Foreign Service Overseas Crisis Readiness Online Course

FSI's Transition Center and the Leadership and Management School have put together this short course intended to help U.S Government families and members of household prepare for a crisis overseas. It covers preparations to be done prior to departure for post, and upon arrival at post. It also describes the responsibilities of post personnel who have roles during crisis response and have audio clips from recent evacuees.

The online course includes five modules, a summary and review questions in each module. I find the review quiz pretty tame with softball questions but it may still be useful to take them. (Example: You're going to Kingston, Jamaica, an island with a warm climate, should you pack sweaters and a warm coat?) 

The course is not embeddable so you have to check it out here:  http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/ocr/

Introduction

Planning Ahead Overview
A Post
You and the Mission
Evacuations: What They Mean for You
Resilience

Planning Ahead: Your Personal Plan

At the conclusion of the brief course, there is a useful template for creating a Personal Crisis Preparedness Plan (see pdf below).  There is also an option to print out the materials. Make sure you check out the "Resources" tab at the bottom of the screen. 

Personal Crisis Preparedness Aid (pdf)

Go-Bag List (pdf)

You never know when a crisis might strike, especially overseas. Preparedness is half the battle, so check this out when you can.

Have something to say on FS family member employment? Deadline Jan. 31

Image via WikipediaVia AFSA:

The April issue of the Foreign Service Journal will examine how Foreign Service spouses, partners and family members go about finding meaningful employment overseas, both inside diplomatic missions and elsewhere.  We want to hear from AFSA members on the extent to which the State Department, USAID and other foreign affairs agencies facilitate those efforts, and are especially interested in your success stories. Please tell us how you got that great job and offer tips for other FS family members in the job market.

Journalist Shawn Zeller (szeller@cq.com), who has done similar investigative reporting for us in the past, will be writing the lead article, an overview of the subject.  Toward that end, he would like to hear from FS personnel and family members who wish to comment on these issues.  (While we strongly prefer that responses be on the record, due to the potential sensitivity of the topic Shawn is willing to use material on background.) Alternatively, members are welcome to submit short (1,000-1,500 words) standalone articles on aspects of this general topic for publication in the April focus.  To the extent possible, the emphasis should be on sharing best practices and creative solutions to these challenges.

Kindly send submissions to FSJ Editor Steve Honley at honley@afsa.org, giving your e-mail a subject line such as "For April 2012 FSJ" or "RE: FS Family Member Employment," and include contact information.

IMPORTANT: All contributors will be identified by name unless they specify they are writing on background (i.e., not for attribution). Tues., Jan. 31, is the deadline for all input, including  comments for Shawn Zeller's use, due to our lead time for Editorial Board review, editing and production.  However, we would appreciate receiving contributions as soon as possible.  All materials are subject to editing for content, style, length and format.  Also, please note that we cannot promise to use all items, though we will make every effort. Questions?  Contact Steve at honley@afsa.org or (202) 944-5511.  Thanks in advance for your assistance!

FS Blogging: An Opportunity, Not a Threat (FSJ Speaking Out)

The December issue of the Foreign Service Journal is out.  FSO, Matt Keene has an excellent piece on Foreign Service blogging -- FS Blogging: An Opportunity, Not a Threat. Mr. Keene, a Foreign Service consular officer since 1999, is currently a special assistant in the Bureau of Human Resources. In addition to overseas assignments in Jerusalem, Dubai and Sofia, he was deputy director of the Office of Maghreb Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from 2009 to 2011.

Excerpts below:

[...]
Anyone who has been called on the carpet for blogging — especially those who have been summoned more than once — can tell you that the only consistent aspect of the department’s feedback is inconsistency.

Blogging is encouraged by some elements within the department and is even discussed on the official page, www.careers.state.gov, complete with a substantial set of links to popular Foreign Service-related blogs. Yet even bloggers listed there are sometimes targeted for official harassment by other elements within the department for having a blog in the first place.

One colleague informs me that an A-100 orientation instructor warned his class of new FSOs not to blog — but turned out to be doing so himself. Some individuals have been warned that their careers could be harmed by their or their spouse’s blog — but when they press on this in subsequent meetings, their hair is blown back by the force of the wind generated by the back-pedaling. Others have asked whether it would be better to shut down their blogs entirely, only to be told that they would never be asked to do that. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, after all, is a big supporter of social media.

As usual, the department is about a century behind the times. Its decidedly schizophrenic approach to social media would be comical if it weren’t so serious.
[...]
Official social media outlets serve a purpose — as far as they go. But no one who wants the real skinny on a company goes to its monthly newsletter. Instead, they grab a beer with a few of the employees. Not only is the feedback there more candid, but it covers subjects that are simply inappropriate for official communication.

This is the type of benefit private Foreign Service blogs offer, one that the department itself has done a woefully inadequate job of providing to date: communicating to the American people what it is we actually do and why it matters, thus putting a human face on the diplomatic corps. No wonder Overseas Comparability Pay is so difficult to secure. The average American doesn’t have the first clue of who we are or what we do.

Social media are here to stay, and the generation of officers who have grown up with Twitter, Facebook, Blogger and Wordpress are not going to abandon what they see as a First Amendment right. State should embrace this reality and work robustly and actively to ensure that the Foreign Affairs Manual contains specific, practical guidance to officers on how public speaking and communication regulations apply to private blogs — and spells out what is inappropriate, and why. The current guidance found in the 5 FAM 700 series and its myriad cross-references is neither effectively codified nor well understood.
[...]
Foreign Service bloggers and users of social media should not be left cowering in fear, bewildered as to what might get them into trouble, and made to feel like dissidents. Instead, their creativity should be harnessed, and the adversarial relationship between bloggers and department management should be mended.

Foreign Service blogging isn’t a problem to be managed. It is an opportunity to be seized.

Read in full via AFSA/FSJ, FS Blogging: An Opportunity, Not a Threat (pdf).

51st State Department/AAFSW Annual Art and Bookfair

Via AAFSW:

For over 50 years the families of Foreign Service Officers have been bringing bargains and fun to the public and the State Department. There are thousands of used books of all kinds - foreign language, history, diplomacy, children's, politics, etc. The Collector's Corner has rare and valuable books, with a special collection this year of books belonging to Henry Kissinger, some inscribed, donated by the Nixon Library.

The Art Corner has carvings, ceramics, paintings, fabrics, collectibles from all over the world and the Stamp Corner offers international stamps, coins, paper money and post cards.

Two weekends, October 15-16 and October 22-23 from 10 am to 4 pm in the Diplomatic Exhibit Hall of the US Department of State, entrance on C Street between 21st and 23rd Street, NW, Washington, DC (the side of the building that faces the Lincoln Memorial). Bring a photo ID. It is within walking distance of the Foggy Bottom Metro.

Opening hours are:

Sun Oct. 16, 10 am to 4 pm, public welcome.

Monday-Friday Oct. 17-21, 11 am-3 pm, building pass holders and guests. (Family members may enter with a diplomatic passport or escorted by a building pass holder.)

Saturday-Sunday Oct. 22-23, 10 am-4pm, public welcome.

On the last day, October 23, books are HALF PRICE.

Visa, Discover, Mastercard, checks and cash accepted. Proceeds benefit community projects and scholarships. For more information, call 202-223-5796 or visit www.aafsw.org.

