Spring 2005
In this issue...
The Undefeated & Reigning
President
Music Review: UNBWOGABLE
TGIF March: The Plaza Cafe
CBS’s SURVIVOR
PALAU: Home Away From Home? Not Quite by RPCV Tai Sunnanon
Book Review: Under the Banner of Heaven
What Is the Purpose of the World Social Forum? by Brian
Biery
The Day the World Came to Pasadena by Rev. Kathleen Owens
Peace Corps Photo Book
YES! YES! YES!
Event: Continental
Earth Stories & Petroglyph Paintings
by Rita A. Unger
Editor Needed
The Undefeated & Reigning
President
Photos: Tai Sunnanon
 Suspiciously,
100 percent of the votes in this year’s Annual Meeting
were cast in favor of continuing Miki Shaler’s RPCVLA
Presidency. The scheduling of her birthday celebration
at the Annual Meeting with cake and other amenities no
doubt served as an effective bribe to all her cronies.
Noticeably absent were any challengers to her throne.
Asked what activities the regime should
emphasize during this term, the people said:
1. They liked the TGIFs and would like to see some Saturday evening events
as well
2. They want reviews of things to do in LA such as movies, books, restaurants,
and festivals etc, posted on the web site and in the newsletter.
3. More volunteer activities
4. Nature hikes or camping.
5. More community friendly activities.
6. Another art exhibit like in past years.
 RPCVLA
is trying to make the group more user friendly through
a new super-efficient website replete with a new database,
activities listings, message boards, job postings, and
an incorporation of the newsletter and Evites. The newsletter
editor was not available at press time for comment, although
sources close to him confirm he secretly maintains a website
of his own, so no challenge is expected.
Music Review: UNBWOGABLE
One of the most popular
bands in Kenya at the moment is the duo GidiGidi MajiMaji.
Their music blends hip-hop and traditional music with provocative
lyrics. Their biggest hit is “Unbwogable,” which
translates as “un-scare-able.” It is a political
dance track delivered in “Sheng,” a
pidgin dialect used primarily by Nairobi youth that blends
English and Kenyan languages. This new language is taken
by many as breaking away from the historical bloodshed,
corruption and negative stereotypes of the old tribes.
The song was originally intended to inspire the oppressed,
minority tribe, the Luos. But it became an anthem for the
first opposition political party to win against the old
regime in twenty-five years. Such a change of pace is exactly
what GidiGidi MajiMaji are singing about.
Here are a couple links to listen to
their music:
http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/2192/Ismarwa
http://www.panafricanallstars.com/kenya/trksgidigidiunb.asp
TGIF March: The Plaza Cafe
by Miki Shaler
Thanks to RPCV James Rojas for introducing
us all to the Plaza Cafe in Boyle Heights. The family-run
restaurant is normally open Mon-Sat for breakfast and lunch,
but they made an exception for us and prepared dinner.
 The
staff of mother and daughters could not have been more
welcoming. More than twenty RPCVs, including visitors from
Las Vegas and Connecticut, packed the tiny cafe.
The food was a fantastic, innovative
mix of traditional Mexican and California cuisine. The
menu includes everything from spicy soft tacos to fresh
salads and fish stew with garbanzo beans. Tofu is an option
for most of the dishes. For desert everyone indulged in
a mango upside-down cake that melted in your mouth. I know
I will definitely be going back again.
The Plaza Cafe is part of Homegirl Industries
which helps provide employment opportunities for at-risk
youth as an alternative to gang involvement. It is located
at 1818 East First St, Los Angeles-1 block south of the
101 FWY.
CBS’s SURVIVOR PALAU:
Home Away From Home? Not Quite
by RPCV Tai Sunnanon
It’s part euphoria,
part home-sickness when you turn on the TV to see CBS air
the 10th season of Survivor in the country you just returned
from serving six months ago.
Back in December, the promos painted
a 30-second portrait of an island full of flora and fauna
but not much substance. And though the show does not claim
Palau to be a backwards society outright, it sure implies
the setting is very primitive to entice viewership, including
scantily-clad locals fishing in canoes.
 What
the camera lens fails to capture is a thriving economy
forging relationships with Taiwan, Japan and South Korea,
which is enabling Palau to compete in the Pacific region.
When the Survivor production team first came to Palau in
January 2004, they declared the island too developed and
chose to go to Vanuatu instead.
Perhaps being an English-speaking US
Trust Territory with a reformed business infrastructure;
a regional model for advanced eco-tourism; and a major
player in exporting seafood threw them off. After all,
this small island of 17,000 was the world’s first
to issue an Elvis stamp!
Book Review: Under the Banner of Heaven
 You
might have read Jon Krakauer’s Into
the Wild or Into Thin Air.
In Heaven Krakauer uncovers
a shadowy offshoot of America’s fastest growing religion:
Mormon Fundamentalism. At the core of the book is an appalling
double murder committed by a pair of brothers who insist
they received a command from God to kill their victims.
