Get a Piece of Skin Off Bruce LaBruce (Photos)

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Dieser globale Konflikt könnte 2018 eskalieren – und kaum jemand beachtet ihn

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To Negotiate With The EU, Britain Must Show Competence And Emotional Intelligence

The UK Government’s approach to the Brexit negotiations has involved a considerable amount of threats and complaints. The latest was David Davis’ warning that there will be ‘thunder and lighting’ in the next negotiating phase and his outrage at the EU preparations for the eventuality of a no-deal.

As all negotiators know, trade negotiations are about trust not about threats and complaints. They resemble a dance not a boxing match, as they are not about enemies but about friends. Countries decide freely to engage into trade agreements precisely because they see each other as allies. Thus, negotiations require technical competence, a candid understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the parties and an ability to compromise. But they require a good sense of timing and choreography, and plenty of empathy.

Trade negotiating teams are often organised as a pyramid: at the bottom there are the technical experts on a myriad of complex tariff arrangements, rules of origin, type approvals, detailed regulations and the like.  They deal with the unglamorous but hugely important technical side. Trade negotiators look at them as ‘their nightmare’, as they often come up with problems which are not only difficult to solve, but also in most cases almost impossible to understand.

On top of them come the trade negotiators, often organised in two or three levels to give themselves margin of manoeuvre to move issues backwards and forwards as need be. The negotiators are meant to find solutions, smooth technical problems and find specific deals across sectors that work in the interest of both sides.

At the very top there are the political masters, such as David Davis and Prime Minister Theresa May. Their role is to open up the negotiating space. They are meant to keep things cool and maintain a climate of trust at all times. They are the ones who create the positive momentum and keep negotiators (and the business community and general public) motivated towards an agreement.  They are also the ‘mechanism of last resort’: issues are escalated to be sorted by them when the negotiating teams get stuck.

It is precisely for this reason that the best negotiators and political masters rely heavily on charm, emotional intelligence and an ability to rise above petty squabbles. Over the years some like Mickey Kantor and Leon Brittan or Pascal Lamy and Bob Zellick struck up important friendships. Some like the sadly recently deceased Peter Sutherland, were universally liked. Others do not have such charm, but they all make an effort to get on with their opposite numbers – not only because that is the courteous thing to do, but because that is after all what they are there for.

Negotiations require technical competence, a candid understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the parties and an ability to compromise. But they require a good sense of timing and choreography, and plenty of empathy

For all the UK Government threats and complaints about the EU, the EU’s political masters have, by and large, been on their best behaviour towards them. Michel Barnier kept his cool at the early press conferences even when at times it was obvious that David Davis had not mastered his brief; there is radio silence at official level in Brussels about May’s lack of empathy and flexibility; and most EU top officials and Heads of State dutifully gave her public praise when the “first phase” deal on the exit terms was achieved, even though they all knew that she had not secured a single concession from them.

Now that the second phase of the negotiations is about to be launched it is crucial that provocative remarks and threats are put aside. Especially since there is important substance to be discussed.

These are the kinds of things that the UK Government and the Brexit Secretary could usefully be doing right now to open up valuable negotiating space:  he and the Prime Minister could be asking all EU Heads of a State for a ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ before the trade negotiations formally start so that the EU makes a good-will commitment not to block a British request for more negotiating time if this is actually needed in 2019. He could also be challenging the EU to set out clearly why it isn’t possible for the UK to participate in the EU Single Market on a sectoral basis when the EU has accepted the principle that the Single Market can be broken down per sector in the agreements with Switzerland. He could be trying to convince the UK Cabinet that in priority business sectors the UK should allow for ring-fenced referrals to the European Court of Justice, a possibility that the Government recognized in writing already in August 2017 and which could open up Single Market conditions for those sectors. He could be advocating UK membership of the customs union since that would not stop Liam Fox negotiating with non-EU countries on services, which is where the UK trade interests with third countries are. Last, he could be asking Fox to stop posturing with Pacific countries and ensure that the UK has deals in place with those countries who use the so-called “Pan-Euro-Mediterranean” agreement for the cumulation of origin, without which those who export goods manufactured in the UK could be heavily penalized. 

These are just a few suggestions, but there are many more. None of this is rocket science, but just common sense. Every year dozens of governments across the world negotiate with each other competently and with emotional intelligence. It would be great if Theresa May’s government made an effort to be one of them.

Miriam González Durántez is a partner of international law firm Dechert LLP where she is co-chair of the firm’s International Trade and Government Regulation practice. She previously served seven years as a Senior Member of the Cabinet for EU External Relations Commissioners Chris Patten and Benita Ferrero-Waldner

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Prozess in Viersen: Mann lässt schwerverletzten Freund an Unfallort

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Your Fitness Tracker Is Only Effective When You Set Goals: Here’s How To Do It

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If you got yourself a fitness tracker for Christmas, you might think you’ve already made the first step into your training regime.

