Wandering Aimfully

Handbook of Public Diplomacy

2010-02-13T07:52:00.001-07:00

For those of you interested in exploring Public Diplomacy, I highly recommend the Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy (2010).*  

Here's a quick synopsis of some of the chapters I've read -- food for thought.

Chapter 6 - Exchange Programs and Public Diplomacy
Giles Scott-Smith

Scott-Smith rather cynically argues that politics pervade all public and citizen diplomacy initiatives. “…Even the most politically neutral of exchanges, such as those between high schools," he writes, "have either political intent behind their creation or are promoted for the purpose of developing cross-border relations that can subsequently lead to political outcomes, such as a reduction in conflict."

While it is true that such exchanges may have a politically beneficial consequence, I hesitate to describe their 'intent' as inherently political. While the term 'diplomacy' necessarily suggests the relationship between nation-states or, perhaps, at the individual level, national identities, there seems to be a tendency within public diplomacy discussion to conflate the interests of the American citizen/individual with the American foreign policy agenda. I would argue that the cross-cultural exchange and learning efforts initiated by non-governmental educational and cultural groups are primarily motivated by an interest in the edification of their members and the people with whom they will exchange their ideas, customs, practices, interests.

 Chapter 10 - Mapping out a Spectrum of Public Diplomacy Initiatives: Information and Relational Communication Frameworks 
R. S. Zaharna  

Zaharna identifies public diplomacy as a communication phenomenon, as well as a political one. The chapter clarifies two trends in public diplomacy that speak to the difference I tried to distinguish above in my response to Scott-Smith. Zaharna writes that what emerges in the range of public diplomacy initiatives are “two underlying perspectives of communication. One perspective (the Information Framework) tends to view communication as a linear process of transferring information often with the goal of persuasion or control. The other perspective (the Relational Framework) sees communication as a social process of building relationships and fostering harmony." While Scott-Smith would put all educational exchanges into the first category, I would argue (and Zaharna would probably agree) that many of them fall into the second.  

That being said, it's important for those of us in this field not to be naive about the 'frames' and 'lenses' through which our information is filtered. Much of what we might take for unbiased communication comes through channels designed and maintained as tools for the dissemination of government-sponsored information. The British Broadcasting Corporation is a prime example. So many Americans I know insist that the BBC is the best source of information about world events, without recognizing its political bias.

By the same token, the Peace Corps model exhibits all of Zaharna's characteristics of the Relational Framework, and yet it is undoubtedly a government-initiated public diplomacy effort--one that follows Scott-Smith's advice:

“Whatever the goals they are intended to achieve, exchanges are best kept independent from any sense of direct political interference and obligation in order to maintain the integrity of the participants and the credibility of the programmes themselves. Whereas propaganda refers to the deliberate manipulation of information to achieve a desired result, exchanges are (ideally) the most two-way form of public diplomacy, opening up spaces for dialogue and the interchange of alternative viewpoints.”

  *I've got Emerson's copy, so you can't check it out until I'm done reading it!

News? Public Relations? Front page ad?

2010-02-02T09:11:00.001-07:00

iPhone helps report street-level woes

In The Press Effect, the authors cite Douglas Cater who called the press the "fourth branch of government" (p. 95). This front-page feature article in today's Boston Globe represents the media's complicated relationship with government and is also a good example of multiple layers of meaning and benefit that an article like this can represent and provide.
On the surface, this article is about a new iPhone app called "Citizens Connect" that allows residents of Boston to identify "street-level" problems and alert local government to public maintenance needs. Very cool! The article includes a giant color map of the mobile reports that have been made since the app was launched in October.
The article also serves as a positive public relations tool for Mayor Menino, as it explains that the creation of this app was an initiative of the mayor's office, (despite Menino's refusal "to use email or allow voice-mail at City Hall.") [What?! and he was elected for a 5th term??!! anyway...] The placement of the article as the lead story on the front page, with color photos and graphics on the front as well as inside pages, gives the initiative prominence and importance. One has to acknowledge that in addition to the "news" value of a story like this--and the initiative IS great, who can deny it--there is also great benefit for the mayor and to the city government in such a positive story about what they are doing to solve the city's problems. On this level, (propaganda?) it would not surprise me if the entire content of this story was written up in a press release by the mayor's office, with the few quotes sprinkled through the article representing the reporter's contribution to the story.
And who else benefits from such praise? iPhone, of course. This app is a "public service" that only works on one particular type of equipment. Poor me, without an iPhone! I cannot do my civic duty to report the pothole I have to jump across to catch the bus! "It gives me this feeling of being instantly gratified," says Heather Sears. "I feel like I'm armed and helpful, because I've got this tool and I can make an instant difference." Suddenly, my ability to be a gratified, helpful citizen who makes a difference is impeded by the lack of an appliance.
I want instant gratification. I'd better run out and buy an iPhone.

Eclecticism

2010-01-31T11:02:00.002-07:00

"Eclecticism is self-defeating
not because there is only one direction
in which it is useful to move
but because there are so many:
It is necessary
to choose."

- Clifford Geertz

State of the Union 2010

2010-01-30T05:39:00.002-07:00

Grace

2010-01-26T18:36:00.009-07:00

Today was a warmer, breezy winter day in Boston and as I was walking through Harvard Square I smelled the scent of fresh flowers in the air. It was coming from half a block ahead of me--a bucket of pink and white carnations in front of a flower shop being rather haphazardly 'arranged' by a man.

As I approached, I said "those smell delicious. I could smell them half-way down the block." He smiled and replied, "Here. This one is for you."

I was so pleased to have a carnation to carry with me, and I admired its very long stem (about 2 feet) and its delicate frosted slips-of-leaves and breathed deeply into it as I walked down the street toward the T. I knew that as it warmed up a bit, the flower would release more scent, and I enjoyed the coolness of its creamy ivory petals on my nose.

"How under-appreciated you are," I thought, to the carnation. "You are so beautiful, so voluptuous, so taken-for-granted. Cheap flower. Filler in a bouquet of more exotic specimens. But YOU are beautiful." My next thought was, "OMG. I'm 'talking' to a flower."

"Stop staring at me," I thought to it as I sat silently in the subway car. One white flower in a dreary, mid-winter subway car actually asserts quite an imposing presence. Well, I felt it. It cheered me and brought something special into an otherwise ordinary moment. A woman was talking to herself at the other end of the car and I recalled a line from a movie about how we're all terrified of going crazy. "Where does this flower-telepathy put me?" I wondered.

A remarkable thing happened to me with this flower today. People on the street, in elevators, on the bus talked to me! I talked with more strangers today than I have in the past 2 months. "That's a nice carnation," one said. "Special occasion?" said another. "Early Valentine's Day," another guessed. "A stranger gave it to me," I answered.

The power of this flower! Wow! "I should just carry around a flower every day," I thought. "How the world would open up to me!" Or was this a special moment? A special flower? Just a day with a sniff of spring in the air ... a dead-winter day when the sight of a flower might remind people of a forgotten fecundity?

This flower and its delicate scent made of a dull day something remarkable. Without words or actions it brought comfort, beauty, surprise, conversation and opportunity into my day.

Am I crazy?
It felt like grace.

The Danger of a Single Story

2010-01-26T09:31:00.003-07:00

This is a brilliant talk, from the perspective of a Nigerian novelist, about how stories define "others" and create stereotypes. I think it's a "must see" for anyone working in Public Affairs. Of course, the use of the "single story" is a technique that has often been applied intentionally to achieve a social or political end (could we call it propaganda?). It raises the question of ethics, and whether means justify ends. Telling a "single story"--even as it may achieve one's goal--often has pervasive negative consequences.

