Behind the Screen
The opinions, views, and insights stated within this Monologue are my own. The facts, fallacies, and errors, however, belong to someone else (see disclaimer).
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
My mom plays in the Raleigh Flute Choir and recently received the following review. I've edited the review for length:
Raleigh Flute Choir Brightens Cary Evening
by John W. LambertThe Raleigh Flute Choir, which has been advancing the causes of flutists and flute ensembles in our midst since 1986, opened the 2002-3 Friends of the Page-Walker Winter Concert Series with an attractive program October 27.
The RFC's members are all professionals, although not all work in the field; for example, former band director Thomas Mease, told us he is now an accountant at NCSU, which fact serves as yet another illustration of how tough it is to make a living in music hereabouts. The other members appear to be more heavily involved in the arts: two are managers of local orchestras, two others are managers of other local musical groups, and four of them are active as flute teachers.
The program tells us that the eight flutists field fifteen flutes with "one focus." We didn't count the flutes to verify truth-in-advertising, but the members held up standard (C) flutes, a higher-voiced E-flat flute, a still-higher piccolo, an alto flute, a bass flute, and a rather nasty looking thing that resembled a Daliesque and slightly pregnant bassoon, made of PVC pipe, that is the newest weapon in the RFC's arsenal. It's a contrabass flute, no. 27 produced by its manufacturer, Jelle Hogenhuis, of Amsterdam; apparently it is the first one to arrive in North Carolina.
Although it debuted here just this month, it clatters like an old car that needs a valve job (we understand that its pads will settle in over time), its notes are not terribly well defined, and it comes with a built-in microphone (not used on this occasion) to facilitate its projection in larger halls. It was played by Ann Cameron Pearce, the only member who is originally from 'round here; for the record, we should divulge that we've known her for a long time and that a review of one of her recitals was among the very first of our published critiques, a quarter-century ago.
The other members of the ensemble are Merritt Flexman, who during the Cary concert served as the group's leader, Debra Benson, Irene Burke, Kim Kittner, Kimberly Allemang, and Rosene Rohrer. For more information about the Flute Choir, which has twice performed, by invitation, at the National Flute Association Convention, and which has represented the Triangle at Piccolo Spoleto, the White House, and elsewhere, see http://www.RaleighFlutes.org/index.html, which site is shared by the Raleigh Area Flute Association. The two groups operate different programs with different missions. See the site for more information or refer to CVNC's series tab for a list of upcoming events, which include both educational activities and performances. And for more information on the large flute family (including some pictures), see http://www.contrabass.com/pages/flutes.html.
We were pleased to see (and hear) that our old friend Ann Pearce continues to do arrangements for the ensemble; her transcriptions, of which she has done many, are tip-top. There are people who write original works for flute choirs of various sizes, and some of these were heard: an attractive Harlequin Suite (2000) by Ira-Paul Schwarz (from which three numbers were excerpted), two short pieces (from a larger work) composed in 1962 by Pierre Max Dubois, and lighter selections by Ricky Lombardo and Catherine McMichael, played after the intermission. Variously, these showcased the players, whose precision, sense of ensemble, balance, and enthusiasm reflected the members' strengths.
For reasons that are not altogether clear, the arranged pieces seemed every bit as effective, and several of them were knockouts. In the second half came a version of Rachmaninoff's Vocalise that worked surprisingly well, as did transcriptions of Elgar's "Salut d'amour" and a dance from Smetana's Bartered Bride. The treasures, however, were Pearce's version of the first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata and, particularly, four selections from Grieg's Lyric Pieces that formed an outstanding little suite, the slow second movement of which (Notturno, Op. 54/4) was among the evening's longest single selections. (Like early music programs, most of the numbers on this recital were short.)
The small crowd responded favorably to Pearce's commentaries (in lieu of program notes) and to the music and applauded warmly, eliciting an encore: J. Harrington Young's polka travestie "Playful Kittens" brought the evening to an altogether happy conclusion.
Way to go mom.
Monday, October 28, 2002
Good. I got the response and documents I wanted from the Peace Corps.
