't yet estimated 2009 revenue for the industry. "There's a lot of heartburn going on among industry planners."
The IMF says that the global economy shrank by .8% in 2009. Although exports were down, California wineries sold more wine in the U.S. last year. So, apparently everyone's still drinking wine like crazy, but they're buying local not imported wine.
1982 Chateau Lafite Goes for $46,700 at Auction in Hong Kong
A six liter bottle of 1982 Chateau Lafite sold at auction for $46,700 ($363,000 Hong Kong dollars) at a wine auction in Hong Kong. That was twice the presale estimate for the wine. Bloomberg reports:
The 10-hour sale yesterday of more than 800 lots tallied HK$52.9 million, beating host Sotheby's own forecast of HK$40 million. Bidders at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel drank glasses of Louis Roederer Blanc de Blanc 2003 and Haut Brion 1998 as they competed with online bidders for choice items, such as twin 1.5-liter bottles of Chateau Petrus 1982 that fetched HK$435,600, against the lot's top estimate of HK$130,000. Estimates don't include commission.
As economies such as China show signs of inflation while the government increases spending to sustain growth, some buyers are converting their currency into assets such as fine wine to protect their wealth, said Agnes Hon, a private-equity investor and wine collector who bought several lots at the sale. Others buy simply to enjoy their purchases, said Kevin Ching, Sotheby's Asia chief executive. That's especially true of mainland Chinese buyers, who won at least a quarter of the bids at the auction, he said in a telephone interview.
In February, 2008, Hong Kong abolished duties on wine which has energized the wine market. Last year, Hong Kong held fourteen wine auctions. Hong Kong is now the second largest market after New York, according to Sotheby's.
Many Bay Area restaurants allow patrons to bring their own wine to dinner, but they usually charge a corkage fee. Wine lovers balk at paying $50 for a bottle of wine they have at home that cost under $20, so they bring their own if the wine list isn't up to their standards, but the food is. But the corkage fee is getting in the way. During the recession customers are refusing to pay a $15 corkage fee, so many restaurants are now waiving that fee entirely.
With more restaurants eliminating their corkage fees, the Bay Area may finally be catching up to the rest of the nation. While local diners can bring their own wine to 71% of the more than 4,000 restaurants in the region, only 341 of these places -- or 12% -- opened those bottles for free, according to a July survey by DiningInfo LLC. That is about half the percentage of free-corkage restaurants in New York and a lower percentage than any city in the sample except for Washington.
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Restaurants typically charge 2 1/2 times the retail price for a bottle of wine, making it one of the more profitable parts of the business. Corkage fees, which often run $10 to $20, help make up for the lost sales.
Still, as more of the region's restaurants struggle for business, a growing number are giving free corkage a try. The number of Bay Area places that list free corkage on OpenTable Inc.'s online-reservation site has nearly doubled since the option was made available in April. And the typical number of nights the service is available in the Bay Area is up 45% over that time.
The shift toward free corkage is popular with diners, some of whom say they are likely to spend more on food if a restaurant offers free corkage. "If I bring a bottle of wine, I'm more apt to buy an appetizer or dessert," says Patrick Aitken, a 29-year-old consultant who lives in San Francisco and in May started a Web site, sfcorkagefees.com, which lists restaurants in the city with free corkage.
Our hats are off to those that are organized enough to locate and remember to bring the appropriate bottle of wine to a restaurant. They must know what they are going to order in advance if they already have the wine picked out.
Study Finds Children Twice as Likely to Catch Swine Flu
The BBC reports that a joint US-UK study has found that children are twice as likely to catch swine flu as adults.
In a study of more than 800 people, one in eight people developed the infection after someone in their house got it.
But the team also dismissed suggestions that children may be "super spreaders" as they were found to be no more contagious than older people.
Rates of swine flu have tended to be higher among younger age groups, the official figures have shown.
Swine flu is also deadlier for children than adults. Swine flu is still going around and is estimated to have killed at least 10,000 people in the U.S. including 1,100 children and 7,500 younger adults. Children and adults should get vaccinated against H1N1 if they haven't already.
