Diplopundit’s Blog Index for December 2009

Claude Monet, Impression, soleil levant, 1872

Diplopundit’s
2009 Words and Phrases to Remember

Quickie:
Suicide Bomber Kills Eight at FOB Chapman...

US
Embassy Jakarta Issues Warden Message on Bali ...

Insider
Quote: I now completely despise these word...

Quote:
The Role of the Ambassador’s Wife

Let
the Finger-Pointing, Circular Firing Squad Begin...

Officially
Out: Jide Zeitlin Withdraws Nomination...

Insider
Quote: A very daunting undertaking

Abdulmutallab,
Visas Viper, and Visa Revocations

Understanding
the No Fly and Selectee Lists, Sort of ...

Profilers,
Precogs -- Soon to a Career Fair Near You...

Insider
Quote: Asserting Your Prerogatives

Terror
Suspect Abdulmutallab and Philip K. Dick's ...

BlogNotes:
External Links

Quickie:
Unwed FS Couples Want Benefits, Too

Video
of the Week: Steve Jobs on how to live before...

Confirmed
on 12/24: State Dept/USAID Nominations

Merry
Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Father
and Son Reunited at US ConGen Rio de Janeiro...

A
Strategy for that $7.5 billion Pakistan Aid

USAID/Afghanistan:
Audit Says Civilian Assistance ...

James
Hogan: Now a Cold Case?

Huh
News! The Man Who Conned the Pentagon

Goldman
Decision Upheld in Brazil; GSP Bill Passes...

President
Signs H.R. 3326 Defense Appropriations...

UN
Undiplomatic Mess Refuses to Go Away

AFSA
Received Letter from DOL. 11 Days Ago...

Labor
Dept Slow to Help Injured War Zone Contractor...

Quickie:
A surge at $57,077.60 a minute

Snapshot:
Student Visas for Chinese Students

Quickie:
Civil Rights Lawsuit vs State Dept Settle...

Child
Abduction Case Threatens Trade Bill

Colombia:
New Barracks Construction Awarded

Video
of the Week: The Future of the Internet

Afghanistan
Contracts and Woodrow Wilson -- Hey!...

US
Consulate Herat Moves Forward

President
Signs Omnibus Spending Bill

Prism:
Richard Armitage Interview

Insider
Quote: Crash! Boom! Bang!

Idle
Curiosity Singes 9th Victim

Harassment
of US Diplomats in Pakistan?

David
Ensor to US Embassy Kabul?

CRS
Responds to ACLU on Morris Davis Firing

Quickie:
Human Trafficking in America

Insider
Quote: He Who Runs On is White Noise

Business
Class Travel is Not a Thing of the Past?

New
US Visa Fees Proposed

Who
Runs the War? Nominate Your Own Afghan Power-B...

Insider
Quote: A toothpick for a sword fight

Federal
Internship for Spouses, Military Spouses Only...

Quickie:
Public Diplomacy 2.0: Where the USG Meets...

State
Dept in Court: Two Title VII Cases Plus One ...

Officially
In: Judith Ann Stewart Stock to ECA

Omnibus
Bill FY2010: State Gets 745 new positions,...

Video
of the Week: The Great Climategate Debate

Officially
In: Mari Del Carmen Aponte to San Salvador

Officially
In: Donald E. Booth to Addis Ababa

Quickie:
Tent Problems with Team USA in Kabul?

Quote:
5th Largest Recipient of USAID Funds

Quickie:
Large Broom Needed at the State Dept

SFRC
Clears USAID and State Dept Nominees

GAO
Report: Diplomatic Security Needs Strategic Review

Confirmed:
US Reps to 64th General Assembly of the UN

Diplomat
in One Very Hot Oven

Will
the Afghanistan Civilian Surge Go Super Surge...

HRC
Presents Heroism Award to Lynne Tracy

Quote:
The Neglected Art of Diplomacy

HRC
Hosts "Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays”

Former
SecState Powell’s Portrait Unveiling Ceremony

Quickie:
Avoiding Elections at Any Cost in Iraq

Amb.
Crocker Named Dean of TAMU’s Bush School of Govt

Your
job or your blog, er op-ed

Video
of the Week: Cameron Sinclair: The refugees ...

