City Beat: Legal Eagle Laura Ching is fashionably chic

Regular City Beat columnist James McCullough was on leave recently and I was honoured to fulfil his duties for the day. I had a great time finding events to report on and was able to tick another item off my bucket list - write a newspaper column! 

Here is the column that ran. 

Date:

21 March 2014

Source:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/legal-eagle-laura-chong-is-fashionably-chic/story-fnfli675-1226860560891

Chewy Anzac Biscuits

Most of my generation and younger won't have had the joy of growing up with Day to Day Cookery book by IM Downes. I was lucky enough to have one in my house growing up - circa 1985 edition. 

The recipes are those you would see at the CWA bake stalls and the ones your Nan would have ready for your weekly visit. 

One recipe I make year after year is Anzac biscuits. They are chewy, tasty and incredible! I made a batch yesterday to take to my girlfriend (who is also making her own batch today). 

Did you know that there is an exception to the use of the world "Anzac" specifically for Anzac biscuits, provided they are made basically true to the original recipe and are made and sold as Anzac biscuits - not cookies! 

Here it the recipe:

Ingredients 

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of rolled oats

3/4 cup of desiccated coconut

3/4 cup of sugar

140gr of butter

3 teaspoons of golden syrup 

3 tablespoons of boiling hot water 

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Method

1. Sift flour into a bowl. 

2. Add rolled oats, coconut and sugar. Mix well. 

3. Melt butter in a saucepan, add syrup and water. 

4. Take off heat, add in baking soda and allow to foam. Pour immediately onto dry ingredients. 

5. Mix well. Make small pieces (I use a dessert spoon to scoop as a rough measurement), roll into a ball and press onto a greased tray. Leave room as they spread. 

6. Bake for 12-15mins in a 150 degree oven. 

They biscuits will be soft as you take them out. They will crisp around the edges. Don't bake until crisp as they will harden as they cool. 

If you are not a fan of the chewy Anzac biscuits and like the crunch, bake for 15-18mins. 

Enjoy with a great cuppa (tea or coffee for my non Aussie readers), while thanking our past and present troops. Those who sacrificed their time and lives for our Country deserve the highest respect and honour. Lest We Forget this Anzac Day. 

$2 Billion Missing in U.S.-U.K. Art and Antiquities Trade. Trade Based Money Laundering or Some Other Explanation?

It stands to reason that the declared export price of goods should match the declared import price of the same goods. So questions certainly arise when customs values reported by an exporting country do not add up to the customs values for the exact goods published by the importing nation. And that is what is happening with the United Kingdom and the United States in the art and antiquities trade.

The trade in works of art, collectors pieces, and antiques exported from the U.K and imported into the U.S. demands scrutiny. These cultural goods are classified by Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) commodity code 97, which specifically covers paintings, drawings, engravings, prints, lithographs, sculptures, statuary, and stamps. HTS 97 also includes collectors' pieces and collections of zoological, botanical, mineralogical, anatomical, historical, archaeological, and paleontological materials. Numismatics are covered as well, and so too are antiques over 100 years old.

The U.K. was the number one source of archaeological, historical, and ethnological material imported into the United States in 2013 (HTS 9705.00.0070 goods). In the broader art and antiquities markets, the U.K. ranked number two--second only to France--in the value of all HTS 97 goods imported by the U.S. last year.

According to data generated by HM Revenue and Customs, the U.K. reported a declared value of exports to the U.S. in 2013 of £2,202,630,107 worth of HTS 97 art, collectors pieces, and antiques. That total translates to $3,700,640,000 as measured by the currency exchange rate effective on April 22, 2014.

In contrast, the 2013 data compiled from the U.S. International Trade Commission show that America imported from the U.K. only $1,675,476,108 worth of HTS 97 goods. The difference between the total declared value of HTS 97 goods exported from the U.K., and the total declared value of HTS 97 goods imported for consumption into the U.S. during 2013 amounts to $2,025,163,892.*

Because the published values do not match by over $2 billion, they should be analyzed carefully by trade experts to find out why this money is missing from the trade data. Commercial lawyers and customs attorneys, for example, should examine how the value differences can be justified, if at all, by changing currency valuations or other relevant factors.

[UPDATE May 5, 2014: The trade data for a five year period, from 2009-2013, is examined in CHL's post here.]

The data need to be studied by law enforcement too, particularly since customs values for U.S. imports are not determined by government record keepers; they are amounts supplied by importers, which are then written on customs entry forms. As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement correctly observes, "Global trade is frequently used by criminal organizations to move value around the world through the complex and sometimes confusing documentation that is frequently associated with legitimate trade transactions."

Customs authorities particularly should probe whether there may be evidence of trade based money laundering (TBML). TBML permits criminal networks to earn and transfer money by hiding and remitting profits within the stream of the legal marketplace. One TBML technique is to import goods into the U.S. at an undervalued amount.

The $2 billion difference between HTS 97 goods exported from the U.K. and imported into the U.S. warrants scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly because the legitimate--but opaque--art and antiquities markets are susceptible to terrorist financing risks, money laundering, and black market operations. The preservation of both cultural heritage and the legal marketplace demands that answers be found to explain the $2 billion missing from the U.S.-U.K. art and antiquities trade.