From: "Erdman, Sarah"
To: "'jason.pearce.net'"
Subject: RE: Status regarding MS 282 and MS 284
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 16:59:17 -0500Hi Jason,
I apologize for the delay in responding. You will find the documents requested attached. The Regional Director's name is Stephen Murphy, and you can reach him through his assistant Crystal Scott at 202-692-2513. However, I can assure you he will refer you to Rita Jimenez, with whom you have already been in contact.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.
Thanks,
Sarah Erdman
Peace Corps Placement-Business Desk
Tel: 1-800-424-8580 x1852
Fax: 202-692-1897
serdman@peacecorps.gov
Saftey conditions continue to remain turbulent in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana.
Stabroek News (Breaking News)
Monday October 28, 2002Seven men shot dead
Seven men were today shot dead in four incidents across the city and its outskirts. Among the dead men is Dale Moore, one of the February 23 jail-break escapees. Three of the men died in two shoot-outs with the police, two died as a result of what seems to be gang warfare, the sixth was found dead in Le Repentir cemetery under unknown circumstances while the seventh may have been caught in the crossfire between the two gangs.
Large cache of weapons found
Following the shoot-out in Lamaha Gardens in which two men died, police found 13 guns, a large array of ammunition and "channa" bombs in a house. Radios and cellular phones were also found.
An update from one of the Guyana volunteers on the Volunteer Advisory Committee:
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 10:42:09 -0800 (PST)
From: "hidden"Hiya Jason.
We just had a guy come down from the office of Special Services, a part of the Peace Corps? medical office in D.C., to address the many concerns and complaints that have been voiced about Earl. Unfortunately, the dude was more of a sensei than anything else: he wouldn't focus on any of the concrete issues that we had, or the specific problems that we raised about Earl; he would only talk about "how we were all feeling about it." Total flake. It took us four and a half hours in a VAC meeting with this guy to figure out that he wasn't going to help us. It looks like, if we go through the regular channels, we're stuck with Earl.
If you ask me, "no viable assignment in country" is a way of saying "our programming sucks." How ridiculous is it that they'd send a volunteer home because they're too lazy to put a site together? Guyana is BLEEDING for people who can do what you do- the only reason there wasn't a site was because they weren't willing to put the slightest effort into answering the dozens of requests they get for IT volunteers. In my town of 12,000 alone, I can think of four places where an IT volunteer would have a full time job, and then some. "No viable assignment" is a paltry excuse. You got shafted, you know it, we know it, and we're all pissed about it.
At this point, most volunteers are going out of their way to stay away from Earl and the office. This is a sad, dangerous situation: in an emergency, I can't think of anyone who would now go to the office FIRST. I'd more rely on my friends in Guyana than the staff if things got rough. This is just because when volunteers have in the past few months gone to Earl with problems, it turns into a witch hunt AGAINST the volunteer. Example: One volunteer got an ANONYMOUS death threat. Earl's reaction was to grill her for over an hour on why she was putting herself at odds with her community members, and tell her he was sending her home. It was by the skin of her teeth that she stayed: she was packed and ready.
I know the feeling all too well. Right off the bat, I can think of two security-related issues that GUY 10 volunteers chose not to report to the Peace Corps office because they feared how the staff would handle the situation. When you don't have the trust of those who are supposed to be looking after and defending your best interest, it makes for a stressful and unsafe working environment. Hang in there my friends.
The Peace Corps has yet to respond to my request for copies of their manual -- a request I made almost two weeks ago. I need this information to prepare my appeal, so I submitted another request.
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 06:25:22 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jason.Pearce.net"
Subject: Status regarding MS 282 and MS 284
To: "Erdman, Sarah"Good Morning Sarah,
Two weeks ago I requested for you to email me copies of MS 282, MS 284, and the contact information for the Regional Director overseeing Guyana. I have not yet received these materials.
