Can we renegotiate the Irish backstop? The EU's reply in full.
Last night the House of Commons voted for unicorns, for pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, for we-won-the-war-you-know-ism, for an unspecified spell that would wave a wand and in a magic shower of union fleg sparkles make the Irish border disappear. The EU is not going to accept it.
But far more importantly, this was a vote by the Tories and for the Tories to keep the Tory party together. A vote which, shamefully, 14 Labour MPs supported. To their eternal shame, in an ignominy which will be remembered for generations, the House of Commons decided that it was far more important to achieve a temporary truce within the Conservative party than it was to respect the Good Friday Agreement and ensure peace in Northern Ireland.
The EU, unsurprisingly, is less than impressed. Theresa May now wants to renegotiate the deal with the EU that she herself had already agreed to, and replace it with some vague alternative that she either cannot or will not define. The position of the UK is that it's now up to the Irish and the EU to come up with a solution. Seriously. No wonder no one trusts the British government.
The negotiating position of the UK is now that a no deal Brexit would damage the EU and therefore the EU will fold. But that's not how the EU sees it. As far as the EU is concerned Brexit will be a one off event from which it can recover, but the destruction of the single market and customs union which the UK is demanding will last forever. For Britain, the effects of a no deal Brexit will be far more severe, and will last forever. It's like basing your negotiating strategy on putting a gun to your own head and insisting that you should be stopped from pulling the trigger because someone else will have to clean up the blood spatters.
The House of Commons is a pathetic sham. The two main British political parties are obsessed with scoring short term political points against one another, and incapable of seeing any larger picture. Both of them are in thrall to a myth of a Great Britain bestriding the globe like a mighty colossus, blind to the reality of a medium sized European country that cannot, will not, face up to the truth that it lost its empire generations ago. They court cataclysm because they believe that Britain is too big to fail. It cannot enter their tiny narrow little minds that the political and economic disasters which have befallen other states can befall the UK too, because in their imaginings this is an island nation protected by the unassailable moat of the English Channel.
So they lash out, blaming everyone else for their own failures and shortcomings. It's never the fault of Blighty. It's never the fault of Brexit. It's the fault of the Irish for insisting that they are an independent sovereign state and acting accordingly to protect their own interests. It's the fault of the French and the Germans for always resenting the British. It's the fault of the Italians and the Spanish for being jealous. It's the fault of the Scots for not believing in Britain.
What we are witnessiing in the House of Commons this week is the historic betrayal of the UK by Britain's political parties. It's not just Scotland which has been betrayed, sidelined, ignored and traduced. It's everyone in the UK. The British political class has trashed any residual belief that our European allies might have had in the UK's good faith. They have put a bonfire under the Irish peace process. They have crapped all over Scotland. And all in pursuit of solving the internal political disagreements of the Conservative party.
Labour is no better. Even now, even at this late stage, even with so little time left to go, Labour is still pursuing unicorns with equal fervour as the Tories. The party's leadership still talks of the fantasy of a jobs first Brexit, as though there were two years left to negotiate it and not two months. The death of a second EU referendum lies at Labour's door. The failure to wrest back control of Commons business from an overweening and arrogant minority government with dictatorial tendencies is the fault of Labour.
This is the punching above its weight that Scotland was promised in 2014. This is the respect agenda, the seat at the top table. This is the love. This is the partnership. It's all as much of a fantasy as the Tories' alternative arrangements or Labour's jobs first Brexit.
Back in 2014 Scotland was told that voting for independence meant voting for a romanticised dream, that it was based on emotion and not fact. We see now that it's Britishness which is unmoored from reality. It's the UK which defines itself by a romantised vision of a past that never really happened. It's the UK which trades on emotion and not fact. It's the UK which demands entitlement and privilege that it will not get.
Common sense is often defined as something that's self evident and therefore does not need to be proven. Back in 2014 opponents of independence were able to argue that remaining a part of the UK was common sense, that it was up to supporters of independence to prove their case. It's no longer true that remaining a part of the UK is common sense for Scotland. In the next vote on Scottish independence, a vote which is coming soon, it will be incumbent upon opponents of independence to prove their case. And all they have are fantasies and unicorns, threats and bullying.
Scotland will become an independent nation again because the myth of the union has been destroyed by those who claim to believe in it.
As we expected. This is what I think we should do now.
IB: "Mr Speaker I speak to you today, and to this House, with a huge measure of regret that the gross incompetence of this Government has today caused the UK to crash out of the EU without a Deal of any kind. We in Scotland have never before seen such incompetence and mal-administration in the history of this place. In Scotland we have become used to broken promises, every promise made to us for the 2014 referendum has been broken. Then we come to Brexit, an event that would not have happened had it not been for infighting within the Conservative party and a significant error made by Mr David Cameron to keep his party together".
"After the Prime Minister initiated Article 50 in March 2017 she had already rejected a proposal by the Scottish First Minister dated December 2016 where we proactively put forward an option for Brexit. That was rejected out of hand and never discussed. There was then a farce as the Government appeared to have meetings with the devolved administrations every two or three months. It should be noted that on one occasion no Government Minister attended. None of our requests made to the Government are in the negotiated EU withdrawal Bill. There has never been an attempt to get a cohesive 'buy in' with the parties in this House or the devolved administrations".
"During many debates in this House, my party is regularly insulted and ignored despite being active in a conscientious way with the business of this House".
"Mr Speaker away back in 2014 the people of Scotland were promised that we were to be an equal partner in the UK. This has not happened. Nearly everything the Scottish Government tries to support, amend or enact is rejected. Where is the respect in our democracy, where is the respect within this House for Scotland and its people. Mr Speaker it is with regret that today, on this fateful day for this land, that the SNP members of this House will today depart and will not return. We have tried to work progressively without respect in this sham of a Union, this sham for democracy. Goodbye".
How much I could wish that Plaid Cymru could accompany her Scottish cousins out of the exit door (Scexit and Walexit – NOT Brexit/Engxit)!
So, also, there will be attempts at 'a rough wooing' of the Welshies, the first and last colony of England. "We love you, too – we always did. Please don't go!" But Welshies must learn the lesson that the Jocks already have. England's elite never has (and never will have) respect for its peripheraries. Devolution? Pah – they had no need to discuss important constitutional matters with lesser peoples like the Celts on these islands. Their wee pretendy Parliaments and Assemblies can be dissolved at the stroke of a Westminster pen – much has already been eroded by Westminster, more dilution of local democracy can only follow.
I therefore urge my fellow Welshies to stand tall, together with their Scottish cousins. Learn the true nature of the British State (which is only there to boot us in the balls on a regular basis) and join in the liberation that is coming soon to Scotland – and can only but inspire all right-thinking Welshies to obtain the freedom their country, too. Proud Welshies But … Your days, as those of the shamocracy of the British state, are numbered. Join us, join Scotland, join Cymru in a new way of thinking, and a new country, freed from the shackles of a defunct Westminster and UKania which has nothing but the dying glow of the embers of Empire to keep it warm.
Dros Gymru / For Scotland.
– What's the Welsh for "it's coming yet for all that"?
'let the servile lick the floor'.
lol i was going to make some long winded articulate pertinent reply but then i saw Sion!!! where you been hiding pal? weve missed you!!
Someone did suggest that we 'sing' our independence here in Scotland – hearing that makes it an excellent idea.
Well, diabloandco, I have written about 20 song parodies which you are more than welcome to use.
'Let the servile lick the floor', if they have the energy to climb up from the sewers beneath.
Brilliant, Andy! Word perfect. If it could only happen this way in the next couple of days/weeks, then I would see my dream come true and that of many fellow Scots.
The opportunity of a lifetime lasts only for the lifetime of the opportumity.
We're done trying to reason with them.
The war of words is over. Time to act.
I also forgot standing on the beaches and Germans putting towels on sunloungers.
If only NS would say this.
The closing headlines of BBC 6 o'clock news heralds May's return to Europe to scrap the backstop with grainy footage of a spitfire and a squadron of Lancaster bombers!
Time for us to leave, Scotland.
There are troops in Norn Irn now.
It just takes one death and the GFA will be scrapped and a hard border reintroduced.
These nutters won't let up.
Perfidious Albion is a pejorative phrase used within the context of international relations and diplomacy to refer to alleged acts of diplomatic sleights, duplicity, treachery and hence infidelity (with respect to perceived promises made to or alliances formed with other nation states) by monarchs or governments of the UK (or England prior to 1707) in their pursuit of self-interest.
Perfidious signifies one who does not keep his faith or word (from the Latin word perfidia), while Albion is an ancient and now poetic name for Great Britain.
La perfide Albion. I used to think it was just the French being French (that's how we were socialized, after all). But in this Brexit "process" I've come to understand that it's actually the Fench being reasonable.
La perfide Albion. I used to think it was just the French being French (that's how we were socialized, after all). But in this Brexit "process" I've come to understand that it's actually the French being reasonable.
France is our ally, England if we are to base our assessment on the outrageous behaviour of Yoons to the SNP at WM, are the enemy of Scots.
How did we get to this sorry pass?
The French and Germans have always followed treaties to the letter. Every word of their treaties, is treated as if it's gospel. That's why the Tories duplicitous, double-dealing, deceitful and treacherous methods used in Brexit are anathema to them. That being said, the leaders of the EU have kept their tempers in check, under severe provocation and shown the heights of diplomacy, while remaining true to the four principles of the EU.
The English seem to forget that Ireland will have a veto on any EU/UK trade deal. If we don't crash out with a disastrous No deal, after all the traitorous shenanigans of the UK, the EU 27 are going to screw the UK for everything they can get in the trade negotiations. Who can blame them? An independent Scotland needs to be there, so we can wet our beaks, as well.
Marlon, I like to think that the EU will be playing hard ball with England on our behalf too, ultimately.
It is unthinkable that Scotland would vote 'No' in Indyref 2 now.
In 60 days, my European passport will be cancelled, because a fat Tory in an English seat has 'power' over me?
Our friends and allies are in Europe, not Down There in the Palace of WM.
Tonight Fiona Bruce will fill the benches on QT with gammon faced John Lewis checked shirt Brexit nuts cheering the 'Jerusalem' Singing Battle of Britain Dunkirk Spirit MP's and Hacks on the panel.
They chose wisely picking her to replace the Eton/Oxbridge Bullingdon Boy.
Now that Corbyn is in bed with Treeza, they'll all be singing from the same 'Always Be An England' hymn sheet.
England is working itself up into a crescendo of madness.
I am a European, not a serf in a militarily occupied colony of England.
Agree with every word Jack. I see May is going to basically bribe Labour MPs for their vote now. This doling out of cash to constituencies is called pork barrel politics in the USA and again shows Labour at their most treacherous. No scruples, no principles, Labour in bed with the Tories, same as in Scotland. Selling out Scotland's pro EU vote without a thought.
Now, we're also to have teenage spotty scrotes from Leeds, Hull, Manchester and Liverpool given guns and uniforms and let loose on the streets of Scotland, in a No deal Brexit outcome. There is Tory legislation in place, to allow these "soldiers", free rein without recriminations.
It is the centenary of the reading of the riot act in George Square during the General Strike. Tanks batons, workers crushed by The Iron Heel of England.
I've been in Belfast many many times during the 'Troubles'.
My Everlovin' is a Belfast lass.
I have witnessed the sad sight of poor working class boys Press Ganged into the British Army through poverty patrolling the streets of W Belfast.
Indeed my nephew served and di a tour there; he was the poor sod with the radio and whiplash aerial strapped to his back.
The thought of young Sunderland and Bristol lads being marched North to quell us 'Rebellious Scots' chills me to the bone.
Set prole against prole is the Brit Empire MO.
In London's fashionable Gentlemen's Clubs and the Ritz, life goes on, no matter how many hundreds of thousands of ordinary folk lose their jobs, their houses, or their lives.
Perhaps it's time to march on George Square again, not for a few hours, but ensconced until Scotland is Free once more.
i too am a European, Jack. and because of the commercial crime of ageism endemic in this feckin country, effectively barring me from my profession, after trying both multi-drop delivery driving and the royal mail, i am now working/general labouring on a building site supervising two Hungarians and putting them up at our house (I've never been happier in my puff) where my translation services are part of the job. My Irish passport arrived last week. As soon as my wife retires we're off out of this (another year max.) and are going to retire to outside Budapest where she can look after her ageing mother. I very much look forward to being adopted by another European country and one with a deep-rooted culture which I've known over the last 8 years. Assuming Orban wont get rid of me of course (or Europe him, but he'll go in time anyway) I like many others just have to get on with our lives as best we can. I hate all that Tory Engerland (Britain) stands for, and the media cognoscenti, i really dont give a XXXX for the lot of them. I switched off from the stupidity of Brexit donkeys ago. Just a load of posturing eejits playing at politics. We made our pieces this morning with Dutch cheese Hungarian salami and Spanish lettuce FFS! What have we in store for us? Pork feckin pies? As for Scotland? Who knows, that's another long story. At least i think the hoi polloi realise now that they're no more than a colony. I can only pray that Scotland achieves its rightful independence in a Europe of Nation states.
May is not a leader and certainly not PM material.
Merely the current manager of the Tory party and not a very good one at that.
The complete lack of leadership from any of the London based parties during the Brexit fiasco does not bode well for the future of politics in England's green and not so pleasant land.
You cannot govern a country by sound bites alone,substance is required and unfortunately sadly missing in England at present.
If we were ever in any doubt in the West of Glasgow constituency when we did not vote in Professor WATP Two Jobs all round bigot and former Republican Socialist now Arch right Wing Blue Tory Royalist Adam Tomkins, then his disdusting little tweet confirms what we knew at the time' He has no class, and will never be anything other than a LisTory jobs for the boys add on.
He was foisted on the Scottish Public by Ruth Davidson, despite coming a risible 4th in the actual election.
Scum of the first order.
Let's hope WATP never gets smeared.
Ragin' with you Jack , but almost permanently ragin' this weather.
It's a wonder that someone has allowed this man to teach, or even to come into contact at all , with the young people of Scotland. A role model from Hell, Jack.
He allegedly teaches Law at Glasgow Uni, Marlon.
Hence my 'two jobs' jibe.
Imagine a student openly declaring Self Determination for Scotland and this ostensibly unconscionable tweeter is marking his work? There might be a conflict of interpretation of Scots law?
He adopted the soubriquet 'WATP' at the time that other well known political also ran Murdo Fraser, 7 times loser at FPTP plebiscites, not to be confused with FTP, gave himself the handle:- 'The Queen's Eleven'.
Presumably that was to garner the votes of the Loyal Sons of William No Surrender vote, presumably, maybe, perhaps, or maybe not.
Blue and Green Knuckledraggers are thin on the ground down our way, thank the Chief..
Woe betide this evil Red Blue and Yellow Tory Brit Nat mob, if one of our own Scottish Police come to harm on the streets of Belfast.
Of course that will solve the Backstop problem for them, and Arlene and Sammy,their fellow Arch Right Tory collaborators.
Who gives a damn if a Mick shoots a Jock.
England will be free of EU 'rule taking' at last.
The above, I postulate, I do not state.
I don't have an island of lawyers.
Great letter from Frank Neenah ofrom Carlow in The Irish Times This morning.
This article from the BBC website explains what the USA wants in a post Brexit trade deal. A big drop in food standards and increased NHS drug costs.


