January 19

"There shall be sung another golden age,
The rise of empire and of arts,
The good and great inspiring epic rage,
The wisest heads and noblest hearts."

--George Berkeley, "Verses on the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America"; image from

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Public Diplomacy Council

BANNED IN MAINLAND CHINA

Your totally harmless "Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review" appears to be, from its compiler's examination of Google Analytics and information from an Asia-based PDPBR subscriber, "banned" in mainland China, at a time when the People's Republic is proclaiming the importance of said "public diplomacy." Please inform your PDPBR compiler, if you can spare a second, if he is (hopefully) wrong

about this. Image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Memorandum to President Hu Jintao - Charles Freeman,csis.org: "U.S. vs. Chinese Soft Power[:] The global standing of the United States in the wake of the Iraq/Afghan wars and the global economic crisis has surely taken a hit. One would assume that China’s global standing would naturally be enhanced, at least relatively. Certainly, in parts of Africa and Latin America, China’s straightforward emphasis on mutual economic and cultural benefit has played well, especially in comparison to the occasional high-handed nature of U.S. public diplomacy and development assistance efforts. But the rise of China’s relative influence (in economic and security, as well as soft-power terms) has had a consequence, particularly among China’s Asian neighbors: as Chinese power increases,

a sense of vulnerability has caused other Asian countries to try to draw the United States closer as a regional counterbalance to a China that may not always maintain a benign regional stance. As a result, there is some concern that China and the United States will begin a not necessarily friendly competition for influence in other parts of the world. ... It might be ... advisable to find areas on which to work to establish a better and broader framework for cooperation and trust between the two countries. Joint efforts on health and development would be such an area and would help demonstrate the capacity of the two countries to exercise soft power together." Image from

Obama urged to take up religious freedom during talks with Hu‎ - Lalit K Jha, MSN India: "Accusing China of repressing dissent, the US Commission on [international] religious freedom has appealed to President Barack Obama to take up the issues of human rights and religious freedom during his meeting with his visiting Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at the White House. ... USCIRF said the Obama administration should prioritise human rights and religious freedom issues as principal issues in the talks' agenda; raise a full range of religious freedom concerns in high-level discussions in each session and seek binding agreements on key religious freedom and human rights concerns at the US-China Strategic Dialogue in ways similar to other economic and security interests. The US should also ensure that religious freedom priorities raised in the Strategic Dialogue are implemented through appropriate US government foreign assistance programmes on such issues as legal reform, civil society capacity-building, public diplomacy, and cultural and religious preservation and exchanges."

Dueling ads ahead of state visit: Is China a friend or foe?‎ - Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post: The Chinese government and the Alliance for American Manufacturing -- a District-based lobbying group and thinktank -- have launched dueling ad campaigns that aim to shape public opinion on the eve of the state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao. The Chinese government's glitzy, 60-second commercials made their debut on six screens simultaneously at Times Square on Monday and aim to portray China as a friendly country.


The ads highlight Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming and Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei as well as ordinary smiling Chinese citizens. China's official People's Daily called the commercial 'part of the public diplomacy campaign by the Chinese government ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao's U.S. state visit,' and noted that it would be shown at Times Square 15 times every hour from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., totaling 20 hours and 300 times a day until Feb. 14 for a total of 8,400 showings. It will also air on CNN from Jan. 17 to Feb. 13. The AAM's campaign is running a print ad campaign that feature a picture of Hu shaking hands with President Obama with the words 'Hu's on first. And he's about to steal home.'


The ads, which began running today in Capitol Hill publications such as The Hill, Roll Call, Politico and CQ Today, as well as online-only news sites, link job losses in the United States to China's 'cheating' on currency and trade. Images from article. See also.

