February 2-3

"the commodity that they are trying to sell ... is 'communication.'"

--Professor of Communication at Purdue University Mohan J. Dutta, referring to "American academics/marketers/planners developing savvy marketing plans for setting up skills training workshops and public diplomacy programs" overseas; image from

VIDEOS

(a) More War Propaganda: BREAKING! Israel Preparing To Attack Iran This Spring!

(b) The Last Day, "which purports to film the last moments of an Israeli family before Iran drops a nuclear bomb on Israel and obliterates it."

(c) CIA Archives: Anti-US Propaganda Intercepted from China - Listening Post (1960)

PANELS

5 Social Media Week DC 2012 Panels: Conversations, Politics, Technology, Public Diplomacy and eDemocracy - digiphile.wordpress.com; via MA on twitter; image from entry

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The United States, China, and Intellectual Containment - Philip Seib, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The United States must become more adept at diplomacy grounded in strategic intellectual competitiveness, particularly in the relationship with China. The Chinese government’s assertive public diplomacy includes committing the equivalent of US$6 billion to expanding its international broadcasting and spending many additional millions on its more than 300 Confucius Institutes (including nearly 100 in the United States), that are designed to reshape perceptions of China by teaching the Chinese language and showcasing Chinese culture.

In addition, China is trying to buy hearts and minds by bankrolling projects in the developing world, such as the newly opened US$200 million headquarters for the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The U.S. State Department is certainly aware of all this, and its cultural diplomacy projects are admirable. But given China’s intensity in its own efforts, U.S. programs must be upgraded to a level that allows the United States to contain the impact of China’s outreach. ... American intellectual diplomacy[']... cultural efforts have been mostly tactical, rather than strategic, featuring commendable singular projects, such as the Jazz Ambassadors who traveled to the Communist bloc during the 1950s and today’s hip-hop emissaries to the Muslim world. ... As China expands its soft power activity in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere, the mandate for U.S. policymakers seems clear. Lacking, however, is recognition that intellectual containment, just like military pushback, requires comprehensive, thoughtful strategic planning." Image from

Syria and Irresponsible Protection - Daniel Trombly, progressiverealist.org: "The ongoing massacre of protesters and rebels within Syria by the Assad regime has, naturally, produced an increasing drumbeat of calls for intervention – or at least the contemplation of intervention. Three very prominent foreign policy scholars: Steven Cook, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Shadi Hamid, have all penned pieces calling for Western powers to put the option of military intervention onto the table. Although in the past many proponents of Responsibility to Protect, humanitarian intervention, and intervention in Libya (three groups with significant overlap but which were and are by no means identical) insisted that consistency was not necessary for their respective foreign policy visions to be credible or coherent, it seems the utter failure of the Libyan intervention to deter other states from ruthlessly oppressing their own people has caused some reconsideration of this stance.

Slaughter argues: [']If the Arab League, the U.S., the European Union, Turkey, and the UN Secretary General spend a year wringing their hands as the death toll continues to mount, the responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine will be exposed as a convenient fiction for power politics or oil politics, feeding precisely the cynicism and conspiracy theories in the Middle East and elsewhere that the U.S. spends its public diplomacy budget and countless diplomatic hours trying to debunk.['] This was probably something advocates should have considered before launching an intervention that the administration insisted was not simply in the cosmopolitan interest of humanity, but the interests of the United States. If the US is launching interventions to debunk conspiracy theories, why should we be so confident a Syrian intervention would dispel them? ... Foreign military intervention would likely ratchet, as it did in Libya, into regime change, and the splintering of Syria could help bring about an internationalized conflict or broader regional instability anyway." Slaughter image from

R we to have a new “acting” Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy (and Public Affairs)? - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.com: "The rumored replaced [sic] for 'acting' Under Secretary is Amb. Kathleen Stephens, the well-regarded and respected former U.S. Ambassador to Korea.