President
Obama Just Can’t Catch a Break

Officially
In: Brooke D. Anderson as Alternate Rep...

Officially
In: Rosemary DiCarlo as Deputy Rep to ..

Coming
Soon - Virtual Tour of Iraq National Museum...

974
to Afghanistan for the Civilian Surge

Insider
Quote: I don’t do politics in this job

Dr.
Shah, USAID and the Hanging “F”

Quickie:
Erik Prince, Mr. Fix-It in War on Terror

Quote:
More Catherine Ashton, Please

US
Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif Moving Forward

Thanksgiving
Around the Foreign Service

Officially
In: Raul H. Yzaguirre, Sr. to Santo Domingo

Officially
In: Bisa Williams to Niamey

Officially
In: Allan J. Katz to Lisbon

Officially
In: Ian C. Kelly to OSCE

SFRC
Hearings: Andrew, Nelson, King, Kennedy, Donahoe...

SFRC
Hearing: Today, Rajiv Shah’s Nomination for USAID

Revisiting
the Powell Doctrine

Diplopundit's
Blog Index for November 2009

Diplopundit's Blog Index for November 2009

2009 Influenza Pandemic: Border Entry Issues

Fm the Good News Dept: Mobile Computing for State

SFRC Report: How We Failed to Get Osama bin Laden

Video of the Week: Ian Goldin: Navigating our global future.

What Are We Doing in Afghanistan?

Ambassador Neumann on Corruption in Afghanistan

Reconsider the Role of the PRTs?

Happy Thanksgiving!

SFRC Website Finally Gets a Make Over, Sort Of

Hard Skills Training Center at Old Smelting Plant

Warning on Espionage Got China’s Attention

Squirrels Are Us?

There are families at US Embassy Kabul?

Terror Charges: From Minneapolis to Somalia

Vice Consul James Hogan: 1,440 Hours Missing

Quickie: Senator LeMieux, Brazil is Waiting

Ambassador David Jacobson: Applicant for the Day

Espionage Conspiracy: Myers Couple Pleads Guilty

JFK - November 22, 1963

Video of the Week: Pranav Mistry's Trilling SixthSense

Confirmed: Polt, Stroum, Prahar, Huebner, Tefft

Confirmed: Fernandez, Barton, Kennard, Lomellin, King

Confirmed: Hudson, Yohannes and Arnavat

A Word on Diplomacy 3.0

Quickie: Senator LeMieux on Thomas Shannon and LatAm

Officially In: David Adelman to Singapore

Officially In: Harry K. Thomas, Jr. to Manila

Officially In: Elizabeth Littlefield to OPIC

HRC Presents Heroism Award to Matt Sherman

Rodearmel v. Clinton: Appeal to SCOTUS Filed

Officially In: Eight for the Broadcasting Board of Gov

Insider Quote: I was qualified to be in the SFS

SFRC Hearings: Rowe, Fernandez, Wills, Goldberg

The Governator Visits US Embassy Baghdad

SFRC Clears 14 State Dept Nominations

SFRC Hearings: The Warlicks, Tsakopoulos Kounalakis

Special Agent Fred Ketchem: DS Employee of the Year

Officially In: Scott H. DeLisi to Kathmandu

Officially In: Beatrice Welters to Port-of-Spain

S. 1524: USAID Reform Bill Scheduled for Mark Up

Quickie: English Lessons Via Mobile Phones

Remember When: Policy on Wives of Foreign Service Off

Urgent and Critical Assistance Needed

The Secretary of State’s SOSA Awardees 2009

Peace Corps to Return to Indonesia

Quote: Married to the Service in the 50’s

Snapshot: State Dept's Family Member Employment

Video of the Week: Lonely Hearts Scam Division

Get Ready for the RiceHadley Strategy Group

Peter Galbraith in the News Again

Jumping the Gunman

Quickie: TelConference With Ambassador Eikenberry

Obama’s UN-Mgt Reform Nominee's Troubles

AFSA 2009: Four Post Election Possibilities

Did we legally adopt Afghanistan while we were asleep

Confirmed: Jeffrey Bleich to Australia

Officially In: Laura Kennedy to US-CD

Officially In: Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe to US-HR...

Officially In: Carrie Hessler Radelet to Peace Corps

Kosovo Honors Bill with a Statue on Bill Clinton Ave

Officially In: Dr. Rajiv Shah to USAID

USDA Official Rajiv Shah to USAID?

