October 28, 2011 nº 1,107 - Vol. 9
"Life is not fair; get used to it."
Bill Gates
In today's Law Firm Marketing, Copywriting lessons from an 88-year-old global brand.
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International court presidents stress rule of law in annual reports to UN
The presidents of the ICJ - International Court of Justice and the ICC - International Criminal Court on Wednesday presented their respective annual reports to the UN General Assembly, stressing the increasing importance of the courts and need for the rule of international law as nations experience ever-growing globalization and the legal questions it raises. ICC President Sang-Hyun Song said that each time a nation joins that tribunal's founding Rome Statute another brick is added to the wall that will protect future generations from "terrible atrocities" like the mass murders and human rights violations the court investigates. "In these times of unprecedented interconnection between States and peoples," said ICJ President Hisashi Owada, it is his "sincere belief that a firm reliance on international law must underpin any and all future developments on the global stage." Song and Owada each implored the General Assembly delegates to honor the courts' jurisdictions, relying on international law to resolve disputes between states and to suppress the gravest crimes against humanity.
EU reaches debt deal, but challenges lie ahead
Leaders from all 27 European Union nations have finally thrashed out a deal to solve the crisis started by concern over how Greece would cope with its debts. They agreed on expanding the bailout fund and banks taking losses on Greek debt in exchange for recapitalization. But it's unclear whether they have the political will and economic flexibility to implement it. The deal designed to tackle the eurozone debt crisis has bought some time, but its real impact is yet to be tested. Many crucial details are missing; for instance, how the rescue fund will work, will not be hammered out until November. Greece, the Irish Republic and Portugal have all required bailouts and this last week of talks was prompted by fears the crisis would spread to the larger economies of Spain and Italy. Greece proved the hardest part. International banks will be asked to take losses of up to 50%. It is a voluntary cut and we don't know whether all investors will fall into line - despite some sweeteners having been thrown into the package. The deal will result in some big losses for Greek banks and some of them may have to be nationalized on a temporary basis. Europe's banks - exposed to these losses - will have to find more capital. It is impossible to calculate how much without knowing how many banks agree to the "haircut". Leaders also announced plans to improve economic governance of the eurozone. Hanging over all of this is the question of growth. All of these calculations, commitments and expressions of determination can be dismissed if Europe's weakest countries do not return to growth.
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1 - Avon under investigation by Feds and Wall Street - click here.
2 - Brazil court recognizes same-sex marriage - click here.
3 - State sues over bottles' 'biodegradable' labeling - click here.
4 - Jury clears Fairfax dog walker in unscooped poop case - click here.
5 - Animal rights group's suit to allege Sea World is keeping orcas in slavery - click here.
6 - Judge blocks part of North Carolina abortion law - click here.
7 - IBM names Ginni Rometty as first female CEO - click here.
8 - Ex-Terra president gets longest foreign bribery sentence of 15 years - click here.
9 - U.S. expected to charge executive tied to Galleon case - click here.
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Europe Looks China for Aid
European officials are studying the potential for an International Monetary Fund channel for money for their enlarged rescue fund, as China considers contributing to ending the area's sovereign-debt crisis. Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said an investment by his nation in the rescue package is "under discussion." European leaders aim to tap China, holder of the world's largest foreign-exchange reserves, for help after moving to contain the crisis by writing down Greek debt and targeting an expansion of the EFSF to about $1.4trn. China hasn't set any conditions for buying EFSF bonds.
Tax row sparks riot in China
Hundreds of business owners have clashed with riot police in an eastern Chinese city after a row over taxation. The unrest was sparked when the owner of a children's clothing firm in Huzhou city refused to pay his tax bill. The man gathered friends to attack the local tax collector, and the row snowballed into a riot.
Copywriting lessons from an 88-year-old global brand
by Tom Trush
You can gather a lot of valuable information about copywriting and marketing by studying longevity.
One example is when you see an ad repeated over an extended period of time without noticeable changes -- especially in publications with large circulations -- you can usually assume the promotion is profitable.
If you target a similar audience, this knowledge makes it easier to create comparable appeals and offers with a greater probability of success.
