text:
Report aims to combat climate 'misinformation'
Some of the nation's top scientists have united in a new climate statement which issues fresh warnings about the dangers of global warming.
The statement released by the Australian Academy of Science is a first for the organisation and details the key evidence identified globally by climate scientists.
It says carbon emissions need to be cut by more than half by 2050 if there is to be a good chance of keeping temperature rises to less than two degrees.
It also says global emissions must peak within a decade and decline rapidly if dangerous climate change is to be avoided.
Kurt Lambeck from the Australian National University says current misinformation is confusing the public debate and the warnings need to be identified.
"It's because we've been concerned about the nature of the climate change debate in recent times," he said.
"We see the quality of the science improving with time but the debate seems to be degenerating in some ways."
Professor Lambeck says one of the reasons behind the degeneration is that the science is very complex.
"Climate science is really at the sort of intersection of a whole lot of basic science areas," he said.
"Now a lot of people understand elements of those basic sciences but they don't understand the complexities that occur when you try to put it all together.
"People get confused over those minor, what are essentially secondary issues and in that process the whole level of the debate degenerates."
Professor Lambeck says the complexity of the issue may be one reason both sides of politics seem to have shelved the issue of climate change.
"I suspect both sides find it hard to understand what they should be doing," he said.
"Some time ago the major parties both recognised that climate change was a real threat and that, you know, action needed to be taken.
"But we've lost that consensus between the two parties."
'Severe' impact
Professor Lambeck says the statement looks at global temperatures, which he says have increased by "about a degree" over the last century.
"A degree doesn't sound like very much but it appears that its impact on regional climate can be quite severe," he said.
"Now when I say one degree, that is the global average surface temperatures.
"There are parts of the globe that have been subjected to much larger changes in more recent times.
"Whether that's part of a long term trend or whether that's part of some of the natural variability or whether these are oscillations, that's something that we don't know yet because our records are too short."
Scientific questions
The statement makes the point that no scientific conclusion can ever be absolutely certain.
But Professor Lambeck does not think that leaves the conclusions open to sceptics and critics.
"The underpinning parts - the fact that CO2 is increasing, the fact that CO2 increases results in global temperature rises, the fact the CO2 has a long residence time in the atmosphere - these are facts that are extremely unlikely will ever be overturned by new information," he said.
"Where the scientific questions arise is in the feedbacks that occur between the various components.
"We're not totally clear on that and we may not have the right way to put that into our forecast.
"But these are factors that will affect the rate at which things will change.
"They're extremely unlikely to affect the change in direction of what we are observing."
The Greens say the report shows the major parties need to do more to deal with the threat.
Greens Senator Christine Milne says the big parties are acting as if climate change is not real.
"Both parties are trying to ignore climate change and this is big turnaround from 2007 when the Labor Party told Australians that it was a great moral imperative and they would act on it," she said.
"Part of the reason for that is the sceptics campaign that has been aided and abetted by Tony Abbott and the Coalition."


text:
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The scope, extent and scale of the IT development components vary across organizations due to the varying requirements, size, means and experience of the organizations. While all these components must be considered when developing an IT Development program, not all will require the same degree of emphasis for every organization.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Disunited they fall
Wrangling with itself, Italy's divided left is the right's best ally
No unity behind Fassino
MOST Italians opposed the war in Iraq. So did the left. The centre-right government was, by and large, for it. So has the left gained ground? No, say opinion pollsters, it has lost some and the government has gained. Why so? Because Italians love winners? Not necessarily. More because the left could not capitalise on its anti-war stance, since it was expressed in at least ten different varieties, from the mouths and keyboards of as many different groups.
And the left may have to pay, in polls that weigh votes, not just opinions. The electorate has had enough of the continuous bickering among leaders who seem more interested in being called Signor Presidente within their own tiny party than in winning an election. The next general election is three years away, but a bunch of local ones is coming up soon enough.
The war in Iraq was, in fact, a public-relations disaster for the left. Nearest to the centre, the group known as the Daisy was mildly divided: a handful of dissidents protested when the leadership hinted it could support armed intervention, given United Nationsbacking. Further left, however, Piero Fassino's Democrats of the Left—successors, roughly, to the old Communist Party, which abandoned that adjective in 1990—were deeply split. Most members seemed to place their faith in France, Germany and the UN; a solid leftist minority, fearful of losing touch with outright opponents of the war, disagreed. When parliament last week voted to send peace-keeping troops to Iraq, most Democrats of the Left abstained, but the minority voted against. And Sergio Cofferati, the former leader of Italy's biggest trade-union body and now the most charismatic figure on the left, supported the minority.
The hard left—two varieties of Communist and still proud to call themselves so—was in tune with the pacifist mood of the anti-war street demonstrators: no assistance whatever, be it bases or even airspace, for the war. The Greens agreed.
For a current of political opinion that was in national power only two years ago, this is a pretty wretched showing. And many other issues divide the left. One is Cuba. When Fidel Castro recently chose to suffocate dissent, a nasty row followed. The Cuban leader has many friends in Italy, and many are not ready to condemn him when he acts in a way that manifestly deserves it. Here even the two varieties of proclaimed Communists differ: the Italian Communists (who are part of the moderate Olive Tree Coalition) find excuses for him, the Refounded Communists (who are not) condemn him. They each have their reasons; whether anyone else cares what these are is another matter. All groups of the left have their own daily newspapers, where they endlessly debate topics like this, of deep interest to their activists and precious little to the average voter.
Another cause of friction has been pensions reform. Italy's pensions eat up almost 16% of the nation's GNP. Manifestly the system needs to be revised. But only the moderate left thinks so.
There is yet another divisive row about the forthcoming referendum on Article 18 of Italy's much revered and deeply outdated Workers' Charter, which prevents large employers from firing workers without "fair cause". The moderates would like to ignore the referendum altogether, calling it "ideological and anachronistic". The hard-liners, happy to have a barricade to rush to, look forward to it.
This infighting has exasperated left-leaning voters: opinion polls say that more and more have simply had enough. Many hope that Romano Prodi, now at the European Commission in Brussels, will come home and lead the left to an election victory, as he did in 1996. It could be, though it is hard to imagine the many groups now at each other's throats united behind him. For the time being, though, the divided left has elected a winner already: its arch-enemy Silvio Berlusconi. With the economy slowing, most big reforms stalled, his conflicts of interest unresolved and his best friend in legal trouble, in most countries he would be vulnerable. Not in today's Italy, where a right-wing prime minister's best ally is the divided opposition.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Disunited they fall"
From the April 26th 2003 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition
More from Europe
A crushing victory for Italy's nationalist right
Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy is set to be the country's first female prime minister
Voting begins in four sham referendums in Ukraine
The results are not in doubt
Fresh evidence shows how grim life is under Russian occupation in Ukraine
Military police reports from Izyum describe everyday acts of brutality


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Sam Boyd at Tapped has this to say about support for Hillary:
[T]he idea that the only reason anyone is supporting her is because of her gender is offensive.
I agree that this idea is offensive. I also don't think anybody has ever seriously suggested it. There is, however, a separate idea out there--that, for a lot of Democratic women voters, Hillary's gender is an extremely important issue. Enough in many cases to tip them into her corner. This is, I think, totally uncontroversial. It's hard to imagine this isn't the case when you consider that she--in a field of eight candidates--currently enjoys the support of more than half of Democratic women. At the very same time, I'd say it's equally indisputable that Hillary's gender is an extremely important factor to a lot of Democratic male voters--who don't much care for her. It's my humble opinion that both of these phenomena are unfortunate.


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We often build our ideas on those of others. In the case of written content, one could incorporate the arguments from the source into their work, without copying the text, word for word. That is, by paraphrasing the original text. Help with paraphrasing enables you to avoid instances of plagiarism, even though accidental. It only works if done correctly.
Paraphrasing Help to Avoid Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the instance of taking credit for another person's ideas. That is you use them without correctly referencing the source of the content. It could be in gathering background information for your research paper or provide support evidence to a technical article.
Whatever the case, it's essential to try rewording sentences, when you don't want to quote the supporting information directly. To paraphrase appropriately, you will first need to read and understand the content.
Then you rewrite the bits of information you would like to include in your piece, in your own words. It is a writing technique that helps you demonstrate your understanding of the rewritten content.
How Does Rewording Sentences Prevent Plagiarism
• Modify words
It applies to the order of words and the words used. Identify the appropriate synonyms to replace the used words. Ensure that no three adjacent words are in the same order as that of the original text.
You don't have to find the synonyms of generic words. That includes vocabulary that's commonly accepted, words free of bias, tech-related phrases, and terms, among others.
• Change Sentence Structure
While merely using different words to convey the meaning of the original text may work, it may lead to unintentional plagiarism. However, you can include this with using a different sentence structure as that of the source material.
In that, you start from a different point from the original sentence. Just ensure that the meaning of your paraphrase sentence is similar to the original.
Also, you could break down compound sentences into shorter ones.
• Change Voice
That is if the original content is in the active voice; you could write yours in the passive voice. Keep in mind though, that it's advisable to use active than passive voice.
You could also do the opposite and change the original passive voice to active voice.
• Proper Citation
You need to cite your source even when you paraphrase. You can do this by using a signal phrase. In that, you mention the source of the idea, before you include your paraphrase.
By doing so, you indicate to the reader that the argument that follows isn't your own. Remember to stick to the citation guidelines of the specified writing style. That may require you to include additional information about the author.
What Makes a Good Paraphrase?
Expert paraphrase help uses multiple strategies to avoid plagiarism. That is, you shouldn't rely on one method alone. More so, when you apply excessive synonymization, it may take away from the message you want to convey, including resulting in plagiarism.
As you sit down to produce excellent content, try to match the supporting information with your writing style. Also, you can combine the original idea with another to tweak it.
Remember, as with every technique; it's something that you can master with practice.


