FTC study taking aim at online marketing of booze

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans this summer to recommend ways that the alcoholic beverage industry can better protect underage viewers from seeing its advertisements online.

Distillers, brewers and wineries pour millions of dollars into brand promotion on Twitter, Facebook and other social media, and industry critics contend they are not doing enough to prevent young consumers from receiving these messages.

"We're doing a deep dive on how they're using the Internet and social media," said Janet Evans, a lawyer with the FTC, which is conducting a year-long study due to be released by early summer. "We're focusing on underage exposure."

She would not elaborate on any potential recommendations that might come out of the study, which began in April 2012.

The FTC is reviewing data from 14 big producers, Evans said, including Beam Inc, the maker of Jim Beam, Diageo Plc, home to Johnnie Walker, and Constellation Brands Inc, which makes Robert Mondavi and Ravenswood wines.

The FTC report "is something we take seriously and place at high priority," said Karena Breslin, director for digital marketing at Constellation.

The FTC has made two requests for information since the study began, she said.

The regulatory agency has not said it intends to impose restrictions on liquor company social media advertising but it can make recommendations to the industry.

The FTC is empowered to file suit to ensure consumers are protected from deceptive marketing practices, Evans said, but she stressed that studies of this nature are meant to promote better self-regulation, not provide a basis for a case.

Industry executives say alcohol makers and distributors voluntarily adhere to the same industry-set standard for marketing to underage viewers on social media sites that the industry set for its ads on TV and other media. That requires that at least 71.6 percent of an audience consists of adults 21 and older.

"No one in their right mind would want to advertise to people who can't legally buy their product," said Frank Coleman, senior vice president for Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the trade group that sets the industry's advertising codes.

Coleman also cited recent data showing the audiences for Facebook and Twitter are skewed heavily towards viewers who are above the legal drinking age.

"According to Nielsen's latest data, the demographic audience for Facebook is 83.5 percent 21 years and older, and for Twitter it is 85 percent," Coleman said.

In June 2011, DISCUS revised its code upwards to 71.6 percent from 70 percent, after the FTC recommended it review the standard to better reflect U.S. Census population data.

Industry critics, including David Jernigen, director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Johns Hopkins University, and Sarah Mart, research director of the advocacy group Alcohol Justice, contend the industry didn't go far enough and should raise the standard further.

Jernigen said it needs to be at least 85 percent to effectively protect youth, so there would be no more than 15 percent exposure to the underage drinking population.

"The industry says its self-regulating but it's ineffective and social media opens up a whole new set of problems because their ads are everywhere," said Mart.

Coleman said the group now requires members to install age-checking tools via instant messaging as a gateway to Twitter feeds and other branded Web platforms that ask the user for a birth date before admitting them.

In the first nine months of 2012, beer, wine and spirits manufacturers spent an estimated $35 million for paid Web display advertising, but industry executives estimate many millions more were spent on website creation, video production for platforms like Google's YouTube and social media marketing efforts.

"We've significantly adjusted more money to digital for online video, websites, Facebook and Twitter content," said Kevin George, global chief marketing officer for Jim Beam, which spends 30 percent of its media spend for online outlets, up from 10 percent in 2008, he said.

Many companies are expanding their digital staff. Wine maker Constellation hired Breslin three years ago to initiate digital marketing and now has a team of five reporting to her.

Many alcoholic beverage companies flocked to Facebook because it requires users to post their birth dates when signing up.

Last year Twitter partnered with Buddy Media to offer a screening tool that sends a direct message to fans who click on an alcoholic brand. The message sends the fan a link to a site that asks for date of birth.

Salesforce.com bought Buddy Media last June, which is now folding the platform into its marketing cloud portfolio.

Health advocates and industry critics are crying foul. "Facebook and other interactive platforms are poorly monitored and not well age-protected," said Jernigen of Johns Hopkins University. "Anyone can say they're 21 and click yes."

(Reporting by Susan Zeidler; Editing by Ron Grover, Alden Bentley and Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ftc-study-taking-aim-online-marketing-booze-010339010--sector.html

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Jordanians vote for newly empowered parliament

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Jordanians voted Wednesday for a parliament with wider authority, as the king cedes some of his powers to try to prevent simmering dissent from boiling over into a full blown Arab Spring uprising.

The new legislature will choose the prime minister and run day-to-day affairs, powers that used to reside with King Abdullah II. Foreign policy and security matters remain in the hands of the king.

Abdullah has introduced the reforms in a measured manner, trying to manage the pace of change.

