Via US Embassy Kabul/FB | On November 30, 2011, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, joined by Deputy Minister of Education Patman and Dr. Charlotte Cole of Sesame Workshop, attended the launch of the Afghan version of Sesame Street, Baghch-e-SimSim, which was produced in cooperation with Tolo TV / Moby Group. The event was moderated by Tolo's Masood Sanjer, and featured muppets Grover (Kajkoal) and Ernie (Hadi) at the French Cultural Center Kabul, Afghanistan.
But where's Elmo?
On Saturday, November 19, 2011, the American Rhodes Scholar Class of 2012 was announced. From a pool of 830 candidates who had been nominated by their colleges and universities, 32 students were selected to commence their studies at Oxford in October 2012.
One familiar name from Foggy Bottom:
Ronan S. Farrow | Washington, DC, graduated with double majors in philosophy and biology from Bard College in 2004. He was the college’s youngest graduate ever, at age 15. He is now its first Rhodes Scholar. He graduated from Yale Law School in 2009, where he edited the Yale Journal of International Affairs. He is currently Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues, and before that was Special Advisor for Humanitarian and NGO Affairs. He has been a political commentator on three networks and in many national publications, and is a songwriter and guitarist. He grew up with fourteen adopted siblings from seven countries speaking six languages. At Oxford, Ronan plans to do a D.Phil. in international development.
Image via WikipediaRonan Farrow who was officially appointed Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues last June is apparently "in a committed relationship with Chef Boyardee" as he "ate microwaved StateDept convenience store food at desk after 10pm at least twice" last week.
Well, sure, I wanted to know what you ate for lunch at your desk every day of the week since you came back to Foggy Bottom but you never said/tweeted anything about having a committed relationship with Chef B or about the State Dept cafeteria food. And he did. And not just about any food either but our top US banker's food, too!
Ronan Farrow
Pretty sure if #China found out what the @StateDept cafeteria's passing off as Chinese food it'd cause a diplomatic incident.
19 Aug
Ronan FarrowHere he is at the UN during a meeting on youth at the General Assembly last month:
Special Adviser to the Secretary of State
Global Youth Issues
Term of Appointment: 06/30/2011 to present
Ronan Farrow is Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues and director of the State Department’s Global Youth Issues office. With youth populations swelling and young people driving global events to an unprecedented extent, Special Adviser Farrow is responsible for implementing and amplifying youth policy and programming throughout the Department. The Office of Global Youth Issues, created by Secretary Clinton as a result of a Department-wide review of youth policy, oversees an historic effort to empower young people as economic and civic actors through US programs, encourage governments to respond to youth through US diplomacy, and directly engage young people around the world.
A lawyer and former human rights advocate and journalist, Special Adviser Farrow assumed his current role following two years as the State Department’s Special Adviser for Humanitarian and NGO Affairs in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, overseeing the U.S. Government’s relationships with civil society and non-governmental actors.
Prior to joining the State Department, he served as Spokesperson for Youth at UNICEF, working with youth groups on the AIDS epidemic in Nigeria, on post-war reconstruction efforts in Angola, and in the Darfur region of Sudan. His writings on humanitarian and human rights issues have appeared in publications including the Los Angeles Times, the International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal, and he has appeared on MSNBC, ABC and CNN, among others, advocating for children associated with armed conflicts. He has heavily emphasized youth engagement in his advocacy efforts, working at the forefront of the student movement on Darfur and touring the country speaking at universities as a Representative for the Genocide Intervention Network.
In 2008, he was awarded Refugees International’s McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award for “extraordinary service to refugees and displaced people.” In 2009, he was named by New York Magazine as their “New Activist” of the year and included on their list of individuals “on the verge of changing their worlds.” In 2010, Harper’s Bazaar named him their “up-and-coming politician of the year.”
He is a graduate of Yale Law School and a member of the New York bar. During his time at Yale Law School, he practiced at New York-based law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. He has also served on the legal counsel team for the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, working on international human rights law issues.