text:
Funeral Ideas Odessa TX 79769
As a lifelong bargain hunter, I've always joked that I wanted my gravestone to read: "Final Sale, No Return." Hello. I am Mortician Girl. I am a young female Funeral Director in the Midwest of the United States. I have things to say, opinions to spout out, etiquette to teach, history to explore, links to share and information to expand on. If you select certain funeral arrangements, such as viewing or an open casket funeral, embalming may be required by the funeral firm. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. An angel with the book of life wrote down my babys birth,and whispered softly as she said, "TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR EARTH." This is the verse on my niece's Odessa Texas 79769.
For more information on High Tech Homes provided by Aswin Suri, please call him on 386-383-3000 or email him now to arrange a personal consultation. We know that a funeral home with deep roots in the community, and deep relationships with local family and friends, can best help those who are grieving. Just a note to tell you how much your professional service meant to my family. Even though we could only afford a simple cremation and family memorial, the Urn and your resources allowed us to make it special. Modern ideas about proper preservation of the dead for the benefit of the living arose in the European Age of Enlightenment Dutch scientist Frederik Ruysch 's work attracted the attention of royalty and legitimized postmortem anatomy. Of course, not all loved ones are human. Everyone knows the pain and loss from the passing of a furry friend. If you need a pet memorial product for a family pet please see our website for pet urns. So he understood that there is no conflict between loving God and loving one's country, between one's faith and one's public service.
So, next time whenever you need to shop for a cremation, do your research work properly, set a budget and then shop for it. So, so many of the attendees - younger and older - who attended Phillip's service made comments on the comfort that they felt just being at The Well. We are committed to provide professional service to our customers around the clock. Our staff understands your need for fast and dependable service. What about Bohemian rhapsody by queen and Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding By Elton John? We assure all pet owners, that they can rest at ease, knowing that their pet's final journey will be one of dignity and love. Mrs. Wells, you will forever be a part of the Marine Corps family, he said. We will not leave you behind. Odessa TX 79769
Are you trying to make funeral arrangements and just don't know how you are going to pay for them. Allow one of our experienced funeral directors to help you find agencies that will help offset the cost. Apart from religious reasons (discussed below), some people find they prefer cremation to traditional burial for personal reasons. Does the quoted price include a protective container for the cremated remains ? The first rating, Hybrid Burial Ground, is given to conventional cemeteries that offer a burial option that doesn't use a vault or concrete box and doesn't require embalming. Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions by families that are considering affordable cremation services. In that wonderful gift of Jesus, Clarence found rest from his burdens. He found a gentle Lord Jesus, who loved him more than he could understand. The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries has replaced its old crematorium in the Moore Park area but it's still a burning issue with local residents.
Funeral Checklist Odessa Texas 79769 Patrick's Day of 2002, Janssen hitched Thunder to a sled and mushed to the Aurora Village Carrs. Based on internal wet braking tests from 40 and 50 MPH versus Goodyear Assurance Tripletred A/S tires in sizes 235/55R17 99H and P215/60R16 94V, Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus in size 215/60R16 95V; using the MICHELIN Premier A/S tires in sizes 235/55R17 99H and 215/60R16 95V buffed to 5/32" of tread. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor A direct cremation involves very minimal body preparation, placement of the decedent within a cremation container, and following the cremation, the cremains being placed in a simple package and returned to the family. Their spouse, widow, or widower, minor children, and, under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities, may also be eligible for burial. This can easily tun into looking cakey, which is not a cute look to have. When using it as a whole face foundation, a little goes a long long way.
This package includes basic services of funeral director and staff, transfer of deceased from the local place of death into our care, holding in climate controlled environment, alternative container for cremation, Remembrance Memorial Urn, 5 certified copies of the death certificate, and Encore Memorial Tribute page on our website. After resting & feeding the dogs and himself on the trail he is on his way to Rainy Pass before taking on Dalzell Gorge. These tastefully decorated rooms exude the spirit of the Southwest! This heat burns everything flammable including smaller bones. What is left is pulverised and turned into ashes, which look like small pebbles. These are the fees and statutory charges which have to be paid by us on your behalf in the process of arranging a funeral. We offer caring, expedient service to help our families find closure during this trying time. Our smaller size and lower costs allow us to work closely with the families we assist to make sure their needs are met in a timely manner. Before leaving in the procession it is helpful if you go to your car and wait for the cortge to assemble. It may take a few moments for the family to say last goodbyes and for the funeral directors to get everything ready.
Buying a car is usually a painful experience but not with the Luxury Sports & Imports folks. We found them to be honest, fair, and low pressure. Funeral Ideas Odessa TX Furthermore, because a direct cremation uses less funeral products it is considered greener and has less of a negative impact on the environment. In any case, Chippewa Valley Cremation Services is here and ready to help. We are happy to help you do anything special to help personalize the service to that of the life of the deceased. Based upon the foregoing Defendants are liable to the Plaintiff and the class for negligent misrepresentation. As a direct and proximate result of negligent misrepresentation, Plaintiff and the class have suffered substantial damages, losses and injuries.
Minimum cardboard cremation container and minimum black plastic urn The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Alabama Media Group. Are you between the ages of 18 and 75? If you're a South African citizen or permanent resident in this age group, you can get a funeral insurance policy with us. Nancy Keil, CEO of Messinger Mortuaries, said an evolving trend in the funeral industry is more people making funerals unique, personalizing them as they do weddings. We still had all the time to honor his memory and the beautiful way in which he touched us all.
Funeral Checklist Simple Cremation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As new churches were being built in Oakhurst, the church became smaller and smaller in members and held its last worship service in 1953.
In 1957 the church was moved from Chapel Hill to Oakhill Cemetery to protect it from vandalism. On March 19, 1994, the California State Historical Resources Commission designated the church and cemetery as a Point of Historical Interest.
Because the Little Church on the Hill has been largely non-denominational throughout its history, "It became clear to me, this was the perfect place to host an Easter Sunrise service that wasn't based on any particular belief system or doctrine," Basten said.
Everyone is invited to attend the Eastern Sunrise service of thanksgiving, prayer and celebration.
"It will be cool in the early morning so attendees should dress warm," Basten said.
While there will be no offering taken, those attending are encouraged to make a donation to the Little Church on the Hill Foundation for continued upkeep and maintenance of this historic landmark.