The wonderful folks of AAFSW not only sponsors projects and scholarships, they are most often there when you go back to the D.C. area and there's no one else to call.  An acquaintance once was pregnant and alone in the D.C. area (husband decided to return to post prior to baby's arrival) and one of her friends asked help on her behalf from AAFSW.  The pregnant lady was not even a member. The ladies of AAFSW not only visited her, but also offered to drive her around, and volunteered to be on call should she need help when labor starts. Fantastic and amazing!

These folks rock!  If you're in the area, please stop by and support AAFSW.

Foreign Service Blogging: Tigers Have Teeth, Rather Sharp ... Rawr!!!

Our blog pal, Donna of Email From the Embassy recently posted about trying to figure out "why some State bloggers are allowed to blog, while others are, shall we say, vigorously discouraged."

A while back someone else also wrote to inform me that he/she was "strongly reminded" that blogging can lead to at least pulling the security clearance, forced (involuntary) curtailment, followed by loss of job, arrest, detainment and prosecution.

Understandably, that blog is not here or there, anymore.

The Tigers roared baring fangs, which means the threat of no food on the table, arrest, detainment, well, just about everything, really.  Except they forgot to include non-promotion and career suicide. Of course, if you lose your job, there would be no point worrying about a promotion or a career.

Exactly. See how that works?! Big Rawr! 


They also forgot to mention perpetual detainment at Gitmo. First amendment, my foot! If your blog links to any cable released by WikiLeaks, the Tigers will probably bite you for secondary leaking of classified materials. Or worse, espionage!


Fear as we all know is a great motivator.  And it is probably worth noting that Tigers are stalk-and-ambush hunter, and the stripes are good camouflage in the long grass. Check with the Post Report if your next assignment has long grasses.

In some places, the Foreign Service is now like a scene out of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, only this time, the letter one wears in not "A" for Adultery but "B" for Blogger. You blog at your own risk under the Big House's 21st century statecraft jungle regardless of the nice things they say about freedom and the Internets.

Here are a few things I'm kicking around the campfire concerning the various disappearances of Foreign Service bloggers through the years. A quick caveat: I am talking out loud there, so try not to misconstrue the following as an advice in any shape or form; they're not.  Also please do not write and ask for "real" examples of "Tiger" blog take down.  They are not my stories to tell and I respect the privacy of the bloggers who make no public explanation of their online death.

"Vague" Blogging, More Confusing Than You Think

One of my correspondents write that it seems like "FS bloggers should never mention *anything* about work."  Why? Probably because vague blogging isn't as vague as you think and you never know who's reading your blog?  Even if Diplomatic Security sees no problem with your blog, your regional/functional bureau or post management may have issues with it.  I don't think it has anything to do with what you write per se, it has everything to do with fear and the lack of control. Fear from management that your blog has a ready, captive audience and fear that you might write something out of turn. And there is the notion that you have a direct connection to an audience and your right to self expression has not undergone any sort of vetting by the higher-ups who luv their red pens!

A misplaced fear, for sure. No FS blogger as far as I know has caused any international incident to-date. Can't say the same for our non-blogging diplomats at the US Consulate in Hyderabad, and the US Consulate General in Chennai who both suffered from foot in mouth disease here and here.

You're all smart, of drinking age and can vote, so what's the problem?  Well, I think perhaps the Tiger daddies are wondering -- what if you're like a car with no brakes when it comes to blogging? Thus, FSOs are trusted with classified materials but cannot be trusted to know what they can/cannot write publicly online.  Spouses and partners (aka: Eligible Family Members or EFMs) on the other hand should be seen but not read because they ought not have opinions about anything whatsoever, being just spouses and all with no  logons (no logons = not real people). EFMs have long been declared their own persons under the Big House rules. Apparently, they are their own person but there's no reason why they should have their own opinions!

Borderline idiotic to put it politely.

Blogging About Anything With a C is Bad For Your Health

Another correspondent suggested that maybe folks should never blog anything that could be perceived as critical towards the Foggied Bottom, the Foreign Service, the host country, or ones clients (visa applicants, AmCits, official contacts, etc. etc.), even if you're only complaining about somebody sneezing or snoring loudly.

Concerned about all promotions going to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan hands regardless of actual performance? Okay, but that may not be the best subject to blog about, most especially if you're bidding.

Big House functionaries talking about internet freedom really hurts your ears now? Okay, but it won't do any good to talk about the cause of that ear ache in your blog.

You cannot/cannot blog about the smell you have to endure as you sit in your visa interview window because it's bad form to talk about body odors, period. You cannot/cannot blog and complain about seeing boobies with nursing mommies as you conduct visa interviews because breastfeeding is udderly not optional when you have a screaming infant. Trust me on this.

You cannot make snarky comments in your blog about your Amcit clients no matter how loony and unreasonable their demands might be (they are covered by the Privacy Act of 1974). You cannot complain in your blog that your host country has no sidewalks, it might upset the Tourism Bureau. You cannot complain in your blog about getting Montezuma's Revenge because it might upset the host country's Sanitation Bureau.  And on and on ...you get the drift? Somewhere there's a fill in the blank form in the shared drive on what FSOs should not blog about, but don't look for that list in the FAM.

EFMs must not blog about how every transfer is like a reinvention of wheels at the Big House because it would make the HR Bureau look bad. Gawd lord! They should not blog that their spouse's HR Technician kept messing up their Travel Orders because it makes the HR staff look incompetent (and some of them are). They should blog zilch /nada about housing, because hey, it's free housing and the leaking roof should not be a big deal! They should not blog about the American school because isn't it enough that you are in a country with an American school? EFMs above all should not blog too loudly about the lack of embassy jobs; didn't ya know that 9.1% of Americans in the United States of America are out of work?! Somewhere there's a fill in the blank form about what EFMs should not blog about, but it's a secret until they call you or your spouse for that Talk.  (I'm having a hard time locating my sarcasm off button, sorry!)

Blogging in Lake Wobegon, the International Edition

Still one more correspondent wailed that she only blogged about her life, what's wrong with that?  Well, I don't know what's wrong with that either.  It looks like if you blog about yourself and your hobbies OR your feelings (I had a bad day, I'm lonely in my new country, the singles crowd sucks, I can't use the APO or pouch for my home business, my spouse is too attentive to his FSN, or whatever else is the color, flavor or heartache of the day) the Tigers may do more than growl. Because obviously, if you are not happy in your host country, you are not/not trying hard enough at it. Readers and Tigers may feel you're not a great fit in this lifestyle of the not so famous possible evacuees.  You are the face of Lake Wobegon International, after all; a less than perfect or happy example is not/not a good thing.

5 FAM 790 (Using Social Media): A Lamppost of Discouragement

The Big House makes a big deal about freedom of expression and internet freedom in the public square but in reality those things do not mean a lot inside the big house. Even as the organization tries to project itself as being innovative, it is hindered by its outdated structure, regulations and hierarchy.  5 FAM 790 (Using Social Media) is a pretense of sorts by virtue of its impracticality.  Even in private writings, FSOs are supposed to request permission for their blog posts, tweets and anything they write under the  "of official concern" umbrella.  Which is like the whole world, see from Algeria to Zimbabwe. 