In the magazine world, few publications present more learning opportunities than Reader's Digest Founded in 1922, the world's largest-selling magazine (18 million issues are sold each month) is printed in 50 editions and 21 languages.
Nearly 70 million people around the globe flip the publication's pages each month. After 88 years, you can guarantee the editors at Reader's Digest know how to get people to open up their magazine.
The techniques for attracting attention begin on the cover. As famous copywriter David Ogilvy described in his "Confessions of a magazine reader" ad from 1965, the contents on the cover are presented as "a tantalizing menu which invites you to the feast inside."
The cover teasers are often flawless blends of curiosity and benefit-driven copy:
13 Things Your Car Mechanic Won't Tell You ... The Sneaky Health Risk in Your Kitchen ... Succeed at Anything: 4 Simple Steps ... Crook-Proof Your Home -- Tips from a Thief ... Fatal Hospital Mistakes You Can Avoid ... 13 Things Your Bank Won't Tell You.
Tough to resist reading those articles, isn't it?
Notice the odd numbers -- they grab readers' eyes and are easier to remember. Also, people are more likely to believe specific numbers (rather than general ones such as 10).
Another common cover technique is using "quote teasers." By simply adding quotation marks around a word, phrase or sentence, you will often increase readership.
"I'd like to beat up the guy who says ..."
"When I tell you to lose 15 or 20 pounds, I really mean 50."
"We had to believe we could survive"
Not only do these quotes target your curiosity, but they also hint at a story.
Remember, the success of your marketing materials hinges on your ability to keep prospects reading your content. Use these tips as bait to hook your readers -- then reel them in to reveal your offer.
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© Trey Ryder
FREE LAWYER MARKETING ALERT: If you'd like to receive Trey Ryder's weekly Lawyer Marketing Alert, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Write "Subscribe LMA" in the subject line and write your name and e-mail address in the body of the message.
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Demanda
Abogado de sindicalistas de Colombia fue demandado por Drummond. La petrolera habría demandado ante una corte de Estados Unidos a Terry Collingsworth, representante de las víctimas de los sindicalistas muertos por perjudicar el nombre de la empresa tras sostener que esta financiaba a los paramilitares. La noticia, dada a conocer por el periódico El Tiempo, habla además de un supuesto vínculo financiero de Collingsworth con la compañía petrolera Llanos Oil Co, a la cual habría intentado favorecer.
Cementos
Cementos Argos someterá a consideración de la asamblea la escisión de activos no cementeros. Los activos a escindir serían absorbidos por Inversiones Argos, que a su vez admitiría acciones con dividendo preferencial y sin derecho a voto a los accionistas de la cementera. Entre los activos a escindir se encuentran principalmente algunos de carácter inmobiliario que ya fueron avaluados por la firma Colliers Internacional. (Presione aquí)
Aseguradoras
El gobierno de Argentina a través de una Resolución estableció un plazo de 50 días para que las aseguradoras puedan repatriar US$ 2.000 mlls., que tienen invertidos en el exterior. (Presione aquí)
Investors opt for arbitration panels without ties to Wall Street
With skepticism of Wall Street running high, investors who have a beef with their brokerage firm are opting overwhelming to have their cases heard by arbitration panels that have no ties to the big banks. FINRA said that 77 percent of eligible investors were opting for a new program that allowed them to have their claim against Wall Street heard by a three-person panel with no links to the financial industry. The forum has long been criticized for being stacked in favor of the big brokerage firms. For years, arbitration panels had to have one member who came from Wall Street. Arbitration awards are hard to overturn, and parties looking to have one reversed must show things like fraud or disregard of the law in the process. Arbitrator bias was "the most common ground" parties used to try to have awards overturned.
