FAO Quotables

"But being right, even morally right, isn't everything. It is also important to be competent, to be consistent, and to be knowledgeable. It's important for your soldiers and diplomats to speak the language of the people you want to influence. It's important to understand the ethnic and tribal divisions of the place you hope to assist."
-Anne Applebaum

Monday, November 29, 2010

MUST WATCH TV TONIGHT: RESTREPO: One platoon. One valley. One year.

I missed this one when it was in the theatres this past summer, so I am excited to watch (DVR) this one tonight!  May I point you to my friend Tommy Buck's excellent review of the film for a summary.  Please take a moment and click over to it.

http://teebuck.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/film-review-restrepo/



FROM NAT GEO Website:
RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo," named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the soldiers; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.

Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/restrepo-afghan-outpost-4808#ixzz16gDobImr

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Canary Islands: Gateway to Africa?

Interesting article on the possibilities that lie within the Canary Islands...I need to research this a little more.


U.S. Firms Should Invest in Canary Islands to Reach Africa, President Says

Washington, DC — In Europe, the Canary Islands may be best known as a nearby vacation spot with idyllic climate. Americans may have heard in history class that the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus provisioned and repaired his three ships in the Canaries before setting off on the journey that led him to Cuba. In Africa, the islands have been a popular transition point for those trying to enter Europe clandestinely to better their economic standing. The strategic location and its classification as an autonomous region of Spain, as well as an 'outermost region' of the European Union, are advantages. These attributes can be leveraged to boost engagement with Africa and with the United States, according to Paulino Rivero Baute, who has been president of the Canary Islands since 2007. During an interview at the offices of the Corporate Council on Africa following an address to CCA members, President Rivero outlined how U.S. companies that might be reluctant to tackle Africa's infrastructural and legal framework challenges can instead invest through his homeland.

Most of our readers probably know little about your home territory. Give us a snapshot.
The Canary Islands are situated 100 kilometers from the [west] African coast and 1,500 kilometers from Europe. I would also point out that it is the last territory between Europe and Africa to have access to the United States - and that's why the Canary Islands was so very important to Columbus's discovery of America.
President Paulino Rivero of the Canary Islands with Ambassador Robert Perry, vice president of the Corporate Council on Africa.
Because we are part of Spain, we have special status in Europe, along with other islands such as La Reunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Madeira and others. We have made great strides with regard to the wellbeing of our people, a population of two million. In the last 15 years the standard of living has made great strides. We have reached approximately the average income per capita of Spain, and we are getting close to the average income in Europe. We have wonderful infrastructure with regard to ports and airports, and we offer the services that are needed in the 21st century.
You are here speaking to U.S. companies. What are the opportunities for doing business in the Canary Islands?
The Canary Islands during the last 25 years have developed a very solid tourism sector. We welcome 12 million tourists a year. We are one of the most important tourism destinations in the world. There are other business opportunities in the local market. However, the real potential lies in Africa; in other words, using the Canary Islands as a safe platform to invest and do business in Africa.
How does that work?
The archipelago is geographically located in Africa even though its population may have European roots and has always oriented towards Europe. The Canary Islands enjoy a preferential relationship, a privileged relationship, with western Africa. Currently we have 200 companies doing business on the western coast of Africa, and also those of us from the Canary Islands are very well looked upon by Africans.
The U.S. government invests its own resources on the African continent and invests in co-operation and development because it is a way to generate security. Why is it that U.S. companies have not aligned their objectives with this co-operation and development policy? If we ask U.S. business people why they are not investing in Africa currently, they will tell you, first of all, there is legal uncertainty on the African continent and that the African continent does not offer the necessary airport and port infrastructures for easy transportation. They will also mention that human capital is severely limited and that health services, for example, are either non-existent or deficient. These obstacles are hindering U.S business people from investing in Africa. That's where the Canary Islands come in: we have an advantageous geographic position and we are looked kindly upon in Africa.
So you would like to see more partnerships between U.S companies and Canary Islands companies engaging in Africa?
Yes, we see this in two ways actually. First of all, we believe that U.S companies will take advantage of the tax benefits and incentives that the Canary Islands offer, so that they can actually establish a base there, for example preparing their products or preparing technology in order to invest in Africa.
It's also possible that U.S. businesses could establish partnerships with businesses from the Canary Islands that are already operating in Africa, although it may be too presumptuous to think that a large multinational company would want to have a partnership with a small business from the Canary Islands. They probably would be most interested in using the Canary Islands for the tax incentives and the legal certainties of our system.
You said 200 Canary Islands companies are operating in Africa. Can you give some examples?
Currently the Canary Island businesses that are most involved in Africa are those that have to do with tourism, construction and services, specifically. Other sectors also offer great opportunities, such as the water sector – anything to do with desalination, purification, the use of water – and the clean energy and technology sectors.
Tourism dominates your economy?
Heretofore, the most important economic sectors have been construction and tourism. However, we understand that we need to diversify. We have very limited physical territory on the islands, and so the construction sector cannot really continue as it did in the past. We are betting on the water sector, the clean energy sector and also trying to develop the Canary Islands as this logistical platform towards Africa.
We are considered a benchmark in these sectors in all of Europe because of the need we have had for desalination plants on the island since the 1970s and the need for clean energy. Interestingly enough, water and clean energy are two of the most important policies that need to be developed in Africa.
With your proximity to Africa, do you get involved in political issues affecting nearby states – ongoing tension between Morocco and Western Sahara, for example?
We try to manage with tact, prudence and responsibility. We have positive relationships with both parties, the Moroccans and the Polisario Front. We believe that managing with responsibility means compliance with UN resolutions.
How are you affected by problems in your region such as piracy and drug trafficking?
What has really impacted us in recent years is human trafficking, which, of course, is a tragic problem, clandestine human trafficking conducted by mafias. The problem of illegal immigration reached its peak some three or four years ago, with all these people dying at sea. It was, in my opinion, these deaths which finally coalesced European attention and brought it towards Africa.
First of all, the European Union deployed controls throughout the mid-Atlantic – that was very helpful – and then furthermore the EU (European Union) attempted to seek commitments from the African countries of origin of the majority of these illegal immigrants, and they got a commitment that these countries would put into place stricter border controls. I frankly believe that the policy with regard to illegal immigration is development, co-operation and well-being. We can't just use law enforcement to staunch this human flow, so we need to develop Africa and also offer a standard of living to Africans whereby they will want to stay in their own countries.
With regard to piracy, our region is actually calm in that regard. There is a problem in drug trafficking. We are at a crossroads because of our geographical position and, of course, we pay a great deal of attention towards this.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni

Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni 


Happy Thanksgiving!  This week's poet of the week is Baralong Seboni from Botswana!  Following is a link in which the poet explains the reason he writes.   I especially enjoyed his comment at the paper's closing in which he explains 'how' he writes: "I simply shut my mouth, open my mind and listen to my heart."  

I thought that his poem below was one to which I could relate.  I enjoyed that he didn't mask a straightforward message behind layers of metaphors.  Sometimes it's enough just to say it.

Love that

Inner sense
Of innocence
That craves eternally
The momentary
Experience in
The oneness
Of
twosome

Some of my favorite poetry books:

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Great article on THE investigative journalist of GHANA

Anas Aremeyaw is a Ghanaian investigative journalist who is unafraid and hungry in his unabashed pursuit of corruption and injustice.  He’s also probably the journalist on the most people’s hit list at the moment.  In short, I can’t wait for director Steven Soderbergh (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/) to get his hands on this story (perhaps the author of the Atlantic Monthly article, Nicholas Schmidle is working on a screenplay?!).  If Schmidle’s not working on one, then perhaps I can finagle my way over there and start on it.  

Take the ten minutes to read this article—it’s well-written and well-researched.  My only disappointment was that it wasn’t about 50 pages longer!

Photo by Steven Voss













I also wanted to give a plug for the author's book (To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan) which is available at the link below:
http://nicholasschmidle.com/toliveortoperishforever.html#buythebook2




Aww Snap! You've just got served! Is there a FAO danceoff in our future?

Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military Article
by Mark Silinsky (US Army civilian FAO- Eurasia, Russian language), was originally published in International Affairs Journal (http://www.faoa.org/) Oct 2010 edition.  Evidently, Dr. Denny Howley (FAO) published a scathing rebuttal to this article.  I have an email out to Mr. Silinksy to find this rebuttal which I have been unable to find online as of yet.  Once I receive a link to the rebuttal I will publish it here. 

