#buying a house Kigali

[simbadiasporarealestate]

What to Look for in a Real Estate Agent in Kigali

When planning to buy or invest in real estate in Kigali, Rwanda, choosing the right real estate agent is essential. Whether you’re looking for residential property, land for sale, or commercial real estate, a reliable agent can guide you through the complex process of purchasing or renting property. For Rwandans living abroad, it becomes even more crucial to find an agent that understands your…

[screamlite]

We took many road trips with that car. They were always a lot of fun because of all the snacks, and the promise that this doctor would be the one to heal me. Forget holding my hand up to the screen as Benny Hinn sent miracles;

I remember a dusty road, I remember hard yellow cloud-shaped candy (or was it monkey shaped) that was too sweet it dissuaded me from ever having candy ever again. From my recollection I didn’t have candy again for at least a year. My mom has no recollection of this ever happening. In reality I may have probably had candy again the next week during one of the numerous birthday parties at school.

The road was long and dusty. My mom was so happy. At the hospital there was a man with a bottle-cap sized hole in his foot. They said it was “infected”. I knew that word. It meant gross… Infected meant gross and green and black.

Dr Wim was white. He was German. He couldn’t do anything I think, but he recommended physio-therapy. For months after that Auntie Princy my moms Indian physiotherapist friend painfully massaged my leg with oil and cold gels.

Playtime was for shaking and stoking my leg. I loved the playground for a long time until I didn’t. After the umpteenth fall off the slide or swings, I gradually became more cautious of what games did and didn’t end in some sort of pain, usually from one of my classmates stray limb’s hitting my leg. Playtime was for nursing pain. Playtime was for races. I loved races. Playtime was for bandit police. Children are the best at treating someone different like everyone else. They knew my legs hurt sometimes, but playtime was for racing in teams and we were all one big team. I wasn’t different then to them or myself, but difference always followed me like a cloud just out of view. It still does. When I fell off a tree, even as a bigger child my friends turned into all the adults I knew.

“Sorry” “Sorry” “Sorry”.

It was just how our life was.

I wonder if Marie Hotel still exists in Kampala Town. We spent what felt like ages on a pretty regular basis eating fruit salad every morning, greeting the waiters by name, and roaming the town window shopping, buying accessories, and receiving compliments. We were a beautiful little family. I remember most of the hospitals being within walking distance - The orange hotel with the nice Indian (who wasn’t so nice when he picked my finger and put the blood on a small glass sheet), and the CT scan that sounded like galloping horses and reminded me of the lion at the beginning of the cool movies… Mengo hospital where the nurse complimented me for not flinching when she took my blood. “Even grown ladies cry sometimes”. I wanted her to think I was a big girl, and I was used to it. There was a lady outside the the hospital entrance on a mat. She smelled like sickness. I sat on her mat and introduced myself. When woke up from the surgery at Mengo I don’t remember seeing a cast on my leg. I remember seeing pineapple chunks sticking out of the stitches. It was my leg.

Kampala was for buying Rolex off the street, carrying it back to the home we’d made in the hotel room, and watching a glowing red star from the fireworks cross our window. It was New Year’s Eve. It was new years and the house in Kigali was a distant memory. Nicholas gave his life to Christ in that hotel room. It was new year’s, or it was Christmas, or it was Easter. I don’t remember recovering.

In Grade 5 I had gotten very efficient at walking on my toes with my right leg. Sometimes I lay on the floor and stretched my leg out just enough that my heel could feel the cold of the ground. I rarely ever looked at my feet with the eyes of someone who wanted to fix them. My right foot was stuck in a balet pointe. I couldn’t rest too much weight on it. I knew but I never noticed because the body is usually good at compensating, and a child’s mind is good at creating and adjusting to new realities.

On a different trip to Kampala we’d met a man who made metal braced shoes. To make the shoes he first tried to force my foot into the position it needed to be in. I screamed for what felt like an eternity. Unsurprisingly, the thing standing between me and a flexible tendon was not a man with a strong will and very strong wrists. He wasn’t able to make the shoe.

Shoe-lifts were fun. We could add them to any cute pair of shoes without too much hassle. Then there was the surgery. Grade 5 was TR Molly and crutches and Mercy bringing my lunch to class for me. Grade 5 was for signing casts.

The first time I landed in Dubai, I was ecstatic. Hours later in Chennai I was relieved to both be sharing a room with my dad, and to have time off from school. While he was sleeping that night I took a selfie with his phone and posted it to Facebook, orange lighting, face barely visible, with a wide smile on my face. Nokia E73 was a very cool phone. He gave it to me the following year.

Sclerotherapy was a miracle for the lump on my thigh, and the tendon lengthening surgery was a success. As a write this I’m trying to stretch my tendon again. My foot can still sit at a 90 degree angle, but I should probably excercise it more. I remember sitting at a 90 degree angle with my legs stretched out in front of me for the first time in years with Grace focusedly massaging my toes the way she’d seen my mom do so they wouldn’t go numb. She did this for hours on end every time she came to the house. We aren’t friends anymore.

Frankenstein made his monster by gutting him, patching him up with bits and pieces of other bodies, stitching his limbs together, and more or less willing him into being. From a tapestry of dismembered parts, a mosaic of borrowed flesh and shattered identities . I often feel like a fractured and poorly reconstructed amalgamation of persons, those being the selves I lost or killed along the way, the selves I borrowed/stole/appropriated, like what I’d imagine a patchwork doll to be like. My body is probably the same way - missing organs, mismatched limbs, assorted dents and bumps, the occasional stitch or screw (I literally have screws in my right leg)- all of which I am usually able to will into the semblance of something that conforms to conventional standards, albeit one that constantly teeters on the edge of chaos.

I’ve had a lifetime to figure out which clothes, posture, and stance complement the flesh garment, and what shoes and hair match (for the most part). I’ve had so much yet so little bodily autonomy and privacy. I wonder if they’ll bury me in flattering clothes.

I remember so much. Here’s what I remember: Uganda; The ct scan near Marie hotel.The Ugandan hospital where they tried to force my leg into shape to make a shoe. The ugly shoe after the surgery in India. It was a hideous toe-less thing. Grace massaging my toes one by one. Pastor Kayumba praying against the demons he had created to take the blame. I remember Choir, I remember Tr Geoffrey’s office, I remember rushing to lunch. I don’t remember limping there.

Will they bury me in flattering clothes?

I don’t remember the first diagnoses, but I remember what they felt like, and I remember hoping and praying for a miracle… over and over, with my parents, with the pastors, with auntie Hope, with almost every single guest that came into our house… but never by myself. My body has just always been wrong: I have strange bumps on my back and upper hip, scars along my pelvis, a limp when I walk, and asymmetry that only slightly evened out when I decided to double my body weight. My feet are different sized, my back and right leg always ache dully in the background, and a scar the length of my arm down my chest and to my belly.

We can only live life the way it was given to us. I was born in pain… I was born with a limp… My mother will say that all this began when I was about 3, but as far as I can remember I have only ever known how to walk with a limp (and how to hide it), and how to live life with pain (and how to ignore it).

