text:
IWB for Refugees: Croatia
Summary of the national legislation on refugees
The first Law on Asylum in the Republic of Croatia was enacted in 2003[1], and was amended in 2007[2]. Croatia regulated the asylum-seeking process through the Law on Asylum until July 1st 2015[3], when the now valid Law on International and Temporary Protection[4] (LITP) came into force. LITP was amended in December 2017[5] and as such enacted as of January 1st 2018. LITP transposes the following EU Directives into Croatian legislation:
Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof[6];
Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 on the right to family reunification[7];
Directive 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 December 2011 on standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection, for a uniform status for refugees or for persons eligible for subsidiary protection, and for the content of the protection granted[8];
Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and Council of 26 June 2013 on common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection (recast)[9];
Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection (recast)[10].
Also, LITP regulates the application of the following EU regulations:
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1560/2003 of 2 September 2003 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No. 343/2003 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national (SL L 222, 5.9.2003)[11]
Regulation (EU) No. 603/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the establishment of 'Eurodac' for the comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of Regulation (EU) No. 604/2013 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person and on requests for the comparison with Eurodac data by Member States' law enforcement authorities and Europol for law enforcement purposes, and amending Regulation (EU) No. 1077/2011 establishing a European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (recast)[12];
No. 604/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council of 26 June 2013 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person (recast)[13];
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 118/2014 of 30 January 2014 amending Regulation (EU) No. 1560/2003 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No. 343/2003 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national (SL L 39, 8.2.2014)[14].
The law called the Foreigners Act[15], amended May 15th 2018[16], is also relevant to living conditions of foreigners under international and temporary protection in Croatia. Article 3 of LITP states: "The provisions of the Foreigners Act shall apply mutatis mutandis to applicants for international protection, asylees, foreigners under subsidiary protection and foreigners under temporary protection". Article 37 of LITP ensures that, if international protection is denied, ceased or revoked, the measures of return are prescribed according to the Foreigners Act, even though priority is given to voluntary departure. Also, by Article 62 and Article 78, paragraph 8 of LITP, applicants for international protection and foreigners under subsidiary protection may be given a special travel document, pursuant of the Foreigners Act.
From interviews held with NGO representatives who provide legal aid to applicants for international protection and refugees and migrants in detention centres[17], a worker from the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Croatia, talks with refugees and other activists, it is safe to say several problems exist in the current practice of Croatian legislation dealing with applicants for and foreign nationals under international protection, as well as third-country migrants.
The biggest systemic issue Croatia has been called on multiple times by various NGOs, activists and representatives of EU bodies is border violence and push-backs. Croatia is a so-called transit country[18] along the (Western) Balkan route[19]. The route is an active one and Croatia's neighbouring country Bosnia and Herzegovina[20] is currently facing problems with the reception of and hosting migrants, as Croatia is not allowing migrants to pass through or enter the country. Numerous reports[21] have been made about push-backs, better known as collective expulsions. UNHCR Serbia publishes monthly update reports and their reports, too - solely from January 2019 to May 2019 - count a total of 1,590 collective expulsions from Croatia to Serbia[22]. Though the statistic in the reports is not segregated when it comes to alleged denial of access to asylum procedures and maltreatment by authorities of neighbouring countries, considering the high percentages of both and the number of allegations coming from multiple independent parts, it is safe to conclude that Croatia is not the exception. When The Guardian[23] asked Croatia's Ministry of Interior (MUP) for a comment on the allegations, the minister's response was that the migrants were coming into conflicts themselves and harming each other.
As the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union[24] states in its Article 19; "Collective expulsions are prohibited". Furthermore, the Croatian Foreigners Act states in Article 106, paragraph 4 that if a decision has been made regarding the deportation of a foreign national and the person expresses the intention to apply for international protection, the decision on deportation is to be put on hold until the process of testing the application is fully completed. Therefore, not only are these tactics a way of disabling people to apply for international protection and regulate their stay in Croatia, but as Amnesty International states[25] on their website: "[...] widespread pushbacks and collective expulsions [...] are also a part of the systemic and deliberate policy of the Croatian authorities to discourage future irregular entries and demonstrate that Croatia can effectively protect the EU's external border."
Apart from refugees' statements, video recordings have also been gathered as a source of evidence of the illegal pushback practice. In November 2018, The Guardian shared[26] videos recorded by refugees themselves trying to cross the border, in which the men are shown in a forest with bloody noses and other bruises. More footage[27] arrived in December 2018, filmed between September 29th and October 10th of that year, which seem to show at least 54 pushback operations. In an open statement[28] regarding the footage from December, MUP stated that the footage does not show anything illegal and that the police officers were acting accordingly to Article 13 of the Schengen Borders Code[29] (SBC) which prescribes the institute of discouragement[30].
Though even the SBC states in Article 14 that its application does not call into question the application of special provisions on the right to asylum and international protection, in this case, unfortunately, the use of this law is not the case as Article 13 of SBC requires the persons caught in an irregular crossing of the border to be apprehended and treated accordingly to Directive 2008/115/EC on common standards and procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals[31]. Article 8, paragraph 4 of Directive 2008/115/EC states that: "Where Member States use — as a last resort — coercive measures to carry out the removal of a third-country national who resists removal, such measures shall be proportionate and shall not exceed reasonable force. They shall be implemented as provided for in national legislation in accordance with fundamental rights and with due respect for the dignity and physical integrity of the third-country national concerned", and Article 13 states that: "The third-country national concerned shall be afforded an effective remedy to appeal against or seek review of decisions related to return, as referred to in Article 12(1), before a competent judicial or administrative authority or a competent body composed of members who are impartial and who enjoy safeguards of independence."
According to the 2002 BiH and Croatia readmission agreement[32], both countries are obligated to readmit each other's foreign nationals if the foreign nationals entered the country irregularly and through the other's territory. The other condition under which they must do the same is when the foreign national applied for international protection in the other country. They are not obligated to readmit the foreign national if their expulsion has earlier already been ordered. Since the readmission can occur only on international border crossings of the countries, while reported (and recorded) pushbacks[33] largely happen in forest area, this is yet another indicator that the border police officers are in breach of their power.
As explained in the legal annex to the "5th report on pushbacks and violence from the Republic of Croatia: illegal practices and systemic human rights violations at EU borders"[34] of the Croatian Welcome Initiative: "[...] European legislation, as well as Croatian national law, clearly and unequivocally prescribes the standards and obligations of the state in dealing with irregular third-country nationals. It is clearly indicated when and why the return process is being conducted and how. Also, the Directive explicitly refers to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and its prohibition of collective expulsion. So, in situations in which the Ministry of the Interior wants to return people who have illegally crossed the border, and in a situation where there indeed are not refugees who would seek international protection in Croatia, they are obliged to conduct an individual procedure for each person, in accordance to the Foreigners Act, and specific return measures in accordance with the Rules on the treatment of third-country nationals[35], as well as the Readmission Agreement (the Law on the Confirmation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the acceptance of persons whose entry or stay is illegal[36])."
Another video recording surfaced in April 2019, when Swiss reporter Nicole Voegele gathered evidence showing the Croatian police pushback at least 70 migrants in the period of two days she and her crew were filming[37], yet MUP denied the illegality of their activities once again[38]. The only time when any accusations were confirmed is when a video spread through social media, recorded by a police officer forcing migrants to chant the name of the capital's football club[39] and the chant of the WWII fascist Croatian regime[40]. MUP declared that the policeman who was filming would leave the service, while the other three would go through a disciplinary procedure.
Apart from alarming practices on the border, another worrying trend is the rise of criminalization of humanitarian assistance towards refugees and migrants. By the Council Directive 2002/90/EC of 28 November 2002 defining the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence[41], even though member states are obligated to sanction any person who is the instigator of, an accomplice in or attempts to provide assistance to a third-country national in illegal entry, stay or residence - be it for financial gain or not - paragraph 2 of Article 1 says that Member States can independently decide whether or not they wish to impose sanctions in cases "[...] where the aim of the behaviour is to provide humanitarian assistance to the person concerned". The Directive, together with the Council framework Decision of 28 November 2002 on the strengthening of the penal framework to prevent the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence (2002/946/PUP)[42], constitutes the Facilitators Package. Article 6 of the Council framework Decision (2002/946/PUP) explains that its application must not interfere with international law on refugees or other international instruments relating to human rights. The case of the volunteer of NGO Are You Syrious (AYS), Dragan Umičević, is told in more detail in the chapter "Follow-up on the refugee crisis" of this report. For his assistance to the Hosseini family, who have brought Croatia before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)[43] in 2018, Mr Umičević was sanctioned by a first instance verdict with a fine of 60,000 HRK (8,110 EUR)[44].
Pressures were also put on the Centre for Peace Studies Zagreb (CPS), an organisation which has been providing legal assistance and integration activities for applicants and asylees for 15 years now. In late 2018, MUP decided not to prolong the cooperation agreement with CPS, because of which the organisation no longer has access to the Reception Centre in Zagreb. The organisation's press release[45] stated: "CPS warns that the Ministry of the Interior's argument that there are currently sufficient activities being organized by other NGOs in Reception Centres is inadequate, as many activities are not available to all refugees, especially those in the reception centre in Kutina. Refugee needs were analysed for the development of the National Action Plan for Integration currently in force. Many organizations and institutions participated in the drafting of the National Action Plan, whose measures were not altered, and include measures for which CPS is co-responsible. Ironically, although this latest move of [MUP] jeopardizes the implementation of the Action Plan, the Ministry of the Interior itself is responsible for the execution of some of the measures outlined in the Plan".
Though MUP defends their decision[46] by claiming that there is already a sufficient number of organisations providing the kind of activities CPS offers and that, because of reconstruction of the Reception Centre, there is not enough room for them, this kind of argumentation is not convincing. Further evidence for this act being an instrument of political pressure is MUP's later decision not to prolong the cooperation agreement with NGO AYS whose work with refugee children is especially important. In the Ministry's statement[47] the same reasons for the decision were given as for CPS - lack of space and lack of need for their presence there. Even though numerous letters of support were given in an attempt to change MUP's decision - one of the letters even came from another organisation which operates in the Reception Centre[48] - the decision remains until further.
