text:
When In Hanoi, Take a Trip to Breathtaking Trang An
Breathtaking views await.
6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India's Golden Ring You Can Visit in Under a Week
The ring of fire holds a lot of beautiful sites to see!
Visit These UNESCO-Listed Sites in South Korea
Visit these fascinating sites in South Korea to better understand the country's culture and history.
Things to Do and Places to Visit in Vladimir, Russia
The glory days of Russia's former capital may be long gone, but it's still rich in culture and history.
For UNESCO Addicts, Here are Heritage Sites to Visit in Vietnam
With the UNESCO stamp of approval, these places in Vietnam are guaranteed to take your breath away.
Breathtaking Photos of 8 Siem Reap Temples
Tony Nievera
[row] [whole buffer=0][hide_this_text type="subheading"]Photos of 8 temples in Siem Reap (Angkor Wat and others)[/hide_this_text][dropcap letter="I"] have always wanted to visit the temple of Angkor Wat. Little did I know that aside from Angkor Wat, there are more than 24 other temples


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[Bookplate for Dunbar Browne]
A floral, somewhat art nouveau style border surrounding the text.
[Bookplate for James Stevenson by H. Wilson]
A Latin phrase is written on a banner at the top of the plate. Beneath it is a hand ascending from a heraldic silk wreath, holding a crown of leaves. While illustrated in a pictorial style, the image is reminiscent of the heraldic image of a dexter hand couped at the wrist, holding a crown of laurel or bay leaves.
[Bookplate by University of British Columbia]
A plain bookplate framed by two black fillets in a double rectangular frame. There are three seashells on the left and right side of the frame and six seashells on the top and bottom of the frame.
[Bookplate for Alfred P. S. Dubord]
A simple border surrounds the text. In the year "1856" the six is clearly written in black ink. A dashed line separates the first two lines of text from the last line of text.
[Bookplate for Sir Charles Cockerell]
Armorial bookplate. The shield is divided in half to show the arms of both the husband and wife. The left shield, representing the husband, is divided into six sections two of which portray roosters, between which is a face surrounded by leaves. Above the top rooster is a crescent signifying the second son. The middle section is argent (silver or white) with two chevrons. The top chevron is adorned with three flowers and at the top and bottom of the chevron are three eagle heads ; the bottom chevron is adorned with three roundlets and above and below the chevron are three flowers or leaves. Between the chevrons and at the centre of the six sections is a small shield with a left hand facing palm-out. The top right corner shows two lion heads and a bend adorned with three fleur-de-lis. On the bottom left corner is a lion. The second shield shows two lions passant guardant on a black background with an or border. Above the shield is a wreathed helm facing forward with a raised visor therein signifying barony or knighthood. Above the helm is a crescent and crowned tiger head. On both sides of the shield are angelic supporters each carrying a flag staff (adorned with the sun and crescent moon) as well as palm/laurel fronds (on which birds are perched). The figures are adorned in robes decorated with fleur-de-lis and their chests are imprinted with crosses.
[Bookplate for Alton Goldbloom]
Black and gold ink on cream paper. Art deco stylized capitalized font printed a top an image of a baby emerging from the torso up out of a gold, three-petal flower. Black stripes of alternating thick and thin width appear behind the baby. The vertical stem of the flower has a gold centre and two leaves, one on each side of the stem, that are half black and half gold. The stem expands in width at the base and capitalized font is written in the non-printed space at the black base. Black ink capitalized font is written below.
[Bookplate for Ecole Modele Jacques-Cartier by John Henry Walker]
Black ink on cream paper. An insignia tops the bookplate, featuring a radiant cross and open book above a beaver and surrounded by maple leaves. Included is a banner with a motto. Below, the name of the school and a pre-formatted prize text is printed in two fonts. The class, date, name of the recipient and signature of the principal are handwritten in black ink. An ornate scrolled border surrounds the text and insignia. The printer is listed at the bottom.
[Bookplate for Alfred C. Harmsworth]
Black ink on cream paper. Crest features a crest-wreath with a knight's right arm extended and bent at the elbow. The arm is armoured with a point at the elbow and circular decorations on the rest of the arm. The hand clutches a sword that has gone through a small lion's head from the chin through to the crown. The lion has whiskers, but no mane. Below the crest, the bookplate owner's name is written in black, sentence case, gothic font.
[Bookplate for Howard]
Black ink on cream paper. Crest features a lion statant guardant standing on a circular platform wrapped in a pointed ribbon decorated with four diamonds. Shield features sable and argent stripes. There is an argent bend featuring a decorative smaller shield that has several geometric borders with a demi-lion rampant in the center. The shield is charged with six crosses, three on each side of the bend. The crosses peter to a thin point at the bottom and the other parts of the cross divide into miniature cross shapes. The shield has dexter and sinister supporters, both lions rampant. The bases of the lions' neck are decorated with a star. The lions are standing on a curling ribbon that features the motto, printed in capitalized sans serif font. Below the motto is the name of the bookplate owner printed in stylized gothic sentence-case font. Four squiggly arrows point towards the text from each side.
[Bookplate for W. Carleill-Hall]
Black ink on cream paper. Crest features a person's head in profile facing the left. The person is wearing chain mail, but no helmet and is atop a crest-wreath. Below the crest-wreath is another crest with a gentlemen and esquire helm and elaborate black and white curling mantling extending out horizontally, as well as down the sides of the shield. The shield is divided per pale. The dexter side is argent with a sable chevron. It is charged with three black birds trussed, two over one. The chevron is charged with three white flowers with six petals and line decorations in the middle. The sinister side is sable and charged with three white demi-lions. At the base of the shield is a ribbon with a flat central base and ends that extend up like a V to the left and right. On that central base is printed, black, capitalized, sans serif text. Below the ribbon, the bookplate owner's name is printed in black, sentence case, cursive text.
[Bookplate for Gamble Geddes]
Black ink on cream paper. Crest features half a fish hauriant showing a fin, gills, and a head with teeth atop a crest-wreath. Sable shield charged with three of the aforementioned fish heads two over one and an argent insecutcheon. There is a ribbon-like banner with the motto below the shield with curling ends. Each side of the ribbon is angled towards a downward point. On the left side is text in capitalized black serif-font. The right side of the ribbon overlaps the left and has text in the same font. Below the motto, the owner's name is written in curling sentence-case font.
[Bookplate for D. Girouard]
Black ink on cream paper. Crest features right arm bent at elbow holding the top half of a spear on crest-wreath. Shield has sable and argent stripes, charged with three two-pointed flags two speckled sable on argent flags over one argent flag facing left. The top two flags are speckled, sable on argent, and the bottom flag is argent. Below the shield, the motto is printed in capital letters on ribbon with curling ends. Name typewritten in cursive sentence font.
[Bookplate for Glazebrook]
Black ink on cream paper. Design has some heraldic features. At the top of the bookplate is a banner featuring black, serif, capitalized font. The banner sits atop a stylized castle with multiple towers and a circular wall. Behind the castle to the left and right extend wing-like features. In front of the castle is a shield argent with sable dots charged with a sable lion passant. Shield has a sable chief charged with three argent fleurs-des-lis. Armorial helm with mantling is topped with a sable demi-lion rampant wearing a crown atop a crest-wreath. The bottom of the bookplate features a rectangle designed to look like stylized wooden panels. It features large, capitalized, bold black serif font. The words are separated with floral decorations, each of a varying design. The first flower is found with six more pointed petals, a black centre, and two leaves. The second flower is smaller and rounder, but of similar design to the previous one also with two leaves. The last floral decoration looks like a maple leaf with a simple stem.
