Trophy

In September, she will attend the University of British Columbia on a softball scholarship. She will be the second Valcke to attend UBC. Her brother, Jaxon, is a currently a member of the UBC men’s baseball team.

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While Valcke will be playing softball at school, baseball is still top of mind. In fact, she wants to be the answer to the following question: How many women have played on the Canadian national teams in both baseball and softball?

The answer is currently zero, but Valcke is hoping to become the first. And she’s already reached half of her goal. Valcke won a silver medal with the women’s national baseball team at the 2016 World Cup in South Korea.

READ MORE: Golfer Brooke Henderson named female athlete of theand qualification of our surf teachers has been accredited by the entities that regulate the practice of this sport.

In 2000, the activities of our company were classified as “of national interest for tourism” by the country’s Directorate-General for Tourism, which has thus recognised the merit of the work that we’ve been developing since 1993 – and that classification constitutes an unquestionable “seal of guarantee” on the quality of the services we render.

In 2007 Baleal Surf Camp - Escola de Surf do Baleal Lda. participated in a tourism award sanctioned by the national Directorate-General for Tourism, Deloitte and Publico (National Newspaper) and was in the final selection of participants and was awarded with an Honorable Mention.

After several actions with Social Solidarity Institutions both local and national, Baleal Surf Camp


Last year, Konami tried something very different with its celebrated football series, and the change didn't go down too well with everyone. A move to the Fox engine brought about a slower, more measured pace and some irritatingly lengthy animations meant PES lost that all-important responsiveness. The fanbase reacted strongly. Konami's attempts to make a beautiful game meant that it had lost sight of the reasons why the sport is referred to as the beautiful game.

"We forgot why people played PES in many ways." Konami's European brand manager Adam Bhatti is refreshingly frank about the failings of last year's game, and is keen to put things right this year. "In PES ‘14 you have to think two seconds before you're going to do something, because you're waiting forsort of commitment did he maintain to “objectivity and the truth?”

In fact, Kirchick was a senior fellow at FPI, the neoconservative think tank that had hyped up Wahl’s resignation minutes before she quit. Launched by Weekly Standard founder William Kristol and two former foreign policy aides to Mitt Romney, Dan Senor and Robert Kagan (the husband of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland), FPI grew directly out of the Project for a New American Century that led the public pressure campaign for a unilateral U.S. invasion of Iraq after the Bin Laden-orchestrated 9/11 attacks.

In 2010, when FPI rose from the ashes of PNAC, whose name had become synonymous with warmongering, mendacity and strategic blundering, it pivoted away from Iraq toward “rising resurgent powers,


Press Service and a leading expert on the neoconservative movement. “Since the end of the Cold War, they’ve been somewhat nostalgic for the Manichean framework in which enemies could be described as evil and allies could be described as on the right side no matter how authoritarian they were. That antipathy has been driven by the rise of Putin and the FPI has followed a consistently anti-Russian position, urging the U.S. to take hawkish positions vis-a-vis Russia over any number of issues, from the 2008 Russian-Georgian war to the Magnitsky Act to the current situation in Ukraine.”

Located in an office in Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle, FPI exists at the physical heart of the neoconservative movement. Its office is, in fact, the same space listed as the home ofgovernment of Mikheil Saakashvili.

With direct coaching and promotion from neoconservatives in Washington, Saakashvili adopted a confrontational stance toward Putin. In 2008, his American-trained military briefly intervened in the breakaway Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, then retreated after a crushing defeat at the hands of the Russian military. Back in Washington, where Saakashvili’s government had pumped more than $1 million into the coffers of Orion Strategies since 2004, Goldfarb wined and dined his neoconservative pals on the Georgian government’s dime. As a result, a steady stream of columns and reports hyping the Russian menace appeared in targeted media outlets.

“Orion seeks to create a media echo chamber on Georgia and Russia,” journalist Ken Silverstein wrote in 2011. “Orion is friendly to and works with government officials and politicians


contact on Georgia. (BuzzFeed Foreign Editor Miriam Elder moderated a State Department-sponsored town hall featuring Secretary of State John Kerry on March 18.)Lake’s reporting on Georgia, documented in detail by Silverstein, offered a perfect prism into how the neocon echo chamber operated: Orion arranged seven interviews and numerous meetings with Georgian officials for him. In return, Lake ran a series of thinly sourced reports alleging dastardly deeds by Putin’s inner circle, including a bombing near the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi. In an interview with Lake, Saakashvili told him that “the bombings … were ordered at the most senior levels of the Russian government.” Days later, a U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that even if a Russian official was behind the bombings, he was not targeting U.S. interests and maybring simmering tensions between Washington and Moscow to a boiling point. Thanks to the growing authoritarian tendencies of Putin, that goal appeared more achievable by the day.

Target: RT

On June 30, 2013, Putin signed into law a bill unanimously passed in the Russian Duma that banned the distribution of “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors.” By equating homosexuality with criminal pedophilia, the law was the culmination of an ongoing assault on the rights of Russia’s LGBT community. Crafted in deliberately ambiguous language, the legislation authorized fines for Russians found guilty of the new crime and mandated the deportation of foreigners accused of violations.

Exactly one month later, Kirchick published a thunderous condemnation in the New York Daily News — though not of Putin’s anti-gay law. His target was U.S.


did not appear at the anchor desk during the latter half of 2013.

After Kirchick’s on-air performance on Aug. 21, RT employees said Wahl gushed about his actions — one of the few times they could remember her expressing a political opinion. As Kirchick revealed in his Daily Beast exclusive, it was around this time that he and Wahl became friends.

According to her former co-workers, Wahl traveled to New York City to interview for a position at the newly founded Al-Jazeera America. In December, she confided in a friend at RT that she was “super bummed” — she had been rejected for the job. She became despondent, according to a former colleague, bemoaning that she had not appeared at the anchor desk for a full six months because ofA northern Maine town manager who espoused white separatist views was fired on Tuesday and is getting $30,000 for agreeing not to sue the town.

The selectmen in the rural town of Jackman announced the decision after a closed-door executive session with Tom Kawczynski, the town's top administrator since June.

Kawczynski has made comments bashing Islam and called for the preservation of white European heritage in northern New England. He also operates a website that touts racial segregation, describes itself as the internet home of a pro-white group and states that it's time to "admit America was built by white Christian men."

Kawczynski told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he's unabashedly pro-white, but he feels his views have been mischaracterized. He vowed to continue making the case for what he


Tuesday morning. The town said in a statement that its selectmen and Kawczynski have "agreed on the details of ending" his employment.

Kawczynski served as town chair in Lisbon, New Hampshire, for President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign. He told the AP on Tuesday that he had no official role in the campaign, but was a proud supporter of the Republican president because of his pledge to "take care of the American people first."

Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, said the organization is aware of the New Albion group promoted by Kawczynski, his group and his website. Kawczynski said the group has about 100 members and holds regular meetings in Maine and New Hampshire. Beirich said he should have stepped down before havingto be fired.

"It's unacceptable to see people in leadership positions espousing white nationalist views," Beirich said.

Located along a stretch of road Mainers sometimes call "Moose Alley," Jackman is a town of less than 900 people, nearly all of them white , near northwestern Maine's border with Quebec, about 170 miles (275 kilometers) north of Portland. On its website , the town describes itself as a "tourist friendly region," and some residents have said they feared the controversy over Kawczynski's views could keep people away.

The town's statement said elected officials intend to "move forward to do what is necessary to sustain a vibrant, welcoming tourist community such as Jackman."

___

Associated Press writer David Sharp contributed to this report from Portland, Maine.


how we go down that line.

“This is a very low priority, certainly on my agenda.”

The debate about changing the date of Australia Day has flared up in recent months.

In August Yarra city council in Melbourne was stripped of the power to hold citizenship ceremonies by the federal government because councillors voted unanimously to stop referring to 26 January as Australia Day and to stop holding a citizenship ceremony on that day.

In September a Guardian Essential poll found 26% of Australians supported changing the date, while 54% opposed changing it.

But a few months later, after continued public debate, a poll of 1,417 voters conducted by the Australia Institute found 56% of Australians did not mind when Australia Day was celebrated.

Sarra – who was last year appointed co-chairman of theinterior on Exeter Cathedral, and the exterior on King's College Chapel. Duff died before completion and the architect J. J. McCarthy was chosen to finish the magnificent interior. The bell tower is a later addition, being added in 1903.

On 3 February 1867, Michael Kieran was consecrated as Archbishop of Armagh in St. Patrick's Church and chose during his tenure from 1867 to 1869 St. Patrick's in Dundalk as his mensal parish. The completion of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh was left to his successor, Daniel McGettigan.

Architecture and furnishings

It is 9 bays in length and has two side aisles to the north and south of the building. The church contains a wealth of distinctive features, including fine granite pillars, tiled floors, a vaulted ceiling and many colourful stained glass


The August walk will be led by Hans and Jette Steuch. We will start our walk by carpooling to Brugger St near Lewis and Clark College.

Starting at Brugger Street we will head north on View Point Terrace, through River View Cemetery to Taylors Ferry Road, Fulton Park Boulevard and Corbett Avenue until we intersect Trail 3 at Carolina Street. We’ll take Trail 3 east and south to Willamette Park and follow trails south along the Willamette River, under the Sellwood Bridge, through Powers Marine Park to a point where we head west, cross Macadam Ave, and return via trails in River View Natural Area to Brugger Street.

Distance is 5.5 miles with about 550 feet of elevation gain. The walk is on paved streets and trails with a fewFive Israelis killed by Arab terrorists

JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (JTA) — Calls for Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire talks were all but drowned out this week by a series of Palestinian terror attacks.

On Sunday, a Palestinian suicide bomber struck in the train station in the Israeli coastal town of Nahariya, killing at least three Israelis and wounding more than 60. The station was packed with soldiers returning to base. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

That same day, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a van ferrying teachers to a school in the West Bank. A teacher and the driver were killed, and four other teachers injured.

