April 2016 – Page 2 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Review — STREET OF ETERNAL HAPPINESS by Rob Schmitz (China)

Apr 15 2016

Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road by Rob Schmitz (China 1996–98) Crown May 2016 336 pages $28.00 (paperback), $13.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Peter Van Deekle (Iran 1968-70) • How can any Westerner comprehend much less understand the complexities of modern China? With its vast landmass and diverse populations, its centuries-long dynasties, imposed isolation from the world, and its dynamic political and financial emergence, China represents the ultimate challenge for modern international relations. So, what prospects can an American have for beginning to grasp the conflicting and converging elements of modern China? While these prospects may face any American, Peace Corps service (begun toward the end of the Twentieth Century in China — 1993) offers among the broadest and deepest opportunities for meaningful understanding of China’s ancient traditions and incredibly rapid growth and change today. Rob Schmitz accepted his Peace Corps assignment to China in 1996, and served there for . . .

Emily Creigh (Paraguay) publishes JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE CONDOR

Apr 14 2016

Journey to the Heart of the Condor: Love, Loss, and Survival in a South American Dictatorship is the story of author Emily Creigh’s Peace Corps service in Paraguay from 1975 to 1977, during the height of repression carried out by the U.S.-backed Alfredo Stroessner dictatorship in its push to rid the country of political “dissidents” (a term conveniently applied to anyone opposed to the dictator). Creigh’s touching and humorous story of personal transformation unfolds against the backdrop of the regime’s brutality as related by co-author Dr. Martín Almada, a Paraguayan attorney and educator. Dr. Almada became one of the first victims of Operation Condor — the covert international campaign of state terrorism — and spent nearly three years in prison after being falsely accused of being a communist sympathizer. The two narratives overlap in a heartrending yet inspirational story of patriotism, sacrifice, and redemption. A recent college graduate struggling to . . .

Branding the Peace Corps — President Obama allowing agency to change logo

Apr 13 2016

FROM USA TODAY BY GREGORY KORTE APRIL 11, 2016 WASHINGTON — President Obama, often criticized by Republicans for constitutional overreach for his use of executive orders to get around Congress, signed the 254th executive order of his presidency Friday — allowing the Peace Corps to change its logo. In his seven years in office, he’s also used executive orders to change the name of the National Security Staff to the National Security Council staff, to allow the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to also consider the role of nutrition, and to prohibit government employees from texting while driving. And, showing that executive orders can attend to even the smallest details, Obama signed an executive order in 2014 to correct a typographical error in a previous executive order — which governed the format of executive orders. Executive orders are often thought of as the most muscular form of presidential . . .

Review — OFF TO THE NEXT WHEREVER, stories by John Michael Flynn (Moldova)

Apr 11 2016

Off To The Next Wherever by John Michael Flynn (Moldova 1993-95) Fomite Publisher April 2016 265 pages $15.00 (paperback), $4.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Kathleen Coskran (Ethiopia 1965-67) • Off to the Next Wherever aptly describes the scope and action of this new collection of short stories by John Michael Flynn. His characters are certainly on the move — wherever and everywhere — many of them with a stronger taste of a past than a hope for the future. In the best stories they find satisfaction, if not happiness or resolution. And they inhabit the world we live in, the one world. Flynn protagonists are male, female, gay and straight; as young as 12, old enough to worry about being old, and everybody in between. Flynn also deftly moves the reader through time and space — evoking the life of a newsboy in the 1940s, a druggie in the 60s, Reagan sloganeering, “Peace Through Strength,” in the 80s — right . . .

B.A. East’s (Malawi) new novel: TWO PUMPS FOR THE BODY MAN

Apr 09 2016

In Two Pumps for the Body Man by B.A. East (Malawi 1996–98) protagonist Jeff Mutton walks the diplomatic beat protecting American officials in Saudi Arabia. An expert with guns, knives, grenades, and rockets, he’s survived assaults and sieges, stabbings and chokeholds, car bombs, carjackings, criminal hits, and countless other enemy threats. But instinct tells Mutton the menace he now faces dwarfs all these killers combined. Part soft-boiled noir, part literary satire, Two Pumps for the Body Man is an unserious look at a serious situation, a grim reminder that no matter how high the barricade, how sharp the razor wire, there is no front line to the War on Terror. And the enemy is everywhere, even within. • B.A. East grew up in Connecticut, studied writing, journalism, and literature at Central Connecticut State University, and after graduation studied education at the University of New Haven. Ben then joined the Peace Corps and spent two years teaching . . .