China tries to polish image in U.S. with TV ads - marketplace.publicradio.org: "Scott Tong: The ad features Chinese NBA star Yao Ming, among others, and it comes from global ad agency Lintas. China could use some image-buffing: Remember its imprisoned Nobel Peace laureate? Is new stealth fighter? Public diplomacy scholar Joshua Fouts


says China needs a clear, concise message to the West. But that'll take more than just one ad. Joshua Fouts: ['] A branding blast that just has faces on it I don't think in the long-term is terribly effective. The most effective tool for country branding is really communicating with people on a one-to-one level.['] So, China's opening language schools around the world, and broadcasting TV shows in several countries and languages. As for its reputation here, a new poll suggests about 50 percent of Americans view China favorably, 35 percent unfavorably." Fouts image from

China’s Ad Campaign: To Whom Are We Selling? - David Wolf, siliconhutong.com: "The Chinese government is caught in that vast chasm between understanding they must communicate with the peoples of the world and being able to do so effectively. We have to expect its initial efforts to be ham-handed, and sometimes laughably so. But we have to applaud their effort, because it reflects their realization that they actually need our trust and support to reach their goals. ... It is a not uncommon practice in China to say something to overseas audiences or do something in overseas that is actually done with a view to the effect the message or the action will have when it echoes back into China. This is called 'chukou zhuan nei xiao,' or exporting something to sell it at home. ... But then it brings up a larger, more troubling issue, which is the growing disconnect between China’s self-image and the image it projects abroad. But ... [a] nation that conducts its diplomacy – and especially its public diplomacy – so as to cater to domestic audiences is placing its international relations into deep jeopardy. America did so under Bush and in so doing frivolously squandered its soft power."

A Victory for Public Diplomacy: Obama Administration Expands Academic Travel to Cuba - Victor C Johnson, nafsa.org: "Last Friday, the international education community cheered when the White House took decisive action to expand academic travel to Cuba.


President Obama has directed changes to regulations and policies – expected in the next couple of weeks – to 'increase people-to-people contact; support civil society in Cuba; enhance the free flow of information to, from, and among the Cuban people; and help promote their independence from Cuban authorities.' ... Educational and cultural exchanges have historically been one of the United States’ most important and successful public diplomacy tools, especially in opening up closed societies. These programs build respect and understanding among peoples, sustain diplomatic and political relationships, and ultimately create the conditions for a more peaceful world." Image from

Obama fails to deliver. Enter: Medvedev? - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "Foreigners' opinions matter. For one, they predict - to some extent - the general level of success the U.S. can hope to achieve when engaging in this or that international issue (that is, when foreign public opinion is actually considered). Yet, more importantly, foreign public opinion can actually enhance American foreign policy toward that country/issue, if that public's attitudes are in line with American interests (which also implies that the public - or their representatives - will act accordingly). Voilà: public diplomacy. Of course, here it is also important to mention that as America's charismatic leader, Obama is (was?!) also America'a greatest public diplomat.

He did a good job (past tense). Since Middle East (still) seems to be one of the most problematic regions for American foreign policy, and especially for its public diplomacy, engaging the local people is one of the core components of U.S. policy there. And there is no denying - the Arab-Israeli conflict lies at the root of the problem (in public diplomacy terms, at least). In his speeches in Istanbul and Cairo (both, just months after he took office in 2009), Obama raised high hopes and did actually help to improve the perception of the U.S. among the Arab people (as well as Muslims, in general). Yet, two years on, there is obviously little progress - if any - on the issue, as the actors that matter don't even want to start talking to each other. ... Did the U.S. public diplomacy get so entangled in 'entertainment/pop-culture promotion' and 'talk-and-more-talk', that the policy itself has become just that? Most probably, not. But that's how people [in the Middle East] seem to be interpreting it. And who do they turn to, instead? Russia, of course." Image from

Jakarta center is first of a new generation - Louis Jacobson, politifact.com [Scroll down link for article]: "During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to replicate a program launched in Germany after World War II. 'America Houses would offer state-of-the-art English-language training programs, discussions, and a wide selection of current periodicals, newspapers, and literature,' he promised. 'They would offer free Internet access and moderated programs that promote direct exchange with Americans through the use of modern information technology.' A year ago, we rated this promise Stalled. But the Obama administration has since made significant progress putting this promise into action.