It is important to note here that these two organisations are the most active ones in calling out border violence and the lack of respect for human rights of refugees. For these reasons, the Ministry's decisions seem to be an attempt to silence them. The House of Human Rights Zagreb reported in their 2018 annual report[49] on the condition of human rights in Croatia that the advocates of human rights of refugees were particularly jeopardized; NGOs and activists were victims of verbal abuse and threats, their work spaces have been vandalized, laws have been interpreted in a way to make them appear as smugglers and these allegations are depicted in the media in a tendentious manner which furthers delegitimizes their work and experience. Also, when escorting applicants for international protection to police station, activists and volunteers have unjustifiably been held and questioned by police.
Problems are detected also in the field of integration. LITP provides refugees, i.e. asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection a set of rights which includes: residence, work, health care, education, social welfare, family reunification, accommodation, assistance for integration into society, free legal assistance, freedom of religion, ownership of real property and acquisition of Croatian citizenship. This set of rights makes up the legal framework of the refugees' process of integration.
Though the Republic of Croatia currently has a policy document - the Action plan for integration of persons who have been granted international protection for the period from 2017 to 2019[50] - which regulates the integration process, its stakeholders and their activities, it does not mention the fact that this policy was enacted after a 2 year gap, since the Migration policy of the Republic of Croatia for the period from 2013 to 2015[51]. The Republic of Croatia currently does not have a migration policy and the new Action plan for integration does not recognize applicants for international protection as a vulnerable group of people[52].
The Croatian Law Centre[53] (CLC), which cooperates with UNHCR[54], analysed[55] the previous migration policy and they concluded that: "The policy conceived does not take a holistic approach towards migration, but it instead deals with it departmentally (the Ministry of Interior). The policy is not formulated inside a framework of a long-term, strategic plan of development of the Republic of Croatia, as its component and determined rank of priority. The objectives of the policy are not clear enough nor are the deadlines of their achievement. The same can be said for the indicators of progress within the given deadlines, as well as the quantitative and qualitative measures of expected results."[56]
It should be underscored that even the previous migration policy included the implementation of a Curriculum of Croatian language for persons over the age of 15 on the level of all counties[57] as one of the measures which should have ensured effective integration, yet in the moment of writing this in 2019 this measure still has not been secured. Refugees are able to attend language courses only in the capital's area. Refugees in Zagreb can get help for language learning from volunteers in NGOs as AYS[58] and JRS's integration centre "SOL"[59], while applicants for international protection can attend classes in the reception centres. One other option is the Croaticum[60] centre for Croatian as a second and foreign language on the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Zagreb which started organising classes for refugees as a result of acknowledging[61] that knowledge of Croatian language actively remains the biggest challenge for refugees' integration into Croatian society. This is also a legal issue since Article 64, paragraph 4, point 4 of LITP and Article 74, paragraph 1 clearly state that attendance of a course in Croatian language, history and culture is a mandatory activity for asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection. Furthermore, Article 74, paragraph 2 says: "In the case of failure to fulfil the obligation referred to in paragraph 1 of Article, the asylee or foreigner under subsidiary protection shall repay the costs of the course to the ministry competent for education." From the information gathered, this institute of sanctioning has not been applied yet, but the fact that people could legally be sanctioned for not attending a class which does not exist goes to show the shortcoming of the system itself.
Refugees, adults and children, have an especially hard time finding work and getting certified acknowledgement of their level of education. Directive 2011/95/EU in Article 28, paragraph 2 lays down that if refugees do not own documentary evidence of their qualifications, the country which provides them asylum is obliged to provide an appropriate scheme for the assessment, validation and accreditation of their prior learning. Though children are tested before enrolment in school, the test assesses purely mathematical and logical capabilities, which is not sufficient. This is especially true for children in ages appropriate for higher grades because they are enrolled automatically in school no matter of their knowledge of Croatian language. Adults, on the other hand, do not have access to these schemes as enrolment in high schools in Croatia is not possible after turning 18 and the process of nostrification of degrees is too expensive for most people. This leaves refugees incapable of finding work and becoming independent members of society. Only 19 asylees have been employed from the period of 2012 to September 2018 with the help of active measures for employment[62].
To add on to that, the social benefit scheme is highly demotivating for refugees because, as soon as they find a job, they cannot receive the already inexcusably low monthly financial help of 100 HRK (13.5 EUR). Also, applicants for international protection cannot start working legally in Croatia until 9 months passes from the starting day of their application. Directive 2013/33/EU states in Article 15, paragraph 1 that nine months is the maximum period before which applicants should be given access to the labour market.
Medecins du Monde (MdM) published results[63] on their research of mental health of asylum seekers in Croatia in February 2019 and the results show that 57.83% of the interviewed asylum seekers suffer from anxiety; 67.47% of them express depression symptoms; and 50.61% have symptoms of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Directive 2013/33/EU obliges Member States to provide applicants with necessary health care which includes appropriate mental health care, yet the levels of distress MdM report applicants experience in Croatia is clear evidence that more needs to be done. Workers from NGOs report that health care is in general hard to access for asylum seekers and refugees in Croatia, as health care providers can be discriminating.
The same goes for finding accommodation. Article 32, paragraph 2 of Directive 2011/95/EU encourages Member States to develop strategies to secure that beneficiaries of international protection do not experience discrimination on the housing market, yet Croatia is lacking of these kinds of strategies. The current Action plan for integration explains that the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing provides accommodation for refugees in one of three ways: using state-owned housing units in the locations defined by the relocation plan; collecting offers on the free market; and using offers for housing units advertised in the press and electronic media and from real-estate agencies. It further says: "Since the possibilities for using housing units in state ownership are limited, they will mostly be provided through the public call for tenders, according to the relocation plan, or using offers in the press and electronic media, in cases when it is not possible to provide housing in any other way"[64].
This model is highly unsustainable and more efforts must be made to provide state-owned housing. Article 67, paragraph 4 of LITP states that: "Asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection have the right to accommodation for a maximum period of two years from the date on which the decision approving international protection is served." Because of the state finding housing through the free market and not counting the start of the 2-year period from the day refugees move into their accommodation, most refugees have their accommodation costs covered for less than 2 years as they spend substantial time waiting for news on their housing situation. They are further discouraged to find work as they have to participate in covering the cost of housing and bills as soon as they start working.
[1] https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2003_06_103_1363.html
[2] https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2007_07_79_2474.html
[3] https://www.zakon.hr/z/314/Zakon-o-azilu
[5] https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2017_12_127_2880.html ; English version: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e8044fd2.html
[6] https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ddcee2e4.html
[7] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2003:251:0012:0018:en:PDF
[8] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32011L0095&from=EN
[9] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013L0032&from=HR
[10] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013L0033&qid=1560962746239&from=EN
[11] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32003R1560&from=GA
[12] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013R0603&from=HR
[13] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013R0604&from=en
[15] Croatian: "Zakon o strancima"; additional English translations are: "Law on Foreigners", "Aliens Act"; https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/full/2011_11_130_2600.html ; English version: http://www.tranexp.hr/PDF/The_Aliens_Act_2013.pdf
[16] https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2018_05_46_860.html
[17] A detention centre in Croatia is called "Tranzitni prihvatni centar".
[18] So-called" because it is my opinion that the term "transit country" should be challenged. The conditions of reception and possibilities of integration influence migrants' perception of a country. Therefore, if a country is overlooked as one of transit, it is easy to fall into the trap of not analysing and changing the conditions under which it became and stayed a transit country.
[19] https://frontex.europa.eu/along-eu-borders/migratory-routes/western-balkan-route/ ; https://frontex.europa.eu/along-eu-borders/migratory-map/
[20] BiH's most popular media house regularly reports on the subject: https://www.klix.ba/tagovi/migranti/19106 . Deutsche Welle also reported the change in situation in June 2019: https://www.dw.com/en/held-back-from-eu-by-croatia-refugees-stuck-in-bosnia/a-49250813 . For more information about human rights of migrants and refugees in BiH, see: Mlinarević, Gorana and Ahmetašević, Nidžara. 2019. "People on the Move in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018: Stuck in the Corridors to the EU". / https://ba.boell.org/en/2019/02/21/people-move-bosnia-and-herzegovina-2018-stuck-corridors-eu
[21] Member organisations of the Welcome Initiative from Croatia recently published their "5th report on pushbacks and violence from the Republic of Croatia: illegal practices and systemic human rights violations at EU borders" / https://www.cms.hr/system/article_document/doc/597/5_5TH_REPORT_ON_PUSHBACKS_AND_VIOLENCE_20052019.pdf ; No Name Kitchen publishes monthly online violence reports / https://www.nonamekitchen.org/en/violence-reports/ ; a Slovenian civil initiative reported on the collusion of Slovenian and Croatian border police / https://docs.google.com/document/d/148z8ZiJVyLuu6QWWeokEYny44-rFnEXkTfJtd8Z-bfM/edit
[22] UNHCR Serbia Update January 2019 (241 collective expulsions from Croatia), February 2019 (260 collective expulsions from Croatia), March 2019 (374 collective expulsions from Croatia), April 2019 (431 collective expulsions from Croatia), May 2019 (284 collective expulsions from Croatia): http://www.unhcr.rs/dokumenti/izvestaji/unhcr-serbia-updates.html
[23] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/15/refugees-crossing-from-bosnia-beaten-and-robbed-by-croatian-police
[24] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf
[25] https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur05/9964/2019/en/
[26] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/nov/14/didnt-give-a-damn-refugees-film-croatian-police-brutality-bosnia
[27] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/17/croatia-violating-eu-law-by-sending-back-asylum-seekers-to-bosnia
[28] https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/mup-reagirao-na-snimke-koje-su-objavili-njemacki-mediji-sve-je-zakonito-postupanje-to-nije-protjerivanje-nego-odvracanje-potpuno-legalan-institut/8182820/
[30] Croatian translation of the institute: "odvraćanje"
[31] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32008L0115&from=HR
[32] http://sps.gov.ba/dokumenti/medjunarodni/Sporazum%20o%20readmisiji%20BiH%20-%20Hrvatska.pdf (articles 5, 7, 8, 10)
[33] See https://pushbackmap.org/
[34] Page 24: https://www.cms.hr/system/article_document/doc/597/5_5TH_REPORT_ON_PUSHBACKS_AND_VIOLENCE_20052019.pdf
[35] https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2018_07_68_1403.html
[36] https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/medunarodni/2011_08_11_96.html
[37] https://www.srf.ch/news/international/ausschaffung-ueber-gruene-grenze-kroatische-polizei-bei-illegaler-abschiebung-gefilmt ; http://hr.n1info.com/English/NEWS/a402658/Swiss-television-talks-to-migrants-describing-Croatian-police-pushbacks.html
[38] https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/mup-odgovorio-svicarskim-novinarima-koji-su-snimili-protjerivanje-migranata/2085900.aspx
[39] http://hr.n1info.com/Vijesti/a376878/Policajac-tjerao-migrante-da-vicu-Dinamo-Zagreb-pa-ih-snimao-mobitelom.html
[40] https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/policajac-tjerao-migrante-da-vicu-dinamo-zagreb-pa-ih-snimao-bit-ce-udaljen-iz-sluzbe---552699.html
[41] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32002L0090&from=EN
[42] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32002F0946&from=EN
[43] https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-183485%22]}
[44] http://hr.n1info.com/Vijesti/a334560/Aktivist-kaznjen-sa-60.000-kuna-zbog-pomaganja-izbjeglicama.html
[45] https://www.cms.hr/en/izjave-za-javnost/mup-izbacuje-cms-iz-prihvatilista-za-trazitelje-azila