In another incident Sunday, a car bomb exploded at a busy intersection in central Israel near the city of Netanya. The Palestinian driver of the car, which was


waiting at a red light, was killed in the explosion.

Police speculated that the driver was heading to Netanya, the scene of several previous attacks.

Israel retaliated for the Palestinian attacks with helicopter missile strikes Sunday in four West Bank cities. The helicopters hit two empty offices of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction near Ramallah and a government building in Jericho. Helicopters also struck the Palestinian police headquarters near Jenin, while Israeli tank shells hit a security post in Nablus.

A day earlier, Israeli helicopters also used missiles to attack a Fatah office in Ramallah. Israel said it was retaliating for several Palestinian terror attacks, including a Sept. 6 shooting in which an Israeli soldier was killed.

Israel’s Security Cabinet reacted to the continuing terror by approving a limited plan/ Back Tracks

It's the statement few in the Internet age expected to type: today, Adam Ant releases his first album in nearly 20 years. Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunnar's Daughter (try saying that three times fast) features brand-new original compositions by Ant with longtime collaborators/guitarists Marco Pirroni and Boz Boorer, and is the first album on his new label, the eponymous Blueblack Hussar Records.
Early critical notes indicate an album that's weird and urgent - fair

May 20, 2012: We're deeply saddened to report that Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees passed away this morning in England at 10:47 a.m. (5:47 a.m. ET) at the age of 62. Gibb's passing comes following a brave battle with cancer, courageously fought in the public eye. Robin Gibb


will always be remembered for his great gift of song, with his angelic voice having provided comfort to so many of us in our saddest times and pure joy in our most upbeat moments. Robin, we will miss you.
In honor of this

With the heartbreaking news of the passing of Adam "MCA" Yauch of The Beastie Boys, who'd been battling cancer for several years, we invite you to enjoy this Back Tracks special from October 27, 2010, in which we revisited the band's discography and its reissues.
The slightly bizarre news that The Beastie Boys' upcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, slated for release this coming spring, will feature virtually every track recorded for the delayed Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1 is classic Beastie

The sudden, recent news of thepassing of Greg Ham, saxophonist/flautist and founding member of Australian rock band Men at Work, comes at a strange and sad time. Yesterday in fact marked the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's breakthrough debut, Business As Usual, in America. More importantly, though, it's the sad loss of a figure who contributed a lot to early '80s rock music.
Ham, who was 58, was the spice that set Men at Work's hard driving, New Wave-inspired sounds apart from

Music was in both the bloodline and the spirit of Whitney Elizabeth Houston (1963-2012). The native of Newark, New Jersey called Cissy Houston of The Sweet Inspirations her mom, while Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick were her beloved cousins. Her godmother was none other than Aretha Franklin. Following in


her mother’s footsteps, she began performing at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church, singing in the gospel choir as a featured soloist, and began to make inroads in the music business as a

Tucked between album opener “Taxman” and “I’m Only Sleeping” on Side One of The Beatles’ 1966 LP Revolver, “Eleanor Rigby” heralded an explicit attempt by the pop giants at pushing the musical envelope, both with its despairing lyrics and classical-inspired arrangement for a string octet. Primarily the composition of Paul McCartney, “Eleanor Rigby” defied the odds to hit the top spot on the British charts (a double A-side single with “Yellow Submarine”) and hit the No. 11 spot in the United

It's a crime that when you talk about CHIC, many of the players who made up arguablythe greatest band of the disco era aren't alive to hear your words of praise. Bernard Edwards, CHIC's bassist and co-producer, died in 1997; drummer Tony Thompson passed away in 2003. Nile Rodgers, guitarist, co-producer and keeper of the CHIC flame, could easily have met the same early fate had he not been lucky enough to discover the cancer that he's been since late last year. (Rodgers, one of the best users

Today being the Fourth of July, there are few better reasons to give a spin to Sly and The Family Stone's Greatest Hits, arguably one of the best single-artist compilations in pop history. Those danceable grooves will get you moving at any barbecue, family reunion, pool party or whatever you might be celebrating this holiday weekend.
But revisiting


Prime Minister Imran Khan has constituted committees for China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), privatisation and energy. Photo: PTI Twitter 1

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday constituted committees for privatisation, energy and China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

According to a notification issued in this regard, PM Imran has created a six-member energy committee which will be headed by Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

Finance Minister Asad Umar, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, Abdul Razzaq Dawood who is the adviser to PM on Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production and Investment, PM’s Minister for Planning and Development Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar and the secretary cabinet division will be part of the energy committee.

Further, as per the notification, the seven-member privatisation committee will be headed by the finance minister and will include Minister of Law and JusticeMohammad Farogh Naseem, adviser to PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Husain, Abdul Razzaq Dawood and Khusro Bakhtiar.

The CPEC committee will be headed by Bakhtiar and will comprise of nine members.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Law and Justice Naseem, Finance Minister Umar, Minister of Petroleum Division Sarwar, Railways Minister Rasheed and PM's adviser to on Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production and Investment will make up the committee.

Moreover, the secretary of the cabinet division will also be part of it.


HOT TOPICS:

Pentagon says Navy Yard killings were preventable

By James RosenMcClatchy Newspapers

Posted:
03/18/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
03/18/2014 10:33:19 PM CDT

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday cast a wide net of blame for last September's Washington Navy Yard shooting rampage as the Pentagon released the results of three separate probes into the tragedy.

The reviews of the Sept. 16, 2013, assault, which killed 12 people and left shooter Aaron Alexis dead, found multiple security and oversight failures by the military, civilian government agencies and outside contractors.

"The reports identified troubling gaps in (the Defense Department's) ability to detect, prevent and respond to instances where someone working with us, a government employee, member of our military or a contractor, decides to inflict harm on this institution and its people," Hagel told reporters atthe Pentagon.

After entering the Navy Yard and then gaining access to a classified section, Alexis' shooting spree lasted 23 minutes before he was slain.

A former sailor working as a computer expert at the Navy Yard, Alexis had a pattern of misconduct during his military service and increasingly bizarre behavior afterward that should have prevented his access to the base, the Navy concluded in its investigation.

"For more than a decade, as a military organization, we've experienced the pain of combat losses, but six months ago, we lost 12 patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their nation, this time at home," Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus said at the Pentagon.

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Alexis' supervisors at Hewlett-Packard, the facility's main information technology contractor, and The Experts, the HP subcontractor that employed


him, observed unstable behavior that suggested he might harm others, the Navy report said.

"This information was not reported to the government as required," the Navy found. "Had this information been reported, properly adjudicated and acted upon, Alexis' authorization to access secure facilities and information would have been revoked."

In the days before the shootings, Alexis reported hearing voices and having problems sleeping. Employees at a Newport, R.I., hotel where he stayed had called his company and expressed concern.

Michael Thacker, a spokesman for Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, Calif., said Tuesday the high-tech giant was not made aware of Alexis' problems by its subcontractor that employed him at the Navy Yard.

"The Experts was aware of significant information about Aaron Alexis that was not known to HP," Thacker told McClatchy in anto report "behaviors indicating psychological instability" or seek mental health support during his Navy service from May 8, 2007, to Jan. 31, 2011.

Hagel said the Pentagon will implement a "continuous evaluation program" to replace current security-clearance reviews that occur every five or 10 years.

He also directed his aides to set up systems so that information from law enforcement databases and other sources is automatically pulled into the records of clearance holders.

In the wake of the Navy Yard shootings, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., led a congressional push to compel the Office of Personnel Management to implement tighter controls on the private contractors it hires to conduct many of the background checks.


After 14 years of professional racing, Davi Millsaps has announced his retirement. After sustaining an off-season injury that sent him to the ICU with a major concussion, among other injuries, he said it has been more difficult than expected to return to racing.

"Then, the unexpected happened and life changed so fast. I was sent to the ICU with a major concussion, bleeding in and around my brain, and a shattered elbow, along with being bruised and banged up pretty much all over. After months of recovery and consulting with my neurologist and family, we came to the difficult decision that it was time for me to retire from racing,” Millsaps stated on his Instagram account. Here’s the full press release from Yamaha:Sunday, May 27, 2012

Vince Lombardi dubbed Forrest Gregg as the best player he ever coached. It was the Gregg who pried open holes as Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung received the praise.

Sourced directly from Gregg is this blanket honoring his performance in 1959. "GREEN BAY PACKERS" and a football are centered on front. A swatch has "Forest Gregg '59" chainstitched on the lower right corner. A few minor stains and minor hole (near name swatch) are the only qualifications.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

News from the NFL Owners' meeting that the league will mandate thigh and knee pads for all players, beginning with the 2013 season. The NFLPA is objecting to the rule being implemented outside of collective bargaining, but that seems overly political to me.

The thigh pads were very


suing the league over the NFL's ignoring safety concerns, and how many current players continue to demonstrate their profound objections to the ongoing safety concerns.

At the very least, mandating knee pads will end the biker-shorts look that many receivers, notably Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, have been wearing in recent years:

Thursday, May 17, 2012

As the first images start trickling out of the rookie training camps, eagle-eye uni spotters have noticed that the rooks' jerseys still bear the "NFL EQUIPMENT" patch, worn on all gamers since 2002 but mercifully retired as part of the transition to Nike as the exclusive league-wide uniform supplier.

Jim Biever, Packers.com

I presumed that meant they were wearing old Reebok jerseys in camp. It's a fairly common custom to recycle old practice gear It's not unheardfinish.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

For all the Packers' long and glorious history, the team's earliest still remain something of a mystery to fans. Even the team itself gets the details wrong. That can be attributed in part to the NFL's general myopia concerning anything before Super Bowl I, and in part to a lack of accessible information about the Packers' first five decades.

That all changed yesterday.

Detail from a slide shown during a presentation on the Packers Heritage Trail, a new walking tour of historic Packers sites in Green Bay, at the Neville Public Museum on Tuesday, May 8, 2012.

