Community call for justice for Fanta Bility
By Kathleen E. Carey | delcotimes.com
PUBLISHED: December 5, 2021 at 3:55 a.m. | UPDATED: December 5, 2021 at 7:09 a.m.
More than 70 people stood outside in the parking lot of the Sharon Hill School Saturday to attend a community meeting to hear concerns and to bring justice to the family of Fanta Bility.
Fanta Bility was the 8-year-old who was shot and killed after an Academy Park football game on Aug. 27. Angelo "AJ" Ford, 16, of Sharon Hill and Hasein Strand, 18, of Collingdale were identified as having had an argument which ended in gunfire in the 900 block of Coates Street. They are charged with Bility's death.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer has said there is a "high probability" she died as the result of police gunfire. Court documents said that immediately after Ford and Strand allegedly fired their shots, three uniformed officers supervising the exit of spectators from the football field discharged their weapons as well. Under the laws of the commonwealth, Stollsteimer said Ford and Strand can be held criminally liable for all of the victims in the case under the doctrine of "transferred intent."
There is an ongoing grand jury determining whether the officers were justified in allegedly discharging their own weapons. No officers have been charged in the case as the probe goes on, though the officers have been suspended from duty.
Saturday's Call to Action: Community Meeting was hosted by U.D.T.J. (Understanding, Devotion, Take Action, Justice) and Delco Resists.
"We appreciate your support to seek justice for Fanta Bility," Abdul Bility, Fanta's uncle, told those who attended the meeting. "We appreciate your effort. Our purpose for being here is to seek justice for Fanta Bility."
Of the Sharon Hill police and the District Attorney, he said, "We want them to do the right job."
The family attorney spoke of the importance of having events like the one Saturday in which seven breakout groups were formed to discuss feelings and their next steps.
"Having a dialogue amongst ourselves and trying to understand what's going on and make sense out of something that is senseless is in and of itself a valuable thing," Bruce Castor, the attorney representing the Bility family, said at the community meeting. "But there's something even more important in having these gatherings. When you have these gatherings, it reminds our elected officials and our appointed officials that not just we are watching but the broader community is watching. And, when you're an elected and appointed official, it is critical … to know that your decisions are going to be questioned."
A former Montgomery County district attorney, Castor shared an insight on the case.
"I can report to you that some of the things that are happening are unusual in my over 35 years experience doing this kind of work," he said. "I'm not saying that there's anybody doing anything improper, illegal, wrong or whatnot. What I can tell you is that we're going to do everything we can … to make sure that the police officers and the administrators in Sharon Hill are held accountable for the death of Fanta Bility."
He urged the attendants to stay active.
"The time to make sure that public officials' feet are held to the fire is now and will continue until such time as the grand jury does it work and the justice system has run its course," said Castor, who recently defended former President Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial. "On behalf of the Fanta Bility family, I want to thank you all so much for coming out here. This is an important part of the process – to make sure that our leaders, appointed and elected, know that their constituents are watching."
No members of Sharon Hill borough government or its police department were present. One person identified themselves as a representative of the Southeast Delco School District but declined to identify themselves. Stollsteimer was also not present and was unable to be reached later.
Dan Corcoran, who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for Ridley township commissioner, attended.
"The District Attorney wants (state Attorney General Josh) Shapiro's job," Corcoran claimed. "So he needs the backing of the FOP.
Shaipro is running for the Democratic nomination for governor.
"We need to call people out," he continued, "and we need to stay on them. If we want justice, we need to be loud."
Dyamond Gibbs, one of the organizers, raised a sentiment that was echoed throughout the event.
"After months of passing, we still don't have basic answers as to who shot the bullets, why the officers aren't even being held accountable but what we do see is two teens being plastered around the news media for something they did not do," she said. "And, I have a problem with that."
To the Bility family, Gibbs said, "You have an army of supporters behind you and we are ready to take action and help you get the justice that you need and make sure that these officers are held accountable. It may be a month-long process, it may take a couple of years actually before it's done properly … but just know that we're not going to let up. The fight is going to continue … and we just want you to know that we are here for you."
Sheila A. Carter, president of the Darby Area National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, discussed the issue of first-degree murder charges.
"The two young men that are being charged, they're being charged with first-degree murder," the Sharon Hill resident said. "It requires that the defendant plan the murder before it was committed or was lying in wait for the victim. Think about that when you think about the charges that are put on the two young men. It's been stated that they were not at the location but down the block, so it's kind of hard to think how was it premeditated."
To which, Steve Clark, who identified as family of one of the charged teens, said, "Stay woke, Sharon Hill. Stay woke."
Carter, who is a former police officer, also questioned the use of deadly force by police.
"As a police officer, when you use deadly force, it's because your life or someone else in the area is in danger of being harmed, that's when you use deadly force," she said.
"In all of my years here, and I was born and raised here, I've never seen a case like this," Carter continued. "First of all, we have three individuals – meaning the three police officers who live in our community – have not been identified yet. I know we need to know why. Why is it that we can protect the identity of the police officers but when the young individuals were put on the front page of the Daily Times newspaper – a 16-year-old young man was put on the front page? But not once have we heard who these officers are. So, who is being protected?
"We have not identified the people that have caused damage … " Carter said. "We need to know. How are we as a community going to heal when we don't know who's protecting us? We have to know. And, how do we grow as a community when we have people in power that are placing blame on others that wasn't even there?"
She said the NAACP wants to know what happened and were the officers justifiable when they allegedly shot their weapons.
The event organizers said they are planning a rally at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media in January, as well as a messaging campaign to the District Attorney, the Pennsylvania Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Kathleen E. Carey | Reporter
Follow Kathleen E. Carey	@dtbusiness
Lansdowne police looking for two suspects in carjacking


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The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Sixth Season & The Originals: The Complete Second Season Giveaway
by Terion August 27, 2015
Love The Vampire Diaries and The Originals? Well, we surely have a bloody treat in store for you today. Checkout this exclusive blog app and take the "Are you Fit for Vampire Life?" quiz to find out if you have what it takes to be a creature of the night. Then, on September 1st come back to take a new "Could You Be a Supernatural Being?" quiz {do not fear as the app will be automatically updated with a new quiz experience}.
Hint, hint: Scroll through all the images from the shows and come back every week for new unlocked content. Also watch four blogger exclusive interviews *included below* with the creator of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Julie Plec. These super fan videos feature Julie confessing her favorite moments and top 5 episodes from the recent seasons of both The Vampire Diaries The Complete Sixth Season and The Originals The Complete Second Season.
About The Vampire Diaries The Complete Sixth Season
The Vampire Diaries continues its sixth season with more delicious drama to sink your teeth into. In season five, after a passionate summer with Damon, Elena headed to Whitmore College with Caroline, not knowing Bonnie sacrificed her life for Jeremy's. Meanwhile, Stefan and Caroline's friendship deepened as they stood up to the Travelers, a nomadic witch tribe driven to strip Mystic Falls of magic and cast out its supernatural residents. In the shocking season finale, Damon, fearing he would lose his loved ones on the crumbling Other Side, made a huge sacrifice to bring them all back — with catastrophic and heartbreaking results. Season six follows the characters' journey back to each other as they explore the duality of good versus evil inside themselves. Matt Davis reprises his role as Alaric Saltzman, recently returned from The Other Side. Plus, the season will make you misty-eyed as the departure of a major character will turn lives upside down and leave us asking what happened to Mystic Falls.
Own The Vampire Diaries The Complete Sixth Season on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD September 1, 2015 .
Contains All 22 Episodes From The Sixth Season Plus Two Featurettes, An Audio Commentary, The 2014 Comic-Con Panel, Deleted Scenes, And A Gag Reel
Connect with The Vampire Diaries on Facebook and The Vampire Diaries on Twitter.
About The Originals The Complete Second Season
As Original vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson returned to the vibrant, supernaturally charged city of New Orleans in season one, he was stunned to learn — along with his siblings Elijah and Rebekah — that Hayley, a werewolf, was pregnant with his child, and his vampire protégé, Marcel, whom the Original siblings had thought long dead, was ruling the French Quarter. Soon, a bloody war escalated between vampires and witches — the stakes raised by powerful teenage witch Davina and by Klaus's bond with Cami, a student with a painful past — and a ruthless pack of wolves seized the opportunity to stage a violent coup. Now, in season two, a new status quo must be adjusted to, as the newly empowered werewolves control the city. Klaus struggles with weaknesses as Elijah desperately tries to save Hayley — now a hybrid — from a vicious spiral of self-destruction. Meanwhile, with the re-emergence of several Mikaelsons, "family is power" takes on new meaning.