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Haiti has asked Washington and the UN to send troops to help it secure its ports, airport and other strategic sites after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, a government minister said Friday.
The United States has already said it will send FBI and other agents to Port-au-Prince, two days after Moise was brutally killed by gunmen in his home, opening up a power vacuum in the impoverished and crisis-hit Caribbean nation.
In the wake of the slaying "we thought that the mercenaries could destroy some infrastructure to create chaos in the country. During a conversation with the US Secretary of State and the UN we made this request," elections minister Mathias Pierre told AFP.
The US State Department and Pentagon both confirmed receiving a request for "security and investigative assistance" and said officials remain in contact with Port-au-Prince, but did not specify whether military troops would be deployed.
The UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Washington had signaled its willingness to help the Haitian investigation, and White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki added Friday that senior FBI and other officials would be heading to the Caribbean as soon as possible.
Pierre confirmed that the request had been made as questions swirled Friday about who could have masterminded the audacious assassination, with most members of a hit squad of Colombians and Americans either dead or in custody, and no clear motive made public.
Amid the uncertainty, two men are now vying to lead the country of 11 million people, more than half of whom are under age 20. There is no working parliament.
After days of paralysis in the capital, Port-au-Prince saw the timid return of people to the streets, shops opening and the resumption of public transport on Friday morning -- but under a pall of apprehension.
People scrambled to stock up on basic necessities at supermarkets and lined up at gas stations to buy propane used for cooking in anticipation of more instability.
"I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the day after in the country, so I am preparing for bad days ahead," Port-au-Prince resident Marjory told AFP, as she and her husband stocked up on supplies at a store.
"I'm prioritizing everything that can last for many days."
Gang violence, rife in the Caribbean nation, also picked up again on Friday, with clashes between groups paralyzing traffic on a major highway.
The city's airport, shuttered in the wake of the attack, appeared to have reopened, according to Flightradar data.
But as the shock of the killing wore off, many were demanding answers.
"Foreigners came to the country to perpetrate this crime. We, Haitians, are appalled," a resident of the capital told AFP.
"We need to know who is behind this, their names, their backgrounds so that justice can be served," he added.
Police have said a 28-member hit squad of Colombians and Americans had carried out the attack, but that they were still seeking its masterminds.
Senior police officers, directly responsible for Moise's security, are in the hot seat and have been summoned to appear before the courts.
Others have speculated on the possible involvement of security agents in the killing, adding to the confusion.
"The president of the Republic, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated by his security agents," former Haitian senator Steven Benoit said on Magik9 radio Friday.
"It is not Colombians who killed him. They were contracted by the Haitian state."
Some alleged attackers, including both Americans, have been arrested. Three have been killed, and at least five are still on the run, officers said Friday.
Some of the suspects were arrested after breaking into the Taiwanese embassy, Taipei confirmed. Several were paraded before the media on Thursday.
The US has said it is aware of the arrest of US citizens but declined further comment.
Colombia on Friday said 17 Colombian ex-soldiers were thought to have been involved. President Ivan Duque has told Haitian officials Bogota will collaborate in the investigation.
The attack has further destabilized the poorest country in the Americas, plagued by insecurity.
Haiti was already in the midst of in an institutional crisis: Moise had not organized an election since he came to power in early 2017 and the country has had no parliament since January 2020. Moise had been ruling by decree.
One of Moise's last acts as president on Monday was to appoint a new prime minister, Ariel Henry. He had not taken office when Moise was killed.
Hours after the assassination, Henry's predecessor Claude Joseph said he was in charge.
While the opposition has accused Joseph of power-grabbing, the United Nations envoy to Haiti, Helen La Lime, has said he had authority because Henry had not been sworn in.


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As 2016 closes, I've been thinking back on what has been accomplished so far with Singerreise. In the official count of the video podcast, attached below is Episode number 17 already, after only a couple months. Several people watching all of the videos. Some are reading these blog posts (of which there are 28!). A few have even signed on as patrons. I'm extremely grateful for all of you!
We do need some more patrons, though, so for 2017 to be a smashing success, check out patreon.com/singerreise to find out how you can get involved. And, of course, to find out about all the free stuff you've been missing out on!
This is the last major article for 2016. Sarah and I are going to take a little time off during the holidays to spend with each other and to focus on learning music for just a bit. There should be some more available by the end of the first week of January, probably by Friday, January 6th, so make sure to come back and visit again. Better yet, follow this blog with you email address or with your Google account, and you'll be sure not to miss it!
In this article we take a look at the fiery Rückblick, number 8 in the Winterreise cycle. We're officially 1/3 the way through! It makes for a nice ending for the year - everyone likes a big, heroic finish.
Rückblick also provides the ending for the first half of the concert that Ryan Bede are doing this winter. If you are new to this website, you may have missed that Winterreise is going to be performed in concert on January 29th, 2017, at Bellevue Presbyterian Church. Ryan and I are each performing 12 songs each, trading off every few songs or so. If you live in the area, come check it out!
Okay, that was the last announcement. Rückblick, the title, means to glance back, and in it our Wanderer thinks back to his first time coming to the town. To me, it feels like the poetry is a little backwards itself, like it travels in time from the present progressively back to the beginning.
Rückblick has a running start. (pun intended) And by run, I mean the Wanderer's feet are hitting the ground hard and fast. They're a little on the hot side, even though he's running on the ice and snow. He's trying to get to the point that he can no longer see the spires of the towns' houses. On his way out, his feet seems to find every stubborn rock, and even the crows are menacing him with snowballs and chunks of ice, thrown at his hat.
To our Wanderer, it seems like the town has done a 180 on him. Even while accusing it of its inconsistency, he starts to remember how it was when he first arrived. Birds were singing. Trees were blooming. The stream gurgled clearly. And then he saw the two maiden's eyes, which, of course, were ultimately the ruin of him. Whenever that day enters his mind, he wishes he could go back.
To me, a few words pop out of the text. One pair that seems to come up again and again is "Ich möchte," meaning "I would like." Throughout the song, the Wanderer is stating how he would like for things to be, but not as they actually are or that they can be. For example, near the end the Wanderer says "Möcht' ich zurücke wieder wanken," which means, "I would like to go back again." It's different from saying "ich will," or "I want." It puts a little ambiguity into the piece.
Also, I got to say, I really like the image of the crows throwing snowballs and chunks of ice. And I love that there's a German word for "chunks of ice" (they also use it to mean "hail").
There's also a really neat picture that develops of the town, possibly clearer in this song than in any of the songs thus far. It's postulated that the town's description pretty closely matches the town that Wilhelm Müller, the poet, grew up in, Dessau. There, too, there was a little river, linden trees, and most specifically, little towers on the houses. Winterreise, as the set of poems, is not intended to completely autobiographical on the part of Müller, as his story turned out very different from the Wanderer, but it is neat to see the descriptions in there.
More than anything, the musical treatment describes the running, the Wanderer's feet as they hit the ground hard. It's a beast to play on the piano (and I have a wonderful wife), but Schubert sticks only to a few tricks this time around. Another that he plays with is the switching back and forth from major to minor. When the reality of the current situation is dominant, we're in a harsh minor key, When we are thinking pleasanter thoughts about the town, it reverts to major.
The running only stops twice. The first time is at a fermata at the first key change – the text goes from descriptive to slightly thoughtful there, but even during the thinking, the running is still in the background, just more legato. The second pause is at the very end. The words are "stille stehn" or "stand quietly," and we get an entire measure without the pounding. It's as if the Wanderer for a moment did manage to go back in time, and there he was, staring at the Maiden's house.
So, that's it for Rückblick! If you want to find out more about Winterreise or the life of a singer, check out some of the other articles here at Singerreise.com, our facebook page facebook.com/singerreise, or the YouTube channel and its many episodes. And if you are loving the entertainment, or if you've learned something new in this article, consider becoming a patron at patreon.com/singerreise. Among other benefits, you'll have access to ad-free videos, bonus videos and music. In fact, we recorded a special musical number earlier, special for our patrons and unavailable through any other method. So check it out!
Leave some comments, and we'll see you in the new year!


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As an industry leader for over 85 years, Agr is committed to provide the plastic packaging and related industries with the most technologically advanced products available for quality control and productivity improvement.
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With the arrival of summer, we have been treated to Roo's first attempts at crowing. It started one day at about three in the afternoon. He was hanging out on the porch, keeping all his chicks in line, when suddenly he made a most unusual sound. It sounded as if someone stepped on him. He himself was a bit shocked and embarrassed by it and seemed to look around, trying to figure out where the sound had come from.
Every day, usually in the late afternoon, he crows. You can see it coming. He stands with his feet wide apart and stretches his neck out towards the ground with his beak open. It looks like he is about to up-chuck his breakfast. Then a force beyond his control starts in his toes and works its way up through his body until it finally comes out. He often needs to flap his wings in order to release the pressure. It sounds just like a New Year's Eve party horn. Over the past two weeks, his crowing has improved but it still makes me laugh right out loud.