This is where our journey begins. We arrived in Paris feeling anxious and excited to see what this city, and Rick, had in store for us. We were a few days ahead of our tour date, so we brushed up on our French, found our hotel on a map, and hit the town on our own. We were able to track down the Eiffel Tower, Siene River, Champs Elysse, Arc De Triumph and so much more, and that was only the first day!
Below: Nicole overlooking the river Siene, artwork at the Musee d'Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe, Shakespeare & Company bookstore, clock at the Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower.
It was easy getting into "tour mode" with our newfound friends. Coleen, our fearless leader (and professional speed-walker) gave us a crash course on how to navigate the city, and away we went. We spent the day exploring churches, city streets, cafes and all that Paris had to offer. Being with Colleen was turning out to be a definite perk. Unlike some of the other (embarrassing) tour guides, Colleen felt more like a trusted friend. She knew all of the best ways to see the sites, get around town, and get the best bites.
Below: Jeanne at the Louvre, Nicole walking the Spanish Quarter, Nicole at the Eiffel Tower, the group at a metro stop, Kevin with the life-changing macaroon, the group learning about Notre Dame and Kevin & Jeanne finally meeting Mona Lisa.
This really is the city of lights. Between strolling around on our own and cruising the river Siene with our group we were surprised to see that Paris is even more breathtaking at night.
Below: Notre Dame, The Pyramid at the Louvre, an "eye-catching" painting along the river-walk, Cleo Patra's Needle, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.
Before "going on tour" we ventured out to the palace of Versailles solo. We had heard that it was big and beautiful, but that is the understatement of the century! After walking for literally miles upon miles we have a new appreciation for Versailles. If you are in Paris, this place is a must-see! These are a few of our favorite shots from Versailles.
Paris, How Do I Love Thee?
Some of the best times we had in Paris (when we weren't eating) were simply wandering around the city. These are a few of our favorite photos.
Above: The fence around Cleopatra's Needle, eternal flame under the Arc de Triomphe, plants for sale on the Rue Cler, enjoying a gelato under the Eiffel Tower.
Above: The stained glass in St. Chapelle, Rue Saint-Julien le Pauvre, headless saint at Notre Dame, pigeon in tree near Notre Dame.
Above: Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, bouquinistes along the river Seine, view of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.


Imagine being able to identify tickers that move together or completely opposite to each other or making groups of stocks that all move together, that's AIQ Matchmaker.
Over one hundred built-in reports, ranging from Relative Strength, Persistence of MoneyFlow and Moving Average Crossover to unique reports that analyze in depth the state of the markets. Unparalleled power at your fingertips.
As you'd expect from a premier package, quote monitor includes color change for price changes and indicator barometer.


Learn how to access premium Sportcal content or to request a demo of the platform.
Enjoy unlimited access to premium Sportcal News, Insight data & analysis. It couldn't be simpler.
If you've got a few minutes, we'd love to show you around the Sportcal platform, to understand how we can best suit your requirements.
Please select atleast one area of interest.


An 18-wheeler struck and killed a woman crossing a Brooklyn street early Wednesday, then continued on its way without stopping, witnesses told police.
The flatbed rig was rumbling along Flatbush Ave. in Flatbush when it struck 67-year-old Linda Douglass in the crosswalk at Nostrand Ave. at 4:45 a.m., authorities said.
Douglass was knocked to the ground and died at the scene, cops said.
The truck driver never stopped and kept on motoring along Flatbush Ave. toward downtown Brooklyn, witnesses told police. The flatbed was carrying a payload of long pipes, according to initial reports.
Cops release video of 18-wheeler that allegedly struck, killed woman in Brooklyn.


The University of Georgia women's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak in Southeastern Conference openers with its 63-50 victory over LSU in its SEC opener Thursday night in Stegeman Coliseum.
With this win, the Lady Bulldogs improve their record at home to 9-0 and 10-4 overall.
Three Lady Bulldogs scored in double-digits. Senior Caliya Robinson paced all scorers with 16 points, while sophomore Gabby Connally and redshirt-sophomore Jenna Staiti recorded 13 points apiece. Redshirt-junior Taja Cole finished the game with nine points and nine assists.
The Lady Bulldogs continued their unselfish play on offense, with six players contributing to the 63 points scored by Georgia. In the first half, Georgia was efficient on both sides of the ball, shooting 58 percent from the field and forcing 11 LSU turnovers that resulted in 19 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Georgia's defense successfully contained Ayana Mitchell, LSU's leading scorer and rebounder. Mitchell finished the first half with only two rebounds and failed to score.
In the first quarter, Cole had a hand in 10-of-23 points scored by Georgia, tallying two assists and three baskets from the field. Cole recorded six assists in the first half alone, contributing to her SEC-leading total assists on the season.
Connally knocked down three baskets from the three-point line to tie a Georgia season high. The San Antonio native scored in double-digits for the sixth game this season. Staiti finished her first SEC game with a team-high nine rebounds while also shooting 71 percent from the field.
While LSU began gaining momentum in the second half, the Lady Bulldogs led for all 40 minutes. After the Tigers cut Georgia's lead to four points, Cole hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to send Georgia into the fourth period leading 46-39. Two three-pointers from Connally and Robinson regained Georgia's double-digit lead in the fourth, eventually helping to seal its 63-50 victory over LSU.
Georgia will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to face Vanderbilt on Sunday, Jan. 6, at 3 p.m. on SECN+.


text:
Home Life Beauty Beauty kills herself after sex tape is going viral
Beauty kills herself after sex tape is going viral
A raven-haired Italian Splendor devoted suicide over a sex tape she made together with her new boyfriend that went viral after she despatched it to her ex to make him jealous. Tiziana Cantone, 31, who lived in Naples, Italy, killed herself while alone in a cellar after the embarrassing video of her sex act surfaced on the global internet.
Tiziana CantonePhoto: ZUMA Press
"They destroyed my daughter, my life, and the lives of an own whole family. Although in that cellar in which she took her very own existence, Tiziana was on my own, morally to drag the noose around the neck have been the ex-boyfriend, and those who took benefit," Cantone's mom, Maria Teresa Gigolo, instructed the Corriere Della Sera newspaper on Wednesday.
It's unclear who uploaded the racy photos to the internet, first regarded in 2015.
The video has become this type of hit that Cantone changed into forced to go to court to alternate her name legally. She additionally reportedly has become the butt of online jokes and turned mercilessly ridiculed with the aid of cyber-bullies. According to the Each day Mail, she would constantly receive mocking emails and became frequently shamed with the assistance of pedestrians who identified her on the road.
She has become so distraught that she even gives up her process.
Buddies and own family members told nearby Italian media that Cantone went into deep despair and turned into having suicidal thoughts just before her loss of life.
Her attorney, Roberta Manzillo, has taken legal action in opposition to a number of the net search engines like google for sharing the sex video even as accusing other humans of uploading it, the Daily Mail stated.
"We've got appealed to the right-to-be-forgotten regulation. Facebook become without delay ordered putting off the content material from its social network platform and to put off every submit or e-book containing pics (photographs or video) that refer mainly to the person," Manzillo said.
Prosecutors in Naples have released a criminal probe to see if criminal prices are warranted in the case.
Halle Berry Explains How Her Beauty Worked In opposition to Her in Hollywood
On Beauty: Sarah Jessica Parker
Introducing the 2016 Glamour Beauty Awards…


