Ban on demanding Facebook passwords among new 2013 state laws

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Employers in California and Illinois will be prohibited from demanding access to workers' password-protected social networking accounts and teachers in Oregon will be required to report suspected student bullies thanks to new laws taking effect in 2013.
In all, more than 400 measures were enacted at the state level during 2012 and will become law in the new year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Some of the statutes, which deal with everything from consumer protection to gun control and healthcare, take effect at the stroke of midnight. Others will not kick in until later in the year.
The raft of measures includes a new abortion restriction in New Hampshire, public-employee pension reform in California and Alabama, same-sex marriage in Maryland, and a requirement that private insurers in Alaska cover autism in kids and young adults, NCSL said.
In New Hampshire, a rarely used form of late-term abortion will become illegal except to save the life of the mother - and even then only if two doctors from separate hospitals certify the procedure is medically necessary.
John Lynch, the state's outgoing Democratic governor, had vetoed the measure, saying it would threaten the lives of women in rural areas. But the state's Republican-controlled legislature later overrode him.
In California and Illinois, laws that take effect at 12:01 a.m. local time will make it illegal for bosses to request social networking passwords or non-public online account information from their employees or job applicants.
Michigan's Republican Governor Rick Snyder signed a similar measure into law earlier this month that took effect immediately. The Michigan law also penalizes educational institutions for dismissing or failing to admit a student who does not provide passwords and other account information used to access private internet and email accounts, including social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
But workers and job seekers in all three states will still need to be careful what they post online: Employers may continue to use publicly available social networking information. So inappropriate pictures, tweets and other social media indiscretions can still come back to haunt them.
Gun violence - in places where it's all too common, such as Chicago, and in places where it's unexpected, such as Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut - was big news in 2012. But only a handful of new state firearms laws are set to take effect in 2013.
In Michigan, the definition of a "pistol" under the law will now include any firearm less than 26 inches in length. The new definition encompasses some rifles with folding stocks and will make the weapons subject to the same restrictions as pistols.
In Illinois, certain guns currently regulated by state law, including paintball guns, will be excluded from the definition of a firearm and participants in military re-enactments will be exempt from some weapons laws.
Another big story in 2012 was the effort by lawmakers in a number of cash-strapped states to put their public employee pension funds on a sounder financial footing.
In California and Alabama, reforms designed to begin to address the unfunded liabilities of those retirement systems will take effect in 2013.
Among the other new laws on the books in 2013:
* In California, prison workers and peace officers will now be prohibited from having sex with inmates and prisoners in transport.
* In Illinois, sex offenders will be prohibited from distributing candy on Halloween, or playing Santa or the Easter Bunny.
* In Oregon, employers won't be allowed to advertise a job vacancy if they won't consider applicants who are currently out of work.
* In Kentucky, residents will be prohibited from releasing feral or wild hogs back into the wild and Illinois will ban the possession and sale of shark fins.
* And in Florida, the term "motor vehicle" will no longer apply to the specialized all-terrain vehicles with over-sized tires known as "swamp buggies" that are popular in some parts of the state.

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Zynga carries out planned games shutdown, including "Petville"

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Social games publisher Zynga Inc confirmed on Monday that it has carried out 11 of the planned shutdowns of 13 game titles, with "Petville" being the latest game on which it pulled the plug.
Zynga in October said it would shut down 13 underperforming titles after warning that its revenues were slowing as gamers fled from its once-popular titles published on the Facebook platform in large numbers and sharply revised its full-year outlook.
The San Francisco-based company announced the "Petville" shutdown two weeks ago on its Facebook page. All the 11 shutdowns occurred in December.
The 11 titles shut down or closed to new players include role-playing game "Mafia Wars 2," "Vampire Wars," "ForestVille" and "FishVille."
"In place of 'PetVille,' we encourage you to play other Zynga games like 'Castleville,' 'Chefville,' 'Farmville 2,' 'Mafia Wars' and 'Yoville,'" the company told players on its 'PetVille' Facebook page. "PetVille" players were offered a one-time, complimentary bonus package for virtual goods in those games.
"Petville," which lets users adopt virtual pets, has 7.5 million likes on Facebook but only 60,000 daily active users, according to AppData. About 1,260 users commented on the game's Facebook page, some lamenting the game's shutdown.
Zynga has said it is shifting focus to capture growth in mobile games. It also applied this month for a preliminary application to run real-money gambling games in Nevada.
Zynga is hoping that a lucrative real-money market could make up for declining revenue from games like "FarmVille" and other fading titles that still generate the bulk of its sales.
Zynga shares were up 1 percent at $2.36 in afternoon trade on Monday on the Nasdaq.