The rotation option could have the unintended effect of further undermining the position." Image from

Good Journalism Vs. Undermining Unsavory Regimes - Alex Belida, MountainRunner.com: “'[P]olitical oversight' of U.S. International Broadcasting [has] become 'political inference' -- something the Broadcasting Board of Governors is powerless to stop since their jobs as well as the USIB budget are dependent on Congressional approval. It is for this reason that I have advocated removing USIB from government control and giving it a more solid, journalistic organizational structure. ... [O]ne of the dirty little secrets of USIB: senior managers have no real clue, and perhaps little interest, about what is in fact being disseminated on the non-English airwaves and websites they control until and unless someone, somewhere blows the whistle. Instead of focusing on content, managers spend most of their time dealing with process or technology or bureaucracy. ... [W]e need a fresh debate on the purpose of

USIB. If the goal is not good journalism, but, as Ted Lipien suggested recently, undermining dictatorial regimes, then by all means let us shut down services no longer needed and give USIB to the CIA or the military’s PsyOps folks to operate. ... [part of Comment by Ted Lipien:] Good journalism undermines repressive regimes over time more effectively sometimes than the CIA or the military. It is safer and cheaper. It does it though specialized and comprehensive news coverage and commentary, not crude propaganda and CIA operations, as Alex implies." See also. Image from

US must tread lightly on Internet regs - Ted Kaufmann, delawareonline.com: "The House Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) were rightly designed to stop counterfeiting and piracy on the Internet. But any experienced legislator will tell you that a vote for a new bill is always accompanied by worry about unintended consequences. It has always amazed me how we Americans take freedom of speech for granted. I spent thirteen years on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, appointed by Presidents Clinton and Bush, The Board oversees all non-military U.S. government broadcasting abroad, including the Voice of America. I saw time and again how

governments around the world frustrate freedom of speech and freedom of the press. There are still countries that throw dissidents in jail and close media outlets. But more often, governments use more nuanced methods. They enact laws to define who can be a journalist and what constitutes libel, and control what is permitted on the Internet. The existing SOPA and PIPA bills would have made it easy for businesses to limit speech with no prior notice or judicial hearing. They could have shut down websites by filing a notice alleging the site Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican Congressman Darrell Issa have introduced a new bill, the Online Protection and Enforcement Trade Act (commonly called the 'Open Act.'). It appears to balance commercial needs with better protections of freedom of speech, and is supported by the major Internet companies. We need to limit counterfeiting and piracy, and protect intellectual property, while at the same time ensuring that the Internet continues to be a bastion of the free speech rights." Via; image from

Navalny Says VoA interview Fake - en.ria.ru: "Whistleblower lawyer, blogger and opposition leader Alexei Navalny has dismissed an interview with him posted on the Voice of America web site on January 31 as a fake. 'Voice of America has gone completely nuts.

[They] have published a huge fake 'Interview with Navalny',' the blogger said on his Twitter account on Wednesday." Navalny image from article. See, for details, Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting.

VOA marks its 70th anniversary with a new anniversary date - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Image from entry. See also.

What is Walter Isaacson’s next “big writing project”? - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "Last week, Walter Isaacson surprised everyone by resigning as the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Why? Because, according to Isaacson, he did not have the time because he had a 'big writing project' coming up. What is this project? According to In the Loop‘s Emily Heil, Isaacson will 'chronicle the history of the digital age, from the famous Ada Byron Lovelace to the present.'”

Where is IBB/BBG’s alpha wolf Richard Lobo? - BBGWatcher, USG Broadcasts/BBG Watch: "Richard Lobo is the Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB). He was appointed to his current position by President Obama. Lobo’s wife helps to raise money for the Obama reelection campaign. Richard Lobo is being talked about as a possible replacement for the Boadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson who had announced his resignation on January 27. The BBG placed in