I understand you and your staff are quite busy, but I would like to know the status of my request. Thank you again for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Pearce
According to PeaceCorps.gov, returned volunteers are entitled to copies of the information that the Peace Corps keeps on them. Since I am quite curious, I mailed off a few requests to their office this weekend:
To the Office of Volunteer and Staff Payroll Services
- Please provide me a copy of my Description of Service Statement. The DOS should be an official account of my responsibilities, duties, and accomplishments while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
- Please provide me a copy of my Verification Of Service statement.
- Please provide me a copy of my Volunteer/Personnel Payroll File. This file should contain all documentation relative to my readjustment allowance and deductions.
To the Office of Medical Services
- Please provide me a copy of my Medical File. This file should contain a record of my medical exams, immunizations, dental records, etc.
To the Office of Administrative Services
- Please provide me a copy of my Country File.
- Please provide me a copy of my Applicant File. The applicant file should contain all documents collected as a result of my application for Peace Corps service. It should include my original application, reference forms, recruiter's comments, background information form, etc.
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
This is The 5th Wave cartoon set my whole "cartoon search" off in the first place. I found this cartoon in my CIW Foundations text book. I've since found that I like a lot of The 5th Wave's cartoons. Hope you like this one.
And this Fifth Wave cartoon reminds me of working on the computer while serving in Guyana.
Monday, October 21, 2002
I found this RhymesWithOrange.com cartoon to be particularly funny.
Saturday, October 19, 2002
Yesterday, I took and passed a test that now makes me CIW certified.
CIW (Certified Internet Webmaster) is an Internet vendor-neutral certification that is designed to help experienced professionals build on existing IT skills. For me, well, I hope it will increase my chances of obtaining a good web development job.
The first step toward CIW certification is the CIW Foundations series, which is what I took Friday, earning a CIW Associate certification. Now that I have achieved CIW Associate status, I can now choose from four Master CIW certification tracks, which are Designer, Enterprise Developer, Administrator, and Web Site Manager.
Description of CIW Associate Certification
The CIW Associate has the basic hands-on skills and knowledge that an Internet professional is expected to understand and use. Foundations skills include basic knowledge of Internet technologies, network infrastructure, and Web authoring using HTML.To pass the test, I had to answer 75 percent of the 60 questions correctly. The weird thing is that I received one question twice (only the names of the people in the example had changed) and found two other questions that contradicted themselves.
Otherwise, all went well.
I am still in the midst of a job search. USA Swimming in Colorado was considering me for a webmaster position, but is now looking at local candidates only. In New York City, I have conducted a phone interview for a webmaster position for the Down Syndrome Association, which seems promising.
I'll keep you posted. Oh, and if you hear of anyone needing a web developer, I would appreciate you putting in a good word for me.
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
If I am to appeal the Guyana country director's decision to terminate my service early, there are a few documents that I should first review. MS 282 covers the conditions and procedures for reinstatement or re-enrollment, MS 284 discusses early termination of service, and the contact information for the regional director is needed for me to submit my appeal.
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 08:11:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Jason.Pearce.net"
Subject: Thanks for the clarification
To: "Erdman, Sarah"Dear Sarah,
Thank you for the clarification regarding re-enrollment, reinstatement, and transfers. Your comments were helpful.
I have a few requests for materials. Would you please email me the following documents and information:
- MS 282
- MS 284
- The name and contact information for the Regional Director overseeing Guyana
Thank you again for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Pearce
Sarah Erdman clarifies my options, saying re-enrollment is my only option. Regarding reinstatement, the reason I cannot be reinstated back in Guyana is because "it was impossible to find an assignment for you there."
From: "Erdman, Sarah"
To: "'jason.pearce.net'"
Subject: RE: General Counsel's reasons for denying my request?
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 18:15:47 -0400Dear Jason,
Your request has not been denied. We contacted General Counsel to determine whether or not you could be reinstated or transferred. Reinstatement involves sending the returned volunteer back to the country where he/she was originally placed. That obviously is not an option, as it was impossible to find an assignment for you there. Transfers are initiated by the Country Director while the volunteer is still in service. They are extremely rare and generally happen once the volunteer has already distinguished him/herself during several months to a year of service.