AFSA 2009 Election Challenged

The Berlin Wall: 20th Anniversary

Don’t Tell Me – Another "Idle Curiosity" Case

Quickie: Joe Klein on Hillary's Moment

The Linguists Are Coming ... From DOD?

The Ambassador: When Working for One is an Adventure

Video of the Week: National Leadership Index 2009

Afghanistan: Ticks with CCHF Virus?

Confirmed: At Last - Arturo Valenzuela to WHA!

Snapshot: Top 10 Recipients of US Foreign Aid

H1N1 Vaccine for Foreign Service Personnel

23 US Officials: Rendered Guilty in Italy

Quickie: Foreign Service 2009 Promotion Lists

Quote: Diplomats, Not Meant to Sell Widgets

Colton v. Clinton: Amended Complaint Alleges Retaliation

SFRC Hearings: Bleich, Huebner, King

Horn v. Huddle: DOJ Settles Suit for $3 million

SFRC Hearings: Zeitlin, Arvanat, Barton, Yohannes

Nov 4: The Day the Roof Fell In

SIGAR Report: Sinks in Its Lightness of Being

Officially In: Suresh Kumar to USFCS

Insider Quote: Sometimes there are obstacles

Best Consular Blog. Dead, So Very Dead.

US Embassy Kabul: Honoring DEA Agents Lost

The AFSA Challenge: Prove This Theory Wrong

Quickie: The FS Blogosphere in 2009

Diplopundit’s Blog Index for October 2009

Diplopundit’s Blog Index for October 2009

Video of the Week: Did You Know 4.0In Afghanistan. We are the tourists.Rodearmel v. Clinton: DismissedU.N. Can’t Account for Millions Sent to Afghan Elec...US Visas for $12,000 in Ukraine?Call in the Civilians. Pray Tell, From Where?!BlogNotes: Diplopundit on TwitterMatthew Hoh in His Own WordsUSAID/Egypt: $181 Million Later, Impact UnnoticeableUS Embassy Islamabad Suspends Consular ServicesThe State Dept on Matthew HohPRT Officer Matthew Hoh Resigns Over Afghan WarJack Lew on Civilian Staffing in AfghanistanWeb 2.0 Roundup: US Embassy ManilaQuickie: One Nation Under ContractJames Hogan: Missing Now for 31 DaysOfficially In: Philip S. Goldberg to INROfficially In: Betty E. King to US Mission GenevaQuickie: On State/USAID - There Will Be No MergerRodearmel v. Clinton: Linguistics PhDs Wade InIdle Curiosity, Once More – Bow!Sunday Tanka: At Embassy Port of SpainVideo of the Week: Androids, Not Sci-Fi AnymoreWeb 2.0 Roundup: US Embassy Jakarta Wows!Truth or Consequence: Linked AssignmentsPD Rapid Response Team to Pakistan?Insider Quote: A 24/7 ResponsibilityWho's Storming Which Office to Sink Al Franken’s ...All the Things We Are – Are Not LearnableThe Greatest Possibility of SuccessArrest in Kickback/Bribe Scheme on Iraq Reconst...Web 2.0 Roundup: US Embassy LondonQDDR: Transforming State/USAID for the 21st CenturyThe Diplomatic Wives: Tribute and ThanksJohn Kerry: Man of the Hour in AfghanistanWho Will Sink Al Franken's S. Amdt. 2588?Quote: Cocktail parties are death …From Valedictory Despatches to Twitter?“Don’t want to send them home dirty.”Quickie: They no respect the contract?It Happens: Divorce and the Foreign ServiceQuickie: Could UBL be on Twitter?Video of the Week: Elizabeth Gilbert on Nurturing ...Did You See That ACS Job in Kabul?Officially In: Anne Slaughter Andrew to San JoseIndictment on Kickback Scheme in AfghanistanInsider Quote: And Thou Shall be CautiousThe Ambassadors: Presenting Their CredentialsQDDR: Are You Putting Lipstick on a Very Old Pig?US Embassy Barbados: Paradise InspectedPeter Bergen’s Ultimate AfPak Reading ListQuickie: Where Caution is KingRocking the Boat is a Dangerous Thing, No?US Diplomat James Hogan: 19 Days MissingQuickie: Survivor Kabul, Episode #699Dissent Channel: USAID/Pakistan ProgramOfficially In: Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis to ...Officially In: Peter A. Prahar to KoloniaHorn v. Huddle: Settlement Reached?Video of the Week: Alain de Botton on SuccessHuh? News: Sudan StrategeryBarack Hussein Obama: Nobel Peace Prize 2009The Promotion Season Needs a Poem ...Insider Quote: Holbrooke’s Democratic CentralismOfficially In: David D. Nelson to MontevideoOfficially In: David Huebner to WellingtonQuickie: The Bronze Star, not an ‘atta boy’ medalInsider Quote: All FSOs in the world ...The UN’s Best and Worst Places to LiveSFRC Hearings: Nominees for European PostsThe Hunt for Madam le ConsulUS Embassy Conakry on Ordered DepartureIt's That Time of YearInsider Quote: Ranks and Pastry ForksDiplomat Thrown Under the Bus Refuses to Stay Under...We’re Building the Juba-Nimule Road in Sudan ...Snapshot: Top 10 State Dept Contractors (FY2009)Officially In: James B. Warlick, Jr. to SofiaDisasters in SE Asia & South Pacific - How to Help...DNA Match in James Hogan SearchVideo of the Week: Parag Khanna maps the future...Quickie: Too Old for Foreign Service Work?New Embassy Contracts AwardedUS Navy Joins Hogan Search in CuracaoInsider Quote: Competitive Nature in Diplomatic ...Diplomat Thrown Under the Bus in Afghan Election ...Officially In: John F. Tefft to KyivDiplopundit’s Blog Index for September 2009