Under the regs, the agency gets at least 30 days to review submissions. Who has the time to do that? More to the point, who has the time to approve such personal writings done outside of work? And if one FS blogger is expressly required to obtain multiple clearances for his/her blog posts/tweets/etc but others are not, what does that mean?  And if  the blog posts are not cleared in 30 days, is the blogger then free to publish all his/her stale blog posts/stale tweets/stale etc. and private ruminations without the Tigers growling?  Most blogs carry the necessary disclaimers required under the regs, but I understand that the Big House can still declare them insufficient.  Which makes me now think that 5 FAM 790 which cites 27 legal authorities is there not really as a guide but as a lamppost of discouragement. 

It's as if it is saying -- you are free to blog/tweet/summersault online in this great free country of ours, but it's best for your own sake, if you don't.

The regs says that "As a general matter, the Department encourages the responsible use of social media consistent with current laws, policies and guidance that govern information and information technology. Department organizations will not arbitrarily ban access to or the use of social media."

I think the key phrase is "responsible use" which is, of course, subject to interpretation but -- not your interpretation of what is "responsible."

"Allowed" to Blog, Much Better for Mini-DipNotes?

I am convinced that some bloggers are "allowed" to blog by default because their bosses have no idea what a blog is. Seriously. 

Some bloggers are "allowed" to blog because maybe they are lucky enough to have adult bosses with no control issues who recognize that warts and all are part and parcel of real life, even in organizations. As long as your blog does not end up in NYT or Al Kamen's column, you're safe. Of course, their bosses may have blogs, too :-) and did not want to be outed!

Some bloggers are "allowed" to blog because no one has yet complained about them, or the blog is obscure enough it does not register on anyone's radar screen.

Some bloggers are "allowed" to blog because their bosses look the other way.  These blogs are usually like mini-DipNotes. What's the harm in letting them PR blog for free? And if they write something nice about their bosses, then that is super great, too.

Finally, I think some bloggers are "allowed" to blog because the Big House has not yet found the right stick to scare them to death and make them stop.  In almost all instances  they eventually find the right stick, so the blog disappears. Unless ... the blog stays .... in which case ... well, that's another story down the road.


FS Blogs, a Questionable Future...Maybe, Maybe Not

I've lost count the number of FS blogs that have gone dark.  A trend that is both disturbing and sad.  In the end, I think every FS blogger must decide on his/her own comfort level and decide how much grief he/she is willing to put up with in order to blog, tweet or FB.  As long as the Big House considers blogging a "dangerous" hobby or preoccupation even in its employees/family members private capacities, this is also a "livelihood" issue.  When you butt head with city hall, you will get more than a headache.

They presumably can dig up everything "bad" you have done previously (what, you did not recycle in Caracas?). Apparently, they can also yank your security clearance, which would make it almost impossible to do work anywhere in the Foggied Bottom except cleaning latrines, if you're lucky. As to why they are running after spouses who blog, who after all are not employees of the U.S. Government and have long been declared their own persons, I can't say.

Below is a snippet on blogging by Mitch Joel dubbed the "Rock Star of Digital Marketing:"

I had the opportunity to interview Lemmy from Motorhead. Within the rock circle, Lemmy is the equivalent of Jesus. A true pioneer. But, unlike most rock stars, Lemmy has a couple of really big warts on his face, very greasy hair and truly lives the "sex, drugs and rock n' roll lifestyle." Basically, he says and does what he wants and never answers to anyone but himself.

A Blog can't be Bon Jovi. A Blog is much more like Lemmy.

You can get away with mis-spelled words, non-precise grammar and it's supposed to have more of a stream-of-consciousness flow to it. A Blog is the glory of a personal voice - warts and all. That is why people are gravitating toward them.

Just so you know I am not advocating a free for all blog world, please read my post, Secretary Clinton on #NetFreedom ... excuse me for not clapping ... where I talked about the restrictions that come with being an employee and the trade offs we all make whether in the public sector, the private sector or even my own nowhere place.  The trade-offs, remember? 

The Scaredy World of Blogging

The genie if out of the bottle. It refuses to go back in!

When I started blogging a few years back, there were a few dozen Foreign Service bloggers.  Today, there are close to 500 blogs by Foreign Service officers, specialists and family members. Even as I watch blogs go quietly dark, I have also seen the number of bloggers grow like weeds.   Some blogs go silent especially after a scaredy session at A-100 but others eventually return online. Some blogs get password-protected, others eventually come out in the open.

And as blogs go dark, other blogs soon take their places.  The cycle of life mimics itself even online.

Unless the Big House makes reasonable tweaks and accommodations in its unhelpful regulations on blogging and the use of social media, there will come a time when it'll need be forced to create a new office: the Office of Professional Responsibility in Participatory Media.  The new office obviously would need a new staff just to keep track, and monitor this active writerly group in the Foreign Service community. It would also need new staff to process and clear blog posts, tweets, FB posts, public forum posts, etc. etc. from Foreign Service community members.  It would need new staff to write up pink slips for those who write outside the chalk marks. Above all, it would need an Ombudsman to ensure that the 30 day clearance requirement is adhered to and is not an excuse to derail the scheduled blog post of any member of the community.

I'd like to hear how they'll explain that personnel expansion to Congress.

Truth to tell, I have not seen or heard of Tigers actually yanking anybody's clearance due to an offending blog. I am aware of private sessions of discouragements, issues with onward assignments, and of course, threats of various colors and stripes among FS bloggers.  And as far as I know, they have not technically kicked out anyone who blogs either --  unless you call the "push" to retirement a payback kick.

Fear as we all know is a great motivator.  Sometimes, a Tiger's growl is just that, a growl and enough to do the job. Of course, it does not mean that the Tiger will not also eat you!

Housekeeping

1) If you would rather that I not link to you in my side bar, please send me a quick email at http://www.contactify.com/29ca0. I will promptly remove the link.

2) I have stopped the practice of highlighting FS blogs at DiploPundit. If you write something  interesting that I absolutely must link to, or highlight for my readership, I will send an email request for permission before I do so.

3) Somebody asked if anyone has ever threatened this blog. The answer is no. But if it happens, the threat will be publish in full.

4) Do make a mental note that I do not/not work for the Big House. I monitor the goings on in the Foggied Bottom because, why not?  It's a hard job, somebody's gotta do it.  Please read my disclaimer.

Spouse of Former Asst Sec'y for Something Affairs Lands Senior Job at Something Affairs?

A note from a long time employee landed in our mailbox recently, tweaked to protect identifying punctuation marks -:) Below is a quick summary: 

• The State Department's Something Affairs Bureau (SAB) is serious about that leadership precept of hiring the best team possible. 

• Need proof? SAB hired XXXX about a year ago as a ZZZZ, a position that "never existed before" in the Something Affairs Bureau.

• The writer notes that I may not recognize the new hire's name but that I might recognize the person's other name, which is Spouse of Former Assistant Secretary for Something Affairs.

• The note ends with something like "SAB is serious about hiring the best!"

Yeah, you go, dear! I don't know all the details but sounds impressive... sign me up!

Now -- if I marry that good looking Consul General over there, may I get a job that never existed before, too?