[Bookplate for Coburn Haskell by E. Cox & Co]
Black ink on cream paper. The coat of arms features a shield of vair represented in six rows of black and silver. The depiction includes mantling. A helmet tops the shield and at the crest is a fruit tree. Below is a scroll with motto. The publisher information is inscribed under the shield.
[Bookplate for Jenkins]
Black ink on cream paper. The crest features a furry lion passant reguardant standing atop a castle tower. The castle tower is above a crest-wreath. Elaborate, curling, feathery black and white mantling extends from the top of the shield and expands out along the sides. The shield is divided per pale. The left section has a white background with black dots and is charged with a black lion rampant reguardant. The right section of the shield is charged with a bird perched on a tree branch growing out of the ground. There is no background except for the branch and ground that is lighter on top and darker at the bottom. The motto is printed on a curling ribbon below the shield. There is shading on the ends of the ribbon. The motto is printed in capitalized, black, serif font. The bookplate owner's name is printed in a more stylized, paler, capitalized, black serif font underneath the motto.
[Bookplate for Hill's Lending Library]
Black ink on yellow pink paper with clipped corners. Capitalized serif-font followed with by a line of stylized bold block lettering with decorative serifs. Next line contains smaller bold serif font in sentence case. Text is then separated by a thin, centered line. Subsequent text written in capitalized, bold, sans-serif font. Below that is smaller, capitalized serif font that is then written in sentence case in the second half of the line. The next four lines use quotation marks to indicate repeat content with some sentence case serif font additions. There is then a line with some capitalized and some sentence case serif font, followed by the same four line pattern of quotation marks and sentence case font. Below that is a line of sentence case serif font. The next line uses capital letters for emphasis followed by sentence case serif font. There is a line of capitalized serif font followed by larger, sentence case bold serif font. The text is separated by a thin centered line. Below the line are capital letters in serif font followed by larger capitalization font in bold, then smaller non-bold capitalized text, then larger bold capitalized text. A shorter thin line separates the text. Below the line are four lines of sentence case serif font. Next is a line in capitalized serif font followed by a smaller, bold line of capitalized serif font. The last line is written in smaller, sentence case, serif font.
[Bookplate for William Hall Walker by F.]
Dense with imagery, this bookplate consists of a central framed coat of arms, surrounded by many symbols and figures, including a rose, a portcullis, a bird, a small argent escutcheon charged with a lion rampant, a thistle, military insignia, mounted hunting spoils, an anchor, rifles, swords, polo mallets, horseracing emblems, horse carriage hook-up, foliage, tree branches, and knights on horseback. The knight on the left sits upon an armored sable horse, holds a lance in his right arm, and wears a cornucopia crested helmet. The knight on the right sits upon a unarmored white horse and holds a white flag in his right hand, on which is the image of a tree and fox on a circular white and azure (blue) background. The coat of arms, presented within a border of grape vines and under the motto 'By Care and Industry', consists of a white horse and stag as supporters, with juxtaposed garbe, proper. The escutcheon, argent, contains both a chief and saltier. The chief is argent (silver), with two argent mullets of six points and garbe, proper. The saltier, argent, is charged with eight seedlings eradicated and a stag's head, erased, at its centre. Atop the shield is a baron's coronet and helmet, grated and in profile, crested by a wreath and cornucopia.
[Bookplate for Archer Martin]
Heraldic bookplate created with black ink on white paper. Within two circles is a Norman pointed azure shield with a white cross of Calvary rising from the precise middle base to the precise middle chief. A sun in its splendour is in the dexter chief and a decressant (half) moon is in the sinister chief. Below the shield is a banner reading "sic itur ad astra" [Thus going/departing to glory/immortality]. A closed helmet (usually indicative of an esquire or gentleman) facing sinister is crowned with a wreathe and leaves. At the top of the circles is a star with six points and at the bottom of the circles is a flower.
[Bookplate for William Martin]
In black ink on cream paper, a double border surrounding a coat of arms. The coat of arms is Argent two bars Gules six bezants 3 and 3, with ornate mantling especially to the upper right and left of the shield, surrounding the crest of an eagle displayed over a wreath. Below the coat of arms is a draped manner with the Latin motto and below that is the name in a Gothic script.
[Bookplate for C. J. S. Bacon]
In black ink on white or cream paper, the bookplate consists of a decorative border surrounding black text.
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Reports are that the Honey Boo Boo matriarch Mama June has lost 351 pounds and is down to a size four. In fact, there's a new TV show coming from WEtv called "Mama June: From Not to Hot."
The show highlights Mama June's journey through surgery, dieting and life change.
Here's the trailer.


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On June 25, 2014, a 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court held that Aereo's service that allows customers to view over-the-air TV broadcasts via the internet violated the public performance right under the Copyright Act. Applying what the dissent characterized as "an improvised standard ('looks-like-cable-TV')," the majority held that Aereo infringed copyrights owned by television networks. The Court was extraordinarily careful in attempting to restrain the reach of its holding, leaving many issues as to different technologies unanswered. But however those questions are resolved, the Supreme Court's decision appears likely to doom the "view" functionality of Aereo's internet/mobile device transmission service. American Broadcasting Companies v. Aereo, Inc. (U.S., No. 13-461, June 25, 2014).
The bottom line: Notwithstanding Aereo's deployment of a complex transmission system carefully designed to avoid copyright infringement, the High Court found Aereo liable for direct infringement on the ground that it was Aereo, not merely its users, that had "performed" the copyrighted works, and that Aereo's performances were "public." That conclusion was substantially driven by the Court's sense that Aereo's viewing service was functionally equivalent to cable TV and therefore that a contrary result would be inconsistent with Congress's intent, when it amended the Copyright Act in 1976, to apply copyright restrictions to cable.
Although the outcome may be a huge defeat for defendant Aereo, its ultimate implications for other internet-based services will be much debated. On the one hand, the majority sought to downplay fears that its "limited holding" would discourage the emergence or use of new technologies such as cloud computing, expressly disclaiming any conclusion as to remote DVR or cloud storage services. On the other hand, the dissent argued that the Court's analysis would sow confusion and generate uncertainty regarding the application of the well-established "volitional act" standard and the distinction between direct and secondary liability for copyright infringement. Stay tuned for a more detailed Fenwick & West program that addresses these issues after the dust settles, in July 2014.
Factual Background
The plaintiffs included television networks that broadcast copyrighted programs over the public airwaves for all to see. Defendant Aereo set up an automated system that allowed its subscribers to receive, on internet-connected devices, such programming when they selected it.
After a subscriber chose a television program at Aereo's website, that user would automatically be assigned to one of the thousands of dime-sized antennas that Aereo maintained, and that antenna would be tuned to the selected over-the-air broadcast. The programming would be transcoded into data suitable for internet transmission and then briefly stored in a subscriber-specific folder on one of Aereo's hard drives. After several seconds of programming had been recorded, it would be streamed to the subscriber's computer or device. Importantly, although multiple subscribers might view the same program, each subscriber would have his or her own unique (temporary) copy, received via a transmission from the antenna uniquely assigned to him or her.