Yesterday, plans for the new "Packers Heritage Trail" were unveiled at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay.

The trail is the brainchild of Cliff Christl, former Green Bay Press-Gazette and Milwaukee


Journal Sentinel writer. Christl, who covered the Packers from 1974-2007, just might know more about the team's history than anyone alive.

D.J. Folkman of Lawrence-based Jones Sign on Wednesday finishes installing a 180-pound brass plaque as part of the Packers Heritage Trail Foundation at the Green Bay Press-Gazette offices, 435 E. Walnut St. The plaque is one of 22 to be displayed as part of on the Packers Heritage Trail in Green Bay that cover Packers history. The Press-Gazette plaque notes that Andrew Turnbull, one of the original Press-Gazette owners, served as the Packers first president from 1923 to 1927.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Reader Jeff Flynn, Jr. sent this photo into Uni Watch this morning. That is, of course, the legendary Bart Starr wearing a leather helmet adorned with aIndianapolis.

Welcome

Welcome to the official blog of the Green Bay Packers Uniform Database, chronicling ninety-plus years of our team looking good while playing well. This started as a zine in 1994, moved online a decade later, and has become a longer-lasting project than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Click on "Uniform Timeline" below for the original Database, a chronological listing of the Packers' uniforms since 1919.

Chance Michaels is a native New Yorker who spent many of his formative years in Milwaukee and developed a lifelong interest in the region's sporting history. In addition to his work with the Green Bay Packers Uniform Database, he edits BorchertField.com, an ongoing research project devoted to Milwaukee's pre-1953 baseball clubs and their ballpark.

When not immersing himself in old game programs, wire service photos and


Nov. 9: Added to and revised slightly

..There are so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live...way more than me!

...Maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny...

...She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner!

Max opened her eyes and jolted awake with a start, the last details of a dream, already three-quarters forgotten, passing through her mind as she stared at the stucco ceiling above her. "Chloe..." she whispered with a morose sigh, wiping the remnants of tears from her eyes. She could taste the sourness of her breath and feel the pounding of her head after another restless night filled with images she'd dare not think about. She turned to look up at the milk crate that doubled asa bedside table and groaned in frustration: the blank face of her alarm clock, the still blades of the small heater on the floor, and the general dimness and quiet of the apartment. The power was out again; third time this month.

"Are you actually cereal right now?" she muttered as she slid off the mattress on the floor and slowly got to her feet, walking to the washroom with her teeth chattering and a threadbare blanket wrapped around her body. She tossed the blanket by the front door and got undressed, hoping a shower might wash away some of her emotional dirt along with the physical. Max caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she passed it on the way to the tub; her attempts to avert


her eyes not successful today. The darkness of the bathroom put her on edge, casting shadows on her face that made it look gaunt and corpse-like. Her chest tightened as her anxiety began to rise; she swore she saw figures or some sort of shape moving behind her. Quickly, she closed her eyes and kept them shut until she was safely in the tub with the curtain shut.

I wish I wasn't alone right now.

Her dripping brown hair hung in her face as she stood in the small tub underneath the shower head; the water — lukewarm as always — cascaded down her trembling body. She leaned forward with her eyes closed; her forehead resting on the tiled wall, trying hard not to have another panic attack. "Two monthssince the storm." Max thought to herself. "Two months since I last used my powers. Two months since Arcadia Bay...ended" Max squeezed her eyes tightly closed and grimaced. Her chest tightened, and she felt herself starting to hyperventilate again; she willed herself to think about something else.

The tepid water on her freckled skin...

The sound of cars outside the window...

The knowledge that she would be home soon...

It had been just about two months since they drove north without looking back; two months since they had found a cheap apartment in a small town in northern Washington on the border with Canada; two months since she texted her parents to tell them that she was alive, and in touch with Chloe again. She let them know that she would tell


wasn't there.

"Um... Chloe?" She called out, "Are you here? Are you back?"

"Mm?" came the mumbled reply.

Oh thank God!

A small smile crossed her lips and, slipping back on her underwear and t-shirt, she crossed her arms across her chest for warmth and padded quickly down the short hall. Chloe lay in bed underneath the blanket, the orange of her work uniform peeking out. Max quickly slid underneath the blanket and shifted up against Chloe's body, wrapping an arm tightly around her and hugging her.

"Hmm?"

I missed you! Fuck, am I glad you're back!

"I'm cold." Max answered instead and moved even closer to Chloe, "The power is out again." she added, burying her face into the back of Chloe's shirt. Things had felt unusually distant between them for the past fewweeks; with Chloe taking as many shifts as she could at work to support them, it seemed to Max like she hardly saw her much anymore. Although she didn't recall Chloe being away any more often than normal, to Max it felt like weeks since she felt the comfort that Chloe provided her. The scent of cigarettes, Slurpee syrup, and sweat emanating from Chloe's body filled Max with a feeling of safety far greater than the thin blanket that covered them. She quickly forgot about the power, the cold and her recent panic attacks; her eyes were starting to close when the shifting movement on the mattress roused her. Chloe turned over to face her, and Max saw Chloe's big blue eyes staring at her from an inch


away; their noses almost touching. She could smell the sourness of Chloe's breath on her face and about to make a flippant comment but something about the way her eyes were gazing into hers with seriousness and sadness made her mouth shut again. Instead, she reached forward and pushed a bluish blonde strand off Chloe's nose.

"I'm sorry, Max." Chloe said to her softly. "For what?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow and continuing to push loose strands of Chloe's hair from her face.

She looks so sad. I did this...

Chloe's eyes seemed to Max not as bright as they once were and dark bags had formed underneath. It had only been two months, but Chloe looked to her like she'd aged five years in that time. "For being a fuckingThe destroyed buildings, shattered bodies, the screaming that Max swore she could hear sometimes like it was happening right beside her...

"Why did you tear up that picture, Max?" Max's eyes opened again and she saw the look on Chloe's face, full of the same anguish she had on that day two months ago when she told Max that only she could make the choice, and then she made it; the same anguish that she always had when Arcadia Bay came up in their conversations. The same anguish in that motel bathroom.

Max crawled on top of Chloe, took her face in her hands and kissed her deeply. It took all of her mental strength to continue the façade of strength that she'd been forcing over the past two months,


and she knew that if she didn't do something to distract her mind quickly then she'd fall apart, either bursting into tears or being crippled by a panic attack. She couldn't let that happen - not in front of Chloe. "Because I love you, Chloe! I've loved you for as long as I can remember! Because..." she said, still holding Chloe's face in her hands, "I left you once and I'm never leaving you again!" She took Chloe's hand in hers and squeezed it affectionately and reassuringly; brought it up to her mouth and kissed the fingers with the tar stains and chewed nails. Max closed her eyes and felt an undeniable urge to put Chloe's hand on her breasts...or between her legs; to do whatever she couldto convince Chloe that she was there for her...and to know that Chloe was there for her as well.

"Okay, Max. Okay." Chloe whispered, a smile starting to form, "I don't know why you chose me...but you did...and I'll always be with you, no matter what. You're everything to me."

Max could feel her resolve breaking with tears starting to fill her eyes. "Always isn't long enough." she mouthed softly, then leaned down to kiss Chloe again and again, whispering her name as she felt overwhelmed by her need to be with her, to give herself fully to what Chloe made her feel. Their lips moved together as gentleness gave way to something deeper, increasing with growing intensity and emotion. Hands moved from her face, down her neck and Max


gasped in satisfaction as she felt them move underneath her shirt and rough palms rub and squeeze her small breasts.

"My hands aren't too cold?" Chloe whispered, pulling apart from her to sit up slightly. "Shush!" Max said breathlessly, pushing Chloe back on the bed, and climbing back on top of her. The brunette's pale face had turned from light to dark pink as she leaned down and hungrily began to kiss Chloe again, her lips moving lower each time; first nipping at the bridge of her nose with her teeth...then the tip of it...then gently stopping to take her lower lip in her mouth and suck on it. As Max began to move down Chloe's face, she felt Chloe wrap her arms around her. Max moaned in pleasureat the fleshy invasion of Chloe's tongue in her mouth, then cringed involuntarily at the sudden taste overwhelming her senses.

Max's eyes opened as the tongue was quickly removed and saw a face inches from her own. "It's my breath, isn't it?" She said, smirking. Max smirked and roughly kissed Chloe's lips again, "The taste of 7-11 nachos and cheap cigarettes aren't my favourite, but it's fine." she rasped.

"I can brush my teeth if you want," Chloe said, looking toward the washroom thoughtfully. Max rolled her eyes and took Chloe's face in her hands, "Chloe...I need this...I need you to fu...gahh, I just need you, okay?"

"Jeez, girl! Fine, I'll shut up then!" Chloe said, laughing as she back down. Max smirked, "You're such a dork, Chloe." and, before she


could respond to that, Max attached her mouth to the side of Chloe's neck and began to suck and bite. She felt Chloe's body shiver gently at the contact, and that made her body heat up even more. Her long fingers started clumsily unbuttoning Chloe's work shirt, needing to see and feel as much of her skin as possible. When she had finished with the last button, she pulled Chloe's shirt open and her eyes widened as she saw Chloe wasn't wearing a bra underneath. Chloe's eyes met hers, and they both smiled at each other, their faces a bright pink. "I always take it off when I walk in the door." she said unnecessarily.

Max saw Chloe close her eyes and heard her sigh in pleasure as thewarm wetness of her lips brushed against Chloe's nipples, first one and then the other. "Do you like when I kiss you there?" Max asked breathlessly. Chloe nodded, her face blissful, "Mmmhmm!" Max smiled as she nuzzled and licked down Chloe's belly, "Where would you like me to kiss you next?" she asked, already with a destination in mind.

