3B
LIFE/tE^e C^iarlotte
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Crimson Rush cocktaQ recipe
Continued from page 1B
Preparation:
Master Mixologist Dale
DeGroff, author of The Craft
of the Cocktail offers this
twist on a traditional martini.
Stir or shake Osborne Fino
Sherry and Plymouth Gin
and strain into a chiUed cock
tail glass. Garnish with a
small pitted Spanish cocktail
ohve.
Finotini
Ingredient:
5 oz. Osborne Fino Sherry
Preparation:
Pour the Osborne Shmy
into cocktail shaker and add
lots of ice. Shake and strain
into a martini glass. Garnish
with olives. Serve with
Spanish Marcona almonds
and Cabrales cheese (or any
hard cheeses).
Shaken or stirred, sweet or
dry these cocktails are bound
to please this summer,
whether it is at a party, or by
the pool. Now go out and cel
ebrate summer, Spanish
st>de!
Freixenet Cordon Negro
Brut is imported by Freixenet
USA of Sonoma, California.
Osborne Fino Sherry is
imported by W.J. Deutsch &
Sons of White Plains, New
York.
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Senator wants pimps to pay their tax share
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Pimps
and sex traffickers could soon
find themselves being chased
by tax collectors in addition to
the vice squad.
Sen. Charles Grassley
chairman of the tax-writing
Senate Finance Committee,
wants the tax-collecting
Internal Revenue Sravice to
chase pimps and set traffick
ers with the same fervor it
stalked gangster A1 Capone
for tax evasion in the late
1920s.
Grassley woidd hit pimps
with fines and lengthy prison
sentences for failing to file
employment forms and to
withhold taxes for the women
and girls imder their com
mand.
The proposal would make
certain tax dimes a felony
when the evaded tax was on
money that comes fi'om a
criminal activity A one-year
prison sentence and $25,000
fine would become a 10-year
sentence and $50,000 fine for
each employment form that a
pimp or sex traffick^ had
failed to file.
Grassley planned to pro
pose the penalties when his
panel meets Wednesday
''The thi^ who run these
trafficking rings are etploit-
ing society’s poorest girls and
women for personal gain,”
Grassley said. "The IRS goes
after drug traffickers. It can
go after sex traffickers.”
Michael Horowitz, a senior
fellow at the Hudson
Institute, said the change
would have the potential to
put pimps out of business
without difficult trials that
require women to testify to
abuse and mistreatment.
“We need to simply treat
the pimps and massage par
lor operators the way we
would treat anybody who
takes the proceeds of a cus
tomer transaction fixjm some
body and th^ gives a fi-ac-
tion of it back,” he said.
Under tax law, that rela
tionship makes the pimp an
employer, r^uiring the filing
of a wage statement and the
withholding of payroll taxes,
including Social Security
Grassley envisions creation
of an office inside the Internal
Revenue Service to prosecute
sex traffickers for violating
tax laws. The office would get
$2 million to get started, and
it woxild be allowed to keep a
portion of the taxes it collect
ed.
The IRS work is intended to
build on efforts imder way to
curb worldwide trafficking.
The Justice Department, col
laborating with U.S. attorney
offices nationwide, would
identify pimps and sex traf
fickers and refer them to tlie
ms.
Grassley also wants to
change the IRS whistle-blow
er program to allow the girls
and women to participate.
When the IRS goes after a
pimp or sec trafficker for tax
offenses now, it conducts
lengthy audits of the sus
pect’s lifestyle to estimate
incomes fiom illegal activities
and determine taxes due.
A1 Capone, a Chicago gang
ster, gunrunn^ and bootleg
ger, was convicted on tax
charges in 1931 and served
seven years of 111/2 years in
prison sentences.
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Some brands welcome attention from rap artists
Ludacris
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK-Two weeks
ago, Jay-Z annotmced he was
boycotting Cristal at his clubs
after the champagne compa
ny’s president indicated that
he was not thrilled by the
brand’s association with hip-
hop culture—comments the
rapper called “racist.”
But what about the other
high-end brands whose
names constantly appear in '
rap lyrics? Do
they embrace
the fi^ public
ity or cringe at
it?
It depaids on
which compa
ny you ask.
Mercedes-
B-e n z — t h e
most-mentioned brand in last
year’s top songs—says the
car’s populari
ty in hip-hop
circles certain
ly didn’t hurt
sales growth
over the last
dozen years.
Cadillac,
which lost
some luster in
the 1980s and ‘90s, credits its
turnaround in part to the
popularity of the Escalade
among rappers and other
celebrities. Moet_ Hennessy
USA said the wine and liquor
company was “thrilled” about
its affiliation with hip-hop.
Bentley Motors and Louis
Vuitton—also among the
most name-checked brands
in music—were more reticent
on the subject.
While some companies may
shy away firom association
with a culture often marked
by misogyny and violence, it
is undeniable that hip-hop
wields immeasurable power
and influence in business.
Very aspirational in some
respects and now synony
mous with youth culture in
many comeis of the world,
hip-hop has lor^ been credit
ed wiih—or criticized for-
helping everything from
clothing to cars.
But periodically, hip-hop’s
chief arbiters—like Jay-Z—
turn on brands because of
slights^ real or percaved, to
Jay-2
the culture.
Pepsi agreed in 2003 to give
$3 million to charity after Def
Jam co-focmder Russell
Simmons threatened a boy
cott. The soda company had
dropped an endorsement deal
with rapper Ludacris foUow-
ir^ complaints finm conserv
ative commentator Bill
O’Reilly
Designer Ibmmy Hilfiger
was dogged for years by
rumors that he didn't want
minorities buying his clothes.