American lawyers may be the unloved stepchildren of globalization
Though U.S. and foreign businesses are increasingly entwined, some American attorneys hoping to practice abroad are running up against protectionism. Every country is asking the big questions: 'Is globalization a threat or an opportunity? If we liberalize rules of practice for foreign lawyers, does it help or hurt us? So far, there is no conventional wisdom on the subject. Canada has few barriers for U.S. lawyers and other foreign attorneys who want to practice there. Britain and Australia are also moving to make their regulations more welcoming to foreign lawyers. But in Brazil and many other countries, the walls just keep getting higher. Take the case of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher's Lisa Alfaro, a Stanford law graduate fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, licensed to practice in New York and California and now the Sao Paulo-based co-chair of the firm's Latin America group. As a registered foreign legal consultant, Alfaro can advise the likes of merger-and-acquisition clients on U.S. and international law. But Brazilian bar rules keep her from discussing Brazilian law. "The fact that we can't practice locally is certainly the largest challenge we face," Alfaro says. "I make it clear to each client that they have to talk to the Brazil counsel about an issue, even if I am up-to-date on the law." A recent bar association opinion could make it tougher for foreign lawyers in Brazil by banning the inclusion of foreigners of any status in a Brazilian firm. As for non-American lawyers hoping to hang their shingle in the U.S.? In theory, they are welcome, at least temporarily. But 50 different states have 50 different sets of criteria, some friendly, some full of barriers -- unless the newly arrived advocates are ready to go through law school again.
SEC enforcers frozen as watchdog unleashes 'chilling' probes
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's internal watchdog has castigated the agency for missing the Bernard Madoff fraud, spotlighted employees who viewed online pornography and called for a criminal probe into the ethics of the SEC's former top lawyer.
Brazil court recognizes same-sex marriage
Brazil's High Court of Justice on Tuesday upheld the same-sex marriage of two women. The court voted 4-1 in favor of recognizing same-sex marriages. The ruling was necessary following a number of disparate rulings by lower courts on petitions from couples seeking to have their civil unions recognized as full marriages. The union at issue had been denied full marriage rights by two lower courts, but those decisions were reversed by the high court, which took a step in this direction beginning in May, when it unanimously recognized rights for partners in same-sex civil unions. Through that ruling, gay couples in "stable relationships" were given the rights to community property, alimony, health insurance and tax benefits, adoption, and inheritance rights. While the state courts are not required to follow the decision rendered by the Supreme Court, it is hoped that the ruling will still work to discourage states within the country from blocking same-sex marriages.
Euro for Greece 'was a mistake'
Sarkozy says allowing Greece into the eurozone was a "mistake" at the time, while Athens denies causing the debt crisis. He said Greece was "not ready" at the time. But, he added, it could be rescued thanks to Wednesday's EU deal on the euro debt crisis. "If Greece had defaulted, there would have been a domino effect carrying everyone away," Sarkozy said.
UN votes to end Libya operations
The UN Security Council votes to end seven months of international military action in Libya, carried out under a mandate to protect civilians.
Poland reopens Auschwitz probes
Polish authorities have reopened an investigation into crimes committed at Auschwitz and its satellite camps during World War II. It is estimated that one million people - mostly Jews and non-Jewish Poles - were killed at the Nazi death camp. One aim is to track down any Nazi war criminals still living. Poland originally launched investigations in the 1960s and 1970s into crimes at Auschwitz, but closed them in the 1980s without any indictments being made.
Women launch new legal salvo against Wal-Mart
Plaintiffs have reformulated their gender-discrimination suit against the retail giant after the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a single class action suit as unwieldy.
Campaigners occupy Belo Monte Amazon dam
Hundreds of campaigners have occupied the construction site of the Belo Monte dam project in the Brazilian Amazon. They are demanding that work on the multi-billion dollar dam be stopped, arguing that it would displace thousands of indigenous people and damage the environment. The indigenous groups said they would stay at the site indefinitely. The government says the project is crucial to meeting energy needs.
Amazon' patent lawsuits are on the rise
Amazon has revealed that 11 companies have filed patent lawsuits against it since the start of the year - more than three times as many as in all of 2010. The lawsuits mark an upswing in legal activity. It is quite common in the technology industry to have aggressive patent litigation. The field is clogged with lawsuits, particularly with products that run on Google's Android software, which its new Kindle Fire tablet uses. Amazon's best defense may be to secure patents of its own. Its most recent filing involves a gift card, which allows the buyer to restrict what products the recipient can choose.
RIM faces compensation lawsuits over Blackberry outage
Blackberry customers in the US and Canada are suing Research in Motion over the recent global outage which left millions without email, instant messaging and net access. They accuse RIM of breach of contract. The lawsuit claims that RIM "is responsible for Blackberry users' loss of email, BB, and/or internet service for approximately one and a half days. It has not compensated consumers on a prorated basis for such loss of use."