On July 7, 2011, Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin and his wife Susan Tolson welcomed 3000 guests to a Fourth of July Garden Party in Paris to celebrate the 235th anniversary of American Independence. American soprano Renée Fleming with the Dipnotes Choir sang during the festivities. The embassy also had some Glee stars. More photos here. Below is the best video I could find.
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| Information Officer Andie sings the American National Anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner." Photo from US CG Karachi/Facebook |
What does that not mean, really? I read through the OIG inspection report of US Embassy Norway and it looks like our ambassador there is an okay chief of mission, morale is good, and no one has asked to be transferred to Greater Georgebushistan. He is an "effective political appointee" according to the report. The inspectors seem to be saying he's good, too bad he's not the real deal. I read quite a bunch of OIG reports for breakfast and I don't think I've ever had my Honey Bunches of Oats with a report that says "he (or she) is an effective career appointee" for career diplomats. It seems like a low blow distinction. I mean, c'mon -- the ambassador is either an effective ambassador or not.
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| Ambassador White with hey -- that's "No Way Out" Kevin Costner Photo from US Embassy Oslo/Facebook |
• Embassy Oslo’s political appointee Ambassador and experienced Foreign Service deputy chief of mission work closely to advance the goals identified in the embassy’s Mission Strategic and Resource Plan.
• The front office needs to do more to foster effective communication amongembassy elements, allowing sections, some of them on the outside of the policydiscussion, to work effectively beyond their own portfolios.
• The embassy’s workload, combined with the numerous high-level visitors andcongressional delegations that visit during the busy summer months, can pushthe embassy to the limit of its capacity. Better strategic planning could help toaddress this issue.
• The consular section has been proactive and effective in using a variety ofoutreach tools, including town halls, travel and speaking engagements outside the capital, appearances on local and national media, and an innovative newsletter, to provide consular services and communicate and inform the American community in Norway.
• Norway has low unemployment and a highly competitive labor market, andEmbassy Oslo experiences unusually high local staff turnover. The embassyshould determine whether any changes are needed in the work environment topromote retention of local staff.
"Norway is Scandinavia’s northernmost country, bordering Sweden, Finland, and Russia to the east, the Barents Sea to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea to the west. Thanks to the large petroleum reserves on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and careful management of oil and gas revenues, it is one of the world’s wealthiest countries on a per capita basis and enjoys the highest standard of living, as measured by the Human Development Index. Roughly half of Norway’s population lives within 75 miles of downtown Oslo, whose population is among the fastest growing in Europe, due in almost equal degree to high birth rates and immigration."
"During the inspection, domestic political attention focused on the United States as a result of sensationalist press coverage alleging that the embassy’s surveillance detection unit had been conducting espionage on Norwegian citizens over the past 10 years. The unit became the object of a police investigation and a Ministry of Justice report to parliament to determine if its employees “spied for a foreign power” or violated Norway’s privacy laws. This case, with its potential to cast a shadow on the United States-Norway bilateral relationship, occupied much of the embassy’s attention during the OIG inspection."
"The Ambassador is an effective political appointee, who actively seeks to be a positive face of the United States. The deputy chief of mission (DCM) is an experienced, senior Foreign Service officer who takes his role as mentor seriously. Together, they have worked to advance the goals identified in the embassy’s Mission Strategic and Resource Plan (MSRP), including securing Norwegian cooperation on global and regional political-military issues; countering terrorism; winning support for U.S. policies; combating climate change; and promoting common economic and business objectives. Embassy staff perceives the Ambassador as open, friendly, and outgoing, and he is often seen around the chancery engaging with them. Morale in the embassy is good.
The DCM has responsibility for coordinating policy details, internal embassy management, and priority setting. This arrangement has freed the Ambassador to assume a more public, externally oriented role. The DCM and section and agency heads keep the Ambassador informed of developments. However, some elements within the mission characterized embassy communication, including within the front office itself, as incomplete. Indeed, the team observed a classic “stovepiping” of activity, with a high degree of delegation that leaves insufficient room for the coordinating function the front office should provide."