New Path

2010-01-24T08:06:00.003-07:00

If I have any followers these days, I would let you know that I have certainly been wandering aimfully out of range of this blog for quite awhile. But much good stuff is happening. The world will be pleased to know that the wanderer has returned to the blogosphere, thanks to an assignment in my Public Affairs class at Emerson College.

Subsequent posts this spring will relate to Public Relations, Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy...and of course, anything else I happen to wander into.

C'est pas compliqué

2010-01-10T09:38:00.002-07:00

Love this song by Awilo Longomba feat. DJ Skalp.
"Life is beautiful. Don't complicate things."

Stereotype Threat and Black Achievement

2010-01-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

A conversation between Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Claude Steele

This video was produced for the Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race.

Financial Food for Thought

2010-01-01T09:11:00.002-07:00

For any woman who has made the resolution to get her finances in order this year, this book is really helpful. Along the same lines, Bach has other books entitled "Smart Couples Finish Rich" and "Start Late, Finish Rich."

While the series seems a bit gimmicky/self-helpy, I find them very easy to read, with good suggestions for how to set and maintain financial goals and how to get your financial documents organized.

So Inspiring

2008-11-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

People who are completely paralyzed due to illness or trauma are getting help communicating with a new technology that connects their brains to a computer.

Umbrella

2008-11-01T20:37:00.001-06:00

Awesome condom ad from Kenya

An Incredible Interview

2008-10-19T09:54:00.001-06:00

Florida delegates bark at Montana Governor

2008-08-29T14:04:00.004-06:00

DENVER -- At every convention there's an unlikely star. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer lit up the convention hall Tuesday night and gave a similar firecracker performance at this morning's breakfast for Florida delegates.

Schweitzer said Montana hasn't voted for a Democrat since LBJ, but he's got a good feeling about 2008.

"Florida, you're the big dog,'' he said. "Are you going to let a tail like Montana wag the dog or are you going to stand up and bark?

To which the delegates responded: "Woof! Woof! Woof!''

More

More than you ever wanted to know about FLEAS

2008-06-29T09:10:00.008-06:00

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue,
said the flea to the fly 'Oh what shall we do?'
Let us flee said the fly
let us fly said the flea,
so they fluttered and flew up a flaw in the flue.

...and then went to hang out at Kristen's house...

Hey All Ya'll (the plural for Ya'll!) -

Here is some disturbing and interesting stuff I found out about fleas after doing a google search, as i continue to fight the Bruya War on Fleas in my new house. My landlord hired yet another exterminator today (who is going to do a number of repeated treatments over the course of the next few months), and so I'm practicing and hanging at the hall today, as I allow another batch of chemicals to infiltrate the war zone. This blows. For the remainder of my days here in Nashville, before heading out to Boulder, I will be a vacuuming FOOL - YAAAAAAAAAA! I just love vacuuming - makes me feel like a real woman - doing the work that real women are meant to do. Anyhow, my landlord is paying for all the treatments, and is also cutting my rent in half for july and aug ----as he should ---- I wish he could come over and vacuum the house for me every day..........but it's a small place anyhow and doesn't take long. I got some white knee highs to wear around the house so that I can stop mistaking the various moles and freckles on my legs for fleas - not to mention delaying any biting that might happen. Hope you enjoy the reading material below.

Love
KB Fleabags

The adult male flea is the sexual marvel of the animal kingdom and possesses the most complicated genital armature (sexual organs) of any known animal.

Fleas are highly specialised bloodsucking parasites belonging to the order of insects called Siphonaptera, which means 'wingless siphon'. They have a formidable reputation of claiming more victims than all the wars ever fought, as a result of the 'bubonic' (Black Death) plague they spread throughout the world in the 14th century causing the deaths of over 200million people. Now, these insects are better known for their irritation and pest status worldwide.

On average, a flea's lifespan is two to three months. However,pre-emerged fleas (not living on a pet) can survive undisturbed andwithout a blood meal for more than 100 days. Adult fleas are very small insects (up to 1/8 inch), so it is difficult to see a number of the characteristics used to describe them. These reddish brown to black, wingless insects are compressed from side to side so that they look like they are walking 'on edge.' They have piercing-sucking mouthparts through which they obtain blood meals from their hosts. Flea larvae are tiny (up to 3/16 inch long), hairy, and wormlike with a distinct, brownish head, but no eyes or legs. Fleas are excellent jumpers, leaping vertically up toseven inches and horizontally thirteen inches. (An equivalent hop fora human would be 250 feet vertically and 450 feet horizontally.)

The biggest flea in the world is the North American Hystrichopsylla schefferi which is about 12mm long.

The largest flea in the world, Hystricopsyllaschefferi, is only known from collections made from mountainbeaver and their burrows, and grows to 9 mm (over 1/3 inch) in length!The coevolution of these two organisms has never been investigated but,given the ancient lineage of mountain beaver, may provide someinteresting insights to both.

Depending on environmental conditions, it can take between two weeks and eight months for flea eggs to reach adulthood, although the average is three to four weeks in most homes. While you may think the fleas are dead today, in as little as two weeks, your home and your pet could be re-infested with hungry adult fleas. (In just 30 days, 10 female fleas under ideal conditions can multiply to over a quarter million different life stages.)

Hats Off!

2008-06-03T20:53:00.003-06:00

This is a proud moment for our country.
Congratulations Barack Obama!

Interview with Mike Mansfield

2008-06-02T21:33:00.006-06:00

I just found the following journal entry that I wrote on February 4, 1996 about my visit with Senator Mike Mansfield.

I have just passed my 23rd birthday and this is my first entry of this new year.
On Friday, I traveled to Washington D.C. to meet Mike Mansfield. It was a one-day trip--I left Sarah Lawrence College at 4:30 am to arrive in D.C. by 11:00 am. Perhaps it was all of this travel time that lead me to expect a great "meeting of the minds" for my trip to be worthwhile, but of course I would have expected this anyway.
What I really expected to find (or maybe to get) was some sort of great wisdom from a man who has spent his lifetime in politics, shares my love of Montana, and has nine toes in the grave, as they say. I expected him to be willing to pass on the baton, in whatever capacity, to a younger person.
In retrospect, maybe he did--but it wasn't the answer I wanted to hear.
We sat down, he offered me some Sanka with creamer and sugar, and his secretary brought in some chocolate chip cookies. I presented him with a copy of We Are Missoula which he thumbed through and then set aside. He seemed to be expecting a question from me and I had one ready for him:
"You have helped me a great deal, through your Foundation, to produce this book. With our shared love of Montana, is there anything that I can do for you for Montana?"
I suppose this is a difficult question to answer on the spot, but what surprised me was that he really didn't address me at all. He talked about Montana and then when he had finished, said "next." As in, next question.
He did this at the end of every question, as if I were a reporter. He even asked me where my tape recorder was. We really didn't have a conversation except at one point when I had asked him what parallels he noticed between the cultures of Japan and Montana. He said he didn't really see any parallels, only comparisons.
Then he asked me what parallels I saw, and I mentioned that I found it interesting that Japan and Montana share a similar chronology. Japan started "Westernizing" in the Meiji period beginning in 1865, about the time that Montana was first being settled and developed. I suggested that although the cultures are quite different, as are the economies, attitudes of the people, etc., I felt that they are both experiencing periods in their history where their identities are being challenged by outside influences.
"But Montanans have a strong identity," he argued, and we left it there.
Before I left, I asked him if he had seen the Vermeer show at the National Gallery, thinking that he might like to go with me. "I'm not much of a Veneer man," he said. "I'm a Charlie Russell man, myself," adding that he used to deliver groceries to Charlie Russell.
A veneer man.
I thanked him again for his help on my project, adding that if he ever needs my assistance in any capacity, and especially where Montana is concerned, I am at his service.
His last words--and maybe the only words of the kind of wisdom I was looking for--were, in effect, "It's up to you. You and your generation are responsible for the future."
He walked me to the elevator and as I entered, he said, "I am going to give you a Japanese farewell." He took a deep bow with his arm outstretched above his forehead as the elevator doors closed.