Therefore, the most feasible option is re-enrollment. I included all the documents necessary for re-enrollment and explained how the process works in my last email. I also realize you are not interested solely in Guyana. I apologize if that wasn't clear. I do want to reiterate that the Information Technology sector at Peace Corps is extremely competitive, and that our first priority is to invite applicants who have not yet had the opportunity to serve in Peace Corps.
Please let me know if you have further questions about the re-enrollment process.
Thanks,
Sarah Erdman
Peace Corps Placement-Business Desk
Tel: 1-800-424-8580 x1852
Fax: 202-692-1897
serdman@peacecorps.gov
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Wanting to know why the General Counsel denied my request for reinstatement, I sent the following email to Sarah Erdman.
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 14:33:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Jason.Pearce.net"
Subject: General Counsel's reasons for denying my request?
To: "Erdman, Sarah"Dear Sarah,
Thank you for your reply.
What are the General Counsel's reasons for denying my request for reinstatement, re-enrollment, or transfer to another country as an interrupted service RPCV?
You should note that my request is not limited to Guyana as your reply indicated. My request is for reinstatement, re-enrollment, or transfer to any country that has a focus on information technology.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Pearce
Friday, October 11, 2002
The Peace Corps decided to not grant my request for re-enrollment / reinstatement.
From: "Erdman, Sarah" SErdman@peacecorps.gov
To: "jason.pearce.net"
Subject: RE: Status of reinstatement or re-enrollment request
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 16:59:32 -0400Dear Jason,
I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. I wanted to hear back from our General Counsel office before getting in touch, so I could have some answers for you. As it stands, according to General Counsel, your Interrupted Service prevents you from reinstatement in Guyana. Your option at this point is to re-enroll. I am attaching the documents you will need to complete in order to do so.
Please note that we will need one reference from your Country Director, one from your APCD, and two from fellow PCVs. Also, if you have been working since your return, please send a recommendation from your current job supervisor.
In the standard Re-enrollment letter, we request a Completion of Service statement. This is a document completed by all volunteers at their close of service that details their accomplishments. While this obviously does not apply to you, I do ask that you draw up a statement detailing what you accomplished during your training.
Once we have received all the documents, we will notify the Office of Medical Services of your re-enrollee status, and they will review your file again, and probably contact the Medical Officer in Guyana. You will not have to go through a complete medical review, as your medical records are good for two years.
I want to be frank with you, Jason. The Information Technology sector at Peace Corps is one of our newest--and also one of our smallest. And yet, due to the dot com bust and the general state of the economy, we have a constant influx of IT applicants. The program is extremely competitive. As it stands, all the IT program nominations have been filled until the end of next summer. As a government agency, Peace Corps tries its best to give every qualified nominee an opportunity to receive an invitation. As re-enrollees have had that chance, they do not have priority over other applicants. Considering these circumstances, you might want to consider other options such as geekcorp.org or other such non-profit Internet development organizations.
Thanks,
Sarah Erdman
Peace Corps Placement-Business Desk
Tel: 1-800-424-8580 x1852
Fax: 202-692-1897
serdman@peacecorps.govI believe that I am, however, entitled to receive reinstatement or re-enrollment according to the Peace Corps' manual and the Volunteer Handbook, which read:
Peace Corps Manual: MS 284, 5.1
A V/T who has been separated with interrupted service status may seek reinstatement or re-enrollment to Peace Corps service or may seek transfer to another country, provided the Country Director endorses the V/T's request. These conditions and procedures are outlined in MS 282.Peace Corps Volunteer Handbook: Pages 87 - 88
Under some circumstances, an RPCV may re-enroll for another term without having to submit a new application. Re-enrollment is possible if:
- Within the past two years, the RPCV completed service (COS) or has his/her service terminated early for medical reasons or due to exceptional circumstances beyond his or her control; and
- The RPCV has particular skills or experience requested by host countries which are not sufficiently available from current applications.
Re-enrollment is handled directly by the Office of Placement. An RPCV who wishes to be considered for re-enrollment should contact the Office of Placement at 800-424-8580, ext. 1830. Beyond two years from COS, the RPCV must submit a new application through a Regional Recruitment Office.