We owned a little black car, or maybe it was blue… I can’t for the life of me tell you anything about that car for certain because when you’re five years old the world is a constantly morphing psychedelic landscape that neither your parents or inanimate objects are exempt from being subject to. It was the same car with a backseat window that choked me when I stuck my head out one day. I’d memorized the ritual routine of my dad pulling into the house after picking me up from school. He’d honk the horn at the gate, and roll the car windows up as the car slid into the garage. He didn’t know I’d put my neck out one of the windows.

[gehayi]

In case anyone wants to complain about President Biden

Most of the following was copied from the link below to PBS, though the N.B. notes are my own additions.

 As of March 10, 2021, Biden’s fiftieth day in office--

CLIMATE:

2 / 7 promises fully kept; 7/7  Action taken on all of them

Take executive actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- COMPLETED (Biden took several early actions focused on climate policy, including signing an executive order on Jan. 20 that revoked the permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, halted development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and ordered the review of Trump-era rules on the environment, public health and science. A Jan. 27 executive order halted new oil and gas leases on federal lands and offshore waters.)

Rejoin Paris climate accord -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 20, Biden issued a statement accepting the Paris accord; U.S. formally rejoined the pact Feb. 19.)

Make infrastructure investments that withstand changing climate -- IN PROGRESS ( Biden, who touted a $2 trillion-plus "Build Back Better" plan for infrastructure improvements that can withstand and mitigate climate change, is working with members of Congress on a bill.)

Ratify amendment to Montreal Protocol to curb hydrofluorocarbons -- IN PROGRESS (On Jan. 27, Biden signed Executive Order 14008, outlining the federal government's plan to fight climate change. The order gives the secretary of state 60 days to send the Senate material needed to ratify the Kigali Amendment phasing down the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons.)

Take steps to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 -- IN PROGRESS (On Jan. 20, Biden signed Executive Order 13990, directing the Interior secretary to study restoring the boundaries of several national monuments shrunk during the Trump administration, and to halt oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.)

Convene world climate summit -- IN PROGRESS (On March 10, climate special envoy John Kerry discussed preparations for a U.S.-hosted climate summit Apr. 22-23 that will virtually gather the leader of twenty countries that pump out 81% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Biden signed an executive order Jan. 27 that contained a pledge to host a climate summit.)

Get emissions reduction commitments from shipping, aviation industries -- IN PROGRESS (On Jan. 21, climate special envoy John Kerry addressed the need for major economies to collaborate on bringing "deep decarbonization" to industries such as aviation and shipping.)

---

ECONOMY/TAXES

1/5 Completed; 4/5 Action Taken

Extend pause on student loan payments -- COMPLETED (On Jan. 20, Biden asked the Education Department to extend the pause on federal student loan payments and collections and keep the interest rate at 0%.)

Review U.S. supply chain for vulnerabilities in key sectors -- IN PROGRESS (On Feb. 24, Biden signed Executive Order 14017, ordering a 100-day review of supply chain vulnerabilities in key U.S. sectors.)

Strengthen "buy American" measures -- IN PROGRESS (On Jan. 25, Biden issued executive order directing creation of a Made in America office inside the White House Office of Management and Budget.)

OK pandemic economic relief -- IN PROGRESS ( On Jan. 22, Biden issued executive order for departments and agencies to identify and take actions they can to address the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic. N.B. Also, after a long fight with Republicans who apparently want their constituents to continue to suffer, Congress just passed the Covid Relief Bill on March 10. Press Secretary Jen Psaki says that Biden will sign it on Friday afternoon. )

Increase corporate taxes -- NOT STARTED

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GOVERNMENT

3/4 Completed; 4/4 Action Taken

Tighten ethics rules -- COMPLETED (On Jan. 20, Biden issued an executive order imposing an ethics pledge on appointees governing activities such as lobbying and taking gifts.)

Insulate Justice Department from politics -- COMPLETED (On Jan. 20, Biden issued an executive order imposing an ethics pledge on appointees which includes prohibiting political interference in the Justice Department.)

Ease federal unionizing restrictions -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 22, Biden issued an executive order reinstating some workplace protections for federal employees and reversing some Trump-era constraints on employees' collective bargaining power.)

Restore rules weakened or eliminated by Trump -- IN PROGRESS (On Jan. 20, Biden issued a memorandum that directed heads of agencies and executive branch departments to freeze implementation of new regulations for 60 days)

---

GUN CONTROL

0/4 Completed; 2/4 Action Taken

Send Congress gun control bill -- IN PROGRESS (On March 8, the Office of Management and Budget issued a letter supporting two bills in Congress, HR 8 and HR 1446, that would address the transfer of firearms and modify background checks. Neither addresses liability protections for gunmakers.)

Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act -- IN PROGRESS (The reauthorization bill was introduced in the House on Jan. 25 and on March 5 was referred to committee.)

Order FBI report on ways to tighten gun purchase background check loopholes -- NOT STARTED

Commission attorney general report on restructuring agencies to most effectively enforce gun laws -- NOT STARTED (N.B. until March 10, due to the Republicans dragging their feet on approving Merritt Garland, there wasn’t an attorney general)

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HEALTH

3/8 Completed; 8/8 Action Taken

Mandate masks on federal property -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 20, Biden issued an executive order requiring social distancing to be observed and masks to be worn in federal buildings, on federal lands and by federal employees and contractors.)

Rejoin World Health Organization -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 20, the Biden administration sent a letter to U.N . Secretary General Antonio Guterres retracting Trump's withdrawal from the WHO.)

Support 100 mass vaccination centers -- COMPLETED (In a Feb. 26 press release, the White House noted that the administration has helped "establish or expand 441 community vaccination centers nationwide" in its first month, providing staff, funding or equipment.)

Expand health care access -- IN PROGRESS ( On Jan. 28, Biden signed an executive order directing health officials to extend open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplaces, directing other agencies to review policies and rules that run counter to current administration policy "to protect and strengthen Medicaid and the ACA and to make high-quality health care accessible and affordable for every American." He also revoked two Trump executive orders.)

Outline new pandemic measures -- IN PROGRESS  ( On Jan. 21, Biden issued executive orders creating a board to coordinate pandemic testing efforts. It directed the HHS secretary to develop a plan to study and support promising COVID-19 treatments, and for other executive branch officials to provide assistance to care facilities and make recommendations for increasing the health care workforce.)

Vaccinate 100 million Americans -- IN PROGRESS ( Biden marked the 50 millionth vaccination administered at a ceremony Feb. 25. N.B.  According to former FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb, 100 million Americans will be vaccinated by early April.)

Reopen most schools -- IN PROGRESS ( On Feb. 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a road map for getting students back to classrooms. Biden had signed an executive order Jan. 20 seeking guidance for school reopening as well as other measures to help schools navigate the pandemic. He supports the COVID relief bill, which has funding to reopen schools.)

Deploy mobile vaccination clinics -- IN PROGRESS (The first mobile vaccination clinics opened in California in mid-February. N.B. Such programs have opened in multiple states since then.)

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HOUSING

1/3 Completed; 2/3 Action Taken

Pause evictions and foreclosures -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 20, Biden asked the CDC to extend the eviction moratorium to at least March 30 and asked the VA, HUD and USDA to extend foreclosure moratoriums for federally guaranteed mortgages until March 31; extended it to June 30 on Feb. 16.)