His company which denied
the entire episode ever hap
pened, never quite regained
the same popularity in hip-
hop.
Lucian James, an executive
with a branding agency that
tracks mentions of products
in Billboard’s Tsp 20, warned
that in a fast-changing mar
ketplace, luxury brands in
particular must get to know
relatively new customers
while maintaining its tradi
tional base.
James said Cristal put itself
at serious risk of losing the
new ch^itele because of the
comments made by Frederic
Rouzaud, the president and
chief executive of Champagne
Louis Roederer - a 230-year-
old French company that
malces the bubbly
In a recent issue of The
Economist magazine,
Rouzaud said the company
viewed the affection for his
company’s diampagne fix)m
rappers and their fans wiili
“curiosity and serenity”
Asked by the magazine if
the association between
Cristal and the "bUng
hfestjie” could be detrimen
tal, Rouzaud replied:
“That’s a good question, but
what can we do? We can’t for
bid people fiom buying it. Fm
sure Dom Perignon or Krug
woffid be delighted to have
their business.”
Jay-Z, who has made
numerous references to
Cristal throv^hout his career,
pulled the champagne fix)m
his sports lounges, where bot
tles sold for $450 and $600.
And, at a concert last week at
Radio City Music HaU, the
Def Jam Recordings presi
dent omitted “Cristal” fiom
some of his lyrics.
‘What tiiey don’t seem to
have been interested in is see
ing the popularity of Cristal in
hip-hop culture,” James said
of executives at Cristal, which
ranked No. 8 in mentions in
songs last year. James’ compa
ny, i^eoida Inc., compiles the
list-
“I can’t imagine Cristal
recovering very quickly It
(hip-hop devotees) was a huge
part of their market,” James
said.
Noel Hankin, vice president
of multicultural initiatives at
Moet Hamessy USA, said his
company welcomes the associ
ation with its products like
Hennessy Dom Perignon and
Belvedere.
“We appreciate that busi
ness. We want it. It’s critical to
our busings success,” Hankin
said. “We’ve never had any
hesitation or reservation
about embracing the hip-hop
community”
Moet Heimessy has spon
sored the televised \fibe
Awards, where bottles of Moet
were conspicuously visible on
tables. Hennessy ranked No.
6 on Agenda’s report.
Louis Vuitton, which tied
with Cristal at No. 8 on the
list, declined to comment on
the assocdation. So did No. 2
Nike.
John Crawford, a
spokesman for Bentley
Motors (No. 4) released a
short statement whidi said in
part: “Bentley Motors ...
believes that increased inter
est in the marque, finm any
quarter, is good for the brand
as a whole.”
An executive at Mercedes-
Benz, partofDaimlerChrysler
AG, viewed the attention finm
a business standpoint.
“Hip-hop is really a lan-
gu^e of the younger genera
tion and it’s always great for a
brand to be relevant with the
jnui^er or next g^eration of
buyers,” said Kass Dawson,
who heads emerged markets
at Mercedes-Benz.
“We consida* it a comple
ment of the highest order,”
Dawson said, adding that
Mercedes has sponsored
events related to awards
shows and hip-hop magazine
parties. “It really speaks to
what our brand stands for -
the success, status, asptra-
ticais.”
At Cadillac, celebrities,
including rappers, helped fuel
a turnaround tbanks to their
fondness for the Escalade,
said spokesman Kevin Smith.
Cadillac has loaned vehides
for placement in videos and
movies, he said. For the proto
type of the 2007 Escalade, the
company invited about 35
celebrities to an excliisive
viewii^.
Even Frederic Rouzaud, the
French executive, seemed to
realize the potential impact a
boycott by hip-hop devotees
would have on his bottom line.
After Jay-Z announced the
boycott of Cristal, Rouzaud
issued a statement to "set the
record straight and ejq)ress
our gratitude that people finm
a diversity of cultures and
coimtries have been enjoying
our wine.”
Give
advertising with
The Post a try
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-Say Yes To Success/
“Dr. Arrington teaches you how to lead a healthy,
balanced and successful life
Dr. Carl Arrington, Director of Market Expansion
It Can Happen
So often as we think about our
present circumstances, it is
sometimes hard for us to believe that
life can be better. We become so
focused on the negative things that
may be going on in our lives that
they are the only things that we see.
We can only see the dead end job.
We only hear about the crime that
may be going on around us. Turning
on the news we see only the
disasters, the violence and the
corruption. After seeing so much
that is sad and depressing, we may
come to believe that life is hopeless.
We may even decide that there is no
point in our trying to live a more
positive and uplifting life. I have
heard people say it so often, "Why
should I try to do better, nobody else
is?"
But life can be better. It is
possible for us to lead a life that is
full of hope and promise. Just as we
may focus on the bad things of life,
we can also choose to focus on the
positive and the good.
It is possible to move ahead in your
career, even if you have to create your
own promotion by going somewhere
else. It is possible to have better
relationships if we stop blaming others
and accept the fact that we all have
shortcomings. There is a way to rear
children that you can be proud of when
you teach and show them respect.
The life that we all dream about
having can become a reality if only we
believe and act as if it can be so. Over
and over again, we rob ourselves of
extraordinary joy and power because
we no longer believe in the great
possibilities of life.
The wonders of a great life can
happen if you truly believe and purpose
in your heart to make it so. Take steps
right now to make your dream happen
for you!
WANT TO CHANGE YOUR
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cla@maximumsucce$$.com
Your Source for Total Life Success!
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