Own The Originals The Complete Second Season on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD September 1, 2015
Contains All 22 Episodes From The Second Season Plus Never-Before-Seen Featurettes And Much More!
Connect with The Originals on Facebook and Ask The Originals on Twitter.
Each household is only eligible to win (1) The Vampire Diaries Season 6 or The Originals Season 2 chosen at random via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
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Stop monkeying around with our metadata laws, prime minister
If mandatory data-retention legislation is truly vital for the safety and security of Australians, then why isn't the government taking the time to get it right?
By Stilgherrian for The Full Tilt | February 19, 2015 -- 05:38 GMT (21:38 PST) | Topic: Government
There's something rather endearing, sweet even, about watching Prime Minister Tony Abbott explain Australia's "urgent" need for mandatory telecommunications data-retention laws.
Evidence continues to mount against the idea of capturing and storing this so-called "metadata" for two years -- at least in the proposed law's current form -- and I'll get to that. But Abbott just keeps banging away with the same old discredited spin. He's like one of those wind-up toy monkeys clashing his cymbals. All noise, all repetition, no information, no clue.
There's also something rather endearing, sweet even, about Abbott's simplistic, binary world view.
"The cost of losing this data is an explosion in unsolved crime... If we want to combat crime, we need this legislation, and if we don't get it, it will be a form of unilateral disarmament in the face of criminals, and the price of that is very, very high indeed," Abbott told a press conference on Wednesday.
Yes, in the criminal-infested cartoon land of Abbott's political mind, telecommunications data is the only tool in the investigative toolbox. With it, crime can be solved. Without it, the very fabric of society will dissolve under a tsunami of crooks.
Metadata is magic, too, in Abbottland. It reveals everything about criminal activity, but nothing about our private lives.
"We're talking here about metadata; we're not talking here about the content of communications, so your web-browsing history, what you actually say on phone calls, that's not covered by this. It's just the data that the system generates," he said, before rolling out that stupid and misleading trope, "It's only the envelope."
Abbott seems to have missed the fact, backed up by copious peer-reviewed research, that telecommunications data can be far more revealing of your private life than content. As I've written again and again and again, anyone still pushing the idea that metadata is just some harmless by-product of conducting a communication is either a fool or a liar.
Abbott also seems to have missed the fact, uncovered by Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, that the Attorney-General's Department has no evidence that telecommunications data retention actually works. This week, the Dutch Data Protection Authority wrote that after 4.5 years of data retention in the Netherlands, there is no substantiation for its use. European courts have ruled that blanket surveillance of this kind is a breach of human rights.
Perhaps we'd better go back through those early paragraphs and cross out the words "endearing" and "sweet", and replace them with "appalling" and "scary" -- because some people who actually know how telecommunications data is used for law enforcement are worried by the government's intention to push the legislation through parliament in just a few weeks.
People like adjunct professor Nigel Phair, director of the Centre for Internet Safety at the University of Canberra, whose 21-year career with the Australian Federal Police included four years heading up investigations at the Australian High Tech Crime Centre.
"It needs more thinking... We shouldn't be rushing it through," Phair told ZDNet on Wednesday.
Metadata is "so valuable" for investigations that in many cases, as an investigator, he'd prefer it over the content of communications. But the internet age is giving investigators access to an ocean of digital data without a matching increase in accountability.
More on data retention
Telcos demand Commonwealth stump up for data retention
Dutch court suspends mandatory data-retention legislation
How the AFP sold Abbott on mandatory data retention
Australian lawmakers can't use phones, will vote on data retention
Retained data set and breach notification set to become law
AU$400m for data retention the cost of freedom: Abbott
Optus says data retention is 'workable'
"It is richer than rich to look at geolocation and all this other stuff on the proverbial Internet of Things... Big data, and there's a ton of it out there," Phair said.
"We need oversight. We need a more stringent authority to get the information, and then we need oversight from the relevant ombudsman-type role," he said. "I don't think we have a problem [today], but there is a problem that's coming down the pipeline."
Law-enforcement officers still use an "antiquated" process to access individuals' metadata: They just say they want it for their investigation, get the signature of a commissioned police officer, fax the requests to the telco, pay 30-odd dollars for each one, and back comes an Excel spreadsheet.
"That was great back in the day when it was a fixed-line telephone, and it said, 'Oh, that's been subscribed to by Mrs Smith since this date'... It was really valuable for background information for a search warrant. It proved that Mrs Smith lives there, and a whole bunch of other things," Phair said.
"To get content was really frickin' difficult. Content to this day is still really frickin' difficult with, I would argue, limited benefit," he said.
Under current laws, Australian law-enforcement agencies have made over 500,000 warrantless requests for telecommunications data in the last financial year. Making them apply for a warrant for each and every one of those requests would be an enormous burden.
Phair's thoughts echo my own: To access metadata, there needs to be a new process that's more than a simple sign-off by a police superintendent, but something less than what's needed to access content.
"For content, you go to an AAT [Administrative Appeals Tribunal] member, who's the equivalent of a Federal Court judge. That's a senior judicial officer. To get a search warrant for me to bowl through your home, I go to magistrate," Phair said. "Somewhere in the middle is an appropriate level."
Phair dismissed the idea that metadata is the be-all and end-all of criminal investigations.
"Metadata is a great corroboration tool. If your whole brief is hanging on metadata, you've got problems," he told ZDNet. "I've not been privy ... to any investigation that's fallen over because there wasn't metadata," he said, pointing out that he hasn't been privy to every investigation, of course.
Phair also dismissed linking the need for data retention to national security. "You can talk about national security all you like; it's law enforcement that's going to use it. That's the reality."
So how will Tony Abbott respond to all of this? He will, of course, front the process personally. Australia's favourite Attorney-General, Senator George Brandis QC, whose portfolio it falls under, has proved unfit for purpose. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the only Cabinet member who can explain this stuff, is seen as a potential rival for the leadership. No, Abbott it must be.
Will Abbott grant parliament the time to give this important issue the attention it deserves? Or will he continue to rush this deeply flawed legislation so that he can score a strong-leader national-security win in an increasing desperate attempt to prop up his crumbling popular and party support? The answer, to use the old legal phrase, goes to character.
Australia CXO Security Innovation Smart Cities
More from Stilgherrian
NZ finally updates its cybersecurity strategy, so where's Australia's?
Lack of focus on security of Australia's critical infrastructure: ASPI
Morrison sells Australia's terrorism video streaming plan to the G20
Australians fear China but want its technology: Lowy Institute poll
Communist museum, nightclub: Now Albania's notorious pyramid turns tech hub
Tirana's Pyramid building has had quite a journey since it was created to honor Albania's communist dictator.
FTC reportedly approves $5B settlement with Facebook
The settlement would easily surpass the FTC's largest financial penalty to date.
Brazil gears up to enhance data analytics to tackle benefit fraud
Interoperability and workforce training to use more data in decision-making are at the core of projects underpinning the reform of the country's pension system. ...
Sweden and UK's surveillance programs on trial at the European Court of Human Rights
Last chance for Europe's top human rights court to rule against dragnet surveillance programs.
Microsoft Office 365: Banned in German schools over privacy fears
State of Hesse says student and teacher information could be "exposed" to US spy agencies.
US mayors group adopts resolution not to pay any more ransoms to hackers
US mayors vow not to give in to more extortion demands following ransomware attacks.
US Coast Guard warns about malware designed to disrupt ships' computer systems
US Coast Guard also shares a list of cybersecurity best practices for commercial vessels.
Estonia's new e-residency security focus: 'You can't launder money with a digital ID'
Instead of the goal of gaining 10 million e-residents by 2025, Estonia is now focusing on security and usability.


Guest Host: Jordan Rosenfeld March 28, 2013
Posted by Carolyn Burns Bass in guest host, literary fiction, paranormal.
Tags: Jordan Rosenfeld
Guest host for Friday, March 29, 2013: Jordan E. Rosenfeld, author of Forged in Grace.
Most people walk around with scars on the inside. Grace Jensen wears them like a permanent Halloween mask on the outside, while smoldering from their pain on the inside. In Forged in Grace, Jordan E. Rosenfeld animates a woman grotesquely scarred by fire and emotionally stunted by the betrayal that made her so.
Chatscript of #litchat with Jordan E. Rosenfeld available here.