The short of it all is that Silinsky is fired up and has challenged Dr. Howley to a danceoff  FAOoff public debate on the subject of his article.  He requests that the debate be held at a future FAO luncheon.  Regardless of which side of the fence you stand, this type of rigorous public debate is great!  It would certainly make the next luncheon a memorable one; and it pushes the FAO program further into the public arena. 

I have provided Mr. Silinsky's original article below for those of you who are curious.  FUUO will be monitoring the situation and keeping its readers updated.

Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military

Monday, November 22, 2010

Pentagon Protesters, I implore you! Step up your game!

NOTE:  For those who don't know,  every Monday morning the Pentagon allows only the biggest idiots best and brightest dissenters to post up on the grassy area by the Metro entrance escalators and display their signs. 


A column that I began with considerable vigor and gusto has deflated.  There will be no protester of the week this week.  For the past several weeks I have readied my Iphone voice memo app as I ascended the Pentagon metro escalator, eager to record my thoughts on the jaded warped interesting protester signs.  But each week I have been met not with new and timely demands of the Department of Defense.  Nay, instead I am met with yellowed, smudged, tired old signs that don’t appear to have been updated in decades.  This surprises me because you would think if you were motivated enough as a protester to go through ALL the effort of showing up every Monday morning, you would also be motivated enough to create new signs that would garner the attention of the rank and file Pentagon employees.  
Amid such tedium my only option would be to comment on the interesting protester choices of attire—such as the older gentlemen sporting the classic “Birken-socks” look and the other middle-aged man wearing the moose ears stocking cap.  But really, I feel like this is reaching a bit and that my readers deserve more.  They deserve witty biting commentary on the ridiculous insanity  different signs.  And as such, I am only as good as the material with which I work.  Therefore:

I am boycotting YOU protesters!  Until you bring me something new, some original thought, I will cease to comment on your efforts.

Friday, November 19, 2010

For my reservists friends- 3 year orders to USNA

It's times like these that I wish I was in the reserves...two dream jobs just popped on the reserve tickeer!

#1
Point of Contact: Dr. Boyd A. Waite, Associate Dean for Faculty

A. Grade: Any (O-3/O-4 desired)

B. Rating/Designator: Any

C. Report Date: No later than 1 August 2011

D. Duration: Not to exceed 3 years

E. Clearance: None

F. Location: U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

G. Type of Orders: 3 year active duty recall

H. Description: The U.S. Naval Academy has a need for qualified Navy Reserve officers with at least a master's degree in an appropriate academic discipline to instruct in designated academic departments beginning Fall 2011 and to serve as outstanding military role models for midshipmen. Recall Opportunities will be considered for the following disciplines: mechanical engineering, naval architecture and ocean engineering, electrical and computer engineering, aerospace engineering, and control systems engineering; political science, economics, English, history, and foreign language (Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese); mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer science, and oceanography. The deadline for submission of applications is 15 December 2011. Refer to


#2
Application Deadline: 15 December 2010
The United States Naval Academy has opportunities for Officer Instructors in all academic areas, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The Naval Academy has billets for 30 reservists, 10 per year, to serve as Officer Instructors for a three-year tour. Although there is a desire for Officer Instructors to be at the rank of LT or LCDR, all ranks will be considered based on qualifications and suitability. This flier provides background and application information for recall to USNA.
Being an Officer Instructor is a great opportunity to teach Midshipmen, conduct research, and participate in both academic and brigade activities. In most ways, an Officer Instructor position is indistinguishable from other Faculty and Teaching Staff positions; in fact, officers with a PhD effectively serve as an Assistant Professor in all regards other than having to deal with promotion and tenure.
Beyond teaching and research, reservists have served as:
Deputy Division Director. Course coordinator/creator. Department Chair/Associate Department Chair. Offshore Sailing Commanding Officer. Degree/Program Officer Representative. Club Officer Representative. Executive Assistant for Superintendent.