Critics charge that the reforms are too mild and the election is not enough of a change. The main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, boycotted the voting.

The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in the region set off a wave of demonstrations in this usually placid U.S. ally. They have included unprecedented calls for the king to step down, raising alarms about the depth of the unrest.

The protests in Jordan have not been on the scale of the uprisings that toppled leaders in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Tunisia, or the bloody civil war in neighboring Syria.

Nearly 300,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan, some suspected of links to the Syrian regime. Some in Jordan worry that they could be a destabilizing element.

At a polling station at an Amman high school, Islam Qandil, 29, wearing an Islamic niqab covering her whole face except her eyes, said she didn't agree with the opposition boycott. The opposition has "the right to express their views, but the rule in Jordan is fair," she said, expressing trust in the king.

Outside another polling station across town, convenience store clerk Mohammed Abu-Summaqa, 21, said he would not cast a ballot.

"Members of parliament will not be able to do anything for us because they are controlled by the king and Cabinet, so why should I vote?" he asked.

Because of the Brotherhood's absence, the next parliament is likely to be a mix of independents with little political experience and pro-king conservatives, as previous ones were.

Nearly 1,500 candidates, including 191 women, ran for the 150-seat parliament. Woman have 15 seats reserved for them under a quota, and Christians, who make up 4 percent of the country's 6 million population, will get at least nine.

Polling stations stayed open for an extra hour to accommodate late voters. Independent Electoral Commission spokesman Hussein Bani Hani said turnout was about 56.5 percent of Jordan's 2.3 million registered voters, slightly more than the last election in 2010. Unofficial results were expected on Thursday.

The Brotherhood and four other smaller parties, mainly Communists and Arab nationalists, stayed away to protest an election law they see as biased in favor of Abdullah's loyalists. The government countered that the Islamists' alternative would inflate their representation.

"Today was a comedy," said Zaki Bani Irsheid, a leader of the Islamic Action Front, the Brotherhood's political arm. "How can you have elections without the opposition?"

The Brotherhood has been unable to tap into growing public anger over Jordan's economic malaise, rising prices, poverty, unemployment and corruption, in large part because of the deep distrust many Jordanians hold for the Islamist group.

After the election results, the party winning a majority of seats will consult with other blocs and independents to pick a prime minister. Up to now, the king has appointed premiers. The elected prime minister will then choose his Cabinet.

Abdullah has said the next step will be to build better political parties. He wants to streamline Jordan's 23 small and fractured parties into three or five coalitions based on ideology for future elections.

Currently, people usually cast their votes on the basis of tribal affiliation and family connections, producing successive parliaments dominated by pro-government, conservative tribal politicians. Although Jordan has a multiparty system, opposition parties have been unable to chart clear programs, claiming they are intimidated by tight scrutiny and security crackdowns.

Last week, Abdullah signaled that he was ready to relinquish additional powers in the future.

"The system of ruling in Jordan is evolving ... and the monarchy which my son will inherit will not be the same as the one I inherited," he told a French magazine. His comments raised speculation Jordan could eventually move toward a constitutional monarchy, with the king in a more ceremonial role. Abdullah, 50, has been in power almost 13 years.

Government officials said Abdullah wants to ensure an effective system in which mature political parties can fill a vacuum to be left by the monarchy stepping back from running daily affairs of the state. The officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

David Martin, the European Union's chief election observer, said the "electoral process seemed to be working well with no serious problems." He said EU observers were stationed in all of Jordan's 12 governorates.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Jordan's last appointed premier who is expected to turn in his resignation to the king shortly after the vote, called the election a "stepping stone, or a station, on the path of more vigorous, serious, real and genuine reforms."

"More democracy is coming," he told reporters as he cast his ballot in his northwestern hometown of Salt.

____

Associated Press Writer Dale Gavlak in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jordanians-vote-newly-empowered-parliament-092228943.html

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Stella Maris School negligence cost student's life | Nyasa Times ...

Stella Maris Secondary School is a prestigious instituion, but the recent death of of one of the students has created a blot in its image., leaving her family in state of despondency, Nyasa Times has learnt.

Georgina Nkhata 18, a form four student, died on Thursday evening at queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) where she was rushed to due to cerebral-Malaria.

She was buried over the weekend at her home village, Benjamin T/A Kandulu in Mwanza.

According to one of the family members and one of school teachers, Nkhata was denied to access medical attention by the school?s administration after she reported sick earlier last week.