[46] https://vijesti.rtl.hr/novosti/hrvatska/3286771/cms-mup-nam-pokusava-opstruirati-rad-mup-te-tvrdnje-nisu-tocne/
[47] http://hr.n1info.com/Vijesti/a407120/Nakon-sutnje-MUP-progovorio-o-Are-You-Syrious-kazu-da-i-drugi-uce-djecu-jezik.html
[48] https://www.telegram.hr/politika-kriminal/mup-je-sigurno-slucajno-samo-onim-udrugama-koje-ih-kritiziraju-zabranio-da-malim-izbjeglicama-pomazu-s-ucenjem/#
[49] Paragraphs 43 through 45: http://www.kucaljudskihprava.hr/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ljudska-prava-u-Hrvatskoj-2018.pdf
[50] https://www.irh.hr/dokumenti/49-akcijski-plan-za-integraciju-osoba-kojima-je-odobrena-medunarodna-zastita-za-tisak/file
[52] Paragraph 298: http://www.kucaljudskihprava.hr/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ljudska-prava-u-Hrvatskoj-2018.pdf
[53] Croatian original: Hrvatski pravni centar (HPC)
[54] https://www.unhcr.org/hr/3056-hrvatski-pravni-centar.html
[55] http://www.hpc.hr/2017/03/20/okvir-za-integraciju-izbjeglica-u-hrvatsko-drustvo/
[56] Ibid. Page 10. Translated from Croatian to English by the author of this report.
[57] Croatian original: Nastavni plan i program hrvatskog jezika za osobe starije od 15 godina na razini svih županija
[58] https://www.facebook.com/areyousyrious/
[59] http://www.jrs.hr/2018/03/30/pokrenuli-smo-centar-za-integraciju-izbjeglica-sol/
[60] http://croaticum.ffzg.unizg.hr/?page_id=4676&lang=hr
[61] https://www.jutarnji.hr/globus/Globus-zivot/zasto-ucimo-hrvatski-zato-sto-je-ovdje-sad-nas-dom-sirijci-i-iracani-u-rh-glagole-u-prezentu-prepoznajemo-kod-jinxa-a-vokativ-kod-tereze/7147503/
[63] https://medecinsdumonde.be/system/files/publications/downloads/Mental%20health%20of%20asylum%20seekers%20in%20Croatia_0.pdf
[64] Page 41: https://www.irh.hr/dokumenti/49-akcijski-plan-za-integraciju-osoba-kojima-je-odobrena-medunarodna-zastita-za-tisak/file
Refugee life in Croatia
Number of people with refugee status
In 2018, 225 asylum seekers have been granted refugee status in Croatia according to the Ministry of Interior.
Top 5 countries refugees are coming from (in 2018)
1. Afghanistan (236)
2. Syria (223)
3. Iran (149)
4. Iraq (91)
5. Algeria (82)
What are the living conditions for example housing?
In Croatia there are two reception centres, one in Zagreb and one in Kutina. The capacity of the two reception centres combined is 700; the one in Zagreb is 600 while the one in Kutina is 100.
There are no other types of accommodation than these two reception centres which are used both in the regular and in the accelerated asylum procedure.
Both reception centres are managed by the Ministry of Interior and the reception centre in Kutina is the one used for accommodating vulnerable groups.
Croatia obtained funding to build a third reception centre which will be built in Mala Goric, near Petrinja.
Important to mention is the fact that there have not been cases of not having access to reception accommodation because there was a shortage of places.
One of the complaints made by the Rehabilitation Centre for Stress and Trauma is that the centre is not appropriate for families with children.
Furthermore, the Welcome Initiative found the reception conditions in Kutina problematic because the resettled applicants who undergo an accelerated procedure and who receive support from the International Organization for Migration are accommodated together with asylum seekers who undergo the standard procedure. This has been complained about by other asylum seekers who consider it to be an unfair measure.
Asylum seekers in these centres can go outside but they have to return to the centre by 11pm. If they want to stay out until after 11pm or leave the centre for a couple of days they need the permission of the Reception Centre.
People in the reception centres share a room.
In Kutina families share a room, unaccompanied children and single women are accommodated separately in rooms, while in Zagreb a maximum of 4 persons can share a room. Families are accommodated in the same room but in Zagreb if there are more than 5 members of one family there are given 2 rooms when this is possible.
The Croatian Red Cross mentioned that there are no problems with the asylum centre in Kutina, while there is a problem with the asylum centre in Zagreb caused by its infrastructure and the ongoing reconstruction of the facility.
The living conditions in these centres have improved also due to the fact that the Red Cross and other donors purchased various equipment to improve the life of people staying there (ex: material for creative workshops, televisions for common spaces, etc.)
In these centres asylum seekers are given food three times a day and there is a room for Muslim asylum seekers to pray in.
According to the Red Cross the staffs employed in these centres are involving asylum seekers in various socio-cultural activities (introduction to Croatian culture workshop, sports activities, library sessions, etc.) and they are also offering them daily psychological support.
Are the people with an official refugee status allowed to work? If yes, is there assistance for finding employment? Are refugees offered language lessons?
Yes people with an official refugee status are allowed to work.
The law also specifies that applicants for asylum have the right to work nine months from the day they lodged the application in cases where the Ministry of Interior has still not rendered any decision, and if the reason that the procedure has not been completed is not due to the mistake of the applicant.
Furthermore, these applicants do not need to have a residence or a work permit or a work registration certificate until the decision of their application is final.
The Ministry of Interior also has to issue a document at the request of an applicant in order to certify that the applicant has obtained the right to work. If the applicant does not meet the conditions requested by the law, the Ministry will refuse to issue this certificate.
Do refugees or their children have the right to attend schools, universities, etc.?
The right to education is a constitutional right for all children in Croatia. According to the LITP, only child applicants (i.e. those under 18) are entitled to primary and secondary education.
In order to be eligible you have to apply under the same conditions as Croatian nationals which means that you have to lodge an application, and within 30 days you will be granted access.
There have been reported impediments to accessing secondary education for asylum-seeking children. The biggest problem when accessing school is still represented by the language barrier, but there has been progress in the last few years, and children access the educational system more easily at the moment.
In order to solve those impediments, measures have been taken. Child applicants have also been entitled to specific assistance to learn the national language and to make up for the knowledge they might lack in different school subjects, as preparatory and supplementary classes.
Is the state obliged to provide asylum seekers with healthcare?
According to the legislation access to emergency medical care is provided, but in practice asylum seekers have limited access to health care. Furthermore the state does not provide for special treatment for victims of human trafficking.
According to the law, asylum seekers benefit from emergency care and other treatment necessary for various mental disorders.
Medical assistance is provided thus in two asylum centres in the country; in Zagreb and Kutina, where care institutions regulated by the Ministry of Interior.
Important to mention is the fact that in the health care centre, a family medical ambulance has been designated for the primary health care for chronic and life threating illnesses.
There is also a specialist ambulance for vulnerable groups which has been appointed by the Ministry of Health and Local Health Centres.
If needed, asylum seekers are also referred to local hospitals; in Sisak for those accommodated in Kutina, and also in the hospital of Zagreb.
Vaccination is also performed by doctors in health centres or by specialists in schools of medicine.
In order to be able to offer better services, the Ministry of Interior has concluded agreements with NGOs who provide psycho-social support and counselling at the Reception Centres in Zagreb and Kutina, buy supplies for the work of the ambulance in the Reception Centre and offer transfers to healthcare institutions.
The Red Cross is also providing medical assistance in collaboration with the other entities involved. The organization insures trasfers to health institutions, interpretation for Arabic and Farsi, purchase of medication, medical prostheses and supplementary food for infants and people with dietary restrictions.
Do refugees experience obstacles with regard to issues like social life, personal wellbeing, freedom, etc.?
Based on my findings I would say not more than in other European countries. There are language barriers or cultural differences but these aspects cannot be regulated.
The legal process
The foreigner has to apply for asylum.
After the foreigner applies for asylum, the police officers or officials from the reception centres have to take his fingerprints and his photograph in order to establish his identity, how he entered into the country, the travel route from the country of origin to Croatia and all the personal circumstances for assessing the special reception and procedural guarantees.
Border officers, the police station, police administration or the Reception Centre shall register the applicant in the records of the Ministry of Interior no later than 3 working days from the day the applicant expressed his intention to apply.
The authority in charge will issue a certificate of registration and shall set a time limit in which the applicant must report to the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection to lodge an application.
Applicants are allowed to lodge an application no later than 15 days from the registration of their status in the records of the Ministry of Interior.
First instance procedure
After the application has been made, the Asylum Department of the Ministry of Interior shall arrange a personal interview with the applicant as soon as possible and shall issue a decision within 6 months. The 6-month period can be extended by 9 months under certain circumstances, and with exceptions it can be extended up to 21 months. The Asylum Department is also in charge of verifying the Dublin criteria and carrying out Dublin transfers to another Member States.
An application can also be processed under an accelerated or border procedure.
The first instance decision can be a decision by which the Ministry of Interior:
- Grants asylum;
- Grants subsidiary protection;
- Rejects the application if the applicant does not meet the conditions for asylum and subsidiary protection;
- Rejects the application if the conditions are met for exclusion;
- Rejects the application as manifestly unfounded;
- Dismisses an asylum application as inadmissible;
- Suspends the procedure.
The time limit to render a decision is 6 months but the time limit can be extended for additional 9 plus 3 months. It can be extended for 9 more months if:
(a) The application includes complex facts and/or legal issues;
(b) A large number of third-country nationals or stateless persons are requesting international protection at the same time;
(c) The applicant, through his or her actions, contrary to his or her obligations as applicant, causes the time limit to be extended.
However, this time limit may be extended for a further 3 months exclusively in order to ensure the complete consideration of the application.
Applications made by unaccompanied children are prioritized when processing their asylum request. Same is the case for asylum seekers coming from Turkey.
There is always an interview with the applicant and always an interpreter there if needed. Initially there is a short interview conducted by the Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers. After that there is a more extensive interview conducted by the Asylum Department of the Ministry of Interior.
There have been complaints that the translation is not always the best with interpreters since in most cases there is need for an interpreter but there are no standards prescribed in the past with regard to the qualifications of interpreters in the procedure for international protection.
Accelerated procedure
According to the law, the Ministry shall render a decision in an accelerated procedure no later than two months after the application has been made. Furthermore, there are 10 grounds for accepting the accelerated procedure and if the applicant is denied the accelerated procedure he has eight days to appeal.
Border procedure
As already mentioned, border procedures exist in the legislation but do not exist in practice.
Negative decisions can be appealed before the Administrative Court within 30 days in the regular procedure and eight days in the case of Dublin decisions, inadmissibility decisions or the accelerated procedure.
Appeals have a suspensive effect in the regular procedure, Dublin cases and some inadmissibility cases, but not in accelerated procedures.
Aside from lodging a complaint in front of the Administrative Court, the applicant can lodge a complaint before the Constitutional Court in case the applicant claims a violation of a right which is guaranteed by the Croatian Constitution. But it is not common in practice for an applicant to file a complaint at the Constitutional Court since it is often hard to regularize their stay based on the Law on Foreigners since most of them would not meet the conditions which are prescribed by the law.
Each asylum case is examined by a single judge and judges are not generally trained on asylum.
The outcomes of the administrative dispute can be that the appeal is:
- dismissed as inadmissible (and therefore not decided on the merits),
- rejected (i.e. decided negatively on the merits),
- allowed.
If the appeal is allowed, the Court has two options, either refer the case back to the Ministry of Interior for the review procedure, or it can change the decision by itself, meaning that the result is granting refugee or subsidiary protection status.
Onward Appeal before the High Administrative Court
Applicants can lodge a further appeal against the Administrative Court decision before a High Administrative Court. This appeal does not have suspensive effect.
Important to mention is the fact that there is no publicly available data on how this functions in practice.