Franco Battiato : where do I begin ?
Points: 8120 Topic: Franco Battiato : where do I begin ?
I am into Franco Battiato recently (easily the most important artist in the RPI section of PA). I love his pop songs (really, great music), his classical music albums and his "fleurs" trilogy. I am less impressed by his most experimental works of the seventies, but if you could give me some recommendations I would be more than happy to dig further his "progressive" side (I only know 'juke box' of this era).
Any fan of Franco Battiato ?
I really love two of his albums: Clic, and Sulle Corde di Aries.
Not a Battiato expert, but I can recommend you those two experimental albums.
Micky will post as soon as possible to give you his own recommendations. In the meantime, I second Sulle Corde di Aries (you can read our reviews if you like), and also Pollution, his second album. Fetus is not on the same level, at least in my own opinion.
Sorry I can't help Lucas, I've only just begun my Battiato journey myself. Great stuff, though not my favorite RPI. You should post your question in the Appreciation thread, more of the RPI fanatics might spot it there.
Thanks a lot for the recommendations.
I will check them and give you my impressions.
"da oriente a occidente" : it has a strong medieval feel to it and I love the hypnotic voice of Battiato (reminds me a lot of Roy Harper's echoed voice).
The saxophone at the end of "aria di revoluzione" is reminiscent of some soft machine works or Ian Anderson's subtle play on 'a passion play'. Some discreet percussions and spoken words (in german (!?!)) and electronics add for some spacey/psychedelic atmosphere.
but for sure the most original of all italian artists listed in PA...Experimental, prog, pop, classical music : I am not an expert in RPI but I am practically sure that no other artist exploited so many different genres.
He's certainly one of the greats, but there are many RPI artists in his league in terms of cross contaminations. I'm personally not interested in naming "the best" or the "most important" artist in any genre as it is such a subjective thing. Sorrenti, Battisti, Rocchi, Banco, QVL, RRR, to name a couple....tons of RPI artists skillfully went into various styles for better or worse.
If you think he's the single best one, that's cool.
But unlike the artists you listed, Franco succeeded in the other genres he touched : pop and classical music.
your best bet lucas is to read the reviews.. both Andrea P and I have reviewed a great many of his albums at the very least. With an artist of such variety and dissimilar albums... recommendations don't really do the trick.. they are simply what me or the next guy likes. With the review you can find what sounds good to you..stylistically. I know my reviews tried to touch less on 'likes' and more about what you are getting in sound and style.
Generally corny but worth having here and there.
Battiato is great, I think. I would also recommend Sulle Corde di Aries.
Given the time and place, this is nice stuff. I would suggest that it is more in the line of experimental than it is meant to be "musical" or try to compete with ideas about music at all.
There is a lot of really nice stuff in just about any album!
It might not go over well today, specially for people that play rap and pound beats and then listen to metal and consider it progressive. Stuff like this would be, by comparison a lot more artistic and in left field and not for every listener at all!
There are a lot of out in left and right field folks and artists all over Europe and those days (the 70's) they really had a nice run .. until the English/American music business told all these bands to go to heck since they only made a dime, not a dollar!
the favourite that I have heard is Caffe de La Paix.
If you like his more accessible stuff, try Angelo Branduardi, whom Raff introduced me to. I actually prefer him. Try La Pulce D'Acqua.


Parallel rows of buttons add jaunty, nautical style to the pockets of these chic black shorts. 2\" i..
Floral embossing and a swingy tassel lend a vintage boho vibe to a slim vegan-leather crossbody that..
COLLECTION Spring - Summer 2018 DESCRIPTION Sandals • Round Toe • Studs details all over • Buckle C..
Stitched pleats release from the hips to create swingy movement on an A-line midi skirt made from li..
A glam start to your party outfit, a full, floor-length skirt styled with a stretch-back waistband a..
Godet panels add romantic, swingy movement to the hem of this classic top. 26 1/2\" length (size 2X)..
A plunging V-neckline adds modern drama to a retro tie-cuff dress designed with a pleated skirt that..
Everything that looks good wrapped, looks better wrapped in lace, and this midi dress is no exceptio..
42\" length (size 8),Hidden back-zip closure with hook-and-eye,V-neck and back,Sleeveless,Pleated f..


text:
La  Coupe d'Irlande du Nord féminine de football, en anglais IFA Womens Challenge Cup, se dispute entre le  le mois de septembre de la même année. Le Linfield Ladies Football Club remet en jeu son titre obtenu en 2016.

La finale oppose deux clubs en position de remporter pour la première fois de leur histoire la compétition, Sion Swifts Ladies et Newry City Ladies. C'est Sion Swifts qui l'emporte sur le score de deux buts à zéro.

Organisation

Premier tour
Le premier tour a lieu le lundi 24 avril 2017.

Deuxième tour
Le deuxième tour voit l'entrée en lice des clubs de première division. Les matchs se déroulent le 8 mai.

Quarts de finale
Les quarts de finale se déroulent le

Demi-finales
les demi-finales se déroulent le .

Finale

Notes et références

Lien interne
Championnat d'Irlande du Nord de football féminin 2017

Liens externes
Page de la compétition sur soccerway.com

2017
Irlande du Nord
Football

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Hilton Honors has launched fourth targeted WinBack-promotion for 50,000 bonus points within 90 days of registration that must happen between January 12 – July 12, 2017.
This offer requires the stay to be minimum of four nights to be eligible for the bonus points.
My account was not eligible for this offer.
Hilton Honors has run quite a few of these "WinBack" promotions and my personal account has never been eligible for any one of them. You can try your luck and see if your account is eligible, however.
Previous articleReader Question: InterContinental Royal Ambassador Upgrades On Paid Versus Award Stays?
Next articleYes, They Still Exist: International Widebody Flights Without In-Seat Video Entertainment Systems In Economy Class!


text:
Early Bird Report: One Hall of Fame linebacker is a big fan of Deion Jones; Falcons slide in power rankings
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Today's Early Bird Report includes the Falcons falling in the weekly power rankings as well as some high praise for Deion Jones from a Hall of Fame linebacker.
Dialing up pressure will be key for Falcons
Quinn: Jones will play when he's 100 percent
Archer's Take: A little perspective on Julio's feat
Tabeek's Wildly Important NFL Power Rankings
"Mentioned in the Game Picks column that this matchup felt like a trap game for the Falcons. Most coaches don't seem to subscribe to the "trap game" theory, or (probably) the conspiracy theory that Neil Armstrong's moon landing was actually shot on a soundstage. Your friendly writer is here to tell you that at least one of those theories is based on truth. Atlanta simply couldn't stop Baker Mayfield or Nick Chubb in Cleveland, acting as an equal-opportunity benefactor when it came to giving away free yards. Mayfield went 17 of 20. Chubb gained over 170 on 20 ... carries. Dear Deion Jones, please come back. Soon."
"That was a crippling loss to the Browns. They can't afford another loss the rest of the way - and even then it will be tough to make the postseason."
"51.9. That's the percentage of third-down conversions for Falcons' opponents, second worst in the league behind the Bengals (56.2). You're not going to have much success if you can't get off the field. The Falcons hope part of that issue will be solved with the expected return of Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones from foot surgery, considering Jones is one of the best coverage linebackers in the game."
ESPN: Even Brian Urlacher is eager for Deion Jones to return
The Falcons brought Deion Jones off of injured reserve Tuesday, and while it remains to be seen when the Pro Bowl linebacker will actually suit up for a game, there are plenty of people eagerly awaiting his return, including a Hall of Famer at Jones' position.
Former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher is a big fan of Jones, and he explained why that is in a conversation with ESPN's Vaughn McClure.
"He's already a star, dude," Urlacher said. "He's the fastest middle linebacker in the NFL. He can cover anybody. He's great in the run game. He's so athletic. He's one of the guys I really love watching play."
Jones is a heat-seeking missile in the middle of the Falcons' defense, and his ability to defend the pass makes him an extremely valuable player in today's NFL. Whenever he does return for game action, the Falcons will be better for it.
To read the rest of McClure's piece, click here.
ESPN: Despite no sacks vs. Browns, Falcons itching to rev up pass rush
Atlanta signed Bruce Irvin last week in an attempt to bolster its pass rush, but that didn't happen in the Falcons' 28-16 loss to the Browns. The Falcons did not manage to sack Baker Mayfield once in the game, and the Browns' success running the ball limited Atlanta's chances to pin its ears back.
"I don't think we had enough opportunities, honestly," Irvin told ESPN's Vaughn McClure. "They did a good job of switching it up. When we had our base personnel out there, and they were passing. And when we put our nickel group out there, they were running. They did a good job of mixing it up and keeping us off-balance."
The Falcons have 17 sacks this season, which is tied for the fourth-fewest in the NFL. In order for Atlanta to get more opportunities to rush the quarterback, coach Dan Quinn believes the defense needs to be more effective on early downs.
"When we didn't play the run quite as well as we'd like, there weren't longer third-downs that force a team into becoming thrown in those scenarios," Quinn said. "… So to not play as well on first and second down, I think that caused -- you'd like to have a negative play that goes to second-and-10 or 12, and we have some real pass rushing opportunities. So in that game, I thought that was probably the fewest rushing ops that maybe our nickel team would normally have. So I think it tied back into the first and second down."
To read McClure's story on the Falcons looking to ramp up their pass rush, click here.
AJC: Quinn wants more speed and energy after disappointing loss
Dan Quinn didn't mince words when it came to his team's performance against the Browns, saying he felt the Falcons "took a step back" in the loss. On Monday, he talked about moving forward and what he needs to see from his team. Among the most important things he looking for are greater speed and energy from his from his defense, which D. Orlando Ledbetter covered in his report for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"I thought competitiveness-wise, toughness, that part was there," Quinn said his team's effort. "You really saw, even on the long run, guys like Brooks Reed and Grady Jarrett straining to go get it. Where I was probably more disappointed was the energy and the speed that we normally play with, that part of our style, we've got to capture that every time that we go."
AJC: Why the 4-5 Falcons are only half a team
There's no doubt injuries have impacted what many believed coming into the season could be one of the NFL's top defenses. After showing strides during the Falcons' three-game win streak, the defense turned in one of its worst performances in the loss to the Browns. According to The AJC's Mark Bradley, that's further proof that the Falcons are only half a team.
"What was revealed Sunday wasn't really a revelation, given that we've seen it all season, but never had it been presented in such screaming neon letters: The Falcons are half a team," Bradley writes. "When that half manages but 16 points, they have no chance. "
To read the rest of Bradley's column, click here.
ESPN: No finger pointing: Falcons have issues to fix on both sides
The Falcons played far below their standard during Sunday's 28-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but at 4-5 with only seven games remaining there's no time to sit around pointing fingers. Besides, all parties deserve to shoulder at least a little bit of the blame.
Atlanta's defense struggled to defend the run and allowed rookie quarterback to have an excellent day throwing the ball. The Falcons' offense, meanwhile, struggled against the Cover 2 scheme that the Browns rolled out on defense, which ESPN's Vaughn McClure noted in his post-game piece.
"Browns coach Gregg Williams typically plays an aggressive man-to-man scheme, but Williams made it clear he wanted to "stay on top" of Jones," McClure writes. "The whole premise behind the Cover 2 defense is to rush four, drop seven into coverage, and take away vertical routes, forcing the ball underneath. Running four verticals is a Cover 2 beater.
"The Falcons simply didn't find the way to consistently combat the zone defense, and not have great success in the run game (71 yards on 19 carries) didn't help the cause. Plus the Falcons are likely to see more "Tampa 2" next week with Rod Marinelli, the defensive coordinator in Dallas, using that zone defense as his staple over the years."
To read the rest of McClure's article, click here.
Evaluating DeAngelo Malone's first season, Falcons long-term plan for him -- Rookie review
A solid offseason could put Atlanta native in line for bigger role in 2023