The networks sued, alleging inter alia that Aereo directly infringed the copyright holders' exclusive right under 17 U.S.C. § 106(4) to publicly perform their works. As the Court noted, "the [Copyright] Act's Transmit Clause defines that exclusive right as including the right to
The Court's Analysis
Justice Breyer wrote the Court's opinion, joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan. Scalia filed a dissent in which Thomas and Alito joined.
Breyer considered two issues. First, did Aereo "perform" the works? Second, did it perform them publicly?
Although the Court did engage in an analysis of the text of the statute, it basically resolved these issues via judicial-cum-legislative history. The Court had previously considered a similar issue in connection with community antenna television systems (CATV). In the earlier cases, the court had ruled in favor of the defendant antenna services, holding that the CATV operators had not engaged in "performances" of the copyrighted broadcast works. Fortnightly Corp. v. United Artists Television, Inc., 392 U.S. 390 (1968); Teleprompter Corp. v. Columbia Broadcasting System, 415 U.S. 394 (1974). Those rulings were overturned by Congress when it amended the Copyright Act in 1976, clarifying what it meant to "perform" a work, and enacting the Transmission Clause.
These amendments made clear that anyone who causes an audiovisual work to be played (made visible and audible) has "performed" the work. Hence, if you, the consumer, put a DVD of a rock concert in your DVD player and press Play, you will have "performed" the songs under copyright law. But that doesn't necessarily mean you would be an infringer: if you "perform" them in this way at home, by yourself or among family and friends, it would not be a public performance.
In this case, the Court held first that Aereo performed the works. Although the Aereo technology was new, for performance and Transmission Clause purposes there was no material difference between Aereo's activity and what Congress had intended to bar when it overturned Fortnightly and Teleprompter. In light of the "overwhelming likeness to the cable companies targeted by the 1976 Amendments," the difference which the dissent focused on – that the CATV system sent programming continuously to each subscriber, whereas the Aereo system responds to subscriber requests – "does not make a critical difference here." This is particularly true, the Court stated, because the technical difference "means nothing to the subscriber" nor to broadcasters.
In considering whether the performance was "public," the Court accepted arguendo Aereo's position that the performances at issue consisted of the multiple performances that occurred when the copyrighted programs were retransmitted to multiple subscribers through the Aereo system, after being separately received on multiple unique antennas and stored separately for each viewing subscriber. By Aereo's logic, since each subscriber's transmission was a distinct performance, then none should be deemed public because each such performance went to only one subscriber, not to the public.
The Court rejected this argument on two grounds. First, again, similarity to CATV providers: This consideration did "not render Aereo's commercial objective any different from that of cable companies. Nor do they significantly alter the viewing experience of Aereo's subscribers," who did not care whether their program came from one big antenna or myriad small dedicated antennas. Moreover, the text of the Transmission Clause supports the conclusion that Aereo's performances are public because that clause expressly anticipates that a public performance can be received by members of the public "at different times." The multiplicity of viewers of the different streams of the same underlying performance of the work therefore made the performance a public one.
The Dissent
Justice Scalia's dissent argued that the majority ignored what the minority consider "a simple but profoundly important rule: A defendant may be held directly liable only if it has engaged in volitional conduct that violates the Act." (Emphasis added.) Under the volition rule, service providers have commonly been held not directly liable for copyright infringement for hosting an automated, user-controlled system that end-users may use to infringe or may use for non-infringing purposes, though secondary liability might still attach. See, e.g., CoStar Group v. LoopNet, 373 F.3d 544 (4th Cir. 2004).
In other words, under the "volition" line of cases, the subscriber or consumer who used a technology to engage in a volitional act of selecting and triggering a performance or some prima facie act of copyright infringement might be directly liable. But direct liability would not apply to the company that provided the automated technology; to hold the technology provider liable, a plaintiff would have to prove secondary liability.
Curiously, although the majority responded to part of the dissent's argument, it did not directly or expressly address the volition issue, neglecting even to utter the term "volition." The majority opinion found Aereo directly liable without discussing whether Aereo (as opposed to its users) had engaged in any volitional act in regard to any particular performance. The Court did not explain whether the Copyright Act would or would not require a volitional act for a service that did not so closely resemble cable TV.
The majority's failure to engage with this rule, Scalia argued, throws into doubt and confusion the line between direct and secondary liability. It leaves uncertainly about the scope of the ruling because the Copyright Act doesn't say that "operations similar to cable TV are subject to copyright liability," and it is not clear just how much similarity to cable TV may cause the Aereo holding or its similar-to-cable standard to apply.
One way to understand the majority's approach might be that they did not want to disturb the volitional standard as a general matter, but felt that Congress's intent to preclude activities like Aereo's should prevail irrespective of the volition issue in this case. This turns Aereo into a sui generis decision, which is almost what the majority says it is, but one in conflict with the generally applied volition principles.
What Does the Aereo Decision Not Do?
The majority, in attempting to calm concerns that its decision will discourage new technologies, states:
The Court adds further comments emphasizing its limited approach.
- An entity "only transmits a performance when it communicates contemporaneously perceptible images and sounds of a work" (emphasis added), as opposed, for example, to distribution of DVDs which the recipients might perform.
- The Court notes that its ruling on the scope of "the public" does not include those who act as owners or lawful possessors of a product. And, moreover, the decision does not consider "whether the public performance right is infringed when the user of a service pays primarily for something other than the transmission of copyrighted works, such as remote storage of content."
- The Court states: "We agree with the Solicitor General that '[q]uestions involving cloud computing, [remote storage] DVRs, and other novel issues not before the Court, as to which "Congress has not plainly marked [the] course," should await a case in which they are squarely presented.'"
- And the dissent notes that even for Aereo itself, it may be unclear whether the Supreme Court's "looks-like-cable" analysis should apply to Aereo's time shifting service – which functions more like a remote DVR than like a contemporaneous retransmission by cable TV.
In light of these comments, any analysis of the broader impact of Aereo requires the caveat that these disclaimers by the Supreme Court will neither preclude the application of Aereo in other contexts, nor predict how the decision may be applied by other courts in the future. That is a subject that deserves more than an instantaneous reaction – and one which we will take up at the live CLE program Fenwick & West will provide on this topic during July 2014. Stay tuned.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.


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Buying a home with a view can be an exciting prospect, but it's important to consider the pros and cons before making a decision. Here are some key factors to keep in mind:
1. Aesthetic appeal - Having a beautiful view can enhance your enjoyment of your home and make it more attractive to potential buyers if you decide to sell in the future.
2. Natural light - A home with a view often means more natural light, which can improve your mood and overall wellbeing.
3. Privacy - Depending on the location and orientation of your home, a view can provide added privacy by limiting the visibility of neighboring properties.
1. Cost - Homes with a view often come with a higher price tag, so it's important to ensure that the view is worth the extra expense.
2. Weather - Depending on the location, a home with a view may be more exposed to the elements, such as wind, rain, or harsh sunlight, which can affect both the exterior and interior of the home.
3. Maintenance - A home with a view may require additional maintenance, such as tree trimming or cleaning of windows and outdoor areas, to preserve the view and prevent obstruction.
Ultimately, the decision to buy a home with a view will depend on your personal preferences and budget. Consider the pros and cons carefully before making a decision, and be sure to work with a reputable real estate agent who can help you find the perfect home for your needs.


