Archive - December 2013

1
The Peace Corps Response Team(s) Sending Out Kind Words To The World
2
Partnership between Kraft Foods,aka Mondelez, and Peace Corps Revisited
3
A Writer Writes: Peace Corps Mojo! by Bob Criso
4
Jack Hood Vaughn Laid To Rest In National Cemetery at Arlington
5
Two Poems by Don Messerschmidt (Nepal 1963-65)
6
Review of Michael Heyn's (Peru 1964-66) In Search of Decency: The Unexpected Power of Rich and Poor
7
Paul Clements (Gambia 1985-87) Runs For Congress Over Concerns About The Environment And Government Effectiveness
8
Peter Lefcourt (Togo 1962-64) Film 'Sweet Talk' Is On Television
9
New Options for Health Insurance Coverage After Peace Corps Service
10
New Book Of Essays and Photographs by Ugandan RPCV
11
Karen Phillips (Gabon1997-98) Killer Sentenced To Life
12
Lakes of Darkness, A Poem by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64)
13
The Peace Corps Announces Top Volunteer Producing States On Slow News Day
14
Review of Robert E. Hamilton's (Ethiopia 1965-67) Short and Shorter
15
Review of Mark Wentling's novel Africa's Embrace

The Peace Corps Response Team(s) Sending Out Kind Words To The World

As 2013 comes to a close, we at Peace Corps Response (PCR) would like to take this opportunity to say thank you. We appreciate your commitment to international service and your continued support of PCR. Whether you are a returned Volunteer or are contemplating service in 2014, we value your being a part of the ongoing international development dialogue. Over the past year, thousands of people in our host countries have benefited from the 248 PCR Volunteers who have served in high-impact assignments in over 50 countries. In addition, those returned PCR Volunteers brought their service back to America and shared their experience, and host country cultures with their communities and professional networks. This spirit of world peace, friendship and service is contagious and we look forward to spreading that message with you in the New Year. With warm regards, The Peace Corps Response team

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Partnership between Kraft Foods,aka Mondelez, and Peace Corps Revisited

As part of its major reorganization, Peace Corps has entered into an unique partnership with Kraft Foods’ Mondelez. To read the Memorandum of Understanding, here is the text to link to: https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mou_peace_corps_mondelez.pdf The Memorandum of Understanding between the Peace Corps and Kraft Foods includes the requirement that each joint activity undertaken in accord with the agreement be described.  From the MOU: Activity Descriptions will include, at minimum: (1) a description of the activity and objectives; (2) performance indicators and expected results, as appropriate; (3) a proposed timeline; (4) the amount of funding, as appropriate, that Kraft Foods agrees to transfer to the Peace Corps to support the activity described in the Activity Description; (5) a budget describing the  proposed use of those funds; (6) reporting requirements, in accordance with applicable law, regulations, and Peace Corps policies; and (7) designation of project managers from the appropriate Peace Corps and Kraft Foods . . .

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A Writer Writes: Peace Corps Mojo! by Bob Criso

Peace Corps Mojo by Bob Criso (Nigeria & Somalia 1966-68) What would our diplomatic service be like if one of the qualifications was prior Peace Corps service? We have West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy which prepare us for war but how about a Peace Corps Academy? What if the Peace Corps included the element of exchange and a teacher from Kenya was swapped with one from Ohio? What about a Peace Corps Memorial in Washington?What would our diplomatic service be like if one of the qualifications was prior Peace Corps service? We have West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy which prepare us for war but how about a Peace Corps Academy? What if the Peace Corps included the element of exchange and a teacher from Kenya was swapped with one from Ohio? What about a Peace Corps Memorial in Washington? These were just a few . . .

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Jack Hood Vaughn Laid To Rest In National Cemetery at Arlington

Jack Hood Vaughn, the second director of the Peace Corps (March 1, 1966 to April 30, 1969), and the first Republican Director, was laid to his final rest at the National Cemetery at Arlington.  It was his desire to be buried at Arlington. I happened on Thursday December 19, 2013. Jack Vaughn died on October 29, 2012, at the age of 92. Like President Kennedy, Sargent Shriver, Warren Wiggins, and many of the visionaries who conceived of the Peace Corps, Jack was a combat veteran of WW II, serving in the Marine Corps. He had received citations for valor, was wounded three times, and understood why:  “There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” With the escalating war in Vietnam during his directorship, he had interceded again and again to keep PCVs free of that dismal, needless war. When the issue of war and foreign policy came up, Jack always maintained that,  “If for . . .