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At my workshops, I often speak about doing what you love…your passion. I take the time to encourage my audience to think about what it is that lights their inner flame and finding a way to turn that passion, that inner desire, into a career. I do my best to inspire them to live their life with purpose and fun and excitement not only on the weekends, but Monday through Friday too.
Recently, one of the attendees asked, "Red, what happens if my passion can't support me?" Realistically, this is a common concern as many people struggle with how to turn the things they love into a full-blown career that pays the bills, feeds the family, and covers school expenses and all of the other costs that traditionally come with raising kids, with enough left over for a comfortable retirement. And this type of worry is often enough to keep them from living their dreams.
Admittedly, my initial response to this type of question is that almost any passion can support us. For instance, if you love gardening, you could work for or even open your own nursery or landscaping business. If you love health and fitness, you could become a personal trainer, nutritionist, dietician, or exercise physiologist. Have a passion for writing? You could become an English teacher, freelance writer, or finally put out that bestselling book that's been rolling around in your head.
However, I also understand that sometimes this feels too far out of reach. Or maybe you're just not there yet, not to a point where this type of career could sustain the lifestyle you've grown accustomed to or want. In this case, it doesn't mean that your only choice is to give up on your passion completely. Even engaging in it part-time is often enough to soothe your soul and provide you just a little bit more happiness in your life.
In other words, don't get so caught up in living your passion that it becomes an all-or-nothing thing. If you love to read but don't have the funds to open a bookstore, then why not donate your time to your local library on weekends, reading to area kids? If you enjoy going on long walks, what about forming a group of men or women in your town or city, giving you the opportunity to map out the trails you intend to hit every week?
If you aren't in a position to tend to your passions on a full-time basis, at least make it a priority to keep the embers warm. Schedule time every day, every other day, every weekend, or once a month to do what it is you love.
Also, keep open-minded about the various ways you can work your passion into your everyday life. For instance, if you love painting, why not work at a museum or art store on weekends? Or what about offering classes to teach others how to paint?
Make passion a regular part of your life and you will reap the results physically, mentally, and spiritually. Even if, at this time in your life, it may not support you financially. And that too may change.