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During the tempestuous time of the rise of Protestantism following the Reformation, the Catholic Church needed advocates who would defend the faith against calumnies and distortions, while at the same time militating for needed reform. One of the most formidable Jesuit polemicists for Catholicism was Robert Bellarmine, whose Controversies profoundly influenced Church thinking for more than 200 years. Somehow the faith has managed to raise great apologists during times of crisis—St. Augustine during the fall of Rome, St. Thomas during the Aristotelian revival. Bellarmine helped rescue the faith during the Protestant siege of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, by meeting the theological challenge of the reformers and guiding Catholicism to a new vigor and confidence in the future.
In the twentieth century Catholicism faces, in North and South America, a renewed evangelical Protestantism generated by the erosion of morals and the promise of fundamentalist denominations to return to scriptural basics. Bellarmine's arguments, which have hibernated for some time now, thus arise with an urgency and clarity that contemporary Catholics would do well to understand. Here, after all, is a profound and thorough discussion of "Bible only" Christianity, of papal infallibility, of sacraments such as confession and the Eucharist, of the role of "works" in contributing to salvation. It makes lengthy and often technical reading, but the reader who makes the effort is amply compensated. He emerges with a fortified comprehension of Catholic doctrine.
Robert Bellarmine was born on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, October 4, 1542, in the little town of Montepulciano near Tuscany in Italy. His mother, Cynthia, attended a retreat patterned on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius; as a result, she was determined to send all of her five sons into the Society of Jesus. Robert attended the local grammar school where he studied Latin, ancient Greek, and Roman history, developing a particular affinity for Cicero and Virgil. At the age of 15, he attended the Jesuit academy in Montepulciano, where he developed a passion for Aristotle and reasoning grounded in a common sense understanding of nature.
In 1570, the year of his ordination, Bellarmine was named the first Jesuit professor at Louvain University in Belgium, an old center in the Catholic resistance against Protestantism. He would spend seven years there, cultivating habits of spiritual discipline, intellectual fairness and proficiency, that would propel him to the summit of Catholic apologetics.
Louvain taught Bellarmine that the Protestant challenge, though misguided, was serious and far-reaching; it would not do to dismiss or distort the arguments of Reformers, as many priests were prone to do. Bellarmine followed Thomas Aquinas's example by stating, as forcibly as possible, the claims of his adversaries, and then systematically answering them with copious references to Scripture, the patristic writings, and the documents of Church tradition. He was so fair to his opponents that some Catholics feared he was helping them out with arguments that hadn't occurred to them. The Hungarian prelate Stephen Arator complained, "Learned men out in central Europe consider that the Controversies have done more harm than good to the Church. Instead of depriving the heretics of their weapons, they do but supply them with new ones. Calvinists and Lutherans would never have the wit to think out so many and such excellent arguments for their sects as they may now find in Bellarmine. The result is that his volumes are being cited by Protestants more than Catholics."
This complaint was actually an unintended compliment. Bellarmine rebutted Arator with the same fairness and effectiveness that he demonstrated against the Protestants. Should Catholics argue like that Spanish friar Orantes, "whose work makes all educated Catholics in France and Germany weep, and all the heretics hilarious, because their author, after answering a few petty arguments of Calvin, pretends that the gentleman has nothing better to say for himself"? Should those erudite Catholic bishops who reprinted in their pamphlets both Luther's claims and their own rebuttals be censured for giving space to the enemy?
"If I had brought forward the arguments of Protestants and Catholics and let the two sets stand without further remark, there would be something to what my censor says," Bellarmine writes. "But since I have refuted the heretical and strengthened the Catholic position, what room is there for cavil? Had I not produced all the arguments I could discover on their side, the heretics would say that the ones I omitted were unanswerable." Finally Bellarmine points out that a number of cardinals and popes have specifically requested that he answer "all conceivable difficulties" raised by the reformers. The real vindication of Bellarmine comes from the effect he caused all his life among not just Protestants but also skeptics, who found their positions being deflated and undermined, and the renewed confidence and optimism generated among Catholics across the Continent for generations to come.
True Succession
Bellarmine always distinguished between small causes and large ones. Once he listened to finely woven conundrums and sighed, "Would it not be better to wait for the solution until we get to heaven?" On the other hand larger challenges could not wait. In 1559 Luther's most enthusiastic and competent disciple, Mathias Francowitz, published the first volume of his Centuries of Magdeburg under the alias Flaccius Illyricus. The study purported to prove that the Catholic Church was not legitimately descended from the Apostles, its family tree was faked, and Protestantism was, in fact, the true successor of early Christianity. Volume after volume of this study appeared between 1559 and 1574, greatly alarming Catholic scholars. Stanislaus Hosius, the papal legate, considered the Centuries to be "the most pernicious work ever written," and the pope urged Jesuit historians to refute the Centuriators.
Bellarmine was transferred to the chair of controversial theology at the Roman College (now called the Gregorian University), where he prepared to issue his grand answer. "Today, gentlemen, we approach those questions which are at issue between the Church of the living God and heir to rebellious and furtive sons…. Our concern will not be with little things that make no difference however they stand, nor with the subtleties of metaphysics which a man may ignore without being any worse for it, but with God, with Christ, with the Church, with the Sacraments, and with a multitude of other matters which pertain to the very foundations of our faith." At the relatively young age of 34, this man was mounting a counteroffensive that would shake the foundations of the anti-papist edifice.
The Controversies, which emerged out of lectures Bellarmine delivered at the Roman College, were published in three volumes at Inglostat from 1586 to 1593.
The preface to the Controversies outlines their sweeping format. Bellarmine notes that Lucifer, "the enemy of the human race and the father of confusion," has from the earliest times attempted to sow dissension and lies within the body of Christ's chosen people. "He started in the earliest ages with an assault on the Creed, having for his allies such heretics as the Manicheans and Gnostics." These people tried to "overthrow belief in God the Father." When that failed, in the third century the devil turned his attention to the second person of the Trinity, Christ. The Arian and Sabellian heretics challenged His divinity. "Next with Photius and his followers came the great attack on the Holy Ghost." Fortunately, the Catholic Church rebuked all these initiatives, so from the year A.D. 1000 the devil has concentrated on the ninth and tenth articles of the Creed: "I believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins." Berengarians, Waldensians, Albigensians, Wycliffites, Lutherans, Zwinglians, Calvinists, and Anabaptists all united against these articles.
Bellarmine proposes to explain how Christ is the "head and ruler" of his Church; how the pope is the "visible head" of that Church "laboring here on earth"; what instruments the earthly Church has devised to help its members reach salvation, among them the sacraments and relics; and, finally, the crucial question of how justification by grace is compatible with free will. All of these questions were contested by Protestants with vehemence.
Bellarmine does not confine his criticism to the Centuries of Magdeburg; he deals with a wide spectrum of complaints and commentaries. He finds, for instance, in the Lutheran Book of Concord "six grave blunders and 67 lies," which are all documented. Even silly accusations, such as one claiming that the pope is the Antichrist, Bellarmine takes seriously, devoting 30,000 words to an argument that makes anyone holding that view feel very sheepish at the end.