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Two Poems by Don Messerschmidt (Nepal 1963-65)

on the road past Thrumsing La Bhutan’s wild mountain spirits by Don Messerschmidt “many, many foggies” says my driver, grinning as we enter soup-thick cloud along the bluff below the pass called Thrumsing La Dochen has that way of speaking English, laughingly so jovially therapeutic he sets the tone for what’s an otherwise long rough mountain ride across Bhutan up-down-around the twisting road sometimes dull and foggy but in clear sun the view is bold with naked cliffs streaked white by mountain freshets tumbling sheer from secret groves above where jade green moss, grey lichen and long strands of mist lay still, whispering if you listen with startling clarity from nature’s pure primeval soul surely kindly ghosts inhabit this ancient sacred land and sometimes, while traversing east across the royal road, each turn, each vista is ablaze with rhododendron scarlet, pink, yellow, mauve, and ivory magnolia, and birds on iridescent . . .

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Review of Michael Heyn's (Peru 1964-66) In Search of Decency: The Unexpected Power of Rich and Poor

In Search of Decency: The Unexpected Power of Rich and Poor by Michael Heyn (Peru 1964-66) Matador $21.99 (paperback), $9.99 (Kindle) 368 pages August 2013 Reviewed by Ken Hill (Turkey 1965-67) Mr. Heyn’s diary shares a life lived mostly abroad, across 15 countries on four continents, with United Nations programs as well as personal ventures and occasional assignments at the UN in New York.  The saga is spiced by adventures in cultural adaptation, crisis management, intrigue and some legitimate danger! Graced with an enviable education, the author meets and marries, serves in Peace Corps, begins a family but divorces upon discovering a soul-mate with whom he travels the globe to serve human needs. He relates examples of remarkable adaptation and innovation throughout this life story and is admirably candid about successes and failures, displaying an admirable ability to learn from his experiences. A child of the 60’s, the author ponders . . .

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Paul Clements (Gambia 1985-87) Runs For Congress Over Concerns About The Environment And Government Effectiveness

Concerns about Environment and Government Effectiveness Fuel RPCV Paul Clements’ (Gambia 1985-87) Congressional Campaign Last month, RPCV Paul Clements formally announced his run as a Democratic candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 6th District. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of activity for Clements, his family (including wife Aedin, who worked in the Gambia with Ireland’s aid agency, APSO), and the team of dedicated campaign staffers and volunteers he’s assembled. Campaigning takes enormous time and energy. Clements attends several fundraisers and meet-the-candidate events each week. And he recently spent two days in Washington, D.C., meeting with representatives from union, environmental, civil rights, and other national groups, seeking their support. Like most PCV’s Clements brings a global perspective to his work. He sees climate change as a threat not just to Southwest Michigan, but the world. “Climate change threatens nature as we know it … and it threatens to wreak havoc internationally, . . .

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Peter Lefcourt (Togo 1962-64) Film 'Sweet Talk' Is On Television

I received a note from Peter Lefcourt (Togo 1962-64) that a film he wrote two years ago entitled  “Sweet Talk,”  is now available on various PPV and VOD platforms.  You can order it on Time/Warner, Comcast, Dish, Amazon Video, Vids, Hulu, and ( for the Canadians), Rogers and Shaw.  You can download it directly from iTunes at this link: http://bit.ly/16neY3C The film was directed  by Terri Hanauer, and stars Nathalie Zea, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, Lindsey Hollister, Karen Austin, Time Winters, and John Glover. “It is about the transformative power of story telling, among other things, and we are very proud of it,” writes Peter. He goes onto say, “Look at it this way: usually when wedo a play, you have to plunk down $25 and schlep to a theater with bad parking .  Now all you have to do is press a button, part with 12 bucks, the price of a martini, sit . . .

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New Options for Health Insurance Coverage After Peace Corps Service

New Options for Health Insurance Coverage After Peace Corps Service [The Peace Corps posted on December 13, 2013 this news.] The Peace Corps is committed to the health of all Volunteers. Like millions of Americans, returned Peace Corps Volunteers will now have new options for high-quality, affordable health care after their service through the Affordable Care Act. Since the mid-1990s, Peace Corps has made health insurance available to returned Peace Corps Volunteers and paid the first month’s premium under a program currently called AfterCorps. AfterCorps provides limited benefit coverage intended to help provide a transition period after service. This won’t change: The Peace Corps will continue to pay for the first month of limited health insurance after Peace Corps service for returning Volunteers, at no cost to them. Following the first month of Peace Corps-paid insurance, Volunteers who leave service on or after January 1, 2014, will have the option to . . .

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New Book Of Essays and Photographs by Ugandan RPCV

Every week I can receive as many as 4 new books written by RPCVs to be reviewed and added to Marian Haley Beil’s list of books by Peace Corps Volunteers and Staff.  Most of these books are self-published, and increasingly they are ambitious and impressive. The book I received yesterday in the mail tops them all! It is is entitled, Somehow: Living on Uganda Time Essays and Photographs by Douglas Cruickshank (Uganda 2009-12). The book is 420 pages long, sells for $60.00, and is 9″ X 12″ in size. It gave my postman a hernia, delivering it! The book is the creation of Doug Cruickshank who joined the Peace Corps when he was 56 and went to Uganda to help develop a coffee business in a village called Kyarumba in the Rwenzori Mountains. With a career as a writer-photographer behind him, Doug began to write and take photographs within days . . .