The Naval Academy has great facilities and resources (including both equipment and labs as well as Faculty, Staff, and Midshipmen) for conducting research part-time during the school year and full time during the four summer months. There are also opportunities for performing research at Navy, other DoD, and National Laboratories. One excellent option is to attract bright Midshipmen (including Trident and Bowman Scholars) for Senior Projects and summer internships.
The application provides the information to Dean Waite and the relevant Department(s) to determine whether there is a likely match with a current academic need. Should there be a match, you will likely have a phone interview to discuss your fit with the department’s needs. If selected and approved, recall orders as an Officer Instructor would include PCS to Annapolis, MD, and are preferred to be for a three-year tour to commence 01 July 2010. While on active duty, all active duty benefits are provided including eligibility for the new transferrable Post-9/11 GI Bill. However, although on active duty, recalled Officer Instructors continue to compete for promotion with their reserve colleagues.
To submit a preliminary application, mail, fax, or email the following to Dean Waite:
The strongest applicants will meet these requirements:
Member of Faculty Senate. Cover letter to include:
LT or LCDR. Personal/professional information summary.
MS or PhD. Reporting department(s), availability, duration. Will not reach 6 years continuous active duty. Current resume/CV. Not twice FOS. Full-length Khaki photo.

For more information about an Officer Instructor recall position or general questions about teaching and research at the Naval Academy, feel free to contact:
Not exceed 1095 days active in 1460 days.
 
http://www.usna.edu/AcDean/offpos/officerfaculty.html#Reserve <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTAxMTE5LjMzMTQzMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxMDExMTkuMzMxNDMxJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTI3NjY3NTA1MiZlbWFpbGlkPWpvaG4ua3J1c2VAbmF2eS5taWwmdXNlcmlkPWpvaG4ua3J1c2VAbmF2eS5taWwmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www.usna.edu/AcDean/offpos/officerfaculty.html#Reserve> for application requirements and submission details.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

How to make $300,000 in 10 hours

 I meant to post this a couple of days ago...

Here's what you should take away from this article:

This new/additional shift in the drug smugglers' strategy may mean that efforts in West Africa to counter maritime narcotics trafficking are working...or it might mean that cocaine subs are coming next.

This story also highlights the need for a continent-wide, coherent air traffic control infrastructure.

Thoughts?