text:
Persuasions #10, 1988 Pages 117-126
Views from both Directions: Courtship
and Marriage in Letters and Diaries from
the Age of Jane Austen
Daily News, Longview, Washington 98632
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, 1 Battery Park Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10004
We can begin with an observation – which unexpectedly sounds very much like Jane Austen – written early in the eighteenth century by the philosopher G.W. Leibnitz:
We can miss the right road by trying to follow the shortest one, just as the stone by falling straight down may too soon encounter obstacles which prevent it getting at all close to the centre of the earth. This shows that it is reason and that will lead us towards happiness, whereas sensibility and appetite lead us only towards pleasure.1
For the next few minutes we wish to recreate from letters and diaries of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the world of Jane Austen as recorded by contemporaries.
I shall read the men's letters.
And I shall read the women's letters and diaries.
" … I consider everybody as having a right to marry once in their lives for love … " wrote Jane Austen to her sister, Cassandra, in 1808.2
Indeed, in Jane Austen's mind – and in her novels – love and a good marriage were inseparable.
One reason readers find Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion and her other works so alive today is that they reflect what real people felt about love and courtship – a theme central to all her works.
From the glittering London salons of Devonshire House to the country inns and Bath ballrooms more familiar to Jane's characters, young men and women of the period spent a good deal of energy wrestling with romance.
A study of letters and journals written by Jane Austen's contemporaries reveals real men and women in love, in pain, in doubt, in happiness – emotions Jane recreated in characters ranging from Emma Woodhouse to Mr. Darcy – emotions that two hundred years have done nothing to dim.
During this period, money no longer was the only reason to marry nor was courtship conducted under a chaperon's unblinking eye. Although old attitudes and the prudence of elders still had significant sway, many young people of Jane Austen's class were able to seek an ideal mate and marry for love.
Some people were even coming to the same conclusion that Jane and Elizabeth Bennet did about marriage: That it is better to be single than to marry someone you do not love.
In addition to Jane Austen, our writers who loved, were loved or had observations on love and courtship include:
Fanny Burney, novelist and diarist;
Lord Byron, who needs no description;
Lady Harriet Cavendish, daughter of the 5th Duke of Devonshire;
Lord Chesterfield, the compleat courtier and author of the celebrated letters to his son;
William Cowper, poet and writer of hymns.
We shall also read from:
Samuel Johnson, pre-eminent man of letters;
Hester Lynch Thrale, literary hostess and friend to Johnson;
Horace Walpole, connoisseur of the Gothic, historian and letter writer;
Mary Wollstonecraft, early feminist.
In Jane Austen's time, as now, finding the ideal mate had a lot to do with one's success at love and courtship games.
Jane revealed her own ideals – ones in which we can see traces of Mr. Knightley or Captain Wentworth – in a letter to her niece, Fanny Knight:
There are such beings in the World perhaps, one in a Thousand, as the Creature you and I should think perfection, where Grace and Spirit are united to Worth; where the Manners are equal to the Heart and Understanding … 3
A fellow novelist, Evelina author Fanny Burney, had a similar ideal, one she found in her future husband, Comte Alexandre d'Arblay:
His nobleness of character – his sweetness of disposition – his Honour, Truth, integrity – with so much softness, delicacy and tender humanity – except my beloved father and Mr. Lock, I have never seen such a man in this world, though I have drawn such in my imagination.4
For many women, and Jane Austen heroines like Catherine Morland, a ballroom, particularly one in Bath, was an ideal place to find a romantic hero.
"Bath is a good place for the initiation of a young Lady[,]" wrote Samuel Johnson to Hester Thrale on one of her many visits to Bath. "She can neither become negligent for want of observers, as in the country, nor by the imagination that she lies concealed in the crowd, as in London."5
But taking a bow from a beau in a ballroom was no guarantee a lady would meet her match. Lady Harriet Cavendish, daughter of the fifth Duke of Devonshire and later an admirer of Jane Austen, writes of the countless balls she attends without meeting anyone who can touch her heart:
Perhaps it is a misfortune to have such very high ideals of perfection; especially as I always expect to find them realized, but it is also a safeguard and adds interest to every society, though often great disappointment.6
Lady Harriet, whose letters rival Jane's in their trenchant observations, had the same high standards for her only brother, Lord Hartington, one of the biggest matrimonial catches of the Regency.
"He is just now wild with delight at the Miss Monsons being arrived in Town," she wrote to her sister in 1808. "Heaven send his taste may mend before we have a sister-in-law."7
Men, too, had their ideal women.
Though he never married, Horace Walpole had a keen eye for female beauty and character, something he found in the attractive Berry sisters:
They are of pleasing figures; Mary the eldest, sweet, with fine dark eyes, that are very lively when she speaks, with a symmetry of face that is the more interesting from being pale. Agnes, the younger, has an agreeable sensible countenance, hardly to be called handsome, but almost … [T]hey dress within the bounds of fashion, though fashionably; but without the excrescences and balconies with which modern hoydens overwhelm and barricade their persons. In short, good sense, information, simplicity and ease characterize the Berrys.8
Lord Byron's views of the ideal woman were considerably more tongue-in-cheek. Of his mistress, Lady Caroline Lamb, he wrote:
I never knew a woman with greater or more pleasing talents, general as in a woman they should be, something of everything and too much of nothing. 9
But of his future wife, Arabella Milbanke, he said:
Miss M I admire because she is a clever woman, an amiable woman, and of high blood, for I have still a few Norman and Scotch inherited prejudices on that last score, were I to marry. As to love, that is done in a week (provided the lady has a reasonable share); besides, marriage goes on better with esteem and confidence than romance, and she is quite pretty enough to be loved by her husband, without being so glaringly beautiful as to attract too many rivals.10
From the eighteenth century to the time Jane Austen published her first novels, the relationship between courting couples relaxed considerably.
Witness the stiff proposition faced by Hester Thrale, who in 1778 describes her courtship twenty years earlier by her first husband, the brewer Henry Thrale:
Our Courtship (if such it might be called) was always carried on under the Eye of my Mother, whose project it originally was; and this so completely that except for one five minutes only by mere Accident, I never had a Tete a Tete with my Husband in my whole Life till quite the evening of the Wedding Day.11
Horace Walpole describes another mid-century courtship that was nothing if not brief:
The young Lord it seems has been in love with Charlotte for some months, but thought so little of inflaming her, that yesterday fortnight she did not know him by sight. On that day he came and proposed himself to my brother, who with much surprise heard his story, but excused himself from giving an answer … he would send for her and know her mind …. She came and saw this impetuous lover, and I believe was glad she had not refused point blank – for they were married last Thursday.12
Times had changed by the end of the century. Young people found it easier to get to know each other naturally, making courtship, or even a flirtation, a more lighthearted prospect, as Jane Austen wrote to her sister in 1796:
At length the day is come on which I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy; and when you receive this, it will be over. My tears flow as I write at the melancholy idea.13
But allowing young people to choose a partner for themselves opened the door to heartache and confusion. Nearly twenty years later, Jane gave her niece, Fanny, this advice about the failure of her first romance:
Oh poor dear Fanny, your mistake has been one thousands of women fall into. He was the first young Man who attached himself to you. That was the charm and most powerful it is.14
Some young women still felt pressure to marry to please their relations, a fact reflected in Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Persuasion.
Like Fanny Price, Lady Harriet Cavendish was encouraged to marry a suitable man whom she disliked. She writes of her difficult position to her mother:
… [I]f a year hence or more, I should have altered my mind, I shall be blamed by everybody, accused of being unfeeling, coquettish and other faults, if that is the case, I am now as much bound as if I was actually engaged.15
It took more than finding the right person to bring courtship to a successful conclusion. One had to have the proper frame of mind, and even be prepared to mend one's ways. Before going courting, wrote poet William Cowper to his friend, Chase Price:
… You must Amend, or Despair of finding in Honest Matrimony a sure Contentment – Whatever means you think likely to work such a Reformation I would advise you to pursue; Neither the Single nor the Marry' d State afford any sure Contentment But to the Virtuous.16
One who did not mend his ways was Lord Byron, whose rakish reputation made it difficult for him to court marriageable young ladies of high society. In a letter to his worldly friend, Lady Melbourne, he writes of his failure:
… I do not know of a single gentlewoman who would venture upon me … I admired your niece, but she is engaged to Eden; besides she deserves a better heart than mine. What shall I do – shall I advertise?17
Courtship through letters might be romantic but it was also remote. William Cowper wrote:
Our correspondence after this proceeded smoothly for a considerable time, but at length having had repeated occasion to observe that she expressed a sort of romantic idea of our merits, and built such expectations of felicity upon our friendship, as we were sure that nothing human could possibly answer, I wrote to remind her that we were mortal, to recommend it to her not to think more highly of us than the subject would warrant, and intimating that when we embellish a creature with colours taken from our own fancy, and so adorned, admire and praise it beyond its real merits, we make it an Idol, and have nothing to expect in the end but that it will deceive our hopes, and that we shall derive nothing from it but a painful conviction of our error.18
For men and women of Jane Austen's time, love and courtship were still influenced by property, though not to the degree of a half-century earlier, when Lord Chesterfield wrote to his son:
My kinsman, Lord Strathmore, is to be married, in a fortnight, to Miss Bowes, the greatest heiress, perhaps, in Europe, and ugly in proportion.19
Horace Walpole unleashed this anecdote:
I hear your friend Lord North is wedded; somebody said, "It is very hot weather to marry so fat a bride"; G. Selwyn replied. "Oh! she was kept in ice for three days before."20
Jane Austen's novels, and heroines like Elizabeth Bennet, reflect a growing repugnance for the marriage of convenience. Letters of the period show a parallel distaste.
Fanny Burney writes about her friend, Mrs. Waddington, who made an arranged marriage in 1789:
I grieve eternally at our long separation and at her barbarous destiny! tied for life to an establishment! oh Heavens, how preferable is poverty!21
Early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft did not mince words in a letter to an unknown man who proposed marriage to her in 1795:
In a few words, what I call an insult is the bare supposition that I could for a moment think of prostituting my person for a maintenance; for in that point of view does such a marriage appear to me …22
While many were repelled by the idea of marriage for money, few could marry without some attention to the financial circumstances of their intended, even Lord Bryon, who wrote to his half-sister Augusta:
I have no connections to domesticate with, and for marriage, I have neither talent or inclination. I cannot fortune hunt, nor afford to marry without a fortune.23
Here is Fanny Burney on the astronomer Herschel's marriage:
His wife seems good-natured, and she was rich, too! and astronomers are as able as other men to discern that gold can glitter as well as stars.24
When a Miss Sawbridge and a tutor announced their engagement, Jane Austen immediately wrote Cassandra:
… [T]hey must be one of the happiest Couples in the World, and either of them worthy of Envy – for she must be excessively in love and he mounts from nothing to a comfortable Home.25
Women of good family who married without money were sometimes excluded from high society, something Fanny Burney faced when she married the penniless French émigré general, Comte Alexandre d'Arblay:
"How the World would blame me at first, I well know; but his worth, in time, would make its own way and be my vindication," she wrote to her sister, Susan.26
To remain single was to court economic oblivion, as Jane Austen acknowledges ironically in a letter to Fanny Knight:
Single Women have a dreadful propensity for being poor – which is one very strong argument in favour of Matrimony. 27
Gradually, however, love gained on money as the reason to get married. Lord Hertford wrote about his daughter, Isabella, to Horace Walpole. The words could fit Fanny Price and Edmund Bertman:
The gentleman of her choice is a Mr. George Hatton, a man of respectable family, character and conduct, but a younger brother with a slender fortune …
Could I have made my choice freely, I will acknowledge to you as a friend that I should have waited some other offer, but when my daughter tells me she is unambitious and chooses retired life with a gentlemen of Mr. Hatton's temper and disposition, and that he has fortune enough to satisfy her views in life, I hope you will think I have done kindly as well as prudently in not withholding my consent.28
When Lord Byron finally prevailed on Miss Milbanke to marry him, a letter to his friend, Thomas Moore, indicates he did so without inquiring about the state of her fortune:
I am going to be married – that is, I am accepted, and one usually hopes the rest will follow … She is said to be an heiress, but of that I really know nothing certainly, and shall not inquire. But I do know that she has talents and excellent qualities, and you will not deny her judgement, after having refused six suitors and taken me … I must, of course, reform thoroughly; and, seriously, if a man can contribute to her happiness, I shall secure my own. She is so good a person, that – that in short, I wish I was a better.29
Some were saying, as might a Jane Austen heroine, that they would not marry without love:
"I have all my life determined never to marry without having the very highest value and esteem for the man who should be my lord," Fanny Burney wrote as a teenager to her mentor, Samuel Crisp. "… I have long accustomed myself to the idea of being an old maid and the title has lost all its terrors in my ears … Don't imagine by what I say that I have made a vow for a single life – No: but on the other hand, I have no objection to it."30
Lord Byron mused to Arabella just after their engagement in 1814 about the key to happiness in marriage:
Do you think my love, that happiness depends on similarities or differences in character? I doubt it. I am rather inclined to lay more stress upon intellect than is generally done – much upon temper. Affection must do the rest.31
But neither intellect nor affection was enough to calm the storms that eventually overwhelmed their marriage.
Jane Austen was a firm believer that true regard was the basis of a long-lasting, fulfilling marriage.
"I … entreat you not to commit yourself farther and not to think of accepting him unless you really do like him," she wrote to her niece Fanny Knight. "Anything is to be preferred than marrying without Affection."32
In a letter to Fanny Knight written two weeks later, Jane says further:
Nothing can be compared to the misery of being bound without Love, bound to one, and preferring another. That is a punishment which you do not deserve.33
Love was not the only ingredient needed for a successful relationship. Samuel Johnson warned a friend, Joseph Baretti, of how the thrill of courtship could overwhelm reason:
Of your love I know not the propriety, nor can estimate the power; but in love, as in every other passion, of which hope is the essence, we ought always to remember the uncertainty of events. There is indeed nothing that so much seduces reason from her vigilance, as the thought of passing life with an amiable woman; and if all would happen that a lover fancies, I know not what other terrestrial happiness would deserve pursuit.34
For some people, however, independence was all. Neither love nor money was enough to persuade Mary Wollstonecraft to marry William Godwin. They married only a few days before their daughter was born. Even then, Mary wished to preserve her independence, as she wrote in this letter to Godwin, who had gone to the countryside:
A husband is a convenient part of the furniture of the house, unless he be a clumsy fixture. I wish you, from my soul, to be riveted in my heart: but I do not desire to have you always at my elbow – though at this moment I did not care if you were.35
Whenever Jane Austen's heroines followed their creator's advice and married for love, we can imagine their receiving congratulations somewhat like those Cowper bestowed on his friend, Samuel Rose:
Among the many who love and esteem you there is none who rejoices more in your felicity than myself; far from blaming, I commend you much for connecting yourself, young as you are, with a well-chosen companion for life …36
We can also imagine that Catherine, Elinor, Elizabeth, Fanny, Emma and Anne found nineteenth century marriage fashions more to their liking than those of the preceding century.
Six months after their own weddings, Jane Austen's heroines might have written something like the letter Lady Harriet Cavendish sent to her sister shortly after she married Lord Granville Leveson-Gower in 1809:
... early hours, wholesome dinners, a comfortable bed and Granville, adored Granville, who could make a barren desert smile.37
1 G.W. Leibnitz, New Essays on Human Understanding, translated and edited by Peter Remnant and Jonathan Bennett (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981), p. 194.
2 Jane Austen, Jane Austen's Letters to her Sister Cassandra and Others, edited by R.W. Chapman. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1932), p. 240. Hereafter Chapman.
3 Chapman, pp. 409-10.
4 Madame d'Arblay, Journals and Letters of Fanny Burney [1791-1840] edited by Joyce Hemlow (Oxford: Clarendon press, 1972-1984), II, p. 38. Hereafter Hemlow.
5 Samuel Johnson, The Letters of Samuel Johnson with Mrs. Thrale's Genuine Letters to Him [1719-1784], edited by R.W. Chapman (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1952), II, 362. Hereafter Johnson.
6 Lady Harriet Cavendish, Hary-O: The Letters of Lady Harriet Cavendish [1796-1809], edited by Sir George Leveson-Gower and Iris Palmer (London: John Murray, 1940), p. 110. Hereafter Leveson-Gower.
7 Leveson-Gower, p. 279.
8 Horace Walpole, Horace Walpole's Correspondence [1725-1797], edited by W.S. Lewis and others, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1937-1983), XXXIV, 25. (Emphasis in original.) Hereafter Lewis.
9 George Gordon, Lord Byron, With Byron in Love, edited by Walter Littlefield, (New York: J.H. Sears & Co., 1926), p. 97. Hereafter Littlefield.
10 Littlefield, p. 131.
11 Mrs. Hester Lynch Thrale, Thraliana: The Diary of Mrs. Hester Lynch Thrale (Later Mrs. Piozzi) [1776-1809], edited by Katherine C. Balderston (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1942), I, 306.
12 Lewis, XXI, 439 (footnotes omitted).
13 Chapman, p. 6.
14 Chapman, p. 409.
15 Leveson-Gower, p. 103.
16 William Cowper, The Letters and Prose Writings of William Cowper [1750-c.1799], edited by James King and Charles Ryskamp (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979-1986), I, 73. Hereafter Cowper.
17 Littlefield, p. 133.
18 Cowper, II, 18-19.
19 Fourth Earl of Chesterfield, The Letters of Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield [1712-1773], edited by Bonamy Dobree (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode Ltd., 1932), VI, 2795-96. Hereafter Chesterfield.
20 Lewis, IX, 116.
21 Hemlow, II, 74.
22 Mary Wollstonecraft, Collected Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft, edited by Ralph M. Wardle, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1979), p. 327. Hereafter Wardle.
23 Littlefield, p. 225.
24 Madame d'Arblay, Diary and Letters of Madame d'Arblay (1778-1840), edited by Charlotte Barrett, with prefaces and notes by Austin Dobson (London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1904), IV, 113.
25 Chapman, p. 230.
26 Hemlow, II, 50.
27 Chapman, p. 483.
28 Lewis, XXXIX, 432-33 (footnotes omitted).
29 Littlefield, p. 138.
30 Frances Burney, Early Diary of Frances Burney, [1768-1777) edited by Annie Raine Ellis (London: George Bell & Sons, 1807), II, 74.
31 Littlefield, p. 142.
32 Chapman, p. 410.
33 Chapman, p. 418.
34 Johnson, I, 146.
35 Wardle, p. 396.
36 Cowper, III, 386.
37 Lady Harriet Granville, Letters of Harriet, Countess Granville [1810-1845], edited by the Hon. F. Leveson-Gower (London: Longman, Green & Co., 1894), I, 25.
Back to Persuasions #10 Table of Contents