Chide, Ministry of Education spokesman: No immediate comment

?She died on January 17, which was her birthday. The family is in distress right now and we don?t know what to do because as an education institution we trusted it with the life of our child; and now their negligence to provide necessary medical attention has led to her death,? lamented one of the family members.

The school, according to the information Nyasa Times has gathered, played down the Nkhata?s sickness; instead it opted to administer pain-killers on her without proper diagnosis from certified medical expert. Her situation, eventually, worsened, resulting into her demise.

?When she reported sick, the school authority disregarded it, saying it was not all that serious. Instead, they gave her Panados, but nothing changed until Thursday when the situation worsened. They contacted her parents before rushing her to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival?.

In an interview with Nyasa Times, the school?s deputy headmaster, a Mr. Zulu while confirming the death, refused to comment further and referred the issue to the Ministry of Education.

?I will only give you the school?s version of the story on that death unless we are permitted by the Ministry, but as of now we can?t comment further on that,? said Zulu.

However, efforts to talk to the Ministry?s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lindiwe Chide proved futile as she could not answer her phones and her office said she was locked up in a meeting every time we called.

Collaborated interviews with several teachers and students revealed that the Catholic-owned education institution headed by Sister Chikhwiza operates on strict rules and regulations, which played part on the death of Nkhata.

?Apart from restricting visitations, the students are mostly denied permission to seek medical attention from any hospital unless the condition is critical. Most of the times the administration opts for its own medical care although we don?t have trained medical practitioner,? disclosed one of the teachers.

Stella Maris is one of the Catholic Church run Secondary Schools with support from the Ministry of Education.

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Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/2013/01/22/stella-maris-school-negligence-cost-students-life/

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Nets beat Knicks to split four-game series

NEW YORK (AP) ? Joe Johnson made the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left and scored 25 points, leading the Brooklyn Nets to an 88-85 over the New York Knicks on Monday and a split of the four-game series between the city rivals.

Deron Williams added 14 points and 12 assists for the Nets, who cut the Knicks' Atlantic Division lead to one game. Brook Lopez had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Kris Humphries came off the bench for 11 points and 13 boards.

Carmelo Anthony had 29 points and seven assists for the Knicks, but missed all six shots in the fourth quarter and finished 11 of 29 for the game. J.R. Smith scored 16 points and Amare Stoudemire 15.

The Nets survived a pair of lengthy droughts in the second half but got 10 points in the final period from Johnson, who used to play for Knicks coach Mike Woodson in Atlanta and has become the player Brooklyn turns to for big shots in the clutch.

Anthony had his 26th straight 20-point game, tied with Stoudemire for third-longest streak in franchise history, but the Knicks were sluggish early in their first game since playing in London on Thursday and lost for the third straight time on Martin Luther King Day.

The Knicks led by three before consecutive 3-pointers by CJ Watson and Johnson gave Brooklyn a 78-75 lead. Smith scored, but then Johnson made another 3 and a jumper to extend the lead to 83-77 with 5:38 remaining before the Nets went cold again.

New York shut Brooklyn out over the next 5 minutes while scoring seven in a row, regaining the lead on Anthony's free throws with 40 seconds to play. But the Nets got the ball on the next possession to Johnson, who dribbled right toward the baseline and pulled up for the go-ahead basket.

Anthony missed badly on the next possession and the Knicks fouled Williams, who made both with 8.3 seconds to play for a three-point lead. Jason Kidd made one after the Nets fouled him intentionally, but the Knicks had one final chance after Williams hit just one of two on his next trip, ending a streak of 52 consecutive made free throws. Smith's rushed 3-point attempt bounced off the backboard and front of the rim.

The Knicks led the division by six games after beating the Nets here on Dec. 19, but the Nets have gone 11-2 under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo while the Knicks have battled injuries and failed to play at the level they reached early in the season.

The Nets led 26-24 after one, then got a solid stretch from Humphries, who has struggled lately after losing his starting job. He scored seven straight points as Brooklyn went ahead by six, and the lead grew to 45-35 on Reggie Evans' free throw with 2:06 remaining in the half.

Humphries finished with nine points and eight rebounds in 12 first-half minutes, and the Nets led 47-41 at the break.

The Knicks shot under 35 percent in the first half and trailed by nine early in the third quarter before finally finding their legs. Stoudemire and Smith each had two baskets before Anthony's jumper capped a 10-0 run that gave New York a 63-60 lead during a span in which it held Brooklyn without a basket for five minutes. The Knicks led 68-65 after three.

