"After the dissuasion by means of whistle-blowing, shouting and hand-flag guiding was of no avail, the Chinese naval vessels fired two red signal shells into the sky as a warning, and the signal shells burned out and extinguished in the air, " Xinhua quoted the official as saying.

BBC: China 'fired flares' at Vietnam boat in South China Sea

If Zimmerman was the initial aggressor, he cannot avail himself of the protection of the "stand your ground" law.

CNN: Let a jury decide on Trayvon Martin case

It was in Terminal 1 where I decided to avail myself of a pedicure.

BBC: Changi: The airport of your dreams

But then there were fewer dogs to bark at me as I passed under the trees, and, where the dog was big, so was the dog door, and I could crawl in and avail myself of the canned and packaged foods in kitchen pantries.

NEWYORKER: Wakefield

In the past I have proposed that the person spoken to was merely a representative of the institution, not the institution itself, often to no avail.

FORBES: A Look Behind The Curtain: How To Choose A Mortgage Lender