Lobo’s hands as the IBB director the job of supervising and running the combined BBG and IBB operations. He can’t remember to honor an important anniversary that’s part of broadcasting history. This brings us to our question: is Lobo really in charge of the agency? Or is it being run, or not run as the case may be, by one of the worst management teams in the federal government? Lobo kept it in place when he took over the IBB/BBG bureaucracy and even rewarded its executives with outstanding performance bonuses. He could become the CEO of the new restructured BBG proposed in the strategic plan developed by these same managers. Perhaps that’s the reason he kept them." Image from, with caption: Richard Lobo with H.E. Khaled Sulaiman Al-Jarallah, Kuwait

US Travel Endorses Visa Waiver Legislation - Travel Agent: "The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) got another boost from the U.S. Travel Association who endorsed new legislation to help expand the program (VWP). The Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act, was introduced in the Senate and House and enhances security measures while extending the VWP framework to additional countries. 'Expanding the Visa Waiver Program benefits our economy and creates U.S. jobs,' said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel. ... U.S. Travel says the VWP is an important tool for U.S. public diplomacy, exposing far more international visitors to the attractions and values of America's heartland. Studies have shown that foreign nationals who visit the U.S. return home with a far more positive view of our nation and its policies."

Israeli University, UMass Lowell Form Partnership - "Agreements between UMass Lowell and educational institutions in the Asia, Europe and the Middle East, including one established today with a top Israeli university, are strengthening

UMass Lowell’s global presence and ability to provide international research, exchange and scholarship opportunities to students and faculty. ... UMass Lowell also recently joined the Compostela Group of Universities, a consortium of more than 70 universities from around the globe headquartered in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. With its acceptance into the group, UMass Lowell became one of just three U.S. universities to gain CGU membership. Membership will allow UMass Lowell faculty to teach students in tandem with faculty from other Compostela Group institutions. CGU member universities are partners in scholarship, research, economic development and public diplomacy." Image from

New York Indian film fest calls for entries - Indiantelevision.com: "The New York Indian Film Festival has invited entries from Indian filmmakers for features and short films for the 12th Festival to be held from 23 to 27 May. The entries for the festival, organised annually by the Indo-American Arts Council, will close on 15 February. NYIFF is an opportunity to experience five days of the rich and diverse film cultures of the Indian subcontinent through a mix of premiere film screenings, discussions, industry panels, script workshops, red carpet galas, special events, nightly networking parties and an award ceremony. ... The films are intended to project India’s image to overseas audiences and will, therefore, be approved by the Public Diplomacy Division."

Iraq participates in Arab Cooperation Forum in India - thecurrencynewshound.com: "It is hoped that Iraq participates in the meetings of Arab Forum – India to be held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in 28/02/2012 and represent Iraq in the meeting Aqeel Mandalawi Director General of Cultural Relations in the Ministry of Culture. ... Will also organize annual

training courses for the cadres of the Arab in the various fields in India and the organization of cultural festivals Arab and Indian alternately and ways of cooperation between the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ISESCO) with her counterpart from the Indian side and increase cooperation in the field of journalism and the media to activate the public diplomacy)." Image from

wow gold Behind the maple - Zhaoling Min, mmogsaleonline.com: "Medvedev is Putin was single-handedly nurtured politicians. The maple is consistently good, that intimate relationship has been maintained for nearly 20 years. maple combination was officially formed in 2008. March of that year, the candidate elected by the United Russia party, Medvedev won the presidential election, had been led by the party to victory in the parliamentary elections, Putin then became prime minister. Even so, almost no one thinks that Medvedev is Russia’s WikiLeaks public diplomacy message, U.S. diplomatic personnel in governing ideas, differences of the two becomes more apparent, Putin is a The former is more traditional emphasis on the authority by the Russian history and culture deeply influenced. The latter seemed more modern, strong liberalism color."

Alyona strikes back - Yelena Osipova, Russia Today: "Alyona [Russia Today commentator] obviously likes ... attention, and - in line with RT's unofficial mandate - enjoys making 'hyperbolic statements' and overextending her grand personality.