Asylum seekers have access to free legal assistance on appeals against a negative decision. This includes both legal advice and representation in Court.
Application of the Dublin Criteria
Croatia does not use any national legislation to incorporate the Dublin III Regulation, as it is directly applicable, but refers to it in Articles 2 and 43 LITP, specifying that the application will be dismissed if the responsibility of another Member State has been established.
Under the Dublin regulation a transfer takes around two months after the responsible state has accepted responsibility.
Applicants are informed about Dublin and Eurodac when they express their intention to apply according to the Ministry of Interior.
The transfer to the responsible Member State is conducted by the Dublin Unit of the Ministry of Interior, together with the Member State which is receiving the applicant. This transfer is done usually under the escort of two police officers or in the cases of voluntary transfer of a minor it could be arranged that a staff member of the Dublin Unit escorts the minor.
There is no special interview under the Dublin procedure. If for example there is a hit in the Eurodac system and the asylum seeker has not mentioned it, then an additional interview will be conducted.
Dublin Appeal
The complaint must be lodged before the Administrative Court within eight days from the delivery of the decision.
Neither in this situation are judges or courts specialized in asylum law.
Generally speaking there are also hearings under the Dublin procedure, but the oral procedure can also be conducted under absentia.
Asylum seekers have access to free legal assistance on appeals against a Dublin decision in practice.
Admissibility Procedure
It is possible for the Asylum Department to take a decision without entering into a further in-depth examination of the asylum application (i.e. an examination on the merits) when the grounds for the dismissal of the application are met. Those grounds are the following:
(1) The applicant has been granted international protection in another member state of the European Economic Area;
(2) The applicant has been granted international protection in a third state whose rights he or she still enjoys, including the guarantees stemming from non-refoulement, provided that he or she will be received back into that state;
(3) It is possible to apply the concept of Safe Third Country;
(4) It is possible to apply the concept of European safe third country;
(5) The responsibility of another member state of the European Economic Area is established to consider the application;
(6) The application was lodged by a national of a member state of the European Union.
In most admissibility cases personal interviews are not conducted.
The admissibility procedure can be appealed in 8 days after the decision of the Ministry of Interior.
Asylum seekers have access to free legal assistance on appeal against an inadmissibility decision in practice.
Border authorities receive written instructions on the referral of asylum seekers to the competent authorities.
The maximum time limit for a first instance decision laid down in the law is four weeks.
Since the border procedure is not happening now, it is hard to see how this would look in the future.
A border procedure can be appealed within five days from the delivery of the decision.
The Minister shall deliver the case file no later than eight days from the day of the receipt of the decision by which the Administrative Court requests the case file. The Administrative Court shall render a judgement within 8 days from the day of the receipt of the case file.
Asylum seekers have access to free legal assistance on appeals against a negative decision in practice.
Accelerated procedure:
According to the LITP, the Ministry shall make a decision in an accelerated procedure where:
1. The applicant has presented only facts which are irrelevant to an assessment of the merits of the application;
2. The applicant has consciously misled the Ministry by presenting false information or unreliable documents, or by not providing relevant information or by concealing documents which could have had a negative effect on the decision;
3. The applicant in bad faith has probably acted and destroyed documents that establish identity and/or nationality with the aim to provide false information about his or her identity and/or nationality;
4. The applicant has presented inconsistent, contradictory, manifestly inaccurate or unconvincing statements contrary to the verified information on the country of origin, rendering his/her application unreliable;
5. A subsequent application is admissible;
6. The applicant has already resided for a longer period of time in the Republic of Croatia and for no justifiable reason failed to express his or her intention to apply for international protection earlier;
7. The applicant expressed the intention to apply for international protection for the clear purpose of postponing or preventing the enforcement of a decision which would result in his or her expulsion from the Republic of Croatia;
8. The applicant represents a risk for the national security or public order of the Republic of Croatia;
9. It is possible to apply the concept of Safe Country of Origin;
10. The applicant has refused to give fingerprints
The deadline for the accelerated procedure is 2 months, after which the claim is transferred to regular procedure.
There is a personal interview in the accelerated procedure.
The same provisions from the law on the personal interview in a regular procedure apply to the one in accelerated procedures. This means that the interview in accelerated procedure is not held only in specific cases prescribed by the law, for example when:
-A positive decision on application may be taken on the basis of the available evidence;
- In cases when an applicant is unfit or unable to be interviewed, owing to enduring circumstances beyond his or her control;
-The admissibility of a subsequent application is being assessed
The accelerated procedure can be appealed.
The Administrative Court is the competent appeal body in the accelerated procedure so there is no difference in the authority responsible for handling the appeal compared to regular procedure.
Complaints made against negative decisions in the accelerated procedure do not have suspensive effect.
Asylum seekers have access to free legal assistance on appeal against a negative decision.
Description of what happens if they do not receive the refugee status
Can refugees return to their home country?
Yes they can return to their home country if they want to.
Can they apply for asylum in another EU law country?
In theory, the rejected asylum seeker can travel to another EU country to seek asylum, but due to the Dublin regulation, they are usually sent back to Croatia.
Can they be deported?
If the person is not granted international protection, he can still apply for a residence permit on the grounds of work, study or family relationship.
But the reality is that most rejected asylum seekers face a choice between agreeing to a voluntary return or refusing to leave, in which case they may face detention and possible deportation.
Analysis of how the media depicts the refugees in Croatia
Is there national attention on refugees and the refugee issue?
There has been national attention on refugees and the refugee issue in Croatia. Numerous publications have written about it, not only in the national but also in the international media.
Croatia became the route for migrants coming to Europe when Hungary built a fence on its borders with Serbia, which is not the in European Union.
There has been a strong incentive to protect the Croatian borders from irregular immigration: "Croatia's president met the army chief of staff and required a higher level of alert and the army to be ready, if need be, to protect the national borders from the illegal migration"[i]
How are refugees presented by the media?
In November 2018, 700 organisations, journalists, individuals and public figures signed an open letter condemning the way Croatian media represents refugees and migrants. The criticism claimed that media reports in Croatia were overwhelmingly negative, one-sided, over-simplified and riddled with "fake news".
An extract from the letter states the following: "Once again, the media has disavowed their crucial social role of representing silenced and marginalised voices, as well as participating in questioning those who are dominant and have power, ignoring the principles of journalistic work additionally defined by the Code of Honour of Croatian Journalists."[ii]
It expresses concerns over the fact that journalists fail to investigate matters properly and choose to rely on government sources for information on immigration – which according to official EU research itself is lacking and insufficient.[iii]
The absence of critical journalism has created an environment where anti-immigration politicians feel comfortable to spread untruthful information about migrants. Ivan Pernar, from the populist Zivi Zid ("living wall") party, claimed in a video that stabbings in Germany had gone from 300 to 3,000 per year since the 2015 spike in immigration. However, this claim was fact-checked, and official statistics in Germany show that 2017 was the lowest for stabbing crimes in 25 years.
Is being a country of refuge presented in a negative, neutral or positive way?
There have been issues at the Croatian borders according to Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch declared in their report that Croatian border authorities continually turned back asylum seekers who entered Croatia from Serbia and did this without examining any of the asylum requests, thus not respecting international law which gives the right to people to seek asylum.[iv]
Croatian media has also brought reports of physical violence towards migrants before their expulsion, but this has been denied by the Ministry of Interior.
Even if Croatia has obligations under EU law concerning the quota and the redistribution system imposed by the EU, asylum has been rarely granted according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
Furthermore, the same report mentions that there is abuse and violence against migrants who try to cross the Serbian-Croatia border, since Croatia had to deal with a large number of migrants coming from the Middle East, and the western route though Croatia apparently had more than one million travelling through it.
Because of this situation there was a political crisis at EU level which led to the controversial EU agreement with Turkey and the subsequent closure of the Balkan route at the borders of Macedonia, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. Hungary was the first country to close its borders by building a metal barbed wire fence alongside the borders to Serbia and Croatia.
Following suit, Croatia chose to close its border over the number of people who were travelling between Croatia and Serbia in 2015 when the crisis was at its peak. Because of this situation the EU had to intervene, after which Croatia reopened its border. The sensitive relationship between Serbia and Croatia has been a silent conflict ever since the wars in 1991 and 1995.
[i] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/croatia/11872017/Refugee-Crisis-Croatian-border-police-chaos-live.html
[ii] https://emerging-europe.com/news/croatian-activists-condemn-media-portrayal-of-migrants/
[iii] https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/librarydoc/the-wages-of-fear-attitudes-towards-refugees-and-migrants-in-croatia
[iv] https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/7121/croatia-accepts-76-asylum-seekers-out-of-1-262
Follow-up on the refugee crisis
The subjective perspective
While Croatia does follow international and European law on asylum in certain areas, there are various reasons for concern and criticisms to be made.
Firstly, the access to Croatian territory for individuals who wish to claim asylum has been restricted beyond what is deemed acceptable from a legal and humanitarian perspective. Closing off borders and pushing back people collectively without individual assessment amounts to denying the right to claim asylum which is a serious offence under international law. Reports of physical violence at the border further intensifies this issue, and the criminalisation of those seeking to provide the migrant support which is held back by the state is worrying evidence of the authoritarian approach taken by the Croatian government.
Added to this is the lacking and improper information provided by the government. In a context where critical journalism is hard to come by, this makes for a situation where responsible authorities are not held to account.
Furthermore, once asylum seekers are in the country, they are not always offered appropriate treatment or living conditions. Reports of families accommodated in centres which are not suitable for children serve to underpin this notion; as does the fact that no specialised treatment is available to victims of human trafficking. In terms of means of integration, it is highly problematic that language classes are not provided everywhere refugees are present and the monthly allowance of 13.5 Euros is far from enough to live on.
Finally, the asylum process itself also has issues associated with it. The fact that it is not available to everyone who wishes to seek asylum in the first place is enough to condemn the system in itself, and considering the low number of people who end up being granted asylum is additional reason for concern. The fact that there is no proper standard for interpreters is extremely worrying as often the entire statement on which an asylum case is based depends on accurate translation of all details.
Based on the above points, and the general research as laid out in this report, Croatia still has a long way to go in order to fully comply with international, European and humanitarian standards.
Location: Southern Europe
EU-member since 2013
Currency: HRK (Kuna)
Min. wage:
Poverty line:
Population under poverty line:
IWB researchers
Maja Osmančević
"I am joining the IWB project because no human being should ever be made to feel illegal. If decision-makers aren't ready to take discerning action in order to create a better and just place for all, it is our chance and obligation to tell them - we are."
Patricia Papuc
Would you like to join our campaign?
© 2020 Issues Without Borders | NGO registration CUI 32741193 | EU Transparency Register 445926639623-30 | Web design by 4ever Films