Beards.org

2008-05-29T15:18:00.003-06:00

Granny D

2008-05-28T06:44:00.003-06:00

Nonagenarian activist Doris “Granny D” Haddock is the subject of the HBO documentary film Run Granny Run. At the age of 90, Haddock walked across America to rally against the influence of big money in elections. Her journey brought national scrutiny to the system’s flaws. Years later, she ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Judd Gregg. The film captures the challenges she faced with just four months until Election Day. Haddock is the author of Granny D: You’re Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell (Random House, 2003) and Granny D: Walking across America in My Ninetieth
Year (Random House, 2001).

Idiom of the Hero

2008-04-27T09:08:00.001-06:00

by Wallace Stevens

I heard two workers say, "This chaos

Will soon be ended."
This chaos will not be ended,

The red and the blue house blended,
Not ended, never and never ended,

The weak man mended,
The man that is poor at night

Attended
Like the man that is rich and right.

The great men will not be blended...
I am the poorest of all.

I know that I can not be mended,
Out of the clouds, pomp of the air,

By which at least I am befriended.

O-yeah

2008-04-08T06:57:00.004-06:00

My latest web design

2008-04-07T21:51:00.011-06:00

check out
www.elpradopreserve.org

This is a Capybara from the Bolivian Amazon--the world's largest rodent.

Invite a friend to Meet Me in Missoula

2008-03-28T07:14:00.008-06:00

Our latest cultural promotion at the Missoula Cultural Council...Read more

Cool stuff

2008-03-07T15:07:00.004-07:00

To see more cool stuff made from recycled materials, click here.

Zou Town

2008-02-29T22:16:00.004-07:00

The poster boys for the "Keep Missoula Weird" campaign...
Zou Town

Add to My Profile | More Videos

My Very Exciting Magic Carpet

2008-02-28T17:21:00.001-07:00

GREAT FALLS - A fourth-grader at Riverview Elementary has won the National Geographic planetary mnemonic contest, developing a handy way to remember the newly assigned 11 planets, including three dwarfs.

National Geographic Children's Books created the contest in response to the recent announcement by the scientific community that there are now 11 recognized planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris. Ceres, Pluto and Eris are considered dwarf planets.

Maryn Smith's winning mnemonic is "My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants."

Smith's mnemonic will be published in astronomer David Aguilar's next National Geographic book, "11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System." It also will be recorded into a song by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Lisa Loeb. Both are scheduled to be released in March.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

2008-02-24T16:02:00.003-07:00

The epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer, THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN documents the dramatic failure of Farmer John's conventional farming operation and its resurrection into a thriving, organic Community Supported Agriculture farm. By Melding the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, the quintessentially American story heralds a resurrection of farming in America.
This film would win in many categories--quirky documentary, personal memoir, organic farming, overcoming adversity...I'm sure I'll see it again.

Moon Moment

2008-02-22T07:33:00.005-07:00

The most beautiful thing about the full lunar eclipse the other night was to see so many people out standing on street corners gazing up at the sky. People streamed out of bars downtown to watch the celestial event. It's a special moment when a single event transcends everything else people are doing and briefly creates a communal experience.

Political Epithets

2008-02-16T14:02:00.008-07:00

In my house, we watch a lot of CNN and MSNBC political analysis these days... I'll be adding to this list as the ridiculous categorization continues. Feel free to add your own:

non-college whites
beer-drinking democrats
downscale democrats
blue-collar gritty democrats
white ethnic women (?? What does this mean...Jews?)
struggling black democrats

Winter. Wisdom, Montana

2008-02-10T21:30:00.001-07:00

2008-01-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Proof that bass players, worldwide, are totally nuts!

Victory in South Carolina

2008-01-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Career Strategy #1: Trash Parents' House

2008-01-23T02:01:00.002-07:00

Being in the events business myself, I see I've gone about the job hunt all wrong. I just need some funny glasses, a bad attitude, and $20,000 in damage to the neighborhood.

From The Week:
A Melbourne teenager was on the run this week after throwing a wild party that caused thousands of dollars in damages and took 30 police officers, a helicopter, and the canine squad to break up. Police said they would bill Corey Delaney, 16, about $20,000 for damages to police cars and other property. Delaney, who is camping on the beach near his home, said that in the few days since his party and its aftermath made international headlines, he has fielded several job offers to work as a party planner. "He's a bigger party animal than all the girls put together: Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears," said celebrity agent Max Markson. "He could easily earn $50,000 to $60,000 in the next fortnight." At the time of the party, Delaney's parents were out of town.

And I thought a Master's degree would open doors! Silly me...

Love...

2008-01-22T16:50:00.001-07:00

A giant Pacific octopus living in a Cornish aquarium has formed an unlikely bond with Mr. Potato Head.

Louis regularly plays with the Mr Potato Head figure which was given to him as part of an enrichment project at Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium. Read more...

Two Good Movies

2008-01-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Street Fight is the story of Corey Booker, an Ivy League lawyer who moves into a housing project, "lives among the people" and challenges Sharpe James in the mayoral race in Newark, NJ. A really interesting documentary about a grass-roots election campaign. Booker is currently the mayor of Newark.

The Great Debaters is loosely based on the story of the Wiley College debate team that goes on to defeat Harvard in 1935. In reality, they beat the University of Southern California...still a great victory for a team that went on to be undefeated for ten years. The film also portrays the young life of James L. Farmer, Jr.--one of the fathers of the Civils Rights movement.

25th Infantry Buffalo Soldiers

2008-01-20T00:30:00.001-07:00

Bicycle Corp from Fort Missoula at Yellowstone in 1896

The 25th Infantry arrived at Fort Missoula in May 1888. The regiment was one of four created after the Civil War that were made up of black soldiers with white officers. In 1896, Lieutenant James Moss organized the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps to test the military potential of bicycles. The corps undertook several short journeys - up the Bitterroot Valley by bicycle to deliver dispatches, north to the St. Ignatius area, and through Yellowstone National Park - before making a 1,900 mile trip from Fort Missoula to St. Louis in 1897. The Army concluded that while the bicycle offered limited military potential, it would never replace the horse. The 25th Infantry returned to Missoula by train. When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, the 25th was one of the first units called to fight. The regiment served bravely in Cuba and the Philippines, but was reassigned to other posts after the war's end.

Further Resources on the Buffalo Soldiers

The Wheels of War
afroamhistory.about.com/library/prm/blwheelsofwar1.htm
Montana Mountain Biking: The First Expedition
www.highonadventure.com/Hoa97aug/Montana/montana.htm
25th Infantry
www.fortmissoulamuseum.org/25thInfantry.htm
25th Infantry Regiment
www.vq.com/overview_buffalosoldierhistory_25th_inf.htm
"Iron Riders" tested bikes for army
www.ltolman.org/99arch/01819ironriders.htm

Love, Work and Gossiping

2008-01-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.
-Sigmund Freud

Kiki suggests that this doesn't take into consideration human negativity. He suggests:

Love, Work and Gossiping are the cornerstones of our humanness.

Flowers on my mind

2008-01-19T10:12:00.001-07:00

We've had about 6 inches of snow since yesterday, and all I can think about is gardening. I can't wait for the ground to thaw so I can go reserve one, two, maybe three (!) gardening plots in our community garden down the road. The other night, in addition to a vegetable garden, I realized I have enough seeds to plant an entire plot of flowers for cutting, and maybe selling. I can't think of a more enjoyable summer hobby than growing flowers!