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Judge rejects part of Apple App Store suit vs Amazon

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday rejected part of Apple Inc's lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc's use of the term App Store, ruling Apple cannot bring a false advertising claim against the online retailer.
U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted Amazon's motion for partial summary judgment, which only challenged Apple's false advertising allegations. Apple leveled other claims against Amazon, including trademark infringement.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment, and an Amazon representative could not be reached immediately.
Amazon has stepped up competition against Apple in recent years, launching its cheaper Kindle tablet computer to go after the dominant iPad and trying to lure mobile application developers to its Kindle platform.
One of the first public clashes in their tussle was Apple's 2011 lawsuit.
Apple accused Amazon of misusing what it calls its APP STORE to solicit developers for a mobile software download service. However, Amazon said its so-called Appstore has become so generic that its use could not constitute false advertising.
In a legal filing last year, Amazon added that even Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and his predecessor, Steve Jobs, used the term to discuss rivals. Cook commented on "the number of app stores out there" and Jobs referred to the "four app stores on Android."
In her ruling on Wednesday, Hamilton wrote that the mere use of "Appstore" by Amazon cannot be taken as a representation that its service is the same as Apple's.
"Apple has failed to establish that Amazon made any false statement (express or implied) of fact that actually deceived or had the tendency to deceive a substantial segment of its audience," Hamilton wrote.
A trial on Apple's remaining claims is scheduled for August.
The case is Apple Inc v. Amazon.com Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 11-01327.

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Pope marks end of difficult year, notes God's good

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI marked the end of a difficult year Monday by saying that despite all the death and injustice in the world, goodness prevails.
Benedict celebrated New Year's Eve with a vespers service in St. Peter's Basilica to give thanks for 2012 and look ahead to 2013. He appeared tired during the service and used a cane afterward — an indication that the busy Christmas season may be taking a toll on the 85-year-old Benedict.
In his homily, Benedict said it's tough to remember that goodness prevails when bad news — death, violence and injustice — "makes more noise than good." He said taking time to meditate in prolonged reflection and prayer can help "find healing from the inevitable wounds of daily life."
This past year was full of highs and lows for the pope, including a successful trip to Mexico and Cuba but also the betrayal of his butler, convicted in October of stealing Benedict's personal papers and leaking them to a journalist.
After the service, Benedict was brought out in a covered car to pray before the Vatican's main nativity scene in St. Peter's Square. Walking with a cane in the chilly piazza, Benedict chatted animatedly with the artist who crafted the scene, which recreated an entire village from the poor, southern Italian region of Basilicata which donated this year's crèche.
The Vatican gladly accepted Basilicata's donation after the €550,000 price tag the Vatican paid for the 2009 nativity scene was revealed in the documentation leaked by Benedict's ex-butler Paolo Gabriele.
Gabriele was convicted of aggravated theft by a Vatican tribunal and sentenced to 18 months in prison. He received a pre-Christmas papal pardon and is expected to soon leave his Vatican City apartment for a new home and job elsewhere.
On Tuesday morning, Benedict celebrates a New Year's Day Mass, which the Catholic Church celebrates as its world day of peace.

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Pope convinced of peace in 2013 despite world woes

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday he is convinced that peace will prevail in 2013, despite the inequality, terrorism and "unregulated financial capitalism" that afflict the world today.
Benedict celebrated a New Year's Day Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to mark the church's world day of peace. His target audience was in the front pews: diplomats accredited to the Holy See, who next week will attend the pope's annual address about the plight of the world's poor and its war-torn regions.
In his homily, Benedict said that despite today's terrorism, criminality and the inequality between rich and poor, he is convinced the "numerous works of peace, of which the world is rich, are testimony to the innate vocation of humanity to peace."
He cited "unregulated financial capitalism" as evidence of an "egotistical and individualistic mentality" that is rife in the world.
Later, Benedict appeared at his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square to wish the crowds below a Happy New Year.
Nearby, a man scaled the scaffolding along the colonnade surrounding the square and draped a banner calling on Benedict to "Stop Terrorism." After a few hours of police negotiations, he came down and was escorted away.
The protest didn't appear to cause the pope any disturbance.

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France counts 1,193 cars torched on New Year's Eve