The list at the top of this page is my best guess. We never know. Well.. Page 3 now.
Glenda and I plan on driving up on Saturday for the day. We should be there around noon. Unfortunately we won't be bringing a boat.
I drove across the I-24 bridge yesterday from Nashville back to Atlanta. I looked for woodies, but didn't see anyone.
The Sea Knight is looking good as always. Wish I could be there to see it in person. Hopefully one of these years when funds permit the trip.
I see that your front spray rails only extend part of the way forward. On my Vera Cruise, they are shown as extending all the way to the bow. I'm not particularly fond of that part of the design (for aesthetic reasons) and was wondering if they are still effective like you have yours. I have some design elements in my paint scheme that would look better if I could eliminate the spray rails or at least reduce them, so this is of some interest to me.
I see that your front spray rails only extend part of the way forward. On my Vera Cruise, they are shown as extending all the way to the bow. I'm not particularly fond of that part of the design (for aesthetic reasons) and was wondering if they are still effective like you have yours.
Hi, using Neel's computer at HB. Funny you should ask about those spray rails. They are supposed to go all the way forward, but I ended up making them too thick and they snapped at that point in the bend. Sooooo, that's where they ended up ending. I should really sand the forward end more to a taper to look better but at this point it hasn't happened. There are no problems with them ending there, I don't have any spray travel up the hull sides there at all.
neel thompson wrote: Hi, using Neel's computer at HB. Funny you should ask about those spray rails. They are supposed to go all the way forward, but I ended up making them too thick and they snapped at that point in the bend. Sooooo, that's where they ended up ending. I should really sand the forward end more to a taper to look better but at this point it hasn't happened. There are no problems with them ending there, I don't have any spray travel up the hull sides there at all.
Thanks for replying Bob and thanks Neel for letting Bob reply on your computer. I hope you all are enjoying the gathering. Really wish I could attend.
I guess I will leave the spray rails off at the bow initially and wait untill I can see how that affects the wetness factor. Since my boat is so long and the cockpit is quite far back, I am hoping that it won't be a problem. Of course, I need to get the boat built first!
I am a newbie to the group but can come down Saturday afternoon. Will there still be folks around then?
Cars packed to the gills, Utility boat is hitched up, hitting the road now. Be there about 8:30 am Friday morning.
There will be plenty to do and people at the gathering. All are welcome!! Have Fun!!