No? You mean a spouse of the Consul General is not high enough for a personalized job creation? Dammit! Now I have to find an Assistant Secretary to snag. Life just isn't fair and shhh! I'm not/not getting any younger!  

Wait -- if I cannot find a willing or available Assistant Secretary, would a Deputy Assistant Secretary do? Please, pretty, please? The DASes are almost as good as the AS.  I promise I'll be very good. And I will come up with my very own job title (never before seen anywhere), so you won't even have to worry about that. Deal?

Oh, the things you do for a job these days! But if I get a personalized job creation at the Something Affairs Bureau, that will give me health insurance, TSP, social security retirement, sick leave, etc. etc.!

Now, I gotta chore to run ...

BTW -- names and suggestions for blind dates with a dashing someone preferably ranked Assistant Secretary but no lower than a DAS accepted via email until further notice.  

James Hogan Case: Wife of Missing Diplomat Charged with Witness Tampering, False Statements, and Obstruction of Justice

The spouse of James Hogan, the U.S. diplomat who disappeared in the Netherlands Antilles has been charged by DOJ in a multiple count indictment for her alleged role in the "obstruction of a multi-national investigation into the disappearance of her husband":

Via DOJ:

Florida Woman Charged with Witness Tampering, False Statements, and Obstruction of Justice in Relation to Her Husband’s Disappearance
U.S. Department of Justice August 24, 2011   

WASHINGTON—A Gainesville, Florida woman was charged in a seven-count indictment filed yesterday in the Northern District of Florida for her alleged role in the obstruction of a multi-national investigation into the disappearance of her husband, James Hogan, then an employee in the U.S. Consulate in Curacao, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Pamela Cothran Marsh for the Northern District of Florida; Ambassador Eric J. Boswell of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security; and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office.

Abby Beard Hogan, 50, was charged with two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials, one count of witness tampering, and four counts of obstruction of justice. According to the indictment, on the night of Sept. 24, 2009, James Hogan, an employee at the U.S. Consulate in Curacao, a Caribbean island that was part of the Netherlands Antilles, left his home on foot and subsequently disappeared. The next day, a diver located his blood-stained clothing on a local beach. American officials and the government of Curacao and the Kingdom of the Netherlands opened an investigation into the disappearance of James Hogan.

The indictment alleges that, during the course of the investigation, Abby Hogan repeatedly provided false information to U.S. law enforcement about the time period before James Hogan’s disappearance and withheld relevant information. Abby Hogan allegedly denied, among other things, that she was having an extramarital affair and that she and her husband had argued about the affair on the night of Sept. 24, 2009. Additionally, the indictment alleges that Abby Hogan deleted multiple e-mails discussing the events leading up to and surrounding her husband’s disappearance. The indictment also alleges that Abby Hogan instructed at least one person to conceal information from investigators.

The indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Abby Hogan faces a maximum of five years in prison for each false statement count and 20 years in prison for each count of witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Teresa Wallbaum of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Williams for the Northern District of Florida. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service and the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Legal Attaché Office in Bridgetown, Barbados. Assistance was also provided by Curacao law enforcement authorities.

The Latin American Herald Tribune in its coverage notes the following additional info:

Abby Beard Cope and her husband met while they were both serving as officers in the Navy in San Diego. He was a 1982 graduate of the US Naval Academy. She served for 11 years as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General legal corps and he served for 22 years as a pilot, before joining the State Department. They served 2 tours in Africa (Cote d'Ivoire and Botswana) before what was supposed to be a two year assignment in Curacao. The Hogans have 5 children.

James Hogan's body has never been found and his disappearance remains an unsolved mystery.

This is the first indictment in the disappearance case that will mark a two year milestone next month. I'm afraid this case may take a tawdry turn before it is over.



Related posts:

What happened to American diplomat, James Hogan in Curacao?Dec 27, 2010

Vice Consul James Hogan: Still Missing | Aug 12, 2010

US Diplomat James Hogan: 19 Days Missing| Oct 12, 2009

James Hogan: Now a Cold Case?| Dec 24, 2009

DNA Match in James Hogan Search |Oct 03, 2009

James Hogan: Missing Now for 31 Days| Oct 26, 2009

Vice Consul James Hogan: 1440 Hours Missing |Nov 23, 2009

US Navy Joins Hogan Search in Curacao |Oct 01, 2009

US Diplomat Missing in Curacao |Sep 30, 2009

UK's Tandem Ambassadors Assignment to 'Love Embassy' Roils Yerevan

The Daily Mail recently reported that the UK's Foreign Office has been accused of making Britain a laughing stock by appointing a married couple to share a senior diplomatic appointment.

The married couple is Jonathan Aves and his wife Katherine Leach who will take turns to be the ambassador to Armenia, each doing the job for four months while the other spends that time looking after their children.

Critics in the former Soviet republic say the unusual arrangement means Britain is displaying a ‘lack of seriousness’ towards the country.

The controversy comes after it was revealed that the current ambassador recently married an Armenian woman working at the British Embassy.

The two developments have led to local politicians nicknaming the British mission the ‘love embassy’.

Mr Aves, 51, and his 41-year-old wife will both have the title of ambassador when they move to the Armenian ¬capital, Yerevan, next January with their children Maddie, seven, Mimi, four, and Joe, two.

The report quotes Arman Navasardyan, the country's former deputy foreign minister:

‘The British do not take us Armenians seriously. I doubt whether they would send a couple to the United States or many other countries.’

‘Ambassadors normally spend their first two years getting to know the country and only the third year brings real returns. Yet here we have a wife as ambassador for a few months, then her husband. Then what? Madam again?

‘The attitude here is predictable – raised eyebrows and laughter. We don’t understand why Armenia should be treated in this manner.’

The report also notes that the couple recently completed a joint posting at the British Embassy in Tokyo but the move to Yerevan will be their first ambassadorial role.  The FCO gave two reasons for the tandem posting:

A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘Joint postings are a modern way of working which help deliver the best possible diplomatic service in the host country.
‘They also provide better value for the UK taxpayer as they keep families together and reduce travel and shipping costs.’

That is so understandable.  Read in full here.

Below is an excerpt from the official FCO statement:

Mr Jonathan James Aves and Ms Katherine Jane Leach, a husband and wife team, have been appointed Her Majesty’s Joint Ambassadors to the Republic of Armenia in succession to Mr Charles John Lonsdale, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Aves and Ms Leach will take up their appointment during January 2012. Both Mr Aves and Ms Leach will be permanently resident in Yerevan and alternate in exercising the functions of Ambassador on a four-monthly rotation.

Mr Aves and Ms Leach joined the FCO in 1996 and 2000 respectively, following careers in academia and public opinion research. Together they have many years’ experience and knowledge of the history, languages and culture of the South Caucasus and the wider region. Their FCO careers have covered a range of policy areas including security policy, EU trade and development, energy security and human rights. Most recently they had a joint posting to Tokyo where Mr Aves coordinated the UK’s political input into Japan’s 2008 G8 Chairmanship and Ms Leach coordinated UK and Japanese positions in advance of the UN climate change summit in Cancun and worked with UK and Japanese business to promote low carbon prosperity. In 2011, Mr Aves worked on the UK’s input into the UN Human Rights Council on issues such as Libya, Syria and Iran.

