January 3

"A young boy asks his Dad, 'What is the difference between confident and confidential ?'

Dad says, 'You are my son, I'm confident about that.

Your friend over there, is also my son, that's confidential.'"

--One of short jokes provided by a valued PDPBR subscriber; image from

VIDEO

SNL skit on TSA's Enhanced Screening

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Clinton is Obama’s ace in the hole: If one considers the gains that the U.S. has enjoyed from her service, President Obama made an excellent choice - Kim Jung-wook, joongangdaily.joins.com:


"As a former first lady, and someone who was almost elected president, Hillary Clinton already has a status nearly as significant as the president himself. The position of Secretary of State at first seemed too insignificant for her. Some commentators and analysts worried that Clinton and Obama would clash because of their rivalry during the primary, and because of Clinton’s superior political experience. But Clinton showed strong respect for President Obama’s foreign policy philosophy. She added to that her willpower and established the foreign policy principle of 'smart power.' She advocated a shift from unilateralism to multilateralism, which is the public diplomacy of communicating with foreign citizens and reinforcing alliances." Image from

Who is the leader of the Free World? - Reagan, Bush, Obama - lessons in public diplomacy in response to anti-democracy crackdown in Belarus - TedLipien.com: "Granted, President Obama has not started any new costly and unnecessary wars, but a series of public diplomacy disasters over the last two years, culminating in his weak response to repression in Belarus just before Christmas 2010, have exposed him at home and abroad as an ineffective U.S leader. President Obama’s public diplomacy strategy stems from his view of America as a threatening power, a popular theme among his left-wing friends and among revisionist academics who became his advisers on Russia and the Middle East. ... Interestingly, the initiative of conducting U.S. public diplomacy in defense of freedom has been taken up ... by the U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which had played a major role in helping to bring down the communist system. ... Unfortunately, without a high-profile support from the White House and the State Department, RFE/RL’s work will never have the same impact as it had during the Cold War. If anything, it further demonstrates the crisis of U.S. public diplomacy by sending a message that any change in American human rights policy and in relations with the countries of East-Central Europe will not come until the end of the Obama presidency. ... The Voice of America has not had any programs in Belarus[s]ian.


It used to broadcast, however, radio programs in Russian, a language which is widely understood in Belarus. What made VOA largely ineffective in East-Central Europe was the BBG’s decision to terminate Russian radio programs in 2008, just 12 days before the Russian military attack on Georgia. The BBG also ended all VOA programs in Central European languages. ... And while democracy supporters in Belarus were still being rounded up and independent media outlets raided by the secret police, VOA and BBG officials issued a self-congratulatory press release bragging about VOA’s ability to communicate with the audience in Belarus through the Internet and social media. ... The Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, who — according to the State Department website — 'leads America’s public diplomacy outreach, which includes communications with international audiences,' is Judith McHale, appointed to this position by President Obama. But one could also say in her defense that nothing she did not do President Obama really wanted to be done. He certainly did not show much interest himself in the tragic events in Belarus. State Department officials are pursuing his public diplomacy, not necessarily public diplomacy serving long-term U.S. interests. ... During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, U.S. public diplomacy had a powerful message in support of freedom, and U.S. international broadcasting played its journalistic role of reporting on it. ... [T]he initiative of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to broadcast the message to Belarus from former President George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is highly commendable. It’s vastly better than the totally ineffective public diplomacy outreach to Belarus from the Obama administration." Image from

Secret of Korea - andocu.tistory.com: "09STATE97244 SUBJECT POTUS EUROPEAN-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE DECISION DATE 2009-09-18 18:06:00 ¶2. (SBU) BACKGROUND: The White House is expected to announce a Presidential decision at approximately 9:55 a.m.(Washington, D.C.) on September 17 regarding a U.S. European-based BMD adaptive regional architecture, which is significantly different from the Bush Administration's plan to deploy 10 ground-based interceptors in Poland and a BMD tracking radar in the Czech Republic. END BACKGROUND. ... 3. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: ... Posts may draw upon the Questions and Answers to be provided reftel for use with Host Governments on an 'if asked' basis, or as Posts determine is appropriate. The Questions and Answers in reftel may be drawn upon by Posts but should not/not be handed over to Host Governments. Materials for public diplomacy (e.g., Fact Sheet, Questions and Answers, and


POTUS Statement) will be provided to Posts septel. Posts please notify the Department regarding date of delivery, recipients, and reaction, if any. END ACTION REQUEST." Image from

Obama's Ship of Fools foreign policy recalls Ike's Atoms for Peace fiasco - James Carafano, Washington Examiner: "America's only nuclear-powered commercial ship sits in Baltimore harbor. It hasn't sailed in decades and likely never will again. That's what happens when a president can't make up his mind. The N.S. (Nuclear Ship) Savannah was the flagship project for President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace program -- a public diplomacy blitz to convince the world that America was more interested in peace than war. ... In the end, the N.S. Savannah put to sea years late and way over budget. It proved to be an inefficient cargo ship and an uncomfortable cruise ship. The big picture was no better: Atoms for Peace did little to stem the nuclear arms race. Today, President Obama's approach to reducing nuclear threats seems much like N.S. Savannah revisited. Candidate Obama pledged to provide a 'proven and cost-effective' missile defense. But once in office, he compromised with missile defense critics and cut missile defense 15 percent."

Why I Don’t Believe in “Net Freedom” - jilliancyork.com: "If we as a nation truly believed in Internet freedom, then we would focus not only on those countries that might benefit us (a free Iran, a capitalist China) but on all of those nations where citizens are restricted from speaking out. We would loosen the export controls on Syria–not just Iran–to allow Syrian citizens access to communications and circumvention tools, and we would give our ally Tunisia–secular, egalitarian Tunisia–incentive to stop oppressing its citizens.


If the United States of America were still truly about freedom, we would do these things, because an ally that oppresses its citizens is no ally at all. ... [Comment by:] Ibn Kafka I would never trust any public diplomacy human rights instrumentalisation anyway. The way the USG has reacted to the Wikileaks publications is evidence enough." Image from

CSI Urges Obama to Promote Religious Freedom and Diversity in Islamic World - PRNewswire-USNewswire: "CSI has urged U.S. President Barack Obama to launch a new initiative to promote religious freedom and diversity in Islamic majority countries. Writing today in response to a series of deadly holiday season attacks on Christians in Egypt, Iraq and Nigeria, Dr. John Eibner, CEO of CSI-USA,


called on President Obama and to establish a high-level interagency task force to prepare a strategy aimed at securing the human rights of non-Muslims in the Islamic Middle East. Eibner furthermore urged the President to dispatch Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith McHale, on a fact-finding mission to investigate the plight of non-Muslim minorities in Muslim-majority countries." Image from

Africa/America Partnership Development Strategic Plan - blog.jaluo.com: [Scroll down link for item]: "His Excellency Ambassador Ranneberger, Ms. Nicole, Dignitaries, Members and Staff of the Federal Government, Kenyans Diaspora, ……Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Judy Miriga, Diaspora Spokesperson and Executive Director of Confederation Council Foundation for Africa. ... I strongly believe that we must engage Public Diplomacy for Public Affairs for Strategic Planning for serious participation with results towards self-sufficiency job creation that which will bring positive sustainable development benefiting both Africa and America. Confederation Council Foundation for Africa is truly committed to Civil Society and Local Community innovative solutions through Social networking and through conducive Africa’s growth and prosperity and job creation for the jobless, both locally here and abroad in Africa."

The rise of the country branding industry‎ - Andrew Hammond, Vancouver Sun: "Country branding is founded (like disciplines such as public diplomacy) on the realization that, in an overcrowded global information market place, countries and political leaders are, in effect, competing for the attention of investors, tourists, supranational organizations, NGOs, regulators, media and consumers.


In general, the most effective country strategies align all key stakeholders (across the public, private and third sectors) around a single powerful vision for global positioning. ... Looking to the future, demand for country branding is only likely to continue growing given the increasing complexity and overcrowded nature of the global information market place. Indeed, in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, much of which remains unchartered territory for the industry, globe-trotting firms may be on the very threshold of some of the most challenging work they have yet encountered." Image from

Digital Diplomats needed for Bangladesh - IT thoughts in Bangladesh: "An increasingly large proportion of the world’s population looks to the web as its primary source of information and communication, including e-mail, video conferencing, social networking and telephony. As higher transmission speeds and greater bandwidth expand audio and visual streaming choices, communications media are converging on internet. In the late nineties, Singapore and Hong Kong were way out in front in establishing web-based identities for their city-states. Since then many countries have joined the party. The Swedish and British Foreign Ministers blog, some US and UK diplomats are encouraged to do so as well. The Republic of the Maldives, Sweden, the Philippines, Estonia, Serbia, Colombia, Macedonia, and Albania has established virtual embassies in the web-based, 3D virtual universe. The US State Department has established an Office of eDiplomacy. Secretary Rice has her own Web page and the former Assistant [sic] Secretary for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes was the first official at that level to do the same. ... Public diplomats


can use the new media to connect directly with populations; finding better, more creative ways to do this will be one of diplomacy’s new frontiers, in part for the reasons set out above, and in part because the internet can play a crucial role in helping diplomats overcome the increasingly severe constraints on personal contact. Not all e-diplomats need to be young, but many will be born of a generation that has grown up with the new media. Just as the military needs rules of engagement, e-diplomats need tools of engagement. These e-diplomats with their new tools could become active in virtual worlds. It is time to ventilate fully the structure and content of diplomacy, to democratize the inputs into decision-making and to push accountability upward while devolving responsibility for decision-making downward." Ms. Bangladesh image from

The challenge of public diplomacy vis-a-vis the delegitimisation of Israel Address to Ariel Conference on Law and Mass Media, 30 December 2010 [speaker not identified] - melaniephillips.com: "As we all know by now, Israel has lost the battle for public opinion in the west. Even the Israel government is now acknowledging this fact. Israel and its defenders have been outclassed and outmanoeuvred in a war of the mind being waged on a battleground it never even acknowledged it was on. Calls for more and better hasbara, however, are meaningless if the message or narrative promoted by Israel and its defenders misses the point of the attack being waged upon it. And it does miss that point, by a mile. ... In short, ... the west cannot defend itself against the Islamic jihad because it can’t itself even think straight any more.


But this lethal muddle in the minds of the intelligentsia must be viewed in turn in the context of a global diplomatic process which itself embodies upside-down thinking, which fans the flames of bigotry and defeatism – and in which Israel itself has been tragically, and suicidally, complicit. ... What has Israel failed to recognise is that the battleground on which it is being forced to fight is not just military. It is also a battleground of the mind, and the strategy being used against it – and to which it needs to respond in kind — is psychological warfare. ... Israel and its defenders should be demanding of the world why it expects Israel alone to make compromises with people who have tried for nine decades to wipe out the Jewish presence in the land and are still firing rockets at it." Image from

Assertive global role ‘good for Canada’, departing British ambassador says - Globe and Mail: "Say goodbye to Anthony Cary, the diplomat who spoke out loud. The Harper government doesn’t have to tell him to be quiet anymore. Britain’s envoy to Canada has packed his bags and returned to London. For four years his inconvenient task was urging Ottawa, in public, to do more to combat global warming. ... The Oxford-educated career diplomat isn’t the first person you’d pick to annoy his hosts. He’s in some ways a model British ambassador, tall, erudite, well-spoken,


and in no rush to offend, though he defied stereotype in unpompous style, riding his bicycle through slush and wearing tights to deliver a soliloquy at a charity fundraiser. But for Ottawa’s discreet diplomatic world, Mr. Cary’s tenure was an experiment in public diplomacy, in trying to influence policy by influencing public opinion. Because his government-appointed brief was to influence Canadians to action on greenhouse gases, he irked the Harper government." Cary image from article