text:
Filming for the 'Wonder Woman' sequel took place during the summer and fall of 2018. (Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros.)
20 movies we can't wait to see in 2020
It's more than just superheroes and sequels: 2020 marks the return of Bill & Ted, Steven Spielberg's Broadway musical adaptation and Tom Hanks as the last man on earth.
by Benyamin Cohen | Monday, December 16, 2019
by Benyamin Cohen
The year 2020 is unusual one for the movie industry because it's the first in recent memory not to have an installment from the "Star Wars" franchise. But all that means is we can now focus our attention on a host of other cinematic goodies coming to theaters in the new year. Let us count the ways...
'Wonder Woman: 1984' / June 5, 2020
One of the most highly anticipated films of the year is the sequel to 2017's "Wonder Woman" when Israeli actress Gal Gadot returns as the Amazonian superhero. This time-shifting second installment in the franchise brings back love interest Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, and introduces two new villains: "Saturday Night Live" alum Kristen Wiig as Cheetah and "Game of Thrones" star Pedro Pascal as "greed is good" 1980s businessman Max Lord. Filming for the fantasy action superhero epic spanned the globe, with scenes being shot in the U.S., England and Spain. "The message of this movie is something that I deeply believe in and came to us while we were even working on the first movie," director Patty Jenkins said. "Wonder Woman is sent out into the world being about love and a belief in [people] and trying to make people better."
'Death on the Nile' / Oct. 9, 2020
The "Wonder Woman" sequel is not the only movie featuring Gal Gadot in 2020. The former Miss Israel has also joined the cast of "Death on the Nile," Kenneth Branagh's follow-up to 2017's "Murder on the Orient Express." Branagh returns as Detective Poirot, who is on vacation in Egypt when something goes murderously wrong. The film also stars Annette Bening, Arnie Hammer and Russell Brand amid a wide cast of potential suspects in the mystery whodunit. The film is based on the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie, whose dozens of books are now serving as a muse for the classically trained Branagh. "You feel as though there is a world," he explained. "Just like with Dickens, there's a complete world that she's created – certain kinds of characters who live in her world – that I think has real possibilities."
'In the Heights' / June 26, 2020
Ever since "Hamilton" debuted on Broadway, American audiences just can't get enough of the work of the show's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Fans are in for a treat this summer when the film adaptation of his other musical hits the big screen. "In the Heights," which Miranda started writing in college, is about life in the Manhattan neighborhood in which he grew up. Premiering on Broadway in 2008, it was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four – including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Choreography. Miranda, who played the lead character when the show was on Broadway, will have a small on-screen role in the movie. Jon M. Chu, who directed "Crazy Rich Asians," is helming the film adaptation. "I believe that this movie is an amazingly beautiful movie that will change a lot of lives," Chu said.
'West Side Story' / Dec. 18, 2020
The Broadway bent continues, with director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner bringing "West Side Story" to the big screen. It was first turned into a movie in 1961, but this new version is expected to hew closer to the storyline theatergoers are familiar with. Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler star as the two star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria, who fall for each other in 1950s New York. The always-busy Spielberg – who is also working on a fifth "Indiana Jones" movie – has been interested in "West Side Story" since 2014, but finally found the time to devote to filming it in the summer of 2019 in the tri-state area. Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her role in the 1961 film, is said to have a cameo in the new remake. Spielberg called filming the musical "a journey without precedence."
'Sonic the Hedgehog' / Feb. 14, 2020
How much are fans invested in the upcoming "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie? When the initial trailer was released, there was such a public uproar over the hedgehog's odd CGI features (human teeth? lanky legs?) that the studio decided to literally go back to the drawing board. A few months later and – voila! – a new trailer featuring a more hedgehog-looking hedgehog debuted online much to the delight of fans everywhere. That should come as welcome relief for the filmmakers, which includes Israeli screenwriter Oren Uziel and American film producer Neal H. Moritz. The film's director, Jeff Fowler, thanked fans on Twitter for their positive response to the redesign, calling their support "extraordinary." The film already has built-in audience enthusiasm, especially considering the movie is based on a beloved video game. The movie was originally scheduled for a November release, but due to the revamped animation is now set for a February bow.
'Godzilla vs. Kong' / Nov. 20, 2020
This monster action mashup is the 36th Godzilla movie and the 12th in the King Kong franchise. Besides featuring remarkably large animals, the movie stars Millie Bobby Brown from "Stranger Things" and Kyle Chandler from "Friday Night Lights." The filming took the cast and crew to Australia, Hawaii and Hong Kong – while more than a year was spent perfecting the special effects. "I really want you to take those characters seriously. I want you to be emotionally invested, not just in the human characters, but actually in the monsters," said director Adam Wingard. "It's a massive monster brawl movie. There's lots of monsters going crazy on each other, but at the end of the day I want there to be an emotional drive to it. I want you to be emotionally invested in them. I think that's what's going to make it really cool."
'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' / July 10, 2020
The latest installment in the "Ghostbusters" franchise has a decidedly less comedic flavor than its predecessors. Like "Godzilla vs. Kong," it also stars one of the kids from "Stranger Things," Finn Wolfhard. Watch the trailer above and you'll notice some of the same thematic elements between that popular Netflix show and this movie – a small town, a high school setting, teenagers discovering an unknown supernatural force. The movie was made by Jason Reitman, son of original director Ivan Reitman, and he made sure to pay homage to the iconic brand. "Jason Reitman wrote a beautiful, heartfelt script that takes the real DNA from the first two movies and transfers that directly to the third, the next generation," said Dan Aykroyd, who starred in the first two "Ghostbusters" film and, at one point, had written a script for an unmade third film. "It hands the legacy off to a new generation of stars, and players, and actors, and characters."
'Mulan' / March 27, 2020
Walt Disney has, as of late, made an entire cottage industry of turning its classic animated films into live-action remakes. (See "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast," "Dumbo," "The Lion King," "The Jungle Book," "Alice in Wonderland," "Cinderella" and more.) So it should come as no surprise that the famed studio is employing this tried-and-tested formula again for 2020's "Mulan." Based on the 1998 animated film, the remake follows Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, as she steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Chinese actress Liu Yifei was chosen for the title role after producers sent out a casting call that brought in more than 1,000 actresses. "[Disney was] extremely happy because we brought the film in on time – I mean, only 84 days, which is really a tiny number of days for filming at this size and scale – and slightly under budget," said Nikki Caro, the New Zealand-born director. "They ask themselves why, and I tell them it's because the film was run by women. Of course, you know, being women, we are extremely well prepared, and we were extremely communicative."
'No Time to Die' / April 8, 2020
"No Time To Die" is the 25th James Bond film, and the fifth to star Daniel Craig as the legendary British spy. It also features Ralph Fiennes and Rami Malek, fresh off his Academy Award-winning performance in "Bohemian Rhapsody." French actress Léa Seydoux returns in the role of a Bond Girl, which she also played in 2015's "Spectre." The globe-trotting spy movie was filmed throughout 2019 in Italy, Jamaica, Norway, Scotland and London – and, yes, you'll be seeing plenty of Bond's stylish Aston Martin as well. This film will be the last where Craig has a license to kill, as he will be retiring from the role. Looking back on his 14 years playing the beloved character, Craig said: "The biggest surprise was how much I get a kick out of it, and I got a chance to work with all these incredible people." There is no word yet on who will replace Craig after this film, although Disney boss Bob Iger has expressed interest in acquiring the franchise.
'Black Widow' / May 1, 2020
Speaking of Disney, a summer at the movies wouldn't be complete without a superhero from the Marvel universe, and up next is "Black Widow." American actress Scarlett Johansson has portrayed the character many times in previous films, but this marks the first time the superhero will headline her own movie. Part Batman, part Jason Bourne, her fighting style, intelligence and strength have made her a fan favorite member of the Avengers. "I think that's what drew me to the story," Johansson explained. "She's got so many secrets, she's got so much vulnerability, and I think that's what makes her such a great heroine. In this film we get to understand her past and put the pieces of herself together and come out a whole person."
'Tesla' / TBA, 2020
Good news! TESLA and my insane George Westinghouse handlebar mustache got into #sundance2020 .
A post shared by Jim Gaffigan (@jimgaffigan) on Dec 4, 2019 at 4:36pm PST
The historical drama stars Ethan Hawke as the famous inventor, and comedian Jim Gaffigan – who has been taking on more dramatic roles in recent years – as fellow entrepreneur George Westinghouse. Made by American director Michael Almereyda and Israeli producer Avi Lerner, the biopic showcases the struggles Tesla faced in trying to create a system of wireless energy that he hopes will be world-changing. The film is the second in as many years to focus on the technological advancements of Nikola Tesla. "The Current War," a 2019 movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, also explored the race to invent electricity in America at the turn of the 20th century. As for this new film, it will debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is expected in theaters later in the year.
'Dune' / Dec. 20, 2020
Based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, "Dune" first arrived in theaters during the holiday season in 1984. Ever since then, filmmakers have been trying for decades to remake the science fiction epic. And that dream will finally become a reality in 2020 with a new version featuring an all-star cast: Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and Zendaya, just to name a few. The film was shot on locations in Budapest, Hungary and Jordan. Director Denis Villeneuve has said that making a new "Dune" adaptation had been a lifelong ambition of his. "The ambition is to do the 'Star Wars' movie I never saw," he said. "In a way, it's 'Star Wars' for adults." The film will premiere during the holidays – exactly 36 years after the original debuted.
'The French Dispatch' / TBA, 2020
Fans of Wes Anderson, the mastermind behind such offbeat hits as "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel," have something to look forward to in the new year: the acclaimed director's 10th film, "The French Dispatch." Starring Frances McDormand, Bill Murray and the seemingly ubiquitous Timothée Chalamet, the movie is set in the aftermath of World War II and centers around a group of journalists at an office of an American newspaper in a small French town. The movie features a who's-who of cameos, including: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan and Willem Dafoe. And, of course, it wouldn't be an Anderson film without an appearance by Jason Schwartzman.
'Top Gun: Maverick' / June 26, 2020
Tom Cruise is reporting for duty as he returns to the role that turned him into a household name. Val Kilmer will also be reprising his role, and word has it that Kenny Loggins' song "Danger Zone" will, once again, be in the film. Cruise, who likes to do his own stunts, actually took pilot lessons so he could fly the F-14 in the film. "It was a dream of mine," he said. And he's excited about what fans of the original will see in the sequel. "So when you're seeing the G-Force, it's not a computer-generated image. It's actually the actors in there being the characters," he said, adding that he looks at the movie as a love letter to aviation. "I'm here to entertain you. That's the privilege of my job."
'Tenet' / July 17, 2020
Christopher Nolan, known his work on Batman's "The Dark Knight Trilogy," has written and directed this new action thriller. The cast, which includes Robert Pattinson and Michael Caine, had to bring their passports to set as they were flown to seven countries during filming: Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the U.K. and the U.S. This will be the fifth Nolan film to be released in mid-July, and the director is hoping lightning strikes again: all of the previous ones have gone onto box office success. The exact premise of the movie is being kept under wraps for now, but those who saw a special teaser trailer say it's sort of like Nolan's "Inception" – but with time travel.
'Dolittle' / Jan. 17, 2020
Robert Downey, Jr. – who has previously portrayed Sherlock Holmes – will be tackling another literary character from Victorian England with his new film adaptation of the classic 1922 children's book "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle." In this retelling, the good doctor is sent to a mythical island in search of a cure for a gravelly ill Queen Victoria. Along the journey, he meets up with a menagerie of animals voiced by Hollywood A-listers like Emma Thompson, Selena Gomez, Octavia Spencer and Rami Malek. The film was directed by Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan, who's known for his work on "Traffic" and "Syriana." For "Dolittle," is the first time that the Kentucky native tackled a film heavy on the visual effects. Universal Pictures, the studio behind the film, brought in additional help from the team that made the popular "Lego" movies to help bring it all together.
'Bad Boys for Life' / Jan. 17, 2020
Why fix something if it ain't broke? Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had a blockbuster franchise on their hands with "Bad Boys" and "Bad Boys II," so they figured why not take one more trip down memory lane. It's been 17 years since these two played the macho Miami cops – Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett – who never saw a car chase they didn't want to participate in. But the actors, now both in their 50s, left some of the more complex stunts to the professionals this time around. "I tried — like the first couple of weeks," Smith said. "I probably got four days into shooting and I was like, 'Yeah, we're gonna let a young boy do that one.'"
'Coming 2 America' / Dec. 18, 2020
The theme for 2020 seems to be sequels to movies from our youth. Another welcome entrant in this category is "Coming 2 America." The original, starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, became an instant classic when it debuted back in 1988. Both actors have been making a comeback in recent years – Murphy with several dramatic roles and Hall with a new Netflix comedy special. The film picks up where the first one left off: Prince Akeem is set to become the king of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street savvy New York native named Lavelle. James Earl Jones reprises his role as the king, and his dying wish is to groom this newfound grandson as the crown prince. So Murphy and Hall's characters return to Queens for a comedic reunion where, once again, Murphy will play the role of multiple characters. "I couldn't be happier with how it turned out," Murphy told Ellen DeGeneres on her show.
'BIOS' / Oct. 2, 2020
A bearded Tom Hanks appeared at an event during the filming of 'BIOS,' a post-apocalyptic film. (Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock)
If Tom Hanks is in a movie, sign us up. Whether he's playing Mr. Rogers or Mr. Gump, we're buying our ticket the day it arrives in theaters. And "BIOS" looks to deliver the goods. It tells the tale of an ailing inventor, the last man on Earth, who builds a robot to keep him and his dog company as they embark on a journey across the country. Various cities in New Mexico stood in for the post-apocalyptic desert landscape of the movie. What's more intriguing is that it's directed by London native Miguel Sapochnik, best known for directing several episodes of "Game of Thrones," for which he won an Emmy. Also look for two other movies starring Hanks in 2020: "Greyhound" and "News of the World."
'Bill and Ted Face the Music' / Aug. 21, 2020
Keanu Reeves was practically unknown when he starred as one half of the time-traveling duo in 1989's "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." Flash forward – past "Speed," "The Matrix" and "John Wick" – and the 55-year-old Canadian actor is returning to the role that made him famous. Along with Alex Winter, who moved on to roles behind the camera after 1991's sequel "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey," the two will be reprising their characters from the stoner classic. The new film finds Bill and Ted as middle-aged men (Ted's a lawyer) going through the monotony of their daily routines. They're visited by someone from the future who warns them that the world will end if they don't write a song that will save the universe. To quote the inimitable Reeves: "Whoa."
Benyamin Cohen writes about everything from science to entertainment – and sometimes about dating apps for dogs.
Posted 3 hours ago:
Posted 1 week ago:
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago:
Posted 1 week, 5 days ago:
7 Hollywood female spies who always save the day
We recast 5 classic romantic movies with today's actors
10 best thriller series to watch on Netflix, Amazon and Hulu
Related Topics: Gal Gadot, Lists, Movies
It's more than just superheroes and sequels: 2020 marks the return of Bill & Ted, Steven Spielberg's Broadway musical adaptation and Tom Hanks as the last ma