Review federal housing policies impacting homelessness -- IN PROGRESS ( A HUD spokesman said the agency is broadly reviewing its policies and rules to bring it into line with Biden administration goals, including its response to homelessness. N.B. No doubt slowing matters--Marcia Fudge was only confirmed as Biden’s HUD secretary as of the afternoon of March 10.)

Take steps to make housing a right -- NOT STARTED 

---

IMMIGRATION

6/17 Completed; 16/17 Action Taken; 1 Blocked

Send Congress immigration bill -- COMPLETED ( On Feb. 18, Democrats in Congress introduced Biden's immigration plan, which offers an 8-year path to citizenship for people living in the U.S without documentation, but without border security provisions.)

Revise deportation criteria -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 20, Biden issued an executive order revoking a Trump-era order that had expanded the criteria for deporting immigrants. Guidance issued that day from Biden's acting Homeland Security secretary told immigration agents to focus on deporting immigrants posing a national security, border security or public safety risk.)

Take steps to reunite separated migrant families -- COMPLETED ( On Feb. 2, Biden signed an executive order establishing an interagency task force to help reunite migrant families separated at the border. N.B. Lawyers have found the parents of 105 children as of February 24th.  Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on March 1 that the US government is hoping to reunite hundreds of families and give them paths to remain in the US legally.)

End travel ban -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 20, Biden revoked Trump-era executive actions through a proclamation.)

Stop deportations for certain groups -- COMPLETED  ( On Jan. 20, Biden signed a memorandum instructing DHS and the attorney general "to preserve and fortify DACA." 

Halt border wall construction -- COMPLETED ( On Jan. 20, a proclamation ended the national emergency on the border and directed defense and DHS officials to pause construction and spending on the border wall.)

Increase training and accountability for immigration agents  -- IN PROGRESS ( Legislation Biden sent to Congress provides funding for training and personnel to investigate misconduct.)

Reverse 'public charge' rule for immigrants -- IN PROGRESS ( On Feb. 2, Biden signed Executive Order 14012, ordering a 60-day review of the impact of "public charge" policies on immigrants.)

Protect immigrants who served in the U.S. military from deportation -- IN PROGRESS ( Biden has taken several steps to revamp U.S. immigration, including issuing an executive order directing officials to facilitate naturalization for immigrants in the military and reprioritizing deportations to focus on those posing a national security, border security or public safety threat.)

Streamline naturalization process -- IN PROGRESS ( On Feb. 2, Biden signed Executive Order 14012, ordering a 60-day plan to improve the naturalization process, shorten processing times and remove other barriers.)

Revitalize Task Force on New Americans to support immigrants -- IN PROGRESS  ( On Feb. 2, Biden signed Executive Order 14012, ordering the Domestic Policy Council to convene the task force.)

Reform U.S. asylum system -- IN PROGRESS ( On Feb. 2, Biden issued an executive order directing officials to craft a strategy for migration, including refugees and asylum seekers, and to review numerous Trump-era immigration policies. New asylum seekers were no longer required to remain in Mexico, and those in Mexico would be allowed to await adjudication of their cases in the U.S.)

Increase resources for asylum seekers -- IN PROGRESS ( During his first month in office, Biden signed several executive orders reversing Trump-era immigration policies, including for asylum seekers who had been required to wait in Mexico while their claims were processed.)

End prolonged detention of migrants -- IN PROGRESS ( The Biden administration has begun releasing detained children to relatives in the U.S.)

Review 'Temporary Protected Status' for vulnerable immigrants -- IN PROGRESS  ( Biden's Department of Homeland Security has granted TPS for Venezuelans, extended it for Syrians and extended related program for Liberians; immigration legislation Biden sent to Congress contains an expedited path to citizenship for TPS holders, but no TPS review has been announced.)

Convene meeting with regional leaders to address migration issues -- IN PROGRESS ( Biden has met one-on-one with leaders of Mexico and Guatemala and discussed immigration but no regionwide meeting has been announced.)

Freeze deportations for 100 days  -- BLOCKED ( N.B. U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton  temporarily barred the U.S. government from enforcing the 100-day deportation moratorium, extending it indefinitely on Feb. 23.)

---

INEQUALITY

0/12 Completed; 9/12 Action Taken

Reverse Trump policies on college investigations of violence against women --  IN PROGRESS (On March 8, Biden signed executive order to "specifically evaluate the Title IX regulation issued under the previous administration and agency action taken pursuant to that regulation.")

Address systemic racism in U.S. institutions --  IN PROGRESS ( On Jan. 20, Biden signed Executive Order 13985, directing the White House to study issues of equity across the federal government and report their findings within six months.)

Restore transgender students’ access to school facilities in accordance with their gender identity --  IN PROGRESS (On Jan. 20, Biden signed Executive Order 13988, stating his administration's policy toward gender identity and sexual orientation and calling for a review of federal policies and an action plan to revise them within 100 days of the order.) 

Direct resources to prevent violence against transgender women -- IN PROGRESS ( On March 8, Biden signed executive order creating a Gender Policy Council within the White House executive office, to include a senior adviser on gender-based violence; the council's focus will be to protect "those who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including individuals who are Black, Latina, Native, Asian American and Pacific Islander, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+.")

Begin criminal justice reform  - IN PROGRESS ( On Jan. 26, Biden issued executive order instructing the Justice Department not to renew contracts with privately operated prisons.)

Appoint State Department special envoy for LGBTQ+ human rights  - IN PROGRESS  (On Feb. 4, Biden issued a memorandum "directing all agencies engaged abroad to ensure that United States diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons" but no envoy was named.)

Ensure government resembles the country  - IN PROGRESS ( Biden has made a point of nominating diverse candidates for high-level positions in terms of race, gender and sexual identity.)

Appoint commission to study sexual assault in military  - IN PROGRESS ( On Jan. 23, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review of sexual assault programs in the military, and on Feb. 26, former White House adviser Lynn Rosenthal was named to head the commission.)

Sign Equality Act  - IN PROGRESS ( The Equality Act was passed by the House on Feb. 25. N.B. As of March 2, it was read the second time in the Senate. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 9.)

Create union issues working group to deliver plan on increasing union membership and shrinking economic inequality  -- NOT STARTED ( Biden has taken early steps to protect unionized federal employees' rights, met with labor leaders on his initiatives, and supported legislation in Congress, but no Cabinet-level group has been announced.)

Direct Cabinet to review programs serving violence-prone communities and identify changes to address trauma -- NOT STARTED  (N.B. though, thanks to the Republicans, he doesn’t HAVE a complete Cabinet yet)

Create police oversight commission -- NOT STARTED

--- 

NATIONAL SECURITY

0/1 Completed; 1/1 Action Taken

Rejoin Iran nuclear deal -- IN PROGRESS ( On Feb. 18, administration officials indicated the administration is ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal.  N.B. On February 19, Iran said that despite an EU offer to broker talks with the US aimed at reviving a nuclear deal, America "must act" first and lift sanctions.)

---

Okay, this is Gehayi talking.

Sixteen out of sixty-one campaign promises have been completed.  It would be seventeen, if not for U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton.

Fifty-three out of sixty-one campaign promises have had some action taken on them.  (And again, it should be fifty-four.)

A lot is still wrong. An overwhelming amount still has to be done. And many problems can’t be solved by executive order. I’m not arguing any of that. 

But this is what Biden has done in a mere fifty days. 

[bustedbernie]

Joe Biden the same as Trump?

We’ve heard it before. What does Joe Biden’s platform actually aim to do? (compiled by a redditor, taken mostly word-for-word from Joe Biden’s site, joebiden.com) 

Legal reforms:

Decriminalization, rescheduling, and expungement of existing federal marijuana convictions.

End the federal crack and powder cocaine disparity.

End all incarceration for drug use alone and instead divert individuals to drug courts and treatment.

Environmental reforms:

Invest $400 billion in clean energy research and innovation.

Establish an enforcement mechanism to achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050.

Require aggressive methane pollution limits for new and existing gas operations.

Require public companies to disclose climate risks and greenhouse gas emissions.

Invest in carbon capture sequestration technology.

Support research into new nuclear technology.

Empower communities to develop transportation solutions.

Invest in electric rail roads and mass transit.

Embrace the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

Demand a worldwide ban on fossil fuel subsidies.

Name and shame global climate outlaws.

Pursue a global moratorium on offshore drilling in the Arctic.

Hold polluters accountable.

Ensure access to safe drinking water for all communities.

Ensure that communities harmed by climate change and pollution are the first to benefit from the Clean Economy Revolution.

Invest in communities impacted by the climate transformation.

Double offshore wind energy by 2030.

Economic reforms:

$15/hr minimum wage.

Bankruptcy reform.

Paid family leave.

Paid sick leave.

Protect and expand union rights.

Repeal the $2.1tn Trump tax cuts.

Increase taxes by $1.4tn on top earners.

Hold corporations and executives responsible for interfering with unionization.

Aggressively pursue employers who violate labor laws.

Ensure federal dollars do not support employers who engage in union-busting.

Penalize companies that bargain in bad faith.

Make it easier for workers who choose to unionize to do so.

Ban state "right to work" laws.

Create a cabinet-level working group that will solely focus on promoting union organizing.

Ensure that workers can exercise their right to strike without fear of reprisal.

Empower the NLRB to fulfill its intended purpose of protecting workers.

Eliminate non-compete clauses and no-poaching agreements.

Put an end to unnecessary occupational licensing requirements.

Expand protections for undocumented immigrants who report labor violations.

Health care:

Medicare-like public option.

Allow Medicare to bargain for prescription drug prices.

Increase the value of tax credits to lower premiums and extend coverage.

Limiting launch prices for drugs that face no competition.

Limiting price increases for all brand, biotech, and abusively priced generic drugs.

Allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from other countries.

End pharmaceutical corporations’ tax break for advertisement spending.

Expanding access to contraception.

Protect and defend a woman's right to choose.

Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Doubling America's investment in community health centers.

Expand access to mental health care.

Infrastructure:

Invest in historically marginalized communities.

Encourage the adoption of electric vehicles.

Invest $10 billion into transit projects that serve high-poverty areas.

Increase funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by $2.5 billion per year.

Invest $20 billion in rural broadband infrastructure.

Invest $100 billion to modernize schools.

Invest $10 billion in a new Cities Revitalization Fund.

Quadruple funding to provide small manufacturers with the technical expertise needed to compete in a global economy.

Electoral reform:

Introduce a constitutional amendment to eliminate private dollars from our federal elections.

Enact legislation to provide voluntary matching public funds for federal candidates recieving small donations.

Propose a law to strengthen our prohibitions on foreign nationals trying to influence federal, state, or local elections.

Work to enact legislation ensuring that SuperPACs are wholly independent of campaigns and political parties.

Increase transparency of election spending.

End dark money groups.

Ban corporate PAC contributions to candidates.

Prohibit lobbyist contributions to those who they lobby.

Reform funding for national party conventions.

Require that all candidates for federal office release tax returns dating back 10 years.

Prohibiting foreign governments’s use of lobbyists.

Ethics reforms:

Prevent the president or White House from improperly interfering in federal investigations and prosecutions.

Increase transparency in DOJ decision-making.

Empower agency watchdogs (Inspectors General) to combat unethical behavior.

Establish the Commission on Federal Ethics to more effectively enforce federal ethics law.

Prevent the president, other senior Executive Branch members, and Congresspersons from being influenced by personal financial holdings.

Policing reform:

Ending private prisons.

Investing $300 billion in community policing training.

Investing in public health and education.

Create a new $20 billion competitive grant program to spur states to shift from incarceration to prevention.

Expand federal funding for mental health and substance use disorder services and research.

Expand and use the power of the U.S. Justice Department to address systemic misconduct in police departments and prosecutors’ offices.

Invest in public defenders’ offices.

Eliminate mandatory minimums.

Eliminate the death penalty.

End cash bail.

Stop jailing people for being too poor to pay fines and fees.

Ensure humane prison conditions.

Invest $1 billion per year in juvenile justice reform.

Incentivize states to stop incarcerating kids.

Expand funding for after-school programs, community centers, and summer jobs.

Education:

Two years paid public universities and college or job training for those making less than $125k/yr.

Create new a federal grant program.

Double the maximum value of Pell grants for low-income and middle-class individuals.

Make a $50 billion investment in workforce training.

More than halve payments on undergraduate federal student loans.

Stop for-profit education programs from profiteering off of students.

Crack down on private lenders profiteering off of students.

Allow individuals holding private loans to discharge them in bankruptcy.

$10,000 across the board federal student loan forgiveness.

Forgive all undergraduate federal student loan debt for borrowers who attended public colleges and universities, as well as historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and private minority-serving institutions (MSIs).

Immigration:

Repeal Trump era restrictions on immigration

Prioritize deporting threats over deporting hard working, upstanding members of the community.

End child separation and prolonged detention.

Reform the asylum system.

End public funding for the border wall.

Protect DACA recipients.

Hold ICE and CBP agents accountable for inhumane treatment.

Again, you know most of this stuff, I know most of this stuff, but a lot of people don't know most of this stuff. The next time somebody drops a bomb on you like "Biden's not a real progressive, he only believes in half measures!" you can correct them with stuff direct from his policy page.

I hope you found this useful!

[expatforafrica]

• Gobeland house. Find house, apartment, room, plot/land, commerce to rent, to buy, to sell or to auction in Rwanda• Looking for properties to buy in Rwanda? Browse apartments, flats, studios and houses for sale from Gobeland Group agents• Real Estate Rwanda, Kigali, Properties for sale Rwanda, Kigali, Properties for rent Rwanda, Kigali, Offices in Kigali, Unfurnished Houses Kigali, Furnished

[humansofnewyork]

(1/3)  “The genocide was an opportunity to get rich.  Murdering people was the quickest way to accumulate wealth.  We were given permission from the government to seize the property of anyone we killed.  We were told it was our god given right.  But I never felt the temptation.  My family owned a very big supermarket.  I had my own car.  When the killings began in 1994, I had a scholarship to study in Greece and I was just waiting to begin university.  My stepfather was Vice President of our region, so we had four bodyguards in the house.  These guys were highly trained with automatic weapons.  They became good friends of mine.  I’d take them to the bar every night.  I’d drive them around and buy them anything they wanted.  They were also good human beings.  One night over drinks we discussed the genocide, and all of us decided: ‘We’re going to put an end to this in our neighborhood.’  The next morning I woke up to my neighbor screaming.  I looked out the window and saw that he’d been surrounded by a mob with machetes, and was bleeding badly from the head.  I’d been friends with him since childhood.  So I sent my bodyguards to save him.  The machetes were no match for our guns.  Word spread quickly after that.  Tutsi families came to our compound seeking refuge.  I took long walks with my bodyguards every morning, looking for people to save.  We drove to surrounding farms and searched the fields for survivors.  At one point we had seventy people under our protection.  Nobody challenged us.  I was young and cocky.  I thought we were untouchable.” (Kigali, Rwanda)

[jessiewre]

Day 22

Sun 26th Jan 💜

It’s been a year to the day since we lost Nanny. That’s mad isn’t it. Miss that legend.

Woke up at about 5am because we’d gone to bed too early, but managed to power through and stay in bed till 7am. Phil got up and continued researching his new obsession - a half marathon near Kilimanjaro - and I joined him at 8:30am for Spanish omelette breakfast included in our 25$ a night room. Good deal that init. People say that in London you’re never further than like 5 meters away from a rat. Well thats like me and good deals, there’s always one close by for me to sniff out. Maybe I’m more like one of those pigs and the deals are truffles.

I digress...

The hostel manager was now wearing a chefs coat and I realised he was now the chef. What a multi-talented chap he was. I threw him into a frenzy by asking for salt, pepper, ketchup and chilli sauce, and eventually went into the kitchen myself to assist.

The ketchup was in a huge bucket bottle in the fridge and he gracefully glugged it out into a plastic squeezey bottle that he couldn’t find the lid for. Yum.

Shout out to Stella and Helen who will surely boke at that description of keptchup.

We got bodas to the Woman’s Centre for the recommended walking tour starting at 10am - but there was a big bike race on believe it or not, and so road blocks meant we had to walk the last kilometre. Phil was loving the bike race, I could see his legs twitching like he was imagining himself on a bike that moment, but I soon snapped him back to reality by power-walking ahead to avoid us being super late to the walk.

The sky was rapidly turning a dark shade of grey but Phil assured me that the weather report he’d checked stated that there would be no rain until midday or later.

You may be able to sense where this is going.

We arrived at the Centre and sat in the sofa area for the introduction, and the exact moment the woman began to talk and tell us about the community, the rain began to thunder on the metal roof and no one could hear a word she said. After 10 minutes, the intro finished and the rain actually calmed down a little, but then it went totally crazy again and me and Phil looked at each other like...hmm should we just not do this walking tour.

Another English girl there was thinking the same thing and the 3 of us decided to ditch the tour and head back the next day, while the 3 older people and a young American woman went off in the torrential rain with umbrellas. Umbrella’s are all good and well but I couldn’t see another soul on the streets so I seriously doubted how good a community walking tour would be in this weather. We chatted to the English girl, Esther, and she was ending a weeks work doing research for the Princes Trust who she works for. In a nutshell, she creates programmes for local groups in different countries to integrate technology into their lives to improve their prospects and quality of life. Really interesting! Phil mentioned that she should hang at our hostel later if she wanted as we were planning on trying out the bowling alley on site, and she was really up for that, especially considering she was in Kigali on her own and it was her last night.

The rain eventually calmed down enough for us to jump on a boda and we decided that considering the rain, it would be appropriate to visit the Genocide Museum at this point. We knew we were going to visit it at some point so made sense to be inside during the rain.

We were really hungry though and didn’t want to rush through the museum, so thankfully there was a cafe on site where we had a vege burger and vege panini, both with chips. We decided we’d try and lay off the chips for a while after that meal, it was the chip that broke the camels back.

The Rwandan Genocide museum was a harrowing and necessary visit.

The below information is upsetting, I’ll warn you now.

genocide

noun

noun: genocide; plural noun: genocides

1. the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.

To briefly summarise, the problems began when the country was ‘colonised’ - or should we say if we’re being honest, when the country was invaded against its will. The Germans were first in 1899 then the Belgians in 1916 and then the Belgian’s decided to split the country into three different groups. Ultimately this created a sort of competition between the groups of people that had never existed before and this was what they say sparked the issues in the country. Fast forward to 1994, and the genocide officially began, over a period of 100 days - neighbours were murdering neighbours, friends were murdering friends. Relatives even betrayed each other. By turning people against each other, the ringleaders were able to sit back and watch the killings happen for them.

Being in the country now, its very difficult to imagine it happening, as it feels vibrant, friendly and safe. But the images in the museum leave you under no illusions. People were mindlessly slaughtered, no one was spared - children, pregnant women and men. It was absolutely mind-blowingly horrendous.

The museum talks a lot about how the international community sat back and let it happen, like Rwanda was on another planet that no one cared about. There is obviously a lot of pain from that which was difficult to read about.

But there were also a number of people who put themselves on the line by hiding people in their houses and gardens, saving many lives. Unfortunately, there were not enough of those people and over a million people were killed. They are still uncovering mass graves today.

There were videos playing with interviews from survivors talking about the guilt they feel from being the only member of their family who survived. But incredibly, they spoke about forgiveness and said they would like to forgive the perpetrators if they were willing to ask for forgiveness. They spoke about moving forward with only peace in mind, as this was what would move Rwanda forward in a peaceful way. By seeking revenge, the violence and pain would continue, they said. It’s unbelievable to hear that from someone who watched their innocent young siblings and mother murdered by machete in front of their very eyes. You can’t even imagine what this person has gone through.

One of the most difficult parts of the museum was The Children’s Room. This section had beautiful photos of child victims printed in large portraits displayed around the room, with a small plaque underneath each one with bullet points of information about the child, like:

Name

Age

Favourite Snack

Best Friend


Then the final point for every child was

Cause of death

The descriptions here were detailed and distressing.

Obviously there is a huge amount of detail missing from this account of the genocide and I urge you to have a read about it if you have time and are interested.

We left there after a few hours taking it all in and went to find the Inema Art gallery, as we’d read about it being a really cool artists space that has had a lot of international interest.

It was different to what I expected, as there wasn’t actually a lot of pieces in there - more like a few extremely large pieces, each priced around $5000. So obviously, we bought two and headed off.

Well anyway, some of the artists were there stood near their art in smart clothes and were hoping for a super rich muzungu coming in and buying everything. That was not going to be us, so we thanked them and headed to the cafe for a little coffee.

Not before I asked them if there were any female artists there.

One guy said No, the women in Rwanda seem to stick to the craft-making and THEN he said that even though many are good at art, he thinks they are lacking in passion.

I said Hmm perhaps you means Confidence, not passion.

He was like Oh yeah, maybe that.

Yeah MAYBE THAT mate.

We boda’d back to the hostel and Phil donned up in his gear for a run. Just before heading off, he finally booked himself a spot onto the Kilimanjaro half marathon in Moshi, Tanzania on 1st March. FFS. Better get practicing on my excited supportive girlfriend look then.

Meanwhile I sat in the hostel garden watching videos on how to use Procreate on the iPad. Suddenly realised Phil had been gone AGES and then he rocked up having run like 10 MILES and then said Oh also, I may have tripped over and potentially broken my toe.

He’d taken out his phone to check the map and ended up kicking a bit of metal sticking out of the group, and then he’d fallen over and made a few new cracks on his phone screen (to join the 5 that were already there).

Wicked.