Turkey to open 2011's envoys conference in Ankara‎ - worldbulletin.net: "Turkey's ambassadors serving abroad and at Foreign Ministry headquarters will gather on Monday for the opening of a week-long brainstorming session to discuss the foreign policy goals of the country. This is the third annual ambassadors' conference being held under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry. ... 'Visionary Diplomacy: Global and Regional Order from Turkey's Perspective' is the theme of this year's conference, which will be chaired by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu,


according to a written statement released over the weekend by the Foreign Ministry. ... 'The ... conference, which is being held following a one-year hiatus, will serve as an opportunity for re-discussing main issues that are considered a priority in our foreign policy agenda and in international politics; for reviewing the progress that has been made on issues discussed at the second conference; and for assessing our public diplomacy activities -- on which we have gradually focused more in the recent period -- with a forward-looking perspective,' the ministry said, while stressing that the ambassadors' conference has become a significant part of the ministry's institutional culture." Image from article

Microdiplomacy in Ho Chi Minh City - Ren's Micro Diplomacy: "The English edition of the Saigon GP Daily newspaper reports that the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a special welcoming ceremony for the first 460 foreigners to arrive at the airport. The event was, 'just one in a series,' of city branding and public diplomacy events to take in place in 2011."

Careers for International Jobs - ileicapam.copious-systems.com: "Diplomats [:] If you want to play at the international level, is a diplomat with the U.S. State Department. Workers in the Foreign Service with the career paths to choose from, including five. In all parts of the world is the U.S. Embassy by staff and management. Protection of citizens in the United States Consulate officials abroad. Officials, economists working on economic development. Based on political events, the political staff. Finally, the work of the staff of public diplomacy to explain the policy and the United States and abroad. In order to qualify for their own business, a Foreign Service Officer, you must be a U.S. citizen, 20 to 59 years old, and ready to move anywhere in the world."

US Embassy Jobs Vacancies at Employment 2011 - bestugandajobs.blogspot.com: "The American Embassy is seeking for an individual for the position of United States Students Achievers Program and Alumni Coordinator (USAP) in the Public Diplomacy Section. ...


A copy of the complete position description listing all duties and responsibilities is available on www.kampala.usembassy.gov" Image from

Supervisory Development Outreach & Communication (S/DOC) Specialist, USAID/Uganda - naombakazi.blogspot.com: "B. MAJOR DUTIES [include] ... Coordinate with USAID technical teams, implementing partners, and the PAO in planning public diplomacy, press conference and field events related to USAID activities."

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

A Triage to Save the Ruins of Babylon - Steven Lee Myers, New York Times: "[F]or the first time since the American invasion in 2003, after years of neglect and violence, archaeologists and preservationists have once again begun working to protect and even restore parts of Babylon and other ancient ruins of Mesopotamia. And there are new sites being excavated for the first time, mostly in secret to avoid attracting the attention of looters, who remain a scourge here. The World Monuments Fund, working with Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, has drafted a conservation plan to combat any further deterioration of Babylon’s mud-brick ruins and reverse some of the effects of time and Mr. Hussein’s propagandistic and archaeologically specious re-creations.


In November, the State Department announced a new $2 million grant to begin work to preserve the site’s most impressive surviving ruins. They include the foundation of the Ishtar Gate, built in the sixth century B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, and adorned with brick reliefs of the Babylonian gods Marduk and Adad." Image from article, with caption: An Iraqi helicopter hovering over the Ishtar Gate in May. Groundwater and excavations have eaten away brick reliefs at its base.

Int'l Sufi University to be established in Matiari - Jan Khaskheli, thenews.com.pk: The News International: "The Sindh government has decided to establish an International Sufi University in Bhit Shah, Matiari, to promote cultural and religious education in the rural areas and to educate the local people, especially youth. The university is being established on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari and it will be situated near Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s shrine. ... Mir Ghulam Mustafa Talpur, Director, Centre for Peace, Democracy, Diplomacy and Developmental Studies, said that there was a need to adopt modern education system regarding Sufism in the International Sufi University. ... He suggested that the Sufi University could fulfil its purpose if it was developed on modern lines of cultural diplomacy, and interfaith conflict resolution. He believed that teaching of Sufism and cultural values could be used to promote tolerance and interfaith harmony in society."

'Germans in love with Nigerian National Troupe'‎ - Sam Anokam, Daily Sun: "For Mr. Ayodele Ayodeji, the business of managing the affairs of Nigeria in Germany is interesting and exciting. He said that although Nigeria is misunderstood, he finds it interesting being one of those who represent the country abroad. The high ambassador, who is a stickler to time spoke of how he has been coordinating the affairs of Nigeria in Germany and other things. ... [Ayodeji:] Nigeria is a vastly misunderstood country. I always tell Germans, each time I have cause to address them, that they must reach out and understand our people. ... We Nigerians should endeavour to do more of cultural diplomacy, which used to be part of this job some 30 years ago, where artistes, like Fela, would engage in world tours. The youths are the future of nations. Such tours would create a better understanding of who we are. Foreigners would see the wealth of our culture, background, people, cuisine and it makes them less resistant to overtures by our businessmen.


And that was why in 2010, when we were going to decide the format of our national day celebrations, we actually started to generate the concept last year. A small committee was set up which decided that rather than the routine programme, we should add up the concept of cultural provision. That is to showcase our legend and our rich heritage to Nigerians. We brought in the national troupe of Nigeria and I tell you, they were wonderful. I received hundreds of calls from Germans seeking to see them perform again." Ayodeji image from article

Vietnam persists with external policy for peace - english.vovnews.vn: "Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem on December 30 chaired a meeting with the media to welcome the New Year.


In his speech, Deputy PM Khiem reviewed Vietnam’s implementation of the Party and State’s external policy in 2010 concerning political diplomacy, economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy. ... 2010 also saw Vietnam’s significant achievements in cultural diplomacy with a lot of events such as the millennial anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, the 120th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, the 65th anniversary of National Day, the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 35th anniversary of national unification." Khiem image from article

Students on NE recce‎ - Calcutta Telegraph: Meghalaya Governor R.S. Mooshahary today exhorted students to live and learn together in this 'world of interdependence'. Mooshahary was speaking at a cultural programme at the Raj Bhavan here in honour of 31 students from nine countries. The students are on a visit to the city as part of a winter camp organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The students hail from Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Iran, Kenya, Bulgaria and Tajikistan.


'You should live and learn together in this world of interdependence. Unless you live and learn together, you will be isolated. In fact, the duty of education is to bring you together,' Mooshahary said. ... ICCR, the cultural arm of the Union external affairs ministry, promotes cultural diplomacy and sponsors intellectual exchanges between India and other countries." Image from article, with caption artists perform at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday.

Albania - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the reception "Together for the image that Albania deserves" - isria.com: "A reception was held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the end of the year holidays and the opening of a cycle of activities 'Together for the image Albania deserves' with representatives from civil society, business community, media, art and culture. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Edmond Haxhinasto, in his speech at the beginning of the reception appreciated the work that has been done by this community of people for a successful economic and cultural diplomacy and their contribution to reach the objectives for a better image of Albania in the world. He shared with the guests the vision for a more efficient cooperation between the Foreign Service and the public and private institution, media and civil society to guarantee a proper image of a Euro-Atlantic Albania. For this purpose Minister Haxhinasto inaugurated an exhibition with the works of the Albanian sculptor Odise Pascal, made available from his family."

RELATED ITEMS

Educational programme brings foreigners to North Korea - Matt Danzico, BBC News: Amid the ongoing tensions between North Korea and the international community, a educational scheme created by two young men from the US is engaging directly with citizens and students inside the country. Organisers of the Pyongyang Project say their programme is breaking down barriers to the secretive state that government bodies cannot. The Pyongyang Project was the brainchild of Matthew Reichel and Nick Young, who were inspired to counteract what they describe as the "one-sided" coverage of North Korea in the international media. "The US and North Korea don't have established relations, and talks are indirect at best. And what we believe is that there is a need for a grassroots level of engagement that we haven't seen yet between citizens," says Mr Reichel, a 23-year-old Brown University graduate. "We feel that education is the best ice-breaker." The pair scheduled meetings with North Korean government officials at consulates in the US and China - and got the go ahead to run a scheme which takes university students and professors from the US, UK, Canada and other nations inside North Korea in a bid to reach out to the nation behind the headlines.