US: Gangs buy jets for trans-Atlantic coke flights
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. prosecutors in a series of court cases say they are beginning to unravel the latest innovation in drug smuggling: South American gangs that are buying old jets and other planes, filling them with cocaine and flying them more than 3,000 miles across the ocean to Africa.
At least three gangs have struck deals to fly drugs to West Africa and from there to Europe, according to U.S. indictments.
"The sky's the limit," one Sierra Leone trafficker boasted to a Drug Enforcement Administration informant, according to court documents.
Most of the cocaine flown to Africa is bound for Europe, where demand has been rising over the last decade. South American gangs are turning to airplanes because European navies have been intercepting more boat shipments along the African coast, trafficking experts say.
"We started stopping the maritime traffic, basically, so then they started going to air traffic more and more," said Theodore Leggett, a smuggling expert with the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
The U.N. agency began warning about trans–Atlantic drug planes after Nov. 2, 2009, when a burned–out Boeing (News - Alert) 727 was found in the desert in Mali. Drug smugglers had flown the jet from Venezuela, unloaded it and then torched it, investigators said.
In the last year, arrests in Africa have begun shedding light on how the air routes work. The cases are being prosecuted in a New York federal court because some of the cocaine was supposed to have been sent to the United States.
"The quantity of cocaine distributed and the means employed to distribute it were extraordinary," prosecutors wrote in one case. They warned of a conspiracy to "spread vast quantities of cocaine throughout the world by way of cargo airplanes."
Recent U.S. court cases involving trans–Atlantic flights include:
— The Valencia–Arbelaez Organization, broken up by undercover U.S. agents after it bought a $2 million plane to run monthly flights between Venezuela and Guinea. The group claimed to have six aircraft already flying.
— A ring based in Colombia and Liberia, arrested after one of its planes was seized in May with two tons of cocaine as it prepared to leave Venezuela. Prosecutors say the group was planning to fly shipments twice a month. One defendant claimed to manage five other aircraft making similar hauls.
— Three Sierra Leone men, accused of scouting out airstrips and arranging for a four–ton flight of cocaine from South America in March.
Two other recent cases have involved cocaine and cargo jets, though investigators have not revealed yet whether the flights were going to Africa:
— Francisco Gonzalez Uribe, a Colombian trafficker due to be sentenced this month. He was recorded while trying to purchase large aircraft including a DC–8.
— Walid Makled–Garcia, who prosecutors say controlled airstrips in Venezuela used to launch drug flights. Prosecutors say Makled–Garcia was behind one of the biggest drug plane shipments in recent years: a DC–9 that landed in Mexico in 2006 with more than 12,300 pounds of cocaine on board.
Smugglers are able to fly large planes across the ocean undetected because most of the Atlantic is out of the range of radar, said Scott Decker, a criminology professor at Arizona State University who studies smuggling methods. Even commercial airliners crossing the ocean must periodically update air traffic controllers about their positions because they do not appear on radar screens.
"Going that way, especially from South America, really gets you outside the majority of the security envelope for air traffic," said Decker.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's decision to sever ties with most U.S. law enforcement agencies in 2005 has made it easier to bring cocaine to staging sites on the Venezuelan coast, said Vanda Felbab–Brown, a fellow at The Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.
"The DEA is not present there, the Venezuelan military is making money off it, and much of the territory is just not controlled by the government," Felbab–Brown said.
The global economic slump also has idled hundreds of aircraft. Ads on websites such as Planemart.com offer DC–8s for as low as $275,000.
The Valencia–Arbelaez gang was caught after it contacted an undercover DEA agent in the aviation business in 2007. The group wanted to buy a plane in Moldova and needed help setting up a front company in Cyprus to complete the deal.
The gang was already running flights across the Atlantic, members told DEA agents. One member, Manuel Silva–Jaramillo, said the group had six aircraft, each worth $1.5 million to $1.8 million, and was delivering cocaine both by air–dropping and unloading it on the ground.
"I sold airplanes to these people so I knew what was going on," Silva–Jaramillo, an American aeronautical engineer, told a New York judge earlier this year. "I knew that they were bringing the drugs to the United States."
A plane seized in Sierra Leone in July 2008 with 600 kilograms (1,323 pounds) of cocaine belonged to the group, the DEA says. The gang's leader, Jesus Eduardo Valencia–Arbalaez, said he was paying pilots $200,000 to $300,000 per trip.
Planning sessions for the newly acquired plane were held in Denmark, Spain, Romania and Virginia and at a Best Western hotel in Manhattan. At one meeting, Valencia–Arbalaez sketched a map of West Africa showing points where the drugs would be delivered. The plane could carry seven tons of cocaine, Valencia–Arbalaez said.
The gang used detailed spreadsheets to compute flight costs and distributed codebooks to conceal their plans.
Fuel and pilots were paid for through wire transfers, suitcases filled with cash and, in one case, a bag with $356,000 in euros left at a hotel bar. The gang hired a Russian crew to move the newly purchased plane from Moldova to Romania, and then to Guinea.
Most of the cocaine was destined for Europe, but part of each shipment was supposed to go on to New York.
The European drug market was hugely profitable. Silva–Jaramillo claimed the gang had as much as $82 million in euros stashed in Spain that it needed to launder, according to court documents.
The gang also discussed setting up a methamphetamine lab in Liberia and exporting the drug to Japan and the United States.
The gang had access to a private airfield in Guinea, was considering buying its own airport and had sent a team to explore whether it could send direct flights from Bolivia to West Africa, Valencia–Arbelaez said in recorded conversations.
Valencia–Arbelaez was arrested in Romania in June 2009. He pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking in New York court and was sentenced in July to 17 1/2 years in prison. Another conspirator, Javier Caro, received 3 1/2 years. Silva–Jaramillo pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Drug trafficking is especially dangerous to West Africa because of the corrupting effect it has on already weak governments, said Felbab–Brown, of The Brookings Institution.
In the Liberia case, traffickers offered bribes to Fumbah Sirleaf, the head of the Liberian security agency and son of the country's president. Sirleaf was secretly coordinating with the DEA. He did not respond to requests for comment about the case.
The flights were to come from Venezuela and Panama. The ring had already sent aircraft into Liberia, Guinea and Guinea–Bissau, one of the traffickers was recorded saying.
The case has attracted attention in Russia because one of the defendants, Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, says he was tortured by Liberian police before being handed over to the DEA. He and the other five defendants have denied the charges against them.
The Russian foreign ministry accused the United States of "kidnapping" Yaroshenko and failing to tell the Russian government. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called his arrest an example of the United States overstepping its bounds.
The DEA denies Yaroshenko was abused. The U.S. Department of State said it mistakenly faxed Yaroshenko's arrest notice to the wrong embassy.
___

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Happy Birthday Marine Corps (from a Marine Corps B.R.A.T.)