6/3/12

2008-01-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

On June 3, 1912 my great grandparents, with my grandmother Magdalene, crossed into the U.S. in Laredo, Texas on their way from Argentina to North Dakota. For more Merck Family history, see Cousin Ed's wonderful research.

MLK

2008-01-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

If you've got a few minutes, take the time to listen to MLK's speech Beyond Viet Nam--A Time to Break Silence at Riverside Church in NYC, April 4, 1967.

edible MISSOULA

2008-01-11T16:43:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and fans of food,
Check out edible MISSOULA and my interview with our new Missoula Symphony maestro, Darko Butorac, on "How to Feed an Orchestra". (Click on the picture above)

From John Kerry

2008-01-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Friend,

Martin Luther King said, "The time is always right to do what is right." So I'm choosing this time to share an important decision I've made, one I believe is right for this country.
[...] I want to share with you my conviction that in a field of fine Democratic candidates, the next President of the United States can be, should be, and will be Barack Obama. Each of our candidates would make a fine President, and we are blessed with a strong field. But for this moment, at this time in our nation's history, Barack Obama is the right choice.

Please join me in supporting Barack Obama's candidacy.

I'm proud to have helped introduce Barack to our nation when I asked him to speak to our national convention, and there Barack's words and vision burst out. On that day he reminded Americans that our "true genius is faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles." And with his leadership we can build simple dreams, and we can turn millions of small miracles into real change for our country.

At this particular moment, with our country faced with great challenges in our economy, in our environment, and in our foreign policy, and with our politics torn by division, Barack Obama can bring transformation to our country. With Barack, we can build a new majority of Americans from all regions who can turn the page on the politics of Karl Rove and begin a new politics, one worthy of our nation's history and promise. We can bring millions of disaffected people - young and old - to the great task of governing and making a difference, child to child, community to community.

Please click here to give what you can to Barack Obama's campaign for President and help build this future for our country.

The moment is now, and the candidate for this moment is Barack Obama. Like him, I also lived abroad as a young man, and I share with him a healthy respect for the advantage of knowing other cultures and countries, not from a book or a briefing, but by personal experience, by gut, by instinct. He knows the issues from the deep study of a legislator, and he knows them from a life lived outside of Washington. His is the wisdom of real-world experience combined with the intellect of a man who has thought deeply about the challenges we face.

History has given us this moment. But we need to decide what to do with it. I believe, with this moment, we should make Barack Obama President of the United States.

Thank you,
John Kerry

Happy 2008

2008-01-08T05:37:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year Friends! I'm happy to announce that First Night Missoula was a big success this year, with record attendance, second only to 2000. While I spent most of the day on the 31st coordinating volunteer efforts from our basement command center, I was encouraged by the lack of any major catastrophes reported from the field. After working so hard on such a big event, I expected I'd have some sense of how it went when all was said and done. But I've had to rely on volunteer accounts and the lack of complaints from participants to assess that all must have gone well! I did get out for about 20 minutes to view the ice carvers and pony riders in Caras Park, light a candle for peace, and read a Shakespeare sonnet (#108) on the sidewalk. I was also in charge of the First Night Idol competition at the Wilma theater--a contest for high school karaoke stars that went off without a hitch. The rest of the evening was spent manning the First Night table at the University Center, where people were still buying buttons up until 11:30! And finally, a week later, I'm having a chance to reflect on the New Year...I wish you a very prosperous and happy 2008! SB

Happy Holidays

2007-12-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Obamaganda

2007-12-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

This is really great info about how the Iowa caucus works!

The World

2007-12-17T21:28:00.001-07:00

See more here.

Dear Mr. President

2007-12-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Carver's Peanut Butter

2007-12-09T15:32:00.001-07:00

A friend last night was excited that he had won a free cookie for knowing the answer to who invented Peanut Butter.
"It's George Washington Carver," he said. "I learned that in 5th grade!"

I'm glad he got a cookie, but frankly, I think it's silly for us to assume that an American in the late 19th, early 20th century invented something that I'm sure has been around since people started planting peanuts! Let's tell the Asians, South Americans and Africans that an American invented Peanut Butter and see what they have to say...

It is interesting, however, that George Washington Carver reputedly discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. (from wikipedia.) He's a pretty interesting guy.

West African Peanut Soup
from www.alizagreen.com

Peanut soup appears on the menu in many African countries. This smooth, creamy version thickened with both peanuts and peanut butter gets its sweetness from yam. A warm reddish brown, the soup is fragrant with sweet spices, intensely flavored, earthy and piquant. Europeans brought peanuts from South America to Africa in the early 1500’s where they caught on quickly because of their similarity to the native African bambarra groundnut. In the U.S. it has become traditional to serve this soup when celebrating the seven days of Kwanzaa. Substitute vegetable stock for a deliciously rich vegetarian soup.

Ingredients:
To serve 8

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon each: chopped garlic and
ginger root
2 teaspoons each: ground cumin and ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch each: ground cloves and cayenne pepper
1 (15-ounce) can chopped plum tomatoes, or 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes
2 large yams, peeled and cut-up
3/4 cup roasted peanuts
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock), simmering
½ cup peanut butter
½ bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Optional garnishes: diced fresh tomato, cilantro sprigs, and chopped roasted peanuts

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onion until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon,
cloves, and cayenne. Sauté together 2 to 3 minutes to release their fragrance. Stir in the tomatoes and yam, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally about 5 minutes to meld the flavors.

Add the hot stock and peanuts, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan. Whisk in the peanut butter and chopped cilantro, season with salt and pepper and heat through. Top each serving with the (optional) garnishes. Serve piping hot.

The Latest Cake

2007-12-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

I had fun making this one, but...no orders please! My mom says it appears to be crumbling under the weight of the current administration...

Jose Chameleone

2007-12-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Bower Birds use Decor to Attract the Ladies

2007-11-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm seduced! See video.

Day of the Dead

2007-11-02T13:45:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T15:22:00.001-06:00

Many European cultural traditions, in particular Celtic cultures, hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent (according to, for example, Catalan mythology about witches and Scottish and Irish tales of the Sídhe).

Meet Bassist Kristen Bruya

2007-10-24T15:58:00.000-06:00

Meet Bassist Kristen Bruya

The Great Debate

2007-10-20T08:37:00.001-06:00

Should Humans survive the next extinction?

Rock On John

2007-10-18T06:50:00.001-06:00

How to name a band...

Stray Birds

2007-10-16T07:05:00.000-06:00

STRAY birds of summer come to my window
to sing and fly away.
And yellow leaves of autumn,
which have no songs,
flutter and fall there with a sigh.

From Stray Birds, by Rabindranath Tagore

Giant Pumpkin Regatta

2007-10-10T12:00:00.001-06:00

What do you do with a giant pumpkin after you've won the contest? Attach an outboard motor and make a boat out of it, of course!

Check out the video.

Crazy Mainer

His Dark Materials

2007-10-08T22:10:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my great friend Ethel for sending an engrossing trilogy, just when I needed one. I'm on the third book...wonderful reading for all ages and anyone who needs to sit still, relax and get away for awhile.
The funny thing is that my first impression of this story is that the author, Philip Pullman, made it up as he went along, which he seems to deny in the first question under FAQ on his website. But many of the characters, threads and details do not carry through the story and it really seems that he is more faithful to his imagination than to plot or character consistency...but you be the judge.

Q: Did you have the whole story in your head when you began writing His Dark Materials?