text:
991 notices found under "Crown Entities Act"
Appointments to the Government Superannuation Fund Authority
2019-go3374 Preview
Departmental
Crown Entities Act
Appointments to Housing New Zealand
Appointments to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa) Board
Notice of Approval Given Pursuant to Section 160(3) of the Crown Entities Act 2004
Reappointment to the WorkSafe New Zealand Board
Appointments to the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board and Māori Heritage Council
Appointments to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Appointments to the Board of the Tertiary Education Commission
Education Act
Appointments and Reappointment to the WorkSafe New Zealand Board
Appointment to the New Zealand Transport Agency Board
Appointments to the Arts Council of New Zealand (Toi Aotearoa)
Appointments to the New Zealand Productivity Commission
Appointment and Reappointment to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Board
Reappointments and Appointments to the Civil Aviation Authority Board
Appointments to the Broadcasting Commission (NZ On Air)
Get an RSS feed for these results
Can't find what you're looking for? This website only has notices from 1993 onwards, however get help here for finding the notice you need.


Matchfinder is the most trusted Lodha matrimonial website. We know how hard it is to find local matrimony sites and there is no better portal like Match finder matrimony. Many boys and girls have found suitable matches...Read More for marriage on our site. Matchfinder is a 100% free Lodhamatrimony. Just submit your biodata to contact matches instantly. Registered users can view profile details, search profile by id , name and avail many other services. Matchmaking is very easy with hunderds of profiles of Lodha caste on our matrimonials. Matchfinder is one of very few Hindu Lodha matrimony sites that allow users to view contact details of interested profiles without making any payment. Seeking suitable Lodha matrimony brides or grooms for your son/daughter's marriage or your sibling or friend? Join now on one of India's best marriage sites! If you are in search of list of matrimonial sites, your quest ends here on Match finder.
Sign-up now on Lodha Community matrimony and get close to your life partner!


This is our final post in the joint series we've been running this month, along with our friends over at Lawfare and the European Journal of International Law (EJIL:Talk!), on topics discussed in July at a transatlantic workshop on armed conflict and international law in Oxford. Intercross is pleased to bring you this article by Guest Blogger, Guglielmo Verdirame - an Italian-born Professor of International Law at King's College London in the Department of War Studies and the School of Law. He was previously a university lecturer in law at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law, and a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. He also practices as a barrister. The views expressed in this piece are his own. Thanks to all of the guest bloggers, who contributed to this great series! (See a full list of all posts below.) We hope to do it again next fall!
The relationship between theory and practice in international law eludes easy explanations. In the history of international law there are examples of ideas shaping practice. But at times the phenomenon of international law – with its complex mix of state practice, adjudication and politics – finds directions not foreseen by any theory.
The application of human rights law to armed conflict may be a case in point. It emerged over the last two decades from the decisions of international and domestic courts without being preceded by a reflection – by jurists, policy-makers or others – on how human rights could contribute to regulating armed conflict. Can this development be accommodated within the system of international law or does it in some way challenge its architecture?
International lawyers today would probably reply that international law should not only foresee this possibility but also seek to regulate war. And this is indeed what international law has done for centuries.
But the correctness of this answer was by no means a foregone conclusion. Amongst those who thought that international law, and law in general, should not even contemplate the possibility of war was Immanuel Kant. War was, for Kant, the negation of law; the idea of a law of war would have struck him as a contradiction in terms.
It is so far from the truth to admit, as some contrive, that in war all laws cease, that on the contrary war must not be undertaken if not in the enforcement of law; nor must it be conducted if not within the bounds of law and faith. Demosthenes said well that war is waged against those who cannot be constrained judicially… for wars to be just they must be executed with no less conscientiousness than is required in judicial proceedings.
Paraphrasing Clausewitz, you might say that for Grotius, war was the continuation of litigation through other means.
In Grotius, as in the medieval just war tradition that reverberates in his writings, peace is the natural condition of humankind. The juridical notion of state of war, which was at the heart of the jus ad bellum before the Charter, played a twofold role: it ensured the distinctness of the regulation of war and it protected the law of peace from the fact of war. The distinction between war and peace and the subjection of war to law were deeply intertwined.
International law may have all but dispensed with the notion of state of war after the Charter but the approach to war remained Grotian in at least two ways. Firstly, international law continued to foresee the possibility of war, and places war under the law, rather than treat it – as Kant would have preferred – as the negation of law. Secondly, before the challenge posed by human rights law, the war/peace distinction remained foundational.
The regulation of war was also defined by a balance between idealism and realism. Laws designed for war must constrain conduct, but not be unachievable. The price for getting this balance wrong is irrelevance. According to Hobbes, this is what happens to natural rights in war. Contrary to a common misperception, Hobbes had very little to say about international relations. But his political theory rested on the very un-Grotian assumption that the natural condition of humankind is war. For Hobbes natural law applied in war (which he thought of principally as civil rather than inter-state war), but with an important qualification: the laws of nature, while 'immutable and eternal', 'oblige in foro interno, that is to say, they bind to a desire they should take place; but in foro externo, that is, to the putting them in act, not alwayes'.
In other words Hobbes saw the attempt to apply natural rights to war as resulting in an impasse between obligation and possibility: between what must happen and what can happen.
I have just offered no more than a tasting of the philosophical complexity posed by the attempt to tame war through law. Now let us move on to the next tasting: an outline of how the application of human rights to war may challenge the foundations of the regulation of war in international law.
To many the famous passage in the Opinion on the Legality of the Use or Threat to Use Nuclear Weapons where the ICJ confirmed that the protection of human rights continues in war is an example of progressive adjudication. But with its terse statement of principle – 'the protection of the ICCPR does not cease in times of war, except by operation of Article 4 of the Covenant whereby certain provisions may be derogated from in a time of national emergency') – the ICJ also opened the door to the Hobbesian impasse. Now that they are in principle applicable in war, how do we make sure that human rights are also achievable and therefore relevant?
The Court may have thought that the answer was to be found in the lex specialis. However, the problems with the lex specialis were already clear in the way the Court handled the right to life in the Opinion. Consistently with the Court's statement of principle on the application of human rights, the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of one's life must apply in wartime too. But arbitrariness – the Court said – must be determined on the basis of the laws of armed conflict because of the lex specialis.
It will be recalled that the Court concluded that in extreme cases of self-defence it was not clear whether international law permitted the use of nuclear weapons. So there is, according to the Court, some way of conceiving the right to life which can apparently accommodate the instant pulverization of hundreds of thousands of human beings. Are we so sure that this approach is more progressive? Was it not better to proceed on the old basis – i.e. that war is a tragic social phenomenon where lives are lost in ways that can never be compatible with any conception of the right to life and that all the law can do is to alleviate the consequences of war? The idea that in principle the right to life applies in wartime may give us comfort but – to season the point with a bit of Marxism – it is the sort of 'feel-good' that derives from false consciousness.
As Ken Watkin set out in his contribution to this joint series of blogs, partly because of its jurisprudence on extra-territoriality, the ECtHR has gone further than any other court in promoting an approach to the regulation of war that is entirely focused on human rights. True, in the Al-Skeini judgment, the ECtHR seemed to take IHL into account but it is no more than hat-tipping. IHL was discussed in the facts section of the judgment under the heading 'Relevant International Law Materials'. By the time it had come to the law section, the Court had basically all but forgotten about IHL.
What I have described as the Hobbesian impasse also underlies the ECtHR jurisprudence on war. Ever since Bankovic, the ECtHR has referred to the capacity of states to respect rights in concrete situations. In Bankovic the Court was keen not to diminish the norm (i.e. human rights) so that it could fit the fact (i.e. war). It held that the 'wording of article 1 does not provide any support for the applicants' suggestion that the positive obligation in Article 1 to secure "the rights and freedoms defined in section 1 of this Convention" can be divided and tailored in accordance with the particular circumstances of the extra-territorial act in question'. In other words, norms should apply to facts, not facts to norms.
It is clear that, whenever the State through its agents exercises control and authority over an individual, and thus jurisdiction, the State is under an obligation under Article 1 to secure to that individual the rights and freedoms under Section 1 of the Convention that are relevant to the situation of that individual. In this sense, therefore, the Convention rights can be "divided and tailored".
The judgment of the Grand Chamber in Al-Skeini had a profound effect on the judgment of the UK Supreme Court in the Smith v MoD case.  The UK Government maintained that state parties had never intended the Convention to apply to armed forces operating outside their territory. In the Catherine Smith case, decided in 2010, the Supreme Court had found in favour of the Government by a majority of six to three. In the 2013 Smith decision, the majority of the Supreme Court found that, after the ECtHR Al-Skeini judgment, that view could no longer be maintained.
It was always going to be difficult to see how, if that was to be the guiding principle, it could be possible to accept that a state's armed forces abroad in whatever circumstances were within the jurisdiction for the purposes of article 1 as its ability to guarantee the entire range of the Convention rights would in many cases be severely limited.
The Supreme Court emphasizes the jurisdictional element and does not refer to the idea of relevance to the individual which featured in the Al-Skeini passage cited above. Indeed, if the point is to identify a jurisdictional limit in terms of Article 1 of the ECHR, the better criterion is that of what the state can do rather what is relevant to the individual.
The change from Bankovic to Al-Skeini indicates that the tension between norm and fact is being addressed by striking the balance closer to the fact and further away from the norm. This may well be the correct approach if the law is to ensure its relevance when faced with the reality of conflict. But is this a good thing from the point of view of human rights?
I very much doubt that. In addition to the omnipresent doctrine célèbre of proportionality, we now have a new method of rights-slicing: tailoring and dividing. But how should we tailor and divide? And, à propos, were human rights not supposed to be indivisible?
As I mentioned at the outset, one of the functions of the war/peace distinction was to preserve the law of peace from the fact of war. We may now be failing to do that. In order to ensure their relevance in war, we have made human rights less cogent and more malleable. Are these depleted human rights still liberal rights?
In the past some writers argued that international law needed to replace the war/peace dichotomy with a trichotomy: war, peace, and an intermediate state or status mixtus. This proposal had no success at the time, but we may have unwittingly resuscitated it.
I might be less concerned if I thought that these developments could be confined to the international plane – if, that is, the problem was that two bodies of treaty law previously thought of as distinct now need to be interpreted harmonically. But the problem may be viewed as exclusively affecting international law only where constitutional human rights exist as almost impermeable to international human rights. In many countries, however, for better or for worse, domestic human rights are open to developments in international human rights; in Britain, admittedly an anomalous case in a comparative constitutional sense, domestic human rights are entirely based on an international treaty. In these jurisdictions, the application of human rights to war – and, as we have seen, the way in which war transforms human rights – is not merely a question of treaty interpretation. It has constitutional significance.
Yet, the changes I have briefly described are already ingrained. We are not going back to the idea of two leges generales existing in parallel – one covering war, the other peace – anytime soon. We thus have to live with the idea of a lex generalis covering both situations, albeit modified (in ways still largely inscrutable) through the lex specialis.
So what to do? This is a matter for another blog. But here is a clue: we need a way of reinstating the distinction between war and peace that works within this new framework characterized by the role of human rights in the regulation of war. It is only by reinstating that distinction that we can avoid the peril of creating a monstrous hybrid that is too idealistic for war and too dismal for peace.
* King's College London and 20 Essex Street Chambers. The author is working on a longer version of the argument in this blog.
 R. Aron, Paix et Guerre entre les nations (1962) 111.
 Grotius, De Jure Belli ac Pacis (2nd ed., 1631), Proleg. at XVI.
 S. Neff, Hugo Grotius. On the Law of War and Peace (2012) 96.
 M. Mancini, Stato di guerra e conflitto armato nel diritto internazionale (2009).
 N. Malcolm, Aspects of Hobbes, (2002) 432 ff.
 T. Hobbes, Leviathan, (1651) Ch. XV.
Al-Skeini and others v the United Kingdom, ECHR (2011), 53 Eur. H.R. Rep. 589, paras 89-94.
Bankovic and others v Belgium and 16 other Council of Europe Member States, ECHR (2001), 41 International Legal Materials at 517.
Al-Skeini, supra note 25, para. 137.
R (Smith) v Secretary of State for Defence, (2010) UKSC 29.
 See G Verdirame, 'Rescuing Human Rights from Proportionality', in Rowan Cruft, S. Matthew Liao, Massimo Renzo (eds.), Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights (Oxford University Press, 2014).
 G. Schwarzenberger, 'Jus Pacis Ac Belli? Prolegomena to a Sociology of International Law', 37 AJIL (1943) 460; P. Jessup, 'Should International Law Recognize an Intermediate Status between Peace and War?'; 48 AJIL(1954) 98–103.