I just wish it did some good to Russian public diplomacy." Image from

Ceremony Marks Completion of Chinese Language Course - koreaittimes.com: "A ceremony was held at the Foreign Ministry on January 31 to mark the completion of a Chinese language course. This was offered as an effort to promote friendly exchanges between the Republic of Korea and China and brought students, parents, and teachers together. The ROK Ambassador for Public Diplomacy, Ma Young-sam, and Chinese Ambassador to the ROK, Zhang Xinsen also attended. The Chinese language course was designed as part of the ROK’s public and complex diplomacy aimed at strengthening the capacity for conducting diplomatic activities involving Chinese citizens and promoting the friendship between the youth of the two countries.

Teams of two college students from the ROK and three Chinese students studying in Korea taught each class and a total of 60 middle school students attended the program from November 2011 through January 2012. ... The Foreign Ministry plans to further boost complex and public diplomacy, through which the diplomatic horizon can be broadened. They will also seek out more ways to vitalize direct communication with the public to expand its 'outreach diplomacy.'” Image from article

Belgian TV Broadcast Documentary about Bali and Lombok - blog.baligreatadventure.net: "Television station VRT Brussels (Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroep) broadcast a documentary on Bali and Lombok to popularized Indonesia as a tourist destination for European tourists. 'Impressions of documentary film in connection

with the implementation of Indonesia’s largest travel exhibition in Europe 3, Brussels Holiday Fair (BHF), which will take place from 2 to 6 February 2012,' said the Third Secretary of Information, Social, Cultural and Public Diplomacy, Diyah R Agustini to between London, Thursday (01/26/2012). In the exhibition’s tour, Indonesia will be the host country with Brussels, is the realization of a strategy to popularize Indonesia Indonesia as a tourist destination for tourists in particular Belgium and Europe in general." Image from article

Give More’ Exhibition/Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects - Alison Furuto, archdaily.com: "From February 3 – March 15, renowned Architecture Forum Aedes Gallery in Berlin will be hosting an exhibition with the title Give more featuring projects by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. Give more features nine selected architecture projects paraphrasing nine visions on how architecture can give more by adding value and positive change for people, places, and communities. More architects’ description on the exhibition after the break. ... The opening on February 3 will take place at 7:30pm including speakers ... Per Erik Veng, Head of Communication, Culture and Public Diplomacy, The Royal Danish Embassy, Berlin."

PNG Society of Writers offers free membership - Keith Jackson, asopa.typepad.com: "After several months of planning, the newly incorporated

Papua New Guinea Society of Writers, Editors and Publishers Ltd is now ready to welcome its members. ... Steering Committee [includes]: ... Ruth Moiam, Public Diplomacy Coordinator, Australian High Commission (Member)[.]" Image from

Aspirant Tasks PDP Members Over Democratic Values - leadership.ng: "A National Secretary aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Oladimeji Fabiyi, has urged the party to uphold the values of democracy in the interest of the nation.

Fabiyi stated this in Abuja on Tuesday when he declared his interest to vie for the office. He said the party members should strive to reposition, reinvent and restructure the party with a view to meeting the growing needs of Nigerians. 'Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other on our common aims based on a common reality; it involves compromise, the art of what is possible, therefore, we must stop running on the politics of yesterday,' he said. He said that he decided to contest to take the lead in public diplomacy and ensure that Nigerian values were not compromised." Image from article

RELATED ITEMS

Cultivating Arab Spring Entrepreneurs: The U.S. culture of private innovation is a vital, easy export to sell - Jose W. Fernandez, Wall Street Journal: In Algiers in December 2010, the U.S. State Department had launched the North African Partnership for Economic Opportunity (Napeo), bringing together over 300 entrepreneurs from Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya. America's culture of entrepreneurship is not only one of our country's greatest assets, it's one of our easiest exports to sell. But successful entrepreneurship requires a policy environment in which it's possible to start a business and secure funding

even when banks shy away. In the right entrepreneurial ecosystem, it is acceptable to take risks and fail, and training and mentorship are available to those with the will but not the skills. Our North African partnership supports the development of such an entrepreneurial culture by connecting entrepreneurs, investors, universities and foundations in the U.S. and the Maghreb. It also fosters ministerial policy dialogue -- about best practices, increased economic integration and the like --between U.S. and North African officials. Mr. Fernandez is assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs. Image from