On Dec. 1, 2010, Judith A. McHale, the undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs, traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia, to open the first @america Center -- a new-generation gathering place where young Indonesians can see 'the best of the United States -- our ideas, our creativity, our ideals and our ingenuity,' McHale said at the dedication. The center is located in a shopping center -- Pacific Place Mall -- and conducts outreach on social media such as Facebook and Twitter in order to reach young Indonesians. It has partnered with Google Earth, Cisco and Microsoft -- which donated Xbox Kinect game consoles -- to bolster its high-tech resources. 'By getting out from behind the Embassy walls, @america will be an open, inviting, and accessible place to explore and experience the best of America,' McHale said. 'Although the United States and Indonesia are separated by the vast Pacific Ocean, @america will use modern technology to bring our young people together to learn and cooperate on issues of importance to our nations and the world.'" Image from

WikiLeaks: the latest developments - guardian.co.uk: "The US embassy in Jakarta considers itself at the forefront of 'Public Diplomacy 2.0', according to a leaked State Department cable. ... Ben Quinn has a story on one US embassy and its Facebook page: The US embassy in Jakarta made a request for $100,000 in funding to boost its Facebook fans to one million weeks before Barack Obama's visit to Indonesia. A cable sent in February by US diplomats in the Indonesian capital described itself as 'already the leading US Mission in the World on Facebook with nearly 50,000 'fans', and one of the leading missions using Twitter, YouTube and engaging local bloggers to promote USG [US government] messages and information.' 'We are uniquely positioned to use these tools to amplify key topics and themes to support the upcoming visit by President Obama,' it added.


The embassy described itself in the cable as 'on the forefront of Public Diplomacy 2.0.' Requesting the $100,0000, the cable said that the embassy could boost its Facebook fan page membership to one million in 30 days in a country it described as one of the fastest-growing Facebook markets in the world. But it is unclear if it reached the target – with or without the money. By April last year, the total number of Facebook fans of the US Embassies and consulates in Indonesia was 161,000, according to an interview given by the embassy team behind the page. The cable set out how the money was to be spent, including increasing advertising on Indonesian online portals and elsewhere, as well as generating interest in the presidential visit by offering Facebook users the chance to win a 'golden ticket' to meet Obama ... . The embassy's suggestion that it should also team up with a television show subsequently came to fruition. On a national television show, three Facebook fans of the Jakarta embassy won 'educational trips' to the US to visit places that were said to have played a part in Obama's life – this was the embassy's suggested alternative prize if the White House did not give its blessing to meetings with Obama for competition winners."

Daily Snapshot:US Department of State - The Communicator: "UNDER SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS JUDITH MCHALE 11:00 a.m. Under Secretary McHale meets with Colombian Ambassador Gabriel Silva at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE) 2:00 p.m. Under Secretary McHale attends the State Luncheon in honor of Chinese President Hu Jintao hosted by Secretary Clinton, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, at the Department of State. (POOLED PRESS COVERAGE FOR OPENING REMARKS) 3:00 p.m. Under Secretary McHale meets with Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)"

Biennial Fulbright South and Central Asia Regional Conference to be Hosted in Sri Lanka, January 26-28 - Media Note, U.S. Department of State: "The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in coordination with the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission and the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka, will host a regional Fulbright Program workshop in Colombo from January 26-28, 2011. The professional development workshop will bring together staff from Fulbright Commissions and U.S. embassies in the South and Central Asia region to share best practices and information about Fulbright and other academic exchange programs in the region. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs Alina Romanowski will host a moderated conference call from the State Department with media on Thursday, January 20, 2011 from 10:30 – 11:00 am on the Fulbright Program in South and Central Asia. Media are invited to RSVP to receive conference call dial-in information.