Diplopundit’s Blog Index for September 2009

US Diplomat Missing in Curacao

A Lesson in "Good News” Reporting

Ambassador Hill is a "Bad Choice" -- the 36th Edition...

Fortress Embassies: A Tanka or Two

WALES: State Dept's New $35M Payroll Contract

Bradley v. Vance: The Yesterday You Worried About ...

Officially In: Michael C. Polt to Tallinn

Reviewing Diplomatic Readiness

TED@State: Hans Rosling Bursts Myths

That Did Not Work Out Very Well, Did It?

Officially In: Mary Warlick to Serbia

Officially In: Robert R. King to G/SENK

Officially In: Daniel W. Yohannes to MCC

Officially In: Appointments to UNGA

US Emb Moscow Complains About Russian Sex Video

Language Training as a “Net Minus”

Post-Deployment Screenings Recommended

Confirmed: Ambassadors to Canada, Poland, Norway &...

Bradley v. Vance: Revisiting Mandatory Age Retirement...

Snapshot: US Foreign Assistance

A Fall Re-Run: Language Shortfalls at the State Dept...

Civilian Uplift for Afghanistan on Track?

FSO Group Seeks Changes in DSS Practices

The Long Foreign Service Hangover

AFSA Reminds Employees of Weingarten Rights

Colton v. Clinton: Expeditionary Diplomat Booted O...

Quickie: Portrait of HRC’s Early Tenure at State

Video of the Week: The Snakehead

Former Iraq Security Contractors Say Firm Bought B...

AfPak Channel Launches: Covering Afghanistan

SFRC Clears Six State Dept Nominees

The Ambassador and His Gulfstream Jet

Insider Quote: There are no bad missions, just bad...

Meryl Streep launches film series at Ambassador’s ...

US Embassy Bern Happy But …

Nixon on Cleaning Up That State Dept

Who's Banning "Bad News" Reporting Cables?

State Dept Contractor Electrocuted in Iraq

Officially In: Jide Zeitlin to UN Mgt and Reform

Officially In: Frederick Barton to UN ECOSOC

Officially In: Carmen Lomellin to OAS

Quickie: Top US Rep at UN Mission Afghanistan Push...

CWC Hearings: State Dept Security Contracts

SFRC Hearings: Solomont, Feinstein, White, Fernandez...

Officially In: Jeff Bleich to Canberra

Officially In: Cynthia Stroum to Luxembourg

Officially In: Leslie Rowe to Maputo

Quickie: Hitting Bottom in Foggy Bottom

Is this Super DCM job for you?