"Embassy Oslo has an unusually high employee turnover rate. The numbers reached a high of approximately 40 percent in 2007, and the 2010 turnover through November 1 is around 25 percent. The embassy has done standard exit interviews to determine why people are leaving, but there has been no systematic analysis of the information it has obtained. The high turnover creates inefficiencies, including a constant need for expensive and time-consuming training. Norway has very little unemployment, and the embassy has competition from many local and international employers; this situation would predict a higher turnover rate than at other embassies, but there are likely other factors contributing to the retention issue. Employees note that the embassy’s salary and benefits are competitive, and anecdotal evidence indicates that few depart because they are dissatisfied with their salary."
"Norway, with its wonderful summer environment and outdoor/health focus, enjoys a very high quality of life. However, it is not always an easy place for a non-Norwegian to live. Challenges include one of the world’s highest costs of living, and a persistent winter gloom that begins in November and ends in March. The cold weather and lack of sunshine require embassy staff to create opportunities for exercise and social activity during the long winters."
She's back!
Kristie Kenney was our media-savvy ambassador to the Philippines from 2006-2010. During that time, we have seen her do the papaya dance, and joined Wowowee. She also did Shall We Dance in 2009 to the delight of her host country nationals. We followed her in Under the Sea and More and when she did her Thanksgiving in the Philippines. She had an official blog carried by america.gov at that time, and when she departed the Philippines in 2010, she said goodbye online and tweeted and blogged her farewell.
Ambassador Kenney has a personal Twitter account followed by some 12,000 fans and is listed 345 times. But here's the thing -- the Filipinos can't seem to quit her. Really. Her Pinoy pals still follow her in between assignment and on to Bangkok. Even when she already had a successor in place at the US Embassy in Manila. Now, how about that?
Ambassador Kenney was nominated on July 19, 2010 by President Barack Obama to be the US Ambassador to the Royal Kingdom of Thailand. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 29, 2010. She got to Bangkok this weekend but days before her arrival, the US Embassy Thailand posted a video greeting from Ambassador Kenney and on January 5 announced a foodie contest in Facebook. You tell them your favorite Thai dish and where to eat it through FB posts and the top three comments that get the most "Likes" will get a chance to meet Ambassador Kristie Kenney in person.
Image via WikipediaDuring her visit to Australia, the Secretary of State had a fun chat with Hamish and Andy, the popular radio comedy dudes down under who run the Hamish and Andy Show.
Listen here or download Hamish & Andy - Best Of Monday 8th November (Download this clip) The transcript excerpted below is funny enough but you gotta listen to the clip to hear HRC's sparkling laughter.
QUESTION: It’s a best before rather than a use by, so it may be it’s a rough guide. (Laughter.) Well, thank you so much for joining us first of all, Secretary Clinton. And you’re traveling around doing these conversations with predominantly young people. Probably a serious question out of the way first: Is the impetus for these trips that you feel this sort of a mismatch or imbalance, perhaps, between the way American is perceived and as you as the Secretary of State are the conduit to the rest of the world from America with how America’s perceived and what America’s message is?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I think that’s a fair question and I would say yes. I think that for young people today, this is such a busy, almost over stimulated, environment that you all come to maturity in and I think the United States has a deep understanding among people who are older because of the military alliances, the wars we’ve fought against totalitarianism in the 20th century and the like. But for young people, there’s a lot of other things going on and --
QUESTION: The Kardashians give us a lot of our (inaudible) import.
SECRETARY CLINTON: The Kardashians, exactly. If you look at American TV as much of the rest of the world does, you would think we all went around wrestling and wearing bikinis. I mean, that’s what you would think we spend our entire day --
[...]
QUESTION: It all requires excellent patience, great negotiation skills. Your husband also possesses those qualities. When you two can’t agree on what to get for takeaway dinner, who wins out in that type of negotiation?