 Hundreds of empty, parked cars go up in flames in France each New Year's Eve, set afire by young revelers, a much lamented tradition that remained intact this year with 1,193 vehicles burned, Interior Minister Manuel Valls said Tuesday.
His announcement was the first time in three years that such figures have been released. The conservative government of former President Nicolas Sarkozy had decided to stop publishing them in a bid to reduce the crime — and not play into the hands of car-torching youths who try to outdo each other.
France's current Socialist government decided otherwise, deeming total transparency the best method, and the rate of burned cars apparently remained steady. On Dec. 31, 2009, the last public figure available, 1,147 vehicles were burned.
Like many countries, France sees cars set on fire during the year for many reasons, including gangs hiding clues of their crimes and people making false insurance claims.
But car-torching took a new step in France when it became a way to mark the arrival of the New Year. The practice reportedly began in earnest among youths — often in poor neighborhoods — in the 1990s in the region around Strasbourg in eastern France.
It also became a voice of protest during the fiery unrest by despairing youths from housing projects that swept France in the fall of 2005. At the time, police counted 8,810 vehicles burned in less than three weeks.
Yet even then, cars were not burned in big cities like Paris, and that remained the case this New Year's Eve. Minister Valls said the Paris suburban region of Seine-Saint-Denis, where the 2005 unrest started, led the nation for torched cars, followed by two eastern regions around Strasbourg.
For some, the decision to tell the public how many cars have been burned on New Year's Eve is a mistake.
Bruno Beschizza, the national secretary for security matters in Sarkozy's UMP party, said on iTele TV that publishing the numbers motivates youths to commit such crimes. "We know that neighborhoods compete," he said. Gang rivalries center on who can torch the most cars, with claims made on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, he said.

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Trade, tax, transparency on June G8 meet agenda - UK

Trade, tax compliance and promoting greater transparency will be the main focus of the next meeting of leaders of the Group of Eight major economies in June, Britain said on Wednesday as it assumed the group's rotating presidency.
Prime Minister David Cameron said he hoped the group's seven other member nations - the United States, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany - would join Britain in trying to "fire up economies and drive prosperity".
"At the heart of my agenda for the Summit are three issues - advancing trade, ensuring tax compliance and promoting greater transparency," Cameron said in a letter to other G8 leaders.
The next G8 meeting is expected to be held in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.
On trade, Cameron said deals between the European Union and Canada, Japan and the United States was on the table, and efforts are also expected to be made to close international tax loopholes and strengthen global tax standards.
Cameron also hopes to boost transparency and accountability of aid spending.
The British prime minister said the G8 economies together account for around half of the world's economic output and so should be able to achieve ambitious goals.
However, experts question the group's continuing relevancy given it does not include rising powers China, Brazil or India.

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Instant View - Manufacturing PMI jumps to fifteen-month high in December

LONDON (Reuters) - British factory activity jumped unexpectedly in December to grow at its fastest pace since September 2011, a survey showed on Wednesday, raising the chance that the economy eked out growth at the end of 2012.
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- Highest headline manufacturing PMI index since September 2011
- Highest output component since April 2011
- Highest new orders component since March 2011
- Highest new export orders component since September 2012
- Highest input prices index since March 2012
- Highest output prices index since April 2012
- Highest employment index since August 2012
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ECONOMISTS' COMMENTS
BRIAN HILLIARD, SOCIETE GENERALE
"A belated Christmas present. The most encouraging feature was the surge in the output index... Export orders are still down, so that would suggest that it's domestic demand which is picking up, which is surprising if true.
"So it's a welcome surprise, it's difficult to know what's driving it.
"The biggest uncertainty about Q4 (GDP) is going to be construction numbers. The October (official non-seasonally adjusted) figures suggested that we could see a bounce, but it's very early days. It's a very uncertain number. Barring distortions to construction, even with a slightly more encouraging manufacturing output number, it (Q4 GDP) should be around flat."
GEORGE BUCKLEY, DEUTSCHE BANK
"The jump in the output index is very encouraging, to 54. Obviously there's a risk that it might not be sustained but if it is, then we are moving, it would suggest, from a period of negative growth in the final quarter of last year to positive growth again.
"It's obviously very difficult to read, because we don't know what the services survey did but if you plot it against GDP, it is consistent with an improvement into positive territory, so it's encouraging in that sense."
ROSS WALKER, RBS
"The big question is over the official manufacturing output figures; we've seen pronounced weakness in the official manufacturing figures since the summer.
"The fact that survey figures are easing up a little bit means we may see an improvement in the official figures, but it is not enough to prevent a sizeable fall (in manufacturing) in the fourth quarter."
ROB WOOD, BERENBERG BANK
"The sector seems to be showing some signs of improvement - probably as the euro zone crisis is easing a little bit and Chinese growth is bottoming out.
"But the big picture is that the UK economy has been bouncing along the bottom over the last year.
"Today's figures point to stabilisation rather than a return to growth."
ROB DOBSON, MARKIT
"UK manufacturing exited 2012 on a positive note, with December's PMI data signalling a reassuringly solid return to growth for the sector. However, this does little to change the view that the sector contracted over the fourth quarter as a whole, following the temporary growth surge of 0.7 percent in the third quarter.
"The domestic market remained the main spur for growth of production and new orders in December, although there are also signs that global trade flows are stabilising as China and the U.S. strengthen and the downturn in the euro zone eases. If the recovery in overseas markets continues to build at the start of 2013, this would be of major benefit to UK exporters."
"The latest survey also showed that manufacturers remain on a cost-cautious footing, leading to lower levels of purchasing, the running-down of inventories and a reluctance to increase payroll numbers.
"However, there are increasing signs of firms starting to move out of this cost-cutting mode, though it is clear that the outlook remains far from certain.
"Business confidence among producers therefore remains fragile and could easily be derailed by setbacks in key export markets, notably any resurgence of the euro zone debt crisis."