text:
GODLESS COMMUNIST TRAITORS
Vaccinee Autopsies: Killer Lymphocytes Invade Vital Organs, Drs Sucharit Bhakdi & Michael Palmer
ANOTHER COVID VAX VICTIM, ANOTHER DEVASTATED FAMILY
Supreme Court Mandate, Nursing Chaos and What YOU Can Do!
[7.7] Epstein – Trump on UFOs, the Fed, & Pence – A.I. Makes A Vaccine – MMS
PedoGate
from Destroying the Illusion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_iWc7_vQ14
Government's Own Pro-vaccine Medical Expert Admits There is a Vaccine-Autism Link That is Being Covered Up
from Humans Are Free:
Earlier this year investigative independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson ran a report on Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a world-renowned pediatric neurologist whom the U.S. Government used in 2007 to testify in the U.S. Vaccine Court that vaccines did not cause autism.
However, Dr. Zimmerman also stated in an affidavit that vaccines can cause autism in a certain subset of children, but that testimony was suppressed.
ORIGINS OF THE 'ANTI-VAX' MOVEMENT | HighWireTalk – Del Bigtree
from The HighWire with Del Bigtree:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiiomFiG7-s
THE WORLD IS LISTENING – RALLY TO OPPOSE SB276 | HighWireTalk with Del Bigtree
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P8kDjes6ns
NY bill removes vaccine exemptions without public hearing
by Erin Elizabeth, Health Nut News:
Story at-a-glance
June 13, 2019, the New York legislature quickly pushed a bill (A2371) to repeal the religious exemption to vaccination through both the Assembly and Senate in one day with no public hearings
The unprecedented legislative coup, which cut the citizens of New York out of participating in the law-making process, culminated in the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, immediately signing the bill into law
The bill's sponsors justified the action based on more than 800 cases of measles reported in several New York City neighborhoods since September 2018
TRUTH UNDER SIEGE – The ACIP Meeting At The CDC | Del Bigtree – HighWireTalk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6JSUfdfWmc
Urgent: Bill Strips Parents of Vaccine Choice, Allows Kids to Consent At Any Age (OPPOSE District of Columbia B23-0171)
by Sayer Ji, Green Med Info:
Minor Children Consenting to Vaccination Without Parental Consent Forward This Urgent Alert to Friends and Family Residing in Washington D.C. Attend Hearing on at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday June 26th
Dear Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
Your action is needed to help stop a bill that is scheduled to go before the Council of the District of Columbia for consideration on Wednesday June 26, 2019. This bill is sponsored by Councilmember Mary M. Cheh.You can access the public hearing notice at http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/42000/B23-0171-HearingNotice1.pdf.
New York Parents With Unvaccinated Children Threatened with CPS Investigation
by Matt Margolis, PJ Media:
A new law in Albany, New York, requiring all school children, public and private, to be vaccinated by July in order to continue their education is causing confusion and panic. Parents in the Deer Park area have received a letter from Assistant Superintendent James Cummings explaining that "In the event that you do not follow this mandate we will be reaching out to Child Protective Services to alert them of your non-compliance."
Wayne McRoy Jr. | The Autism Epidemic, Transhumanism, & The A.I. Agenda
Tranhumanism
from TheHighersideChats:
GENETIC ROULETTE – Vaccines Causing Outbreaks? | Del Bigtree – HighWireTalk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXwMsHM1vRQ
Gvt Report: $160 Million Paid So Far in 2019 for Vaccine Injuries and Deaths
The federal government Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just concluded their second meeting of 2019 on June 6th.
These quarterly meetings include a report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on cases settled for vaccine injuries and deaths as mandated by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP).
New Bill Will Strip Doctors of Ability to Grant Vulnerable Kids Medical Exemptions for Vaccines
by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:
SB 276 will take away the power of doctors to grant any child, including those who are at high risk for vaccine injury, from granting exemptions to those kids.
(FEE) Imagine taking your two-month-old daughter in for her scheduled vaccines. Imagine watching as she begins to convulse soon after receiving her shots and then continues to experience seizures over the next few days. You might want to make sure she never receives a particular vaccine again. You might decide not to give her any more vaccines at all. You might also decide to delay vaccines for her siblings or to forego them altogether. These are all understandable responses to a frightening situation that any parent can relate to.
MUST WATCH: Big Pharma, Forced Vaccinations, And Population Control
from Greg Reese:
NY Ends Religious Exemptions for Vaccines, Violating Constitutional Rights of Millions
In a shocking blow to both health and religious freedom, New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Thursday to end religious exemptions to vaccines
In a disturbing turn of events, the NY House and Senate versions of the bill, A2371and S2994A, respectively, to strip religious exemptions, passed in rapid succession on Thursday, despite the fact that NY legislators took an oath to uphold the Constitution; namely, the NY Const Art. I, § 11 states that,
New York City closes 10th Jewish school for violating vaccine order
from Government Slaves:
New York City is shuttering an Orthodox school in Brooklyn because it has continued to admit unvaccinated students in violation of a city order.
The Central UTA Satmar School for Boys, a Hasidic school in the Williamsburg neighborhood, will be closed Tuesday afternoon for violating the stipulations regarding vaccines and vaccination records, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has learned. It is the 10th Orthodox school in New York City to be closed this year due to the issue, according to a city official with knowledge of the matter.


