Turkmenistan/Iran relations to improve

The always cosy ties between the neighbors are doing as well as always:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/186269.html

Sweden Deports Son of Turkmen Activist

RFE/RL reports that Sweden has deported Keymir Berdiev.  Berdiev is the son of a Turkmen opposition figure. However, Swedish authorities found insufficient proof that he would face danger if he returned to Turkmenistan.

Smithsonian Folk Life Festival Celebrates Peace Corps

For those of you who will be in the DC area in early July, check out the Smithsonian's Folk Life Festival.  One of the themes will be the Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary.  The other two themes will be Colombia and Rhythm & Blues.
http://www.festival.si.edu/2011/PeaceCorps/

The Peace Corps section will apparently feature an exhibit by a Guatemala RPCV who built a school house in her village out of plastic drink bottles she found littered around the community.  Thus ends my long insistence that the Balkanabat Bi-Monthly Frisbee Club was the GREATEST PEACE CORPS PROJECT EVER.

US sends Ambassador to Turkmenistan... finally

Camel Spit may not be in a good position right now to chide lateness, but after 5 years the US Embassy in Ashgabat finally has a full-fledged ambassador: Robert E. Patterson, Jr.  Ambassador Patterson is a career Foreign Service Officer.

http://turkmenistan.usembassy.gov/bio.html

Watch the Turkmen TV coverage of Ambassador Patterson presenting his credentials to President Berdymukhamedov. The report highlights commercial and energy cooperation between Turkmenistan and the US.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THoEv-X_5t4

Turkmens in Space

After a hiatus for finishing law school, your friendly Camel Spit Blogger is back.

What better way to get back into the swing of things than... TURKMENS IN SPACE!

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=241815