Chloe opened her mouth to answer when they were suddenly interrupted by a knocking on the door. Max jerked upright in surprise and covered her chest with her hands reflexively, nearly falling backward off the bed; meanwhile, Chloe let out a yelp of frustration and some choice words under her breath.

"Max? It's June Fraser from 103; is your power out too?"

Feeling light-headed and breathing heavily from their activities, Max stumbled


across the room - arms protecting her breasts - and loudly called, "Yes, Mrs. Fraser! It's usually only off for a few hours, though!"

"Do you want me to call the super?"

"I swear if she doesn't back the fuck off right fucking now..." Chloe grumbled.

Max showed Chloe that she shared her frustration, then replied "No thank you! It's fine!" as she checked the chain on the door to make sure it was latched. When she heard the sound of footsteps padding down the hall again, she let out a breath she wasn't aware that she was holding and turned back toward the bed. Chloe had wrapped up in the blankets, facing away from the door.

Pushing her hair from her face with a hand, Max padded back toward the bedand slowly got in beside Chloe. "I'm sorry that happened," she said, with a sigh. "I fucking hate this apartment!" Chloe grumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow.

Max bit her lip, anxiety gradually loosening its grip on her chest, but doing nothing to relieve the throbbing ache remaining between her legs. "I guess that sort of killed the mood, huh?" she muttered, staring up at the ceiling and trying to think about something else.

"We...um...can still do stuff if you want." she heard Chloe say. Turning toward her, Max let out a laugh despite herself at Chloe's cheeky smirk and reached over to run her fingers through Chloe's hair affectionately. Hair dye wasn't a priority following their exodus from Oregon, so the blue and purple of Chloe's hair had


faded significantly showing Chloe's original red-blonde colour. "I mean...whatever. You don't...have to, I guess. This is nice too; I mean, lying here with you...beside you."

Chloe's smirk turned into a grin that caused her blue eyes to shine. Max smiled back, but the smile turned to surprise as she felt Chloe's hand brush over her belly. "Chloe, wha..." Max started to say, but was cut off by a soft "I love you, Max." Chloe leaned over and placed gentle kisses on Max's bare neck as her hand slowly slid down the front of Max's underwear. The ache between Max's legs grew exponentially as Chloe's fingers parted her moist folds and touched the places where she seemed to know Max ached to be touched.

Max's breathing quickened, and her mind focusedon nothing else but the joy and pleasure that her Chloe was giving her; her best friend...her lover...their new relationship hadn't ever been formally defined but that was not on her mind at the moment, The rough fingers that touched her sensitive areas were calloused, and she smelled strongly of unwashed skin, cigarettes, and coffee; yet she knew nothing felt or smelled better. Instead of the urgent desire she felt before, this was something softer...more delicate. More like their first time.

She felt Chloe's touches increase in speed, responding to the gentle moans and whimpers she couldn't help but make; despite the earlier interruption, it didn't take long for Max to return to that place of peak pleasure where a familiar tightness like a coiled spring started in her


belly and grew outward. Chloe continued kissing her neck and around her jawline, as she finally reached the edge of release and then gently let herself go. Her mouth opened and she inhaled sharp, stuttering breaths; trembling as she emptied her lungs and closed her legs tightly around Chloe's hand to draw out the feeling.

She lay panting for a few moments, catching her breath, before she turned to Chloe with a smile and saw that she had managed to pry her hand out and was flexing her fingers. Max sat up and kissed her lips. "I love you, Chloe." she said, their foreheads touching.

"How do you feel?"

Max laughed and tried to come up with the proper words to describe the bliss she was experiencing, when, with a loudthump, the lights in the apartment came back on. The microwave in the kitchen beeped, the clock radio blared static, the small heat fan buzzed, and the building was suddenly alive with sounds from every direction.

"For fuck's sake!" Chloe said, laying back in the bed, laughing despite herself. Max lay on her chest and contemplated the past few hours and minutes. She knew the good feelings wouldn't always be there, and she was ready for the next panic attack. It would probably happen sooner rather than later. It had been two months, after all.

It was time to return to the real world.


In general, a golf course includes a total of 18 holes; four long holes, ten middle holes, and four short holes. In the short hole, a distance between the tee box and the hole cup of the green is generally 229 meters or less. In the middle hole, a distance between the tee box and the hole cup of the green is generally 230 to 430 meters. In the long hole, a distance between the tee box and the hole cup of the green is generally 431 meters or more.
Most golfers can place their balls on the green by hitting only one shots from the tee box in the case of the short hole, but cannot send the balls 300 meters or more from the tee box inthe case of the middle hole or the long hole. Golfers hit their shots from the tee box while keeping a reduction in error in mind. Thus, an average tee shot distance of even a professional golfer is at most 270 to 280 meters. An amateur golfer comparable to a professional golfer can send his ball up to 250 to 270 meters from the tee box.
When a golfer hits a next shot (a second or third shot) after hitting a tee shot in the middle hole or the long hole or hits a tee shot (or a second shot) in the short hole, the golfer has to check a flag at the top of a pin pole fixed in the hole cup of the green from a long


and subsequently to the award of the appraisers, in which latter case the condemnee sought to obtain a general judgment for damages, did not affect the right of the condemnee to proceed to have an execution issued on the award in the manner prescribed by Code § 36-604. The award could, according to Code § 3-607, have been pleaded to the subsequent damage suit, since the obtaining of the valid award of the appraisers, which award was in the nature of a judgment, prevented a further suit on the same cause of action, except such proceeding as was necessary to enforce the award. The award and the proceedings to enforce it were exhaustive of the condemnee's rights in the premises, and no legal judgment could have been renderedItalian Parliament (1928–1939)

The Italian Parliament (1928–1939) was the parliament of Italy as it existed following the constitutional reforms enacted after the Italian general election, 1924. It was, in turn, substantially restructured in 1939. This early Fascist-era legislature was a continuation of the bicameral parliament that had existed prior to 1928, though the character, structure and responsibilities of each house (the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies) were altered to various degrees.

Chamber of Deputies

History
After passage of the Acerbo Law, and the subsequent consolidation of a two-thirds parliamentary majority by the National Fascist Party, constitutional reforms were implemented reorganizing the Chamber of Deputies. The Law on Political Representation, enacted on May 17, 1928, fundamentally altered composition of the body. Under the new method of election members would not technically be


of the Armed Forces, who is involuntarily released from active duty, "and who has completed, immediately before his release, at least five years of continuous active duty, is entitled to a readjustment payment computed by multiplying his years of active service . . . by two months' basic pay of the grade in which he is serving at the time of his release." It is further provided that "[f]or the purposes of this subsection . . . (2) a part of a year that is six *74 months or more is counted as a whole year, and a part of a year that is less than six months is disregarded . . . ." We must decide whether the "rounding" provision set forth in § 687 (a) (2)404 U. S. 951 (1971). We granted certiorari to resolve the conflict, 414 U. S. 1128 (1974), and now affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals.
Each petitioner had served continuously for more than four years and six months, but less than five years, when notified that he would be honorably but involuntarily released from active duty in the Reserves. In No. 73-604, petitioner Cass, a captain in the Army Reserve, was in fact released from active duty before completing five *75 years of service, and when the Army denied his request for readjustment pay, he brought suit in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, which granted relief on the authority of the Court of Claims' decision in Schmid, supra. In No. 73-5661, petitioners


Adams, Steneman, and Youngquist, captains in the Marine Corps Reserve, brought separate actions in the Central District of California, prior to their release, seeking a modification of their release orders to provide for readjustment pay. The District Court subsequently held that they were entitled to readjustment pay based on active service of more than four and one-half years.[2] The Government's appeals from the decisions of the two District Courts were consolidated, and the Court of Appeals reversed each, holding that the statute and its legislative history make clear that readjustment pay is not to be provided to reservists involuntarily released from active duty with less than five full years of continuous service.[3]
Petitioners assert to the contrary that the language of § 687 (a) unambiguously establishes that four andcovered by subsection (b), a member of a reserve component or a member of the Army or the Air Force without component who is released from active duty involuntarily, or because he was not accepted for an additional tour of active duty for which he volunteered after he had completed a tour of active duty, and who has completed, immediately before his release, at least five years of continuous active duty, is entitled to a readjustment payment computed by multiplying his years of active service (other than in time of war or of national emergency declared by Congress after June 28, 1962), but not more than eighteen, by two months' basic pay of the grade in which he is serving at the time of his release. However, a


member who is released from active duty because his performance of duty has fallen below standards prescribed by the Secretary concerned, or because his retention on active duty is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security, is entitled to a readjustment payment computed on the basis of one-half of one month's basic pay of the grade in which the member is serving at the time of his release from active duty. A person covered by this subsection may not be paid more than two years' basic pay of the grade in which he is serving at the time of his release or $15,000, whichever amount is the lesser. For the purposes of this subsection
"(1) a period of active duty is continuous if it is not interruptedpertinent portions of § 6330 provide as follows:
"§ 6330. Enlisted members: transfer to Fleet Reserve and Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; retainer pay.
.....
"(b) An enlisted member of the Regular Navy or the Naval Reserve who has completed 20 or more years of active service in the armed forces may, at his request, be transferred to the Fleet Reserve. An enlisted member of the Regular Marine Corps or the Marine Corps Reserve who has completed 20 or more years of active service in the armed forces may, at his request, be transferred to the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve.
"(c) Each member who is transferred to the Fleet Reserve or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve under this section is entitled when not on active duty, to retainer pay at the rate of


Labour activists in Northern Ireland look set to defy the party leadership by running candidates in the Assembly election.

The local Labour branch is launching a petition seeking public support here for the right to contest all local polls.

It includes taking out adverts in the Belfast Telegraph this week - signed by around 1,000 members and supporters - to highlight the campaign.

Signatories include Baroness May Blood and Monica McWilliams of the former Women's Coalition.

Labour Party general secretary Iain McNichol has insisted: "We do not stand candidates in Northern Ireland, and (NI members are) not empowered to reverse this position."