Again, I believe that I am being mistreated. I suppose it is now time to go through the Peace Corps' appeal process.
Thursday, October 10, 2002
The Peace Corps has yet to respond to my request for reinstatement or re-enrollment. It's been more than a month since I submitted my request.
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 08:23:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Jason.Pearce.net"
Subject: Status of reinstatement or re-enrollment request
To: serdman@peacecorps.gov, bpayne1@peacecorps.gov
CC: smortimer@PeaceCorps.govDear Brian Payne and Sarah Erdman,
On September 5, I sent an email to Sylvie Mortimer requesting reinstatement or re-enrollment to Peace Corps service. Sylvie replied a few days later saying that the Office of the General Counsel is reviewing my request and that I will be informed as soon as the matter is resolved. She also mentioned that the two of you would be serving as my Office of Placement contacts while she is on maternity leave.
On September 26, I emailed the two of you asking for an update regarding my request. I have yet to receive your reply. So I kindly ask again.
What is the status of my request for reinstatement or re-enrollment to Peace Corps service per my rights as an Early Termination/Interrupted Service (MS 284, 5.0) Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV), and per Guyana Country Director Earl Brown's advice that I request re-assignment?
I appreciate your prompt response to this request, for I am eager to begin my service as a volunteer.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Pearce
The Guyana Peace Corps now hires armed vehicles to escort Peace Corps vehicles to the airport as an extra precautionary measure. While I never felt like a target in Guyana, other than for petty crimes like pick pocketing, I'm glad that the Peace Corps is taking the extra step to further ensure the safety of the volunteers.
Although I have many disappointments regarding the Peace Corps, I must commend their security officer. He makes a valiant effort to ensure volunteer safety among an increasingly volatile and uncertain environment.
Someone in the press, let's call her a friend of a friend, recently emailed a friend of mine sharing her disgust of how the Peace Corps has treated me. While I have not made an effort to make my case public (http://net.jasonpearce.com/peacecorps/cos/ is not a publicly accessible link), it's nice to hear that some members of the press might be interested in my story.
While tempting, there are a few reasons I haven't made my story public:
- I'm waiting for reassignment from the Peace Corps. Making my case public would likely prevent me from getting another invitation to serve.
- If I don't get a reassignment, I'll likely appeal the Peace Corps' decision to send me home. Again, I don't want to jeopardize that opportunity.
- I'm also looking for a full-time job. Sharing my story could scare potential employers away.
- While I think I was mistreated, I still believe the Peace Corps does more good than harm. I haven't finished weighing my need for retribution against the possible harm that such a retribution might do to the Peace Corps.
Any rate, I have lots to think about. Here's an excerpt from the email that I was referring to:
I would hope that the Peace Corps would have fewer jerks than the rest of the government, but apparently not so. Sounds to me as if Guyana is a VERY difficult place to work because of the crime and poor conditions anyway. The last thing Peace Corps volunteers need is bureaucratic idiocy piled on top.
When you have young, dedicated men and women serving their country--in more danger than soldiers because they have no weapons--being treated in an appalling way, it's beyond the pale.
I'm glad some of his colleagues called it to another administrator's attention, but with all the war rattles going on, Peace Corps matters may get short shrift.
I'd be tempted to send a blistering letter (by snail mail) to the head of the Peace Corps and ask some leading questions--
- I thought the job of administrators was to provide support, not sabotage. (Oh come on, you can't be that naive. Why not? So you think it's "naive" to expect decent treatment as a Corps volunteer???)
- How do you expect to accomplish your mission if you treat volunteers in such a an irresponsible way?
- How will you recruit if word spreads?--and word will spread. Etc.
Wednesday, October 09, 2002
Sadly, two Guyana Peace Corps volunteers will be leaving in the next week. One will be leaving this Friday and the other will be giving the office notice early next week.
Both are leaving on the own accord, claiming that the crime situation has exceeded their comfort levels.
While I am happy that they are excited to be coming home and will soon be enjoying the benefits and security found here (relatively speaking, since here we have had some recent sniper activity), I'm sure they will be missed by both their fellow volunteers and the Guyanese.