       While I ended up joining the Navy (6 weeks of Leatherneck during the summer after my junior year of college was enough for me to know that I was not cut out for the Marines)  I have always had a profound respect and admiration for the Marine Corps.  There is no greater, ruthless and expedient fighting force on the planet.
       My father is a Marine (and my grandfather and grandmother, as well as an Uncle and Cousin on his side are also Marines).   I always felt a point of personal pride to call myself a Marine Corps B.R.A.T. growing up.  Those of you my age may recall the movie entitled The BRAT Patrol (1986 starring Sean Astin) in which the kids of military service members save the world (more or less).  Of course BRAT stands for Born Raised And Trapped.  I can remember running around the neighborhood as an 9 year old singing the BRAT Patrol songs and conducting "missions" with my fellow USMC BRATs.  Below are two links to the movie for those of you who are curious:
"The BRAT Patrol" youtube excerpt (first ten minutes of the film)

IMDB link: The BRAT Patrol

I'll close out this column with two quotes, one from a modern day marine maestro of quotable quotes( http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/16-Most-Hair-Raising-General-Mattis-Quotes-1573/) :

"I come in peace, I didn't bring artillery.  But I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes:  If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all.
Marine General James Mattis, to Iraqi tribal leaders

and the other from my favorite Marine Corps Commandants (yes, Marine kids have favorite Commandants...I had a poster of this one) Gen 'Lou' Wilson (MOH recipient).  Having a plethora of Marine buddies I can personally vouch for the veracity of the sentiments he expresses in his closing lines:

The wonderful love of a beautiful maid,
The love of a staunch true man,
The love of a baby, unafraid,
Have existed since time began.

But the greatest of loves, The quintessence of loves.
even greater than that of a mother,
Is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken Marine for another.


"Semper Fidelis"

General Louis H. Wilson
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Toast given at 203rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball
Camp Lejueune, N.C. 1978
       

Monday, November 8, 2010

PGON-ism of the week- Circle the Wagons

It's been a while since I've put out a Pentagon-ism of the week and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ubiquitous battle cry to "Circle the Wagons!"    


I always chuckle to myself when I hear this melodramatic term used.  I mean, really, are we truly 'pioneers' under attack from vicious natives...outnumbered and outgunned but ready to make a dramatic stand for victory by banding together?!  Or are we just gonna have a slightly busier than usual week?


While this term is obviously meant to inspire these pioneer-esque type of thoughts within those of us in the audience, it is often misused as a call for cooperation and communication.  As in:


"Alright guys, we need to circle the wagons this week, and figure out how we are going route this info memo about the French CNO's favorite red wine to our CNO."  


or:


"We need to circle the wagons and figure out where we are going to have coffee this morning, the dunkin donuts is a bit of a walk, but that have some great new mocha flavored coffee."

For the intellectually curious:
Origin of Circle the Wagons

Circle the Wagons: The History of US Army Convoy Security Book

Today the FAO Lat Transfer Board Meets!

So today the biannual Lateral Transfer/Redesignation Board meets.  I am hoping that it will be: fourth times a charm...(to be fair, on one of the previous three applications I wasn't eligible yet but applied anyway hoping for a waiver from the aviation community---fat chance there).

Supposedly they are going to be picking close to 20 people this board which is good.  The bad part is I haven't seen this year's quota sheet (Last year's quota sheet) so I don't know what my chances really are.  In case you didn't know, the quota sheet has the number of people each community (HSC, VFA, submarine, surface warfare) will let go broken down by year group (year you graduated college-basically).  This kind of sucks because even if you don't owe your community any more time, they might still not be letting anyone from your year group go for a variety of reasons (they need Department heads, billets filled etc...)...so they would rather I get out of the Navy because I don't want to stay in the community than let me stay in the Navy doing something else.  And then there's a whole ranking of which communities get to pick people for their community broken down by year groups just to add a little more black magic to the scenario...ugh.

So personally, I think the whole system leaves a little something to be wanted but then again, I don't have a solution either so I am loathe to linger on the subject too much.

All you can really do is put together the best application you can, and then just hope and pray...and wait two months for the results.  Stay tuned...

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Global Views on China vs. Global Views on U.S. or "Wow, Egypt and Pakistan really don't like us!"

(I am on vacation for a week so I probably won't be keeping this as updated as normal)


Click the link below for the entire report which is wide-ranging and interesting. I originally came across this report because I regularly read another great blog called China in Africa: The Real Story
If you are interested in Africa, you cannot ignore the role of China there and this is a smart, academic, thorough look at the issues by a professor, author and expert.  
    Below are just two of the many charts in the report.  Clink the link below to view whole report which is worth a good 15 minute scan.  