He warned the NI branch, whose membership is said to have more than tripled since Jeremy Corbyn became party leader, that it risks breaching rules.

The adverts argue: "There are now over1,700 Labour Party members and registered supporters in Northern Ireland. Many more help directly fund the Labour Party through trade union contributions. Despite this, members are currently not allowed to stand for election in Northern Ireland.

"Accordingly, we the undersigned, mostly members and supporters of the Labour Party and trade unions, together with individuals from other parties and those who are not members of any party, call on the Labour Party to allow members in Northern Ireland to stand as candidates in all local, Westminster and European elections to help move beyond sterile sectarian politics." The action comes ahead of this weekend's NI branch annual meeting.

Historically, Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) has regarded the SDLP as its sister party in Northern Ireland and declined to run candidates.

Mr McNichol added:


DFS Three And Out 2016 week 18

By Bob Harris

Three DFS players I'm investing heavily in for tournament (GPP) play this week. ... And one I'm not.

I'm in:

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
As MLive.com's Kyle Meinke pointed out this week, the Seahawks can't run the ball consistently and their offensive line is playing poorly. But what they do have is Wilson. He is their key, and stopping him is Detroit's. The problem is, the Lions have had issues defending mobile quarterbacks like Wilson, including two weeks ago with Dak Prescott and again last Sunday night with Aaron Rodgers. Those two combined for 42 of 59 passing (71.2 percent) for 512 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions, plus 77 yards rushing on 14 carries while a Detroit defense that had heldMiami Dolphins
As the Sports Xchange noted, Steelers rookie cornerback Artie Burns is going to have his hands full against Landry, who finished the season with 94 catches for 1,136 yards. The Steelers’ pass defense has been susceptible at times this season, and Burns has been beaten for some big plays. With the Steelers focusing on stopping Jay Ajayi and the Dolphins’ running game, this matchup on the outside will be a big key. Worth noting, while Landry has never been viewed as a big scoring threat (with just 13 touchdowns in three seasons as a pro), he has scored twice in the last three games -- all with Matt Moore in at quarterback for the injured Ryan Tannehill. Moore will start again this week. Part of the appeal


But it's not just Rodgers' arm that the Giants defense need to be worried about. Rodgers also finished as the Packers' second leading rusher behind Ty Montgomery, recording 369 yards on 67 carries. Still, it should be noted that Rodgers had a season-high 22 incompletions against the Giants in Week 5, including two interceptions. And as Kacsmar pointed out, New York's No. 2 defense is the highest ranked among the playoff field, and they've made a habit of winning close, low-scoring games this season. The Giants' cornerbacks have done a solid job this season with limiting the opposition's top receivers' total yardage. This week, Janoris Jenkins, the leader of the pack, is coming off a back injury which, as of Tuesday, was leaving him still sore. But heWatched the Wild Game

The wild are a .500 team, so far they have beat up on inferior competition (avalanche & Dallas) and lost to the teams that are considered playoff teams (st Louis, Nashville, Detroit.) they might make the playoffs in a bottom seed but they are a first round and out at best

And that's with Parise putting up unsustainable production. He'll fade (somewhat) and the WIld will go back to being horrid

What got me about Zach leaving was how he had said leading up to free agency that wherever he was ganna go he wanted to win. I prolly would have been even more annoyed if he went to pens but at least he has a good chance to win there. Detroit I probably would have been


and see who might want to sign him, and to pick the team he felt was best for him. He doesn't owe anyone an explanation. He earned a right and - GASP! - chose to exercise it. He is not indebted to the Devils for life because they were the team that drafted him.

What fans also forget is that it's not like Zach grew up dreaming of wearing Devils' red and black, and playing in Newark. He never had a choice in the matter...the Devils drafted him, end of story. While he was here, he played hard and the Devils got terrific value out of him, in terms of on-ice production and the money spent on him.

And yeah, what was Zach supposed to say? Even when he saidhad a great short stay. I've stayed here 2 years ago and had a wonderful stay then too. This time I stayed in another building and the décor was well done and roomy. Since I am very particular with beddings it was soft and had a very comfortable bed! There is a new bowling alley and a hot tub at the new building site as well as patios in each room!The only thing I would suggest in the availability of water/soda machine on the floors and keep the ice machines easily accessible in EACH wing NOT for the whole floor especially when you're at the end of the hall! Also a pool in the new building not just a hot tub!

Room Tip: Ask for a room in the


appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Set against the rolling vineyards of California's Wine Country, The Meritage Resort and Spa illuminates with gracious hospitality, unrivaled amenities, culinary delights, and a wine and spa experience that you'll never forget. Here you can enjoy the best of Napa Valley without leaving the hotel grounds - wine tasting, award-winning cuisine, rejuvenating spa treatments, bowling, and luxurious accommodations over on 32 acres of stunning real estate. The Meritage Resort offers the perfect blend for the perfect stay. After the resort opened in 2006 and the Estate Cave opened in 2007, it expanded with a $40 million enhancement in Spring 2012, followed by a revitalization of the main resort in early 2014, toReview: ‘The Stand’

Filmed in Utah, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania by Laurel Entertainment in association with Greengrass Prods. Executive producers, Richard P. Rubinstein, Stephen King; supervising producer, Peter McIntosh; producer, Mitchell Galin; director, Mick Garris; writer, Stephen King, based on his novel; In "The Stand," Stephen King designs a post-apocalyptic confrontation between good and evil. ABC leaps into May sweeps with an ambitious, eight-hour visualization of King's expansive 1978 novel, scripted by the author. While it's no "V," it's not bad; the mini probably would have played better at six hours, but should sustain the interest of King fans, who number in the millions, and may pick up some non-King followers.

Filmed in Utah, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania by Laurel Entertainment in association with Greengrass Prods. Executive producers,


two forces: Good, personified by a 106-year-old black woman, Mother Abigail (Ruby Dee), living in Nebraska, and Evil, one Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan), an “apostate of hell” who occasionally takes the form of a crow.

The backdrop is a killer epidemic, released when a government biological warfare experiment misfires; before long, practically everybody in the U.S. is dead or dying. (King has said the original prototype was Legionnaires’ disease, updated to an AIDS parallel when he rewrote the book in the mid-’80s.)

Gary Sinise stars as Stu Redman, an East Texan who becomes the story’s main focus as he travels from home (where he escapes the flu) to the Center for Disease Control in Vermont and on to the final conflict.

Along, too, are Laura San Giacomo as Nadine Cross, whomhis campaign promise to “tame the growth gorilla.”

Standley first came to Aspen in 1965 and, like many others, fell in love with the town and its special environment. One of many simple pleasures, he said, was grabbing lunch on a sunny winter day and finding a place to hang out with friends and watch skiers come down the mountain.

“In the late ‘60s, there were a lot of empty lots,” he said.

But that was rapidly changing as Aspen’s tourism industry cranked up. The construction of the North of Nell Condominiums on Durant Avenue and the Aspen Square on Cooper Avenue triggered heated community debate.

Standley befriended lots of Aspenites his age who were more concerned about the fate of the town than the ability of old timers to cash in


members went on to help Joe Edwards and Dwight Shellman win office as Pitkin County commissioners on an anti-growth platform in 1972. But Aspen politics were still controlled by an old guard more accommodating of growth and development.

Standley was among a slate of candidates determined to run for council in 1973. They were largely thwarted when city officials enacted a residency requirement of at least three years for a candidate.

“I didn’t run because I was the most qualified. I was the most legal,” Standley said. And he was the only one of his group to qualify. His group decided to aim high and thrust him into the mayor’s race rather than merely a council seat.

Bennett and Stone helped run his campaign. John Denver was the first contributor. KNCBRose Leslie To Star In The Good Fight

Leslie will play Maia Sindell, Diane's goddaughter, on CBS All Access.

Rose Leslie is joining the cast of The Good Wife 's, which is set to premiere in February 2017 on CBS before moving exclusively to CBS All Access Leslie, known for her work as Ygritte on Game of Thrones and Gwen Dawson on Downton Abbey, will play a young attorney named Maia Rindell. The character is mentored by—and is the goddaughter of—The Good Wife's iconic Diane Lockhart, who has big plans for the up-and-comer.The new series is set one year after the events in The Good Wife finale. An enormous financial scam has destroyed Maia's reputation while simultaneously wiping out Diane's savings. No longer welcome at Lockhart & Lee, the two


Eric Freed, the police shooting of Tommy McClain and the murder of 14-year-old Jesus Garcia — and was also a leading force working toward initiatives such as the eviction of the homeless encampment in the Palco Marsh.

Mills told the Outpost this afternoon that accepting the Santa Cruz job — which he said came to him via a professional recruiter, unbidden — was not an easy decision for he and his wife, Cathy, to make.

“This is a good city with great people, and it’s a bittersweet decision for us, personally, but there are a lot of personal and professional factors in play,” he said. In particular, a move to Santa Cruz would allow them to be closer to their grandchildren, who were born after the couple came to HumboldtA Pacific research security group says New Zealand is pouring money into surveillance to fight drug smuggling in the region but is failing to support the people affected by the illegal trade.

Photo: RNZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly

Even more concerning, says the managing director of Strategika Group Asia Pacific Jose Sousa-Santos, are the islanders stricken by addiction.

Mr Sousa-Santos said by putting resources into law enforcement, New Zealand is addressing the threat but is not helping the islanders affected on the ground.

"We are focusing on stopping the drugs coming through the Pacific," he said. "But we are not addressing the damage being done through drug addiction."

But he said talking with Pacific states has helped New Zealand understand the problem better and create Pacific responses and solutions.

"For many years, New Zealand has


treated the Pacific as a buffer-zone - the protection of New Zealand almost as a national security issue.

"And over the past two years, we stand to see a greater engagement with the Pacific region by New Zealand law enforcement agencies tasked with dealing and addressing this threat."