Pope Joan
Bellarmine also refutes a preposterous legend of "Pope Joan" that made its way into the press. This Joan was supposed to be a woman who was in the habit of dressing like a man. She arrived in Rome, impressed everyone with her refinement and learning, and was promptly named to the sacred College of Cardinals, soon to become pope. In one particularly elaborate version of the tale she is forced to resign when she gives birth to a child. With a sense of bemused but patient scholarship, Bellarmine dismantles the nonsense of this legend and lays the matter to rest. Rumors that Bellarmine does not deign to refute include: that several Roman pontiffs used famous "Italian sauce" to poison their predecessors; that a certain convent of nuns was found to contain the heads of 6,000 immolated children; that the Society of Jesus hires professional thieves and murderers to do its dirty business.
The first volume of the Controversies appeared in 1586, with endorsements from Pope Sixtus V, Emperor Rudolph II, and the Republic of Venice. The second volume, published in 1588, was even more lavishly endowed with endorsements; it cited more than 300 ecclesiastical writers and historians as it plunged into the heart of Protestant claims and criticism. It took five more years for Bellarmine's final volume, treating grace and free will, to appear at a time when the justification controversy was dividing not just reformers but also Catholics.
Here is a sample of Bellarmine's argument on the question of whether Christ is truly present in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Bellarmine considers what Jesus says: "This is my body. This is my blood…. Do this in memory of me." He comments, "Surely laws and decrees ought to be promulgated in clear, precise, simple terms and not obscurely or ambiguously. Otherwise any man might plead ignorance and say: let the legislator speak plainly if he wants his law to be kept. Now what Christian ever doubted that our Lord in instituting this Sacrament gave orders and framed a law that it was to be renewed perpetually in his Church? That is the literal meaning of: Do this in memory of me. Since, then, these words of Christ are the expression of a law or command, to read figures or metaphors into them is to make Almighty God the most imprudent and incompetent of legislators.
"A man's last will and testament should surely be drawn up in the straightforward speech of everyday life. No one but a madman, or one who desired to make trouble after his death, would imply metonymy in such a document. When a testator says, 'I leave my house to my son John,' does anyone understand his words to mean, 'I leave to my son John, not my house itself standing four-square, but a nice painted picture of it'? In the next place, suppose a prince promised you a hundred gold pieces, and in fulfillment of his word sent a beautiful sketch of the coins, I wonder what you would think of his liberality? And suppose that, when you complained, the donor said, 'Sir, your astonishment is out of place, as the painted crowns you received may very properly be considered true crowns by the figure of speech called metonymy.' Would not everybody feel that he was making fun of you and your picture?
Now our Lord promised to give us his flesh and blood. The bread which I shall give you, he said, is my flesh for the life of the world. If you argue that the bread may be looked upon as a figure of his flesh, you are arguing like the prince, making a mockery of God's promises. A wonderful gift indeed that would be, in which Eternal Wisdom, Truth, Justice and Goodness deceived us, its helpless pensioners, and turned our dearest hopes to derision.
"That I may show you how just the righteous is the position we hold, let us suppose that the last day has come and our doctrine of the Eucharist turns out to be false and absurd. If our Lord asks us reproachfully, 'Why did ye believe thus of my Sacrament? Why did ye adore the host?' May we not safely answer Him, 'Lord, if we were wrong in this, it was you who deceived us. We heard your word, this is my body. Was it a crime for us to believe you? We were confirmed in our mistake by a multitude of signs and wonders which could only have had you for their author. Your Church with one voice cried out to us that we were right, and in believing as we did but followed in the footsteps of all your saints and holy ones.' "
In two annuals of Christian doctrine, a brief catechism for children and a larger handbook for teachers, Bellarmine simplifies many of the propositions in his Controversies. Here is an abbreviated discussion of sacraments and relics:
Pupil: Would you explain to me how it is that the honor which we give to saints and their relics and images is not contrary to the first commandment, for we appear to adore them and pray to them as we do to God?
Teacher: Holy Church is the bride of God and has the Spirit of God for her guide. Consequently, there is no danger of her being deceived or doing or permitting anything contrary to God's commandments. To answer the question, we honor and invoke the saints because they are friends of God, and can help us by their merits and prayers to him. But we do not account them gods, nor do our genuflections signify any such thing. A genuflection is not a mark of reverence peculiar to the service of God, for knees are bent also to persons of great dignity, such as kings, and in many places religious men kneel before their superiors. It is not strange, then, that we should show such reverence to the saints reigning with Christ in heaven since we show it to mortal men like ourselves, here on earth.
Pupil: Is it possible to say the same about images? Teacher: Yes, because images of our Lord, our Lady, and the saints are not regarded by us as gods, but as mere representations which recall to our minds thoughts of those they represent. The honor which we pay them is not given because they are figures of wood, paper, stone or metal, or because they are beautifully colored and molded, but because they represent Christ, his Mother, or the saints. Knowing as we do that the images are dead, undiscerning things, we do not ask anything of them and pray before them only because they picture to our minds the heavenly beings whom we are really addressing.
Pupil: Why do we represent in pictures God the Father as an old man or the Holy Ghost as a dove when we know that these are spirits who have no bodies that can be painted as artists paint men?
Teacher: When God the Father is represented as an old man, the Holy Ghost as a dove, and angels as winged youths, this is not done because they are really like that. They are bodiless spirits, we all know. But we give them human and earthly forms because it was under such that they revealed themselves to men. God the Father appeared as an old man in a vision to the prophet Daniel. The Holy Ghost is shown as a dove because it was in that form that he appeared at the baptism of our Lord. The pictures and statues we make are not intended to show us things in themselves but rather the quality of things, or the effects they produce. For instance, the Holy Spirit is represented as a dove to signify the gifts of innocence, purity and holiness which he endows in our souls. Similarly, angels are given wings because we know that their heavenly strength and beauty never decline, and they are always on tiptoe to do God's bidding. Sometimes we even see them in white robes and sacred stoles, signifying their sinlessness and service of the divine majesty.
While Bellarmine is rigorous in his explanation and justification of doctrine, he understands that it is the animation of Christ's love and spirit that should underline all Catholic belief and practice. Writing of the virtue of charity in Controversies he observes, "Who is there in our illustrious home of learning who does not think daily as he goes to the schools of law, medicine, philosophy or theology, how best he may progress in this particular subject, and win at last his doctor's degree? The school of Christ is the school of charity. On the last day, when the great general examination takes place, there will be no questions at all on the text of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus."
Further, Catholic truths are meant not just to be understood, accepted, and defended but most importantly must be internalized in our own lives. "We must not suffer it to be said that the most holy and living sacrament of Eucharist was instituted for us in vain," Bellarmine writes. "The wheaten bread which is the food of our bodies was not grown in the fields, reaped, ground and baked merely to be looked at, but to be eaten to sustain our life and strength. So too the bread of angels was not given to us solely for our veneration, but for our nourishment as well, that by partaking of it we may refresh and fortify our souls."
