2014 Year in Review

Highlights

• OIG Inspection of Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan in February-March. 

 

I couldn’t go through Dubai, UAE with the team because my visa for UAE was rejected.  Authorities claimed that I never exited the country from a previous visit.  Ended up having to go through London and then Istanbul.

 

New experience residing in my assigned Containerized Housing Unit (CHU).  Enjoyed weekly visits to the market on the (The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) compound where local vendors would display their carpets, crafts, jewelry and other goods for sale.  ISAF was a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan, established by the United Nations Security Council in December 2001.  The compound was located next to the American Embassy and was accessed through a circuitous route and security including underground passages due to construction of new apartment housing for staff.  The ISAF compound had dining and shopping facilities with a large cafeteria, pizza place, coffee shop and PX-like store.  I did manage to play tennis with Tim Williams indoors in an all-purpose bubble.   
 

 

 

 

For more photos and narrative see: http://boothwjtravels.blogspot.com/2014/03/kabul.html        

Survey work at the Charleston finance center for OIG spring inspections in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Bamako, Mail; and Niamey, Niger.  Farewell for Jim Millette.

 

• March 22 attended the Charleston Jazz perforformance of Little Girl Blue celebrating the music of Nina Simone at the American Music Hall.

• March 29 attended the North Charleston Pops performance of Philly Soul at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center

• Completed survey work at the Charleston finance center for OIG winter inspections in La Paz, Bolivia; Lima, Peru; Asmara, Eritrea; and, Kampala, Uganda.  

• OIG Inspection of Embassies in Baku, Azerbaijan; Tbilisi, Georgia; and, Yerevan, Armenia in the spring.  Training on new techniques for indexing and referencing.   

 

Baku, Azerbaijan

 

                                               

For more photos and narrative see:http://boothwjtravels.blogspot.com/2014/05/baku-azerbaijan.html

Tbilisi, Georgia

 

            
For more photos and narrative see:  http://boothwjtravels.blogspot.com/2014/05/tbilisi-georgia.html

Yerevan, Armenia 

 

For more photos and narrative see:  http://boothwjtravels.blogspot.com/2014/06/yerevan-armenia.html    

• Walked the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) from Pamplona, Spain to Santiago de Compostela 446 miles in 35 days in July-August.

 
For more photos and narrative see:  Doris and Bill Travel Adventures - Timeslide July/Aug 2014 
 

• October 10-17 Cruise on Crystal Serenity from Quebec to New York with stops in Iles de la Madeleine, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Bar Harbor and Arcadia National Park in Maine; Newport, Rhode Island; and Boston.  In New York we visited the National September 11 Memorial, Hop-on Hop-Off bus tour and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 For more photos and narrative see:  Doris and Bill Travel adventures Quebec to New York

  

News of the Nation

 

May 23 - Isla Vista killings occurs, killing 6, and wounding 14 others, perpetrated by Elliot Rodger.

June  -   President Obama orders the return of a small number of troops to Iraq to help bolster Iraqi and Kurdish military forces in their war with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

August 9 - Michael Brown was shot and killed, in what was ruled by a grand jury to be self-defense, by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, igniting protests and riots in the following months.

 

November 3 -  New building, 1 World Trade Center, opens in New York City.

November 4 -  In national elections, Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate and maintaining a majority in the House of Representatives.

December 17 -  President Obama announces a restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time since 1961.

 

News of the World

February 7  The XXII Olympic Winter Games are held in Sochi, Russia.

April 16  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Flight MH370 of Malaysian airlines went missing and hasn't been seen since. Despite search efforts from the US and the rest of the world. 3 American citizens were on-board this flight.

April 27 – The Catholic Church simultaneously canonizes Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.[20]

April 28 – United States President Barack Obama's new economic sanctions against Russia go into effect, targeting companies and individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

May 5 -  Boko Haram militants kill approximately 300 people in a night attack on Gamboru Ngala.

May 22 -  The Royal Thai Army overthrows the caretaker government after a failure to resolve the political unrest in Thailand.

June 13 – The military intervention against ISIS begins

July 17 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes in eastern Ukraine after being shot down by a missile. All 298 people on board killed.

December 28 – Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore crashes into the Java Sea just southwest of Borneo, killing all 162 people on board.[57]
 

Movies:

"Twelve Years a Slave won the Oscar for best picture at the 86th Academy Awards.

Matthew McConaughey won the lead actor award for "The Dallas Buyers Club," and the lead actress Oscar went to Cate Blanchett for "Blue Jasmine." Lupita Nyong'o, "Twelve Years a Slave"  and Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" won for supporting actress and supporting actor. 