From an at-home side hustle started with $100, to a multi-million dollar, international fashion brand, it's not every business that can claim Misha Collection's exponential growth over the past five years.
The fashion brand has enjoyed 50 per cent growth year-on-year, and is now sold by 100 stockists internationally including SAKS, Neiman Marcus and Myer. But it hasn't come without its challenges, as Michelle Aznavorian, creative director and founder of Misha Collection, freely admits.
Aznavorian started Misha aged 24 as a way to supplement her income. What started as a Facebook-only business importing and selling jewellery from China swiftly took off.
But as wonderful as 50 per cent year-on-year growth sounds, Aznavorian was not prepared for the responsibilities this would entail – from warehousing, to marketing, to selling internationally and banking and currency issues.
"I started off importing products from China. But my passion has always been in the fashion industry, as I'd studied at the Melbourne School of Fashion," Aznavorian told CMO. "I was advertising through Facebook and set up a Facebook store, which was new back then. I started with $100 and any money I made I reinvested into Facebook. I didn't even have a website.
"I did this until I got to a point where I wanted to explore other opportunities. I looked at what dresses I could import. The trend at the time was the bandage dresses - celebrities were wearing them - so I imported them and that was extremely successful.
It was about that time Aznavorian realised she needed a website. Fortunately, clear brand vision meant marketing efforts resonated with the right customers, at the right time.
With her mum's house entirely filled with fashion, Aznavorian used influencers to market her brand, which very few brands were doing at that time.
"I'd use bloggers, and was making $10,000-$15,000 a night when they'd post. That was great money considering I was still living with mum and dad," she recalled. "At that time, I had no overheads at all. But it got to a point where mum couldn't stand the house being a pigsty anymore, and so I took the leap of hiring a warehouse and quitting my full-time job.
As the brand took off, Aznavorian started getting a huge amount of wholesale inquiries from those wanting to stock her label. Still doing all the marketing herself, she hired a design assistant and a wholesale assistant, and commenced showings to potential stockists.
But such exponential growth in only a year became unmanageable. Aznavorian also realised she needed more staff, and relocated from Oakley to Melbourne city.
"I was 24 years old, making millions, and I just didn't know what I was doing. I had started to sell to international stockists, and so I had different currencies and currency conversions, and I had no idea about banking, which needed doing," she said.
Through the issues, however, Aznavorian was always steadfast on what her brand should represent – luxury at a reasonable price point.
"I value high-quality, amazing marketing, and an editorial approach to campaign, inspired by Vogue and the like. Even the packaging is impeccable. All my manufacturing is done by those who do high-end fashion," she continued.
Still using influencers, Facebook and Instagram advertising, Misha Collection approached Impress!ve Digital when online traffic started to plateau, and global brand awareness and conversions had become stagnant. The brand's new website also had site redirection issues, which meant shoppers had trouble completing purchases.
"Plenty of fashion labels use influencers and celebrities to increase exposure, but this style of promotion doesn't always result in sustainable sales revenue," said Impress!ve MD, Robert Tadros.
The agency tackled the redirection issues and overhauled Misha's online user experience across 42 countries.
"Then we took a three-pronged approach to revamp the brand's online presence: Search engine optimisation [SEO], pay-per-click advertising [PPC] and Facebook advertising. We implemented short-term fashion activation campaigns to find the most relevant new customers that were most likely to convert and engage with a new brand," Tadros explained.
Over a period of six months, the cost per acquisition on Australian campaigns dropped by 77 per cent and at its peak, the return on ad spend was 31-times.
"SEO efforts alone resulted in a 200 per cent increase in organic traffic and 76 per cent increase in organic search. Add to that an 87 per cent increase in social traffic and the label returned to the global spotlight. And it wasn't just traffic that received a boost; the value of each individual order rose 35 per cent and the return on ad spend was 23-times," Tadros said.
Aznavorian said after identifying the issues making it difficult to expand the business internationally, and capitalising on celebrity endorsements, Misha's year-on-year growth continued.
"Instagram advertising was super new five years ago, there were not a lot of fast fashion brands on it. Now everything's completely changed, so you really need to keep evolving and being on the front foot and knowing your customer, and capitalising on opportunities to keep giving your customers what they want," she said.
Yet Aznavorian admitted to more competition now. "What's important to us is celebrity seeding, collaboration, ambassadors, role models, as well as core lines, intros into new categories, and having our customers come to us for other occasions as well, so we are a one-stop-shop for apparel," she said.
"SEO does work, we only started it in the last six months and it helps with the conversion, but what really works for us is celebrity and PR.
"Facebook and Instagram campaigns are also a necessity for us. I'd rather spend the money on that and get eyeballs on it from all over the world than on print advertising and only have a small amount of the market viewing it.