Grace and Marly were BFFs growing up in the small community of Drake's Bay in Northern California. Marly, the beautiful one, is forced to embrace the power of her sexuality far too early. Grace, the insecure follower, idolizes Marly and plays into her recklessness. When Grace's parents block their friendship after a late-night pick-up from an out-of-town police station, a dangerous game of adolescent angst and envy embroil the girls. Grace is severely burned, while Marly escapes with a tiny burn on her arm.
Adolescent relationships are volatile. As young people sort through who they are, the expectations of and pressures from the adults in their world—especially the trusted caretakers—can twist their psyche in harmful ways. Rosenfeld explores this concept through the eyes of the adult Grace with such insight, you don't realize she's also revealing the scarred heart of her best friend Marly.
After years of silence between the two women, Marly's return to Drake's Bay for the funeral of her grandmother kindles a reconciliation. A pariah in her small-town community, Grace accepts Marly's invitation to Las Vegas where she can blend in with the hoards of other misfits who call the glittering desert oasis a home. This is when Rosenfeld's insights into psyche and character ignite. With prose so raw it bleeds, Rosenfeld reveals a connection between Grace and Marly that singes the words on the page.
Ever since the fire that nearly took her life, Grace has been unable to tolerate human touch. Her doctors can't find a physical reason why she burns with pain when people touch her. Psychologists say it's psychosomatic. One night after Marly is beat-up by an angry lover, Grace reaches through her own pain to soothe Marly's injuries. The next morning Marly has no swelling, bruising, or abrasions. The pain Grace felt all those years when touching people was their pain, not hers. And now she has a way of reaching into them to heal the sickness and injury. Marly-the-manipulator immediately pushes Grace into a type of sideshow act to heal the sick and wounded, which leads to more conflict between the two. The story flares up here for genuine tearful conclusions that answer the questions Rosenfeld so deftly scatters throughout the novel.
Jordan E. Rosenfeld learned early on that people prefer a storyteller to a know-it-all. She channeled any Hermione-esque tendencies into a career as a writing coach, editor and freelance journalist and saves the Tall Tales for her novels. She earned her MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and is the author of the books, Make A Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time (Writer's Digest Books) and Write Free! Attracting the Creative Life with Rebecca Lawton (BeijaFlor Books). Jordan's essays and articles have appeared in such publications as AlterNet.org, Publisher's Weekly, The San Francisco Chronicle, The St. Petersburg Times, The Writer and Writer's Digest magazine. Her book commentaries have appeared on The California Report, a news-magazine produced by NPR-affiliate KQED radio. She lives in Northern California with her Batman-obsessed son and Psychologist husband.
Watch the Forged In Grace book trailer.
Follow Jordan E. Rosenfeld on Twitter: @JordanRosenfeld.


Strona główna » Księgarnia » Historia » Średniowiecze » The Hidden Secrets: Late Byzantium in the Western and Polish Context
The Hidden Secrets: Late Byzantium in the Western and Polish Context
Małgorzata Dąbrowska
Professor Małgorzata Dąbrowska, a distinguished scholar dealing with the history of Byzantium in the Middle Ages, belongs to the few Byzantinists who have become internationally acclaimed. A considerable part of her output concerns Polish-Byzantine relations which are hardly known to foreign scholars because of the language barrier, and yet they attract the interest of scholars all over the world as a new aspect of Byzantine studies. The publication of English and French works by Małgorzata Dąbrowska will thus facilitate better understanding between the Latin and Orthodox milieux in the European world. The author's style is absolutely superb, regardless of the fact whether her texts are written in Polish or in other languages. This adds another quality to her oeuvre.
From the review by Professor Maciej Salamon
Professor Małgorzata Dąbrowska holds a special place among the Polish Byzantinists as an outstanding specialist in the history of late Byzantium and its relations with Europe (including Poland, which is, undoubtedly, worth attention). The current collection of articles can be seen as a detailed sequel to the author's monographs Byzantium, France and the Holy See in the Second Half of the 13th Century and The Latin Ladies on the Bosporos. ByzantineLatin Marriages in the Imperial Family of the Palaiologoi (13th-15th Centuries). Both titles reflect faithfully the author's favourite and interrelated subjects of study, namely the relations between Byzantium and western Europe, especially the matrimonial policy, which is handled in a detailed and innovative way.
From the review by Professor Jerzy Strzelczyk
Preface 7
Acknowledgements 9
CHAPTER ONE. The Palaiologoi Themselves and Their Western Connections 13
L'attitude probyzantine de Saint Louis et les opinions des sources françaises concernant cette question 15
Is There any Room on the Bosporus for a Latin Lady? 37
Byzantine Empresses' Mediations in the Feud between the Palaiologoi (13th–15th Centuries) 53
Family Ethos at the Imperial Court of the Palaiologos in the Light of the Testimony by Theodore of Montferrat 69
Ought One to Marry? Manuel II Palaiologos' Point of View 81
Sophia of Montferrat or the History of One Face 99
"Vasilissa, ergo gaude…" Cleopa Malatesta's Byzantine CV 123
Hellenism at the Court of the Despots of Mistra in the First Half of the 15th Century 135
The Power of Virtue. The Case of the Last Palaiologoi 147
Le roi de France, aurait-il pu acheter Byzance? 163
CHAPTER TWO. Byzantium and the Polish Kingdom in 13th–15th Centuries 171
A Byzantine Lady's Daughters in Poland 173
Peter of Cyprus and Casimir the Great in Cracow 183
Could Poland Have Reacted to the Submission of Byzantium to the Turks in 1372–1373? 195
Uzun Hasan's Project of Alliance with the Polish King (1474) 211
From Poland to Tenedos. The Project of Using the Teutonic Order in the Fight against the Turks after the Fall of Constantinople 233
Cantacuzene – "The Wolf" or Matthias Stryjkowski's Recollection of Byzantium 247
CHAPTER THREE. Byzantium Viewed from the Contemporary Polish and Texan Perspective 267
La vision moscovite de Byzance et le byzantinisme allemand de Koneczny ou Byzance sans Byzance 269
Byzance, source de stéréotypes dans la conscience des Polonais 287
Byzantine Frescoes Chapel from Lusignans' Cyprus in Houston 301
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Tagi: Polish Kingdom in 13th–15th Centuries, Imperial Family of the Palaiologoi, Byzantium


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Gavin O'Reilly
'Syrian chemical attack' – Ukraine edition coming soon?
Even a 'limited' strike against Russian military infrastructure would immediately place the world on an irreversible path to the gravest consequence of all - nuclear war.
Over the past two weeks, media headlines worldwide have been dominated by the Russian military intervention in Ukraine – launched in response to almost nine years of Western provocations, beginning with the CIA and MI6 orchestrated Euromaidan color revolution in November 2013, following then-President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to suspend an EU trade deal in favor of closer ties with Russia, which in turn would lead the predominantly ethnic Russian Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics in the eastern Donbass region breaking away from Kiev's control in April 2014, the catalyst for this secession being the anti-Russian far-right sympathizers that would make up the Western-backed post-Maidan government of Petro Poroshenko.
A near eight-year-long war on both Republics would follow, involving Kiev-supported neo-Nazi factions such as Azov Battalion and Right Sector. The war would eventually lead to an estimated 14,000 deaths, a conflict that Moscow would seek to resolve through diplomatic means via the Minsk Agreements – a federalization solution in which Donetsk and Lugansk would be granted a degree of autonomy whilst still remaining under Ukrainian rule. However, the failure of Kiev to implement its side of the agreements, as well as the ongoing attacks on the ethnic Russians in the Donbass and the inevitability that Ukraine would ultimately go on to become a NATO member and host weapons and troops intended to attack Russia, would ultimately force Moscow into launching a military intervention into its Western neighbor in order to demilitarise and de-Nazify the country.
Two weeks into the conflict, it has become apparent from the corporate media narrative of the 'Ukrainian resistance' that the goal of the US and its allies, with little regard for the Ukrainian civilians they claim to care about, is to drag Moscow into a military quagmire in the second-largest country in Europe. This tactic is one with historical usage against the Kremlin: In 1979, at the height of the Cold War, the CIA and MI6 would begin a covert operation of arming and training Islamist fundamentalists, including Osama Bin Laden, known as the Mujahideen, who would go on to wage war on the then-Socialist government of Afghanistan – leading to a ten-year-long Soviet military intervention, something which many commentators have seen as a contributing factor to the subsequent break-up of the bloc in 1991. Indeed, Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Advisor to US President Jimmy Carter when Operation Cyclone was launched in 1979, would later recount in a 1998 interview how drawing the USSR into a costly military intervention was a motivating factor in its inception.