Demise of Iraqi water park illustrates limitations, abuse of U.S. funding program - Ernesto Londoño, Washington Post: In the spring of 2008, Gen. David H. Petraeus decided he had spent enough time gazing from his helicopter at an empty and desolate lake on the banks of the Tigris River. He ordered the lake refilled and turned into a water park for all of Baghdad to enjoy. The military doctrine behind the project holds that cash can be as effective as bullets. Under Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq at the time, that principle gained unprecedented emphasis, and it has become a cornerstone of the war effort in Afghanistan, now under Petraeus's command.


But today the Baghdad park is nearly waterless, more than two years after a U.S. military inauguration ceremony that included a marching band and water-scooter rides. Much of the compound is in ruins, swing sets have become piles of twisted steel, and the personal watercraft's engines have been gutted for spare parts. The troubled history of the venture speaks to the limitations and mishandling of a program that has provided U.S. military commanders with $5 billion for projects in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past six years. The program has given officers enormous flexibility to address urgent needs with few bureaucratic hassles. Image from

How to Stay Friends With China - Zbigniew Brzezinski, New York Times: Just as America’s unilateralism has in recent years needlessly antagonized some of its friends, so China should note that some of its recent stands have worried its neighbors. The worst outcome for Asia’s long-term stability as well as for the American-Chinese relationship would be a drift into escalating reciprocal demonization. What’s more, the temptations to follow such a course are likely to grow as both countries face difficulties at home.

Dangerously silent on human rights - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post: When the administration touts its record it often focuses on the declarations it has engineered by multilateral forums, such as the U.N. Human Rights Council. The ideology behind this is that the United States is better off working through such bodies than acting on its own. The problem is that, in practice, this is not true. Set aside for the moment the fact that the U.N. council is dominated by human rights abusers who devote most of the agenda to condemnations of Israel. Who has heard what the council said about, say, the recent events in Belarus? The obvious answer: far fewer people than would have noticed if the same critique came from Obama or Clinton.

Preparing for the Propaganda Onslaught: The Anti-Empire Report - William Blum, foreignpolicyjournal.com: February 6 will mark the centenary of the birth of Ronald Reagan, president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. The conservatives have wasted no time in starting the show. On New Year’s Day, a 55-foot long, 26-foot high float honoring Reagan was part of the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. To help you cope with, hopefully even counter, the misinformation and the omissions that are going to swamp the media for the next few months, here is some basic information about the great man’s splendid achievements, first in foreign policy. William Blum left the State Department in 1967, abandoning his aspiration of becoming a Foreign Service Officer, because of his opposition to what the United States was doing in Vietnam. He then became one of the founders and editors of the Washington Free Press.

Networks of Empire and Realignments of World Power - James Petras, thepeoplesvoice.org: The weakening influence of imperial propaganda and the declining economic leverage of Washington, means that the US imperial networks built over the past half century are being eroded or at least subject to centrifugal forces.


Former fully integrated networks in Asia are now merely military bases as the economies secure greater autonomy and orient toward China and beyond. In other words the imperial networks are now being transformed into limited operations’ outposts, rather than centers for imperial economic plunder. Image from article

New Rome museum celebrates Catholicism's global mission: Museo Missionario di Propaganda Fide displays some of the paintings, brought back by priests, from around the world - John Hooper, guardian.co.uk: The Museo Missionario di Propaganda Fide is located in a narrow street near the Spanish Steps on the first floor of the stately palazzo which, since 1627, has been the headquarters of Catholicism's global missionary operations. The department, known as the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, was for centuries referred to as Propaganda Fide (propagation of the faith). When it was set up in 1622, pope Gregory XV told the priests who were to travel to distant lands that they were "not to reject anything good, pure or holy in the cultures and religions of the peoples they encountered". The museum is, in part, a tribute to those who followed his instruction. There are paintings brought back by a Spanish prelate, Carlos Cuarterón, who explored the Philippines in the mid-19th century.


There are others of Japanese life in the 1930s, including one, pictured here, showing a naughty schoolgirl tying something into her classmate's pigtails. Image from article

Two-Year Boy Dies In Cherkasy Region After Eating Pills - Ukrainian News Agency: A two-year boy died in the town of Shpola, Cherkasy region, on January 1 after eating pills he took from his mother's bag. Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the propaganda center of the regional office of the Emergency Situations Ministry.


Image from article