Bellarmine's treatment of the Catholic Church's practice of the sale of indulgences is too complicated to expound fully. Suffice it to say that he treated the subject fully and fairly, reluctant but unfailing in his criticism of the human failures of the institutional Church where warranted. "I shall say something first about the names indulgence and jubilee, and give a list of those who have written in defense of indulgence or against them," Bellarmine begins. "The next step will be an inquiry whether indulgences exist, and here two matters have to be discussed, namely the spiritual treasure of the Church, and the power of distributing what is contained in the treasury. Thirdly we shall investigate the precise nature of an indulgence, and here also two points have to be explored, to wit, whether an indulgence be simply the payment of a debt or rather a judicial absolution, and if so from what bond the release or acquittal is given. Fourthly we shall treat of the many forms and varieties of indulgences, and fifthly, of their utility and fruit. In the sixth place we shall inquire who can grant them, and for what reasons. Then, seventhly, we shall see by whom and under what conditions they may be gained, and finally, whether and how they can be applied for the benefit of the dead. That will end the first section. In the second, I shall expound, discuss and refute the contrary arguments of Luther, Calvin, and Chemnitz, who are our chief opponents in this matter, and also lay bare their lies, frauds and impostures."
Problem with Indulgences
Nevertheless it should not be assumed that Bellarmine was simply using his reservoir of knowledge to rationalize unjustifiable deeds. He condemns the routinization of indulgences because, he says, they undermine Church discipline if people think that they can easily have penance commuted by a gift or donation to the Church. "Consider, I pray you." Bellarmine argues, "whether there is any proportion between these two things: attendance at a single Mass and deliverance from a hundred years of the most rigorous chastisement which the justice of God can inflict."
Bellarmine points out that the practice of indulgences is relatively recent, being unknown in the early Church. He is pleased that the current pope grants them "only under many restrictions and for a limited time." If it were up to Bellarmine, he concludes, "none would be granted except little ones." The reason? "Indulgences cost our Lord his precious blood so they ought to be begged for with reluctance and pressing need."
But Bellarmine does not deny that, in principle, the Church has the power through Christ to forgive sins. We become a bit more sympathetic, not just in principle but also in practice, when we discover that priests were handing out penances that included wearing sackcloth for months or abstaining from sexual relations with a spouse for several years. Indulgences, in these circumstances, amounted to little more than an expression of Christian compassion to reduce the burden on the afflicted.
In his Controversies Bellarmine propounded a fascinating argument restricting the earthly power of the Catholic pope. The pontiff has supreme spiritual authority, but the temporal ruler, who is also appointed by God, has control of the earthly domain, the realm of Caesar. The pope's earthly jurisdiction is restricted to those lands that he himself owns. He is only justified in intervening in secular powers when they directly injure the spiritual interests of the faithful; in such limited cases, Bellarmine concedes to Holy See the power even to depose kings and exonerate their subjects from an obligation to obey them. Pope Sixtus V was very displeased by Bellarmine's caveats about his temporal authority, even going to the extreme of listing the first volume of Controversies on the Index of Forbidden Books. He died, however, before the Index was published and his successor prudently removed Bellarmine's name from the unfortunate catalog of dissenters and infidels.
Bellarmine's argument has assumed contemporary interest in these days of separation of Church and State. His critics maintained that Christ, being God, naturally possessed both spiritual and temporal jurisdiction on earth—who would deny this? The pope is the vicar and lieutenant of Christ on earth; therefore, he possesses earthly jurisdiction as well. Bellarmine distinguished between possession of temporal jurisdiction, which of course Christ had, and exercise of that jurisdiction, which he maintained Christ steadfastly refused: "Mine is not the kingdom of this earth." Twentieth-century popes as well as theologians (such as John Courtney Murray) have adopted Bellarmine's reasoning to establish a scriptural line of demarcation between the realm of man and that of God. Bellarmine's position has not only been vindicated, but it has been adopted and institutionalized.
Among Protestants
Nevertheless Bellarmine's Controversies was greeted with shrill and hysterical tracts such as "Against Bellarmine and Kennel of Monks and Mendicants" and "Against Robert Bellarmine and the Universal Cohort of Jebusites and Canaanites." Bellarmine was called, among other things, a harpy of Rome, a filthy harlot, the whore of Babylon, Romish vermin, a foul-mouthed hog, and an abominable hypocrite. Fellow Catholics fought back passionately, William Bishop terming one Bellarmine critic "by birth a mean tanner's son, who at his first coming to Oxford was glad to sweep and dress up chambers and play the drudge for a slender pittance." But Bellarmine stayed aloof from the name-calling and class condescension.
The frenzied response to Bellarmine's Controversies, even from learned Protestant divines, is inexcusable when you consider the scrupulousness and even charity of Bellarmine's reasoning. He did not fail to defend Protestants when he found them misrepresented in Catholic apologetics: "As for Calvin, his language is certainly faulty and so open to the interpretations put upon by Catholic writers…. But even though this be the case, after diligent and very careful examination of his text I am not at all willing to say that he believed or taught the heresy in question, and I shall now briefly explain my reason for putting a favorable construction on his words."
He knew, as did the polemicists on both sides, that the ferocity of the response could be directly attributed to the success of Controversies. Not only did they convert many Protestants and woo back defecting Catholics, but they also made inroads in very high places: for example, Cardinal du Perron, who converted from Calvinism and went on to become one of the most distinguished Catholic apologists in France, told Bellarmine, "No book published in defense of the Church during the past thousand years equals, in my judgment, your Controversies." Equipped with the Bible and Controversies, Francis de Sales went into the wild, mountainous Huguenot country of Savoy, braving death and converting thousands of the most hostile Protestants to the Roman Catholic faith. In 1579 a contingent of British exiles embraced Catholicism and vowed to return to their country to labor for its conversion; a number of them ended up martyrs. Dr. John Reynolds of Oxford delivered no less than 250 lectures against Bellarmine but still could not stop the erosion of the Protestant base at his university.
Despite Bellarmine's enormous fame, he remained, in life, simple and unassuming. Visitors were struck by the way he went about his normal life; one Belgian priest observed in 1580, "When I was engaged with him in the service of the kitchen, and in washing and drying dishes, he did all this lowly work as energetically, carefully and exactly as if it were the big business of theology that occupied him, and never a word did he speak nor once did he look around."
Bellarmine took very seriously his Jesuit vows of obedience and poverty: even when he was (against his will) made cardinal in 1599, he refused the usual entourage of servants and horses, and gave away most of his annual revenues. To relatives who importuned him for gifts, he cited passages from the Council of Trent noting that family members were to be helped only if they were poor, and in a manner no different from strangers in the same condition. No wonder that Bellarmine was trusted by a string of successive popes and Church authorities and named to virtually every office and commission of his time.
Bellarmine died an old man in the year 1621, not even a year after he published his last book, ironically titled The Art of Dying Well. It took more than two centuries for him to be canonized because many Franciscans, Jansenists, and Gallicans continued to oppose his positions on divine grace and the temporal authority of the pope. But the procrastinators eventually failed, and on May 13, 1923, Pope Pius XI beatified him. He was canonized in 1930 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931.


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Trusts can do various things, and this estate planning tool can in some cases allow Missouri residents to leave someone else assets or property without the estate having to go through the probate process after passing away. While there are tax benefits associated with trusts, figuring out the consequences can be complicated.
While the situation and type of trust one has can lead to different outcomes, irrevocable trusts generally distribute the income generated by the trust to a beneficiary. This usually results in a tax deduction for the trust while the beneficiary pays taxes on the distribution. More money than a trust's income may go to a beneficiary with complex trusts that allow for distributing the trust principal amount or accumulation of income.