Despite the intention of the Neocons and the war lobby to seemingly draw the Russian Federation into an Iraq war-style quagmire, there also appears to be an element who favors an approach that would lead to far more grave consequences – a Libya-style no-fly zone over Ukraine, involving the shooting down of Russian aircraft by NATO, which would undoubtedly trigger a catastrophic third world war involving the use of nuclear weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a newfound darling of the Western media since their coverage of the Russian intervention began, has repeatedly called for the implementation of a no-fly zone over his countries' skies. World Economic Forum-linked Ukrainian activist Daria Kaleniuk went viral with her plea for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene militarily against Russian forces, and a recent poll by corporate media outlet Reuters found that 74% of Americans supported a no-fly zone over Ukraine – with it remaining unclear on whether those polled were aware of the nuclear apocalypse that such a measure would entail.
Despite this push for Western military intervention in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg have made it clear that such a measure is off the table, each citing the global nuclear conflict that would undoubtedly follow as the reason. Though this may seem a reason to be optimistic that the current Ukraine crisis won't develop into World War III, it does not however rule out the far more hawkish members of the regime-change lobby seeking to carry out a false flag operation in Ukraine, one with the intention of implicating Moscow, and to push public and political opinion even more towards support for a NATO intervention, a tactic with very recent usage.
In 2017, the Syrian Arab Republic had been in the six-year-long grip of a Western-backed regime change operation launched in response to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's 2009 refusal to allow US-allied Qatar to build a pipeline through his country, one that would have undermined his relationship with key-ally Russia. Like the aforementioned Operation Cyclone, Timber Sycamore would see the arming, funding and training of Wahhabi terrorist groups by the West and its allies, with the intention of removing Assad's secular government and replacing it with a Western-friendly leadership.
In June 2013, Iran and Hezbollah would intervene in the ensuing proxy war at the request of the Syrian government, providing a key role in assisting Damascus in repelling the Western-backed terrorist campaign. What would perhaps be the most decisive factor in turning the tide of the conflict in the Arab Republic's favor, however, would come in September 2015 - a Russian air campaign, again at the request of the Syrian government, targeting the terrorist groups, allowing Damascus to retake the vast swathes of Syrian territory which had come under their control, such as the key city of Aleppo.
With the Syrian regime-change operation not going as planned, Washington's Neocons would soon resort to desperate – and reckless – measures.
On the 4th of April 2017, a false flag chemical attack took place in the Syrian town of Khan Shaykhun, the blame immediately being placed on Damascus and resulting in the then-US administration of Donald Trump launching cruise missile strikes on a Syrian government airbase three days later. Washington's action was a highly provocative action, though one that just stopped short of the full-scale military intervention that the regime-change lobby had clamored for. Undeterred, the same tactic would be carried out a year later in the city of Douma, which again would result in the US, Britain and France launching airstrikes against Syrian government targets, also just stopping short of a full-scale intervention.
This is not to discount the grave seriousness of NATO launching a military strike against a Russian ally and the potential consequences that that action could have entailed. Nevertheless, should a similar false flag operation take place in Ukraine, perhaps also involving chemical weapons or a nuclear reactor as Moscow itself has warned of in recent days, even a 'limited' strike against Russian military infrastructure would immediately place the world on an irreversible path to the gravest consequence of all - nuclear war.
The opinions mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al mayadeen, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.
Irish Republican activist
Russia & NATO
As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?
The path from sanctions to military escalator - paved by misconceptions
On countering terror, Sweden is rightly on the ropes
The US-Japan new militarism will be a failure to contain China
Russia-Pakistan energy collaboration defeats the Western...
Drawing parallels between the counter-revolution of 1776 and...


The Fourth Crow
By Pat McIntosh
The crows are gathering above Glasgow, watching the movements of the clergy and townspeople alike... Tied to St Mungo's Cross by the cathedral to be cured of her madness overnight by the saint, the young woman is found in the morning beaten and strangled, still tied to the cross. But is she who she seems to be? And who would flout the saint's protection like this? Gil Cunningham must trace the dead woman and find her enemies, track down the thieves and murderers and identify the watchers in the shadows, particularly the elusive fourth person who holds the secret of what happened that night. Questioning cathedral staff and apprentice boys, pilgrims and tradesmen, he uncovers only more puzzles. And then there is another death. How is it connected to the first? While his wife Alys deals with the tensions within their family, Gil has to untangle the threads of the mystery to find the solution to all the crimes.
Publisher: Constable & Robinson |
Publication date: Jul 19, 2012 |


The 100 Best Websites For Writers In 2020 #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
Specialist websites offer a wealth of useful and free information on every aspect of writing, publishing and book marketing, often based on years of practical experience.
The problem for busy writers is finding the time to look for the best, which is where The Write Life 100 Best Websites For Writers In 2020 is so useful.
The criteria for inclusion in the list are that the website is recommended by readers of The Write Life, publishes content helpful to writers, and has been updated recently and regularly.
The Write Life have organised their 2020 list into 10 categories:
Creativity and craft – you will find Writers Write here
Marketing and platform building
All the websites are listed in alphabetical order within these categories, with numbers for ease of reading (not ranking).
Click here to see the full list:
Do you have suggestions for useful websites for writers you would like to share? Please feel free to comment below
The #AuthorToolboxBlogHop is a monthly event on the topic of resources and learning for authors. Feel free to hop around to the various blogs and see what you learn! The rules and sign-up form are below the list of hop participants. All authors at all stages of their careers are welcome to join in.
Posted by tonyriches 10 comments:
Guest post by Cynthia Jefferies, Author of The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne
Thomas Chayne has never managed to impress his overbearing father, and when a small act of rebellion has lasting consequences, Thomas finds himself exiled in disgrace. But with England on the brink of civil war, a larger revolution is in the air and Thomas has an opportunity to prove his worth by rallying a troop of royalists to defend Oxford
from the escalating violence.
Putting your home town into fiction. The Storming of Cirencester!
They say write about what you know…and if it's historical fiction you'd better make sure you've done the research! Good advice, but even when you think you know your subject pretty well there can be pitfalls. I wonder if Ian Rankin ever makes mistakes about the places in Edinburgh that Rebus mentions, and if so, does he get picked up on it? Laurie Lee put real people in Cider with Rosie and famously some declared that he had got most people right but not them!
I like to think that I know my home town as well as Rankin does Edinburgh, but I write historical fiction, so I need to get the facts about events right as well as the geography of the town. Over hundreds of years roads and buildings change, or disappear. And then there's the fact that I was working on a novel. Where to deviate from the truth and when to keep it real? Should I be searching for old street maps?
I was born and brought up in Cirencester, a market town in Gloucestershire, England. The area was valued for its cloth, and strategically it is a gateway to the South and West. These things were important during the English Civil Wars. It was largely a Parliamentarian town, and was stormed in 1643 by Prince Rupert and his brother Prince Maurice. It was the events on this snowy day in early February that I wanted to put in my second novel for Allison & Busby, The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne.
Fortunately, there are two very good eyewitness accounts of the action, one from each side, so it's possible to have a pretty clear idea of what happened. But in fiction the story is the thing. Engaging and keeping readers turning the pages is far more than simply relating the facts. And the storming of a town doesn't conveniently all happen in one place. Several streets in the outskirts will be attacked at a similar time. Where should the forces gather once they are in the town, and if they take prisoners, where can they keep them safely out of the action?
Instead of trying to give an overall picture I opted to stick with Thomas as he did his bit in his first engagement of the war. It helped that he knew the town, and so didn't get lost. It also helped that he was new to warfare, and was under command. That meant I could use other characters to hint at action taking place elsewhere without becoming ponderous.
No one wants long descriptions during the heat of battle! But troops on horseback could get split up in the maze of narrow streets in the centre of a town that was ancient, even in 1643. It would be easy for Thomas, who knew exactly where he was going, to get ahead without meaning to. And there were other things to consider. What if he came face to face with someone he knew? That ghastly situation was no doubt faced by many during this terrible war.
I did look at street maps. And two very useful plans of the attack and movement of troops were to be found in an excellent publication by John Miles Paddock for the Cotswold District Council in 1993, which I already had.
I'm very glad I chose to tell this small, violent part of my town's history. It was something of a journey for me, having first got interested in the event when I was young. It was also a journey for young Thomas Chayne, because of course this book is his story, not mine. He appears in Oxford, Bristol, Norfolk and Flintshire, even up into Scotland. From my comfortable chair in Gloucestershire I was taken aback at how far he roamed. I hadn't thought he would do that, or have the life he eventually led. He took me to places I had never been before, and taught me things about human nature that I didn't know.