The importance of U.S. military might shouldn’t be underestimated - Robert Kagan, Washington Post: These days “soft” power and “smart” power are in vogue (who wants to make the case for “dumb” power?) while American “hard” power

is on the chopping block. There is a danger of forgetting just how important U.S. military power has been in building and sustaining the present liberal international order. Soft power has its limits. No U.S. president has enjoyed more international popularity than Woodrow Wilson did when he traveled to Paris to negotiate the treaty ending World War I. He was a hero to the world, but he found his ability to shape the peace, and to establish the new League of Nations, severely limited, in no small part by his countrymen’s refusal to commit U.S. military power to the defense of the peace. Image from

To the Afghan Exits: Panetta makes the mistake of telling the truth [subscription] - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Leon Panetta committed the gaffe of telling the truth on Wednesday when he revealed how eager the Obama Administration is to tell Americans it is heading for the exits in Afghanistan. As a candidate in 2008, Mr. Obama called Afghanistan the war worth fighting. He later announced the surge, but with fewer troops than the generals said they needed and with a date certain for withdrawal. Now he has twice moved up the date for reduced U.S. combat operations.

Perhaps he calculates that the death of Osama bin Laden makes him politically invulnerable against a possible deterioration in Afghanistan, and that a Taliban advance won't happen before the election in any case. He may be right. But he's also taking an enormous risk that Afghan forces are ready to hold the gains of the surge, and that the U.S. sacrifices won't be in vain. Image from, with caption: Leon Panetta (as CIA Director) greets an American Muslim leader during an iftar event (the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan) in Dearborn on Friday, Sept 16, 2009.

In winding down war, a fundamentally different challenge in Afghanistan than in Iraq - Greg Jaffe and Kevin Sieff, Washington Post: The narrative that the Obama administration has laid out for winding down the war in Afghanistan has a familiar feel: It is intended to evoke the gradual withdrawal from Iraq. But the administration faces a fundamentally different challenge in Afghanistan and a host of problems that it did not have in the latter days of the Iraq war.

U.S. officials concerned by Israel statements on Iran threat, possible strike - washingtonpost.com. See also.

Israeli Delusion in Anti-Iran Propaganda - Richard Silverstein, mideastposts.com: The Israeli power of delusion is evident in this short film called, The Last Day, which purports to film the last moments of an Israeli family before Iran drops a nuclear bomb on Israel and obliterates it. The film, created by Ronen Barany, is shot in faux-documentary style with lots of shots of Israelis in extremis including suitably shaky, off kilter camera angles proclaiming it a product of ersatz cinema verite. While the computer enhanced graphics showing massive explosions in the Israeli hillside may shock Israelis used to viewing a relatively tranquil landscape, the boom-boom screams out “computer enhancement.” If this were still photography critics would call it a photoshopped reality. We’ll have to come up with another name for an altered reality via video. It should go without saying (but I’ll say it nevertheless), that the film is even more interesting for what it leaves out than what it includes. It presumes a backstory which the viewer fills in (hence the power of effective propaganda) of a hegemonic power-mad Iran hell-bent on getting nukes and using them on its bitterest foe, Israel. The poor Israeli shlumps in this movie are of course the collateral damage of Iranian megalomania. They’re innocent victims. No reference to any role Israel itself may’ve played in this conflict. Israel is doing nothing but defending itself from pure evil. This film is a perfect example of how an entire people can be anesthetized and transported into an altered state of reality that shows them to be innocent lambs led to the slaughter; when in fact they are just as much agents of their own destiny as their enemies are. The fact that this film is pimped by a RP rep for 5W PR, Ronn Torossian’s

agency (who also pimps the Clarion Fund anti-Muslim films along with porn stars and has been charged with extorting millions of dollars from the followers of an Israeli Sephardic wonder rabbi) tells you reams about the film’s subtext. Torossian image from

Promoting War, Spurning Peace: America and Israel deplore peace and won't tolerate - Stephen Lendman, OpEdNews: US and Israeli agendas need enemies. Both pursue rogue state policies. They defy international laws and conventions, applying rule of law standards to others, not themselves. Their interests alone matter, no matter the toll on others. When enemies don't exist, they're invented. Fear stirs public angst. Major media scoundrels spread it. Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure. America's had no enemies since WW II. Israel's had none since the 1973 Yom Kippur war. However, you'd never know it from regular spurious claims.