Welcome home. I support you both all the way.
A story from Today's Stabroek News, one of Guyana's largest newspapers:
Wednesday October 9, 2002
http://www.stabroeknews.com/ (full story here)Crime shutdown set for today
Govt warns public servants not to stay away
By Miranda La RoseFed up with the approach of the government and the opposition to the tide of violent crime that has swept the country, a group of citizens is today set to embark on a shutdown of Guyana to send a strong appeal for urgent action.
Opposed to the planned action, the government yesterday issued a stern warning to public servants to turn up for work or face disciplinary action.
The shutdown call has been issued by a group of businessmen and a group called Unite Guyana. No-one in either group has acquiesced to being publicly identified with the campaign.
At a press briefing yesterday afternoon, Public Service Minister Dr Jennifer Westford advised public servants that her ministry has not given them any permission to stay away from work today. All public servants will be required to be on duty from 8 am to 4:30 pm. Failure to do so, she said will result in disciplinary action.
Asked how she will deal with those public servants who may be affected due to the unavailability of public transportation, she said unfortunately, she did not call the briefing "to debate or for questions to be asked" adding that when those issues arise they will be solved. There were provisions within the public service for dealing with those "if and when they should arise", she said.
Dr Westford also pleaded with the politicians, especially those who were elected to parliament to come together to ensure that the crime problem was solved.
She urged those committing the rash of crimes to allow citizens to live in peace.
To the business community she said "you need to come up with a concise and comprehensive plan in trying to assist with this problem that you are having. I don't know if you feel that shutting down for one day or two days will solve this problem. I don't think so."
Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Ministry Dr NK Gopaul said in a circular that any person who failed to report for duty today will have their salary deducted accordingly.
Monday, October 07, 2002
It's nice to know I'm still missed. For those of you still in Guyana, I miss you too. In fact I played cards this weekend for the first time since returning to the states and it just wasn't the same. But how could it be? After all, the cards weren't sticking to my fingers due to the Diet (insect repellant), a few rounds of Banks beers weren't scattered over the table, strangers weren't coming up to us asking for money or giving us advice on how to play our hand, and the stereo wasn't at full volume. Oh, I almost forgot, I wasn't sweating my b*lls off in a plastic lawn chair.
Thanks for the great email.
Date: Sat, 5 Oct 2002 21:31:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: "hidden"
Subject: Gone but not forgotten, Guy 10.1
To: jason@pearce.netJust tonight, some of us had a chance to get together. Of course your name got brought up and we again rehashed the circumstances surrounding this unfathomable situation. This is my first time at a computer since swearing in, and by the time you reply, I'll be back in the bush, and won't see a computer again for at least six weeks.
I wish this whole thing didn't happen, and I peruse all the information on your website with the same level of shock and dismay I had when I first found out you were sent home (I found out about a week after you left the country... information doesn't get to me very quickly). I just remember our discussion over Chinese food (remember? It was like we were seniors who had just graduated from high school, still hanging out in town... :) ) thinking that we'll all enjoy a nice chuckle over this many times over the next two years, and beyond.
I hate knowing that you are missing everything going on here because of Earl the SOB (he hasn't been winning many friends since you've left anyway, from what I hear) and his unilateral decision to deprive you of a really great experience. It's so frustrating to have to be nice to him, just so I stay off the "radar". I just want to tell him to f- off every time I see him, and I don't even see him all that often.
On another note, the crime situation in Georgetown and on the East Coast is horrifying so you should feel a bit lucky to be where it's safe. The rate of violent crimes here is truly fearsome... Four people were shot on one volunteer's street about two weeks back. The volunteers in G-town don't feel very safe here, and I am feeling very lucky that I don't live here in town.
Well, I'm getting along in the bush just fine. The school is an absolute zoo (the students don't learn and the teachers don't teach). Hey, if it were a good school, I wouldn't be there, right? :) One volunteer near me got dengue fever, but is now OK; although he and another volunteer were robbed just a few weeks ago, but I suppose they are both OK now.