U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia A. Butenis and Deputy Assistant Secretary Romanowski will provide opening remarks in Sri Lanka on January 26, followed by a key note address on U.S.-Sri Lanka relations from Jayantha Dhanapala, former Ambassador to the United States from Sri Lanka and UN Under Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs. James R. Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs will also give remarks after the plenary." Senator Fulbright image from

Over the Horizon: For U.S. in Haiti, Looking Good is the Hard Part - Robert Farley, worldpoliticsreview.com: "[T]he truth is that the outcome in Haiti, as disappointing as it is, just may have been the best the U.S. could have hoped for. There is a certain perversity to thinking about disaster relief as an exercise in public diplomacy. Nevertheless, the United States, and especially the U.S. Navy, clearly does think of such operations at least partially in those terms. Relief operations help animate the concept behind the Navy's Cooperative Maritime Strategy, and more broadly the ideas that underlie 'benevolent' U.S. hegemony. One key to gaining acceptance for cooperation and tolerance for benevolent hegemony is demonstrating that the United States military can do something both useful and good. In the case of Haiti, it's almost certain that the U.S. did good, but it's unclear whether anyone will notice."

The Unbearable Lightness of Peacebuilding - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "The military has an important role to play in public diplomacy, and in regions like Iraq they are better prepared to play it than many private sector or NGO representatives.


There is still work to be done in Iraq, work which could provide challenging opportunities for creative solutions--but only for those who are willing to recognize it." Image from

How the Mighty have Fallen - Arun, somethingaboutthelaw.com: "While references to Tunisia as the site of the first Wikileaks revolution may be exaggerated, there is no doubt that the whistleblower site was a catalyst in whipping up the mood of discontent. With the unrest in Tunisia, Wikileaks is finally living up to its claim of opening Governments. ... Wikileaks will continue to release the leaked cables over an extended period of time, unravelling the machinations of American diplomacy. It will continue to embarrass the United States, exposing many stories of double standards and selfish interests. Through curtains of ‘espionage’ and ‘conspiracy’, America will go for the jugular to try and prosecute people like Private Bradley Manning and Julian Assange. But there can be no doubt that the most powerful instrument of American foreign policy is on the wane - its ability to control, manipulate and restrict the flow of information. Wikileaks and Twitter are already tagged as agencies that will bring about political reform in dark recesses of the world. Although they may grab the attention of Governments as useful tools of public diplomacy, they cannot be appropriated to serve any particular interest. Just as they will expose the problems facing closed societies, they will also render the powerful ones vulnerable to criticism. Most importantly, the near monopoly that the United States had over the predictability of information will no longer hold out, leaving it without room to maneuver through the melee that ensues."

Israel and Soft Power - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Eureka! So my recent revelation is that the problem isn't that Israel doesn't understand public diplomacy (although Israel[i]s, among many others, don't understand the listening aspect). Israel has long been cognizant of public diplomacy, quite adept at PD and at using new platforms to conduct PD. The problem is that Israel doesn't have the slightest ideas about soft power. Despite a democratic system, a culturally diverse population and sectors that create tremendous innovation, Israel has almost no soft power, and is still dealing with the fact that its mention can often associate negative images of war and terror. It hasn't internalized the three pilars of soft power,


that its culture should be attractive to others; that its political value should be attractive to others; that its foreign policy should be attractive to others. How can we get Nye's Soft Power translated into Hebrew? Nye mentioned that it is the side with the better story that wins. In this regard, as long as the occupation continues, Israel's story loses out. The Palestinian David to the Israeli Goliath is the reality when Israel only flexes hard power not soft power. The reality is that Palestine has a lot more soft power these days than Israel." Image from