This novel was all his but, he also appears briefly, and significantly in my other novel for Allison & Busby, The Outrageous Fortune of Abel Morgan. In that novel he demanded silently that I take the time to tell his story, and so I did. I think I was faithful to Thomas, and in spite of some tweaks here and there I hope I was pretty faithful to my home town. If you know the town I hope you will recognise it in the book. If you have never been there perhaps you will read the book and then go and see for yourself. If you're lucky you might find a lardy cake, and the coffee is good in the King's Head Hotel!
Cynthia Jefferies
Free Event. The Storming of Cirencester! 29th February at 3pm. Cynthia Jefferies will be signing and talking about her latest book, The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne, and the storming of Cirencester at Octavia's Bookshop in Black Jack Street, Cirencester, down which her hero cantered. Nibbles of traditional lardy cake may be available!
Cynthia Jefferies wrote for many years for children as Cindy Jefferies. Her Fame School series for Usborne Books attracted world wide interest, and was eventually published in 22 languages. The books remain in print in the UK. More recently, she has turned to her interest in the C17th to write historical fiction for adults. As a child of ten she wrote a play about the escape of Charles II after the Civil Wars in the UK, and performed it with her class at school. From that moment she knew she would be a writer, however difficult it might be to achieve her goal. Success as a writer was hard won and so, while raising her family she had a variety of jobs, from working in a china shop to raising poultry, pigs and sheep; trying her hand at being a DJ, working behind the bar in a pub and dealing in junk antiques. "I think I have always been pretty well unemployable," she says. "I always wanted to work for myself!" Eventually she did just that, starting a bookselling business which sold to schools all over the UK. It was while building up the business that she sent her first children's novel, Sebastian's Quest to Barry Cunningham, who first took on J K Rowling of Harry Potter fame. To her great surprise and total delight he took it on. "It didn't do terribly well for him, so he didn't want any more from me, but he was a great first editor to have, and was very encouraging." After twenty years of writing for children she is now writing historical fiction for Allison & Busby. Her first, The Outrageous Fortune of Abel Morgan came out in 2018 and was reviewed by the American Libraries Association. Their Booklist publication gave it a starred review, saying it was "Outstanding storytelling". Find out more at Cynthia's website www.cynthiajefferies.co.uk and find her on Twitter @cindyjefferies1
Historical Fiction Spotlight: Mistress Whiddon: The Memoirs of Nora Basset of Umberleigh, by Joanne McShane
Nora Basset has no memory of her father, John, as he died when she was very young. Her first years are spent at Umberleigh in Devon with her family.
When she is three years old, she meets her grandmother, Honora Lisle, who has returned from imprisonment in Calais and has been tragically widowed. Nora and her grandmother form a close bond, as the child unwittingly assists the older woman to come to terms with her loss.
The following year, Nora's mother, Frances Plantagenet, remarries. Her new husband is Thomas Monk of Potheridge and the family leaves Umberleigh to begin their new life.
Nora spends a mostly happy childhood at Potheridge until she is called away at the age of eighteen to become a companion for her grandmother who has once again been visited by sadness.
The bond between the two women becomes stronger than ever.When she is twenty-seven Nora meets William Whiddon, the love of her life. They marry and the next years are blissful ones for the two soulmates.
When tragedy strikes, Nora must find a way to move forward in her life. The story is set against the backdrop of life in Elizabethan England and the continuing saga of the Basset family.
Joanne McShane spent her childhood on a sheep and cattle farm in Tasmania, Australia. After marrying and raising a family in Tasmania she moved to Wales in 2003 and still lives there, close to the Herefordshire border. A keen historian, she became fascinated by her own family history and by the lives of her ancestors - some of whom she discovered to be very colourful indeed. This led her to begin writing. Honora and Arthur - The Last Plantagenets is her first published book. You can find Joanne on Facebook and Twitter @JoanneMcShane17
Book Launch Spotlight: The Lady of the Ravens (Queens of the Tower, Book 1) by Joanna Hickson
Two women, two very different destinies,
drawn together in the shadow of the Tower of London
Elizabeth of York, her life already tainted by dishonour and tragedy, now queen to the first Tudor king, Henry the VII.
Joan Vaux, servant of the court, straining against marriage and motherhood and privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of her queen. Like the ravens, Joan must use her eyes and her senses, as conspiracy whispers through the dark corridors of the Tower.
Through Joan's eyes, The Lady of the Ravens inhabits the squalid streets of Tudor London, the imposing walls of its most fearsome fortress and the glamorous court of a kingdom in crisis.
Joanna Hickson was born in England but spent her early childhood in Australia, returning at thirteen to explore her first castle and develop a fascination with medieval history. She also discovered a love of words in all their guises, took a degree in Politics and English and a career in journalism, spending twenty five years in the BBC producing and presenting News and Arts programmes for TV and Radio. Joanna is now writing fiction set in the period she fell in love with as a child, indulging her passion for bringing the past to life. She is married, lives in an old farmhouse near Bath and has a large extended family living on both sides of the world. She welcomes contact on Facebook and Twitter @joannahickson.
Labels: Book Launch, Historical Fiction Spotlight
Book Launch Interview with Kaya Quinsey Holt, Author of The Marseille Millionaire
Available for pre-order on
Amazon UK, Amazon US and Amazon CA
I'm pleased to welcome author Kaya Quinsey Holt back to The Writing Desk.
Thank you for welcoming me to your blog, Tony. My new book, The Marseille Millionaire, features Elise Laird in her struggle to achieve more than she ever imagined for herself... all in the heart of the South of France!
Elise Laird has just sold the most expensive home in the history of Ashfield, USA, at $4.2 million dollars. The French multimillionaire whose home she sold is thrilled - so much so that he recommends her to a fellow French friend. And when Luc Dubonier steps off of his private jet with the intention of investing in some of Ashfield's best properties, Elise is shocked to find that the successful tycoon is single.
At least, until she gets to know him. In a series of blunders, Elise learns that Luc may be tough in business, but couldn't imagine anyone's personal life being more of a mess. After she impresses him with her sales pitches, Luc asks her to do one more sale for him - his $88 million home in Marseille, France.
When Elise arrives in France, she learns that there is more to the house, and Luc, than meets the eye. If she sells the house, the commission check will be more than her lifetime salaries combined. But after learning why he is selling it, Elise finds herself conflicted, wanting to convince Luc to keep it. Will Elise choose between her bank account or her heart? And while selling million dollar homes, will Elise cash in her chance at love?
The Marseille Millionaire is currently available for pre-sale and will be released on January 24, 2020. I cannot wait!
I love to have my writing goals outlined for each book. With The Marseille Millionaire, I knew how many words per day I needed to write in order to have the book completed in the length of time I had allotted myself. I typically write best in the morning, so I'll carve out time during the mornings to get my best ideas down on paper (or I should say, typed onto the screen).
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
I'm a big believer that if you write, then you are a writer - whether you are pre-published, self-published, or traditionally published. Keep writing as much as possible. Remember that even when the deadlines start to accumulate, protect the joy that you get from writing with everything you've got.
I don't want to give too much away! All I'll admit is that while writing The Marseille Millionaire, the hardest scene to write came at a point where Elise feels lost and hopeless. I felt extraordinarily connected to Elise. Writing challenges for the main characters is necessary, albeit difficult at times. I really was rooting for her the whole way!
What are you planning on writing next?
In February 2020, I will be releasing another book set in a fictional community similar to Pebble Shores from my novella A Coastal Christmas. If you're a fan of idyllic, quirky, and cozy coastal towns, keep an eye out!
Kaya Quinsey
Kaya Quinsey Holt is the author of four romantic comedies. She holds her undergraduate and master's degree in psychology. Her first novel, Paris Mends Broken Hearts, was released in April 2018. Since then, her books have sold in seven countries. They have been translated into multiple languages and been formatted into audiobooks. Kaya's passion for culture, travel, and psychology intertwine for books that are romantic and full of surprises. When she's not typing away, Kaya loves chatting with friends over a glass of wine, playing with her fluffy Pomeranian Shih Tzu puppy, spending time with her family, attempting to learn new languages, and indulging in one too many cups of coffee. Always planning her next trip and adventure, Kaya's favorite places are near the beach. She lives in Toronto with her husband. Find out more at Kaya's website: www.kayaquinsey.com. You can contact Kaya on her Instagram page @kayaquinseyholt and on Twitter @kayaquinseyholt.