*Trade data for HTS 97 goods is examined over a five year period in a blog post dated May 5, 2014. The 2013 U.S. data used for the five year comparison looks at general import values rather than values for imports for consumption, which is used in this blog post.  Also, the currency conversion rates used in the five year data in the May 5 blog post are all from December 31 for each year, respectively, from 2009 through 2013. The currency conversion rate used to convert GBP to USD in the April 22, 2014 blog post here is the rate published on April 22, 2014. This information accounts for any differences in values reported here versus the values reported in the May 5 blog post.

Photo credit: Darren Deans

By Rick St. Hilaire Text copyrighted 2010-2014 by Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC. Blog url: culturalheritagelawyer.blogspot.com. Any unauthorized reproduction or retransmission of this post is prohibited. CONTACT INFORMATION: www.culturalheritagelawyer.com

LCCHP to Host Egypt: Night at the Museum on May 7

On May 7, the Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation (LCCHP) will be hosting Egypt: A Night at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Egypt has recently drawn attention for the destruction of cultural heritage by the looting and destruction of museums and archaeological sites throughout the country. This spring, Egypt formally requested the U.S. to place import restrictions on endangered archaeological materials originating from within its borders.

Please join LCCHP and our members to learn more about these issues during a private tour of the Egyptian Wing of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (the Penn Museum houses one of the largest collections of Egyptian and Nubian material in the United States) followed by a happy hour near the museum.

When:              Wednesday, May 7^th  

                        Private tour from 6:30 – 7:30 pm
                        Reception from 7:30 – 9:00 pm

Where:             Univ. of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
                       3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Admission:        LCCHP members: $17
                        Non-LCCHP members: $22
                        University of Pennsylvania students and faculty: $5

Join LCCHP at www.culturalheritagelaw.orgto receive LCCHP members’ rates for the event. Purchase your tickets hereor visit the LCCHP website at www.culturalheritagelaw.org.

Contact Leila Amineddoleh, at director@culturalheritagelaw.org, or see the flyer (Egypt at Penn Museum) for additional details.

Photo credit: Lucretious

By Rick St. Hilaire Text copyrighted 2010-2014 by Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC. Blog url: culturalheritagelawyer.blogspot.com. Any unauthorized reproduction or retransmission of this post is prohibited. CONTACT INFORMATION: www.culturalheritagelawyer.com

Don't leave before you have left

For anyone who saw my debate at the AIM International Women's Day debate back in March, you will already know my thoughts on Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In.  While I think her book has been fantastic in terms of raising much needed awareness surrounding the issues of women in business and gender equality, however in terms of content, personally I did not take much from the book. Except this - Don't leave before you leave. This chapter was moreso focused on women making decisions now in anticipation of what could happen in the future, eg not taking a promotion now because in 3 years you may want to have maternity leave. However, the name of the chapter suggests to me this concept is can be expanded to be used after you have resigned and while working out your notice period - don't (mentally) leave before you have left. 

I recently resigned my job and finished up in employment and workplace relations law to return to my love of insurance and personal injury litigation. At the time of resigning, I was still managing my health issues, but I made it clear to my Partner when I resigned that I was not leaving before I actually left.  The idea behind this is not burning your bridges and still producing quality work until your last day. 

During your notice period don't start taking extended lunches, don't lapse on timing of work and continue to follow up instructions from clients. Leave plenty of time for a full handover and talk with your Partner to see how they want to conduct the handover. I recommend file notes for each matter with key dates and issues highlighted, including your thoughts on the matter. If necessary, arrange a meeting with your co-worker who will be taking over the matters and ensure your secretary assists with having filing up to date. 

No matter what your reasons are for leaving a position, you should never create bad blood while working out your notice period.  Remember, you never know where you will end up in the future and you will find its a small world. Have enough respect to your firm, your Partner, and to yourself, to continue to apply yourself 100% during your notice period. You won't regret it. 

Recipe: Quiche (secret family recipe)

I love cooking (for others more than me). But one dish I love making of a weekend to keep me nourished during the week is this scrumptious quiche. It's a family recipe that has been passed down and even has a secret ingredient - jatz biscuits! Who would have thought!

Ingredients

Half a pack of jatz crushed - I use the cracked pepper jatz

2 cups of grated cheese

1 onion diced

1 large carrot grated

3 eggs beaten

1 cup of milk

6-7 middle bacon rashers cooked and diced

Method

Crush the jatz with a potato masher. Not to crumbs, but just smaller pieces. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Once mixed through, add to a pie dish. I swap between round and rectangle ones depending on my mood! I find rectangle better as I can cut the quiche into pieces to take to work. 

Cook at 175 degrees for about 40 minutes. Some ovens may take longer, so check in the middle before taking out. If it is not cooked through, keep checking every 5 minutes until done. 

You can serve it warm or cold with salad. I prefer it cold - tastes yummier!!!

Enjoy. 

GLOSS: February 2014 - The Need for Gen Y to use Social Metworking

I am proud to say I am a member of LBD Group. It is a fantastic forum for mentoring and personal development, without the fluff.

In February 2014, I was a contributing writer to LBD Group's monthly publication GLOSS. Here, I was able to write about my passion for social networking and the need for young professionals, aka Gen Y, to use social networking in their business development. 

Date:

February 2014

Source:

https://asp-au.secure-zone.net/v2/index.jsp?id=993%2F1104%2F4668&lng=en