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The Top Four Trending Marketing Tactics for 2013

San Diego based Ad Agency Explains What companies Need to Know to be Noticed in Our Fast Paced and Cut-Throat Marketing Battlefield Released by Santora Media Group Inc.

San Diego, California (PRWEB) December 31, 2012
If a company is serious about business, they are likely to want to crush their competition. In the past, companies could simply put an ad in a newspaper and hire a mediocre inbound sales representative and be reasonably successful. In the 2013 and beyond marketplace it is a bit more complicated. With trade shows to attend and Facebook accounts to update, it is imperative to have a solid plan for what is coming into popularity rather than what has worked in the past. The following are a few of the most important areas of marketing to focus on as we move deeper in to the twenty first century.
The Brand: So many companies have the notion that their logo design and overall marketing aesthetic is not going to make or break their ability to capture current and new audiences. The reality is that in our current marketplace people truly care about the image of the brands they buy from. Notions of quality or durability are often taking a backseat to “what’s new and cool.” Often if a brand doesn’t convey a sense of overwhelming popularity and mass appeal it is perceived as simply just another brand.
Cross marketing: A company can make a huge impact with half the budget if they partner up with a compatible company. Postcards, business cards, and brochures are great printing avenues to take advantage of the opportunity to introduce two brands in a way that makes sense. If a company is heading off to a trade show, they should tap into their business’s network and see if there is another company that will co-brand the collateral printed for the show. Many brands can collaborate that compliment each other and ultimately increase sales for each company, we at Santora Media Group call this the “Peanut Butter and Jelly Theory.”
Redeveloping the company image: What was hip and trendy last year will slowly but surely turn into what is hip and trendy next year. A brand must reflect certain visual trends to be clumped into the category of visually relevant and appealing to the customers that are apt to spend big bucks to utilize the “in” company or buy the “in” products. If a company has a product or service that is timeless and really doesn't change, they shouldn't feel that this phenomenon doesn't apply to them, it does! Usually all they need to do is put their product in a new light. redesign their business cards. market in a new way that is uncommon for their industry, like a building wrap or hand out custom promotional products that will keep your brand close to the consumer.
Show them you care: As everyone has undoubtedly noticed, companies have embraced sustainability, and all things eco. It behooves every company to embrace this in 2013. Whether you are on board or not with the movement, many consumers are. Santora Media Group offers eco printing, banners made from low impact materials and of course graphic design that is the most eco friendly.

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GreenDeals Re-brands Marketplace as Go Green Marketplace

GreenDeals has relaunched their Marketplace for eco-friendly products under a new domain and brand, GoGreenMarketplace.com.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 31, 2012
GreenDeals launched their Marketplace last month to help green minded consumers purchase green products, including eco-friendly, fair trade and organic items in one place. After extensive testing, they have decided to re-brand the GreenDeals Marketplace to the Go Green Marketplace to help differentiate its offering from its traditional eco-friendly deal site. The Go Green Marketplace will be hosted under a new domain but still be operated as an entity of GreenDeals.
The Go Green Marketplace will still allow shoppers looking for eco-friendly and organic products such as bath & body, kitchen & home, cleaning supplies and more to purchase all of these products at one website. All products are shipped out from a single warehouse to limit excessive shipping and reduce our shipping carbon footprint.
Gone are the days of searching website after website to find green products, the Go Green Marketplace is the one stop shopping experience for anything green. Shoppers can purchase green products from over a hundred companies such as Seventh Generation, Bambu, Mr. Meyer's, EcoClean, and Preserve.
The Go Green Marketplace features over 1,500 products and will add new products weekly with a goal of 20,000 green products by the end of 2013. GreenDeals Director, Jonah Mytro stated, "The re-launch of the GreenDeals Marketplace is essential to help us differentiate and grow this new website to consumers. We are anticipating the Go Green Marketplace to experience tremendous growth over the next 12 months as we expand our green product offerings."
While GreenDeals has had tremendous success offering discounts on green products, the Go Green Marketplace is ideal for consumers looking to purchase a variety of products for home, family, and gifting. Shoppers can visit the Go Green Marketplace and get free shipping with any order of at least fifty dollars.
About GreenDeals
GreenDeals launched in October 2010 to offer discounts and deals from local and national green businesses approved by Green America. GreenDeals offers daily deals, contests, content, tips, and promotes green living to thousands consumers across the US and Canada.

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