text:
Blog Forums Index Town Hall Ask Nathan
Old Ask Nathan Thread
Questions for the resident (former) agent
Location: Gettysburg, PA
Contact Holly
Re: Ask Nathan
Post by Holly » February 4th, 2010, 7:11 am
Good morning, Nathan.
What's the best way to format the writing sample pasted below an email query letter?
(A) Single-space, no indents, with white space between paragraphs
(B) Single-space, with indents, no white space between paragraphs (longer sample w/ room for the important paragraph about the dog that eats the couch)
(C) Send as text and underline the italics (if the agent doesn't give a preference)
Post by Nathan Bransford » February 4th, 2010, 7:38 pm
Holly wrote: Good morning, Nathan.
Either way - I don't think there's really a standard. Just so it's reasonably readable.
Contact Username
Post by Username » February 4th, 2010, 10:12 pm
What I can't figure out is how you're able to decide so quickly what's worthy of your attention, and what's not?
I think I can safely say that most of us readers have abandoned at least one novel within a matter of pages, only to return to it later on to discover that, really, it was a masterpiece.
The first time this happened to me was when I was in university, when an English prof. of mine told me to read 'A Passage To India', which actually wasn't on the reading list. I think I might've read about ten chapters before giving up - it all just seemed a bit thick, especially in the midst of all the other fiction I was reading at the time (I think that, in general, university professors make the mistake of packing too much material onto their reading lists: it really should be a matter of quality over quantity - young people, I think, need the time to absorb the material, rather than just 'get through it all').
I think, as well, that maybe I was a bit too young to grasp most of A Passage's main themes. The complex relationships between Mr. Fielding and Dr. Aziz, and between Mrs. Moore and her son, Ronny, were simply beyond my scope as a young man, still in my early twenties. As an older person I can now appreciate to a greater degree many of the situations between these characters, having now experienced many of these situations myself.
As a much younger man, for example, I was confused when Forster wrote that Fielding's craving for the verbal truth had dulled, and that what he cared for now was chiefly truth of mood - as an older person I completely understand this, having lost my own craving for the verbal truth. (I've noticed that people who are such sticklers for the verbal truth are usually only concerned with catching somebody in a lie so that they can communicate news of the transgression to the rest of the herd - they don't actually care for the truth at all... they simply want to catch somebody out.)
Another example: Just five years ago a friend of mine recommended a P.G. Wodehouse novel titled 'Right Ho Jeeves!' I dutifully read it, and just as dutifully disliked it. This novel just wasn't my cup of tea. Here's what astonishes me though: at the time I thought nothing of the writing itself, but last summer, when I re-read the novel, I was gobsmacked by Wodehouse's sheer command of the English language. The guy is absolutely superb!
But how did I miss this? I had read the novel from cover to cover and had not even noticed the dazzling conceits, which lined every page.
Post by Nathan Bransford » February 4th, 2010, 10:39 pm
Username wrote: What I can't figure out is how you're able to decide so quickly what's worthy of your attention, and what's not?
First off, let me just say up front that I'm not going to pretend that the query system is perfect or that I'm infallible or anything like that. We don't have the query system because it's so great, but rather that no one has come up with an alternate system that's any better.
But to answer your question, quite simply, it's relatively easy to make quick decisions because my inbox is not full of Forsters and Wodehouses, or at least, not very often. While there is certainly talent on display and it's often a very hard decision, every query is not a choice you outline above, between great writing that's very accessible and great writing where they are terrifically talented and incredible stylists but perhaps I have to wait a while to really engage with the story. If you sent me the most boring chapter out a novel like A PASSAGE TO INDIA (or at least a more modern equivalent), I'd leap out of my seat. I'd read on because of the writing, not necessarily because I'm engaging straightaway with the story.
I'm not reading queries to find out if it's a book I want to read or one I'm engaging with on a cerebral level - I'm looking for what is, according to my best guess and judgment, a publishable plot and/or publishable quality of writing. And by today's publishing standards, where it's harder than ever to get a book through the process, it's terrifically rare to find that. After reading queries and manuscripts and books practically all day every day for over seven years, the projects I know I want to take on and am confident I can sell stand out like the author is writing in a different color. Even then I can't always get them through the path to publication.
tameson
Contact tameson
Post by tameson » February 4th, 2010, 11:13 pm
Nathan Bransford wrote: After reading queries and manuscripts and books practically all day every day for over seven years, the projects I know I want to take on and am confident I can sell stand out like the author is writing in a different color. Even then I can't always get them through the path to publication.
Which color is that- cause my computer will let me change the font to any color your like? ;)
(And sadly, yes I do think I am funny).
Nathan Bransford wrote:
Why then, did you not instantly recognize the genius of my writing, which I sent you last summer, and which you quickly rejected?
Can you not see the sheer quality of this opening segment?
HIS NAME WAS Jean Christophe Novello and he was the thirty-three year old chef-proprietor of Chartreuse restaurant, which bordered Wandsworth Common on the south bank of the River Thames, in south-west London. Born in The Black Country, Chef Christophe entered the industry at the age of sixteen when his father, seeing that he wasn't progressing in school, withdrew him and ordered him into town, to find work as a kitchen apprentice. At The Hotel St. Germain Christophe discovered that his dyslexia, which had been a hindrance to his academic growth, was now an irrelevancy, and that what mattered in a professional working kitchen was not book-smarts, but rather a thing known to cooks as kitchen awareness, or the ability to rely on the senses when cooking. The sounds that food made when it was cooking could be as important as the smell or the sight of it. Likewise, a cook working the meat section needed to have the touch, as to test the meat with the tip of his finger for its degree of doneness. A cook with an exaggerated facility to survive in a working kitchen would inevitably be gifted with a preternaturally strong sense of kitchen-awareness, as though born specifically to do the job: 'this is a physical place', something had said to Christophe on his first day in a professional kitchen. He had picked up his pairing knife and had commenced to peel potatoes - and the words had seemingly dropped out of the air: 'there is no book learning in this place, Christophe, you can survive in here'.
At age eighteen Christophe, having by now demonstrated to his Chef that he was prepared to put in whatever hours were necessary, and that he would do exactly as he was told, left The Hotel St. Germain with strong references, and for the next eight years worked for a succession of starred chefs, each one French, each one classically trained, each one recently exiled to England where, after years of searching, he had finally found his success.
"This is what you have to do to become a chef," his first mate in the industry had said to him one afternoon.
He was a tall, skinny cook, many years older than Christophe, and he had taken him under his wing to help him along, just as an older cook had helped him along when he had entered the industry, years earlier, as a troubled teenager. "To become a great chef, Christophe, you have to become a slave... first to one great chef... and then to another, and to another, and to another... until finally you've learned enough about cooking to run a kitchen of your own and can now pass along your knowledge to younger, less experienced cooks. There are three or four truly great Chefs in this country, Christophe. Go out and find them... believe it or not, but they need you as much as you need them, although at this stage you won't ever hear any of them say that out loud."
Indeed, it is not enough for a teacher to be great. A great teacher must have great pupils as well. In the world of gastronomy, whenever a great chef mentored an inherently talented cook, such as Christophe - or rather, when the two somehow found one another, which was as rare an occurrence, almost, as an eclipse of the sun - then the result would invariably be a starred chef. And not just a starred chef but often a three-starred chef, of which, at the time, there were only fifty-four in the entire world.
His cooks never called him Jean or Christophe or Mr. Novello or even Boss, to them he was simply known as Chef.
They loved him dearly, with a passion that bordered on fanaticism, and if he had ever asked them to do so, it was likely that each of them, without even thinking about the consequences, would have thrown himself off the London Bridge and into the icy waters of the River Thames below.
I can't tell if you're serious or not, so I'll just assume you are, and say that this: the genius-level writers I know spend most of their time fearing that they're not any good and trying to get better rather than wondering why other people don't recognize their genius.
I was joking.
Username wrote: I was joking.
My mistake! Tough to interpret intent on the Internet.
Post by Username » February 5th, 2010, 12:30 am
But in all seriousness, you write that you've been an agent for over seven years now - okay, that surprises me.
If I were to have judged, based on your photograph alone, I would have said you were much younger than what you must be. (Although I suppose your photograph could simply be an old one?) The number seven is always of interest to me. I have a theory that we pass through phases, and that each phase usually lasts about seven years.
So how have you grown as an agent these past seven years? What would be the chief difference between the Nathan of now, and the Nathan of then?
Do you perhaps have less debt now?
Post by Nathan Bransford » February 5th, 2010, 12:55 am
Username wrote: But in all seriousness, you write that you've been an agent for over seven years now - okay, that surprises me.
I'm 29 - I haven't been an agent for seven years, I started as an assistant (where I was reading queries, mansucripts, etc. for other agents) seven years ago. I started taking on my first clients after about three years with CB and I've been building my list in earnest since around 2007.
I think the Nathan of 22 thought it would be really easy to build your list, find NY Times bestsellers, and pull gem after gem from the slush pile. How hard could it be? Now I know that there's nothing easy about this business in the slightest. Especially not now, when publishers are looking mainly for sure things. It's really tough to make it as a young agent these days, and there aren't that many of us. I'm extremely lucky to have such incredible mentors at CB.
And yes, less debt.
Post by Jaime » February 5th, 2010, 1:29 am
Oh, the dreaded 3-0 is going to sucker-punch both of us this year, Nathan! It's no wonder you love monkeys!
I want to say that, personally, I wouldn't be too concerned about the age of an agent (both biologically and professionally speaking) - if they work for a reputable agency, then I would assume they have a grounded support system. If anything, an agent who is just starting out - and trying to build a list - would be a good thing. They may be more willing to take on debut novelists.
Oh, and I have a question I've been sitting on for a while. I have read that romance novels must, must, MUST have a happy ending. Does this apply to all categories of romance?
Jaime Loren: http://twitter.com/JaimeLoren
SigorneySouders
Joined: February 5th, 2010, 2:55 am
Contact SigorneySouders
Post by SigorneySouders » February 5th, 2010, 3:01 am
Nathan, your forum is truly amazing! I was wondering if you could take a look at Johydai's Query, something EMBERO. I know all we try to do is help, but she gets 5 posts with 5 completely different answers. I was about to give her a 6th different answer, but I figure I ask you, since you know more about this that I do, to take a second and look over her query and give her a more concrete answer. Her query doesn't POP yet, but it sounds like a potential bestseller.
Thank you for the wonderful forum,
Sigorney Marleen Souders
Thanks. You're really a good guy to answer all these questions.
d minus
Contact d minus
Post by d minus » February 5th, 2010, 2:52 pm
Nathan Bransford wrote: Now I know that there's nothing easy about this business in the slightest. Especially not now, when publishers are looking mainly for sure things.
do publishers ever tell you why they reject a manuscript? Do they ever explain (too x, too y, not enough z), or do they just pass with a simple No Thanks?
I'm sure it depends. I guess I don't know a lot about the agent/publisher relationship, if you can call it that.
Return to "Ask Nathan"


We call them "entitlements," the big three: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. They've been in the news a lot lately. We're told that they need to be 'fixed' and that is scary. It's scary because they are huge systems, huge not just by one measure but by many: huge in scope and complexity, huge in benefits conferred, huge in social consequence, huge in their impact on the federal coffers.
The entitlements possess centrality. They are a source of political and economic vulnerability, yet their future is of momentous social importance. What happens to them represents, to some extent, what will happen to us, both as individuals and as a country.
Will Americans discover the means of prudence while continuing in their commitment to providing needed medical care to the ill who are poor and elderly? Will aged Americans be guaranteed a subsistence in their 80s and 90s, or will they be draining the resources of their families, or on the street begging? Will the government sensibly modify its social-welfare programs, or will it fudge on its responsibility to "promote the general welfare," one of the purposes of federalism evoked in the preamble to the Constitution?
Moderation and broad vision are the keys to determining how best to effect the changes these massive programs need. The crisis of social welfare is not just national but global; it follows from a long historical trajectory. The interactive graphics that Gapminder puts together furnish a global longitudinal perspective on our current situation—on our great achievement and our difficulties.
The entitlement programs of today were part of a great historic initiative that altered human life in the 20th century. In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, many countries of the world created various sorts of social-welfare programs. As populations worldwide shifted from the countryside to cities, nations saw their citizens becoming newly vulnerable to hardships that living on the land in extended networks used to ease. As humans became more divorced from the land, they became cut off from a natural subsistence and more vulnerable to the shifts in fortune that market economies caused.
Nations were also moved by a humane desire to apply life-saving medical advances to the cruel diseases and conditions that cut short all too many lives, both here in the US and globally. Just imagine: in 1900, the average life expectancy for an American man was just 46.3 years of age; for a woman it was 48.6. Click the play button on this page to see how dramatically life expectancy for many peoples of the world has changed since then.
The creation of so-called safety-nets played an important part in improving both the health and wealth of developing nations. The graphic above suggests the strong relationship between these two qualities, with wealthiest countries of the world also enjoying the greatest life expectancies. While some countries are wealthier than the US, and others are healthier, the United States enjoys the distinction of being the largest mass society to enjoy both health and wealth to such a high degree. Wealth, especially when widely shared, is an important contributor to public health; conversely, public health is a crucial asset in determining what a nation can achieve.
Of course, many factors contribute to life expectancy: culture, environment, and genetic inheritance as well as living standards and public policy. The case of Russia, which continues to have a remarkably low life expectancy despite its considerable resources and size, shows how a nation can be dragged down when all these elements ill combine. On the other hand, the elite group of countries enjoying the greatest health and wealth include all the Western European countries, with their Cadillac safety nets, as well as many former imperial possessions of the U.K.
Now, however, the very success we have achieved in promoting health and long life is contributing to a crisis being felt worldwide. We can see it in our own country, where entitlement spending is a major contributor to our ballooning federal deficits, but it also appears in the massive debts that European governments are accruing, as well as in the sometimes violent struggles over "austerity," pensions, and public health insurance retrenchments in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, the UK, and Greece. The underlying connections among these crises are a reminder that the problems we are facing are by no means unique. Shaped by the same historical factors and the same demographic trends, the same problems are bedeviling many other nations.
At the same time, the historic role of these programs in helping nations secure greater blessings for their people argues for their continuing importance in an increasingly competitive and precarious world. Countries that demonstrate the most prudence and creativity in reshaping the social guarantees they extend to their citizenry are those most likely to flourish and dominate in the future. The worst paths for the US and other countries are those defined by extremes. Preserving our entitlements unchanged or gutting them mercilessly are alternatives equally foolhardy. Acknowledging the great social advances we have achieved with the aid of entitlements should go hand-in-hand with discovering creative and discriminating ways to move ahead.
Click on the image to enlarge, or check out the pdf version from Gapminder.
Teresa Ghilarducci, Our Ridiculous Approach to Retirement, NYT.
Sabrina Tavernise, For American Under 50, Stark Findings on Health, NYT.