A: Yes, in outline, though not in detail. I haven't got enough RAM in my head to deal with 1300 pages of yet-unwritten material. But any writer of stories has to have a certain architectural sense, I mean a feeling for large shapes, and an instinct for whether they'll stand up safely, or need lots of propping up to make them steady, or whether they'll just fall down whatever you do, and so on. And of course when you begin a large project like His Dark Materials, you make sure beforehand that the large shape is secure.

It's the details you can take chances with, and afford to be surprised by. I don't like planning things too tightly, because then you're not surprised by anything. I was very surprised by the armoured bear, Iorek Byrnison, for example; I hadn't expected him to be a bit like that. And the Gallivespians in The Amber Spyglass surprised me enormously.

Apology to Iranian President

2007-09-24T07:34:00.000-06:00

Photo: John Smock/AP

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has arrived in New York to a very un-welcoming reception.

He plans to appear at several events at the U.N. and at Columbia University to set the record straight with the American people who, he says, have been denied "correct information," about going to war with Iran and about Iran's intentions with its nuclear development.

As an American, I am appalled and embarrassed that we would treat a foreign head of state in the manner depicted in this photo. This protest, according to the Associated Press, was organized by a New York City Council member--David Weprin--no less!

We seem to have forgotten that other sovereign nations are SOVEREIGN NATIONS and that we are obligated to deal diplomatically with their their presidents and senior representatives. Growing up in the cold war, I do not recall us ever treating Gorbachev or even Castro this way.

Secondly, New York has denied Ahmadinejad's request to lay a wreath at Ground Zero, claiming that he would "violate sacred ground." What does that mean? Have we labeled the man a "terrorist" because he refuses to be bullied by the United States? Did the Iranian government have anything to do with 9-11? Are we really all so ready and eager to label this man our enemy, as our government would have us do? We are treating the man like a first-rate criminal. Is this right? We need to be very careful!

All along, I have been wondering about what right America has to insist that another SOVEREIGN NATION not develop nuclear technology. It is nothing short of bullying. Are we supposed to believe that in our hands, the technology is safe, but not in anyone else's? And why wouldn't Iran want to keep some kind of ace in the hole when it has seen what we have done to its neighbor, Iraq, without any justification?

I think the American people should use their manners, and hear what this man has to say! At the very least, he needs to be treated with the dignity and respect that any foreign leader and, for that matter, human being, deserves.

I hope Ahmadinejad will know that not all Americans are this rude, obnoxious and yes, stupid.

Ham It Up

2007-09-13T09:36:00.000-06:00

Valentines Performing Pigs may be available for your event this year.

Slam-dunking, skateboarding, hoop jumping live mini-pigs, as seen on Letterman, Leno, Oprah, Animal Planet and Good Morning America.
A high energy, top draw stage act is guaranteed to bring throngs of curious people!

Please visit our web site: www.valentinesperformingpigs.com

Steve and Priscilla Valentine
(253) 853-HAMS

Two Eagles

2007-09-11T16:17:00.000-06:00

Today out my window I saw two bald eagles circling in the sky. It's not something I see every day, and I thought it was a fitting image to mark September 11th. I was awed by the coincidence of nature's activity and my need for commemoration--I don't think anyone could have planned or orchestrated a more appropriate moment of silence.

September 11

2007-09-11T10:30:00.000-06:00

Many people have questioned, since the very beginning, America's involvement in the events of September 11, 2001. Many are calling for an independent, international investigation. For more information see 911blogger.com and 911forthetruth.com.

Union Square vigil, NYC

I was in NYC on that day and in the weeks after. The following are some excerpts from my 9-11-01 journal:

September 15, 2001

Last night at about 11:30pm I went to Union Square to take part in the vigil going on there. Part of me just wanted to go to bed, but I had not yet participated in any way in this "Day of Remembrance"--and since I have a suspicion that prayer does make a difference, I felt a sense of duty to go and add to the numbers.

The first thing that struck me as I walked from my neighborhood towards the square was the number of people in bars and night clubs--just like any other Friday night--dressed to the nines, talking fluff on their cell phones, resuming what now seems like such an inappropriate, if not meaningless, social activity. I was carrying a candle and was dressed in jeans and a sweater. Who can think about makeup and tight clothing at a time like this?

The scene in Union Square was 180 degrees from that. I was very touched by the number of people who had gathered. There were candles EVERYWHERE. Impromptu shrines were set up on the walls, the drinking fountains, in the grass. People had drawn "love" and "peace" in chalk on the base of a statue of some general on a horse, and put an American flag in his upraised hand.

There were millions of flowers, poems, photographs, drawings, murals, collages and candles upon candles. There were even people who seemed to have taken on the job of relighting the candles that had gone out. People were passing out food. I felt as if I had been transported back to the 60s and was encouraged to see so many people standing for Peace amidst a horrible attack.

In one part of the park there was a drum circle with people chanting, in another corner, a heated argument, in another, a guy with a guitar leading songs. Around the main shrine where a piece of metal from the WTC stands, people were sitting and standing in prayer and reflection. The variety of faces was fascinating. I would glance around the circle from time to time and see many new people filtering in and out. At one point, as I scanned the crowd, I saw face, face, face, dog, face. Someone from behind had held up their Greyhound so the dog could see into the circle. It made me smile. This disgrace is not only an affront to humanity...but to LIFE.

At one point a man began to shout hysterically. "Who has an ANSWER?! There are 2000 of us here. Someone MUST have the ANSWER! SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO!!!"

After sitting there for about an hour, I decided to walk through the park to experience the other groups that had gathered. There were so many forms of expression happening simultaneously, with quiet beauty and grace. I hadn't realized it right away, but there were many discussion "huddles" of people straining to hear what the speaker was saying. I joined one of these groups, and ended up standing there for the next 4 hours.

They had a "talking stick" and the rule was that only one person was permitted to speak at a time, without interruption or response. When they yielded the stick, another person could express themselves. This was the most powerful thing I've yet seen. Utter strangers discussing their feelings, their fears and anger, their criticisms of themselves and of America, pleas for peace, pleas for retaliation.

And then someone mentioned passive resistance.

I have often wondered if a time would come when I would be able to actually practice the passive resistance that I so admire in figures such as Gandhi, MLK Jr., Jesus... The question is, would passive resistance work against a terrorist mentality? It has been proven to work against oppression. Would it work against aggression?

It's absolutely fascinating to watch a Peace Movement forming right before my eyes, and so quickly on the heels of so much immediate loss of life here. There are those who demand retaliation, but often decisions made in haste and rage are the wrong ones. I think the most important need here at the moment is the dissemination of ACCURATE, OBJECTIVE historical information about America's relations with the rest of the world, particularly the middle east. We need to be educated--and fast!

September 16, 2001

It seems like a YEAR since Tuesday. And yet the individual days seem to go by very fast.

I spent last night and again today in Union Square where thousands of people still congregate to hold vigil and pay respects. I spent some time walking around to all the missing persons posters trying to feel some sense of the reality of this thing. But it's too overwhelming. There are posters plastered everywhere. On phone booths, walls, fire hydrants, trees, even cars with desperate determination. But Giuliani announced today that there are no more "john doe's" in the hospitals. Everybody has been identified. We can infer that the 5000+ that are still missing are now presumed dead.

In the park today, a group of about 100 Tibetans were gathered with prayer beads, incense and flags, chanting. In another area, a large crowd of Mexican people with their red, white and green flag, and portraits of the Virgin were calling out the names of the missing, and their countries of origin, in spanish. There are candles and wax everywhere, and the grass is trompled to mud. The chicken-wire fences that were meant to keep people off the lawns have long since been tossed aside.