The Daily Mail calls it a bizarre job share but I think their joint ambassadorial posting is just swell. They are both career diplomats; can't expect Ms. Leach to just stay home and be homemaker while Mr. Aves run the British mission!  C'mon folks, it's the 21st century!

The State Department has a few tandem couples who are ambassadors (two comes to mind, Mary Warlick in Serbia; James Warlick in Bulgaria; Kristine Kenney in Thailand and William Brownfield, formerly Ambassador to Colombia and now with INL) but I cannot recall a joint ambassadorship ever.

On second thought, because we do have political ambassadorships, I'm not sure a joint ambassadorship would be a good precedent for the U.S. diplomatic service.

Although if it happens, I'm sure it would be a hit for political contributors and über bundlers  in search of plum assignments as Mr. Ambassador and Mrs. Ambassador!

Related articles

• Casinos and darkness en route to Yerevan airport (ditord.com)
• Yerevan pretty affordable according to global survey (ditord.com)
• FCO adopts Foursquare to keep Brits informed overseas (mynewsfix.com)

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Irene Shutters US Embassy in The Bahamas, Dependents Now on Authorized Departure

Image via WikipediaThe US Embassy in Nassau issued its Hurricane Irene Update on August 24, 2011:

This emergency message is being issued by the U.S. Embassy in Nassau to update U.S. citizens residing or travelling in The Bahamas or Turks and Caicos regarding Hurricane Irene.

On August 25-26, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau will be closed except for emergency services to U.S. citizens.

As of 2:00 p.m., the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau is closed with tentative plans to reopen on Thursday, August 25, at 5:00 p.m. Hurricane Irene has become a strong category 3 hurricane with sustained winds at 120-125 mph. It is possible that the storm will strengthen still more on Thursday.

U.S. citizens in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos should have already completed any necessary actions to ensure their safety, and should remain indoors in a secure dwelling or shelter during this hurricane. Small craft operators in should remain in port. U.S. citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events, weather and marine forecasts, and monitor the National Hurricane Center and local media to stay aware of any weather developments in their area. For official information from the Bahamian and TCI governments regarding weather conditions, please monitor ZNS or other local media outlets.

Read in full here.

On August 23, the embassy's warden message includes an announcement that embassy dependents have been approved for authorized departure (leaving optional). Excerpt below:

The Under Secretary for Management has approved the authorized departure of dependents of U.S. Embassy personnel prior to the arrival of Hurricane Irene – expected on Thursday morning, August 25. The Department of State has issued a Travel Warning advising U.S. citizens to defer travel to the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos. We strongly urge U.S. citizens in The Bahamas to seriously consider departing while commercial flights are still available. It has been reported that the airport in the Turks and Caicos is already closed: U.S. citizens still there should seek cover immediately. The ability of the U.S. Embassy in Nassau to provide services in the aftermath of a hurricane will be severely limited. The Bahamas will soon be deciding if a suspension of flights is required. In general, Nassau’s international airport is closed if wind speeds reach more than 40 mph.

The embassy's warden page with updates is here.

Related articles

• Satellite Snaps Infrared Photo of Eye of Hurricane Irene, the Biggest Atlantic Storm in 2011 (techie-buzz.com)
• Hurricane Irene strengthens to category 3 storm (charlotte.news14.com)
• Travelers flee Hurricane Irene (cnn.com)
• Hurricane Irene strengthens as it steams towards US (guardian.co.uk)

 

 

 

Weekend World News Catchup: Expulsion, Appointments, Interviews, Defections, Arrests, New Embassies

Expulsion: Calls in Ireland for expulsion of papal ambassador over child abuse

"Revelations that the Vatican told Irish bishops they could conceal allegations of clerical child abuse have led to calls for the expulsion of the papal ambassador to Ireland, traditionally one of Catholicism's most-devout strongholds." {The National}.

Appointments India | Nirupama Rao to take charge as Indian envoy to US shortly

Outgoing foreign secretary Nirupama Rao would be the next Indian ambassador to the US, the Indian government announced on Saturday.  Rao will succeed Meera Shankar to become India's second woman envoy to the US. {Times of India}

Appointments India | Interim U.S. Envoy to India Inherits Challenges

The U.S. has appointed Peter Burleigh as Chargé d’Affaires of its mission in India on an interim basis. Mr. Burleigh, who held the same post from April to July 2009, will serve until the White House nominates a permanent ambassador. He steps in at a time when the U.S. is trying to manage an increasingly complex relationship with India. {The Wall Street Journal}

South Korea | Female diplomats lead lonelier lives than males

Jeong, a 16-year veteran, left Seoul on a three-year assignment in 2008, but usually, and almost certainly for entry-level diplomats, overseas assignments are for five years - three years in an advanced country and two more years in a developing country. And that, in most cases, means separation for just as many years from their spouses or children.
[...]

Kim Sang-jin, head of personnel management at the Foreign Ministry, said about 95 percent of male diplomats are accompanied by their spouses when serving at an overseas post, while 95 percent of female diplomats go off without spouses.
[...]

To compensate for financial losses from spouses abandoning jobs, the Foreign Ministry provides a salary to spouses accompanying diplomats to overseas posts, but it is only equivalent to 25 percent of a diplomat’s salary. Even if money is sufficient, most men would not trade the money to leave after working in their fields for many years, some female diplomats said.  {Korea JoongAng Daily}

Interview: Foreign Policy with Our Man in Damascus, US Ambassador Robert Ford

U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford had a  wide-ranging telephone interview with Foreign Policy last week. "Ford sharply criticized the Syrian government's continuing repression against peaceful protestors and called on President Bashar al-Assad to "take the hard decisions" to begin meaningful reforms before it is too late. Not, Ford stressed, because of American concerns but because of the impatience of the Syrian opposition itself. "This is not about Americans, it is about the way the Syrian government mistreats its own people," Ford stressed repeatedly. "This is really about Syrians interacting with other Syrians. I’m a marginal thing on the sidelines. I’m not that important." {Foreign Policy}

Interview: Mercury News with John Roos, U.S. Ambassador to Japan

Q In more than two decades in Silicon Valley, you honed negotiating skills in the land of tech. Now you are playing the role of diplomat. What has it been like to pivot from influential Silicon Valley lawyer to diplomat?