SECRETARY CLINTON: We practice different models of negotiation around important issues like that.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Because if I were to say to him, as I have on many occasions, “What shall we have for dinner tonight?” If he says to me, “Oh, I don’t care; you choose,” I know that’s a really bad answer, because then I’m stuck with the responsibility.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY CLINTON: So I will come back and I’ll say, “All right. Well, so how do you feel about Chinese -- “
QUESTION: Oh, good.
SECRETARY CLINTON: “ -- or Mexican or Italian?” And if he says a second time, “I really, really don’t care,” then I will go choose. Now, contrarily, if he says to me, “What do you want for dinner tonight,” I will say, “What do you want?” Then he’ll go, “Well, I was thinking of maybe picking up some Thai.” And if I’m in a good humor, I’ll say, “That’s fine.” But if I am feeling not enthusiastic about Thai, I’ll say, “Well, maybe we should consider something else.” And he’ll say, “Well, then you choose.” (Laughter.)
QUESTION: Do you ever eat before midnight? (Laughter.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: We are very late eaters. Yes, we do. I mean, this could go on -- this goes on for some time.
QUESTION: You want to make sure people don’t know that he had half of the conversation, because you’ve got former President talking to the current Secretary of State, how do you feel about Chinese -- (laughter) -- I don’t know. I don’t really like Chinese. That could be catastrophic.
SECRETARY CLINTON: That’s why we have our rooms swept every day. (Laughter.)
[...]
QUESTION: Well, I mean, in your role now as Secretary of State, you have such high-level meetings and also as First Lady and U.S. senator, have you ever said the phrase, “You’ve just made a very powerful enemy?” (Laughter.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: No, but I’ve thought it. (Laughter.)
QUESTION: What’s a nicer way to say it. Do you just have to go -- (laughter).
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I’ve learned diplo-speak. I’ve become very --
QUESTION: Because I suppose that’s a pretty big threat.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes, well, but you can say -- when someone says --
QUESTION: If I just -- say I just crossed the United States of America --
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes, right.
QUESTION: -- horribly, how would you sort of convey that message to me?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I live by the old adage, "don’t get mad; get even". So you don’t want to jump any conclusions. You don’t want to be saying, “We have a lot of military (inaudible).” No, you don’t do any of that. You just -- what you try to do is to convince people that what you think is good for the country that you’re visiting and good for the world they should as well.
[...]
QUESTION: I am just in a nutshell, there are some hot spots, there are some cold spots, things are okay.
SECRETARY CLINTON: That’s right. See, I’ve got this Goldilocks theory of foreign relations. It’s not too hot; it’s not too cold. You’ve got to get it just right.
[...]
QUESTION: I ran into my neighbor yesterday as I was taking party supplies into my house. And he said, “Are you having a barbeque?” I said, “Yes.” And he’s currently not invited, but now he knows that a barbeque is on. We have, on a microscale, we have diplomatic tensions.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yeah, you do. You have a potential hot spot next door.
QUESTION: We have a hostile neighbor. And we have a shared wall, too.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, the path of least resistance is to invite him.
QUESTION: He’s not a good mix. He’s not a good match.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Not a good match.
QUESTION: We sort of -- I don’t want to call him a rogue dissident, but --
SECRETARY CLINTON: How about this -- yeah, well, why don’t you take him over some barbeque?
QUESTION: And that’s why you are the Secretary of State of the United States of America. Thank you for joining.
Read full transcript of the Secretary's talk with Hamish and Andy | Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:06:13 -0600
The Second American – Kazakhstani Film Festival, organized and sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan and the Kazakhstani company, Eurasia Film Productions, took place in Almaty on October 29-31. The collaborative effort brought together the American Embassy and key figures from the American and Kazakhstani film industries. The film makers included the well known U.S. actor, producer and film director John Malkovich and U.S. producer Michael Fitzgerald. The Kazakhstani participants included producer Gulnara Sarsenova and director Yermek Shinarbayev. The festival featured six movies acted, directed, and produced by the film festival participants: While in Almaty, John Malkovich and Michael Fitzgerald joined master classes for Kazakhstani students, film festival panel discussions and answered the questions of numerous reporters.
