Four Loko Agrees to Change Misleading Packaging and Labeling

After Years of Pressure by Senator Klein and Health Officials, Four Loko Agrees to Change Misleading Packaging and Labeling

Klein and FDA Hope that Changes will Reduce the Danger to Young Customers

    After over a year of pressure by State Senator Jeff Klein, the Independent Democratic Conference, and other health advocacy organizations, the makers of popular alcoholic malt beverage Four Loko, have agreed to make significant changes to their packaging.  On Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission said that the creators, Chicago based Phusion Projects, would be required to place an “alcohol facts panel” in the back of their malt-flavored beverages.  The containers will also be re-packaged so they can be resealed, a measure that experts say will reduce the likelihood of customers guzzling down the beverage in one short sitting.

“I am pleased that the makers of Four Loko are finally taking serious steps that will reduce the danger of these products to our country’s children. These regulations have been a long-time coming and I will keep a close watch on Phusion to ensure that they stay true to their word” said Senator Jeff Klein.

Senator Klein has long pushed Four Loko to make changes to these “Alcopops” beverages, also known as High Alcohol Flavored Malt Beverages.  Four Loko’s 12% alcohol content makes a single serving far more dangerous than that of an ordinary alcoholic beverage—in fact, a super sized can delivers the alcoholic equivalent of 4-5 beers. The product’s high alcohol content, cheap price, and colorful and misleading labeling have been identified as key components to Four Loko’s successful marketing campaign for young and underage customers.

In June of 2010, in an effort to identify the extent of medical problems inflicted by alcopop beverage on New York’s youth, Senator Klein conducted a survey of colleges and hospitals across New York State. Senator Klein’s investigation uncovered multiple cases of hospitalization related to alcopop consumption.

At the time, as Chairman of the New York State Standing Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Senator Klein issued legislative subpoenas in June of 2011 regarding the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of Four Loko.  The subpoena garnered wide media attention and was part of the Committee’s ongoing investigation into high alcohol Flavored Malt Beverages and their impact on minors.

On March 2012, Senator Klein passed legislation that included moving these beverages out of corner shops and restricting their sales to liquor stores only.  These drinks are heavily marketed to under aged consumers, who, through an investigation conducted by the NYPD’s Bronx Borough Command in 2011, have been able to easily purchase the drinks at local convenience stores.

What You Should Know

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York

Now it’s the Bronx Borough President’s Time!

You should know that the Constitution of the United States of America mandates that the President of our Nation, once a year, informs Congress about the current situation of the nation and presents his future plans for the nation.  This event, which is broadcast live for all residents in our nation, is called the State of the Union Address.

It is also important for you to know that this mandate is followed by governors, mayors, city council presidents, and almost every elected official who oversees townships and municipalities.

Here in New York State, practically everyone has already given their State of their respective government or municipality Address.  Starting with Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and practically every other borough president, the speeches have been given.

Now comes the time for Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz, Jr., who in more familiar settings is called “Rubencito,” to render his Fourth Annual State of the Borough Address.

You will hear directly from the lips of the President of Bronx County, or as I refer to it: El Condado de Papa Dios.  (Others who used to call it El Condado de la Salsa, now call it El Condado de la Salsa y el Merengue due to the great influx of Dominicans who reside here.)  Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz, Jr. will be informing us about the Bronx’s economic, housing, labor, educational, health, environmental, transportation, and social services situations.  He will let us know all about his many achievements during his tenure, and share with us what he envisions for the future of this great county.

Yes, my friends, you should all come to this great event on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 11:00AM at James Monroe High School located at 1300 Boynton Avenue (on the corner of East 172nd Street) in the Bronx River section of the Bronx, where the Honorable Rubén Díaz, Jr. has invited everyone to come and hear his speech about the State of the Bronx and his plans for our great borough!

