The Peace Corps

    Killer Reunion A Donald Strachey Mystery by Richard Lipez (Ethiopia 1962-64) writing as Richard Stevenson MLR Press Publisher 260 pages May 1, 2019 $14.99 (paperback), $6.99 (Kindle)   Reviewed by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith (Cameroon 1965-67) • Don Strachey, PI, is back, and so is his sharp-witted husband and sounding board, Timmy, “a rational man,” says Don. Damned adorable too, says my own thought patterns based on Lipez’s ability to bring forth a sharp picture of the character on the printed page. Aren’t writers brilliant in that we can create a person out of thin air, and a reader can see him/her/it based on little black marks on a white page? Some writers are better at this than others, Stevenson among the former. (If you haven’t read the first fifteen Strachey’s, Timmy was once a Peace Corps Volunteer, and his resulting unique window on the world helps our PI . . .

Press Release Peace Corps renews partnership with National Peace Corps Association in Austin, Texas 6/24/2019 5:56 PM NPCA President Glenn Blumhorst and Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen signed a joint MOU at Peace Corps Connect. AUSTIN, TX – Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen and National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) President Glenn Blumhorst signed a Memorandum of Understanding June 21 to renew the organizations’ commitments to support the Peace Corps’ mission. The two groups will continue to implement initiatives that promote a better understanding among Americans of other people and cultures around the world and educate the public on Peace Corps programs and service opportunities. The memorandum was signed during the Peace Corps Connect conference—an annual gathering of returned Peace Corps volunteers hosted by NPCA. The 2019 conference took place in Austin, Texas, with the help of the Heart of Texas Peace Corps Association, and centered on the theme “Innovation for . . .

    Rowland Scherman was the first or second photographer for the Peace Corps in 1961. His photographs appeared in Life, Look, Time, National Geographic, Paris Match and Playboy, among many others. He photographed many of the iconic musical, cultural, and political events of the 1960s, including the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, the Beatles first US concert, and Woodstock. He won a Grammy Award in 1968 for his photograph cover of Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits. His published collections include “Love Letters”, an alphabet formed by posed dancers, and “Elvis is Everywhere.” He lived lives today on Cape Cod. [6] Rowland Scherman describes his day as the official photographer for USIA at the March on Washington, 1963. In his book, Timeless–photography of Rowland Scherman, Scherman shows and comments on some of his most famous pictures. A documentary movie was made about Rowland Scherman by Chris Szwedo, called Eye on the Sixties; it has been shown on public television and at the Smithsonian. The film is today at 1 pm on many PBS . . .

CRAIG STORTI INTERVIEWS JOE LURIE ABOUT HIS BOOK “PERCEPTION AND DECEPTION: A MIND-OPENING JOURNEY ACROSS CULTURES” Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research Newsletter June 10, 2019 | Interview with Joe Lurie, Executive Director Emeritus, UC Berkeley International House Why did you write this book? With YouTubes, tweets and fake news crossing cultures instantly and without context and with a surge of migrants encountering new hosts from different countries for the first time and without preparation, I sensed a growing collision of cultures. The alarming increase in intercultural misperceptions and miscommunications makes it more essential than ever to understand the actual meanings and intentions behind words and actions which may seem abnormal, provocative, even threatening. And so I wrote the book to heighten awareness of these misunderstandings and to provide tools for understanding culture clashes in the news of the day, in business, technology, diplomacy, language, religion, generational divides and migration. . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from David Miron (Colombia 1963-65) The Wall Street Journal June 22, 2019 By Russell Gold Updated June 22, 2019 12:01 am ET Adapted from “SUPERPOWER: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy” by Wall Street Journal reporter Russell Gold, to be published by Simon & Schuster, Inc., on June 25. When Michael Skelly first visited the Oklahoma panhandle in 2009, he gazed at a giant grid with squares of corn and grassland. There were few houses, one every mile or so. Half had been abandoned decades ago by homesteaders who gave up to the elements. This pancake-flat landscape, he thought, held the key to overturning one of the greatest misconceptions of the climate-change crisis. For years, the wind and the sun were widely dismissed as niche sources of power that could never fill America’s vast need for energy. But now the cost of solar and wind power had . . .