The breadth of creative expression in the park is remarkable. Someone has created a giant likeness of the twin towers entirely out of flowers on the lawn. Around it, other people have added poems and quotations and candles. There are children's drawings of the world trade center being attacked by planes taped to fences. There are piles of paper cranes being strung and hung from telephone poles. There are hand made posters, paintings, sculptures--one is a giant american flag welded out of metal that people are scratching thoughts into with a metal object.

There are hippie Christians singing songs with a guitar and distributing leaflets and street preachers shouting through microphones. Other religious groups are handing out free sandwiches. The Tibetan ladies in traditional dress are handing out coca-cola in little plastic cups.

I spent most of the day with a group of jazz musicians who were playing for Peace.

There's lots of wierdness too. There's a lady dressed up like the Statue of Liberty who will let you take your picture with her if you donate to the Red Cross. She was standing up on a box with a huge crowd around explaining how she was a school teacher from Indiana...blah...blah..blah. Last night I heard someone playing "Yankee Doodle" on a piccolo. What the hell? Then there was a Broadway chorus singing "It's up to you, New York, New York." Then of course there are many small groups of musicians singing the peace ballads of the 60's. And it struck me that we have not yet had time to write our own songs about this tragedy or this upcoming war, so we're having to appropriate music from other eras and circumstances. None of it quite fits the occasion, but in one form or another, it does seem to soothe.

Probably the most disturbing sight is all the "memorabilia" that has sprung up overnight. T-shirts, hats, posters, American flags--even candles--being peddled in every shape and size. So just as we've all been reminded this week that there are ill-willed maniacs living among us, we are also confronted with the fact that many among us are quick to profit from the loss and tragedy of others.

Tomorrow the Mayor wants us all to go back to work. For most of us, work seems pretty meaningless at this point...but what else can we do?

Everything is Illuminated

2007-09-08T09:57:00.001-06:00

My mother recommended this film to me after taking a trip to the Ukraine this summer to explore our ancestral homelands in the villages near Odessa. Our relatives were Germans from Alsace who had fled as refugees to the "bread basket" of Russia, having been invited to settle and develop that area by Catherine the Great. (See here) As mom continues to explore this side of our history, more and more fascinating details have come to light.

In this film, a young Jewish man named Jonathan, played by Elijah Wood, is a collector of his family's artifacts--strange things, like his brothers underwear or his grandmother's false teeth. His grandmother, as she lays dying, gives him a photograph of his grandfather as a young man standing next to a pregnant woman, who is not his grandmother.

Jonathan travels to the Ukraine to solve the mystery of who the woman is and encounters an old man and his hipster grandson who is also his hilarious translator. The three of them, with the old man's dog, named Sammy Davis Junior, Jr., travel throughout the countryside searching for a very small village. It is apparent that the old man has a secret that is somehow related to this place they are searching for.

The film is very funny, and also very poignant as both young men discover many new things about their grandfathers and their families' histories. The film is structured in chapters of a book that one learns, at the end, is being written by the translator for Jonathan to describe how profoundly moving their trip was for him and "to leave a record for those who may come looking."

As mom said, the film is a wonderful representation of the landscape and general feeling of the rural areas around Odessa, and it is really a great and very entertaining story. Two thumbs up.

Goodbye Pavarotti

2007-09-06T22:40:00.000-06:00

"I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to."

-Luciano Pavarotti
1935-2007

I remember the first time I saw him in concert. My mother made special velvet dresses for me and my sister. I think we were the only little ones there at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh. Those were the days when people really dressed up to go to the symphony, and it was truly magical to glide down the red velvet staircases of Heinz Hall and count the crystals in the chandeliers. It was such a special occasion--Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland singing together.

We stood in line for over an hour after the concert waiting at the stage door where the stars were going to sign autographs. I remember dad holding my sister--I was too big to be held, and too excited to be tired. It was cold. Dad was wearing a woolen Italian cape over his tuxedo. I can picture vividly how handsome he looked and how warm the cape was as I stood under it to stay warm.

Finally the line began to move. I remember Pavarotti being very kind, and Kristen and I received special attention from him and Joan Sutherland for being so well-behaved (and awake) at such a late hour. I still have that autograph.

I saw him again--standing room only--in NYC several years ago. I went by myself, again in velvet, and was enthralled by his voice. I always have been. I hoped to meet him again, but there was no opportunity.

It is hard for me to lose him right now, not only for the great talent that the world loses in his passing, but also because he represents a significant part of my childhood. He is a significant factor in my fond memories of my father, whose health is ailing at the moment, and who may never return to his most vital self. Pavarotti's death is deeply saddening in its own right, and as an untimely marker of the transition in my father's life.

It is so hard to lose the people we love.

The Johns

2007-08-28T07:59:00.001-06:00

They're all coming to Missoula in the month of September!!

Pleocatra

2007-08-16T13:58:00.001-06:00

Bill Moyers on Media Reform

2007-08-13T13:07:00.001-06:00

For more info, see here:

Check it Out!

2007-08-09T08:59:00.001-06:00

Sustainable Table is taking the scenic (and delicious) route to this year's Farm Aid Concert at Randall's Island in New York City on September 9. Travel with us as we cross the country in search of the best pie ever, stopping along the way to check out some of the nation's most sustainable farms and restaurants.

Pay Attention

2007-08-06T14:21:00.001-06:00

The 2008 Presidential election is going to be one heck of a show. As I'm sure you're aware, it has already begun. I humbly admit that this is the first time I've paid very close attention to politics, but I feel that this time, especially, it's very important to do so. This little blurb is just to encourage you to do the same.

There seems to be a feeling of futility circulating among the Americans I know regarding politics and the democratic process. We see big problems and are at a loss to know how to address them. They seem too big for one person to impact. We bitch a lot, but don't make significant changes in our own behavior or take social actions that might actually change something.

I was struck recently by the lyrics of John Mayer's song "Waiting for the World to Change":

Now we see everything is going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it

We seem to collectively feel that we are powerless to make changes in the status quo. What kind of 'democracy' is that?!
I don't like the message in Mayer's song. I think he captures the futility people feel, but I wonder if the 60s generation would have waited for "the world" to change the situation in Viet Nam? They took to the streets. They organized. They protested. We don't have to "wait." We just have to act. Mayer seems to want to let our generation off the hook.

I think we need to take a significant look at the forces which keep us from organizing and acting. One is that our system of credit in this country keeps most of us complacent and satiated. We don't have to struggle too much or suffer too long before satisfying our needs. Most of us are in debt up to our ears, but we can still have the latest gadget or outfit when we want it.

The individual has also been, for the most part, excused from our so-called democratic process. There is no requirement for citizenship--only that you pay taxes. Voting is optional, participation in other democratic processes in one's community is left to the discretion of the busy individual. Being accurately informed about issues of importance to the average American is left to a media that is funded by advertising (thus influencing our choices) and driven by the need for ratings to use other tactics such as fear and sensationalism to secure their audience.

I would like to see the average American re-empowered and encouraged to participate in the democratic process. We hear the word "democracy" thrown around these days as if we actually have one. We praise the democratic system as the best in the world and insist that it must be spread to all those with other forms of government. But when even the most privileged, best educated Americans are feeling that they have to just "wait for the world to change," and when the average American spends almost 1.78 hours/day shopping (see here) [that's 12.46 hours/week] or 3.24 hours/day watching TV, it seems that something is wrong with our democracy.

Maybe if we all just take a little more responsibility for it -- i.e. pay attention and get involved-- we might not have so much waiting around to do.

Suggestion: form a block association and find out the needs/concerns of your neighbors. Establish regular meetings and communicate with your district representatives. No need to wait around for the world to change. Do something.

At least, follow this Presidential election, inform yourself from reputable sources and vote responsibly!

Just The Two of Us

2007-08-06T07:26:00.000-06:00

Bravo Will Smith for a great song about fatherhood!