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Wincentówek – wieś w Polsce położona w województwie mazowieckim, w powiecie nowodworskim, w gminie Leoncin.

W latach 1975–1998 miejscowość należała administracyjnie do województwa warszawskiego.

Zobacz też
 Wincentówek, Wincentowo

Przypisy

Leoncin (gmina)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Education reform bill will head to governor; economic equity bills pass House
Welch makes history as first Black Illinois House speaker
Criminal justice reform package will head to governor
Check out the Photo Galleries under the Photo tab for additional photos
Sign Up for The Tribune E-Edition
St. Louis News
Mister Marquee
Downstate judge denies AG request to move lawmaker's case to Sangamon County
By Editor | May 15, 2020 | 0
Bailey's attorney argues request was state looking for a 'favorable ear'
By REBECCA ANZEL
Capitol News Illinois
ranzel@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD — A downstate judge on Friday denied the attorney general office's request to move to Sangamon County a Republican representative's lawsuit challenging Gov. JB Pritzker's authority to issue successive disaster proclamations.
Rep. Darren Bailey, of Xenia, filed his case on April 23 alleging the governor overstepped his power by declaring more than one state of emergency to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney ordered that Bailey should temporarily not be subject to Pritzker's stay-at-home order, but an appeals court undid that ruling at Bailey's request.
The attorney general's office also unsuccessfully petitioned the Supreme Court to weigh in on the lawmaker's allegations. Now, McHaney has rejected that office's petition to transfer Bailey's case to Sangamon County. The state argued the move was warranted because the county is the seat of Illinois government, the case has statewide implications and relevant witnesses are located in the county.
Thomas DeVore, Bailey's attorney, argued in a court document that the state's request reflects its "motion for substitution of judge cloaked as a forum change for 'convenience.'" Devore wrote that the appeal for venue change is being used as a "vehicle for Pritzker to forum shop for a favorable ear," when such a request would properly be used as "a device to remedy a situation in which the existing forum is truly inconvenient for all parties."
The shift from Clay County to Sangamon County would be "proper," the state wrote in its motion, because Pritzker has an "official residence" in Springfield and the executive orders and disaster proclamations Bailey's lawsuit disputes were officially issued there. According to statute, the passage of laws and other official state actions must occur in Springfield. Even though Pritzker was last in the state capital to update residents about the government's response to COVID-19 on March 16 and physically signed the documents in Chicago, they were entered into the state's record in Springfield with the secretary of state's office.
"Governor Pritzker maintains his official residence in Sangamon County, and does not reside in Clay County. The orders Governor Pritzker issued for the purpose of combating COVID-19 were issued in Sangamon County, not Clay County," the attorney general's office argued in its court filing. "…All of the documents, and the actions they memorialize, are intrinsically connected with Sangamon County."
DeVore characterized the attorney general's office referencing Pritzker's official residence in Springfield as an "obfuscation at its best," and alleged where the governor lives is not important for determining where Bailey's lawsuit should be litigated. "It should not escape this court that Pritzker does not allege he actually lives in Sangamon County," he wrote in the court document. "Unless the Thompson Center has somehow moved to Sangamon County, given it seems to be the location of Pritzker's daily press briefings, it would seem readily apparent he is actually residing in Cook County."
The "relevant documents" mentioned by the attorney general's office "can easily be printed," DeVore argued. He added the office offered no information about who the "many unidentified witnesses" are, where they work and live or what knowledge they could offer the judge. In its filing, the attorney general's office wrote it was asking McHaney to rule the same way a Peoria County judge did in a case "advancing an identical legal theory to this one." Judge Derek Asbury ordered that because that lawsuit sought to declare Pritzker's executive order "promulgated and issued from Sangamon County" unconstitutional, it made sense to move the case to that county.
"The court cannot ignore the public interest factor of this being a localized versus statewide controversy, touching every corner of the state," Asbury wrote in his opinion issued Tuesday, May 12. "The court finds it is as important to have consistency in rulings on a statewide issue during this pandemic."
Posted in Illinois Capital News
Small business grant program ends, paying out more than $275 million
January 13, 2021 | No Comments »
Permanent vote-by-mail expansion moves to House floor
Illinois aims to boost flagging tech economy with public-private research network
December 17, 2020 | No Comments »
State gambling revenues plummet during pandemic
October 7, 2020 | No Comments »
Statehouse statues of Stephen Douglas, Pierre Menard to be removed from exterior
August 20, 2020 | No Comments »
The Freeburg Tribune


text:
Q: Sorting acts-as-taggable on multiple find_related queries I have a Kid model which includes the following:
acts_as_taggable
acts_as_taggable_on :interests, :traits
attr_accessible :first_name, :last_name, :age, :interest_list, :trait_list

Where interests can = ["skateboarding","snowboarding","rollerblading"] etc.
and traits can = ["shy","loud","short","tall"] etc.
I am trying to implement a method:
def similar_kids
end

That returns kids with similar interests, similar traits,  and are close in age. I would also like similar_kids to be sorted by (in this order):

*

*# of interests + traits in common (DESC)

*age difference (ASC)

IE given.