This month, Hobart and William Smith unveiled new portraits of the Colleges’ longest serving president and his wife, Mary Herlihy Gearan. On Saturday, June 15, HWS hosted a reception to celebrate the installation of a photograph of President Emeritus Mark D. and Mary Herlihy Gearan L.H.D. ’17, P’21 in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, and of the official past President’s portrait in Coxe Hall. Nozomi Hilayama-Williams L.H.D. ’14 generously provided funding for the photograph.   The joint photograph of the Gearans was taken by Louis Fabian Bachrach, a fourth generation photographer whose portraits have included President Ronald Reagan, President George H.W. Bush, Senator Edward Kennedy, Coretta Scott King, Bill Gates and Julia Child. Bachrach’s grandfather David, who had served as an assistant photographer during the Civil War for Harper’s Weekly, opened his first studio in 1868 in Baltimore. David’s son expanded the business, opening 48 studios across the country by . . .

    US House Rejects Amendment that included One Year Elimination of Peace Corps Fund Congratulations and thanks to the National Peace Corps Association and  everyone in the RPCV Community for all the work in defeating this awful amendment.  NPCA estimates Congress received over 9000 emails and contacts.  Special thanks to John Coyne of Peace Corps World Wide who circulated the information and estimates over 2600 people read it on this website.  All that work was invaluable. Here is the announcement posted on the NPCA website: https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/articles/us-house-of-overwhelmingly-rejects-amendment-that-included-one-year-re-allocation-of-peace-corps-funds?fbclid=IwAR0VFMhk37RFoy07OVLunF_7njIg2WOOSnYOJp5sPeBzC9QeE66c0x5oE2Q Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives came together Tuesday evening to soundly reject a proposal to re-allocate foreign assistance funding in Fiscal Year 2020, including the elimination of all House funds slated for the Peace Corps. An amendment to the State/Foreign Operations funding package to cut just over $19 billion in foreign assistance programs was defeated by a vote of 315 to 110. 81 . . .

Last week, Congressman Mark Walker of North Carolina introduced an amendment to eliminate funding for the #PeaceCorps and other international assistance programs in Fiscal Year 2020, and re-allocate those funds to cover the disaster assistance funds. The impetus for this amendment was Rep. Walker’s concern about the $19 billion dollar spending bill Congress racked up ten days ago for disaster assistance. Congresswoman Nita Lowey took to the House Floor to oppose this amendment and defend the Peace Corps. We hope that you will join us in contacting your congressperson and urge them to oppose Rep. Walker’s amendment before the vote tomorrow,  Tuesday. Visit:https://advocacy.peacecorpsconnect.org/email-congress#/47

Thank you to the National Peace Corps Association for posting this alarming news on their Facebook Page.  Please read it. National Peace Corps Association 30 mins · Yesterday, Congressman Mark Walker of North Carolina introduced an amendment to eliminate funding for the #PeaceCorps and other international assistance programs in Fiscal Year 2020, and re-allocate those funds to cover the disaster assistance funds. The impetus for this amendment was Rep. Walker’s concern about the $19 billion dollar spending bill Congress racked up ten days ago for disaster assistance. Congresswoman Nita Lowey took to the House Floor to oppose this amendment and defend the Peace Corps. We hope that you will join us in contacting your congressperson and urge them to oppose Rep. Walker’s amendment before the vote next Tuesday. Visit: https://advocacy.peacecorpsconnect.org/email-congress#/47 C-SPAN.ORG Opposing Amendment to Eliminate the Peace CorpsChairwoman Lowey rises in strong opposition to Amendment 27 proposed by Rep. Walker, . . .

This is an article published on the 11th of June in The Bond Buyer that outlines what is happening in higher education today in the U.S. Let me ask (to keep the Peace Corps relevant) What if the Peace Corps developed, with one or more universities, Peace Corps Programs where PCVs would go into the developing world and working with universities back here at home–as we once did with Training in the early 60s–but this time have academic programs for Host Country National students so that they could obtain college degrees via computers (provided by the Peace Corps) and never have to leave their villages or travel to the U.S.. Think about that and remember your experiences as a PCV overseas. Using new technology and PCVs on site, we could educate people across the world, not just those who had family money, from countries like China, to come to America. It . . .

    Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Dale Gilles (Liberia 1964-66) • Grants for projects favored by McConnell raise ethical questions for Elaine Chao   BY CHRIS MILLS RODRIGO From The Hill Paper,6/10/19   Secretary Elaine Chao‘s Department of Transportation (DOT) designated a special liaison for grant applications in Kentucky, the home state of her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), Politico reported Monday, facilitating awards totaling at least $78 million for projects favored by the GOP lawmaker. The liaison, Todd Inman, reportedly stated in an email to McConnell’s office that Chao had personally asked him to serve as an intermediary who could assist the senator and local Kentucky officials on grants with special significance to McConnell. Those grants included a highway-improvement project in a McConnell political stronghold that had been rejected twice previously, according to Politico. Beginning in April 2017, Inman and Chao reportedly met annually with local officials from Owensboro, Ky., and discussed two projects of special importance: a plan . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Maureen Orth (Colombia 1964-66) World Peace World Peace is a celebration of the efforts by artists and statesmen seeking a more peaceful world. Music has long been a vehicle for inspiring people to seek peaceful ways to bridge political and cultural divides. Artists featured on this album include Keb’ Mo’, India Marie, Nina Simone and many more. We greatly appreciate these musicians’ commitment to achieving peace, justice and freedom. 2% of proceeds from this album will be donated to the National Peace Corps Association.  Read more… This album is also available at thousands of gift, book and other specialty stores worldwide and on iTunes. www.putumayo.com.au. © 2019 by Putumayo World Music. Questions? Comments? Please contact us at: info@putumayo.com About the Album Putumayo is pleased to announce the release of World Peace on June 14th, 2019. It was inspired by President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Reverend Martin . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Mary-Ann Tirone Smith (Cameroon 1965-67) From the Daily Kos Reporter Gabriel Sherman obtained a copy of the 1993 prenuptial agreement between Donald Trump and Marla Maples, the woman he left his first wife, Ivana, for after publicly dating Marla Maples while still married. That affair resulted in Tiffany Trump, whose child support was considered in the agreement. There are several interesting items to unpack in this agreement, including the near-universal acknowledgement that Trump inflated his net worth for the agreement, but let’s start with the most eyebrow-raising: the child support terms for Tiffany Trump. More than anything, the prenup shows how fiercely Trump wanted to protect the money he did have. Maples reportedly wanted $25 million, but Trump agreed to pay her only $1 million if they separated within five years, plus another $1 million to buy a house. Trump also would stop making $100,000 child support . . .

To further fulfill its goals to encourage, recognize and promote Peace Corps writers, RPCV Writers & Readers, the newsletter that was the precursor of PeaceCorpsWriters.org and PeaceCorpsWorldwide.org, presented its first annual awards for outstanding writing in 1990. A total of 151 awards have been given since that time. Winners receive a certificate and small cash award. Nominate your favorite Peace Corps book published in 2018 by sending an email to: jcoyneone@gmail.com The Awards THE MARIA THOMAS FICTION AWARD, first presented in 1990, is named after the novelist Maria Thomas [Roberta Worrick (Ethiopia 1971–73)] who was the author of the well-reviewed novel Antonia Saw the Oryx First, and two collections of short stories, Come to Africa and Save Your Marriage: And Other Stories and African Visas: A Novella and Stories, all set in Africa. Roberta lost her life in August, 1989, while working in Ethiopia for a relief agency. She went down in the plane crash that also killed her husband, . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Dale Gilles (Liberia 1964-66)   Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary, oversees the American maritime industry. Her family’s shipping company, Foremost Group, has deep ties to the Chinese elite. By Michael Forsythe, Eric Lipton, Keith Bradsher and Sui-Lee Wee June 2, 2019 阅读简体中文版閱讀繁體中文版 The email arrived in Washington before dawn. An official at the American Embassy in Beijing was urgently seeking advice from the State Department about an “ethics question.” “I am writing you because Mission China is in the midst of preparing for a visit from Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao,” the official wrote in October 2017. Ms. Chao’s office had made a series of unorthodox requests related to her first scheduled visit to China as a Trump cabinet member, according to people with knowledge of the email. Among them: asking federal officials to help coordinate travel arrangements for at least one family member and include relatives in meetings with . . .