What the Soviets Overlooked in Afghanistan

Video of the Week: Linda Eder's If I Had My Way

Lawsuit Filed Against US Emb Kabul Contractor AGNA...

USAID Contractors Plead Guilty

New US Consulates Opening in Afghanistan

Officially In: Amb Robert Bradtke to the Minsk Group...

Measuring Success in Afghanistan

SFRC Hearings: Robert Hormats

Ambassador Hill Updates Congress on Iraq

POGO Story Gets First Capitol Hill Hearing

That Three-Legged Stool of American Foreign Policy...

Amb. Ryan Crocker writes about Iraq, Afghanistan

Video of the Week: Dan Pink on Motivation

US Embassy Kabul: POGO Story Day 4

Quickie: Chuck Hagel on the Limits of Force

US Embassy Kabul: OIG Report from 2006 Shows Up

US Embassy Kabul: Pogo Story Day 3

US Embassy Kabul: Camp Sullivan Goes Dry

US Embassy Kabul: POGO Story Day 2

US Foreign AID: Developmentally Disabled?

10 Things to Say When Dealing with Reports of Exce...

Quickie: USAID as a “check-writing agency?”

POGO writes to Secretary Clinton about US Embassy ...

Mid-Level Hiring Trouble Brewing at USAID?

Quickie: Relearning Where the Alligators Are By Be...

Diplopundit’s Blog Index for August 2009

Diplopundit’s Blog Index for August 2009

Where in the world did Secretary Clinton vacation?...

$75 million to run a single PRT is not excessive?

Insider Quote: Specialist and Generalist

ConGen Mumbai: Everybody Needs Love

TED@State: Paul Collier on Rebuilding a Broken Nat...

Lessons Learned Resources

Joseph T. Cox: Second Tour

You have no rank, whatsoever ...

Snapshot: US Mission Nigeria

Quote: Non-Portable Rights, Once More

Insider Quote: Running of the Goats ... in Kabul

US Suspends Visa Services in Honduras

Insider Quote: Returning to the Real World

What do you do with fraudulent naturalizations?

US Embassy Jakarta's FotObama Contest Winners

Quickie: Hillary Clinton, In a New Role of Her Own...

Things to Pack When You’re Bound for Baghdad

Snapshot: State Dept's Family Member Employment - ...

Snapshot: State Department's Family Member Employ...

US Embassy Jakarta's "Ocean in Focus"

Western Sahara: A fight over independence

Video of the Week: Sean Gourley on the mathematics...

Quickie: Consul-at-Arms' Manner of Substance

$4.2 million to dispute a single word

Afghan Elections Over, Now What?

Afghanistan Elections: They Both Won?

US Embassy Officials Meet Ms. Universe Contestants...

FSO Recalls Lockerbie

Crowdsourcing the Elections in Afghanistan

US Embassy Cashier Gets 72 Months for Stealing US$...

FECA Death Gratuity Goes Up to 100K

Insider Quote: More Aspiration Than Fact

Slow Day, Diplopundit’s Going Lighter

Mis/Fortunes of Wars and Rocks

Insider Quote: Dealing with Stress

Video of the Week: Janine Benyus on Biomimicry

Quickie: Funding the Afghan Taliban?

Bidding Sucks, No, Really …

Snapshot: State Dept’s Africa Bureau

Public Diplomacy: MIST has more Money than PAO

I’m GREAT; I said so in my EER!

Quickie: Hundreds of People in the Pipeline ...

Oops, what happened to Robert Connan’s nomination?...

Pending Nominations Update - August 2009

US Embassy Iraq: 5 Years Later, Some Questions Answered...

Officially In: Barry White to Oslo

HRC on John Bolton: Priceless

Video of the Week: Barry Schwartz on our loss of wisdom...

Confirmed Nominations: August 7

R E M E M B E R - August 7, 1998

Officially In: Alan D. Solomont to Madrid

Officially In: William E. Kennard to the European ...

If Trouble is Your Name, Baghdad is Waiting…

Insider Quote: The Buck Stops at the Front Office

A spouse remembers: "My God, I'm not a person!"

SFRC Hearings: David Jacobson

SFRC Clears 22 State Dept/Ambassador-Nominees

Confirmed: These 12 Ambassadors Are Going to Posts...