Eye Contact

2007-08-02T08:45:00.001-06:00

Is it just me?
Why is it so hard to sustain eye contact with other people?
One of the most uncomfortable experiences is entering a long hallway or walking on a side walk with a person coming towards me in the other direction. At what point do you acknowledge the other person?

What I've noticed is that both people spend a lot of energy looking at the ground, from side to side, or otherwise distracting ourselves until we get close. Then there's the decision: to greet or not to greet. It may depend on the other. Are they going to acknowledge me?

Entering a building this morning, I said 'good morning' to a man who was locking up his bike. He just looked at me.

How did we get to a point where greeting others is such a psychological drama?

Charity

2007-07-31T10:28:00.000-06:00

Just heard from my friend Mary W, who was at Gray's Papaya in New York trying to scrounge enough change for a hot dog. She only had $0.75 and the hot dogs were $1.25.

Suddenly a homeless man came and asked her for some change. She replied that she was looking for some herself. "What do you need?" he asked. "Well, I'm 50 cents short of a hot dog," she replied. "Here," he said, and gave her two quarters.

Mary offered to split the hot dog with him, but he refused, saying, "you should eat it." "No, you should eat it," she said. "You look like you need it," he responded. And she gave in and ate the hot dog.

Sarazino

2007-07-31T09:35:00.000-06:00

Sort of a Manu Chao meets Manu Dibango...

Listen to Sarazino
Learn more

Chao and Dibango

2007-07-31T09:34:00.000-06:00

For those of you who didn't get the previous reference:
Manu Chao

Manu Dibango

Response to RPCV Gabon Letter

2007-07-27T17:20:00.000-06:00

July 9, 2007

Dear Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Gabon:

I appreciate your concern and support for the Peace Corps and for former Peace Corps Tanzania Country Director Christine Djondo, who departed Tanzania after U.S. Ambassador Michael Retzer exercised his authority as chief of mission and withdrew her country clearance, effective June 8, 2007.

Ms Djondo is a highly respected Peace Corps staff member who did an outstanding job of leading the Peace Corps program in Tanzania. Prior to her tenure in Tanzania, she exhibited similarly fine leadership qualities while serving as country director in Lesotho and Gabon.

Although we remain disappointed with the Ambassador's decision, we are delighted to have Ms. Djondo on our headquarters staff serving as the Special Assistant to the Regional Director for Africa. In that capacity, she is the focal point for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in the Africa Region. The PEPFAR program model that was unveiled under Ms. Djondo's leadership and guidance in Tanzania is being replicated in other Peace Corps countries in Africa, and she is uniquely qualified for coordinating that effort.

Ms. Djondo has always been held in high regard by the Peace Corps for her leadership and management skills, and we are extremely confident that she will continue to provide outstanding service to the agency in her new capacity.

In your letter, you request an investigation into Ambassador Retzer's decision regarding Ms. Djondo. I can assure you that all necessary actions with the appropriate parties have been taken with respect to this case, and the Peace Corps in confident that the full integrity and independence of the agency has been reaffirmed. By way of example, I would cite the recent cable by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to chiefs of mission reaffirming the basic principles that govern the relationship between Peace Corps posts and U.S. missions abroad.

It may also interest you to know that former Congressman Mark Green has been nominated as the next U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania. The Peace Corps fully supports his expeditious confirmation, and we are looking forward to working with him.

Again, thank you for your support of Ms. Djondo and the Peace Corps, and for your service to the people of Gabon.

Sincerely,

Ron Tschetter
Director, Peace Corps

Plumeria Update

2007-07-27T10:03:00.001-06:00

Moloka'i

Montana

Raiatea and IZ

2007-07-26T22:11:00.001-06:00

Amazing Fruit

2007-07-26T21:16:00.000-06:00

I've got the exotic fruit poster hanging over my kitchen sink...the diversity of life on this planet is simply marvelous... Click on the image above and zoom in. You'll learn a lot!

...to order, see here or localharvest.org

Africa Time

2007-07-10T09:22:00.000-06:00

This is a great website for current news broadcasts from the African continent.
www.africatime.com

July 4th Rodeo & Pow Wow - Arlee, MT

2007-07-08T12:05:00.000-06:00

Bag, Borrow or Steal

2007-07-06T14:45:00.000-06:00

I don't mean for this to be an ad, but I can't believe this is for real.

It's like the Netflix for handbags!

What will they think of next?

(I like how "steal" is part of their name...I wonder if they'd really go for that option?)

Reverend Billy Update

2007-07-03T13:44:00.000-06:00

On my summer reading list...

WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY?
Fabulous Prayers in the Face of the Shopocalypse

REVEREND BILLY

Now children, we are all Shopping Sinners. Each of us is walking around in a swirl of gas and oil, plastics and foil. We should all hit our knees and weep and confess together. We are not evil people, but somehow we have allowed the Lords of Consumption to organize us into these mobs that buy and dispose, cry and reload. Yes, the Rapture of the Final Consumption, the Shopture, is underway.

Learn more at revbilly.com and read my article about the amazing preacher/performer/activist here.

Moustache?

2007-07-03T08:46:00.001-06:00

The Bruyas are really a creative bunch. My cousin Rachel has developed a non-profit that provides free mustaches to those who are less fortunate than those who have mustaches. For more information, or to get a mustache for yourself, see here.

Special K

2007-07-02T21:21:00.001-06:00

Isn't she gorgeous?
Kristen Bruya has been a member of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra since the fall of 2006. A native of Missoula, MT, Bruya attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Michigan (BM), University of Cincinnati, and most recently Rice University (MM). From 2000-2004 Bruya was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Fl under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. She has performed with the Houston, San Antonio, and Columbus Symphonies. Kristen has participated in the summer music festivals of Verbier Switzerland, Tanglewood, Aspen, Spoleto USA, and Music Academy of the West.

Congo Forest Jam

2007-07-02T20:17:00.001-06:00

Guzzling

2007-07-02T20:09:00.000-06:00

Global gasoline prices vary so widely that it costs just $1.45 to fill a 2007 Honda Civic in Venezuela, $31.42 in the U.S., $81.44 in Britain, and $93.98 in Turkey.

Source: The Week, July 13, 2007

Humanity

2007-07-02T19:51:00.000-06:00

"The urge to save humanity
is almost always
a false front for those
who want to rule it."

-H.L. Mencken, quoted in the Toronto National Post

More of The Other Africa

2007-07-02T19:41:00.001-06:00

A little long, a little redundant, but some great images of the Africa we don't see on TV.

A Dream Job

2007-07-02T16:33:00.000-06:00

JERUSALEM—Overwhelmed by a constant deluge of prayers and appeals for salvation, Jesus Christ announced Monday the hiring of Tacoma, WA, customer-service supervisor Dean Smoler as Associate Christ. Read the full report here.

Just Another Day...

2007-07-01T19:20:00.000-06:00

...in Montana!
(Mountain Goat Welcoming Committee, Rock Creek Road)

Draft for Comments

2007-06-27T08:27:00.000-06:00

This letter was submitted with 20 signatures on July 2, 2007 to Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter, Senator Chris Dodd and Assistant Secretary Jendayi Frazer at the African Affiars Bureau, US Dept. of State.

We, the undersigned returned Peace Corps volunteers of Gabon, request an investigation into the U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania’s revocation of the country clearance of Peace Corps Country Director Christine Djondo. Ambassador Michael Retzer sought to merge Peace Corps and Embassy programs in an attempt to save money. He pressured Ms. Djondo to co-locate the office that distributed the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding at the embassy. Additionally, he wanted to combine the Embassy and Peace Corps Motor Pools and Health Units in order to reduce the budget of the United States Mission. Ms. Djondo did not support these proposals and the ambassador offered her no opportunity to compromise.