Sorry to break it to you, but you haven’t.

A study of more than 400 adults found that these trackers were only effective when users set a specific goal in mind – and stuck to it.

When users didn’t have specific goals set, their physical activity declined and their heart health did not improve. 

“When paired with activity goals – such as 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day or 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week – these trackers can be powerful tools for increasing physical activity,” said the study’s author, Luke Burchill, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine. 

So if you’re anything like me and eagerly unwrapped your fitness tracker on Boxing Day, yet haven’t actually decided what you want to track, you best read on. 

How to decide on your goals

Lucy Arnold, PT and fitness coach said she believes using a tracker is a fantastic way to keep you accountable for yourself and not relying on others to help you get to where you need to be in your fitness journey. 

Yet doing them without goals seems a bit counterintuitive: “With goals you have a deadline and you’re working towards something,” she said.

“Without them you aren’t really sure what you are wanting to achieve. Goals are important in all aspects of life whether fitness or career and reaching them can be fantastic for mental health when we feel like we’ve done nothing but in fact can give ourselves a pay on the back.”

Chris Magee, an instructor at Another_Space, said told HuffPost UK that before deciding on the goals you’re going to track, it’s important to know your overarching goal – the main reason you’re doing what you’re doing.

“You have to have the big ‘why’,” he said. “So you know the larger reason why you are completing smaller goals such as the 10,000 steps a day. If you keep that greater goal in mind, it’s easier to manage the smaller goals to track.”

Start by finding goals that are clear, simple and easy to track.

“By keeping these goals simple and easy to monitor, you can keep yourself checking in,” he said. “The best way to do this is through short-term goals, for example trying to walk 10,000 steps three times a week, rather than saying you’ll do it every day. Once you achieve that goal, you’ll get a boost of endorphins and then you can build it up, to five days that week. 

“This is because as soon as you feel like you’re not achieving goals, you won’t feel motivated. You’ve got to break it down into stages.”

Magee said multiple goals – such as steps taken, active minutes and calories burned for example – are fine to set together, as long as you don’t set too many.

“You might get into: ‘I have so many things to track I’m losing track of what I’m doing’,” he said. “That’s why smaller, clear goals mean you are more likely to succeed.

“Pick three functions you are able to track that you can handle and get started with those. Once you’ve achieved the goals, your tracker will celebrate with you (with fireworks across the screen or colours and buzzing).”

Magee suggested picking other things to track if you’ve been tracking the same things for a certain amount of months – such as how much water you drink a day and sleep at night – to see how these impact your performance.

How to track the goals 

Fitness tracker are very similar in that many will track activity, calories and steps taken each day. Below are some of the most popular trackers around including what they track, the app you need to download and exactly how to set those goals.

Many will also have leaderboards, where you can pair up your app with others who have the same tracker. This can motivate you to overtake others on your step count – there’s nothing like a bit of competition.  

Fitbit

Tracks: Calories, brisk activity, distance, steps, sleep, heart rate. 

Use the app: ‘Fitbit’ for Apple users/for Android users.

Depending on your Fitbit, you will be able to track different aspects of your activity and sleep. For example, the Fitbit Ionic, will also track heart rate, as well as having dynamic personal coaching on your wrist (on-screen guidance for every move). Once you’ve downloaded the app, go into your profile and under “goals” you can set activity, exercise, body and sleep goals. You will be reminded daily how close you are to meeting some of these goals with push notifications, and even get buzzed if you’re having a slightly more immobile day. 

Apple

Tracks: Calories, brisk activity, standing minutes, steps, sleep, heart rate. 

Use the app: ‘Activity’ for Apple users.

On the Activity app on your phone, tap on the “change move goal” and adjust it using the + and – settings. Inside the app you will be able to view how close you are to meeting each of your own personalised goals. To see how well you’ve been doing in the past, you can click on your achievements in the bottom of the screen on the app (the icon that looks like a star). This will show you how active you were for whatever day you choose. 

Nokia

Tracks: Steps, distance, calories.

Use the app: ‘Health Mate’ for Apple users/for Android users.

In your profile, click “my goals” and then tap the goal you want to edit. These range from weight, steps, sleep, running or more specific ones, such as hiking. Drag the bubble that is on screen up or down to set the weekly goal you would like to reach. You can set “reminders” in the profile section of the app, to help you reach your goals. I.e. halfway through the day remind yourself to go for a walk, to reach your step goal. 

Misfit

Tracks: Steps, distance, calories, weight, food intake, sleep. 

Use the app: ‘Misfit’ for Apple users/for Android users. 

Set a goal by going to the home menu, and then “my goals”. On the bottom, you can select the activity you want to set a goal for. Once you’ve created a goal – for example 10,000 steps – you can track your progress over time and view trends, including your activity levels over the course of the day, a week, or a month. Once the goals are set, your app will show how close you came each day to meeting your goals.

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