WikiLeaks: Costa Rica Not So Neutral?‎ - Nikolas Kozloff, Inside Costa Rica: "In 2002-3, Chávez was put on the defensive, first by a military coup d'etat which nearly toppled the government and later by a 63-day lock out which nearly crippled the nation's oil industry and caused severe economic damage. A key figure during the lockout was Carlos Ortega, president of the the country's largest labor union, the Venezuelan Workers' Confederation or CTV. When authorities called for Ortega's arrest, charging him with rebellion, conspiracy, treason and inciting delinquency, the union man sought refuge in the Costa Rican embassy in Caracas. Though officials allowed for Ortega's safe passage out of Venezuela, several months later Chávez ratcheted up the rhetoric by accusing Ortega and Costa Rica of conspiring against his government. Responding to the incendiary charges, Pacheco denied that any members of his government had conspired against Venezuela. ... Throughout its history, the Costa Rican added, Costa Rica had welcomed foreign exiles but only under the strict condition that they would abstain from subversive political activities relating to their countries of origin. Chávez, however, was unconvinced by Pacheco's public diplomacy and hinted that Venezuela might stop selling oil to Costa Rica at preferential rates if the San José government failed to clamp down on political conspiracies designed to unseat him from power."

Amity Presents a talk on "Public Diplomacy, Soft Power and the Digital Media Environment - India Education Diary: "A talk on 'Public Diplomacy, Soft Power and the Digital Media Environment' by Dr. Robin Brown, Director Institute of Communication Studies, Universities of Leeds, UK was organized by Amity School of Communication (ASCO) at the Amity University campus, Sector – 125, Noida. The objective of the talk was to discuss the challenges faced by countries in developing public diplomacy programmes. Delivering his welcome address Prof. Col. R.K Dargan, Director, ASCO informed that 'Dr. Brown works on the relationship between communication and politics both domestic and international, and his current focus of research is public diplomacy. Dr. Brown's core interest of research lies in the elite aspects of political communication, in particular areas such as government news management, media effects on political elites, lobbying and the impact of information gathering on decision making.' Presenting his talk Dr. Robin Brown


said 'over the past decade there has been a surge of interest among governments around the world in the way that communication can be used to promote a country's image and interests. The interest in public diplomacy activities has been supported by the development of concepts of soft power and the nation brand.['] Mulling over the prospects of Digital Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy 2.0 (PD 2.0) strategies that make use of technologies such as Facebook and Twitter to promote national interest, Dr. Brown stated that 'with the change of the Digital Media Environment there emerges a change in the ways and modes of communication. Although Digital Environment offers higher information accessibility to the users yet it comes with the disguised pitfall of critical and confidential information getting disseminated on certain occasions'. He added 'the theme of [']Public Diplomacy' studies is the need to change and upgrade peoples perception of communication, that ideally is a two way process and one which essentially walks a step ahead of mere transferring of information to building long term relationships." Brown image from

Public Diplomacy or Propaganda? - Sara, The New Diplomacy F: A reflective group blog by some of the students on The New Diplomacy module at London Metropolitan University: "[S]tate sponsored diplomacy using ideas, information, or other material to win people over to a given doctrine can and should be viewed critically. That’s why it does not come as a surprise to me that a lot of my fellow students view the use of public diplomacy with scepticism."

Power and Popular Culture - 221bBakerSt, The New Diplomacy F: A reflective group blog by some of the students on The New Diplomacy module at London Metropolitan University: "In the contemporary world of 21st century, providing credibility and reliability as well as proposing friendly image of a state is becoming an issue, which seems to significantly important in the arena of international politics. The rise of soft power is more about how do you look like, than the way your are, as in world of democracy as well as in public diplomacy, it is essential what do people think."

Istanbul movie premiere to be dry, say cinema officials - "Controversial new regulations from the Tobacco Products and Alcoholic Beverages Market, or TAPDK, have caused film organizers to cancel plans to serve alcohol at a movie premiere Wednesday. A Turkish movie called 'Kutsal Damacana Dracoola'


will premiere at Istanbul’s İstinye Park AFM Theater but officials at the location said that because they lack an alcohol license, they would not be able to serve alcohol during the event. ... During a meeting with foreign journalists last week, government Public Diplomacy Coordinator İbrahim Kalın said the legal age to purchase was 18, not 24 as had been reported in the press." Image from article

HPS Names New Partner and Digital Media Director - Press Release, Hamilton Place Strategies: "Today, Hamilton Place Strategies announced that Matt McDonald has joined the firm as Partner and Noah Chestnut has been hired as Director of Digital Media. ... Noah Chestnut


most recently worked as Director for Digital Media at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where he managed the Foundation’s digital strategy and oversaw an overhaul of its digital properties. He received an undergraduate degree in communications from Northwestern University and a graduate degree in public diplomacy from the University of Southern California." Chestnut image from

Dreaded mosquito / TUE 1-18-11 / Dream Lohengrin aria / Simpleton in Archie comics / Public diplomacy broadcast org until 1999 / Ophthalmic swelling - Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle:


"No idea what USIA is (60A): Public diplomacy broadcast org. until 1999) (looking up ... United States Information Agency)."

