First Degree

No one can separate defense attorney Andy Carpenter from his golden retriever, Tara, and she returns his affection, standing loyally beside him through every investigation, no matter how dangerous or puzzling-and he is about to be confronted with one of his most difficult cases yet.

When a cop's body is found burned and decapitated, the last thing Andy expects is for a stranger to waltz into his office and admit to the crime. For the wisecracking millionaire attorney suffering from "lawyer's block," the case looks like a no-brainer, until the cops pick up another suspect: Andy's lead P.I., Laurie Collins, who happens to be the love of his life. Soon Laurie's case is looking bleak and Andy is becoming increasingly desperate. All he had wanted was a case to sink his teeth into. Now he gets one that's a kick in the head . . . and the heart.

Shinnecock Reservation: L.I., NY: Labour Day Powwow, September 2006. ******************************************************************************************** Shinnecock Tribe Rte 27-A, Montauk Hwy Southhampton, NY 111968 631-283-6143 State recognized; (no BIA office liason - seriously ridiculous!) ******************************************************************************************** Shinnecock Indian Nation: An Ancient History and Culture. Since the beginning, Shinnecock time has been measured in moons and seasons, and the daily lives of our people revolved around the land and the waters surrounding it. Our earliest history was oral, passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation, and as far back as our collective memory can reach, we are an Algonquin people who have forever lived along the shores of Eastern Long Island. Scientists say we came here on caribou hunts when the land was covered with ice. But our creation story says we were born here; that we are the human children of the goddess who descended from the sky. It was she, the story goes, who caused the land to form beneath her feet from the back of Great Turtle, deer to spring forth from her fingertips; bear to roar into awakening, wolf to prowl on the first hunt. It was she who filled the sky with birds, made the land to blossom and the ponds and bays to fill with fish and mollusks. And when all was done, the Shinnecock, the People of the Shore, appeared in this lush terrain. We are still here. As coastal dwellers, we continue to prize the bounty of the sea, the shellfish, the scaly fish, which for thousands of years provided the bulk of our diet. We were whalers, challenging the mighty Atlantic from our dugout canoes long before the arrival of the big ships, long before the whaling industry flourished in the 19th century. In the 1700's, we became noted among the northeastern coastal tribes for our fine beads made from the Northern quahog clam and whelk shells. The Dutch, who arrived on our shores before the English, turned our beads (wampum) into the money system for the colonies. The Shinnecock Nation is among the oldest self-governing tribes of Indians in the United States and has been a state-recognized tribe for over 200 years. In 1978, we applied for Federal Recognition, and in 2003, we were placed on the Bureau of Indian Affairs' "Ready for Active" list. Traditionally, decisions concerning the welfare of the tribe were made by consensus of adult male members. Seeking to shortcut the consensus process in order to more easily facilitate the acquisition of Indian lands, the Town of Southampton devised a three member trustee system for the Shinnecock people. This system of tribal government was approved by the New York State legislature in February of 1792. Since April 3, 1792, Shinnecock Indians have gone to the Southampton Town Hall the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April to elect three tribal members to serve a one- year term as Trustees. In April of 2007, the Shinnecock Indian Nation exercised its sovereign right as an ancient Indian Nation and returned to one of its basic Traditions: it bypassed the Southampton Town Hall and for the first time since 1792 held its leadership elections at home, where they will remain. The Trustee system, however, did not then and does not now circumvent the consensus process, which still remains the governing process of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. Major decisions concerning the tribe are voted yea or nay by all eligible adult members, including women, who gained the right to vote in the mid-1990s. Also in that period, the Shinnecock Nation installed a Tribal Council, a 13 member body elected for two years terms. The Council is an advisory body to the Board of Trustees. Today, we number over 1300 people, more than 600 of whom reside on the reservation adjacent to the Town of Southampton on the East End of Long Island. While our ancestral lands have dwindled over the centuries from a territory stretching at least from what is known today as the Town of Easthampton and westward to the eastern border of the Town of Brookhaven, we still hold on to approximately 1200 acres. With modest resources, we have managed to build a community to help us better meet the demands of an ever expanding and intrusive world. In addition to the Shinnecock Presbyterian church building and its Manse, our infrastructure includes a tribal community center, a shellfish hatchery, a health and dental center, a family preservation and Indian education center, a museum, and playgrounds for our children. Also on our list of recent achievements is the design and development of an official Shinnecock Indian Nation flag and an official seal. Our skilled craftspeople and fine artists find employment within the Tribe as well as the surrounding area. The number of tribal members holding advanced degrees in law, business, medicine, social sciences and liberal arts continues to grow, a

Eritrean refugees Belaynesh and her twins in their tent in Tunisia's Choucha camp before they left for Belgium. UNHCR/C.Laleve Eritrean family leaves Tunisia border camp for new life in Belgium CHOUCHA CAMP, Tunisia, July 20 (UNHCR) – Filmon was born in Eritrea and says his heart is there, that he never dreamed nor wished to be far removed from his country. Yet this week he and his family boarded a plane and headed for a new life over 5,000 kilometres away. "All I ever wanted was the taste of freedom, safety and an opportunity to continue learning," said the 29-year-old father of two. His thirst for freedom and knowledge has been a driving force in his life. Forced to join the Eritrean army at the age of 19, he managed to complete a management degree at Asmara University and started working as a civil servant at the Ministry of Transport. But when he refused to spy on his colleagues' political leanings, he was arrested. Upon his release several months later, he decided to leave his country, fearing that his next detention would not end as quickly. For the next four years, Filmon and his wife Belaynesh took a perilous journey across Ethiopia, Sudan and Libya. In each country, they tried to settle down and start anew. But being unregistered barred him from using his skills and qualifications, and subjected him to exploitation and the constant risk of deportation. After over a year of struggling in Tripoli, Filmon, Belaynesh and their toddler twins Ebin and Ezer were registered as refugees with UNHCR in the Libyan capital. Nine months later, the Libyan conflict once again drove the family to flee, this time to Choucha camp in Tunisia, along with hundreds of thousands of other foreigners in Libya. Since the start of the influx in February 2011, many Choucha residents originating from Asia and West Africa have been able to go home. But thousands of asylum-seekers and refugees like Filmon do not have the option of returning as it would put their lives in danger. Life in Shousha is difficult. The camp is completely dependent on humanitarian aid, and subjected to crushing summer heat and sandstorms. A fire in May nearly destroyed the entire camp. Some 4,000 refugees there are losing hope, prompting UNHCR to call on the international community to act quickly. "We are urging resettlement countries to provide more opportunities for these refugees, because resettlement constitutes a worthy solution for them and is in the spirit of burden sharing with Tunisia which has opened its doors to people fleeing the war in Libya despite its own delicate transition," said Nasir Fernandes, UNHCR's Senior Emergency Coordinator in Southern Tunisia. Belgium was one of the first countries to respond. Following a cabinet decision in March, the State Secretary for Migration and Asylum, Melchior Wathelet, announced the transfer of 25 Choucha refugees to Belgium. "These people need protection, and I am proud that Belgium, like some other European countries, is taking its responsibilities," he said. "Providing protection to those who may benefit from it represents an international obligation, but a moral one too." Back in Choucha, the loss of hope brings the temptation of desperate measures. Filmon admits that he considered crossing the Mediterranean with smugglers. "I did think about it, although I have many friends who were lost at sea. But I could not let my family take the risk," he said. Just days before his flight from Tunis to Brussels, Filmon was still too busy to think of the future. He was making sure his departure would not affect fellow refugees he had been helping – both as community leader and as an interpreter working with UNHCR to interview and register refugees to help them find a way out of the camp. Now, Filmon and his family, along with six other families from Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia, have left to start a new life. Soon, more refugee families will be leaving for Norway. Perhaps their departures will bring some measure of hope to those still languishing in the tents of Choucha. By Carole Laleve in Choucha camp, Tunisia