November 8, 2013 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Draft FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan – From the Peace Corps website

Nov 08 2013

Draft FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan Over the past several months, the Peace Corps has been engaged in a comprehensive and highly inclusive process to develop a new strategic plan to guide the agency’s work over the next five years (fiscal years 2014-2018). The draft strategic plan strengthens far-reaching reforms introduced in recent years, addresses decades-old challenges, and leverages promising opportunities to increase the impact of our Volunteers and improve our operations. Please review the key components of the plan noted below and if you have any feedback or comments, let us know, We can accept comments on the draft strategic plan until December 2, 2013. Note: The above is from the Peace Corps website. Here is the link to read the mission statement: http://www.peacecorps.gov/open/plan/ It is possible to read the specific activities projected to meet the goals as outlined. Go to: http://www.peacecorps.gov/open/plan/ and then click on the heading written in orange. The site will . . .

Peter Hessler (China 1996-98) Morsi’s Chaotic Day in Court

Nov 08 2013

[This comes from the New Yorker webpage] By Peter Hessler http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/11/scenes-from-the-first-day-of-mohamed-morsis-chaotic-trial-in-cairo.html= On my way to Monday’s trial of Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected President of Egypt, and the second former President to be tried on criminal charges during the past two years, I found myself walking next to one of Morsi’s lawyers. His name was Said Hamid, and he was sweating and breathing hard. We were still in the early stages of the security gauntlet that had been set up for the trial. Any journalist or lawyer had to carry a stamped statement of approval from the Cairo Court of Appeals, and then he had to pass through four armed checkpoints and three metal detectors. Nobody was allowed to carry a camera, voice recorder, or cell phone; the state seemed determined to control all digital recordings of this event. Each attendee also had to hike for more than half . . .

Timely New Novel, Vatican Waltz, by Roland Merullo (Micronesia 1979-80)

Nov 08 2013

Roland Merullo (Micronesia 1979-80) has written thirteen books, including Golfing with God and Revere Beach Boulevard. He has a novel coming out this December from Crown. It is entitled Vatican Waltz. This is a Catholic novel in the sense it is about a woman who believes she is called by God to be the first female Catholic priest. In the course of the novel, the woman, Cynthia Clare Piantedosi, reaches out to other unreceptive officials within the Catholic establishment and is met with ridicule. (Hello? Being Catholic, I could have told the protagonist that.) Unable to tune out the divine messages, she leaves behind all that she knows, letting the power of her unswerving faith drive her all the way to the Vatican in pursuit of a destiny she doesn’t full understand. (Well, perhaps Pope Francis will be more understanding.) The book has already received positive reviews from the Chicago . . .

Archive - November 8, 2013