*

*Kid A age = 16

*Kid B has 3 interests and 1 trait in common with Kid A, and is 20 years old

*Kid C has 2 interests and 2 traits in common with Kid A, and is 16 years old

The order of similar_kids will be:

*

*Kid C

*Kid B

Is there a way I can do this efficiently with the gem? It's looking more and more like I'll need to do something custom, but I really like the way things are set up with acts-as-taggable.
Thanks!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A diaper cake for boys is a unique way to give an expecting mom a practical baby gift. When making a diaper cake for boys, you will typically find lots of blues, as blue is the general color that you find for boys. You can also have different types of themes for the diaper cake. Most parents will decide on a theme for the child's nursery, and the baby shower will be centered on that theme.
When looking at a diaper cake from afar, you may think it looks like a multi-tiered wedding cake. Most diaper cakes are used with only white diapers, causing it to look like a white cake. After further inspection, you will find that the cake is made entirely of diapers. The cake is actually made of around 50 diapers or so. Some larger tier cakes (4 or 5 tiers) use more diapers to construct the additional layers. The diapers are folded around a center post in a circular pattern to make each layer. Each layer is then stacked to make it look like a cake. You can make it as simple as you want, or as elaborate as can be. For a different look, some designers roll up each diaper and then arrange bundles of the rolled diapers to create each layer. For either design style, ribbons , baby care necessities, a plush or stuffed animal can all be attached to the diaper cake to complete the design. Naturally, these baby items are all selected to match the boy theme.
You can find many different items on the diaper cake. It's common to find newborn baby shampoo, diaper powder, or baby lotion as gifts included with the cake. Some diaper cakes contain different colored baby bottles wrapped around the edges of the cake so that it will add more color to the aesthetic appearance of the entire gift. Cotton swabs, washcloths and body wash are a few other things commonly found on the the cake. Sometimes a receiving blanket is included on the base layer of the diaper cake to add more color.
Diaper cakes for boys are made entirely from diapers that can all be used for the new baby. Proper construction of the diaper cake allows the new mom to disassemble the cake diaper by diaper. Sometimes, the cakes are made with differently sized diapers that will fit the baby as it grows. The cake can have many layers, but most of them typically have three separate layers. Typically, the largest cake that someone would choose to have made is composed of five layers. Six layers are also possible, but shipping considerations may limit this as an option for sending to the new mom. With the larger cakes, you could place a teddy bear for the new mother and her baby. Expecting mothers really love receiving these cakes as gifts – there's nothing like watching a new mom use the items on the diaper cake as they are truly items required for the care of a newborn.
Because the diaper cakes are such a unique baby gift, they can be sent in many different situations. For example, they can be used as a centerpiece at the baby shower or as focal point on the gift table. Any mother would love to walk into her baby shower and see the diaper cake used not only for a gift but as a part of the decorations. Diaper cakes don't just have to be for the new moms to be either. Any workplace or group of friends can get one for a new dad as well. Few things are as satisfying as receiving a useful and thoughtful for a new baby that is on the way.
If you're planning to give a diaper cake as a baby gift, you should first think about what kinds of themes and contents would be the best fit for the mother and baby. Find out what the new mother and father are looking to put into the nursery. Take the time to find little objects that will match with their décor. If the mother is going with a jungle type theme, you can adorn the diaper cake with stuffed giraffes or elephants from a local nursery store or from Lil' Baby Cakes. The same is true for themes such as trains or cars that certainly match the diaper cake for boys theme.
The average baby uses about seven to eight new diapers a day! Keep that in mind when choosing the type and size of diaper cake to get. It can take some of that new stress off the mother if she already has a supply of diapers on hand. Although these cakes are usually given to new or expecting mothers, those are not necessarily the only situations in which they're appropriate. If you ask an experienced mother, she will always tell you, you can't have enough diapers! If you want to do something nice for a mother who has already had her child, she would still appreciate the gesture and the diaper supply. That's why a diaper cake for boys is an extremely practical gift. What parent wouldn't be thankful for such a thoughtful gesture? Many people don't give diapers despite their practicality because it's a somewhat awkward or non-standard gift. The diaper cake brings elegance to the practicality and excitement to the whole experience of a baby shower or newborn's birthday.
Next time you are invited to a baby shower, consider alternatives before you go out and buy a new baby gift for the new parent. Talk to some of the people going to the shower and see what they are getting for the new mother to be. Most people attending baby showers love to get a single large gift from several people at a time so that they can get something greatly needed for the mother. Check out some of the diaper cakes that are available and you're sure to find one that will go with the mother's, or the new baby's, theme. It can be a great way to help start up a brand new nursery, and the mother will be grateful. If you are hosting the party and you don't know what to do for the mom to be, order or a diaper cake for boys – they always look great and the new parents will get use out of the diapers and the baby will grow up with a plush toy that could become their favorite.


text:
Monday , Nov , 28 , 2005 C.Y. Ellis Tweet
Nets, Nuggets square off at Pepsi Center
(Sports Network) -The Denver Nuggets play the middle contest of a three-game
road trip tonight, as they welcome the New Jersey Nets to the Pepsi Center.
This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. The Nets are
scheduled to host the Nuggets on December 16th at Continental Airlines Arena.
New Jersey has won six of the last seven meetings in this series. The Nets
have lost three of five and four of their last seven at Denver.
The Nets play the finale of their current five-game road trip. They are 1-3 on
the swing.
On Sunday, Jason Kidd scored a season-high 35 points, including five in
overtime, to lift the Nets to a 102-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the
Staples Center. Kidd dished out 12 assists, while Nenad Krstic had 20 points
and 13 rebounds in the win for New Jersey.
Kidd is averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and a team-best 6.98 assists this
season for the Nets. He has three double-doubles and on triple-double so far
in the 2005-06 campaign.
New Jersey is 2-5 on the road this season. After tonight's contest, the Nets
return home for two games. They are scheduled to host Detroit on Wednesday and
Toronto on Saturday.
Denver won the first contest of its current stand. On Friday, Carmelo Anthony
scored 35 points on 11-of-17 shooting to lead the Nuggets over the Los Angeles
Clippers, 105-95, at the Pepsi Center. Anthony knocked down 12-of-14 free
throws in the win.
Former New Jersey Net Kenyon Martin poured in 16 points and Andre Miller
tallied 15 points, seven assists and six boards for the Nuggets, who have won
three straight over the Clippers.
The Nuggets, who have won five of their last six overall, are 6-1 at home this
season. They closeout their homestand on Wednesday versus the New
Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
DEN NJN


You probably aren't shocked to hear this, but these days, you can take supplements for pretty much anything. The Food and Drug Administration defines a "dietary supplement" as a vitamin, mineral, herb, amino acid, or other dietary substance that's used to increase a person's intake of a certain ingredient. The most common supplements are vitamins: … Continue reading Skincare Supplements: Craze or Cure?


Nero Video 2018 Serial Number is a video editing toolkit that's been designed comprehensive media management, editing and authoring solution that can help transform videos and images into great-looking entertainment projects. Also it has effects with full keyframe control. Import video from digital stills, camera, smartphones and camcorder to playback or edit on your PC. You can start with a blank canvas, or make the production process faster by choosing a template and theme.
Nero Video 2018 Platinum Activator has impressive photo and video effects. Your images can be edited with a stunning array of modern filters that give you a new perspective on your snapshots. Whilst your videos can be edited and customized to make use of one of the many themes. Apart from preparing video content in order to remove unwanted frames and customizing the audio track, Nero Video 19.0.27000 Patch offers the possibility to add transition effects from one movie or image to another as well as PiP (picture-in-picture) video thumbs. By using this app you will create videos with amazing animations and publish or burn them in a snap. Furthermore, it supports Ultra HD (4K) video and includes great themes, video stabilizers and effect packages.
Locate videos, photographs, and even music centrally in Nero MediaHome. An extra fast file import function from external hard drives, cameras, USB sticks, and smartphones is combined with a variety of photo edit functions and a multi-application drag & drop archiving feature.
Captivate your audience using express or advanced video editing, with a myriad of effects including tilt shift, old movies, slow motion, titles, transitions, audio filters, keyframe animation, and much more! Black bars on the widescreen TV are also now a thing of the past.
Bring your vacation into your living room or your presentation into the office: In Nero Video 2016 Keygen, you can easily play slide shows and movies anywhere thanks to a wide range of streaming functions – whether you're using a smart TV, Xbox, PlayStation, or some other Wi-Fi media player.
Nero Video will show you whatever your heart desires. For all kinds of audio and video files, photos, design slide shows with music, DVDs, AVCHDs, and UltraHD videos – you can play them back in whatever way you choose!
With Nero Video 2018, you won't have to make any compromises when choosing your format. Edit your movies in the highest quality with in 4K, Full HD and SD. Export individual scenes from long movies in one go.
What's New In Nero Video 2017 Platinum Serial Number?
Nero Launcher with instant access to all Nero Video 2015 projects and guides.
How To Install & Register Platinum With Crack?
First of all install Nero Video 2017 Trial Edition.
Next story VyprVPN Premium 2.11.0.7650 Crack Is Here !