The grantor of a revocable trust includes the trust's income on his or her tax returns. Irrevocable trusts can take deductions to reduce taxable income as income generated by this kind of trust results in a potential tax liability for the trust. The beneficiary does pay income tax when getting a distribution. Even if taxation for trusts seems confusing, most trusts are designed to make the distribution process simple.
An irrevocable trust can be an advantageous estate planning tool for a variety of reasons. In addition to avoiding a potentially lengthy and costly probate process when the grantor dies, trusts can be structured to accomplish different goals. As opposed to a will inheritance, where the proceeds are distributed to an heir all at once, a trust can specify that distributions will be made to beneficiaries only at specified intervals or upon the achievement of certain milestones. An estate planning attorney can suggest certain other types of documents based upon a client's particular goals.
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short stories
short stories
The Ivory Tower of Professionalism "Leadership is about empathy. It's about having the ability to relate to and connect with people to inspire and empower their lives," said Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey became famous for her talk show; she also became wealthy. Her secret? She made every person in the audience feel and believe that she understood and walked in their shoes. Oprah had learnt the secret of empathy, identifying with everyone in her audience. Oprah's talk show was professional; she made sure she looked like a god and the giver of all things good. Love her or hate her, she was a success. She practiced empathy, and it paid off. "I think professionalism is important, and professionalism means you get paid." wrote Erica Jong. SEEKING PROFESSIONALISM That is why people study hard, work hard, seek to climb the ladder to professionalism. When they have become professional; Where are they? Who are they? Have they become people who are so far above suffering humanity that they are unconnected? They are professional machines; they do their job, become financially secure, and live good lives. They may have acquired a mansion to live in but is it their ivory tower where they can distance themselves from humanity and its pain. Professionalism allows people to sit in their offices and issue instructions on doing the job. Governments created protocols for the treatment of the aged and ill. Shortcuts are needed if there isn't enough time, and empathetic care is expendable in getting the task done. That might be acceptable in other trades, but when dealing with suffering humanity, we cannot allot time and expect to take shortcuts when the old and the ill require mental and physical care. For a true professional, it is tough to connect with hurting, aged, ill and needy people. They can justify themselves by saying I am doing my job and ignore the needy. Professionalism – educated professionalism can retire into the ivory tower of professionalism and ignore the needs of the people under their care. WHEN PLANS GO ASTRAY When we are young, we have dreams and aspirations of what we will be and do. The world is our oyster. So we should. If we didn't dream, we would not invent better lifestyles, progress would stagnate, and our civilisation would collapse. Humanity must dream. How do we reach our goals, dreams, profession, and successful career? Do we believe there is one set of rules for us and another for those in our care? Do we think we can go through life only doing what we get paid to do? Maybe we are doing the job just for the money, and the respect and empathy needed doesn't matter. If so, we need to think very carefully about our career path. Youth becomes adulthood. Adulthood becomes middle age, retirement follows, and old age is a reality. People plan for old age – where they will be and how they will do it. What if life has stripped them of the ability to control their bodily functions? Their ability to connect with those around them is impaired? Their sight? Their hearing? Their movement? What then? Old age is inevitable, and no matter how we plan for it, our bodies will weaken, ill-health follow us. We, the carers and professionals, will be dependent on someone else. What will be our attitude then? JUST TOO OLD The cry of the aged is 'I am helpless, I am dependent on others, the nurses, the carers.' The aged are in care not because they want to be, and they are now dependent on Professional carers, society and governments for their survival. So why treat them as if their vulnerability is their fault. Who inspires in the times of confusion? Empathizes with them? The professional carers living the good life in their ivory towers, far removed from the struggling 'oldies', say we will help you; it is an empty promise. They move on to the next task, forget about the need they have just shelved. They never keep their promise. SO THAT'S YOUR ATTITUDE When we are young, ideals count; we need affirmation that we are essential. We are concerned with our 'rights'; life doesn't always respect our' rights' career-wise or professional-wise. Life will ask more of us at one time or another. The professional or career person we become will depend on how we face the curveball that life throws at us. .If we seek employment in the aged care or health industry, we will not be able to do just our job, and we will have to give of ourselves, and empathy is requisite. We will need to walk in the shoes of those for whom we care. If we are in the caring profession, we cannot refuse to do things we don't get paid. For instance, leaving an older adult sitting in their faeces for even a quarter of an hour is neglect. You say, 'my shift has ended; I don't need to clean them up; the next person can do that.' What would be your attitude if you were in their place? Human beings may be aged, but they feel shame. When their body has let them down, and they cannot control their bodily functions anymore, another has to clean them. To leave the toilet in a mess because it is not our job is neglect. Would we like to sit on a soiled toilet seat? Would we like to stand and walk in a puddle of urine? These are the not so noble moments in the aged care profession. To walk in another's shoes, feel with them, empathise with them, care for them, and respect their rights is to keep them clean regardless of our shift end. Empathy might be noble, but it is arduous work and a necessary part of the aged care system. There are stressful moments in our lives, and we say things we regret and later for which we apologise. The aged person cannot always express themselves, nor do they always understand the jargon used by the carers. They may be hard of hearing. So what if they snap? It is our' right to be spoken to civilly.' So we enforce our 'rights' and demand 'respect'. When implementing our rights, remember that the person we deal with has their rights. They have a right to be cared for and respected as humans, not as a job opportunity or as a meal ticket to maintain their lifestyle. To quote Winston Churchill, 'Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.' EMPATHY 'Looking at various means of developing compassion, I think empathy is an important factor: the ability to appreciate other's suffering.' Dalai Lama For instance, Dawn Jennings, Inspiring SA Women's Award Winner. Dawn is a compassionate devoted, and selfless carer who has cared for children since the early 1990s. Dawn has fostered more than 90 babies from her home in Modbury Heights while raising four of her own and is the author of many books. Dawn has gone beyond just doing her job; she has not insisted on her 'rights' but has walked in another's shoes. Dawn has received a high award, and rightly so, but she didn't foster those babies for the Award. The Award came because of the sleepless nights, the wiped bottoms, crying, fretful children. Did Dawn volunteer for the job of Foster Mum for the money? She fostered the children to give them life. Professionals, carers, and bosses refuse to hide in their ivory towers; they refuse to isolate themselves from the populace. They bend and identify with human needs. They use their professionalism as a gift to help rather than a 'right' or protection. The empathetic professionals are willing to go beyond the call of duty. They are the true professionals and carers, and bosses. They inspire and empower those around them regardless of age or circumstances. John Steinbeck says, 'You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.' |
Author: "You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page" - Jodi Picoult


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According to a May 2021 report by Data Bridge, the global vegan cosmetics market is thriving, with an estimated valuation of $23.6 billion by 2027, growing at a rate of 6.52% during the forecast period from 2020 to 2027. The advancements in the cosmetics industry are expected to create new opportunities in the market.
圖片來源:Data Bridge官網
Looking back at 2019, "Clean Beauty" became a sensation in the beauty industry worldwide. In recent years, due to environmental changes, skin sensitivity has become increasingly common. Additionally, there is a rising awareness of environmental issues, and consumers are more concerned about the ingredients in beauty products rather than just attractive packaging. The "Cosmetic Registration Platform" was officially launched on July 1, providing public access to product ingredient information on the internet.