RELATED ITEMS

Mr. Obama, speak up for human rights in China - Yang Jianli, Washington Post: The writer is president of Initiatives for China and a Harvard fellow. He served a five-year prison term in China, from 2002 to 2007, for attempting to observe labor unrest.

Tunisia as a tipping point: Let's back democracy in Tunisia -- and perhaps prove George W. Bush right about America's calling - Editorial, Los Angeles Times: Bush considered the nurturing of democracy to be "the calling of our country." Eight years on, however, the results aren't as straightforward as he might have hoped.


Given the extraordinary repression and human rights abuses in most Arab countries, some have questioned whether democratic movements there can succeed. But we'd like nothing better than for Tunisia to prove Bush right. Image from

Easing Cuban Travel Restrictions, Team Obama Slaps Cuba's Political Prisoners In the Face - Mike Gonzalez, FoxNews.com: It was a strange way to kick off the Martin Luther King weekend. But last Friday night, President Obama slapped hundreds of Cuba’s political prisoners’ right in the face. That’s when the administration announced it will make it easier for Americans who support Castro’s government to send money there and visit the island for propaganda purposes. Travel restrictions will be lifted or relaxed, as will remittances and charter flights. It’s a deplorable change -- and totally unnecessary. After all, the Castro brothers’ thugs do a good job making their victims miserable without help from the Oval Office.

Countering Pentagon Propaganda About Prisoners Released from Guantánamo - Andy Worthington, opednews.com: For several years now, one organization in the US government has persistently undermined attempts to have a grown-up debate about the perceived dangerousness of prisoners at Guantánamo, and the need to bear security concerns in mind whilst also trying to empty the prison and to bring to an end this particularly malign icon of the Bush administration's ill-conceived response to the 9/11 attacks. That organization is the Pentagon, and its habit of issuing announcements regarding the alleged recidivism of prisoners released from Guantánamo -- without documentation to back up its claims -- has also exposed a startling lack of journalistic integrity in the mainstream media. Although the Pentagon had regularly drip-fed alarmist reports about recidivism into the media during the Bush administration, which were picked up and reported despite their lack of sources and their often contradictory nature -- as explained in a detailed report by researchers at the Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey (PDF) -- the propaganda war has become noticeably more bold under President Obama.

Shameless, Skins and Being Human: Brits cement their place on US screens --Transatlantic links are getting stronger all the time, as a host of new exports hits America within a week - John Plunkett, The Guardian: Nearly 30 years after Chariots of Fire Oscar winner Colin Welland famously announced "The British are coming!",


it really does seem to be boomtime for British TV drama across the Atlantic. One reason for the success of UK drama producers in the US is the growth in the amou nt of investment in the genre by US cable operators. It is no coincidence that all of the recent UK/US adaptations, including Skins on MTV and Being Human for Syfy, have been outside of the five main US networks. Via. Image from

Marina Grigoryan: Azerbaijan reaches the point of absurdity in its propaganda - Karen Ghazaryan, armradio.am: On these days of January the propaganda machine of Baku usually raises hysteria, flooding the media field with lies, insisting that it were Armenians that massacred Azerbaijanis 21 years ago.


