The ward master comes to the door of each room that is to be thinned, reads off a list of names, bids their owners look sharp and be ready when called for; and, as he vanishes, the rooms fall into an indescribable state of topsy-turvyness, as the boys begin to black their boots, brighten spurs, if they have them, overhaul knapsacks, make presents […]

He did not know that what he was experiencing then, that unreal, undesirous medley of ecstasy and peace, would be unrecapturable forever.

At another level, there are what the Americans describe as Iraq's salami tactics - picking at weak points in the rules of sanctions, preferably in ways that cause disagreement between the US and other countries.

the events or actions, which the writer relates, must be connected together, by some bond or tye