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Isaac Hayden reveals what has astonished him about the job Rafa Benitez has done at Newcastle
Isaac Hayden says the job Rafa Benitez has done at Newcastle United can't be over-estimated.
Benitez agreed to stay on at the promoted club after talks with owner Mike Ashley on Tuesday.
The pair met two days after Newcastle won the Championship title on a memorable afternoon at St James's Park.
Ashley publicly pledged to back Benitez in the transfer market this summer after the meeting.
Benitez and managing director Lee Charnley revamped the squad last summer by bringing in 12 players and moving out several big names.
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Those deals netted United a £30million-plus profit.
One of those signings was Hayden, signed from Arsenal in a cut-price deal.
And the midfielder feels Benitez has done a remarkable job in quickly getting his new-look team to gel.
"I think it's been a little bit underestimated how good a job he has done, because it's difficult as a manager to get arguably a whole new squad," said the 22-year-old.
"He's got 12 new players in. He's lost players who were important last season for the club, or termed 'big players', and he's got the right characters back into the club.
"Everyone wanted to do well and work hard.
"It's not easy to gel, and especially to get the formation and tactics right, but everyone has worked hard, and it's credit to the manager and the staff."
Hayden has also praised the club's backroom team.
"It's not just the manager," said the England Under-21 international. "It's the fitness coaches, the backroom staff who maybe don't get mentioned. It's everybody."
Meanwhile, Newcastle have been linked with Manchester City pair Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala.
Benitez has reportedly had discussions with Txiki Begiristain, City's director of football, over Fernando and Mangala.
Midfielder Fernando has been a fringe player at City under Pep Guardiola this season, while defender Mangala has spent the campaign on loan at Valencia.


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A Guide To Ti Top Beach
Around 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) to the east of Bai Chay you can pay a visit to Ti Top Beach. It's a small beach shaped like a crescent which breathes a quiet and tranquil atmosphere. Its crystal-clear water makes it a wonderful place to relax.
The beautiful white sand, clear water combined with a small surf makes it perfect for water based activities like swimming and snorkeling. There's currently a bar on the island where you can rent all kinds of swimming gear. After a nice refreshing swim, be sure to enjoy the local seafood in the splendid sunshine!
7 Best Beaches in Halong Bay, Vietnam [Updated 2022]
Halong Bay's beaches are an incredible draw to the area. While the magnificent limestone karsts that make Halong Bay famous …Read more
Tra Co Beach: The Complete Guide
With the extensive beach of smooth white sand and blue transparent water, Tra Co Beach is the border of a …Read more
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Marketers should ensure their contribution marketing efforts are "completely new and unprecedented."
This article states that brands should leverage contribution marketing, which entails offering products or services that satisfy the immediate needs of consumers in crises. Brick-and-mortar stores like fitness studios could serve consumers online to contribute to the requirements of customers and build brand equity.
Companies should offer unique and new solutions to customers that can help them in these times, rather than offering the same discounts and services. Before implementing contribution marketing businesses should assess if their products or services fill in the immediate void and support consumers.
Businesses shouldn't capitalise by using "COVID-19" in their campaigns if it's completely unrelated, for it could be seen as click-baiting. The author contends contribution marketing can help brands gain free exposure and build goodwill in the long run.
[5 minute read]


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SJALL has seen great success over the past few years both on and off the baseball field. Our sign-ups are growing, our snack shack is the envy of other leagues, and our field is one of the best in the district. Our parent volunteers - Board Members, managers, coaches, umpires, team parents, etc. - are the people who help provide the small community feel that SJALL is known for and without whom we literally would be unable to function. We all would like to provide our kids with the best possible baseball experience and to foster a sense of community and volunteering is one of the most powerful ways to make this happen. Given our reliance on volunteering, we have provided below clarification about the volunteer requirements in place for being a member of the league, as well as the opportunities for volunteering that are available during the year.
Volunteer Requirement
Each family is required to complete 1 snack shack shift* and 6 additional volunteer hours during the spring Little League Season**. Each family will be required to write a check for $350, dated June 1st, to SJALL which the league holds until the end of the season or the required hours have been fulfilled. If the volunteer hours are not completed by the end of the season your check will be deposited. Your check will also be deposited if you do not attend a scheduled shift or if you cancel your shift with less than 24 hours notice without finding a replacement.Exceptions:*The following Team Roles are exempt from the Snack Shack requirement: All Managers, AA/AAA/Majors Coaches, and any Team Parent who opens the Snack Shack for 2 weeks. Also, Tball/A Coaches may umpire Two AA games in lieu of the Snack Shack requirement.**Juniors, Seniors and Challenger are exempt from all volunteering.
Volunteering Opportunities
Throughout the season there will be opportunities to volunteer at various functions for the league. Each shift is typically 3 hours. Some of these opportunities include:
Team Positions
Each team has positions that are required for the team to function. Team roles fulfill 6 hours of volunteering (except Tball/A Field Parent). The following roles must have a completed volunteer background check form on file with the league for the current season.
Team Manager - This position is the head coach of a specific team within San Jose American Little League. The manager essentially runs the baseball side of the team. The manager is responsible for planning and running team practices, making out game-day lineups, and managing the team during games. This position is not as intimidating as it may seem, especially at the T-Ball and Farm A levels! You always have at least a couple of assistant coaches who are there to help you out and cover for you when you need to miss a practice or game due to other commitments. Please make sure to contact the appropriate board member if you are interested in being a team manager. This position requires a completed background check.
Team Parent - The Team Parent is the Manager's right-hand man or woman, and is a vital component of the team. Whereas the Manager typically runs the baseball part of the team, the Team Parent runs the administrative side. The Team Parent is responsible for organizing snack schedules, coordinating the team's turns in running the snack shack, planning mid-season and end-of-the-year team parties, and helping the Manager contact parents when practices or games are cancelled. Team Parents are paired up to open the Snack Shack for 1 week. The team parent, working with the League's Volunteer Coordinator, also helps ensure that their team's volunteer requirements are met. They are the liaison between the league and the parents of the team. They are asked to communicate various activities and messages to parents. This position requires a completed background check.
Team Coach - The coach is an assistant to the manager and helps with all baseball aspects of the team. Coaches are vital parts of any team, and are often called upon to help run practices and games when the manager is not available. Note that in Minor AA and above only 2 official coaches are allowed on the field of play, but that doesn't stop additional "coaches" from helping out during practices (only the 2 official coaches receive volunteer credit). T-Ball and Farm A also have 2 "official" coaches who will receive volunteer credit for coaching. However, this does not preclude additional help from parents during practices and games. This position requires a completed background check.
Team Scorekeeper - At the AA level and above, Scorekeepers are an important part of each game we play during the season. San Jose American Little League uses the online scorekeeping application called GameChanger. It can be used through an iOS device. This is a fun activity and keeps you occupied during the game. Furthermore, you are helping the coaches and the league measure how we are doing developing our players.
Field Prep (Field Parent) – Before games, fields must be prepped for the upcoming game. Duties include dragging the field, watering down the infield, chalking the lines, etc. The same is done once the games are completed. Volunteer credit is allocated for AA/AAA/Majors Field Parents, but not Tball/A.Opt Out Option
While we strongly encourage volunteer participation as this makes it possible for us to run the league and provides a greater sense of personal satisfaction and sense of community, we also realize that circumstances may prevent you from being able to do so. Therefore, if you're not able to volunteer for any of the above assignments (snack shack + 6 hours OR Team Position), you may select to opt out by paying $350 as part of your registration fees.
Corporate Matching for Volunteer Service
SJALL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization & may be eligible for Volunteer Matching Grants from your employer. Volunteer hours for Coaching, Umpiring, Scorekeeping, Field prep, Fund-raising (Snack Shack) and more can be turned into donations to help SJALL.
We are registered with Benevity, which many employers use to manage their donation programs. If San Jose American Little League isn't listed with your employer, please contact us and we can provide the required information.
Thank you for logging your volunteer hours!
PO Box 28599 San Jose, California 95159
Email: [email protected]