Syria: It’s not just about freedom - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post: Make clear American solidarity with the Arab League against a hegemonic Iran and its tottering Syrian client.

Iran Critiques Hollywood - Danny Schechter, consortiumnews.com: "Iran seems to many observers to be next in line for the Iraqi freedom treatment, the latest in a long line of 'enemy' nations menaced by overt and covert military threats by the United States and its allies. As the psyops operations and media propaganda intensifies, you might think war is imminent and that Iran is doing what countries under threat do in these circumstances, such as mobilizing their people and preparing for a bombing onslaught. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Think again. While I have been told that military targets have been or are being moved around, the atmosphere in Tehran is relaxed with more talk of a cultural battlefield than a military one. There’s a commemoration under way of the 33rd anniversary of the Iranian revolution and an international conference on

'Hollywoodism and Cinema' as an extension of an annual Fajr film festival. And that’s what I am doing here, as a guest participant in an event that sees Hollywood as a bigger enemy than the Pentagon. It has become for them an “ism” and is the subject of discussions over its global role in shaping positive attitudes towards what passes for American 'civilization,' its relationship to the awakenings and uprisings throughout the world – Iran’s Press TV probably devotes more coverage to Occupy Wall Street than any TV channel – and Hollywood’s alleged support for Zionism and Israel, a country that’s only cited here as 'the Zionist Regime.'” Image from

News.Iran's outdoor murals a tool to teach history, spread propaganda - Associated Press, registercitizen.com: Since Iran’s Islamic Revolution 33 years ago, the walls and buildings of major cities have been an open-air gallery to vilify the state’s enemies and venerate the defenders of the theocracy. Government-sponsored murals became a centerpiece of the Islamic establishment’s image-building machine: Depicting foes such as the U.S. with images including a skeleton for the Statue of Liberty, and celebrating the battlefield dead from the 1980s war with Iraq as heroic martyrs guaranteed a place in heaven. The images — particularly in the capital Tehran — were a visual history of Iran’s revolution well before state TV and the Internet took over as more far-reaching tools for the Islamic establishment. Some new murals are still commissioned, but it’s become a fading expression of Iran’s world view.

Pakistan, Iran to counter propaganda jointly, says Firdous - Saadia Khalid, thenews.com.pk: Pakistan and Iran

are all set to develop a joint strategy to change the current negative perception about the two countries into positive one in which special documentaries and docudramas will be telecast. “Why the heroes of other countries are the heroes of ours? Why can’t our own heroes be the ideal for our younger generations? Pakistan and Iran, both would strive to highlight the heroes who have made history,” said Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan. Image from

Why We Shouldn’t Attack Syria (Yet) - Robert A. Pape, New York Times: Syria is not another Libya. A mass-homicide campaign is under way there, but a means to stop it without unacceptable loss of life is not yet available.

Korea’s nation image lags behind achievements: survey - koreaherald.com: Korea ranked 15th in substance and 19th in image last year in a survey designed to measure the country’s current national brand value, the Presidential Council on Nation Branding said on Thursday. The survey, co-conducted by the Presidential Council on Nation Branding and Samsung Economic Research Institute, showed that the country’s national brand in image still lags behind substance. But the gap between the two has narrowed from eight notches in 2009, six in 2010 to four in 2011, the council said. Meanwhile, the U.S. ranked top in terms of substance for third consecutive year in the survey and Japan took the first place in image. “Korea needs to promote both traditional and modern cultural assets as a part of efforts to improve its image to the average level of OECD member countries,” Kim Dae-hee, director of Bureau of Planning and Coordination at the PCNB.