This is Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

 

LIU APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE PROPOSAL

  City Comptroller John C. Liu issued the following statement in support of President Obama’s call to increase the federal minimum wage:

“New Yorkers should find a lot to like in last night's State of the Union address. President Obama's proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $9.00 is necessary to rebuild the middle class and help the working poor climb out of poverty.  In order to combat our City’s high cost of living and growing wealth gap, we continue to call for raising the minimum wage in New York City to $11.50 an hour. While we wholeheartedly support the President's proposal, the fact remains that $9.00 goes much further in Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City than in New York City.”

Background:
During his December State of the City address, Comptroller Liu called for a New York City minimum wage of $11.50 an hour, to be phased in over five years and then pegged to the Consumer Price Index.

Comptroller Liu’s Minimum Wage Proposal at his State of the City –
December 20, 2012:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZIUGDaSzA&feature=youtu.be

Comptroller Liu’s Income Inequality in NYC Report – May 21, 2012:
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2012/NYC_IncomeInequality_v17.pdf

Toy Fair 2013

   The New York Toy Fair 2013 was the place to find this Christmas's "next big toy". As you will see from the photos below there could be many big toys this Christmas or Chanukah.

Left - The Power Rangers were out in force at the Toy Fair as usual.

Right - There were bins of ball to be had.

 

 

Left - is a variation on the famous board game Monopoly called Old Age-Opoly where John Moran explains that the company has been in business for 28 years.

Right - some other versions of the Opoly game. 

 

Left - is the old classic small slot racing game on the market for over 25 years that has been updated for better performance.

Right - For a few dollars more one can get a real top of the line much larger home slot car racing game. 

Left - Star Trek space ships, phasers, and communicators from Captain Kirk and Piccard are still being made.

Right - The new breed of robots that do more and cost less. the one on the right or the dinosaur now sell for $79.99 suggested retail.  

Left - Unlike the old hand held robot fighters these are electronically controlled.

Right - Is a wooden Boys action Figure House.

 

Left - Tom Sempts of Oyo Sports Toys shows off his companies Baseball and Football products that are Lego compatible as you can see on the right.

Left - An assortment of wooden sleds since there was a blizzard the day before the Toy Fair began.

Right - Yoo Hoo from the My Little Pony booth mingles with the crowd. 

Left - In October 2012 two college buddies started a company that makes mustache tattoos, and the company has taken off. The pair have an NCAA licencing agreement now for college teams.

Right - Art Radani another young entrepreneur shows off his Ring Stix of which there are several different varieties.

Left - Brett Outchcunis of Yomega Corp shows his combination move of Double or Nothing & the Eiffel  Tower. While yo yo sales peaked in the late 1990's Yomega produces high performance yo yo's for competition, and sales are still strong. 

Right - Stink Cards from Stinkerz.com are not only for boys. Girls like the stink cards also.

Left - For Girls is Wild Styles dolls and accessories.
Right -  Sassy Fashion handbags for girls. 

Left - Three friends  who started the Bunnies by the Bay company.
Right - is a company that makes washable color able stuffed toys.

Left - A stencil drawable game called Doodle Art.
Right - Julie Blumberger of Jewish Educational Toys shows off some great gifts and toys for Chanukah.

   

     

 

Save the Date for JASA's Annual Benefit!

LIU: CITY’S TIMES SQUARE GIVEAWAY COST TAXPAYERS $344.9 MILLION

Taxpayers Lost Big Time with EDC’s Outrageous Deal on

Marriott Marquis Hotel Lease, Audit Finds

Comptroller John C. Liu today called on Mayor Bloomberg and the City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to renegotiate a lease agreement with the Marriott Marquis Hotel that could cost taxpayers at least $344.9 million.

“This is one of worst deals since Manhattan was sold for $24,” Comptroller Liu said.  “The EDC betrayed its fiduciary responsibility to act in taxpayers’ interest when it recommended this sweetheart deal to the City in 1998.  The clock is ticking ­— the lease set to expire in less than four years would let the Marriott Marquis purchase one of the hottest pieces of New York real estate for a fire-sale price of $20 million — that’s ten cents on the dollar compared to its value today.”