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While Subaru's 2010 racing season hasn't even started yet, we're not surprised to see that both BMX star Dave Mirra and all-around motor-lunatic Travis Pastrana have re-signed with the marque to drive a pair of all-wheel-drive and turbocharged WRX STIs in the 2010 Rally America national championship. Pastrana's co-driver will be Christian Edstrom, while Mirra will be teamed with Derek Ringer.
Pastrana has been rallying since 2006, and has achieved considerable success with 18 overall victories and 36 podiums. His X Games credentials include two gold, a silver and one bronze medal for the Rally Car events. Pastrana and Edstrom are the reigning Rally America champions.
Mirra, meanwhile, has been competing with Subaru since 2008, the year he won Rally America's Rookie of the Year award. In 2009, Mirra raced in the Super Production Class with Subaru and finished 6th overall. For 2010, he and Ringer are moving up to the Open Class.
Related posts:
- Pastrana and Mirra on SuperRally
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- Travis Pastrana's Long Beach Rally Car Jump


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The dim light of early day finds me standing in my bedroom, performing what has become an unfortunate morning ritual of mine.
I turn left, then right, and then twist around completely and glance over my shoulder. I feel myself frown as I let out an audible sigh.
I turn my body around one last time, determined to not give up just yet. I try straightening my back to make myself a little taller. I tuck my shirt into the front of my pants, and then, seconds later, I untuck it. I put my hands on my waist and angle myself sideways. I shift my weight from one hip and to the other. Finally, as a last resort, I squint, hoping that if I blur my vision, I'll feel a little bit better about myself.
But I don't.
Because staring back at me, in the mirror that hangs over my closet door, is a reflection I simply can't stand: I see a girl who, just like me, looks completely defeated.
It appears neither of us like what we see.
* * *
I remember buying that mirror. I bought it on a day that will probably go down as one of my all-time favorite days ever:
Over a year and a half ago, just a week after I moved into my apartment, my parents, my daughter, Zoey, and I walked into Target together. Having moved only a few boxes and only a few pieces of furniture, I needed quite a bit of stuff. So we grabbed two carts and then proceeded to go on a shopping spree of epic proportions.
I'd budgeted $500 for this trip, so as the carts got fuller and fuller, I was keeping a mental tab on how much everything was going to cost. By the time we got to the last item on the list—a mirror—we were flirting with the top of that budget, so I grabbed the cheapest one I could find. It just seemed more important to spend the bulk of the money on other, more important things.
A $5 mirror would do just fine.
* * *
As I fell into the routine of my new life, I realized that cheap mirror, while it served its purpose, had a funny way of making me feel bad about myself. It curved outward so it didn't lay flat against my door (yes, in a slight carnival, fun-house fashion), and every day, when I looked in it, a girl stared back at me that I just didn't love. And because of that mirror, every day, I left my apartment not really liking who I was.
And for some inexplicable reason, I didn't do anything about it. I let this go on day after day after day after day.
But then, about a month ago, my daughter, Zoey, and I were standing in the mirror aisle at Target. I caught a glimpse of myself in a better mirror than my own, and for a brief second, I thought, "Oh, wouldn't it be nice if I looked like that every day?"
I went home, and for the next few weeks, I continued my morning ritual. Yet the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn't want to keep doing this. I longed for the days of my youth, the ones where mirrors were not a window into self-defeat, but were a doorway to fun, fascination, and fantasy.
Do you remember being a young kid, looking at your reflection, and being amazed by the mirror's magic? You'd try to move really fast to see if your reflection could keep up. If you had two mirrors, you'd make an infinite reflective tunnel. You'd strike a few of your best poses. You'd give your reflection a kiss. You'd make silly faces. You'd flash your best smile.
And as a kid, no matter what you did in front of that mirror, you liked what you saw. You didn't criticize your appearance or doubt yourself. You didn't focus on all your supposed flaws. You didn't feel bad about yourself. You didn't let whatever you saw in that mirror define who you were—and if you did, that was okay, because you loved who you were.
Yet for about 600 days from the date I bought that $5 mirror, my reality had been the opposite.
So finally, one day last week—on an ordinary day, just like all the others—I'd had enough of my silly morning routine.
Because life's too short to start each day feeling bad about yourself.
Life's too short to start each day feeling defeated.
Life's too short to let a cheap, flimsy piece of glass prevent you from loving every little bit of who you are.
* * *
The day I decide that life's too short to start every day not liking myself, I take that warped, $5 mirror off the back of my closet door. My daughter, Zoey, is happily playing in her room, so I call out to her that I'll be right back, that I'm just going to the trash room.
"What are you throwing away?" she calls out. "Can I come with you?
Zoey walks out into the living room to find me standing there, holding the mirror. She smiles when she sees me, but after a moment, I realize she's not looking at me—she's looking at her reflection.
"Sure," I say, pointing to the mirror. "I'm just getting rid of this."
"Why do we have to get rid of it? Can I put it in my room?" she asks.
"But it's cheap and warped," I counter. "It doesn't work as well as it should."
Zoey shrugs. "I don't care," she says. "Please, can I keep it?"
I carry the mirror into Zoey's room. After clearing a space on the floor next to a bin of her dress-up clothes, I lean it up against the wall and step back. Within what seems to be only seconds, Zoey has dressed herself up in one of the most mismatched outfits you've ever seen: a black leotard, white tights, a turquoise tutu, green butterfly wings, and a pair of blue, bejeweled plastic princess shoes. To top it off, on her head, she's placed a headband that is adorned with pink, plush bunny ears.
She reaches up and grabs my hand, using it to balance herself as she gracefully twirls on one foot. I join in her dance, and we laugh and giggle until we finally collapse on the floor.
"Look, Mommy," Zoey says. "The mirror works just fine—in fact, I think it works perfectly. Look how pretty we look."
I glance at our reflections—me, happy, smiling, and looking at myself and at Zoey, my little princess bunny—and I dare say I have to agree. Because finally, after 600 days of staring in that mirror, I finally like what I see.
It turns out it wasn't the mirror that was the problem.
It was my perception of my reflection in it.
I let Zoey keep the mirror, and later that weekend, we go back to Target. I splurge on a nicer one—a non-warped, heavy wood-framed one that stands on the floor and leans back, one that helps change my perception and one that does a much better job of helping me start my days out a little happier with who I am.
Funny though… I actually begin looking at myself a little less in that new mirror. I start trusting that I look good, and I start realizing that a little self-reflection serves me better than any mirrored reflection ever will.
So mirror, mirror, on the wall, tell me: Who really is the fairest one of all?
From now on, I think I'll try a little bit harder to believe that maybe — just maybe — that person is me.
* * *
Let me know: Are you hanging onto something in your life that makes you feel bad about who you are? If so, why haven't you gotten rid of it? What are some easy ways you can change a negative perception of yourself to a positive one?
Corey is a writer, graphic designer, and mom to her amazing daughter, Zoey. Here at The Nostalgia Diaries, her goal is to simplify, enhance, and engage people's lives by helping them focus on the most important things: remembering, appreciating, believing, and becoming. It's all about celebrating the past to create better days today.
Just joining me on my journey? Catch up on the Everyday Nostalgia series here.
At The Nostalgia Diaries, our goal is to help you simplify, enhance, and engage your lives by focusing on the most important things: remembering, appreciating, believing, and becoming. It's all about celebrating the past to create better days today.
P.S. Don't forget to follow our colorful, creative spaces on Facebook, Instagramand Pinterest. We're fun and happy and whimsical and nostalgic over there, too. Pinky swear.