I hate to sound so somber, because I am guessing that you are getting over this, but I just wanted to tell you that the folks down here aren't going to forget you any time soon. I might sound like an old man (or as the Guyanese say a "Big" man) but please don't forget that everything happens for a reason.
Apparently, the Peace Corps office in Georgetown was evacuated about a week ago because of a possible bomb threat. According to one volunteer, the information came from a guy whose friend had been planning to bomb the U.S. embassy or one of the U.S.-related buildings (like the Peace Corps office) on the anniversary of September 11th, but couldn't get the parts he needed on time. The threat has since passed, for the state of alert they had been placed on has since been lifted.
Wednesday, October 02, 2002
I received a wonderful email today from one of the current volunteers. This individual is a member of the Volunteer Action Committee. VAC acts on behalf of the 50 or so volunteers by providing feedback, suggestions, requests, and complaints to the Guyana Peace Corps staff. While VAC's powers are rather limited (suggestions only), its influence seems to have grown. Here is the email:
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 11:55:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: "hidden"
Subject: Re: Condolences
To: jason@pearce.netJason,
Here's what VAC's been up to. We recently had a visit from an admin guy from the IAP region, and the opportunity was not missed to dump on Earl. Your departure has caused some serious waves that have resounded all the way to Washington; you may have heard that one volunteer wrote a letter to the U.S. Ambassador to Guyana that detailed Earl's attitude and behavior, and sent copies to IAP and Washington.
Earl was on the point of sending another volunteer (GUY-9) home for a reason even more ridiculous than yours, and it was only because he was slow enough in his paperwork that the rest of us were able to find out about it and threatened a petition in the form of a survey of volunteer confidence in the staff being sent to the powers that be. The volunteer is still here. If we'd had more warning, maybe the same tactic would've worked in your case.
Let me ask you a question to get your side of it: Earl is saying he sent you home for the sole reason that there wasn't a site available (which is pretty ridiculous, considering it was less than a week after training), or was it that Earl had a bone to pick with you, personally?
So, what are your plans now? Try Peace Corps again? Re-enter the corporate world? How have you found the reaction from friends and family who didn't expect to see you for two years?
I'm pleased that VAC was able to a) voice complaints about staff management and b) successfully petition to keep a volunteer in Guyana that was about to be sent home. These are great accomplishments in unfair conditions.
To answer your questions, yes, I was officially sent home because the Guyana Peace Corps staff couldn't find a site that could use my web development skills. Earl's August 21 memo reads, "Jason is being given an Early Termination/Interrupted Service per MS 284, 5.0. 'The host country (or other cooperating agency to which the volunteer is assigned) requests that the volunteer be removed from service for reasons that would not consist grounds for administrative separation.' The best and only site available, which requires web site knowledge and skills, was the WWF-Guiana's placement. The decision by the cooperating agency not to accept Jason Pearce, therefore, removes this site from consideration, has resulted in this action.
You are correct to observe that I was sent home less than five days after loosing my assignment with the WWF. According to Earl and a WWF email, the WWF decided that they no longer wanted to have me serve as a volunteer on August 19. Two days later, Earl had already made plans to send me home. I was back in the states on August 23.
Earl's hasty action to send me home shows that he had little interest in finding me a replacement site. When I proposed a backup site that I had already found (the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana), Earl was not willing to take my proposal seriously. While he did call THAG's director of August 21 to learn more about their needs, I was prohibited from talking or meeting with THAG until after I had signed and completed all of Earl's Close of Service paperwork. So what was the point?
Obviously, Earl felt threatened by me and was eager to find a way to send me home. On Thursday, August 22, Earl confirmed his distaste for me by saying that I was cocky and that I should be pleased to receive a non-disciplinary early termination (i.e. Interruption of Service), for it was the best he could do in light of the circumstances. He said that he really should have administratively separated me due to my personal website and audio files.
Since returning to the states, I have requested reassignment or re-enrollment per my rights as an Early Termination/Interruption of Service RPCV. So far, I have not received a response from DC regarding this request. Thankfully, I've had a lot of support from US friends and folks like you back in Guyana.
A buddy of mine at my dad's office, John Hudson, stopped by my cubicle yesterday and asked how the redesign of their website was going. Pleased to show off my work, I began to give him a brief tour of the site's improvements.
During the tour, we came across an unfinished page that was still waiting for copy. For pages that still require copy, I often put in some dummy text, which has no meaning, but looks very similar to real text. The dummy text that I have been using is a few paragraphs of Latin that I found on the Internet several years ago. Here is the first paragraph, but if you want to see the full version that I often use, click here:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetaur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Well since John studied Latin for four years, our afternoon diversion soon began. I was curious to know the translation of the dummy text that I've been using for years and John was interested in testing his memory of Latin.
Needless to say, if it wasn't for the Internet, we'd still be puzzled. But thanks to a few quick searches, we found some very interesting answers.
A quick and simplified answer is that Lorem Ipsum refers to text that the DTP (Desktop Publishing) industry uses as replacement text when the real text is not available.
For example, when designing a brochure, book, or website, a designer will insert Lorem ipsum text if the real text is not available. The Lorem ipsum text looks real enough that the brochure or book looks complete. The book or brochure can then be shown to the client for approval. The important factor when using Lorem ipsum text is that the text looks realistic otherwise the brochure or book will not look very good.
Lorem ipsum is a slightly jumbled Latin passage from Cicero's de Finibus 1.10.32, which begins 'Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit...' De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, written in 45 BC, is a treatise on the theory of ethics very popular in the Renaissance.
What's remarkable is that this text has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since some printer in the 1500s took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book; it has survived not only four centuries of letter-by-letter resetting but even the leap into electronic typesetting, essentially unchanged except for an occasional 'ing' or 'y' thrown in.
According to one website, the transformation of Lorem Ipsum text into a digital format can probably be credited to Aldus with their DTP software Pagemaker (now an Adobe product) which had Lorem Ipsum text included inside the software. In fact, the Lorem Ipsum text even appears in Microsoft Word 2002's help files, apparently by mistake. Microsoft has a Knowledge Base Article in its support section explaining its occurrence:
Summary
The phrase "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet ..." appears in Microsoft Word 2002 online Help. It appears in the Help topic "About tracked changes and comments". This phrase has the appearance of an intelligent Latin idiom. Actually, it is nonsense.More Information
Although the phrase is nonsense, it does have a long history. The phrase has been used for several centuries by typographers to show the most distinctive features of their fonts. It is used because the letters involved and the letter spacing in those combinations reveal, at their best, the weight, design, and other important features of the typeface.A 1994 issue of "Before & After" magazine traces "Lorem ipsum ..." to a jumbled Latin version of a passage from de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, a treatise on the theory of ethics written by Cicero in 45 B.C. The passage "Lorem ipsum ..." is taken from text that reads, "Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit ...," which translates as, "There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain...."
During the 1500s, a printer adapted Cicero's text to develop a page of type samples. Since then, the Latin-like text has been the printing industry's standard for fake, or dummy, text. Before electronic publishing, graphic designers had to mock up layouts by drawing in squiggled lines to indicate text. The advent of self-adhesive sheets preprinted with "Lorem ipsum" gave a more realistic way to indicate where text would go on a page.
Obviously, I found all of this to be quite fascinating. Little did I know that by using Lorem ipsum as my dummy text when I develop websites, I have been maintaining a typesetting tradition that dates back to the 1500s.
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
The job search is going slow, as you might imagine. While there may be a few web development or content management jobs out there, the competition for them is fierce.
One good lead, however, came from USA Swimming. Last week I sent them an email in response to their posted webmaster position. On Friday, I received a reply email from them saying that I was a finalist and made their "candidate pool" -- yep, they actually wrote "pool," although I don't believe the pun was intentional.
Their email requested me to provide a review of their website. Well, being unemployed and all, I had plenty of time to give them a full review; all of which I posted online in a special section of my site just for them. Check out my review.
Perhaps I went over the top. Then again, perhaps I'll knock their socks off -- aqua socks that is.