Super Bowl

 The Seahawks won their first Super Bowl crown by punishing Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 43-8. That masterful defense, the NFL's stingiest, never let the five-time MVP get going, disarming the highest-scoring offense in league history.  What was hyped as a classic matchup between an unstoppable offense and a miserly defense turned into a route. Punctuating Seattle's dominance was a 69-yard interception return touchdown by linebacker Malcolm Smith (MVP) to make it 22-0, and Percy Harvin's sensational 87-yard kickoff return to open the second half. 

World Series

The Giants beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, in Game 7 at Kauffman Stadium and became the first team since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates to win a Series Game 7 on the road. They also became the second team, after the Boston Red Sox, to win three championships in the 21st century.  Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and, most of all, Madison Bumgarner, a 25-year-old left-hander who wrote his name into World Series lore with a performance for the ages.  He won two games, including a shutout in Game 5, and earned the save Wednesday, pitching five scoreless innings in relief, to be named the most valuable player of the World Series. He allowed two hits and struck out four while throwing 68 pitches on just two days’ rest, having thrown 117 in Game 5. 

Recap of 2014 Grand Slam Tennis Tournament Winners

·         Australian Open Men's Singles. Winner – Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Rafael Nadal

·         French Open Men's Singles. Winner– Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic

·         Wimbledon Men's Singles. Winner –  Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer

·         US Open Men's Singles. Winner –  Marin Cilic defeated Kei Nishikori

 

·         Australian Open Ladies Singles. Winner – Li Na defeated Dominika Cibulkova

·         French Open Ladies Singles. Winner– Maria Sharapova defeated Simona Halep

·         Wimbledon Ladies Singles. Winner – Petra Kvitova defeated Eugenie Bouchard

·         US Open Ladies Singles. Winner – Serena Williams defeated Caroline Wozniacki

Yerevan, Armenia

Overview:

A landlocked country with Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, and Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia boasts a history longer than most European countries.  After independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia quickly became drawn into a bloody conflict with Azerbaijan over the mainly Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region.  One of the earliest Christian civilizations, Armenia's first churches were founded in the fourth century. In later centuries, it frequently oscillated between Byzantine, Persian, Mongol or Turkish control, as well as periods of independence. Opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan was elected prime minister by parliament in May 2018 after he spearheaded weeks of mass protests against the ruling party, transforming the country's political landscape.  He had piled pressure on the ruling Republican Party through an unprecedented campaign of civil disobedience, leading to the shock resignation of veteran leader Serzh Sargsyan, a week after he shifted to the newly-empowered role of prime minister after serving for 10 years as president.  Opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan was elected prime minister by parliament in May 2018 after he spearheaded weeks of mass protests against the ruling party, transforming the country's political landscape.  

Source:  BBC Country Profile

One of the world's oldest civilizations dating back to 782 B.C., Armenia once included Mount Ararat, which biblical tradition identifies as the mountain that Noah's ark rested on after the flood. It was the first country in the world to officially embrace Christianity as its religion (c. A.D. 300).  Armenian empire reached its height and became one of the most powerful in Asia, stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean seas. Throughout most of its long history, however, Armenia has been invaded by a succession of empires. Over the centuries Armenia was conquered by Greeks, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Mongols, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, and Russians. 

Source:  CIA World Factbook

American Embassy Yerevan:

The inspection took place in Yerevan, Armenia, between June 9 and 27, 2014 with the same team going strong.  The OIG Steve Linnick and our OIG/ISP boss, Sandy Lewis, visited us while we were there.  I don’t remember much from their visit except Sandy’s interest in our work and actually helping me with a memcon. I’m sure that we had a nice lunch or dinner with the OIG but don’t recall.  We didn’t have a team farewell dinner in Yerevan as customary.  Instead, Carol had a pre hotwash lunch for the team at the District Commons near George Washington University.  It was July 14 and, I don’t recall, so I must have already left D.C.

The Ambassador was very much into Armenian society.  He spearheaded an unofficial embassy wide community service organization called “Helping Hands” but, given its unchartered status exposed the embassy to certain liability risks and concerns about the use of U.S. Government property.  The DCM was lacking in exercising his management responsibilities.  The RSO received a vote of no confidence and departed post just before we arrived.  He had only been at post since August 2013.  It was unfortunate because of the investment made to have the RSO assigned with not only the travel and assignment but the training, including language that was expended to get him out to post.  A TDY RSO was assigned in the interim until a new person could be assigned.  I had to request the DGHR Channel cable announcing the departure of the RSO from my contacts in OIG for our security inspector Barry who had his hands full with staffing issues in security. While we were there seven of the eight SD employees and supervisor were terminated. The Management Officer was Michael McKeown who is now in Bamako as Management Counselor.  The FMO/HRO was Christy Livingston who was very helpful, despite being over worked in HR and preparing to depart at the end of her tour on June 19. 