Uruguay legislature repeals amnesty law
The Uruguayan House of Representatives voted 50-40 Thursday to revoke a 25-year-old amnesty law, which prevented investigations, adjudications and human rights prosecutions of military junta officials during their regime between 1973-1985. The 1986 expiry law was passed after Uruguay returned to democratic rule, shielding police and military personnel from prosecution for torture, killings, enforced disappearances and other serious human rights violations committed during the period of authoritarian rule.
Brazil creates truth commission to probe rights abuses
Brazil's Senate has voted to set up a truth commission to investigate rights abuses, including those committed during military rule from 1964 to 1985. The amnesty law, passed in 1979 and upheld last year by the Supreme Court, means neither military officials accused of torture nor left-wing guerrillas accused of violence can face prosecution. Supporters of the truth commission argue that it will help Brazil to come to terms with its recent past.
Brazil's sports minister quits in scandal
Brazilian sports minister Orlando Silva has resigned after being accused of corruption. He is the fifth cabinet minister to leave office amid corruption allegations since Dilma took office in January.
Egypt political corruption law amendments have potential for abuse
Proposals for amendments to an Egyptian political corruption law were criticized by Human Rights Watch (HRW) Wednesday for their potential for abuse. HRW reports that the amendments, proposed by the Egyptian Cabinet of Ministers, would allow authorities to imprison anyone convicted of crimes involving "political corruption," which the organization alleges are vaguely defined, as well as deprive convicted persons of their rights to vote and run for office. As a result of this vague definition, HRW fears individuals will be convicted simply for association with certain political groups and not on the basis of actual criminal activity.
Singapore to toughen money laundering laws
Singapore, where assets under management have risen fivefold to $1.2trn since 2001, will consider a "tougher penalty regime" and boost enforcement against money laundering and terrorist financing.
Sarkozy calls Greek euro entry a mistake
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
Syrian troops 'plant mines by Lebanon border'
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Honours for Arab Spring activists?
Egyptian Gazette, English-language, Cairo, Egypt
Saved from Munich and Michigan, a 400-year-old Torah scroll is brought back to life
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
US denies sale of F-16 jet to Egypt in Grapel deal
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel
Euro for Greece 'was a mistake'
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Islamist party wins Tunisia poll amid clashes
CNN International, London, England
NZ cathedral to be partly torn down
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England
Ken Clarke forced into knife crime U-turn as teenagers face automatic jail sentence
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Inside Courtney Stodden's photo album: Teen bride joined by sisters in first bikini modelling shoot aged 12
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Turkey earthquake: complaints and accusations about aid
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France
FRANCE: Sarkozy hails debt deal, but lowers growth forecast
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Teenager pulled from rubble after 91 hours in eastern Turkey
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey
Millions light up India for Diwali festival
Independent The, London, England
Breaking the ice
Moscow News The, Independent, Moscow, Russia
Misery for millions as elderly care funds cut
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England
Eamonn Holmes cricised for controversial rape comment
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England
14 city roads closed
Bangkok Post, Independent, Bangkok, Thailand
Light maker's unpaid leave plan draws gov't criticism
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Younger Vote Reflects Quest for Change
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Queen opens Commonwealth summit in Perth
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India
Delhi remains rape capital
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
Is Yokohama 'smart city' plan blueprint for new power grid?
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Brazen Picasso theft a failure
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Top GOP congressman committed to 'super-committee' deal
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China
Gaddafi son seeking flight to Hague court
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore
Are manners dead?
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Turkey: snows in disaster area, 523 dead until now
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
China Vice-Premier Li: Global risks rising
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India
Plane crash near Vancouver airport injures 11
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Is Tunisia on the road to Islamism?
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Australia's Greens Party Proposes Tax Cuts to Boost Small Business
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S
LATIN AMERICA: Public Media Expanding
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
Asian stocks rally, EU deal boosts risk appetite
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S
Tens of thousands flee Bangkok fearing breach of river
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S
Comeback Cardinals force Game 7
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
Tunisia violence follows poll win
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
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