How to make money writing books

Apr 08 2016

If you are interested in writing books, especially ebooks, you might want to check out Mike Shatzkin’s blogs on the net or his ebook entitled, The Shatzkin Files, Volume 1. Shatzkin has been involved in the publishing business for nearly 50 years. For the past two decades he has been focused on the digital changes in publishing. Recently he published a blog item about Hugh Howey. Howey is best known for the science fiction series Silo published on Amazon.com’s Kindle Direct Publishing system. Shatzkin quotes Howey: “Too few successful self-pubbed authors talk about the incredible hours and hard work they put in, so it all seems so easy and attainable. The truth is, you’ve got to outwork most other authors out there. You’ve got to think about writing a few novels a year for several years before you even know if you’ve got what it takes. Most authors give up before they . . .

RPCV Congressman John Garamendi (Ethiopia) on Fox Business Today

Apr 07 2016

Congressman John Garamendi (Ethiopia 1966-68) will appear on Fox Business at 12PM PT/3PM ET to discuss the effect of North Korea, South China Sea, and ISIL on the presidential campaigns. John is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

HuffPost publishes essay by Betsy Small Campbell (Sierra Leone)

Apr 06 2016

Huffington Post has published If You Plant Rice, You Get Rice by Betsy Small Campbell (Sierra Leone 1984–87) — an essay about her country of service, the diamond war, and the children of war. She is currently working on a book about her time in the Peace Corps called Before, Before.

Peace Corps announces online panel with RPCVs about “How Faith Interacts with Service”

Apr 06 2016

Peace Corps is going to host an online panel of RPCVs who will discuss how their faith influenced their service. It is necessary to register to “join the session.” I have copied the announcement, here. If you wish to register, go to the Peace Corps web page at: http://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/learn/meet/events/25119/ Here is the announcement: “Religion Abroad – How Faith Interacts with Service Online Date 04/08/2016 Time 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Pacific) Description How does faith interact with Peace Corps service? Peace Corps service involves community integration and cultural exchange. How does faith fit in? Join us for this special online panel event as Returned Peace Corps Volunteers discuss the ways their religious backgrounds shaped their time abroad. Registration is necessary to join this session. Please register here to attend. About the Peace Corps: Read more or watch a video about what it’s like to be a Volunteer including what Volunteers do, . . .

Peace Corps Response Volunteers for Liberia and Sierra Leone

Apr 05 2016

Peace Corps Response recently reopened programs in Liberia and Sierra Leone! The Peace Corps is currently seeking multiple STEM Educators, Literacy Educators, and STEM and Literacy Teacher Trainers in both countries to depart in August 2016. All positions are for 11 months. For more information, contact the agency at pcresponse@peacecorps.gov or (202) 692-2250. Apply Now

Words of wisdom from the world of self-publishing

Apr 05 2016

Reading the Winter 2016 issue of Authors Guild Bulletin I came across Angela Bole’s column on “Indie Publishing: A Primer” Bole is the CEO and executive director of the Independent Book Publishers Association and her current column in the issue covers all sorts of publishing in today’s world. However, her paragraphs on self-publishing were interesting for a number of reasons. She writes that the fast-growing segment of independent publishing is self-publishing, and that Bowker — the “world’s leading provider of bibliographic information” — reports that in 2013, 458,564 self-published titles came out, a jump of 17% since 2012, and 437% over 2008. There are basically two kinds of self-publishing, assisted self-publishing and DIY self-publishing. She is not a fan of DIY self-publishing, saying, “Considering the complexities of the publishing business, there are almost no circumstances in which I’d recommend a fully DIY self-publishing approach.” She goes onto write, “The . . .

A Writer Writes: Beautiful Stranger — a poem by Mark Brazaitis (Guatemala)

Apr 02 2016

• “I’ve seen them from bus windows in Chimaltenango, stepping out at dusk before the men come. They aren’t pretty. Have you noticed how their waists always look like they’re supporting gun belts and their eyes always seem to be in shadow, as if curtains had been pulled over them? “Changing busses once in El Rancho, I was walking across town, if you want to call it a town — it’s all dust and cashew stands — and out of the back door of some building stepped this woman, no, only a girl. She was as tall as I was and she didn’t have the gun-belt waist and she didn’t have the shadowed eyes, although I could tell she was going to get them one day, one day soon. She smiled at me, a smile I bet she’d worn a thousand times already, and she motioned to me like someone . . .

The Peace Corps John F. Kennedy Service Awards

Apr 01 2016

The Peace Corps presents the John F. Kennedy Service Awards once every five years to six individuals who have given outstanding service to the Peace Corps, both at home and abroad. Established in 2006, the awards recognize two currently serving Peace Corps Volunteers, two Peace Corps staff members, one Returned Peace Corps Response Volunteer and one Returned Peace Corps Volunteer for contributions beyond their duties to the Agency and the nation. Award recipients must demonstrate exceptional service and leadership and further the Peace Corps’ mission and it’s three goals: to help the people of interested countries meet their needs for trained men and women; to help promote a better understanding of American on the part of the people served; and, to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. Each member of the Peace Corps family contributes to the agency’s success. The John F. Kennedy . . .

Archive - April 2016