Krakauer builds up to the contemporary incident with a
detailed account of Mormon history. A fascinating and disturbing
reminder of the variety of cultures within our own borders.
What Is the Purpose of the
World Social Forum?
by Brian Biery
Photo: Brian Biery
If you read any of the signs
around the forum site or listened to any of the invited
speakers it is, of course, to create a better world! What
is not always apparent is how. Many of the workshops focus
on what is wrong with the world: poverty, war, inequality,
fascism, racism, environmental degradation, monopolistic
global corporations, empires with aspirations of world
dominance, etc. But I found it refreshing to attend the
discussions that presented solutions: organic farming techniques,
de-emphasizing oil as an energy source, alternative banking
structures like credit unions, or even alternative media
outlets like this newsletter.
After sharing my e-mail address for about
the twentieth time during the forum it occurred to me that
the greater legacy of the WSF will be the reinvigoration
of the people who are trying to improve life all over the
world. It is rather daunting to tilt at windmills by yourself,
but when you have met and shaken the hands of others who
are confronting similar challenges with courage and resolve
it inspires you to do the same.
And you’re not alone while you
do it anymore! We’re now living in a world where
activists can connect with one another and share pictures
or video over oceans and continents in an instant via e-mail,
cell phone or text messages. During the 1999 World Trade
Organization protests in Seattle, bloggers provided an
alternate perspective to the mainstream media, so those
of us who couldn't attend were kept informed of events
such as police attacks on peaceful protesters.
So for those of you who couldn’t
make it to Brazil, feel free to call me if you have any
questions: 626-791-6211.
This year’s annual World Social
Forum was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil January 26 -31,
2005. It has emerged as an inspiring event for activists
dedicated to a positive, alternative globalization.
The Day the World Came to
Pasadena
by Rev. Kathleen Owens
Photo: Robert Lau
On February 27th Returned
Peace Corps Volunteers, staff and host country nationals
gathered at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church
to celebrate the 44th birthday of the Peace Corps. All
shared stories, a delicious birthday cake, a show that
featured international fashions and traditional Thai dancers.
 Said
RPCV Ginny Atherton (Bolivia), “My grandson Andrew
had a really great day at your church! [For his Peace Corps
Day passport] the first stop was Madagascar, the birthplace
of his best friend in Kindergarten. He was really excited
to come home and find it on the map.”
The Church raised $1,000 for Friends
of Thailand's Project Restore to help schools that were
destroyed in the tsunami. RPCV Linda Atwater (Ghana) sold
$1,500 in crafts for the artisans at the Gbeogo School
for the Deaf. “Your whole community is wonderful.
I love the feeling there,” she said.
If you missed out, don't worry--the WORLD
will return to Neighborhood Church next February 26th!
Please join us.
Peace Corps Photo Book
Photo: Chris McKee
Jason Gordon (Moldova 2002-04) is looking
for great photos by PCVs from all over the world for a
large coffee-table book. If you would like to contribute,
please send a selection ASAP to jegger79@yahoo.com or:
 Jason
Gordon
7815 McCallum Blvd.
Apt. 17206
Dallas, TX 75252
Please include your name, country / years
of service, and a brief caption with each photograph. If
sending digital, please be sure the images are 300dpi or
higher.
If published, a significant amount of
the revenue from the sales will go to support Peace Corps
projects worldwide.
YES! YES! YES!
Andrea Clemons (Mauritania
'94) is coordinating a program called the Youth Exchange
and Study Program (YES) for the U.S. State Department.
YES invites 15-18 year old students from Egypt, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia
to spend a year attending a US high school and becoming
part of an American family. She’s looking for homes
for three students for the upcoming academic year.
The RPCVLA community is an ideal resource
for homes/families that would welcome, understand and nurture
the experience of the YES students. At this time, when
so many misconceptions about Islam are prevalent, this
is a very important opportunity to fulfill the Peace Corps’ Third
Goal - educating people at home. Of course it is also an
amazing learning opportunity for the exchange students.
For more information call 310-338-3779.
Event: Continental Earth Stories & Petroglyph
Paintings
by Rita A. Unger
 You
are all invited to my art exhibit, featuring archeological
Native American rock art of the Southwest. It’s at
The Talking Stick Coffeehouse Gallery, 1630 Ocean Park
Blvd in Santa Monica.
On Sunday, April 3rd there will be a
reception from 2-6 pm featuring live music and spoken word.
For those of you who can’t make it that day it’ll
be hanging until April 5th. For more information call me
at 213-384-8205 or email: ritaun2001@yahoo.com.
Editor Needed
Photo: Brian Biery
Tappan Heher (Mali 90-92) is working
on a documentary about Peace Corps Mali, shot last summer.
He’s looking for an editor, preferably an RPCV. Call
323-651-3495 or 917-208-3830.
|