A Many of the same skill sets are brought to bear. Diplomacy is fundamentally working with people, bringing people together to deal with difficult issues. Obviously, the issues are very different. {Mercury News}

Defections: A second Burmese diplomat defects

"A Burmese diplomat has requested asylum in the United States, apparently in response to a crackdown by his government after the defection of a more senior diplomat earlier this month. Soe Aung, the fourth-ranking official in the Burmese Embassy in Washington, wrote to the State Department on Wednesday requesting asylum, according to the pro-democracy group U.S. Campaign for Burma. Soe Aung confirmed his defection in a brief interview with the Burmese Service of the Voice of America." {WaPo}

Arrests: Turkey arrests 14 al-Qaida members planning US embassy attack

"Turkish police captured the 15 suspects in Ankara, the western city of Bursa and the nearby town of Yalova, and seized 700 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of chemicals used in bomb making, two assault rifles, ammunition and maps of Ankara. The suspects were planning to attack the US Embassy in Ankara and unidentified foreign targets, the the Anatolia. They were brought to police headquarters in Ankara on Tuesday night and were being questioned by anti-terror police." {Today's Zaman}

New US Embassy in Valletta, Malta:

Douglas Kmiec, former US ambassador to Malta and Professor of Law at Pepperdine University in California writes about the newly opened US Embassy in Valleta:  "What a new US embassy represents"

[...] Because of Malta’s geographic proximity to Libya, many have asked my view about American involvement in the Mediterranean region, and they seem to ask it with special curiosity upon learning that I helped superintend, along with Rick Mills, the completion of a $125.5 million new embassy compound. Knowing my general frugality (this former ambaxxatur cycles the 10 miles round-trip to and from his office at the university), they need to hear the basis for the beautiful, but pricey, new structure in Ta’Qali.
[...]
An embassy of sufficiently ample size and personnel is justified because it is reasonable to anticipate Malta’s own willingness – respecting her constitutional commitment to neutrality, of course (you see, I did learn something!) – to become an even more prominent “partner for peace”, by, for example, signing onto the multilateral reciprocal status of personnel memorandum. {Times of Malta}

New US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya?

U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today released the following statement regarding the Administration’s decision to recognize the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate governing authority of Libya:

“We welcome the Administration’s decision to recognize the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate governing authority of Libya. This is an encouraging step, which demonstrates America’s commitment to support the Libyan people as they fight to liberate their country from the Qaddafi regime and establish democracy. Recognition should now open the door for more robust U.S. and international support for the TNC, including facilitating their access to the frozen assets of the Qaddafi regime for the benefit of the Libyan people and to support the NATO mission. We strongly urge the Administration to remove any remaining obstacles to the TNC’s ability to gain access to these frozen assets as soon as possible. We hope that our allies and partners that have not yet recognized the TNC will now do so. We also urge the Administration to increase our diplomatic presence in Benghazi, designate a U.S. Ambassador to the TNC, and give the TNC’s representatives in Washington and New York full diplomatic rights and privileges.”

Visa Adjudicators Needed? We Have the Best Suggestion Ever - Unmarried FSOs Pay Attention, Please.

Image by Don Hankins via FlickrSee, I was a tad cranky last week about job opportunities for diplomatic spouses (aka eligible family members) in the State Department and was told this:

That there is a need for MANY more low-level visa adjudicators in the so -called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, China and India). Some can be filled by EFMs, but not all, even if all EFMs wanted to do so. They have to be filled by language-qualified applicants, they have to be filled full time, and filling them cannot depend on the availability of EFMs. The word out there is that EFM employment opportunities will not be reduced. Where language-qualified EFMs are available, they will be used.

Okay, I get that but I still have not heard anything from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, re: inquiry about the ConGen training request roller coaster ride that make EFMs throw up. Go take a long nap, this will be a while, like 2016 thereabouts....

The State Department is recruiting twenty (20) visa adjudicators at this time.   Presumably Russian and Hindi speakers will also be recruited at some future time.  For now, applicants for China must be available for all posts in China and must speak/read Mandarin Chinese at a 2/1 level. Applicants for Brazil must be available for all posts in Brazil and must speak/read Portuguese at the 3/3 level. 

According to the State Department, the role of visa adjudicators is "critical to America's national security; you will serve on the front lines of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, conducting one-on-one interviews and reviewing supporting documentation to determine if a foreign national meets the requirements for entry into the United States. This requires sound judgment and the ability to maintain your composure under stressful circumstances." See more here and here.

Anyway, after I posted this, I got the best suggestion ever from Consul-at-Arms that I felt darn compelled to pass along:

"Obviously, the thing to do is require unmarried FSOs to chose English-fluent spouses from one of the BRIC countries until further notice."

Oh, yeah! I am so looking forward to a BRIC-dating service sponsored by the Consular Affairs Bureau ...

Well, aren't you?

Didn't you know that these four countries, combined, currently account for more than a quarter of the world's land area and more than 40% of the world's population?  Apparently, Goldman Sachs has argued that, since the four BRIC countries are developing rapidly, by 2050 their combined economies could eclipse the combined economies of the current richest countries of the world.

So, if Goldman Sachs is right on this, a BRIC-matching/dating service now, would be an excellent investment for the future of consular affairs!

Related articles

• Overhaul urged of U.S. visas for foreign visitors (seattletimes.nwsource.com) 
• Brazil arrests 4 in US-visa-fraud case (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Let Them In: How Brazilians Could Help the U.S. Economy (time.com)
• The US could double visits from Brazil and Chile. Do they want to? (via Brazil Global) (expatbrazil.wordpress.com)

Why diplo-spouses can't get real love at the State Department - they are headaches, especially when they are heard and seen

Image by jinterwas via Flickr
EFMs and squeezing into ConGen training

One of our blog pals, that funny woman, Kolbi, who almost disappeared sometime back posted recently about navigating the rough Stoopid Seas of trying to get employed as an eligible family member in the State Department.Excerpts below:

(For those of you who may not know, ConGen is a class that all Consular folks have to take about Visa laws and such.  EFMs who want to have jobs in the Consular area of post have to take the class, also, but only get leftover seats.  Which there usually are between none and very few of.)

This was a most unpleasant experience, as the State contractor with whom EFMs had to interact in order to get into the class actually laughed at me when I said I wanted to take the class.  I'm assuming this had to do with lack of ConGen space, etc.  He was also rather obnoxious and insinuated that most EFMs can't pass the basic English skills tests that an EFM has to pass in order to even QUALIFY to even be PUT ON THE WAITING LIST to take ConGen.*  Jerk.

[* FYI, I have heard, though I do not know for sure, that any EFM that does not pass the English pre-screening exam(s) has to wait two years before being allowed to attempt it/them again.  That's a long time!]

Hey, Kolbs, the screener probably  thought you were a foreign born spouse who speaks English learned from Sesame Street. Did he speak rather slowly but loud in the most complimentary way -- "You ...Speak...Very Good...English...but   most    spouses    fail   the    test..."

I've seen bureaucrats do this in more than one occasion, the English part and the con·de·scen·sion. It appears to be a stress test on the notion that how best you enunciate your vowels = brain power .... "yis, I spik viry gud inglish, so do you ... may I now tik the tist?"

Some years ago, we were at a dinner hosted by one of the Rising Stars in the Consular Bureau, who by the way, is now an ambassador over there.  Anyway, one of the guests was an FSO with a spouse who was formerly an FSN with considerable experience in consular work. Now the FSO wanted to know if his English-speaking, embassy veteran wife, may be allowed to take the ConGen course. The Rising Star then also insinuated that most EFMs can't pass the basic English skills tests and that most EFMs at ConGen quit or flunk the course. In not so many words, the answer was like ... don't bother dude, find her a hobby instead. 

It was most shocking to the FSN-EFM who had worked for a consular section for some dozen years, shocking to her husband who had at that time, far less experience in consular work than the wife, and shocking to us the poor audience, who had the misfortune of observing firsthand a bureaucracy that saw numbers rather than individuals.

Would it have hurt so much to say "your wife is welcome to try ...?" Would it cost more to the USG, if the screener processes 12 interested EFMs instead of say 5? Would it cost more to the USG if there are 25 students in ConGen instead of 20?  The course is run by salaried employees, is it not? It's not like they are paid by piece like a maquilla worker in Latin America.