Crystal road trade

Mr Sousa-Santos said crime syndicates are growing across the region.

He said the crystal road trade, or Pacific drug highway, originates from South and Central America and Southeast Asia.

He said the illicit drug trade makes its way down through the Pacific towards New Zealand and Australia, which are the "cash cows of the region".

Photo: Supplied

"There's definitely a greater number of bilateral agreements and programs, and initiatives between the New Zealand police, customs and other regional law enforcement agencies," he said.

"These areto the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji to intercept drugs.

Worst-case scenario

He said drug trafficking was driven by New Zealand and Australia's drug markets and the two Pacific partners should address the issue for their own interests.

"We see the Pacific become a semi-narco region," Mr Sousa-Santos said.

"You're talking about the Pacific region and some of the government institutions and agencies being infiltrated, corrupted and influenced by transnational criminal syndicates and indigenous criminal syndicates.

"And this will facilitate the movement of drugs, weapons and people to Australia and New Zealand," he said.

Mr Sousa-Santos said the growing illicit drug trade in the region is not just a risk to the Pacific but will have a huge impact on Australia and New Zealand's national security.


Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine and the European Commission will work out an optimal model aimed at reforming underground gas storages

By NewsKitchen Publisher /
July 17, 2017 /
Comments Off on Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine and the European Commission will work out an optimal model aimed at reforming underground gas storages

Headline: Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine and the European Commission will work out an optimal model aimed at reforming underground gas storages

Ukraine and the European Union have launched an ambitious project of
comprehensive study of the Ukrainian underground gas storages (UGS), which is
designed to work out the optimal model for the reform of domestic gas storage
facilities. The Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine acts as an
ultimate beneficiary of theBeginning in childbirth and entered like a multiple dwelling in motion, Women and Men embraces and anatomizes the 1970s in New York - from experiments in the chaotic relations between the sexes to the flux of the city itself. Yet through an intricate overlay of scenes, voices, fact, and myth, this expanding fiction finds its way also across continents and into earlier and future times and indeed the Earth, to reveal connections between the most disparate lives and systems of feeling and power. At its breathing heart, it plots the fuguelike and fieldlike densities of late-twentieth-century life.

McElroy rests a global vision on two people, apartment-house neighbors who never quite meet. Except, that is, in the population of others whose histories cross theirs believers and skeptics; lovers, friends, and


physically visible cases of salvation outside the Church,they postulated that not every one needs to be a card carrying member of the Church.Then they went ahead and said that only those who are not in invincible ignorance of the Gospel ; only those who know about Jesus and the Church would be damned if they did not enter the Church. Not every one but only those who know.So with the irrational premise they did aware with the dogma EENS which says all need to be formal members of the Catholic Church for salvation.So EENS is not more like it was in the 16th century, says Pope Benedict and there is no objection, over this new doctrine, from either Cardinal Burke or Bishop Athanasius Schneider.

They placed this new doctrineof sanctions if Iran was believed able of producing a nuclear weapon within a year, or if it violated other restrictions. Mr. Corker worked on the proposal with administration officials and Senator Tom Cotton, the Arkansas Republican who is a hard-liner on Iran policy, and predicted it could earn bipartisan support.

Mr. Trump’s decision came after a fierce debate inside the administration, according to a senior official familiar with the discussions and who agreed to describe them on condition of anonymity.

Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis argued that it was in the national security interests of the United States to keep the deal’s constraints on Iran. The two men succeeded, over time, in persuading Mr. Trump not to immediately scrap an accord that he


organization. Such a designation, the administration said, would impede military operations in which American and Iranian forces found themselves on the same battlefield — presumably fighting the Islamic State.

The deal Mr. Trump is backing away from was viewed by Mr. Obama as the crowning foreign policy achievement of his presidency. Years of sanctions and sabotage — including the first known American cyberattack on another country’s nuclear facilities — brought the Iranian government to the negotiating table. At first, Mr. Obama and his then secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, secretly sent two trusted emissaries to meet with Iranian officials.

Then the 2013 election of a moderate as Iran’s president created a diplomatic opening. What followed were intense, often bruising negotiations that lasted two years, ending in a weekslong negotiation inVienna at which the final agreement was reached. The agreement runs over 140 pages, with detailed timelines, rules for inspections and descriptions of what kind of equipment Iran can build and how much nuclear material it can produce.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry called it one of the most restrictive arms control agreements in history. Mr. Trump called it a disaster, telling The New York Times in interviews during the campaign that he would have walked out of the room rather than agree to it.

But as president, he discovered that his early threat to abandon the agreement was harder to execute than he thought. Leaving the agreement would actually free Iran to resume the enrichment of uranium, once again putting Tehran at the cusp of nuclear ability.

In private,


capacity for local production and distribution of the system in Ethiopia together with MCMDO-REESDE in the longer term.
We are currently discussing a first pilot project with a lodge in Tigray area.

Biogas Taita has just completed a Feasibility Study for the right mix of Biogas and Solar applications with partner MCMDO-REESDE, in remote Koromi Village, Harari Region in Ethiopia., A very interesting project including intensive community engagement, consultation and training, and with the most beautiful people and community. After all, it's all about the people, not the pipes and the panels.

The village is over a 1000 year old and not much has changed over time. Due to deforestation, climate change and increasing drought, overpopulation etc, water and firewood are becoming very hard to access and basically take the entireday to collect by the women in the village. Due to its remoteness, there is no access to electricity and the villagers are unable to develop economic activities, leaving them behind the rest of the country.

Because of the unique community spirit and very organised women's group, Biogas Taita is constructing a 60m3 communal biogas digester with a small kitchen in the Kiosk and with 20 gas balloons and cookers for people to fill and take home on rotating basis. The women are in charge of collecting the cow-dung from their families, and collected over 700 kilos in just one day from 100 families. Furthermore, the project includes a community kitchen/cafe, a solar energy kiosk, solar lanterns and home systems on microloan, biogas balloons for distribution, phone charging station,


action to create a more healthy living environment, while at the same time creating ‘green’ jobs ensuring project sustainability.

Who We Are

Quirin Walter

Founder & Project Manager

Quirin is the founder of Biogas Taita Project and initiated this project in 2009, when he first arrived in Wundanyi as part of a one-year volunteers program. Quirin however had a mission and instead of leaving, he was determined to introduce, promote and start a biogas construction team in Wundanyi. Since then they have built over 350 plants and he has trained over 70 local artisans to become biogas worksmen or supervisors.

Quirin has an unique capacity to translate technology into something valuable, applicable, accessible and easy to use in the development context. His creative thinking and ability to solve problems no matter the limitationsfound, and within significant cost / budget restraints is remarkable and has been acknowledged by our partners who like his refreshing way of thinking and solving issues, while addressing the needs of the community or other stakeholders perfectly.

Quirin has also been the brain behind the development of our new Solar Water Heating System, which is 100% locally produced in our workshop in Wundanyi.

Fieke Geerts

Project Development Manager

Fieke is a passionate environmentalist focusing on sustainable communities and creating awareness and she worked for big NGO's such as the Australian Conservation Foundation, The Nature Conservation Council of NSW, and as coordinator for a state-wide sustainable living program for ethnic and culturally diverse communities in NSW.

Fieke spent the last two years in Kenya where she was working for the Kenyan Cross and


driven by the community.

Carly Mwandigha

Director & Biogas Supervisor

Carly has extensive knowledge of and experience in biogas construction. He works efficiently and delivers good quality work. Carli has built many small scale farmer digesters as well as digesters for schools and our bio-waste centres. With his background as a teacher, Carly is involved as trainer for our biogas in schools program (biogas construction training for masonry students) as well as in the set-up and teaching of the biogas school clubs. Carly is easy to work with and has a great sense of humor. He is reliable and knowledgeable and a great asset to the team. He is furthermore one of the directors of Biogas Taita Limited.

Felix Walter

Design & Public Relations

Felix has created the identity for the project and isour fantastistic graphic designer, film maker and anything that has to do with image, promotion, and visuals. Felix has been involved since the start of the project and has made a beautiful documentary about the biogas project which has been screened in Europe as part of our fundraising campaign. Felix is assisting fundraising in Germany with images, photos and materials, and is also assisting the team in Kenya with brochures and not to forget, this wonderful website!


After my meeting with Michael Bashaija in July 2015, I dropped him on the Ngong Road to get a matatu (minibus) back to where he lived, outside the city, in a communal house with 20 other refugees. I watched him tuck his long braids back into his red beanie and marshal his slight frame – which looked even skinnier in his tight green jeans – into the more masculine step of the street. He arranged his eloquent features into a blank rictus and disappeared into the rush-hour throng.

If asked a question by someone else in the matatu he would try to mutter something in Swahili, he told me, even though this was a language he still barely spoke. If he answered in English, he would be identified asThere was something in his manner, even in the way he threw his tote bag down in rage and frustration, that told me he had stepped into himself since I had seen him last.

Just 19, he had been in Nairobi for six months, seeking asylum from the Kenyan government on the basis of his sexual orientation. He had come to meet me straight from the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), because he needed new documentation. This was because his papers had been torn up by the Kenyan police when he had refused to pay a bribe. At first, he told me, the UNHCR guards had mocked him and denied him entry: “You Ugandans are bringing sin to Kenya!” When, finally, he had been granted access, he


a cry for help. “It’s better than staying here. Nobody cares for me here.”

I had first met Bashaija a year previously, in June 2014, when he was still in Kampala, the day before he was to go to court to testify against a man who had entrapped him via Facebook, extorted him, beaten him up, and tortured him sexually. The attack had happened just after Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, had signed the country’s Anti‑Homosexuality Act into law. Two years before that, while the campaign to get the law passed was in full throttle, Bashaija had been thrown out of his home, aged 15. I had been struck immediately by how carefully and thoughtfully he spoke. He told his story dispassionately, the way traumatised people often do, as ifhe were looking at his violated self from far away.