It was the third tight game in the series, the games living up to the extra emphasis that was put on them since the Nets' move from New Jersey into the Knicks' city. Anthony was the dominant player in the series, a thrill for the Brooklyn native and a tough pill to swallow for the Nets, who desperately tried to acquire him two years ago before the Denver Nuggets instead took the Knicks' package.

But he couldn't quite reach his level of play from the first three games, when he averaged 37 points.

Notes: Richie Guerin holds the Knicks' record with 29 straight 20-point games. Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing had a 28-game streak. ... The Knicks fell to 18-9 on the holiday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nets-beat-knicks-split-four-game-series-231059234--spt.html

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Cooking with snow | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

Snow: surprisingly useful in the kitchen. Photograph: John Windmill for the Guardian

If snow is romantic (well, before the transport misery and power cuts set in) then cooking with snow is even more so. You can pretend you're in The Little House on the Prairie, living on a homestead, hunting moose and riding huskies. But it wasn't in rural America or Canada that I first encountered a recipe that uses snow, it was right here in the UK.

In Denis Cotter's brilliant For the Love of Food, there's a Canadian-inspired recipe for snow cakes. He calls for "fresh fluffy" snow, which is folded into fine cornmeal, dolloped into muffin cases and baked for 15 minutes. Topped with butter and maple syrup, these are surprisingly tasty with a crusty, crumbly texture ? and a lot of fun to make.

If you don't mind getting strange looks from your neighbours, there's something magical about going out into the garden and gathering the sparkling stuff for use in the kitchen; it has an ethereal quality, like frozen bubble-bath for fairies. Cotter says: "[In] the early 60s ? and before that, it would have been a practical matter. No indoor water or frozen water pipes meant that to make tea or breakfast bread involved going out to scoop up some snow. I don't think many people find themselves in that situation now, so it has become a bit of a cutesy folklore thing."

Another cutesy recipe that's still popular after 200-odd years is maple taffy, also known as sugar on snow. It's made by pouring hot maple syrup on to snow so that it sets instantly. My first attempt left me with a slushie rather than a toffee, so it's important to heat the syrup to the correct temperature, or at least until little bubbles appear. Twirl it around a lolly stick or fork, and eat quickly while still soft, as it will harden.

Maple taffy is traditionally eaten with sour pickles, crackers, doughnuts and coffee, which cut through its intense sweetness. In parts of Canada and US, "sugar on snow parties" are hosted to celebrate the harvesting of the maple sap by maple syrup companies, privately owned sugar houses and families with children.

Another kids' favourite is snow ice-cream, and this three-ingredient recipe from Paula Deen is a modern classic. Made by simply combining condensed milk and vanilla extract with snow, this instant sweet treat reminded me of old-fashioned seaside ice-creams. The correct ratio of snow to milk is necessary though, otherwise it will become runny.

The only British recipe I found was for snow pancakes: normal pancakes with snow added to make them light. They look and taste the same, but have a crispy texture and many more holes on the surface. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that snow was mixed into pancake batter after the second world war when eggs were in short supply. However, other than Alan Davidson conceding that "snow occasionally occurs in recipes ? in a certain type of pancake", I haven't seen it mentioned in any old British cookbooks or food history books. There's even a suggestion that using snow was common before baking powder was invented, as the ammonia said to be present in fresh snow acts as a leavening agent.

But is snow safe to eat? "Freshly melted snow is generally considered to be safe ? without further treatment", says Dr Liz Bentley, head of The Weather Club at the Royal Meteorological Society. "However, to be on the safe side, it is best to boil the water from melted snow for 10 minutes to kill any micro-organisms and germs that may exist." Adventurer Bear Grylls agrees: "I've often cooked with snow and it works great ? Once the snow is boiled it is fine to drink also."

Boiled snow? Where's the fun in that? I followed Cotter's advice and lived to tell the tale. "Make sure it's clean snow," he says. "It's definitely best if the snow is recently fallen and still in dry large flakes, all light and fluffy. Then work quickly yet gently." As Frank Zappa once sang: "Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow."

If you're still worried, shaved ice will work just as well (though it won't be such a hoot); and if you're a dab hand at liquid nitrogen wizardry, try making faux snow.

So have you ever used snow in a recipe? What did you make, and how did it turn out?

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/jan/21/cooking-with-snow

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Commercial Real Estate Tips That Every Buyer And Seller Should ...

Unless you have a clear idea of where to begin, locating and purchasing a prime commercial property may seem almost impossible. The following article will help you find your way through your commercial real estate endeavor.