The better paying jobs at the embassy are in the Consular Section, of course. Unlike most sections in the mission, the consular folks actually has money they can tap to request and pay for additional employees.  And sometimes, you do get lucky when you have real leaders in the captain's chair.  Other times, you get lemons, too, although CA hates to advertise that.  But ConGen has always been a tad "complicated." I mean, management often wants the EFMs because they are cheaper, but they really would rather have junior officers if they have a choice.  They want  EFMs to fill in an empty slot, but they won't pay for you to go back to DC and take the course.  Also some well-qualified EFMs can't get consular gigs because managers worry that they'd get bored over repetitive mindless work, go on leave during the peak visa season, take off to take care of kids or school issues, demand their Highest Previous Rate (if previously held a higher pay grade than advertised) and yada, yada, yada.  And for non-ConGen required jobs, they would rather hire local employees because they are usually way, way cheaper than EFMs and blessed their patient hearts, they, the LES usually duck-taped themselves before they even think of letting out a whine.


Dear Consular Affairs leaders ~ ~~ ~ ~ can -- you -- hear -- meeee?

So I thought I'd ask the Consular Bureau why is it so hard for EFMs to get into the ConGen course. One of our blog pals suggested that I write to cagrowsleaders@state.gov.  Apparently that's the CA Grows Leaders mailing list for the consular affairs bureau's top heads who are seriously growing leaders like mushrooms. So I did, see below:

Dear CA leaders,

Why is it that EFMs have a hard time getting into the ConGen course? Just saw the CA is recruiting visa adjudicators for Chinese and Portuguese posts, why is that needed when you have 2/3s of EFMs looking for jobs in the FS?

I understand that the screening to be placed in the course waiting list is now handled by a contractor. Does her/his job description also includes discouraging spouses from applying for the ConGen course?

I would appreciate your kind response.

I'm still waiting for the "Dear Mr. Spero this is an internal matter " email.

Perhaps they are too busy growing mushrooms, er leaders, they could not take the time to write back. Or perhaps my source gave me a bad email address -- who has an email address like that, anyway?

But if the group is real and there are really leaders growing leaders but cannot be relied on to answer a simple inquiry about something that is a serious issue in the service --  well, that's simply brilliant - lead by example, do not answer silly questions!

In some parts of the organization, this issue is not really a serious one until FSOs start leaving the service. And of course, if they do start leaving, the line of those clamoring to get in is still a long one.  So... there it is....

I understand from a reliable source that the new hiring authority on visa adjudicators is a new program that the FS union agreed to because it is the least bad of a number of bad options, and it is, for now, a pilot. The least bad. Pause and breath for a moment.

The bottom line I'm told -- there is a need for MANY more low-level visa adjudicators in the so -called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, China and India). Some can be filled by EFMs, but not all, even if all EFMs wanted to do so. They have to be filled by language-qualified applicants, they have to be filled full time, and filling them cannot depend on the availability of EFMs. The word out there is that EFM employment opportunities will not be reduced. Where language-qualified EFMs are available, they will be used.

But if you have the language but not ConGen, then sorry.

If you have ConGen but not the language, then sorry.

Go apply for the embassy escort job, which does not require language or ConGen but I hear that at least, in one place this job now  requires that you have prior USG baby-sitting experience. To escort the cleaning crew while they're dusting the desks inside the controlled areas, you need prior experience? Oh dear, is there an app for that?  Whisky-tango-foxtrot, over! That sounds like a cake already baked in the oven.

In any case, if Congress decides not to fund additional positions in the next fiscal years, the State Department may be "forced" to offer additional visa jobs to spouses again. Not out of the goodness of its heart, but because it needs cheap labor, and can't afford the real thing.



Do not make waves, or you can't borrow salt, sugar, TP, etc., ever again ....

There is a tenet in FS life that folks are encouraged to follow  as soon as they join the Service -- do not make waves.  And in the confines of the work space, that is easy enough to follow.  To belong is to conform to the internal culture of the organization.  But that's not always so for the diplomatic spouses.

In the old days, the poor wives, because they were mostly wives then, had it even worse.  Their actions, reactions, behavior, tea manners and such were all  part of the performance evaluation of their diplomat-husbands.  Keeping a stiff upper lip was of prime value  just as performing unpaid volunteer hours on behalf of the US mission without complaint was considered a desired characteristic of an ideal diplomatic wife.

In the supposed enlightened age decades in the making, they were officially declared their own persons years and years ago, and are no longer required to work for free for Uncle Sam. Nor are they considered line items in their spouses' employee evaluation reports. Reality, of course, is more complicated than that particularly for more senior spouses, but that's for another post.

What has changed very little is the notion that one must not make waves. At times that means biting one's tongue, being agreeable even when the other person is disagreeable, stewing in anger but wearing a mask of a smile, and being ever so careful not to upset anybody who could be in the housing board, in general services, in management, in future posts, oh, just make that the entire mission.  And don't even think of disagreeing with your FSO-boss because "being difficult" and "not being a team player" can just as easily follow you to a corridor of reputation dedicated solely for spouses and partners.

The truth of the matter is the embassy/post or the mission as it is fondly referred to is like a very small town. It doesn't matter if there is half a dozen people there or 500 souls. It is like a small town. Everybody knows everybody else. And getting along, taping your mouth before you say something remotely controversial, and not making waves is a precious and necessary virtue or no one will let you borrow a pinch of salt ever again from Albania to Zimbabwe.

The town council, if you will, is counting on that.

Embassy Job Vacancy Round-Up: Because We Need a Laugh

Today, we bring you a sampling of job announcements from US embassies around the globe. When they are not intentionally funny, they are funny strange, I kid you not. 

US Embassy Bogota has an announcement for an investigator and has not even bothered to write up its vacancy announcement in English.  Yes, the job is open to everyone, including Eligible Family Members.  The ad posted by the embassy online is all in  Spanish.

Is it some kind of a test - if you can't understand the ad, you should not apply? Must be dat.

US Embassy Manila is looking for a web programmer who has completed a "Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Web Development, or Electronics and Communications Engineering," "no experience needed," but a "Level 4 (Fluent) Speaking/Reading English and Tagalog language" required.

Apparently, you cannot do web programming in Manila if you don't know any Tagalog. WHooops! Sorry, I fell off my darn chair!  And here I thought, English is Manila's other official language.

US Embassy New Delhi is looking for an Administrative/Visa Assistant to "compose routine correspondence, coordinate travel, handle the referral system, and maintain the time and attendance. And this job requires "Level IV (Fluent) proficiency in English and Hindi."

The last I heard, embassy correspondence even in India is still done in the English language.

And that's the reason you need a Level IV Hindi for this job?

US Embassy Jakarta is looking for an "ASEAN Secretariat Liaison." The required qualifications include this: "Minimum 5 years professional experience in economic and/or political reporting and policy analysis required. Minimum of one year working in the Economic Section of a large U.S. Embassy."

Makes me wonder -- is the ASEAN mission out to poach the senior FSN at the Econ Section of the US Embassy or is there somebody who worked previously at an Econ section elsewhere in the worldwide universe that they already have in mind?

Post is also looking for an "ASEAN Public Affairs Liaison." Required qualifications include: "Five years of progressively responsible experience in communications, writing, cultural programs, higher education, teaching or appropriate public affairs/public diplomacy experience."

Oh, look, no requirement of "one year working at the Public Affairs Section of a large U.S. Embassy."

US Embassy Caracas is looking for a "Surveillance Detection Supervisor." One of the required qualifications, one year of supervisory experience: "A minimal of one year of work experience with the general public in outdoor settings. For example, street advertisement, street social worker, street salesman (saleswoman), and/or external construction worker."

Huh?!

If you have street work experience, feel free to send in your CV. If not, hang out here with me, we'll find some more funny ones ....

In Search of a Better Neym and Meaning: Trailing Spouse, Trailer Trash, Sidecar?

Image via WikipediaIf you're looking for something cheerful to read this morning, move along, because this one topic is not.

A reader a while back pointed me to a  blog,  Secret Confessions of a Trailing Spouse  ... "A support blog for those who chose to follow... then started to freak the fuck out; And when not freaking out, lots of posts about making stuff ..."


It looks like the blog author is in academe, but the issues are certainly familiar to expatriates and accompanying spouses/partners (yes, this pc term is a darn mouthful).  She writes by way of introduction, "Trying to wait without waiting. Married to a PhD, currently not career-bound, potentially a trailing spouse, but not completely ok with the idea of putting my eggs in his basket. Or letting him take my eggs and his basket to another city. Or something?"

From one of R.B.'s post:

Trailer Trash, and a need for better vocabulary

Am I a sidecar?

No, I never liked the term trailing spouse, but I was damned glad to find there was a word for what I was stepping into.  The Smart Expat has a post about a friend who referred to herself as "trailer trash", a cheeky reference to the limiting (and ill-fitting) trailing spouse.   "Accompanying spouse" was suggested, but damn if that doesn't strangle the tongue. It's hard to find a word that properly respects but describes that position. Why is it so hard to make it sound important, necessary and incredibly complicated?  Probably because all the things a TS does in the move is typically considered women's work.  And even though this refers to the complicated business of setting up a new home base, it isn't respected as it should. (Look at the salaries of child care workers and teachers, and tell me this world ain't a little screwed.)  If crazy people hadn't coined it, I'd say "help meet" was a good term, but it gives me the shivers.

Trailing spouse seems like a grim self-fulfilling prophecy, wherein you start to drag behind and lose your identity because that's what you're calling yourself.  Because your title doesn't imply independence or acknowledge what you do, only what you're following behind.  This is why words are so important.  Words can totally hurt people, or give them the idea that they aren't held to high expectations (I feel this every time someone says "girl" when they mean "woman").

We need something that implies a parallel partnership.  I wish sidecar didn't sound so damn ridiculous, because I kind of love it.

Check out her blog here.  She has a good list of resources for trailing expatriates and trailing rebels. You might also want to read (or not) the Trailing Spouse Track (article RB linked to) where another TS under a pseudonym writes, "Career-wise, I need a reason not to stick my head in the oven...." in reference of course to the poet, Sylvia who was "trailing" her husband Ted in academia.



 

Related articles

• What Careers Require Stay-at-Home Spouses? (blogs.wsj.com)
• 5 Tips on How to Connect With People You Don't Know (Part II) (zestnzen.wordpress.com)
• Inventing Protocol for First Girlfriend (online.wsj.com)

Writer, EFM and Recovering Hostess, Ann B. Knox Dies at 85

Via WaPo:

Ann B. Knox, who was in her 50s when she launched a successful career as a writer and teacher of poetry and short fiction, died May 10 while participating in a benefit poetry reading at Cacapon State Park in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. She was 85 and had a stroke.

Ms. Knox spent much of her adult life as a Foreign Service wife hopscotching from one U.S. embassy to another, raising six children at posts including Moscow, London and Karachi in Pakistan. She often grappled with life’s moments of crisis and ecstasy through writing poetry but said she did not really consider herself a writer until midlife.

When her children were grown, Ms. Knox bought a patch of land in southern Pennsylvania, in the foothills of the Appalachians. She built a one-room cabin, dug an outhouse and spent much of her time outside of Washington in that simple place, devoting herself to writing. She called herself a “recovering hostess.”

Ms. Knox’s work reflected her close observations of the natural world. She produced two full-length, award-winning poetry collections, “Stonecrop” (1988) and “Staying Is Nowhere” (1996), as well as a 1995 book of short stories, “Late Summer Break,” which won praise for capturing fleeting and delicate moments of transition in the lives of parents, spouses and lovers.
[...]
Ms. Knox graduated from Vassar College in 1946 and later received a master’s degree in education from Catholic University. In 1981, she received a master’s degree in fine arts from what is now Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., where her adviser was the acclaimed writer Raymond Carver.

Ms. Knox was the recipient of numerous grants and awards for her work from organizations including the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Ucross Foundation and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

She married Foreign Service officer M. Gordon Knox in 1947. They divorced in 1989.

Read in full here.

US Embassy #Syria Now on Ordered Departure for Family Members and Non-Emergency Staff

Image by syriana2011 via FlickrToday, April 25, the State Department updated its Travel Warning for Syria indicating escalating violent confrontations resulting in hundreds of deaths and the ordered departure of embassy family members and non-emergency staff from Damascus:

The U.S. Department of State urges U.S. citizens to depart immediately while commercial transportation is readily available.  Given the uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens who must remain in Syria are advised to limit nonessential travel within the country.  U.S. citizens not in Syria should defer all travel to Syria at this time.  The Department of State has ordered all eligible family members of U.S. government employees as well as certain non-emergency personnel to depart Syria.  Embassy operations will continue to the extent possible under the constraints of an evolving security situation.  Full consular passport and visa services continue to be provided.  This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning for Syria issued on April 4, 2011, to provide updated information on violent confrontations at demonstrations, increased security measures, and to note the ordered departure of some U.S. Embassy personnel and all family members.

Since March 2011, demonstrations throughout Syria have been violently suppressed by Syrian security forces, resulting in hundreds of deaths.  Demonstrations can take place anytime and anywhere.  Recent demonstrations have occurred on university campuses, main streets, public squares, mosques, and other places of public gathering.  We remind U.S. citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.  U.S. citizens are urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of a demonstration.

Several cities, including Damascus, have been placed under heightened security.  Travelers on Syrian roads have encountered an increased number of checkpoints and roadblocks impeding travel and preventing entry to or exit from affected cities.  On April 22, security forces prevented many from entering or leaving Damascus.

Syrian government constraints on observers, including the short-term detention of accredited diplomats, have made it difficult for Embassy personnel to adequately assess the current risks or the potential for continuing violence.

Syrian efforts to attribute the current civil unrest to external influences may lead to an increase in anti-foreigner sentiment.  Detained U.S. citizens may find themselves subject to allegations of incitement or espionage.  Contrary to the terms of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, of which Syria is a signatory, Syrian authorities generally do not notify the U.S. Embassy of the arrest of a U.S. citizen until days or weeks after the arrest.  Moreover, in the past, security officials have not responded to Embassy requests for consular access, especially in the case of persons detained for “security” reasons.

Read the whole thing here.

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