Phil had a quick shower and change while hobbling around on his bad foot (I hear broken toes are brilliant for half marathons), and Esther arrived at the hostel, so we went searching for a restaurant open on a Sunday. After a few fails, we eventually stumbled across a place called Afrika Bite and negotiated the 10k per person meaty Rwandan platter down to 5k each for a vegetarian version for all of us. It was so good! Garlic potatoes, peanut sauce, rice, vegetables, fried banana, salad, plus some ‘fish fingers’ ordered as an extra. Such a welcome relief to eat something local and delicious. Shout out to those who are reading this blog mainly for the food descriptions.

We went back to the hostel to play in East Africa’s 2nd bowling alley (the only other one is in Nairobi!) and Esther made sure she mentioned she had a ‘bad neck’. That would explain her unbelievably bad scoring thats for sure. Ok now to be fair, Phil the physio also advised that she use the heaviest ball available which turned out to be truly awful advise and after a stagnant run of about 2 points in 6 goes, she tried a really light ball - and actually hit some pins! Go Esther.

Can I also mention that this bowling alley had a system where a bloke hidden at the end would organise the pins and reset them for us manually using a kind of lever system. He always managed to move his hands out of the way before the ball struck the pins of course.

Esther headed back to her hotel and we ended up playing basketball on the two hoops game with Desire the manager. Our quick game of ‘How many can you score in 1 minute’ managed to take over our lives for over an hour. My record was 23, Phil’s 24 (he’s taller init) and Desire managed 33 (well, he works there so ya know). Was addictive and super fun and I got the impression Desire will spend the next year working on his pb.

[ananyakachru]

DAY THREE

Day 3!

Wow, what a day. I cannot even remember the number of times Zodi and I just looked at each other with utter disbelief. The people in Rwanda are so friendly and welcoming.

We woke up around 10am, after having a rough night of sleep, and went straight to the Java House in Remera. We had been here briefly on our first day in Remera for fruit smoothies, and wanted to come try it again. I got some oatmeal and coffee. Willow and Zodi got some coffee, eggs, and toast here. It was especially easy for us to find a taxi from here because there was one located right outside of Java House.

Zodi made us an appointment at Le Spa, which is a spa in Kacyiru, Kigali. Kacyiru is very beautiful and rather international part of town. Several embassies, major NGOs, and UN agencies are located in Kacyiru.

Le Spa was incredibly affordable. A manicure here cost me a 4,000 Rwandan Francs or around $4 US dollars. Zodi got a deep-tissue massage here while Willow and I got our nails done. Le Spa is owned by Rachel, who is from Kigali and wanted to start her own business. Janette, one of her employees, did our nails and was so, so sweet. She taught us a couple words in Kinyarwanda and was excited we are here for 10 weeks. She gave us her number so we can come back the next time we want to go to the spa.

After leaving relaxed with smiles on our face, we started walking to the Inema Art Center which was around 900 feet away. Inema is the first art gallery in Rwanda, founded by two brothers— Innocent and Emmanuel. Zodi had been wanting to come here for a while. During our walk, we got to seem some the hills in Kigali and walked a beautiful path. We also saw a DOUBLE RAINBOW during our walk. Zodi, Willow, and I took a photo here.

Inema is a stunning art gallery. The art work here is so detailed and beautiful, representing stories from people around Kigali. There is no formal art training here, so all the artists are self taught. The founders of the gallery also teach art classes to orphans between 10-17 years old in Kigali and hang their paintings in the gallery too. A couple videographers were at Inema when we got there because they were filming a documentary, and specifically focused on a traditional dance performance happening at the gallery. The performance was interrupted by a bit due to short, strong rainfall— which seems to be common in Kigali during May— and then continued. Zodi, Willow, and I were so excited to watch.

While walking in the gallery, Willow began speaking with one of the artists— Sam. Zodi and I soon joined in and he invited us to grab some coffee and talk at the gallery’s cafe. Soon, both the founders of Inema Art Center joined in, and they created an impromptu tasting for our group. We sat for hours talking about Rwanda, Yale, Kepler, and the United States. The founders were very familiar with Connecticut, actually. We are planning to go back to the gallery once in a while for Yoga classes and happy hour mixers perhaps after work.

The founders called us a taxi and we went to Simba Supermarket to buy fans before heading over to the Kigali Convention Center. This center is known for its architectural beauty and for being one of the best convention centers in all of Africa. Zodi and I went up the Piazza where we ordered pasta pomodoro and then sat at their outside lounge. The rooftop lounge was gorgeous. The center staff also let us know that there are free viewings of TV shows and games, as well as free salsa lessons on the rooftop lounge once in a while. We plan on taking part in this hopefully!

Before our dinner came, someone else walking around the lounge commented on our fans. We conversed for a bit and learned he was here representing UNICEF in Rwanda at the 5th PASET Forum for digital education and technology usage. Alex, the UNICEF rep, invited us to the conference dinner. We left the Piazza Lounge soon after and walked down to the dinner in the conference center restaurant. The food was AMAZING and we had such a large spread. We got to speak more with Alex, and meet a couple of his friends involved in other social enterprises and ministries of education. Alex and his colleagues invited the three of us to join conference participants after dinner— so many people are so hospitable and welcoming. This felt really different culturally from anything I have experienced before. I think it’s going to take some time to adjust to the culture here and learn more bout it.

We ended the night by being invited to come back and attend conference sessions tomorrow. The conference relates to our work at Kepler a lot actually, because it is focused and digital education and harnessing technology to empower tertiary education.

I am feeling more calm now after seeing more of Kigali and finding spaces where we feel very comfortable while we adjust to the rest of Kigali. It has been important to realize that I am going feel marginally uncomfortable because this is an extremely new place and culture for me. And that is okay. This has been a hard couple days, but I am embracing the challenge.

I feel happy and more calm, and grateful too.

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Vacation Homes in Kigali: A Perfect Investment for Diaspora

Rwanda, often referred to as the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” is rapidly becoming one of Africa’s prime real estate markets. For the Rwandan diaspora, especially those residing in Europe, the USA, and beyond, investing in Kigali’s real estate offers an exciting opportunity to capitalize on a growing market. Whether you are looking to buy property in Kigali for personal use or as a long-term…

[brewedsunlight]

US, China commit to phase down climate-warming HFCs from refrigerators and air conditioners – but what will replace them this time?

Scott Denning, Colorado State University

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule to start eliminating a class of climate-warming chemicals that are widely used as coolants in refrigerators, air conditioners and heat pumps.

If that plan feels like déjà vu, it should.

These chemicals, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, were commercialized in the 1990s as a replacement for earlier refrigerants that were based on chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. CFCs were destroying the ozone layer high in the Earth’s atmosphere, which is essential for protecting life from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.

HFCs are less harmful than CFCs, but they create another problem – they have a strong heat-trapping effect that is contributing to global warming.

Several states have announced plans over the past few years for phasing out HFCs. Now the EPA, following a vote in Congress in 2020, has established federal regulations to cut HFC production and imports starting in 2022, and aims to reduce their production and use by 85% within 15 years.

If HFCs can be phased down globally – as many countries have agreed to do under the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol – that would avoid about half a degree Celsius of temperature rise compared to preindustrial times. China, a major producer of these chemicals, ratified the amendment effective Sept. 15, 2021.

Let’s take a closer look at what HFCs are and what might replace them next.

