The Buzz On Business

last updated: April 08, 2008 04:31:29 AM

ETIQUETTE LUNCHEON FOR TEENS: The career center at Turlock High School will holds its annual etiquette luncheon on Thursday at On Broadway in Turlock. The luncheon is the highlight of the yearlong Transitional Partnership Program at Turlock High School, a partnership with the California Department of Rehabilitation. The program is designed for high school seniors with minor learning disabilities, preparing teenagers for the work force. The students get training in skills such as how to fill out job applications, dress appropriately for interviews, write résumés and how to behave on the job. They also learn about nutrition and dining etiquette during a two-day visit Wednesday and Thursday by Luann Alemao, the author of "Grip, Grin and Greet: A Popular Guide for Success in Work and Play."

MORE MySPACE FOR LATINOS: The online hangout MySpace is expanding its offerings for U.S. Latinos, adding eight bilingual communities focused on Latino bands and celebrities, soccer and other interests. The year-old MySpace Latino largely has been a translation of MySpace's English site into Spanish. Beginning Tuesday, MySpace is unveiling content specific to one of the fastest-growing groups online. MySpace officials say that switching between English and Spanish generally should be seamless. The Los Angeles-based company, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., will continue to have separate sites in Spanish or Portuguese aimed at Latinos abroad: MySpace Mexico, MySpace Brazil and a continentwide MySpace Latin America. Sites targeting other groups, including blacks, are in the works, but MySpace is expanding the Latino site now because of its growth.

BITS OF GLASS IN SAMUEL ADAMS: The brewer of Samuel Adams beer is recalling selected bottles of beer that may contain tiny bits of glass. Boston Beer Co. said Monday the recall comes after routine inspections at a company brewery in Cincinnati found defects in 12-ounce beer bottles made by a third-party supplier. Inspectors discovered that bits of glass could break off and possibly fall into the bottle. The Sam Adams beers affected by the recall have a special marking on the base of the bottle. The marking has the letter "N" followed by the number 35, followed by the letters "OI." Boston Beer said there are no reports of any injuries to consumers.

GAS-POWERED PASSATS RECALLED: Volkswagen Group of America Inc. says it's voluntarily recalling about 410,000 gasoline-powered Passats because of potential problems including damage to a heat shield. Volkswagen said no accidents or injuries have been recorded related to the 1999 to 2005 model year Passats. Volkswagen plans to notify owners of the recall, but said drivers who smell fuel should take the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealer or authorized repair shop. For more information, go to the company's Web site at www.vw.com.

BEE NEWS SERVICES

Figuratively Speaking

11: Percentage of small-business owners who say they plan to retire and stop working in their businesses in the long run, according to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey

62: Percentage of small-business owners who say they expect their small businesses to keep going after they stop working

33: Percentage who feel their businesses will stop

JOHN MacINTYRE,

UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE

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