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Romancia is the third game in Falcom's Dragon Slayer series, following Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II and preceding Dragon Slayer IV (known as Legacy of the Wizard or The Drasle Family, depending on the localization). Originally released for Japanese home computers like the MSX and Sharp X1 in 1986, a version was developed for the Famicom a year later with Compile's help. This new version received a graphical upgrade as well as some additional content. Oddly enough, this version would be preceded on the Famicom by Legacy of the Wizard, which had been ported by Namco a few months prior.
The player controls Prince Freddy Fan as he discovers the titular kingdom of Romancia, learns of its troubles and attempts to recover the kidnapped Princess Serena from the rival kingdom of Azoruba.
The game received its Dragon Slayer Jr. appellation by being far more straightforward and less RPG-heavy than its forebear Xanadu, nor does it have the labyrinthine dungeons of Legacy of the Wizard. It is, however, still rather difficult in comparison to other RPG franchises of the era.
Romancia is a side-scrolling action RPG. The player moves left or right across the screen (with a few exceptions), killing monsters and finding items. Items are key to progressing, as many are required to solve context-based puzzles like a graphic adventure game. For instance, the player character is tasked with taking medicine and using it to cure many of the sick villagers, as well as purifying the local well.
The game's lack of statistics or other RPG trappings is what originally earned it the "Dragon Slayer Jr" title. Rather, the player has a simple health bar to represent their character's status and much of the game involves simple hack-n'-slash action gameplay.


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Inside Storm Windows Review 2018
Although there is a traditional tendency to regard storm windows as being somehow cheap and flimsy, this certainly does not need to be the case. Windows built with quality materials and installed well can provide a high degree of comfort and insulation to your room, and save you money at the same time.
The most difficult choice of all to make is the one which must be made right at the start. If you feel that your windows are no longer doing the job well enough, you have several possibilities. The most obvious one is to replace the entire unit, but this can take a huge investment of both time and money. There will be considerable disruption to your household, even if it is only the windows of one room which are being replaced. The results will nearly always be worth it in terms of improved insulation, but the time and expense may simply be too high for the job to be worth doing.
Fitting interior storm windows is the most obvious alternative, as it provides some of the benefits of completely new windows with only a fraction of the disruption and expense. Interior windows will have the effect of trapping the air in a pocket between the two windows, providing an effective insulation of the room inside. This will lead to a reduction in heating bills as long as the settings on the heating system are adjusted down. Interior windows are the easiest to fit, the easiest to clean and maintain, and can also be removed relatively easily if the circumstances demand it.
Another possible alternative to inside storm windows is outside or exterior storm windows. These are far less common, as they are more expensive and harder to fit, but they can be the right option in some cases. If your windows are set well in to the wall, so that there is no obvious fitting place on the inside, exterior windows can be easier to fit. They can also do the job of insulation far more effectively as the are able to trap a large pocket of air. The other main reason for using these windows is that they protect the main windows from weather damage.
Another potential advantage of indoor storm windows is their capacity for soundproofing the room from outside noises. To do this effectively, they will need to be made from a more robust material and be better constructed than many of the lightweight windows which are commonly seen. If traffic noise, or noise from a nearby building, is a problem for you, it can certainly be worth making the extra investment in a more solid construction. A good quality storm window can last for half a century, and still be performing as well at the end as it was at the start.
The actual fitting process for inside storm windows is nowhere near as complicated as that for the main windows, and if the materials have been measured properly it should be easy. Anyone who is reasonably adept at carrying out home improvement work should be able to do the job themselves and save even further money. If your time is more valuable, you can always use the services of a professional window installer, and they should make light of the work as long as there are no unusual shapes or designs. You should then be able to easily maintain your inside storm windows.


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Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Answer User Questions about LasVegasWeddings and other Las Vegas Weddings topics.
Thanks to the wonders of Las Vegas, anything is possible when getting married. From Star Trek themed weddings to drive through weddings using a 50s or 60s car, you can find a place that offers almost anything you may consider to be your dream wedding. And yes, Elvis impersonators are everywhere!
|Guru Spotlight
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" ... clashes were ongoing in the villages of Sifat and Dowir al-Zeitoun, around eight kilometres (5 miles) north of Aleppo.
Civilian Abdullah Qatmawi, 30, said he was unable to drive directly to Aleppo because of the blocked road. "When we arrived to the northern countryside (of Aleppo) we felt there was a problem on the road and when we arrived to Handarat there was fighting," he said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence in the country, said the army was not yet in control of the main road but that clashes centred around Handarat, a northern Aleppo district, had blocked the route.
"If the army can take and hold Handarat, then Aleppo will be under siege," Observatory head Rami Abdulrahman said by telephone." Reuters
We have all been focused on Kobane on the Turkish border far to the east of Aleppo but that is nothing like as important as this encirclement and coming siege of Aleppo. As is often said, Aleppo is the second largest city of Syria. The central parts of the town have been in rebel hands for two years and a kind of pseudo-normality had returned. There is actually a theatrical production underway in the rebel held area.
If the Syrian Army succeeds in surrounding the city, then as RE Lee said of his ill prospects after the lines firmed up at Petersburg, "it is only a matter of time."
The war against IS will go on for a long time but the loss of Aleppo would be a severe blow to the rest of the rebels. A lot of non IS jihadis are now deserting to join IS. This would accelerate the process.
In the meantime the Turks continue their passive-aggressive behavior and IS prepares for something big in Anbar. A great mystery (to me) is the ineffectiveness at Kobane of US air. IS artillery is sitting out in the open there. pl


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[2018] Full List Of Best Android Oreo ROMs For Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge | Android 8.0/8.1 ROMs: Samsung S6 Edge was one of the first Galaxy devices to have an Edge display. The device was launched alongside with Samsung Galaxy S6 which has similar specs and features. Both Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have been receiving some great ROMs since its release. Here we are sharing some of the Best Android Oreo ROMs For Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge | Android 8.0/8.1 ROMs
There are tons of things which users can do after rooting their device like flashing Android Oreo ROMs, kernels and Mods. Most of the Android Oreo ROMs are feature rich. They provide loads of Android Oreoisation options compared to the Stock ROM. Some of the Android Oreo ROMs are well optimised for battery and performance. So, users are always in search of good Android Oreo ROMs for their Android smartphones.
Xiaomi alongside with Huawei and Lenovo has been dominating the Asian mobile market. But Big brands like Samsung and LG are also doing an excellent job in the Global markets. Samsung has a big loyal fanbase. Because of that there are tons of development happen around Samsung Devices. There are already some Android Oreo ROMs available for Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. We will be sharing the list below. Remember, this post will be updated regularly with new Android Oreo ROMs being added.
About Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was announced back in March 2015 along with Samsung Galaxy S6. The phone features a large 5.10-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1440 pixels by 2560 pixels. It also has an Edge display which makes it unique. The device is powered by an Exynos 1.5GHz octa-core processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (Non-expandable).
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge sports a 16-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and houses a 25 non-removable battery.
What is Android Oreo ROMs On Android?
Android Oreo ROMs are based on Official Android source codes which are Android Oreoized or developed by developers or a community of developers. Android Oreo ROMs come with loads of extra Android Optimization which makes them unique and popular among the android lovers. Remember, Android Oreo ROMs are not provided by HTC or other mobile vendors but are developed and maintained by the community and its contributors.
Some example: Lineage OS (Previously known as CyanogenMod), Paranoid Android etc.
Benefits Of Android Oreo ROMs
1) Vanilla Android (Pixel Style)
Most Of the AOSP Based Android Oreo ROMs are bloatware free and have very close to the stock look and feel which makes them super snappy. These ROMs are very optimized for battery and performance.
2) Root Access
Most of the Android Oreo ROMs are pre-rooted. The process of gaining full admin control of the Android device is called Rooting On Android. It's similar to running programs as administrators in Windows.
After rooting your device you can install different MODs, kernel, ROMs on your device. You can install latest Android updates (like the Android 8.0 Oreo) On old device by installing third-party ROMs like Lineage Os 14.1 or 15. You can overclock the CPU and GPU of your device to get the best performance. You can hibernate any app you want. You can underclock the CPU to get better battery life.
For more information about Android rooting, check out our detailed post here > What Is Rooting Android Phone? Advantages And Disadvantages
3) Regular Updates
Most of the Android smartphone manufacturer provides 2-year software support and after that, the devices won't get any official update. In that case, users have to fully depend on Android Oreo ROMs to test the latest Android on their devices.
Most of the developers of the Android Oreo ROMs provide a 4)regular update which is one of the best things about Android Oreo ROMs.
4) Android Customization
Android is famous for Android Customization and Android Oreo ROMs take this to another level. Unlike Stock vanilla android Android Oreo ROMs come with various Android Customization options. We are sharing few of them below
- Users can enable or disable navigation bar
- Users can Android Oreoize navigation bar and Status bar icons
- Some Android Oreo ROMs come with different MODs
- Some Android Oreo ROMs come with Android Oreo Kernels which allow users to Overclock or underclock the CPU and GPU.
- Some Android Oreo ROMs come with support for Third party themes
5) Battery and Performance
Most Of the Android Oreo ROMs are very close to stock vanilla android in look. The Android Oreo ROMs are very optimized which results in better battery life and smooth performance.
1) Make sure the bootloader on your device is unlocked and your device is rooted and you have a Android Oreo recovery installed.
If your bootloader is locked then check out the guide here > How To Unlock Bootloader Of Any Android Using Fastboot. Some devices like and Huawei phones need a unlock code.
- Download Moto AIO Tool: Flash Stock ROM, TWRP, Unlock/Relock Bootloader and Root Motorola Devices
- Download Mi Flash Unlock Tool: Unlock Bootloader Of Devices
- How To Unlock Bootloader On HTC Devices
2) Make sure your device has more than 50% battery.
3) Make sure your device is rooted and have a Android Oreo recovery like TWRP Installed.
- How To Download Latest TWRP Recovery On Any Android
- How To Flash SuperSU using TWRP Recovery & Root Any Android device
RootMyGalaxy.net is not responsible for any hardware/software issues that occur on your device(s) by following this guide. We are certain that the following guide is carefully written, avoiding any mistakes on our side. If you are unsure of the causalities that may occur if the procedure goes wrong, then please don't proceed.
List of Best Android Oreo ROMs For Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Android 8.1 Oreo ROMs
| For Nougat ROMs List: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Best Android Nougat ROMs Collection (Updated daily)
writing is going on…
How To Install Android Oreo ROMs On Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
- Make sure your device is rooted and have a custom Recovery installed.
- First, download the desire Android Oreo ROM from above and save it in your device's sd card
- Now download the GApps file from the link given below and save it in your device's sd card
- For Android Oreo ROMs: Download Latest Gapps For Android Oreo | Android 8.0 GApps
- Now select install and then browse for the downloaded ROM file and then select it.Next flash the Gapps file and then Magisk (optional).
[su_button url="https://rootmygalaxy.net/install-a-Android Oreo-rom-via-recovery-on-any-android/" target="blank" style="flat" background="#322651″ color="#ffffff" size="6″ wide="yes" center="yes" radius="5″ icon="icon: external-link" icon_color="#2fec42″ text_shadow="0px 0px 0px #010c16″]How To Install A Android Oreo ROM Via Recovery On Any Android[/su_button]
[su_button url="https://rootmygalaxy.net/flash-gapps-using-twrp-recovery/" target="blank" style="flat" background="#322651″ color="#ffffff" size="6″ wide="yes" center="yes" radius="5″ icon="icon: external-link" icon_color="#2fec42″ text_shadow="0px 0px 0px #010c16″]How To Flash GApps (Zip) via TWRP Recovery[/su_button]
[su_button url="https://rootmygalaxy.net/download-latest-magisk-v13-5/" target="blank" style="flat" background="#322651″ color="#ffffff" size="6″ wide="yes" center="yes" radius="5″ icon="icon: external-link" icon_color="#2fec42″ text_shadow="0px 0px 0px #010c16″]How To Install Magisk On Android Oreo To Gain Root[/su_button]
- Once the flashing process is completed, reboot your phone and you will be booted into the ROM.