How HFCs keep rooms and food cool

Refrigerators and air conditioning use a technology known as a heat pump. It sounds almost miraculous – heat pumps use energy to take heat out of a cold place and dump it in a warm place.

Here’s how a refrigerator works: A fluid – CFCs back in the old days, and now HFCs – circulates in the walls of the refrigerator, absorbing the ambient heat to keep the fridge cooled down. As that liquid absorbs the heat, it evaporates. The resulting vapor is pumped to the coils on the back of the refrigerator, where it is condensed back to a liquid under pressure. In the process, the heat that was absorbed from inside the fridge is released into the surrounding room. Air conditioners and home heat pumps do precisely the same thing: they use electric-powered compressors and evaporators to move heat into or out of a house. https://www.youtube.com/embed/viM36llqxCU?wmode=transparent&start=0 How a refrigerator works.

Choosing the right fluid for a refrigerator means finding a substance that can be evaporated and condensed at the right temperatures by changing the pressure on the fluid.

CFCs seemed to fit the bill perfectly. They didn’t react with the tubing or compressors to corrode the equipment, and they weren’t toxic or flammable.

Unfortunately, the chemical stability of CFCs turned out to be a problem that threatened the whole world, as scientists discovered in the 1980s. Leaking CFCs, mostly from discarded equipment, remain in the atmosphere for a long time. Eventually they make their way to the stratosphere, where they are finally destroyed by UV radiation from the sun. But when they break down, they create chlorine that reacts with the protective ozone, letting dangerous radiation through to the Earth’s surface.

When production of CFCs was eliminated in the 1990s to protect the ozone layer, new refrigerants were developed and the industry shifted to HFCs.

Why HFCs are a climate problem

HFCs are like CFCs but much more reactive in air, so they never reach the stratosphere where they could harm Earth’s protective radiation shield. They largely saved the world from impending ozone disaster, and they are now found in refrigerators and heat pumps everywhere.

But while HFCs’ chemical reactivity prevents them from depleting the ozone layer, their molecular structure allows them to absorb a lot of thermal radiation, making them a greenhouse gas. Like carbon dioxide on steroids, HFCs are extremely good at capturing infrared photons emitted by the Earth. Some of this radiant energy warms the climate.

Unlike CO2, reactive HFCs are consumed by chemistry in the air, so they only warm the climate for a decade or two. But a little bit goes a long way – each HFC molecule absorbs thousands of times as much heat as a CO2 molecule, making them powerful climate pollutants.

HFC emissions are increasing. The chart shows their anticipated growth without control measures in place. Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

HFCs leaking from discarded cooling equipment are estimated to contribute about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions – about twice as much as aviation.

This is why it’s time to retire HFCs and swap them out for alternative refrigerants. They’ve done their job saving the ozone layer, but now HFCs are a major contributor to short-term global warming, and their use has been increasing as demand for cooling increases around the world.

What can replace HFCs?

Because they are so powerful and short-lived, stopping the production and use of HFCs can have a significant cooling effect on the climate over the next couple of decades, buying time as the world converts its energy supply from fossil fuels to cleaner sources.

The good news is that there are alternative refrigerants.

Ammonia and hydrocarbons like butane evaporate at room temperature and have been used as refrigerants since the early 20th century. These gases are short-lived, but they have a downside. Their greater reactivity means their compressors and plumbing have to be more corrosion-resistant and leak-proof to be safe.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule to start eliminating a class of climate-warming chemicals that are widely used as coolants in refrigerators, air conditioners and heat pumps. (Courtesy: Justin Sanchez/Unsplash)

The chemical industry has been developing newer alternatives intended to be safer for both people and climate, but as we saw with CFCs and HFCs, inert chemicals can have unintended consequences. Several industry leaders have supported efforts to phase out HFCs.

So, it’s time for another generation of cooling equipment. Just as our TVs and audio equipment and light bulbs have evolved over past decades, our refrigerators and air conditioners will be replaced by a new wave of improved products. New refrigerators will look and work just like the ones we’re used to, but they will be much gentler on the climate system.

This article was updated Sept. 23, 2021, with EPA formalizing the new rule and China ratifying the Kigali Amendment.

[Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Scott Denning, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

from Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/2W7qmHo

[jessiewre]

Day 21

Sat 25th Jan

Early brekkie again (god this is becoming a habit) and shower time, ready for a bus to Kigali.

The shower was great at this place, really going to miss it, because it actually turned the room into a bath by not draining at all which was such super duper fun. And don’t forget the smell of drains.

Anyway - I was excited about going to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital. I’d heard some good things about cool art galleries and cafes and fancied a bit more vibe.

Phil was wellllll keen to get going too, but I was trying to download loads of Netflix films just after breakfast, so my priorities were different, I was pretty casual about it. Then the receptionist was like ‘Ah it’s Saturday, so there won’t be any buses till at least 11am’. That was like 1.5 hours away so it so Phil was pretty gutted and I was absolutely fine with it.

By the time we got to the bus station, managed to just about find a person to open their shop for us to sell us a bottle of water, then got a bus at 11:30am, and to be honest we were both relieved to be on the road. We got the recommended Ritco Bus, a nice big bus - better than the little tin cans we’d been travelling in around Uganda etc.

HOWEVER - the journey that we’d been told was 2 hours turned out to be 4 and a half hours. Omg we were sooooo hungry. All the street sellers at the windows when we stopped were setting meat on a stick, or meat samosas, or sweetcorn that you could see everyone touching before they chose one. No thank you.

Eventually Phil spotted a guy selling sweetcorn that hadn’t been opened yet - result! - so he bought two for 10p each. Well, there was a reason for this bargain basement pricing. This sweetcorn must have been cooked for about 3 weeks, as it was the DRIEST food I have eaten in a very long time. It wasn’t gross, it was just SO bland and SO DRY. And you may or may not but when it comes to food I am Dryphobic.

But I was so hungry, that I nibbled away at it for the next half an hour just to keep me from going crazy hallucinating about crisps and dips. Phil managed to finish a good half of his one too which I couldn’t believe. He’s come a long way since ketchup sandwiches.

Finally reached Kigali at 4pm and got bodas to our hostel - Mamba Rwanda Hostel. Checked into it despite the moody unfriendly girls on reception and the room was large and basic. Bit bed, mosquito net - but the unloved white wash walls were crying out for some art. We were buzzing to notice a lamp in the corner - until the sun set and we tried to turn it on.

There was no bulb in there, was there.

The manager - Desire - did go out and buy us one though after I asked him to. He tried to be like ‘Oh this is a lamp I just got today from the manager’s house’ and I was like ‘Ok cool, please get a bulb for it - thanks!’.

We headed out of the hostel to Lavana, some pizza place nearby, to get some late afternoon munch. Had a nice enough margarita pizza and a feta spinach pastry thing. Went back to the hotel and chilled out but Phil was not feeling 100% so he went for a lie down in the room.

Turned into him actually just going to bed. At 7:30pm.

So both ended up having a super early night as I followed at about 8:30pm.

How on earth do people have jobs and kids I honestly do not know.