Comptroller Liu urged the City to renegotiate the lease or find another tenant for this prime real estate. “City Hall needs to reexamine this agreement and do whatever it can to recoup the millions taxpayers have lost in this boondoggle. If Marriott refuses to renegotiate the lease they should vacate the property; after all the land still belongs to the City and there are certainly other luxury hotels that would be willing to pay a fair price for a Times Square location.” 

The Marriott Marquis was built on City land under a 1982 agreement that was fair and beneficial to both the hotel and the City. In 1998, the City’s EDC encouraged City Hall to rewrite the terms and shorten the life of the 75-year lease by 40 years. The new lease drastically cut the hotel’s rent payments and allows the Marriott Marquis to buy a large corner of the Theater District for a song when the lease expires in 2017 — instead of 2057.

Comptroller Liu’s audit conservatively estimates that taxpayers stand to lose $344.9 million since the EDC rewrote the Marriott Marquis’ lease with two major changes:

• Below Market Value Purchase Price (Loss of $173.1 million) – The EDC provided the Marriott with the right to buy the land at Broadway and 46^th Street for a bargain basement price of $19.9 million.  The original lease allowed the Marriott Marquis to purchase the land in 2057 for “fair market value,” which today is estimated to be worth $193 million, according the City’s Finance Department records.

• Rent Forgiveness (Loss of $171.8 million) – The EDC agreed to dramatically reduce Marriott Marquis’ annual rent payments to the City by allowing the hotel to pay off all of its back rent in lieu of current rent. 

EDC’s Excuses

When asked why the agency revised the lease at such a disadvantage to the City, EDC officials responded that the individuals who had brokered the deal no longer worked at the agency and that the EDC had little or no record of the transaction — a breathtaking assertion for a deal of this magnitude that is still in effect. In addition, officials pointed to Times Square’s condition and the need to develop it, in contradiction of the fact that, by 1998, Times Square had boomed and hotels and other businesses were pushing to open there.

Missing Documents: Breach of Contract

Under its lease Marriott has to keep financial records for six years. Audits in both 1990 and 1997 uncovered that the Marriott failed to follow this provision.  As a result of these scathing reports, Marriott wrote to the City in 1997 that it “changed its retention policy and since late 1995 every underlying document is stored on CD-ROM” and that it was complying with the six-year retention policy stated in the Lease Agreement.  When auditors last year asked for Marriott to turn over six years of financial records, Marriott stated it only had records dating to 2008, a violation of its contractual obligation. Because of Marriott Marquis’ indisputable contract breach, Comptroller Liu is asking the City to reopen the lease and renegotiate the terms that have left the City at such a lopsided disadvantage.  Moreover, Comptroller City should pursue recoupment of the lost $344.9 million.

Other Findings:

The Marriott Marquis owes the City $3.6 million in Accrued Unpaid Rent interest dating to 1998.  Under its 1998 agreement Marriott was required to pay off back rent with interest. However, Comptroller Liu’s audit found that the Marriott Marquis failed to make an interest payment of $1.8 million at that time. Over time, compounded interest has increased the amount Marriott owes the City to $3.6 million.

A copy of the audit is attached to this e-mail. It is also available for download at http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/audit/audits_2013/02-11-13-FK12-065A.shtm.

Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov for the latest news, events, and initiatives.

You're Invited to celebrate Dominican Heritage Month

Dominican Heritage Month

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Invites you to join him in celebrating the Dominican culture with traditional music and food on  

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

5:30 pm

Grand Slam, 478 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx

To RSVP Please Call 718-590-3989 or email smalave@bronxbp.nyc.gov

Wave Hill Events February 22–March 1

  

   The second session of Wave Hill’s Winter Workspace residency gets underway next week, so by the time of the February 23 and 26 workshops, Onyedika and Tessa will be well settled in. Both workshops are almost full, but we are accommodating drop-ins as space permits. These sessions offer a way to connect with nature as muse, in a way that is distinctly Wave Hill. Be sure to pair the workshop—or papermaker Randy Brozen’s Family Art Project—with a walk through the landscape, already teasing us with signs of spring: This morning, I was thrilled to see clusters of daffodil stems pushing up around the base of the dawn redwoods in front of Glyndor House.  Of course, if you can’t make it to the Bronx this week, check out the lecture urban farmer Annie Novak is offering on Wednesday evening at the New York School of Interior Design.