Armenia has taken serious steps over the past few years to counter Azeri propaganda, chief of the “Common genocide” project Marina Grigoryan told a press conference today. Speaking about the genocide perpetrated in Baku 21 years ago, Marina Grigoryan said “Azerbaijan reaches an absurd in its propaganda; therefore, Armenia should be more active." Grigoryan image from article

North Korean art or propaganda? - joongangdaily.joins.com: Chubby-cheeked, hard-working and joyous but also ready for military action is how North Korea presents its people at a major show of official art from the secretive state in Moscow. “And Water Flows Beneath the Ice” exhibits 40 works by 39 state-commissioned artists that have never been shown abroad and span 25 years of tight North Korean rule. All the art comes from Pyongyang’s Mansudae Art Studio, set up in 1959 and whose 1,000 artists are at the core of North Korea’s state-driven aesthetics. They designed the Pyongyang metro system and the capital’s socialist-realist statues.But the curators of the Moscow exhibit - housed in the trendy Winzavod gallery, a revamped wine factory - insist it is not to be confused with propaganda. “Pure propaganda is not art. We are hoping visitors will see this as a national art form,” co-curator Anna Zaitseva told Reuters at the pink-carpeted and red-lit exhibit, which runs until the end of January.


Zaitseva, who has traveled to North Korea several times, said it is the artists’ technique - ‘Korean painting,’ a 2,000 year old practice of ink on paper - that is behind the exhibit’s beauty, making it separate from politics. “The key technology to this art - and it is the founding, most representative part of it - is that North Korea uses Korean painting. This makes it differ from Soviet realism,” she said, adding that oil paintings did not enter the scene until the 1970s. But behind the delicate ink strokes on parchment, there is a stark message of North Korea’s military readiness - a chilling reminder of current tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which are at their highest in years. “Before a Fierce Battle,” from 2009, depicts two ferocious-looking soldiers surging forward toward a pile of gold bullets and handmade grenades while red smoke billows above. Image from article

Poland issues ‘communist monopoly’ board game - thenews.pl: The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) is to release an educational board game called “Queue”, aimed at "raising awareness" among the young of what everyday life in communist Poland was like. Each player gets a list of ten goods which they must buy.


They learn, however, that getting desired products, such as shoes, toilet paper, coffee or furniture, is not an easy task - just as it was in the dark days of communism. Players have to queue for everything they buy, but could find, as they get closer to the front of the line, that the shop has run out of stock, or another player had obtained priority to buy a certain product. The game, to be released in February, reflected everyday life for millions of Poles before 1989. Image from article; via MC on facebook

House band for Hitler: The Reich’s Orchestra: The Berlin Philharmonic 1933-1945 - Misha Aster - Robert Giddings, tribunemagazine.co.uk: The Berlin Philharmonic, strapped for cash, was bought out by the state, falling like a ripe plum into Nazi hands, the musicians becoming civil servants in Dr Goebbels’ Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Under Goebbels’ guidance, the Philharmonic


became Nazi Germany’s proudest cultural ambassador, giving prestigious concerts in Berlin and other cities, touring other countries, broadcasting and appearing at notable public events such as party rallies, performing for visiting dignitaries, the 1936 Olympic Games and public celebrations of Hitler’s birthday as well as performing in factories to boost the war effort. Image from

Aldous Huxley on propaganda and why we fall for it - reasontostand.org/archives: "So I suppose the question for those of us who recognize our society’s noticeable and definite shift towards being almost exclusively controlled by propaganda (mostly through means of entertainment) is this;


How far are we willing to go to persuade our fellow countrymen to step back from the precipice and prevent a “Brave New World” from occurring here in America?" Image from article

NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Vive La Différence!

AMERICANA

Funeral homes find new life by hosting other events - Melanie D. Hayes, USA Today: Across the USA, funeral homes are building and marketing such centers as not just a place to mourn the dead but as sites for events celebrating the living, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, holiday parties and proms.


Image from article: Bride Paulita Flores, middle, prepares for her wedding at the Community Life Center in Indianapolis on Dec. 4. "I fell in love (with the center) and thought it was the perfect place," she says.

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Soft power is, after all, like sex appeal on a national scale:


it is more a reflection of who you are than how you talk about yourself, and if you say you have it, you probably don’t."

--Blogger David Wolf; image from