Labels: Author interview, Book Launch
Historical Fiction Spotlight: Anne and Louis: Rulers and Lovers (Anne of Brittany Series Book 3) by Rozsa Gaston
Discover the story of Anne and Louis' greatest conflict in
Anne and Louis: Rulers and Lovers
Book Three of the Anne of Brittany Series.
France, 1506: In the dawn of the sixteenth century, Louis XII, King of France, wants his daughter to succeed to France's throne as queen-consort. Anne, Duchess of Brittany and Queen of France, wants her daughter to succeed to Brittany's ducal throne, where she will one day rule, not just sit next to one who rules.
Excerpt from chapter 17:
The year 1506 began well, although Louis' health was delicate. The doctors had suggested he remain in Blois with its mild, dry climate and the queen at his side, inarguably the king's most attentive nurse. Basking in the great prestige of having provided the King of Spain with a wife from their court Anne and Louis rested easy, in accord on all points except the question of Claude's marriage.
Louis XII ((1462-1515)
Etching of Louis XII from A Popular History of France
by Henri Martin, Paris: Furne, Jouvet et Cie, 1859
Louis tried everything to make Anne understand that on this one point, he was unable to yield. It wasn't just a question of what he wanted. It was a question of what his subjects wanted, too: a French husband for their king and queen's only child, not a foreign prince who would not only take Claude to a foreign land but also sweep into his possession Claude's substantial dowry.
This included the duchies of Brittany, Milan, and Burgundy, the counties of Blois and Asti, and the territory of Genoa, now occupied by France. Given that the princess royal was her parents' only child, her inherited holdings were too great for many of the French to feel comfortable seeing them handed over to a foreign prince.
"Madame, I would see our mice allied to rats from our own barn. Wouldn't you?" Louis jested, hoping to assuage Anne.
"Monsieur, I would see our daughter married to a future emperor of the Holy Roman Empire with Spain and the lands of the new world in his portfolio, rather than a small rat who heads only one realm."
"Madame, do you speak of my kingdom as insubstantial then?" Louis glowered at his wife.
"Monsieur, you and I both know that France enjoys prestige beyond any other kingdom in Europe. But a Queen of France does not rule. I wish our daughter to rule over her subjects, as a Queen in Brittany, Spain, or England does. Do you not wish your daughter to come into her full inheritance, my husband?"
"I do not wish our daughter to gift a foreign prince with what belongs to France."
"Ahh, husband, but Brittany does not belong to France." Anne faced her husband.
Not yet. Eyeing his wife Louis held his tongue, weighing the future against the present. Brittany did not belong to France at the present moment, but the inevitability of Anne's duchy coming into France's domain was apparent to him.
For the present, what was essential was to secure his succession by seeing his daughter ascend the throne of France as queen-consort, but at the same time to retain his wife's affection and support. How the devil he was supposed to accomplish this remained to be seen.
"M'amie, do you prefer that our daughter rule a small duchy or sit on the throne of Europe's most glorious kingdom?"
"I prefer her to rule, Monsieur, and not just sit at the side of one who does." Anne flicked back her headdress.
"Then you would rather Claude rode a donkey than sat pillion on a thoroughbred?"
Anne of Brittany (1477-1514)
statue by Jean Fréour. Nantes, France
Courtesy of Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons
"Do not compare my country to a donkey. I have already been compared to one myself by your Parisians, and it does not suit," Anne sniffed.
"Madame, I agree, but you know my meaning."
"I know that you think nothing of insulting my country, although I am not allowed to insult yours." Anne put her hands on her hips.
"My lady, as Queen of France, this is your country too."
"But it is not my kingdom and its people are not my subjects, as are my Breton people."
"It is still your responsibility to listen to your husband." Obey your husband was what he wished to say, but thought it unwise given the moment. God forbid she lose her temper and flounce off to Brittany again for another four months' stay.
"I listen, but I do not like what I hear." Anne narrowed her eyes at him.
"Then hear you the tale of the roebuck and take heed."
"What tale is that?"
"Once upon a time it was seen fit by our Lord to give antlers to both the stag and the roebuck. But the roebuck used her antlers against the stag and so God had to remove them. It has been so ever since, has it not, wife?"
"Husband, do you see me using antlers against you?"
"I sense a certain pointedness from your direction."
"I use the same arguments against you that you use against me. You would not have me diminish the power of your realm. I would not have you diminish the power of mine."
"I need not point out whose realm is bigger."
"Nor need I point out in which realm our daughter's authority would be greater."
"Madame, you are without antlers. Therefore, I must prevail."
"Monsieur, I am not without a voice and I will use it."
"God knows you will." Louis put a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
"Do not forget that I love you, Louis," Anne's voice softened.
"And I you, m'amie. But I would prefer to have peace between us."
"I know, husband. As for me, it is not peace so much that I prefer but your continued health."
"Thank you for that, wife. But try to back off this argument because I see no way other than the one I have chosen."
"I will help you to see another way soon." Anne smoothed his forehead, gliding her fingers over his closed eyes then down to his mouth.
"I was afraid of that," Louis' muffled voice came from under her touch. His headache was gone.
It is the intent of the Anne of Brittany Series to bring alive Anne of Brittany's story to modern readers in an accessible and historically accurate way.
This late medieval to early Renaissance ruler of Brittany provides a strong role model to women in leadership positions today. She has been largely overlooked due to French mistrust of her as a foreign queen who favored Brittany's interests over those of France. She is the only woman in history who was twice crowned Queen of France.
A rigorous proponent of the education of women, Anne of Brittany was also one of Europe's biggest patrons of the arts, largely responsible for bringing the Italian Renaissance to France and Brittany, which was an independent realm during her lifetime, from 1477-1514.
Readers of Tudor history, in particular, will enjoy expanding their knowledge of historical figures in Brittany and France who ruled during the Tudor era.
It is interesting to note that Anne of Brittany's father, Francis II, Duke of Brittany, provided shelter and support to Henry Tudor during his years of exile in Brittany before ascending the English throne in 1485, marking the start of the modern age. Brittany itself maintains a strong Celtic identity since the 8th century when it was settled by explorers from Wales and Cornwall.
Stained glass mosaic of Anne of Brittany entering Dinan
Church of Saint-Malo of Dinan, Brittany, France
Photo by R. Gaston
Foreword page for ANNE AND LOUIS: RULERS AND LOVERS
Some thirty-five years ago French historian Bernard Chevalier commented that the reign of Louis XII, Anne of Brittany's husband, was a "no-man's land, where neither medievalists nor modernists dare to go." Unfortunately, that remains largely true still today, and the world knows little about this royal couple, who are two of the most fascinating figures of French history.
Anne of Brittany was unique among French queens in twice being queen, having her own source of power and authority as duchess of Brittany, and exerting robust influence over her husband. Louis XII, the only king to receive the title of "Father of the People" from the Estates General in 1506, was among the best-loved French kings.
With this book, the third in a series on the life of Anne of Brittany, Rozsa Gaston makes a major contribution to English-language historical works on Louis XII and his queen. It covers the middle period of both Louis's reign and their marriage, which were virtually concurrent. It presents them as secure in both authority and marriage, after complications of Louis's succession to the throne and his prior marital problems and before the disappointments of their last years, in particular their failure to produce a son to succeed him.
Gaston's well-crafted imagining of the private life of Anne and Louis is historical fiction, but one that is based on a solid foundation of historical fact.
Frederic J. Baumgartner, author of Louis XII
Professor Emeritus of History, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University
Wishing Tudor and Renaissance history readers a richly fulfilling 2020. May a spark ignite your interest in Anne of Brittany's story and help it to flame alive in the new year ahead.
Author Rozsa Gaston
Bronxville, NY, USA
Rozsa Gaston writes playful books on serious matters, including the struggles women face to get what they want out of life. She studied European history at Yale, and received her Master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University. She worked at Institutional Investor, then as a hedge funds marketer. Entirely unsuited to the world of finance, she was delighted to give it up to become a full-time novelist. Gaston lives in Bronxville, New York with her family and is currently working on Anne and Louis: Final Years, Book Four of the Anne of Brittany Series. If you read and enjoy Anne and Louis: Rulers and Lovers, please post a review at http://lrd.to/rulersandlovers to help others find this book. One sentence is enough to let readers know what you thought. Drop Rozsa Gaston a line on Facebook to let her know you posted a review and receive as thanks an eBook edition of any other of Gaston's books: Sense of Touch, Anne and Charles, Anne and Louis, The Least Foolish Woman in France, Paris Adieu, or Black is Not a Color. Visit her at www.rozsagaston.com or on the Anne of Brittany Series Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rozsagastonauthor and Twitter: @RozsaGaston
Charles Brandon meets Duchess Margaret of Savoy
In my research for my book, Brandon Tudor Knight, there were no shortage of incidents and episodes which gave me an insight into his true character. I'd like to choose one involving Duchess Margaret of Savoy that's well documented and suggests the strength of Brandon's relationship with the king.