There are many tax benefits available for commercial investors. Depreciation benefits and interest reductions are given to investors in commercial real estate. However, you also need to be aware of a potential tax problem: income that you have to pay taxes on even though you never actually receive it. Before investing, become more familiar with this sort of income.

You might need to make improvements to your new space before you can use it. It may be cosmetic changes like rearranging the furniture or painting the wall. Sometimes, you may need to move a wall in order to create a better floor plan. Negotiate in advance who pays for these improvements or try to get the landlord to pay for at least a portion of the costs.

In a new lease, you need to be aware of how the rent price will affect your investment. Figure out what you will charge for rent before speaking with potential tenants. In this way, you will be able to attain the targets and the benchmarks you have set for yourself based upon the performance of your investment.

Understand how the firm you?re looking to work with conducts its business and measures results. For example, it may be useful to know about how required space is calculated, key factors for evaluation and the mechanisms of different methods of negotiation. Understanding how the firm works is beneficial prior to signing an exclusive agency with them.

Location is vital to commercial real estate. What type of neighborhood is the property in? Compare the growth of the property?s neighborhood to similar neighborhoods around the country. The ideal location is situated in an area that can sustain economic growth for many years to come.

You can post to social networking sites, and you should also send out newsletters about your commercial properties. As you complete your first deal, do not get lost completely in the commercial real estate online world.

If inspections are part of the deal on your real estate, be sure to check all the credentials of the hired inspectors. This is especially true of people who work with insect or pest removal, as there are many non-accredited people working in these fields. By hiring an experienced professional, you?re less likely to run into problems after you buy the property.

If you are novice investor, you should start off with just one single type of investment. The best way to learn is to choose one type of property and concentrate solely on it. It is preferred to excel in one type instead of being mediocre in many types.

You should be certain that your asking price is a fair offer for your piece of real estate. There are many things that can impact your value greatly.

Whether you are buying or selling, don?t shy away from negotiation. Be sure that your voice is heard so that you can get yourself a fair price on the property you are dealing with.

Be sure to realize all properties have a lifetime. You could make a big mistake by ignoring what you may eventually have to spend in order to keep up with the upkeep of the property. The property might need a more modern roof and electrical system. All buildings periodically need maintenance and remodeling. It is important to formulate a long-term approach for managing these types of repairs.

Be sure to only focus on one investment at a time. For example, you may choose to work mostly with apartment complexes, strip malls, undeveloped land or restaurants. Each type of investment deserves your undivided attention. You will see larger profits when you master one form of investment rather then spread yourself too thin across many others.

Before you start, find the right financing for your needs. Obtaining commercial loans is much more complicated than securing a residential home loan. They are better in a number of ways. Commercial properties require huge down payments, but regulations make it possible to avoid responsibility if things go bad. Additionally, banks aren?t as picky about how you come up with the down payment.

Try to consider all the kinds of environment problems that could raise their heads. For example, if the property you are considering has any hazardous waste material on it, or has in the past, that can cause problems. Once you purchase a commercial property, hazardous wastes and environmental issues become your problem.

When it is time to pay for commercial real estate, it is important to keep financial statements for both you and your business on hand. If you fail to get proper financial statements, your bank will be less likely to issue you the commercial loan.

Make sure you always remain cool, calm, and collected when you begin to look for commercial real estate. Don?t enter into a commercial venture hastily. The property you buy in a hurry might not deliver what you need to reach your goals, leaving you to regret the purchase afterward. It may take a year for your needed investment to come about in the market.

The article you just read contains a lot of useful tips you can use when buying or selling commercial property. Take what you?ve learned here to heart, and continue to learn as much as you can about the real estate market.

Keep your eyes open for motivated sellers. You have to look for them, particularly the sellers who are willing to sell for less than the market price. You need a good deal and a seller who is excited to make it in order to purchase commercial real estate.

Did you forsee yourself obtaining all this info about Overseas Property? Now that know all this, use it! The great information you?ve learned should start paying off in leaps and bounds. This should make you want to learn even more.

Source: http://www.davidstanleyredfern.com/general-news/commercial-real-estate-tips-that-every-buyer-and-seller-should-know-4

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Exclusive: 2 Chainz Takes Us Backstage At Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball

2 Chainz was honored for his work with the Respect My Vote campaign, and we were there.
By James Montgomery

2 Chainz at the Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball II
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700531/2chainz-inauguration-obama.jhtml

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