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Information, deadlines and resource documents for U.S. trade and tariff actions and the responses by the rest of the world.
Internationally recognized trade compliance training.
Subscribe to daily updates
by Lenny Feldman
Despite protests by affected companies and sporadic intergovernmental negotiations, U.S. importers, exporters, and manufacturers continue to be burdened by the additional tariffs the Trump administration imposed earlier this year on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of imported goods. However, there are a number of proven and legitimate ways to avoid or reduce these duties that have been used for many years with great success. ST&R has updated the following article since its original publication in July to highlight even more duty-busting strategies companies can use in structuring their own trade deals.
(Click here for ST&R's on-demand webinar offering a more in-depth discussion of these issues. Click here for ST&R's web page providing detailed information on the U.S. and retaliatory tariffs.)
Exclusion Requests. Both the Department of Commerce (for the Section 232 aluminum and steel tariffs) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (for the Section 301 tariffs on goods from China) have set forth processes to request that specific products be excluded from the tariffs. These processes offer companies or trade associations an opportunity to explain how and why such imported goods are critical to the U.S. economy and could not be sourced elsewhere. As the DOC has been slow to respond to the thousands of submitted requests and has outright rejected any claims that do not adhere to the specific criteria, we remain cautiously optimistic about the speed and manner with which USTR will review the China-related exclusion requests. Nevertheless, as this process may allow for an outright exclusion from the duties on a per product and per company basis, it is worth serious consideration.
Tariff Engineering. As much as U.S. Customs and Border Protection has resisted it in the past, the courts have affirmed for years that CBP can only levy tariffs on the condition of goods as imported. This has led importers in a variety of industries where high duties prevail to import products in unfinished or embellished forms to legally take advantage of classification provisions carrying a lower or free rate of duty. For instance, turbine generators are typically imported into the U.S. as large unassembled structures consisting of the turbine and generating components and as such will now likely fall prey to an additional 25 percent tariff. However, if the components are imported separately they would fall into an entirely different tariff provision that is currently excluded from that tariff increase.
[Learn more in our related webinar: Reducing and Eliminating 232, 301 and Other Duties Through Tariff Engineering]
Operational Engineering. If you cannot modify the tariff provision for the imported product, consider changing its country of origin. For instance, CBP has found that the assembly of numerous parts to create various modules, and the assembly of these modules to produce aircraft engines, result in a substantial transformation of the parts so that their country of origin would be the country where the engine was produced. So, in the case of the China tariffs, and in some cases the aluminum and steel tariffs, shifting operations away from one country to another may enable your company to escape the duty increase. These concepts are particularly useful for certain U.S. or other products that fall within the special HTSUS Chapter 98 provisions, many of which are wholly or partially exempt from the additional tariffs.
[Learn more in our related webinar: Eliminating Section 301 and Other Duties Through Country of Origin Changes]
Valuation. A strategy that has proven useful to the apparel and footwear industries, which have been subject to high duties for years, involves first sale valuation. Here importers only pay duty on the price that a trading company pays the manufacturer instead of the higher price the importer pays the trading company. While the additional tariffs would still apply in this scenario the dutiable value is significantly lower, resulting in a lower duty bill.
Various criteria must be met to ensure the first sale price reflects a sale that is clearly destined to the U.S. and conducted at arm's length; however, once validated, a viable first sale value can provide substantial duty savings. It can also serve as a type of long-term annuity; i.e., even once the additional tariffs expire, use of first sale valuation would continue to provide a lower declared value and thus reduce the regular duties assessed on a company's products.
[Learn more in our related webinar: Mitigating Section 301 Duties with First Sale Customs Valuation]
Bonded Facilities. For those companies involved in manufacturing as well as import for export trade, bonded facilities can provide a safe haven from the additional tariffs. Goods admitted to a foreign-trade zone in privileged foreign status will retain their character and tariff classification as admitted even if they are manufactured into a product affected by the additional tariffs that may be withdrawn from the zone and entered for U.S. consumption. In addition, goods otherwise subject to the additional tariffs could be entered and stored in a bonded warehouse for up to five years to avoid those duties if they are (a) exported directly from the warehouse or (b) entered for U.S. consumption once the additional tariffs have lapsed or a product-specific exclusion has been granted.
[Learn more in our related webinar: Using FTZs and Bonded Warehouses to Mitigate Section 232/301 Tariffs]
Duty Drawback. Drawback, which provides for the refund of 99 percent of duties and fees paid on goods imported into the U.S. that are subsequently exported, is available for section 301 duties. Although CBP is not paying drawback for section 232 duties, it is unclear that the president had the authority to eliminate drawback under his import authority. Now, the stakes are even higher as CBP transitions from its core drawback regulatory process to the broader one provided for under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act.
[Learn more in our related webinar: Using Drawback to Recover Section 232 and 301 Duties]
Section 321 De Minimis. CBP laws and regulations provide for a duty exemption for goods manifested at less than $800 fair retail value in the country of shipment if imported by one person on one day. Although it appears this option is not available for section 232, CBP has confirmed that it applies to section 301 duties. In assessing this opportunity, parties should carefully consider the accuracy of the information provided for de minimis shipments to avoid cargo holds and possible seizures due to partner government agency or intellectual property compliance issues.
When assessing particular duty savings models, importers, exporters, and manufacturers need to consider the art of crafting their own trade deals to effectively escape or limit the impact of the section 232 and 301 tariffs. A bit of flexibility and ingenuity can have a profound impact on a company's bottom line when facing substantial duty exposure.
Contact Lenny Feldman to learn more about the best mitigation strategies for your company.
Copyright © 2022 Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.; WorldTrade Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Kim Kardashian robbery finally has its first busts.
French police arrested 17 people Monday in connection with the violent jewel heist in October of the reality star — a high-profile crime that has remained a mystery.
Paris police announced the arrests of suspects ranging in age from 23 to 72, all of whom were known for prior robberies and crimes. During the morning raids, authorities uncovered a stash of firearms, plus about 140,000 euros ($147,500) in cash.
Police released no details about the people in custody and announced no charges. Kardashian will be expected to identify suspects through a video feed in New York City.
Kardashian's French lawyer Jean Veil told the magazine L'Express the arrests were "a nice surprise" that might lead to some answers.
This is the first breakthrough in the heist since five masked and armed robbers escaped Kardashian's Paris abode Oct. 3 on bicycles — and with more than $10 million in snatched jewelry.
The 36-year-old mother of two said the thieves had her bound, gagged and held at gunpoint after storming into her semi-secret hotel room during Paris Fashion Week.
Kardashian and her husband, rapper Kanye West, have kept quiet about the incident since her return to America, even as speculation ran rampant about the robbery's unsolved details.
But Kardashian opened up about her trauma in a clip from the upcoming season of "Keeping up with the Kardashians," and said she feared for her life as the bandits raided her room.
"They're going to shoot me in the back," she recalled through tears in the clip, released last week.
"There's no way out….It makes me so upset to think about it."
She escaped unharmed.
The robbery was one of two high-profile troubles to plague the Kardashian family in 2016.


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