Findings:

Some of the recommendations in the OIG report were:

• To request a formal approval from the Office of the Legal Adviser and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs for the Ambassador to participate in Helping Hands.
• Provide customer service training to International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) employees review performance standards.
• Conduct an annual review of position descriptions as required.
• Require the ICASS customers to certify the receipt of services in Ariba.
• Provide information sessions on the procurement process to customers and staff.
• Determine whether to cancel or revise the current memorandum of understanding with Globe Travel Services.
• To implement procedures to collect overpayments of post allowances.

After the departure of the OIG team the Yerevan Employee Association (YEA) accountant wrote an email to the OIG inspectors requesting assistance in getting his severance pay following his departure.  Since it wasn’t our role to intercede in this case, we referred the issue to the Management Officer and the YEA board president. 

Highlights:

Armenian History Museum and Art Gallery on Republic Square

Government House with Clock Tower on Republic Square previously called
Lenin Square with Statue but was dismantled in 1990. 

Yerevan Cascade with giant stairway, seven-level with escalators in the interior.  Includes museum, water fountains and gardens with panoramic view of Yerevan and Mt. Ararat. 

Water Fountains at the Cascade

Khanjyan Mural in the Cascade Museum

From the 16th century through World War I, major portions of Armenia were controlled by their most brutal invader, the Ottoman Turks, under whom the Armenians experienced discrimination, religious persecution, heavy taxation, and armed attacks. In response to Armenian nationalist stirrings, the Turks massacred thousands of Armenians in 1894 and 1896. The most horrific massacre took place in April 1915 during World War I, when the Turks ordered the deportation of the Armenian population to the deserts of Syria and Mesopotamia. According to the majority of historians, between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians were murdered or died of starvation. The Armenian massacre is considered the first genocide of the 20th century. 

In 2010 a team of evangelical Christian explorers claim they've found the remains of Noah's ark beneath snow and volcanic debris on Turkey’s Mount Ararat.  Some archaeologists and historians are taking the latest claim that Noah's ark has been found about as seriously as they have past ones—which is to say not very.

Mother Armenia high above Yerevan

Statue of William Saroyan Oscar winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient William Saroyan, who gained world fame with his classic book "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" (1934), was born in California to Armenak and Takoohi Saroyan, survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Turks in the Ottoman Empire.  In 1939 "The Time of Your Life" was staged and in 1943 his MGM screenplay "The Human Comedy" won the Academy Award for Best Writing Original Story.

Inside the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator 

Geghard Monastery built in 1215 partially carved out of the mountain.  Called the monastery of the spear which wounded Jesus at the crucifixion which was brought to Armenia.

Inside the cave of the monastery carved in stone two chained lions with an eagle grasping a calf with claws.

Priest speaking during service in the monastery

The Temple of Garni is a first century Hellenic temple near Garni, Armenia. It is the only pagan temple in Armenia that survived the Christianization of Armenia in 301 AD.

Azrat Gorge below Garni Temple

Fish Farm below Azrat Gorge raising trout and sturgeon

Grilled Sturgeon

Dancers at concert

The landlocked mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh is the subject of an unresolved dispute between Azerbaijan, in which it lies, and its ethnic Armenian majority, backed by neighboring Armenia.  In 1988, towards the end of Soviet rule, Azerbaijani troops and Armenian secessionists began a bloody war which left the de facto independent state in the hands of ethnic Armenians when a truce was signed in 1994.

Fountain at the Grand Tulip Hotel

Barry, Mike and Colwell visit St. Astavotsatsin (Holy Mother of God) Church built in 1662 at Khor Virap Monastery

Portal to the Chapel built in 642 AD with the underground pit where St. Gregory
the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years

Mt. Ararat in Turkey 12 km from the Armenian Border 

Noravank Monastery 13th century church

Portal to St. Karapet Church with facade below of the Virgin Mary with Jesus and
Archangel Gabriel and Daniel  Above the face of Jesus with the eyes of a Mongol

St. Karapet Church built in 1216, damaged in the earthquake of 1931 and rebuilt

Armenian appetizers Passus Dolma (Pickled cabbage leave wrapped with beans, chicpeas, lentils and Bulgar with fig on top).  Eggplant rolls with ground walnuts, sour cream, raisin or fruit and hot peppers.   

Vernissage or Flea Market with lots of jewelry, handicrafts, antiques, books and paintings