If you live in the Bronx, take advantage of free admission to the grounds through Sunday, February 24!

SAT, FEBRUARY 23   FAMILY ART PROJECT—SEEDY BEADY PAPER

Seedy Beady Paper/Papel, pepitas y abalorios

Popular papermaker Randy Brozen shows us how to make beautiful sheets of handmade paper. We’ll make it extra fancy, and dress it up with seeds and seed beads! Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

ECOLOGY BUILDING, 10AM‒1PM

SAT, FEBRUARY 23    WINTER WORKSPACE: EXPLORING FORM—MOLD MAKING AND CASTING

Visitors gain insight into Winter Workspace artist Onyedika Chuke’s creative process and explore the winter landscape as a source of inspiration. In this mold-making workshop, participants learn about different casting techniques and then create their own molds and casts of both organic and machined forms. Art materials are provided unless otherwise noted. Workshops are open to all visitors ages 12 and over when accompanied by an adult. Space is limited, so registration is recommended, at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Free with admission to the grounds. Drop-ins will be accommodated as space permits. This program also takes place on March 17.

GLYNDOR GALLERY & ON THE GROUNDS, 10AM–1PM

SUN, FEBRUARY 24   FAMILY ART PROJECT—SEEDY BEADY PAPER

Seedy Beady Paper/Papel, pepitas y abalorios

Popular papermaker Randy Brozen shows us how to make beautiful sheets of handmade paper. We’ll make it extra fancy, and dress it up with seeds and seed beads! Free with admission to the grounds, and admission is free for Bronx residents.

ECOLOGY BUILDING, 10AM‒1PM

SUN, FEBRUARY 24    GARDEN AND CONSERVATORY HIGHLIGHTS WALK

Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

MON, FEBRUARY 25

Closed to the public.

TUE, FEBRUARY 26    WINTER WORKSPACE: PORTRAIT OF A LANDSCAPE—PAINTING WITH NATURAL MATERIALS

Visitors gain insight into Winter Workspace artist Tessa Grundon’s creative process and explore the winter landscape as a source of inspiration. Grundon demonstrates how she creates images of the environment using natural materials such as mud and beeswax sourced from the site. Using these techniques, participants will make their own drawings of the local landscape. Art materials are provided unless otherwise noted. Workshops are open to all visitors ages 12 and over when accompanied by an adult. Space is limited, so registration is recommended, at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Free, and admission to the grounds is free all day. Drop-ins will be accommodated as space permits. This program also takes place on March 19.

GLYNDOR GALLERY & ON THE GROUNDS, 1–4PM

WED, FEBRUARY 27    HORTICULTURAL LECTURE #2―ANNIE NOVAK: THE FUTURE OF FARMING

Wave Hill Horticultural Lectures are devoted to landscape design and the meaning of our interactions with plants and the natural world. This year’s distinguished lecturers offer a walk down memory lane. But these presentations are not simply an indulgence in nostalgia, because the past strongly informs the present in the three subjects we address. Hear from the front lines of the urban farm movement, as Annie Novak, founder and director of Growing Chefs, a field-to-fork non-profit for food education, explains how city farmers are learning from the lessons of agricultural history, even as they incorporate their own innovations on rooftops. A lifelong vegetarian and passionate advocate for ecology within good agriculture, Novak is cofounder and farmer of the nation’s first greenroof vegetable farm, the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn. The final lecture in this series takes place March 13. Series: $48 Member, Student/$60 General. Individual lectures: $20 Member, Student/$25 General. Reservations recommended, online at www.wavehill.org or by calling 718.549.3200 x216.

NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, 170 EAST 70TH STREET, MANHATTAN, 6PM

 

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM—4:30PM. Closes 5:30PM, March 15—October 31.  

ADMISSION  $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6—18. Free Saturday mornings until noon. Free all day Tuesdays in February and March. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES  Program s are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 3o minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the 242^nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.