簡單來說「純素美妝產品」提倡:產品不做動物測試、產品內容物不包含任何來自動物以及由動物衍生的成分,即為全素。 主要強調『不傷害動物』。 關鍵字圍繞於:零殘忍、零傷害、純素(Vegan)。
而「純淨美妝」的目標是:追求配方上的天然低敏,不使用具有爭議性的危險成分與防腐成份,取之以植物、維生素、礦物質的混合物,幫助肌膚恢復健康活力。 主要強調:產品成分中『無毒無害』即不引起肌膚刺激、過敏。 關鍵字圍繞於:天然、有機、純淨(Clean)。
以頂級有感著稱的法國保養 Chantecaille 也是知名的純素品牌
過去在法律上,為得知是否會對皮膚或眼睛造成刺激,或是勿食後是否對人體造成危害,化妝品被要求進行動物實驗。 透過實驗方式包括將化學物質塗抹在兔子剃過毛的細嫩皮膚上,或滴入眼睛中,以及強迫餵食數周至數月,測試所謂的「致死劑量」。
加上,人們對於健康與安全的關注,消費者對動物實驗的認知提升,越來越多消費者拒絕購買動物測試的商品,"Cruelty Free零殘忍"油然而生。
The UK BUAV Leaping Bunny, US PETA Cruelty Free and Vegan, and Australia CCF
"Pure" paired with "Vegan"
Clean beauty embraces natural ingredients, while vegan beauty embraces plant-based ingredients. The combination and key to both are "essential oils and oil-based skincare." "Oil-based skincare" primarily focuses on improving the balance of the skin's oil and water ratio, restoring the skin's natural functions, and achieving skincare results. Since the skin is predominantly lipophilic (oil-loving) rather than hydrophilic (water-loving), oil-based skincare products have better natural penetration.
In the past, when it came to oil-based skincare, people often associated it with "mature skin" or "dryness during winter." Many were hesitant to use skincare oils, fearing that they would clog pores or hinder skin metabolism. However, as the topic of skincare oils gained popularity, we now understand that sometimes dryness in the skin may be due to a lack of "oil."
More and more brands are developing oil-based products, including skincare oils infused with "essential oils." By incorporating pure and natural essential oils and their botanical fragrances, skincare routines become more of a "ritual" and exude a sense of "luxury."
With the increasing diversity of beauty brands, seeking breakthroughs in brand differentiation will be the key to survival in the future.
The beauty industry is witnessing a transformative shift towards vegan beauty, clean beauty, and oil-based skincare. With a growing focus on ethics, transparency, and sustainability, brands are embracing nature-inspired solutions. The future lies in holistic approaches that merge purity, sustainability, and wellbeing.


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The recent surge in ecommerce spending — largely spurred by the pandemic — has caused many brands to shift to a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model.
By selling directly to eager consumers online, DTC brands can offer premium products at lower cost, cultivate robust customer relationships, and give their bottom line a boost with better margins.
And much of this shift is occurring on the world's largest digital marketplace: Amazon. In fact, DTC brands account for around 58% of all Amazon sales, and 60% of DTC sellers say Amazon is their fastest-growing sales channel.
It's clear that Amazon offers DTC sellers unparalleled opportunities for growth. But to truly scale to new heights, Amazon DTC businesses need to tap into the full potential of the platform. Here's a guide for all that Amazon has to offer new and scaling DTC brands.
Amazon isn't only the most recognizable digital marketplace in the world, it's also one of the most connected. It provides sellers with countless ways to integrate their off-platform presence into their Amazon storefront to create a holistic brand that drives traffic from numerous sources.
By selling on the marketplace behemoth, DTC sellers can glean several other benefits, including:
RELATED: How Does Amazon FBA Work: A Seller's Guide to the Process, Pros, and Challenges of Fulfillment by Amazon | Carbon6
In such a rapidly growing, highly saturated global marketplace, it can be difficult for new sellers to stand out among the crowd. But Amazon provides a number of tools and resources to not only get your business off the ground, but compete alongside veteran sellers.
The New Seller Success (NSS) program, for example, is a boon for selected fresh sellers. The program offers incentives for getting started with Amazon Brand Registry, as well as several additional benefits, including:
Attention new sellers! Looking to start and scale your business on Amazon? Carbon6 is an Amazon New Seller Success program partner. Book a call with us to chat more about this opportunity.
Similarly, Amazon's Perfect Launch program supports new sellers, giving them hands-on support with Amazon registration, product page content, pricing, and packaging.
With a number of resources and tools at your fingertips, launching your DTC business on Amazon doesn't have to be hard. By taking full advantage of Amazon's available resources, you could be up and running — and competing with the big brands — in no time. Start by taking these steps.
This is the gateway to all selling tools, giving you the ability to manage your inventory, access sales performance data, communicate with buyers, and so much more. It's a critical place to start for any DTC brand.
In today's market, it's not enough to have listings that just highlight your products. To drive conversions, you need quality images, comprehensive descriptions, accurate titles, and competitive pricing.
Use a solution like SellerTools to optimize your listings as much as possible. SellerTools gives you access to competitors' keyword lists, automated features, and a product manager so you can effectively optimize and manage your listings.
Decide if FBA is suitable for your order fulfillment needs. Amazon reports that FBA sellers see an average sales boost of 20-25% by using this option. With FBA, you get all the benefits of Amazon's long-lasting customer trust with a variety of tools designed to help you grow.
Optimizing your product listings can be great for improving search traffic and driving customers to your product pages. But organic traffic shouldn't be your only marketing strategy. Employ tools like Amazon Sponsored Products and Amazon Marketing Services for product promotion. Sponsored Products lets you easily create ad campaigns and control your cost-per-click (CPC) over time. Amazon Marketing Services gives you access to key product and competitive data so you can best attract and retain customers.
RELATED: Amazon PPC Strategy: A Beginner's Guide to Weekly PPC Optimization
One of the key benefits of registering in Seller Central is access to product performance data. Be sure to monitor your metrics, such as traffic and conversions, regularly, using these data points to refine your sales and marketing strategies over time.
Get even more bang for your buck with ManageByStats software. This solution consolidates data across all your product listings into one central platform, giving you critical data visualizations, custom checklists, inventory notifications, and more — all designed to help you manage your performance and increase your profits.
Brand optimization isn't a one-and-done process. It requires constant vigilance and regular maintenance. Stay ahead in the highly competitive Amazon market by updating listings, enhancing copy, adding pictures to product listings, running offers, and refining your search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.
And for automated reporting, sales forecasting, and insight-driven recommendations, use D8aDriven, a comprehensive solution for optimized DTC growth on Amazon.
As the DTC model continues to expand — and Amazon continues to offer unmatched growth avenues — DTC sellers are poised to achieve accelerated growth in the marketplace.
Those set up for long-lasting success, though, are sellers using the right solutions at the right time to continually optimize their business. D8aDriven, for example, has given countless sellers an "agency-in-a-box" solution that has enabled them to quickly launch and scale their Amazon DTC business.
New sellers can avoid the typical overwhelming barrage of data by using D8aDriven's dashboard of aggregated insights. And they can turn those insights into results by acting on the solution's deep-dive reporting, inventory recommendations, and automated to-do lists. For new and scaling sellers alike, D8aDriven is a one-stop-shop for creating a winning DTC brand.
Ready to take your DTC business to the next level on Amazon? Explore D8aDriven and Carbon6's other sales-driving solutions today.


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