The young Henry VIII wanted to prove to his people that (unlike his father) he was a true warrior king, and – respond to the demands to 'teach the French a lesson.' In 1513 he chose Charles Brandon to lead the invading English army of some 30,000 men on an ambitious mission to France.
Brandon's appointment as High Marshall was quite amazing considering his only previous military experience was a disastrous sea battle in the English Channel. The army had plenty of battle-hardened commanders, so although there were no doubt mutterings behind the king's back, Henry's choice shows the degree of trust he had in Brandon's leadership ability.
The invasion of France went surprisingly well and after a short siege the city of Tournai surrendered on 24 September 1513. It's said that when the king was presented with the keys to the city he passed them to Brandon – quite an honour, as Charles had only been knighted in the March of that year.
There were several weeks of celebration after the victory, culminating with a grand banquet as guests of Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy. Margaret was the daughter of Emperor Maximilian, the holy Roman Emperor, and King Henry's great rival. Margaret was also wealthy, well-educated and powerful. Having been widowed twice, she'd sworn never to marry again, but Henry thought she would make the perfect partner for his best friend Charles Brandon.
There are various accounts of the story of how Brandon 'proposed' to her, but I like the one attributed to Margaret herself:
One night at Tournai, after the banquet he [Brandon] put himself upon his knees before me, and in speaking and him playing, he drew from my finger the ring and put it upon his, and since showed it to me; and I took to laugh, and to him said that he was a thief, and that I thought not that the king had with him led thieves out of his country. I prayed him many times to give it [the ring] to me again for that it was too much known but he understood me not well and kept it until the next day that I spoke to the king, requiring to make him give it to me because it was too much known, I promising one of my bracelets the which I wore, the which I gave him, and then he gave me the said ring.
Brandon didn't take the hint of course, and later at Lille it is reported that he once again knelt before the duchess and took another ring from her finger. Again, Margaret had to speak with Henry VIII, this time complaining not about the ring but of Brandon's conduct, in stepping out of line - far beyond his status.
Henry was enjoying these games of Tudor 'courtly love' and, instead of ordering Brandon to return the ring, gave Margaret a more precious one set with diamonds. The incident caused in international scandal and of course infuriated Margaret's father, Maximilian.
Years later Brandon sent his eldest daughter to the court of Margaret of Savoy - perhaps to learn something of how a woman could exercise power, or possibly in reconciliation for his earlier conduct.
Brandon enjoyed great favour from the king throughout his life, including protection from his many enemies within the English nobility, who called him a 'stable boy' (he was once Henry's Master of the Horse). Thomas Cromwell's reforms to the royal household created the new position of Lord Great Master to oversee everything and Brandon was the first to hold this post.
He worked for Henry right up to the day he died, when the king said that in all their long friendship Charles Brandon had never knowingly betrayed a friend or taken advantage of an enemy. He is reported to have asked his council, 'Is there any of you who can say as much?'
Historical Fiction Spotlight: Judith Arnopp's The Heretic Wind: The Life of Mary Tudor, Queen of England
Pre-order from Amazon UK and Amazon US
Judith's novels concentrate on strong female characters from English history. Her trilogy of Margaret Beaufort, The Beaufort Chronicle, provided Margaret with a credible voice. She does much the same in this novel of Mary Tudor, Queen of England. Mary, due to the violent punishment she inflicted on heretics has come to be viewed as little short of a monster.
In this novel, Mary isn't white-washed; she is simply allowed to tell her own story. Judith says:
'I always think it would be awful if, after my death, I was only remembered for the very worst thing I've ever done. Everyone is guilty of something, and people like Mary, and her father Henry VIII carried out horrible deeds. Unfortunately those actions have come to define them. Burning anyone to death seems terrible to us but it was the standard punishment for heresy in the 16th century. It would be wrong to look upon Mary as some half-mad monster, glibly sending Protestants to their death. There was much more to her than cruelty. She was kind, generous and terribly well-meaning. She adored her people but her reign wasn't as benign as she intended. My study of Mary Tudor revealed a sad, isolated and desperate woman whose intention was to be a good and loving Queen. The fact things turned out rather differently were mostly due to exterior forces. In The Heretic Wind, the mortally sick and embittered Mary looks back on her life and explains to some extent, the reasons why things happened as they did.'
Judith Arnopp is the author of twelve books; three set in the Anglo-Saxon/early medieval period and nine set in and around the Tudor court. All books are available in Kindle and Paperback format, and The Beaufort Chronicle (three book series), The Kiss of the Concubine and A Song of Sixpence are on Audible. Find out more at Judith's website www.judithmarnopp.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @JudithArnopp
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Russia will support a UN resolution on N. Korea
Andrey Nesterenko from the Russian Foreign Ministry says that the country will not object to a new UN Security Council resolution on the situation surrounding North Korea.
The spokesman has, however, noted that Moscow does not want to see North Korea isolated:
"We think that de facto international isolation of North Korea would be counterproductive. The possibility of dialog with Pyongyang must remain," he said on Thursday.
"We have no reasons to object to the new resolution of the UN Security Council on North Korea. It would be premature to discuss modalities of the UN Security Council decisions concerning possible sanctions against North Korea and their scale," he added.
Nevertheless, according to Nesterenko, Russia sees the continuation of the now suspended Six-Party negotiations to be the only way to resolve the North Korean issue.
"In the opinion of Moscow, the Six-Party negotiations remain the sole way to resolve the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula," Nesterenko said.
Japan has already submitted its version of the Security Council resolution, a RIA Novosti source in the UN told the news agency.
According to him, the resolution project has been compiled on the basis of the elements which were discussed on Thursday with the Japanese and South Korean delegations.
The resolution will be discussed once again on Thursday afternoon when the Security Council meets with the delegations again.
The resolution follows the Security Council strongly objecting to the nuclear tests which North Korea conducted on May 25.
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Japan remembers Hiroshima victims
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Hugo Chavez seals energy, military deals in Moscow


Father of Slain Boston Bombing Witness, Ibragim Todashev, Accuses FBI of Murder
By Nick Barrickman and Barry Grey
Theme: Intelligence
Abdulbaki Todashev, the father of slain Boston Marathon bombing witness Ibragim Todashev, released an open letter to President Obama last week pleading for justice and asking the president to ensure that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) not interfere with his investigation into the killing.
In the letter, the elder Todashev accused the FBI of murdering his son in order to prevent him from testifying in court.
Ibragim Todashev, 27, was shot to death at his Orlando, Florida apartment last May by FBI agents who were interrogating him about his ties to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. An ethnic Chechen like Todashev, Tamerlan Tsarnaev is alleged to have carried out the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon bombings along with his younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Three people were killed and another 264 injured in the terrorist bombings.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed by police on April 19. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured and faces a possible death sentence on charges of using weapons of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.
The death of Ibragim Todashev remains unexplained more than seven months after the event. Initially, it was alleged that Todashev had lunged at officials, wielding a knife, during the interrogation, upon implicating himself and Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a 2011 triple killing in Waltham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, where the two had been acquainted. Government officials subsequently acknowledged that Todashev had not been armed when he was fatally shot.
Authorities have refused to release the name of the FBI agent who shot and killed the unarmed Todashev at point-blank range, and the FBI has blocked the release of the autopsy report. No charges have been filed and no one has been arrested for what was evidently a state murder.
The establishment media have imposed a virtual wall of silence on the extraordinary death of Todashev, which has continued in relation to the open letter to Obama from his father.
In the letter, Abdulbaki wrote: "My reaching out to you is dictated by the calling of my soul and the unsubsiding pain of the father who has lost his guiltless son to a violent shooting death…
"Did my son know that he had the right to remain silent or did he have rights at all, including the right to live? Being a citizen of another country he might not be aware of the laws as he was only 27 years old and wanted to live so much. No, they left no chances for him, inflicting 13 gunshot wounds and multiple hematomas on his body…
"They did it deliberately so that he can never speak and never take part in court hearings. They put pressure on my son's friends to prevent them from coming to the court and speaking the truth."