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Karen Phillips (Gabon1997-98) Killer Sentenced To Life

Thierry “Rambo” Ntoutoume Nzue was convicted for the 1998 murder of 37-year-old Karen Phillips. A Gabonese criminal court sentenced Ntoutoume Nzue to life in prison. Phillips served in Oyem, an agricultural city of about 40,000 in the coastal African nation of Gabon. She worked as an agro-forestry volunteer, helping local farmers market their agricultural products. “She just loved helping people,” said Richard Phillips, Karen’s father. “That’s the type of person she was. Karen was a doer and a giver.” Prior to joining the Peace Corps, Phillips worked in Atlanta as a fundraiser for the international development organization, CARE. A native of Delaware County, Pa., Karen received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Villanova University in 1982, and a master’s degree in business administration from Fordham University in 1989. “There is nothing harder for this agency than losing a volunteer, and after many years, I wholeheartedly hope the Phillips family can . . .

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Lakes of Darkness, A Poem by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64)

Lakes of Darkness In Memory of A.J. Montesi He came to this green shore From loneliness of bachelor nights, Empty Sundays, A year of failing dreams, Mirrored into miseries. From semesters of faculty treachery, Misdemeanors in the hall. Months of silly students, Who turned his kindness Into youthful gall. A little man, Who wears his age with grace; He brought to me A spirit bent from a life of Use. We slid the books aside; Fished for trout off the point. I caught a fighting rainbow Who fought my arching pole Desperate for its life. Another trout flipped in space for flies Then slid again to darkness. That slap of water brought To mind our own fixed lives. He saw himself In a shrinking world Where good men fashion Wars with words. I knew his history As I know my own. We all have lakes of darkness, Not to seek in refuge, But . . .

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The Peace Corps Announces Top Volunteer Producing States On Slow News Day

The Peace Corps Announces Top Volunteer-Producing States and Metropolitan Areas for 2013 Vermont reclaims top spot among states with the most volunteers per capita, also ranks among top metro areas per capita WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 11, 2013 – The Peace Corps today released the 2013 rankings of the top volunteer-producing states and metropolitan areas across the country. Vermont reclaimed the No. 1 spot among states with the most Peace Corps volunteers per capita with 7.8 volunteers for every 100,000 residents, a position it last held in 2010. Vermont also ranked among the top metro areas per capita. The Burlington-South Burlington metro area ranked second behind Ithaca, N.Y., where volunteers accounted for 11.7 of every 100,000 residents. California, New York and Texas continue to be the Peace Corps’ top states, and New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana held their positions as Peace Corps’ top metro areas. “Americans from all across . . .

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Review of Robert E. Hamilton's (Ethiopia 1965-67) Short and Shorter

Short and Shorter: Short Stories and Poetry By Robert E. Hamilton (Ethiopia 1965-67) self-published,$.99 ebook 204 pages 2013 Reviewed by Darcy Munson Meijer (Gabon 1982-84) RPCV Robert Hamilton has collected 41 of his short stories and poems in Short and Shorter: Short Stories and Poetry. The stories were written between 1976 and 2013, and Hamilton laid them out in the order that they were written. Not primarily a writer, Hamilton wrote most of the stories as gifts to friends and family. Nonetheless, I found almost all of them quite pleasant to read. As I read the first stories in the collection, my suspense was up. I feared that the character alone in the library at night would be stabbed by a deranged recluse. I expected Winston to get ensnared by ruthless arms dealers. I thought Mrs. Blake had an ugly secret. In fact, nobody in the stories gets hurt (though . . .

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Review of Mark Wentling's novel Africa's Embrace

Africa’s Embrace Mark Wentling (Honduras, 1967-69; Togo, 1970-73; PC Staff, Togo, Gabon, & Niger, 1973-77) A Peace Corps Writers Book, $16.78 (paperback); $14.34 (Kindle) 348 pages 2013 Reviewed by Jack Allison, Malawi, 1967-69) What an engaging gem of a novel!  The jacket cover sums up the book nicely:  “Although Africa’s Embrace is literary fiction, the novel is, in actuality, a thinly-veiled autobiographical account of the author’s three years of working in an African village back in the 1970s.” Apparently the author, Mark Wentling, took an oath not to reveal parts of the story for 40 years, and he honored that promise.  The novel is a three-year adventure story of how a young chap from Kansas adapted to life in remote West Africa. The protagonist, David, is renamed “Bobovovi” by the village elders; after he is “transported” magically down a mountain “on a moonbeam,” he is thereafter viewed and treated differently by . . .

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