Posted by Ben Moeling on Feb 20, 2009 - 09:22 AM
![Rendering of Beijing New Embassy Compound (NEC) at nighttime. [U.S. Embassy, Beijing image]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0219_beijing_bh_m.jpg)
Related Entry: "U.S. Embassy in China Prepares for Secretary Clinton Visit" by U.S. Charge d'affaires in Beijing Dan Piccuta.
As I ride my Chinese bike into work, the way I do most days, I'm thinking about a hundred details related to the Secretary's visit. The arrival of the advance team was pushed up by three days, which is good in that it allows more time to plan together but bad because Embassy Beijing likes to have things squared away before the…
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Posted by Cameron R. Hume on Feb 20, 2009 - 05:21 AM
![Secretary Clinton in Jarkarta, Indonesia with children's choir February 19, 2009. [State Dept.]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0219_clinton3_bh_m.jpg)
This is the rainy season in Jakarta, and U.S. Secretary of State Clinton has just taken the city by storm. Fortunately, the rain held off until just after her plane had departed and she had completed a highly successful two-day visit.
The Secretary's visit to Indonesia -- the world's third-largest democracy, the most populous Muslim majority country and an important developing Southeast Asian power -- was significant. It was the new Secretary's first overseas trip, and the U.S. Embassy and the people and Government of Indonesia were honored to host her.
Strategically, she choose to…
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Posted by Daniel Piccuta on Feb 19, 2009 - 05:47 PM
![People riding bicycles China. [AP file photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0219_beijing_bike_bh_m.jpg)
Related Entry: "Preparing for Secretary Clinton's Visit: From the Advance Team to Wheels-Up" by Deputy Political Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing Ben Moeling.
Arriving at work the other day I could not help but notice ahead a foreigner merrily pedaling his local Chinese bicycle (Flying Pigeon brand) into the U.S. Embassy compound just ahead of me. I laugh as I realize the foreigner arriving on the "bike of the masses" is our American SecState visit's Overall Control Officer, Ben Moeling.
…
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Posted by Tristram Perry on Feb 19, 2009 - 12:37 PM
![Secretary Clinton on the set of “Dahsyat” in Jarkarta, Indonesia Feb. 19, 2009. [State Dept.]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0219_clinton_jakarta2__m.jpg)
Watch the "Dahsyat" interview on YouTube.
It's an hour before show time, and I'm backstage at the "Dahsyat" ("Awesome") studio in the Four Seasons Hotel, talking to supermodel, actress and host Luna Maya. "I'm so nervous!" she exclaims. It's not every day that the host of the highest-rated youth TV show in Indonesia is jittery about interviewing a guest. But then again, Secretary Hillary Clinton is no ordinary guest. Used to chatting and joking with famous actors, singers and other celebrities, the idea of talking to the 67th U.S. Secretary…
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Posted by Jason Rebholz on Feb 19, 2009 - 12:09 PM
![Secretary Clinton greets local business women in Jarkarta, Indonesia Feb. 19, 2009. [State Dept.]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0219_clinton_jakarta_b_m.jpg)
I just returned to the office from the last stop on Secretary Clinton's two-day trip to Indonesia -- a visit to a neighborhood called Petojo Utara (North Petojo) in Jakarta. This neighborhood is home to about 3,000 residents and has undergone a dramatic change in the past few years. USAID, in partnership with NGOs and private sector partners, has worked with the residents to help resolve the issues that matter most to them, such as sanitation, clean water, and maternal health.
During her walk around the neighborhood, Secretary Clinton learned how community members utilize used materials, such as plastic bags and bottles, to make handicrafts, such as handbags, wallets, and…
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