Special Envoy Gration Makes Splash on Sudan

From Jakarta: Happy 48th Birthday Barry!

Embassy Snapshot: “Historically-Difficult-to-Fill”...

BlogNotes: I’m Back and Feeling My Placelessness

US Embassy Rangoon: Postscript to a Tour

Officially In: Mary Jo Wills to Port Louis

Confirmed: Marshall, Powell, Gips, Irving

Diplopundit’s Blog Index for July 2009

Video of the Week: Jacqueline Novogratz on Escaping...

Diplopundit’s Blog Index for July 2009

Snapshot of Service in the Emerald City

SFRC Clears 16 More Ambassador-Nominees

Ambassador Hill with Charlie Rose

US Mission Mexico: Some Good News, Some Bad News

SFRC Hearings: Aaron Williams

SFRC Hearings: Eacho, Barzun, Foley, Murphy, Garbe...

SFRC Hearings: Posner, Jones, Cousin, Killion, Kor...

US Embassy Jakarta Runs FotObama Competition

Quickie: Gunning for London via Baghdad? Better Hu...

Video of the Week: Erik Hersman on Texting on a C...

Confirmed: Ambassadors to Europe and the Western ...

Officially In: Jose W. Fernandez to be A/S at EEB...

Officially In: Alberto Fernandez to Malabo

Horn v. Huddle: A Cable, A Table, and Something in...

Virtual Advisory Committees for AFSA

FS Blog: Calling a Spade a Spade

Secretary Clinton’s Mumbai Meet and Greet

14 State Dept Nominees Clears the SFRC

Quickie: Downsizing US Embassy Baghdad; Yes, Pleas...

You can't serve in Iraq if you're on MEDs?

SFRC Hearings: Six Ambassador-Nominees at the Senate...

SFRC Hearings: Kaplan, Smith, Gross, Diaz

Horn v. Huddle, et.al: Under State Secrets No More...

SFRC Hearings: Ten Ambassador-Nominees Before the ...

Officially In: Lee A. Feinstein to Warsaw

Officially In: Robert Hormats to “E”

State’s “T” Bureau”: Where Restructuring Was “Easy...

Operation Jaque: Post-Rescue Photos Now Online

Video of the Week: PW Singer on Military Robots

Top Most Dangerous Assignments in the Foreign Service...

Secretary Clinton at the Council on Foreign Relations...

SFRC Hearings: Derse, Beyer, Gutman, Thorne

Officially In: Glyn Davies to UNVIE and IAEA

What’s going to happen to USAID? Jack Lew.

SFRC Hearings: Martinez, Avant, Thummalapally, Nay...

Insider Quote: Negroponte Moving On…

Top Hardship Assignments in the Foreign Service

FS Grievance Board Decides on 2007 SFS Performance...

Quickie: Fiction with a Dash of Reality …

Insider Quote: Conflict-Averse Managerial Culture

Idle Curiosity Can Get You in Very Hot Waters

Confirmed: Dell, Rivkin, Susman, Fulton, Roemer, ...

Video of the Week: Howard Rheingold on Collaboration...

Secretary Clinton's Town Hall on QDDR

Officially In: Philip D. Murphy to Berlin

Top Most Expensive Places to Live in the Foreign Service...

Insider Quote: Learning a Language - the Best Anti...

SFRC Clears 12 Nominations

Officially In: Michael H. Posner to DRL

Officially In: Stephen J. Rapp to S/WCI

Officially In: Kerri-Ann Jones to OES

Quickie: The Leadership & Management Legacy

SFRC Hearings: Valenzuela, Shannon, Pascual, Merten...

SFRC Hearings: Roemer, Schmierer, Gray; Fulton, ...

Officially In: 6th Batch of Nominees for Ambassador...

Sexing up the 360-Degree Feedback, Revisited

Video of the Week: Deborah Scranton's "War Tapes"

The CIA's Plan for Improving Foreign Language...

Blog Index for June 2009

Report on Pay and Benefits of Deployed Civilians i...

Quote: Bob Gates on Public Service

Officially In: David Thorne to Rome

Officially In: Charles Ray to Harare

Officially In: Bruce Oreck to Helsinki

Officially In: Karen Kornbluh to OECD

Officially In: James Knight to Cotonou