Entire Pew Global Attitudes Report (30 pages +)





















I only wish they had gotten data for a few other African nations such as Angola, South Africa and Tanzania.  Of particular note though is how popular they are in Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan.  The USA is more popular in Kenya and Nigera, but Pakistan and Egypt  do NOT like us...this is unfortunate when you consider how much aid and preferential treatment we give them...but this just goes to show You Can't Buy Me Love .  And while I don't think that we should base our foreign policy or diplomatic engagement on polling numbers, I do think it's important to have that insight into attitudes within a nation.  If we had numbers on a few other African countries we could perhaps see regions/nations where we could do a little better on the public perception front.  


On a side note, I wonder how the numbers will change after President Obama's trip through Asia.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Poet of the Week from Libya: Khaled Mattawa or The Sad Truth of the matter

So here's the sad truth of the matter: it's no easy task to find a great African poet each week for this blog. Well, that's not exactly precise.    Google has made it plenty easy to a great African poet, but it is a task of African proportions to find the author's actual poems.  Now some of this may be due to copyright restrictions but usually for most american/british/anywhere else poets, you can at least find a smattering of samples.  I am all for financially supporting great poets...BUT if all I can find are bios saying what a great poet you are without evaluating one my own...well yeah, it makes it difficult.  And by featuring a great poet's writing, this will expose him/her to others who may one day buy their work.  
    ANYWAY, but this is all no longer a problem as I finally ordered and received 
The Penguin Book of Modern African Poetry: Fourth Edition (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) [Paperback]

    So this will be the last poet I feature for a long while that doesn't come from the anthology.  Below you will find an excerpt of Khaled Mattawa, a Libyan poet with a gift for crafting descriptions that you can close your eyes and picture:


"...while the sea and sky ache to become
a moment to peel itself like skin off fruit, and let us in
on its sweetness as we wait,.."





"Khaled Mattawa was born in Libya but has lived in the United States most of his adult life. He stays in touch with the Libyan literary scene and is revered there. His newest book, Amorisco,is due next month from Ausable Press, and one of its long poems, “East of Carthage: An Idyll,” is set at another ruined Roman city along the Libyan coast, Sabratha."


I also wrote a paper on the recent Libyan revolution: A Coalition to What End.


EAST OF CARTHAGE: AN IDYLL
1.
Look here, Marcus Aurelius, we’ve come to see
your temple, deluded the guards, crawled through a hole
in the fence. Why your descendent, my guide and friend
has opted for secrecy, I don’t know. But I do know
what to call the Africans, passport-less, yellow-eyed
who will ride the boat before me for Naples, they hope.
Here the sea curls its granite lip at them and flings a winter
storm like a cough, or the seadog drops them at Hannibal’s
shores, where they’ll stand stupefied like his elephants.
What dimension of time will they cross as the Hours loop
tight plastic ropes round their ankles and wrists?
What siren song will the trucks shipping them back
to Ouagadougou drone into their ears? I look at them
loitering, waiting for the second act of their darkness
to fall. I look at the sky shake her dicey fists.
One can be thankful, I suppose, for not being one of them,
and wrap the fabric of that thought around oneself
to keep the cold wind at bay. But what world is this
that makes our lives sufficient even as the horizon’s rope
is about to snap, while the sea and sky ache to become
a moment to peel itself like skin off fruit, and let us in
on its sweetness as we wait, smoking or fondling provisions,
listening to the engine’s invocational purr. In an hour
that will dawn and dusk at once, one that will stretch
into days strung like beads on the horizon’s throat,
they will ride their tormented ship as the dog star
begins to float on the water, so bright and still,
you’d want to scoop it out in the palm of your hand.





Simple questions
Are these birds or caravans
swimming through the air?
Neither the blueness nor those seated on beds in warm rooms will say.
Are these houses in a mirage or Bedouins
fleeing from ancient winds?
The sand and foxes alert for centuries will follow their trails.
Are these shadows of a city or a quavering flute?
A scene and visions emerge from its darkness.




FUUO Past Poets of the Week and Other Links:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/04/libya-coalition-to-what-end-and.html
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2008/11/libya-dont-look-away/

Some of my favorite poetry books: