2002 Year in Review

Highlights:

• Winter OIG Inspections in Angola, Luanda; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; and          Windhoek, Namibia 
• Consultations at FSC/Paris in route to posts January 31-February 4, 2002.
• In Kinshasa excursion to Lac de ma Valee equatorial forest and Lola Bonobo sanctuary. 

• In Namibia visited Etosha game park, Kenpinski Mokuti lodge    Variety of animals including Springbok, Impala, Wildebeast, Oryk, Jackals, Antelope, and Black Rhino 

• Trip to Swaakopmund, on the Skeleton coast
• Sand dunes at Sossusvlei in the Namib desert (See Namibia photos in separate Blog)
• View the site for filming of Angelina Jolie movie “Beyond Borders”.
• Visit to Capetown, South Africa, Waterfront,  Panama Jacks Restaurant, Cape of Good Hope, Penguins and Stellanbosch Winery  (See photos in separate Blog)

• Spring OIG Inspections in Slovenia and Croatia
• Consultations at FSC/Paris May 15-17, 2002.
• Embassy in Ljubljana and the quaint town
• Side trips to Lake Bled,  Ljubljana Castle and train trip to Trieste in Italy and visit to Miramare Castle.(see separate blog)
• In Zagreb the capital of  Croatia visited the Cathedral, central market and took a bus out to Plitvice National Park, a UNESCO site.  

• Fall inspection of WHA/EX Bureau

• Attended Leadership and Management training at FSI August 19-23.

• OIG wanted me to stay on and extend for another year and even had me scheduled to go to Australia if I stayed.  However, Jim Millette, my former colleague back in the days of M/COMP,  and now the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) at Comptroller Global Financial Services (CGFS) in Charleston wanted me to go to Paris and help with closing to coordinate the transfer of the new Regional Financial Management System (RFMS) and assist in the closeout of the WIN/DATEL system and drawdown of staff.      

• After one week of training at FSC/Charleston October 15-18, I transferred to FSC/Paris.  My job was RFMS Coordinator and I had taken over from Bill Chiplis who really set in motion the whole process.  I met with Bill before going out to Paris.  Bill retired to Southern California.   

• The conversion to RFMS was a major undertaking and a significant achievement.  Heretofore, there were two legacy financial systems for processing payments and accounting overseas.  About 60% were serviced by FSC/Bangkok under a system called LAN/SPFMS and the other in Paris with WIN/DATEL, and needles to say they talked to each other.  Until finally RFMS came along to integrate the financial systems into one.  Converting posts was a major undertaking, not only for the change in systems, but some posts (e.g. former Soviet Union) ended up transferring  servicing from Paris to Bangkok.   CGFS/CHS set up the calendar for conversions month-to-month and a checklist to follow for each post conversion.  We had a schedule for virtual contact with each post FMO and staff and FSC/Charleston to execute the conversion to RFMS.  The whole process lasted  into the beginning of 2003 with the final countdown to conversion.  RFMS was the product of Computer-generated Imagery (CGI) Momentum that still operates and supports the program today.    

Favorite Memories:

• After leaving Zagreb and transiting through Paris I connected to a flight to Corsica to meet up with my former colleague from RAMC/Paris, Alain Bouguan, and visit the island.  

• A favorite pastime during each inspection was the first  priority to find a laundry and dry cleaners.  One inspector usually found the most convenient and reasonable laundry to use as opposed to using the hotel. Another activity was visiting the Marine House, usually on Friday nights for beers and to socialize with the Marines and guests.  Lastly, buying gifts.  In addition to MSG polos and t-shirts local crafts or jewelry were always a a good buy.

• My calendar on September 13 noted Virginia Tech which, if I remember correctly, Jeffrey and I visited as he was considering going there for college which he did end of doing.          

• Back in Paris I had many memorable bike rides on the weekends.  The route along the Canal St-Martin is one section of a 130-kilometre canal network (including Canals St-Denis and Ourcq) that Napoleon built in the early 1800s to provide Paris with drinking water.  

• Tennis with Laurent Potash at the hard courts near Porte Dauphne.

• Watching NFL football at the British pub in the 6th, The Frog and the Princess, on Sunday evenings.  Watching British soccer at the Bowler in the 8th and favorite team Arsenal.    

• In the the Foreign Service, with staff rotating from embassy to embassy around every three years you meet a lot of other officers and run into the same people from time-to-time.  Paris was no exception.  I have stayed in touch with all the colleagues I worked with and some I had met from the embassy.   My boss and good friend, Mark Young, took a job with Consular Affairs and was assigned to a Latin American country.  Mark considered a job with OIG but didn't like the idea of having to pay for lodging while in D.C.  He retired and I lost contact but believe he is up in Cape Cod.   I'm sure if he ever gets down to Charleston he will look me up as he is known to do.    Our USDO Richard Boohaker and his wife Tacla (IMO) ended up in Rome and I still talk to Richard on TEAMS from time to time.  Jerry Helmick (IMO) retired and moved out to San Francisco and we try to get together with he and his wife Margarita whenever we are in the Bayt Area.  Jim Paravonian and his wife Judith are in Los Angeles but have lost track.  The Management Counselor at the embassy in Paris was Jim Melville who we had meetings with on the staff drawdown.  Jim ended up as Ambassador to Latvia and retired to Charleston and is at the College of Charleston heading up their School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs.             

    U.S. News:

·        President Bush's first State of the Union address vows to expand the fight on terrorism and labels Iran, Iraq, and North Korea "an axis of evil" (Jan. 29).

·         Kenneth L. Lay, chairman of bankrupt energy trader Enron, resigns; company under federal investigation for hiding debt and misrepresenting earnings (Jan. 24). Background: 2002 News of the Nation

·         U.S. withdraws from International Court treaty (May 6).

·         FBI lawyer Coleen Rowley criticizes FBI for thwarting terrorist efforts in a letter to the FBI director (May 21).

·         U.S. abandons 31-year-old Antiballistic Missile treaty (June 13). Background: 2001 News of the Nation

·        Bush announces change in Middle East policy: U.S. will not recognize an independent Palestinian state until Yasir Arafat is replaced (June 24).

·        Bush signs corporate reform bill (July 30) in response to a spate of corporate scandals: Enron, Arthur Andersen, Tyco, Qwest, Global Crossing, ImClone, and Adelphia, among others, were convicted or placed under federal investigation for various misadventures in fraud and crooked accounting. Background: 2002 News of the Nation

·         Pennsylvania miners rescued after spending 77 hours in a dark, flooded mine shaft (July 28).

·         Bush addresses United Nations, calling for a "regime change" in Iraq (Sept. 12).

·         Bush signs legislation creating cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security (Nov. 25).

·         Boston archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law resigns as a result of the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandals and cover-up of priest-child molestation. (Dec. 13). Background: 2002 News of the Nation

·         Republicans retake the Senate in midterm elections; gain additional House seats (Nov. 5). Background: 2002 News of the Nation

·         Snipers prey upon DC suburbs, killing ten and wounding others (Oct. 2–24). Police arrest two sniper suspects, John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo (Oct. 24).

World News:

·        Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan government sign a cease-fire agreement, ending 19 years of civil war (Feb. 22). Background: World in Review

·         India's worst Hindu-Muslim violence in a decade rocked the state of Gujarat after a Muslim mob fire-bombed a train, killing Hindu activists. Hindus retaliated, and more than 1,000 died in the bloodshed (Feb. 27 et seq.). Background: World in Review

·         U.S. and Afghan troops launch Operation Anaconda against remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan (March 2). Background: Taliban Timeline and Afghanistan

·         International Criminal Court wins UN ratification; U.S. refuses to ratify (April 11).

·         Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez ousted in coup, then reinstated (April 12, 14).

·         U.S. and Russia reach landmark arms agreement to cut both countries' nuclear arsenals by up to two-thirds over the next 10 years (May 13).

·         East Timor becomes a new nation (May 20).

·         Terrorist bomb in Bali kills hundreds (Oct. 12).

·         Government suspended in Northern Ireland in protest of suspected IRA spy ring (Oct. 14).

·         North Korea admits to developing nuclear arms in defiance of treaty (Oct. 16).

·         Chechen rebels take 763 hostages in Moscow theater (Oct. 23). Russian authorities release a gas into theater, killing 116 hostages and freeing remainder (Oct. 26). Background: Chechnya Timeline

·         China's Jiang Zemin officially retires as general secretary; Hu Jintao named as his successor (Nov. 14).

·         UN Security Council passes unanimous resolution calling on Iraq to disarm or else face "serious consequences." (Nov. 8).

·         UN arms inspectors return to Iraq (Nov. 18).

·         Israeli tanks and warplanes attack West Bank towns of Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, and others in response to string of Palestinian suicide attacks (March 29–April 21). In the first three months of 2002, 14 suicide bombers kill dozens of Israeli civilians, and wounded hundreds. Background: World in Review

·         Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic’s trial on charges of crimes against humanity opens at The Hague (Feb. 12).

Movies:

The 74th Academy Awards ceremony was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg hosted for the fourth time.  A Beautiful Mind won four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Ron Howard.  Denzel Washington won best actor for “Training Day”.  Halle Berry won best actress for “Monster’s Ball”.  Jennifer Connelly in “A Beautiful Mind” and Jim Broadbent in “Iris” won best supporting actress and actor respectively. 

Super Bowl:

 Super Bowl 36 was between the St. Louis Rams and New England   Patriots.  The Patriots defeated the Rams by the score of 20–17. It was   New England's first Super Bowl championship, and the franchise's first   league championship of any kind. The game was also notable for snapping   the AFC East's long streak of not being able to win a Super Bowl   championship, as the division's teams had lost eight Super Bowls in total.   It would be the last time the Rams reached a Super Bowl during their time   in St. Louis; the team would return to Super Bowl LIII in 2019 as the Los   Angeles Rams 17 years later, where they would again face the Patriots,   only to lose 13–3.  Tom Brady was MVP.

World Series:

The Anaheim Angels defeated the San Francisco Giants, four games to three, to win their first, and, to date, only World Series.  In Game 6, the Giants looked to be on their way to winning the World Series with a five-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, keyed by homers from Shawon Dunston and Barry Bonds, only to see the Angels make a memorable rally. Scott Spiezio got the Angels back into the game with a three-run homer off Felix Rodriguez in the seventh. In the eighth inning, Darin Erstad led off with a home run off Tim Worrell to get the Angels within one run. World Series MVP Troy Glaus gave the Angels the lead with a two-run double off closer Robb Nen to complete the unlikely comeback. 

The Angels turned to rookie John Lackey in the deciding Game 7 at home and he delivered by allowing one run over five innings. The lone run he gave up came in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Reggie Sanders. The Angels tied it in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double from Bengie Molina off Livan Hernandez.  Garret Anderson provided the big hit in the third inning -- a three-run double off Hernandez to give the Angels a 4-1 lead. After Lackey departed, rookie Brendan Donnelly threw two scoreless innings, fellow rookie Francisco Rodríguez threw a scoreless eighth with three strikeouts and Percival closed it out in the ninth.