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How to Finance Your Property Purchase in Rwanda

Purchasing real estate in Rwanda can be an exciting opportunity, especially for those living in Europe, the USA, or other parts of the world. Whether you are planning to buy a residential home, a commercial property, or land, understanding how to finance your property purchase is crucial. Rwanda’s real estate market is expanding, and many members of the Rwandan diaspora are eager to invest in…

[bensfilmreviews]

Hotel Rwanda

Rating 7.4/10

Terry George’s Hotel Rwanda chronicles the Rwandan genocide from the perspective of Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu hotel manager who houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees. Don Cheadle plays Rusesabagina in a stunning Oscar nominated performance. The film shows what went on in the genocide but more so the heroics of Rusesabagina as he saves the lives of many during such a tragic event that was hidden from the rest of the world for a long time.

The film takes place in Rwanda during the genocide that took place in 1994. A really cool part of the film is that while most of it takes place in the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Rwanda’s capital city Kigali, that Rusesabagina works at, the parts that are outside of the hotel play a fantastic role in illustrating the devastation that the genocide caused. The film starts with the Hutu radio show exclaiming their hatred towards the Tutsi in an introduction to the conflict for any viewers without prior knowledge. We then see the rather luxurious parts of business that Rusesabagina is involved in with him picking up expensive cigars and talking about the wealth that they represent. He smokes these cigars with a very significant person named George Rutuganda who is a Hutu extremist that leads the local anti-Tutsi militia called the Interhamwe. This interaction explains Paul’s position in the issue where he declines to be involved in Hutu rallies. Paul then buys beer from him but during that process a crate full of machetes is dropped striking fear into Paul’s driver Dube. Once the conflict really starts to pick up we saw the beginning of a horrifying genocide. Throughout the genocide we meet many other characters including Paul’s wife Tatiana, who is a Tutsi. We also meet Nick Nolte’s character Colonel Oliver who leads the United Nations peacekeeping force. Rusesabagina takes in over a thousand refugees with many of them flowing in from the United Nations camp. The film shows that the United Nations were not allowed to intervene and help protect the Tutsi but only to a certain extent which is something I dislike about the movie as it should be highlighting how the world poorly reacted to the genocide.

Overall, Terry George’s film was very well put together with a fascinating yet devastating true story being shown. It is a very emotional film with such a sad truth about the world being told but the high production value of the movie makes it very entertaining. The main knock I have on this movie is the lack of information about the genocide itself. The topic is not shown in great enough detail for what I believe to be because of the lack of interest that it would garner from consumers. Another film that I have watched called Shake Hands with the Devil goes over the same topic of the Rwandan genocide but it provides a lot more information specifically regarding the United Nations failures which I think is very important to show. I would still definitely recommend watching Hotel Rwanda and rate it a 7.4/10.

[newstfionline]

African nations are fed up with the West’s hand-me-downs. But it’s tough to keep them out.

By Max Bearak and David J. Lynch, Washington Post, May 29, 2018

KIGALI, Rwanda--When spring cleaning comes around in the United States, dropping well-loved clothes into a donation box can feel like an act of selflessness. Those stained sweaters, summer camp T-shirts and out-of-fashion shorts will clothe someone needier, right?

It’s actually a little more complicated. Most of America’s castoff clothes are sold by the Salvation Army, Goodwill and others to private companies. Bales of used clothing are then shipped by the container-load, mostly to sub-Saharan Africa, in what has become a billion-dollar industry.

African governments have become increasingly fed up. What many in the West think of as a gesture of generosity, they say, is preventing them from building their own apparel industries. In March 2016, four East African countries decided to raise tariffs on used clothing, in some cases to as much as 20 times the previous rate.

The American used-clothing lobby sounded the alarm, and last year, the Trump administration began investigating whether the four nations were violating an 18-year-old trade agreement with the United States. Under pressure, the East African governments lowered their tariffs to previous rates.

Except Rwanda.

Now, a Rwandan leader who styles himself as a proud visionary is suffering the consequences of his decision to stand up to Washington.

This week, Rwanda faces the suspension of some of its duty-free trading privileges pertaining to clothing under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Its efforts to foster a domestic clothing industry, meanwhile, have yielded few results. And Rwandans who work in the used-clothing business are complaining that they are suffering.

The deadlock between the world’s economic giant and one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies doesn’t exactly qualify as a trade war--it’s more like a scuffle. Rwanda’s total used-clothing imports were less than 7 percent of all of East Africa’s in 2016, according to government statistics. And its clothing exports to the United States were a minuscule $2 million.

But it reflects the difficulties that even a low-wage country like Rwanda can have developing an industry in an intensely competitive global market.

President Paul Kagame is betting that he can kick-start Rwandan manufacturing while weaning his country off the used clothing he sees as undignified. He is one of a number of African leaders who want to stem a tide of used items--from clothes to electronics to medical equipment--that end up on the continent after someone else has gotten rid of them.

“As far as I am concerned, making the choice is simple,” Kagame told reporters last June, referring to the trade dispute. “We might suffer consequences.” However, he said, Rwanda and other countries in the region “have to grow and establish our industries.”

Rwanda, like other East African countries, used to produce most of its own clothes. But in the 1980s, regional leaders worked with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to open up their economies and permit greater trade. That resulted in an influx of cheap imports. Political turmoil, including the Rwandan genocide in 1994, further harmed the local industry.

Kagame’s government recently launched “Made in Rwanda,” a campaign to encourage and subsidize local production. It has, however, made scant progress so far.

Rwanda suffers from numerous competitive disadvantages. It is landlocked and far from shipping ports; its domestic market is tiny and mostly poor; and it lacks a trained workforce. It won’t become the next Vietnam or Bangladesh anytime soon.

While the Rwandan apparel industry has barely grown, the country’s used-clothing business--known as “chagua,” from the Swahili word “choose”--has taken a hit from the new tariffs. The business employs more than 18,000 people here.

“I’ve had to triple my prices,” said Zaetzev Sibomana, 26, who sells used clothes at Nyamirambo market in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital. “What they’ve done is kill this business and with it my savings. I still live at my parents’ house, you know?”

The owners of the shops adjacent to his have gone on to sell the cheap Chinese apparel that is now replacing American used clothing. While inexpensive, the Chinese clothing is new and thus not subject to the same tariffs.

Isai Mugabo, one of those shop owners, lamented the change. Chagua was more dignified than the Chinese clothing because it allowed people to feel stylish, he said.

“Most of my customers leave my shop unsatisfied. They are used to finding something unique, but now everyone leaves with the same shirt,” he said. “It is like a Chinese uniform that everyone now walks around in.”

In the short term, China could be the beneficiary of the trade dispute. In its review of the East African countries’ hike in tariffs on used clothing, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office argued that Chinese imports “pose a much greater danger to East African domestic industries” than American secondhand apparel.

Chinese clothing exports to East Africa reached $1.2 billion in 2016, “dwarfing the value of used clothing by a factor of four,” the agency wrote.

Kigali’s purveyors of used clothing say they and their customers have been left in the lurch by the trade shifts.

“Listen, in Rwanda, what we want are permanent things: clothes that last long, jobs that last long, industry that lasts long,” said Nadine Ingabire, who has sold chagua for a decade. “We are not there yet. We need chagua until we get there. We need that choice. Having only chagua isn’t great, but neither is only having cheap Chinese clothes. And to those who say ‘Buy Rwandan-made clothing,’ I say, not everyone can afford a whole wardrobe full of your best Sunday church outfits.”