The letter concluded: "I rely on you, Mr. President, and hope that the prosecutor's office and the court do not let the agencies conducting internal investigation on this case prevent the truth from coming to light so that at least some part of our grief, caused by the murder of our son, is relieved, and that the murderers stand trial instead of sit in their desk chairs."
Included with the letter were postmortem photographs of Ibragim Todashev, showing in graphic detail the numerous bullet wounds inflicted to his head and torso.
When asked by reporters about the administration's plans to respond, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlyn Hayden said that "[W]e have just received Mr. Todashev's letter and will be reviewing it to determine the appropriate follow-up." Hayden referred all further questions to the FBI.
Abdulbaki Todashev initially ventured to the US in the immediate aftermath of his son's killing with the intention of uncovering the reasons for the death, announcing his own private investigation in August. This was meant to coincide with an investigation being conducted by the FBI. Nothing has come of reported official investigations, with authorities at both the federal and state level repeatedly stonewalling attempts to obtain information.
Instead, authorities have taken to intimidating the family and friends of those associated with Todashev. In October, the former live-in girlfriend of Todashev, Tatiana Gruzdeva, was deported to her native Moldova after she gave an interview to Boston Magazine questioning the FBI's killing of her fiancée. Another friend of Todashev was taken into custody while being denied access to an attorney.
The murder of Todashev and the subsequent government-media cover-up raise the very real possibility that the young man was killed because he was in a position to reveal facts about Tamerlan Tsarnaev that would be highly embarrassing to the US government and various intelligence and police agencies. Todashev may have had information about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's links to Islamist separatist terrorists in the Russian Caucasus as well as his relations with the FBI and other US state agencies.
No explanation has been given for the fact that the FBI and CIA had warnings, well in advance of the Boston bombings, of Tamerlan Tsarnaev's radical Islamist leanings, having been alerted by Russian authorities in 2011 as well as, according to some reports, by Saudi officials. The FBI says it conducted an investigation of Tsarnaev, questioning him and other family members, and gave him a clean bill of health.
The elder Tsarnaev brother was taken off a federal watch list in 2012 and permitted to travel to Dagestan, neighboring Chechnya, where he reportedly established links to radical Islamist separatist movements. The Tsarnaev family maintained links to Chechen rebels and the US government through the Congress of Chechen International Organizations, set up by Ruslan Tsarni, the uncle of Tamerlan and Dhzokhar. That outfit was run from the suburban Washington DC home of Graham Fuller, former vice-chairman of the US National Security Council. (See: "Who is Ruslan Tsarni").
Last May, the Boston police commissioner and a top Massachusetts Homeland Security official told a congressional panel that local and state police were never informed by the FBI or the federal Homeland Security Department, in advance of the Boston Marathon, an international event that draws tens of thousands of people to downtown Boston, of warnings about Tamerlan Tsarnaev or the investigation carried out by the FBI. This was despite the presence of state and local police officials on a joint terrorism task force for the region that included the FBI, Homeland Security and other federal agencies.
The Boston Marathon bombings were seized upon by the federal government to impose an unprecedented lockdown of Boston and its environs, during which the streets were occupied by heavily armed troops and police and patrolled by machine gun-mounted armored vehicles, while military helicopters flew overhead. Residents were ordered to say indoors and warrantless house-to-house police searches were conducted throughout entire neighborhoods.
The terror attack, carried out by people who had been closely monitored by the FBI and were known to the CIA, became the occasion for imposing de facto martial law and testing out plans previously drawn up to impose dictatorial control over major American cities.
Copyright © Nick Barrickman and Barry Grey, World Socialist Web Site, 2014
Articles by: Nick Barrickman and Barry Grey


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3 "Strong Buy" Dividend Stocks Yielding 5% — Or More
The S&P 500 stock index has famously averaged a return of just under 10% over the past near-century -- a great rate in an economy where the average bank account is still paying just 0.05%!
Of course, even 10% is just the average. Some stocks go up more than that, some go up less. Some years are better for stock returns, some are worse. So what can you do you increase your odds of getting a great return on your stock investment?
I've got one word for you: Dividends.
Buy a stock with a great dividend yield -- significantly higher than what the average S&P stock pays -- and you've gone a long way towards ensuring that your total profits in a given year are at least average, and maybe significantly above average.
With this goal in mind, we've employed the Stock Screener at TipRanks to dig up for us a few likely candidates -- stocks paying generous dividend yields of 5% or better, and stocks scoring a "strong buy" rating from Wall Street analysts to boot.
Enterprise Products Partners (EPD)
First up is oil and natural gas pipeline operator Enterprise Products Partners, and of the three this one offers income investors the biggest dividend yield: 6.8%. EPD is also one of the biggest players in its industry, owning and operating pipelines for the transport of oil, gas, and petrochemicals stretching some 49,000 miles in combined length, with storage and processing facilities besides.
Little wonder that Evercore ISI analyst Dan Walk calls EPD a "bellwether" for the midstream energy industry. In a recent research note, Walk hailed EPD's earnings beat in its recent Q3 earnings announcement, arguing that "EPD's scale and integration across the value chains of all three hydrocarbon streams provide unmatched flexibility to adapt to an ever-shifting environment." The analyst was particularly impressed by EPD's decision to expand its pipelines, adding potentially as much as almost 1 billion barrels per day in transportation capacity for the business.
As a result, Walk reiterated an Outperform rating on EPD stock along with a $32 price target, which implies about 25% upside from current levels.
Wolfe Research analyst Keith Stanley was also enthusiastic, noting that EPD is forging "full speed ahead" with its "superior integrated, demand-driven growth platform," even as rivals have "pulled back." Echoing Walk's sentiment, Stanley rates the stock an Outperfom, while maintaining a $33 price target.
Overall, the Street sentiment on EPD stock is similarly positive, with three out of three analysts who have issued ratings on the stock in the last three months rating the stock "buy." With an average price target of $33.33, these analysts see 29% upside in the stock over the next 12 months -- before counting the dividend.
Total (TOT)
Farther up the oil industry food chain we find French oil giant Total, a true giant of the industry with annual revenues approaching $180 billion. Total's 5.3% dividend yield -- more than twice as generous as the average dividend on the S&P 500 -- is no slouch either.
In a recent research note, Cowen analyst Jason Gabelman predicted that Total's production growth "should exceed peers significantly over the next three years... with materially better cash margins... and rising FCF." The analyst noted that in Q3, Total "beat" on earnings and generated $6.6 billion in free cash flow as well -- $1.2 billion more than Street estimates had predicted -- even as the company stood fast to its promises to invest in capital spending and continue buying back shares.
Gabelman forecast that by the time December 31 rolls around, Total will have grown its full-year earnings 8% in comparison to last year, and that the company is on track to do nearly as well in 2020, growing earnings a further 7%. Although valued at 15.2 times trailing earnings today, Gabelman believes these numbers put the stock squarely in "buy" territory at a current-year P/E ratio of 12.4 and a forward P/E ratio of just 11.6.
Similarly, 10 out of 10 analyst ratings published on Total in the last couple of months have rated Total stock "buy." On average, analysts see Total shares climbed 22% over the next year, to an average target price of $66.12 -- again, before factoring in the 5.3% dividend.
Outfront Media (OUT)
Taking a sharp right-hand turn out of the oil patch here at the end, we turn our attention now to Outfront Media, whose stock in trade is... billboards, as well as ads posted on mass transit and other "mobile" advertising assets. And if billboards don't sound particularly sexy to you, then perhaps this fact will: Outfront Media pays its shareholders a monster 5.8% dividend yield -- nearly triple the yield on the S&P 500.
Commenting on Outfront's earnings results earlier this month, Wolfe Research analyst Marci Ryvicker was impressed at the company's ability to grow revenues by double digits year over year in TRADITIONAL MEDIA (Her emphasis, not ours). Q3 sales came in 11.7% higher than in the year-ago quarter, led by revenues from transit advertising, up 20%.
Admittedly, next quarter looks to be a bit slower on "toughening comps." Nevertheless, Ryvicker notes that if management succeeds in growing revenues by mid-to-high-single digits, as it's promised to do, it's probably going to eclipse Street predictions for 5.4%. growth.
Analysts are starting to warm to this story, though, with four out of five polled in the last three months rating Outfront stock a "buy." Consensus targets call for the stock to rise 28.2% over the next 12 months to $32.25 per share -- but Wolfe's Ryvicker is even more optimistic than that. Wowed by the company's ability to grow traditional media sales in a digital world, she's set a price target of $36 -- 43% more than the stock is worth today.