There was no doubt that Bashaija’s life had been extremely tough in Uganda. But he had been drawn to Kenya by what the UNHCR itself has admitted was a “pull factor for young Ugandans”. In December 2013, the first 23 LGBTI refugees presented themselves at the Kakuma refugee camp, in the arid north of the country, after the Ugandan parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act. Usually refugee resettlement to a third country takes between three and five years, but the UNHCR saw immediately how vulnerable this population was at Kakuma. And so it streamlined the process to an unprecedented six months: by mid-2014 the 23 were in the west, mainly in the United States. When a second group of Ugandan


refugees protested against the conditions at Kakuma, the UNHCR decided to allow them to live in Nairobi and to give them financial assistance of 6,000 Kenyan shillings (£41) a month, in lieu of the shelter and food they would have received at Kakuma.

The agency was quickly overwhelmed with applicants, even after the Ugandan constitutional court nullified the Anti-Homosexuality Act on procedural grounds in August 2014. A year later, there were 500 Ugandan LGBTI asylum seekers registered in Kenya, but the UNHCR and its service partners estimated that at least a hundred of these were fraudulent: the agency had been alerted that a busload of new applicants had been told by their traffickers to play the gay card. Other applicants were still living in Uganda, popping over at theArk Communes, and sat about 30km outside of Nairobi. To get there, you had to turn off the main road at the local bar and general store, then bump down a steep dirt track to a steel gate in a high cinderblock wall. When I visited in July 2015, the house was aging and somewhat decrepit. There was a netball pitch cleared in the dust and a big old couch on the veranda, leaking its upholstery. The house had no running water or oven – cooking was done on an open fire in the kitchen – and a few pieces of mismatched furniture were scattered about. At the entrance, a list of house “officials” was neatly tacked up: the gay Ugandan cleric who had founded the project, Father


Anthony Musaala, was the “president”, and Bashaija was the “deputy minister for education”. Also posted was a daily schedule and a list of rules and regulations, alongside the punishments for infringing them: the fine for not maintaining “self-discipline and presentability at all times” was 500 shillings; the penalty for spending the night in someone else’s bed without permission was to fetch five jerry cans of water.

At the time I visited there were 20 residents in the house, some sharing bedrooms, some in the double garage or in outdoor storerooms. A few rooms had signs of settlement – carefully made dividing curtains, photographs on a mantelpiece, neat racks of clothing – but most reflected the transience of their inhabitants. Bashaija’s room, a pantry off the kitchen, was dark andsparse: there was a mattress on the floor and a padlocked duffle bag beside it. I had brought provisions, and as George, Bashaija’s boyfriend, supervised a lunch team, the other residents gathered in the communal area to tell me about their lives.

The young refugees had left home knowing their rights had been violated, and that they would be respected elsewhere

Frank, the laconic matinee-idol director of Ark’s dance troupe, had collapsed recently – the result of high blood pressure that he could not afford to treat. He had had to flee a hospital when the attending doctor realised he was gay and threatened to call the police. Mo, an articulate professional, was one of the more recent arrivals at the Ark house. He had been forced to leave the


place he was staying in a week before, when it had been surrounded by a mob that had discovered the residents were homosexuals.

The Ark house had begun to arouse the suspicions of the neighbours. In response to a wave of terrorist attacks in June 2014, for which the Somali militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, and a further influx of Somali refugees from the north, Kenya’s new president, Uhuru Kenyatta, had initiated a programme named Usalama Watch. All Kenyans were to get to know their neighbours, 10-deep on either side of their homes, and to report anyone they did not know to the authorities. Inevitably this triggered xenophobia and made life even more difficult for the Ugandans. A complaint was lodged about the Ark house’s residents, and the policegiven where he found himself. It would be a difficult balancing act for anyone to maintain, let alone an impetuous 19-year-old who was just discovering his agency in the world. He had left Uganda on a journey towards being himself, after a violent and oppressive adolescence where his very survival was at risk because of who he was. His crossing the border to Kenya was the first step towards this imagined freedom, to the life that he believed awaited him in the US. And he was living with a group of other people with exactly the same expectations. How, in such a context, do you temper such expectation? How do you gather up your hope, particularly after such abjection, and pile it back into the beanie?

“I will tell


you, Mark, my problems began with love.”

This is how Bashaija began his story when we first met in Kampala. His lover – a classmate – had drunkenly revealed their relationship in early 2012, at the height of the government’s campaign to outlaw homosexuality, which was aided and abetted by the tabloid press and the church. Bashaija’s father was a soldier, his mother an evangelical pastor. They banished him from church, and his father sent the military police over to rough his son up. He was forbidden to be in the presence of his siblings in case he “infected” them. When he asked for school fees, his father sneered, “Go and ask those people who taught you homosexuality to pay your tuition.”

His family stopped feeding him, and so heleft, making his way to Kampala. A stranger found him weeping at the bus station and gave him a live-in job, but he was let go after a month. On the streets again, he fell in with a Christian crusade that took him in and put him up at their church’s school, the Destiny boarding primary school. At the end of the year, the pastors took Bashaija home, and his drunk father confronted them with a panga (machete) and the words: “Are you the ones who are teaching my son homosexuality?”

Discovering the reason why Bashaija was on the streets in the first place, the Destiny Boarding School decided to put him back there. When my Ugandan researcher, posing as a concerned fellow Christian, contacted the school’s head pastor,


received a friend request on Facebook from a man who said he had been moved by the story posted on his wall and wanted to help. The man asked him to come to his home, where he said he would document his story. When Bashaija arrived, he was led into a bedroom where, he told me, he was confronted by “a gay guy, stripped naked on the floor, being kicked and beaten by two other men”. Bashaija was held there for about eight hours: during this time he was told to masturbate with cooking fat mixed with red pepper, he was urinated on, he was burnt with hot water, he was tied up, he was kicked and beaten to the point of coughing blood, and he was forcedinto sex with a third hostage. “All the time they were asking me, ‘Who made you gay?’, ‘Why are you gay?’, ‘Who paid for you to be gay?’”

The assailants took Bashaija’s wallet and his phone. He told them he could get them more money, and they released him. He found Apollo, who took him to a clinic for treatment and then – with the help of an LGBTI organisation – to the police station to lay charges. There, in the hours just following his assault, he encountered one of his assailants, who had been identified by one of the other victims and brought in by the police.

He was led into a bedroom where 'a gay guy, stripped naked on the floor, was being kicked and beaten by two


other men'

The process of reporting his attack traumatised Bashaija further. The police officers shouted at his lawyer – “You human rights organisations are helping gays” – and he feared reprisals once his assailant was released on bail. Indeed, about a week later, a group did arrive at Apollo’s door. “We will deal with you, we know what you do, we’ll hunt you down,” they said. Bashaija became paranoid on the street, worrying that someone was following him.

With the financial help of Apollo and others, he enrolled at a boarding school and got out of Kampala, coming back whenever he was needed to testify in court. His assailant was found guilty of assault and extortion, and sentenced. According to Bashaija, he was released in December 2014.

Gay and lesbian activistsat Uganda’s first gay pride parade in Kampala in 2012. Photograph: Rachel Adams/EPA

That month, Bashaija left for Nairobi. He was one of about 70 Ugandans claiming asylum on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity that month, an all-time high. He was registered, taken to a transit centre for a few days, and then collected by HIAS, an American-Jewish refugee agency that UNHCR has subcontracted to look after LGBTI refugees in Kenya.

Bashaija was given the initial financial assistance of 12,000 shillings (£83), and he found lodgings with another Ugandan refugee. But a week later, while shopping at a nearby market, Bashaija was shoved by three men: “Why you acting like a girl?” They threw him to the ground and kicked him. He returned home with bruises and


a swollen eye, horrified that no one had intervened to protect him. The words of his assailants sliced through his fantasies of asylum: “Museveni chased you from your country, and now you’ve come here, also to spoil it.”

In January he moved to a more central district, in a building where many refugees lived. But a few weeks later he was arrested in a police raid on the building after neighbours lodged a complaint about a raucous party. The party was to bid farewell to a refugee who was being resettled, and Bashaija insists it was over by 8.30pm. He was woken after midnight in his room, and taken to the holding cells at the local police station along with 34 others, all Ugandans.

Bashaija had been having panic attackssince his entrapment in Uganda, and now, when the detainees seemed set to spend a second night in jail, he had one so severe that he fell unconscious. He was taken to hospital, and when he was discharged he learned that he and the other refugees could not return to their lodgings: they had been exposed, and a mob was allegedly waiting for them.

Lacking funds to find a new place to live, the refugees went to the UNHCR offices in the upmarket suburb of Westlands, but were denied entry to the building. With nowhere else to go, they staged a protest at the compound gates, sleeping there for three nights. In a remarkably eloquent appeal – drafted in part by Bashaija’s former benefactor Apollo, now also in Nairobi


this crisis emerged a more consultative system, with a group of leaders elected by the Ugandan refugee community to represent them. Bashaija and the others were given a few nights in a hotel while alternate plans were made. Meanwhile, Father Masaala came up with a solution: he signed the leases on two properties. There, in what he called the Ark Communes, the refugees would be safer, outside town, in big old houses on walled properties. They would also live communally, pooling their scant resources.

Bashaija moved into one of these residences to await the results of his eligibility interview. He enrolled in a computer course, but dropped out because he could not afford the transport fees. He tried to go to a driving school, but no one would takehim because he did not yet have his papers. He wanted to go back to high school, but he could not be admitted because he had not brought his records with him from Uganda.

A gay rights activist in Nairobi, Kenya, at a protest against Uganda’s criminalisation of homosexuality. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

I was one of those who had helped Bashaija stay in school in Kampala in late 2014, after his attack. I had met him as part of the research I was doing into the new global debate on LGBTI rights and the effect it was having on different parts of the world. I do not pay informants for their stories, but very occasionally, when they are clearly in need, and when they have taken time that might otherwise


both surprised and dismayed when he contacted mein early 2015 to tell me that he had fled to Kenya.