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| U.S. Ambassador Richard Hoagland and U.S. actor, director and producer John Malkovich participate in The Second U.S. –Kazakhstani Film Festival press conference Photo from US Embassy Almaty |
Image via WikipediaSo, you know that the State Department spokesman, PJ Crowley is on Twitter, right?
Apparently, Mahmoud of Ahmadinejad has just turned 55. PJ was being clever, trying to get the guy to do something unusual on his birthday, like released the two young men who are still in Iranian jail for allegedly crossing into Iran. Remember those guys? The NYT reported that "a classified American military report made public by WikiLeaks, which describes the chaotic day when the hikers were detained, asserts that the hikers were on the Iraqi side of the border when they were seized."
So here's PJ | http://twitter.com/pjcrowley
# Happy birthday President #Ahmadinejad. Celebrate by sending Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer home. What a gift that would be.
#Iran 2:30 PM Oct 28th via web
# Your 54th year was full of lost opportunities. Hope in your 55th year you will open #Iran to a different relationship with the world.
2:31 PM Oct 28th via web
# Happy B'day Ahmadinejad wish sent by US Govt. Mind boggling foreign policy: kowtow & coddle enemies; snub allies. Obama Doctrine is nonsense
about 12 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®
# Americans awaken 2 bizarre natl security thinking of Obama Admn: Ahmadinejad b'day greeting after call 4 Israel's destruction speaks volumes
about 11 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®
Have you ever seen Jack Black in Nacho Libre where he played a monk moonlighting as a luchador (Mexican wrestler)? We'll, he is back this time without the blue tights and cape but as a professional "mis-informant" posing as an eight year old complete with a school backpack as accessory. Woo-hoo! Just in time to scare us out of our wits this Halloween.
Via HuffPo:
People who love Jack Black and hate lying corporations will get a real kick out of this hilarious viral campaign from Health Care For America Now. Stop Spewman is a two-part satire featuring Black and the lovely America Ferrera that attempts to shed light on the corporate misinformation dominating this Fall's elections.
In this first episode, Black's character Nathan Spewman, a professional "Mis-Informant" or undercover pawn of greedy corporations, tries to spread lies about Obama's health care plan by posing as an eight-year-old boy. Claiming to suffer from "Enlargitis" which makes him appear older, Spewman spreads fear among the kids in Ferrera's class about Obamacare and death panels, and even uses Justin Bieber as bait.
The Governator tweeted about his Asia trip (see selection below and @Schwarzenegger) and posed with the Embassy Marine Detachment.
On September 14, 2010, US Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens hosted a reception in honor of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Governor Schwarzenegger came to Korea on a trade mission, highlighting the close ties between the Republic of Korea and his state. Pictured below: Jeju Governor Woo Keun-Min, Representative Na Kyung-Won, and Gangwon Governor Lee Kwang-Jae with with the Governator and the ambassador.
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| Photo from US Embassy Seoul |
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| Photo from Ambassador Stephen's blog |
Over Anchorage, AK. Looking everywhere but can't see Russia from here. Will keep you updated as search continues. http://twitpic.com/2mvxod
Having breakfast with Ambassador Huntsman http://twitpic.com/2n7f3o
Meeting with Prime Minister Kan in Tokyo http://twitpic.com/2o0v0d
The US Embassy in Seoul pulled out all the stops http://twitpic.com/2objs8
Greeting our great troops in Seoul right now to thank them for their service http://twitpic.com2olu9k
Sonia Nassery Cole brought her film, The Black Tulip, to Kabul for its world premiere. Embassy staff were treated to a showing of the movie, shot entirely in Afghanistan, in a large shura tent. Cole also brought her son and co-producer Christopher Cole, cinematographer Dave McFarland and good friend and singer for the film's theme, Natalie Cole (no relation).
UNCHR Goodwill Ambassador, Angelina Jolie has released a new PSA calling attention to the flooding disaster in Pakistan.