There are up to twenty million bubbles in one bottle of champagne. For centuries, champagne makers considered pent-up carbon dioxide a hazard that could make their bottles explode. But when 17th century Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon invented the wire cage that holds the cork onto the bottle, everything changed. Now 322 million bottles of champagne are sold every year around the world. The WSJ's Robert Lee Hotz investigates the science behind the bubbly. Take a look:
Kids Swine Flu Shots Recalled For Not Being Strong Enough
Sanofi Aventis has recalled 800,000 H1N1 shots because they were not potent enough. NPR reports that the CDC says there is no safety hazard despite the recall. The CDC says parents need to make sure children get two doses of swine flu vaccine one month apart.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there's no safety hazard and doesn't recommend that kids who got shots from affected lots be revaccinated.
The affected vaccine just missed the minimum requirement for potency, the CDC said, so even the substandard lots should be strong enough to evoke a decent immune response in kids.
The CDC continues to recommend that children get two doses of swine flu vaccine about a month apart. So the main piece of advice for parents whose kids got a dose of the substandard vaccine is to make sure they get their second dose on schedule.
The H1N1 virus is estimated to have killed over 1,100 children in the U.S. so far according to the CDC. That is about ten times the number of children killed from influenza in the U.S. annually.
The L.A. Timesreports that the CDC is estimating that at least 10,000 Americans have died from H1N1 influenza and that at least 50 million Americans, 1 in 6, have been infected. The CDC estimates that the 10,000 deaths include 1,100 children and 7,500 younger adults.
At least 50 million Americans had contracted pandemic H1N1 influenza through Nov. 14, according to the newest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released today -- meaning that about 15% of the entire country has been infected, about one in every six people.
"That still leaves most people not having been infected and still susceptible," CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said at a news conference. The agency also reported that more than 200,000 people had been hospitalized and nearly 10,000 had died.
The CDC is warning that there are still many people that have not yet been infected with H1N1. People need to get vaccinated and not dismiss the threat.
Francis Ford Coppola Sues Bottle Maker Over Ruined Wine
Winemaker and movie director Francis Ford Coppola is suing
bottle maker Vinocor USA Inc. for ruining 55,000 cases of his vineyard's wine. Bloomberg reports:
Coppola's wine company, Francis Ford Coppola Presents LLC, hired Vinocor in 2007 to make custom bottles at $8.76 a case and oversized screw caps at $43.25 per 1,000 for "Encyclopedia" wines, according to a lawsuit filed Nov. 23 in California court. Vinocor was paid about $685,000 last year for the packaging, according to the suit.
Many of Vinocor's bottles had bent necks, chipped glass and uneven bases, and the screw caps were badly made or bent after shipping, according to the lawsuit. When replacements arrived, Coppola bottled the wine, only to find the containers were leaking and letting in air that caused oxidation, it said.
"Virtually all of the wine produced and bottled in the 55,000 cases of the Encyclopedia collection was materially degraded or destroyed as a result of the defects in the bottles, screw caps and packaging products provided by Vinocor USA," based in Napa, California, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.
Coppola's two California wineries produce 620,000 cases a year, according to 2009 data collected from the wineries by the industry newsletter, Wines & Vines. The Web site of Stirling Fine Wines in Stirling, New Jersey, offers a decanter-shaped bottle with a blue screw cap of Coppola's Encyclopedia Cabernet from France's Bordeaux region for $12.99, discounted from $18.99.
The Encyclopedia wines are produced in Geyserville, California, by the Francis For Coppola Winery. The more expensive wines are produced in Rutherford, California, by Coppola's Rubicon Estate.
La Tour D'Argent Auctions Off Wines From Its Legendary Cellar
Famed Paris restaurant La Tour D'Argent has seen some hard times, losing two of its three Michelin stars. Determined to regain its former status, the restaurant is auctioning off some wines from its famous wine cellar, which holds around 500,000 bottles. The restaurant has been in existence for 427 years, and there were some amazing vintages auctioned off. Take a look:
Microsoft's Bing Search Engine Released Top Searches for 2009
There is still a full month left in 2009 but Microsoft's Bing search engine has already released its data on the top ten searches of 2009. Michael Jackson was the most searched followed by Twitter and swine flu.
The Washington Postreports that a mutated version of the H1N1 virus has been discovered by Norwegian scientists. The scientists say the mutation could cause a more severe disease.
In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the mutation "could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease," such as pneumonia.
The institute said that there was no indication that the mutation would hinder the ability of the vaccine to protect people from becoming infected or impair the effectiveness of antiviral drugs in treating people who became infected.
Two patients found to have the mutated swine flu virus died and a third is severly ill. The Washington Post says a statement released by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said, "Based on what we know so far, it seems that the mutated virus does not circulate in the population, but might be a result of spontaneous changes which have occurred in these three patients."
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