In 2014, while he was still in Uganda, I paid $200 for him to complete Form 3. I did a whip-round with friends and gathered commitments from others for him to go further should he pass the year. Later, after he fled to Kenya, I told him that the offer to help him continue his education still stood. To tide him over during a period when the UNHCR stopped paying its financial assistance to some refugees as it investigated fraudulent claims, I made another $250 available to him once he was in Nairobi. This was meant to be for food and shelter, but, having heard from his brother through Facebooklabel carries in a new global economy where the wealthy west values such identities and understands them as vulnerable. Since 2008, the UNHCR has accepted “fear of persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity” as a category to qualify a person as a refugee. And several developed nations – particularly the US and Nordic countries – have expressly committed themselves to taking in LGBTI refugees. Individuals in these countries, furthermore, have felt the solidarity-pull of conscience. As their own battles for equality have been won, they have cast their eyes elsewhere and noted, with heightened consciousness, the troubling new global equation that seems to have come into play: as these rights are confirmed in some parts of the world, they are denied, increasingly, in others.

When


Bashaija found himself orphaned, in effect, the LGBTI ticket became his surest means of survival. Over time and over space, from the “Nellies” of late Victorian England to the voguing houses of Harlem or the third-gender hijra communities in India, there has been a constant to the gay, or queer, communities that develop among outcasts: alternate families form, intergenerationally, and bonds are cemented by the way people become “mothers” and “daughters” or “brothers” and “sisters”.

When Joseph claims Bashaija as his daughter in Nairobi’s refugee community, he is taking on a responsibility, but also laying claim to a relationship that he hopes will sustain him, emotionally and materially, in the absence of the family that rejected him: he will mentor Bashaija, and Bashaija no doubt will help him withboth their accounts, one heard the difficulties and strains of many father-son relationships, but Phillips was true to his word: they messaged almost daily, and had weekly scheduled conversations. They met, finally, when Phillips visited Africa for the first time in February 2015 and spent a few days in Nairobi. Both men wept, and in the photographs posted online, Phillips – bald and bulky and full of expansive American bonhomie – towers over his smiling ward.

Phillips’s material contributions to Bashaija’s welfare were small: he said he was overextended already with the support he gave to others. But when, in early December 2014, Bashaija began sending him increasingly panicky messages, stories of nightmares, and threats of suicide, Phillips felt compelled to act. “It was clear that he had to


get out,” Phillips told me. “I sent him the funds for a bus fare and told him to go to Nairobi.”

Richard Lusimbo, a leader of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), the main Ugandan LGBTI rights organisation, had arranged a small relief grant for Bashaija after his ordeal. Lusimbo told me he was shocked when he heard about Bashaija’s departure. “He had, of course, been thrown out of home, and he was the victim of this terrible assault, but everything had seemed to be working since then. The police had found his attacker, and the courts had ruled against him. The community had rallied around Michael, he was back in school. His story seemed to be moving towards a positive resolution, and we need those stories to balance out the‘Worst Country in the World for Gays’ stereotype.”

Why, I asked Bashaija, did he leave?

He confirmed that Phillips had counselled him to do so, but he insisted that, at that point, he really did have no other option. He had received the grant from SMUG, but he had felt compelled to send some of it home to his family to buy cattle, and besides, he had nowhere safe to stay in Kampala until he went back to boarding school, as he had fallen out with Apollo over money. His benefactor wanted a cut of the SMUG funding. To exacerbate Bashaija’s insecurity, he heard that his assailant had been released from jail: “I felt it was only a matter of time before they would come and get me.”

On my last


day in Nairobi, I went to watch the Ark dance troupe perform at a resort in the Ngong foothills – the kind of place city dwellers with a little money to spare might drive out to for a drink and a weekend nyama choma (barbecue) lunch or a swim. Brightly painted in blues and yellows, with exclamatory Swahili slogans on the walls, it consisted of a series of open thatched pavilions set around a huge swimming pool. It was not far from one of the Ark Communes houses, and a group of the Ugandans had become friendly with the owner. Their troupe had been rehearsing to participate in a dance competition on World Refugee Day (they went on to win), and they proposed to the club’s owner thatthey provide entertainment on Sunday afternoons. The troupe raised funds for costumes and rehearsed diligently: they were a huge success, and the club paid them 15,000 shillings (£103) a gig.

Bashaija was one of the dancers – in the contemporary rather than the traditional category, he told me. He, like all the others, was passionate about the project: “It gives us a chance to express ourselves, as Ugandans and as LGBTIs. To be proud of being Ugandans too!” It also created a space where they could connect with local Kenyans, rather than living in fear. The way they could express themselves, he elaborated, was by using the cover of dance to “gay it up a bit”, and, in the traditional dances, to make space for those members who were


who giggled occasionally and applauded politely and seemed to be enjoying themselves. No matter. The Ugandans had brought their own home crowd, and each dance was enthusiastically documented by a battery of phones: clips would be all over social media that evening. The troupe was loving it, and I was too. The showstopper was a song from the north, titled Eteso Emali, in which a prospective groom bargains a bride price with his betrothed’s family. The strapping James played the groom, mugging burlesque; Bashaija’s boyfriend, George, was the bride’s father, his lanky frame sheathed in a long white robe. Rabia, the only female resident at the Ark Communes, played the bride, and another woman her mother. Both women were exceptionally – and no doubt accurately – diffident intheir roles, and I wondered whether the guys had restrained themselves similarly when they played the female parts, before they felt compelled to bring these shy beards into the show.

In another song, Okuzala Kujjagana, which means “the joy of having a child”, a mother counsels her betrothed daughter about the pleasures of parenthood. There was something terribly poignant about the manifest satisfaction these queer outsiders took in performing such family-making rituals, given the way that most of them had been cast out of their own.

Bashaija had participated in these traditional dances, albeit with his braids held in check by the knitted red beanie. His expression was more earnest, more interior, than most of the others, and he chose to keep his T-shirt on. He re-emerged, during the costume


change, in his skinny green jeans, the beanie still in place, to dance the “contemporary music” interludes, either alone or with one other guy. His moves seemed carefully planned at first, and were striking in the way they swirled a macho hip-hop staccato style into something more feminine.

Bashaija would leave the Ark Communes house in October 2015, because it was beginning to seem unsafe. Indeed, two weeks after his departure the remaining Ark residents faced off against a mob and had to call the UNHCR to help evacuate them. The agency put them up in a hotel for four days and then advised them to live in smaller, less conspicuous, groups.

Four months later, on 1 February 2016, Bashaija would finally receive his “mandate” from the UNHCR and theKenyan government: he would now have formal refugee status, and the right to work and study in Kenya. But he and the other LGBTI Ugandans would also be told that, due to the UNHCR’s limited resources, financial assistance to them would be discontinued by the middle of the year. While there would be some aid available to those with viable business plans, and emergency funding for particularly vulnerable people, most would have to fend for themselves – or move up to the Kakuma refugee camp. By this point, Bashaija would be well into his interviews for resettlement elsewhere.

But all this was to come. Now, on a mild August afternoon, as the speakers pumped hectic bass into the Ngong foothills, Bashaija closed his eyes and allowed himself to be


which included the following notice of the automatic stay provisions: "As a result of the filing of the [debtors'] petition, certain acts and proceedings against the debtor and his property are stayed as provided in 11 U.S.C. § 362(a) and 11 U.S.C. § 366."
On February 8, 1985, the debtors filed a Petition for Contempt alleging that on or about January 31, 1985, agents of Dominion National Bank repossessed the 1984 Mercury Topaz automobile, which also contained various items of personal property belonging to the debtors, in violation of the provisions of the § 362(a) automatic stay.[2]
On February 14, 1985, the court notified all parties in interest, including Dominion National Bank, that a hearing on the debtors' petition for contempt would be held March 19, 1985, at 11:00 a.m.,in the Municipal and Safety Building, Johnson City, Tennessee. The debtors and their attorney appeared; Dominion National Bank did not appear. Nor did Dominion respond to the petition in any respect.
The debtors testified that on the night of January 31, 1985, they parked the 1984 Mercury Topaz automobile in the driveway at their home. At 2:00 p.m. the next day they discovered the car was missing. They called the Sheriff's Department to report the car stolen. They were informed by the Sheriff's Department that the car had been repossessed by the Dominion National Bank and taken to Roanoke, Virginia. They notified their lawyer who advised them to call the Bank. They called the Bank and talked to a Mrs. Willoughby. They informed her they wanted the car back


and wanted their personal belongings which were in the car. The debtors were told the Bank would not release the car. When the debtors asked where the car was they were told it was in Kingsport. They asked to speak to the Bank manager and were told the same thing.
The debtors testified that they had previously received telephone calls from the Bank asking them to take the car to Kingsport Motors. The caller told them that they had taken bankruptcy but that they couldn't file bankruptcy on the car.
Introduced as an exhibit is a Notice of Repossession from American Lenders Service Company, Asheville, North Carolina, dated January 31, 1985, addressed to Roger A. Depew, stating that pursuant to the "State Vehicle Code" the 1984 Mercury had *1012 beenHong Kong’s 18 community-level District Councils are largely powerless, and lucky they are, too. Otherwise, the officials in charge – Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her team of advisers and administrators – would be in even greater disarray.

As it is, they have barely managed to contain months of unprecedented public protest sparked by her ill-conceived extradition bill, and an election on November 24 that unexpectedly flipped the entire neighbourhood-level District Council system from blue to yellow. That was followed by a rebuke from the central government in Beijing for its leading representative here who was allegedly recalled and demoted to bear responsibility for the debacle.

Residents celebrate after Junius Ho lost his seat at the 2019 District Council election. Photo: Galileo Cheng/HKFP.

As for Carrie Lam and her team, their