Only the Director of the US Peace Corps in Washington is entitled to appoint or dismiss a Country Director. Therefore, Ambassador Retzer's only means to remove Ms. Djondo was to take the drastic step of revoking her country clearance. Peace Corps has remained independent since its inception in 1961. However, the Ambassador's demands infringed upon its position as an autonomous organization. Furthermore, by disrespecting Peace Corps' independence in relation to the hiring and firing of staff members, some of Ambassador Retzer's actions may contravene the Peace Corps Act (Section 2509A).

While the United States government supervises the Peace Corps, the program was specifically designed to keep volunteers separate from U.S. embassies and their political affiliations. This is necessary to protect the safety and security of volunteers. In a country in which the U.S. embassy was one of the first targets of Al-Qaeda violence, it is crucial to separate Peace Corps from the United States Mission. Ambassador Retzer's agenda for PC/Tanzania could have a devastating effect on the safety and morale of volunteers and their relationships in their communities. We firmly believe Ms. Djondo made the right decision in resisting his intimidation.

Ms. Djondo was a superb Country Director in Lesotho from 2001-2003, Gabon from 2003-2005, and Tanzania from 2005 until her untimely exit on June 8, 2007. Throughout her tenure in the Peace Corps, she has demonstrated excellent leadership abilities, defended Peace Corps' independence, upheld the ideals stated in the Peace Corps Act, and tirelessly supported the needs of her volunteers despite the political pressures that ultimately forced her to leave Tanzania this month.

We believe Ms. Djondo has been punished by Ambassador Retzer for defending the security of Peace Corps Volunteers. We are writing today to express our strong concern at Mr. Retzer's audacious behavior as a public official. As former Peace Corps Volunteers and United States citizens, we kindly request investigation into his potential violation of Peace Corps policy and misuse of power.

Sincerely,

Gabon RPCVs:

Katherine Andrade, 2002 - 2004
Jan Boulingui, 2002-2004
Lori Brown, 2002-2004
Sara Bruya, 2002-2004
Jason Coleman, 2001-2003
Cassandra Filer, 2003 - 2005
Julia Fleuret, 2002-2004
Kelly Folliard, 2002-2004
John B. Griffin, 2003-2005
Erick Guerra, 2002-2004
Emily Hibbets, 2002-2005
Penelope Hucker, 2002-2004
Karen Martin, 2002-2004
Toni Moen, 2003-2005
Lauren Murphy, 2002-2004
Erin Parish, 2002-2004
Lindsay Partusch, 2003-2005
Rebecca Ricketts, 2002-2005
Shanna Rounds, 2003-2005
Jennifer Walker, 2002-2004

Je Ne Sais Quoi

2007-06-26T21:53:00.000-06:00

The job hunt is really driving me a bit over the edge, I think. Last night, I dreamt I met Bill Gates at a party. He had an African wife with an elaborately dressed entourage. He saw great potential in me and was certain I had a very promising future in business...

Montana Summer

2007-06-25T11:49:00.000-06:00

PCVs Defend Country Director, Christine Djondo

2007-06-24T11:42:00.000-06:00

Christine Djondo was the Peace Corps Country Director in Gabon before transferring to Tanzania.

Cutting the cake at the ceremony for the 45th anniversary of the Peace Corps are from left: PC Tanzania Country Director Christine Djondo, Minister for Regional Administration & Local Government Mizengo Pinda, Returned PC Volunteer who served in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, 1962-64 Susan Proctor and Current PC volunteer, Morogoro 2004-2006 Photo: Dianna English

We are US Peace Corps volunteers serving in the United Republic of Tanzania. We are writing this letter because the US Ambassador's recent involvement in Peace Corps Tanzania has outraged us and inspired us to seek answers from our elected officials back home. Tanzania's United States Ambassador, Michael Retzer, recently chose to curtail the country clearance of our Peace Corps Country Director, Christine Djondo, after she refused to resign her position and leave voluntarily. The Ambassador illegitimately removed Ms. Djondo from her position for defending the rights of Peace Corps. We as Peace Corps Volunteers in Tanzania are appalled that a public official used his office to coerce a federal employee into advancing his political agenda. This is a formal expression of our opposition to Ambassador Retzer's decision, and we request an investigation of this matter.

While the United States government supervises the Peace Corps, the program was specifically designed to keep us volunteers separate from US Embassies and their political affiliations. Disregarding this precaution, Ambassador Michael Retzer pressured our Country Director to merge the operations of Peace Corps/ Tanzania and the US Embassy by co-locating the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) office at the Embassy. Furthermore, he wanted to combine the Embassy's and the Peace Corps' Motor Pools and Health units in order to reduce the budget of the United States Mission. In these situations, Ambassador Retzer allowed Ms. Djondo no opportunity for compromise.

Peace Corps has remained independent since its inception in 1961 and it is indisputable that the Ambassador's demands infringed upon its sovereignty as a unique and autonomous organization. Furthermore, by disrespecting Peace Corps' independence in relation to the hiring and firing of staff members, some of Ambassador Retzer's plans may be considered in contempt of the Peace Corps Act (Section 2509A).

A United States Ambassador does not have the power to fire a Peace Corps Country Director: only the Director of the US Peace Corps in Washington has the entitlement to appoint or dismiss a Country Director. Consequently, Ambassador Retzer's only means to remove Ms. Djondo was to take the drastic step of revoking her country clearance. The Ambassador claimed to have little confidence in Director Djondo's leadership ability and therefore made this decision in order to "save" our program.

Ambassador Retzer's agenda for PC/Tanzania could have had a devastating effect on our safety, our relationships in our communities, and on our morale as independent volunteers. We firmly believe Ms. Djondo made the right decision in resisting his intimidation. Ms. Djondo worked diligently to effectively and safely direct our program and continually demonstrated excellent leadership. We thank her for adamantly defending Peace Corps' independence, for consistently upholding the ideals stated in the Peace Corps Act, and for tirelessly supporting the needs of her volunteers despite political pressures that ultimately forced her to leave the country.

On June 8, 2007, the date designated by Ambassador Retzer, Ms. Djondo and her family left Tanzania for Washington DC where she will retain a position at Peace Corps Headquarters. We believe Ms. Djondo has been punished by Ambassador Retzer for defending the security of Peace Corps Volunteers. We are writing today to express our disbelief and indignation at Mr. Retzer's audacious behavior as a public official.

As current and former Peace Corps Volunteers and citizens of the United States of America, we kindly request investigation into his potential misuse of power.

Sincerely, Peace Corps Volunteers – Tanzania

If questions or comments, feel free to contact:
pcvsbehindchristine@yahoo.com
This is an address created by the many PCVs in country in support of Christine! We will respond at our earliest convenience. Asante sana.

Back to Hawai'i?

2007-06-22T16:14:00.000-06:00

Puu O Hoku
Who would have thought, after that bizarre stint in Hawai'i last winter, that I'd be going back so soon? I thought I might never see Hawai'i again!
But I've been invited to cater a birthday party on Moloka'i in mid-July. That should be a lot more fun than harvesting galangal and peeing on trees!
Meanwhile, the dreadful "real" job search continues...

I Did It!

2007-06-11T09:31:00.001-06:00

Master Class

2007-06-03T16:13:00.001-06:00

Your chance to learn from the master! (Pavarotti, of course.)

How Professors Grade Exams

2007-05-30T08:33:00.001-06:00

It all makes sense to me now.

For more information, see Daniel J. Solove's A Guide to Grading Exams.

Raul Midon

2007-05-28T15:22:00.001-06:00

...kicks ass!