University Students Sentenced to 13 Years in Jail - bianet.org: University students in Malatya (south-eastern Turkey) were sentenced to up to 13 years in jail because they were found guilty of "membership in an illegal organization" and "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization." The charges stemmed from their attending demonstrations on 1 May and 8 March, the International Women's Day, purchasing tickets for a concert of the Turkish band Grup Yorum and attending a press release related to the opening of mass graves.

Radio in the Nazi Period - Father Lawrence Frizzell - News and Events, Seton Hall University: Radio was used by the military during World War I and entered the life of civilians in the next decade. The Vatican created the first international radio station in 1931 and the Nazis exploited the medium soon after

Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. How cleverly Goebbels manipulated the way radio could enter every home! During the Second World War the airwaves were the source of people’s information about crucial events, often with the Axis powers and the Allies offering contradictory assessments of their impact. Various dimensions of this history will be presented by Mr. Richard Lucas and Ms. Laura N. Smith. Image from, with caption: Hitler listening to radio

State of Deception - Ellen Shapiro, Imprint: "During a recent visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, I was reeducated in the power of branding—especially as applied to poster design—at the special exhibition, State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda, which demonstrates how the Nazi party used carefully crafted messages, advertising and design techniques, and then-new technologies (radio, television, film) to sway millions with its vision for a new Germany."

Image from aticle, with caption: Hitler über Deutschland (Hitler over Germany)—1932. Cover image from Nazi Party political pamphlet that detailed Hitler’s election campaign for president.

Mark Zuckerberg Takes Credit for Populist Revolutions Now That Facebook’s Gone Public - Adrian Chen, gawker.com: Has Facebook's $5 billion IPO gone to Mark Zuckerberg's head? In new propaganda, the Facebook CEO claims Facebook will spur a populist transformation in governments around the world—an idea he called "arrogant" less than a year ago. As part of Facebook's IPO Cas$htravaganza, Zuckerberg wrote a lofty a letter to investors about how Facebook is not all about the millions and millions of dollars they're making. The part that caught our eye was where he says Facebook hopes to "change how people relate to their governments and social institutions."

In language that could have come from an Occupy Wall Street Press release, Zuckerberg writes: "By giving people the power to share, we are starting to see people make their voices heard on a different scale from what has historically been possible. These voices will increase in number and volume. They cannot be ignored. Over time, we expect governments will become more responsive to issues and concerns raised directly by all their people rather than through intermediaries controlled by a select few." Through this process, we believe that leaders will emerge across all countries who are pro-internet and fight for the rights of their people, including the right to share what they want and the right to access all information that people want to share with them. Zuckerberg's prediction of Facebook-powered populist utopias contrasts markedly with how he distanced Facebook from last year's Arab Spring, when much was made of the social network's role in organizing actual populist uprisings. Zuckenberg image from article

2012 is the new 1984 - Jantzen Ridenour, independentcollegian.com: Most of us can't help but recognize this stunning example of propaganda used in George Orwell's novel, "1984." It brings to mind an image of vast dystopian society completely unlike our own. In "1984," there is a class structure in place where Big Brother and the Inner Party — the ruling elite — make up little over one 1 percent, with the remaining population making up about 99 percent It's all too familiar. From the time of birth, all of us have been indoctrinated with ideas about our world, our country, our government and even

forced to believe false stories about our own lives. It's all been propaganda, although you never really notice it. Even when you do, it's simply referred to as "public relations." With a little bit of research, you can find that Edward Bernays dubbed this trade pPublic relations due to the negative connotation the word "propaganda" received during World War I. Bernays worked extensively with private corporations and the US government for over half a decade. His basic concepts are still seen in every advertisement, every political speech, and every major news outlet, of which all are currently owned by six large corporations versus over 50 just half a century ago. Bernays, says this of propaganda, "If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it." Image from

AMERICANA

Some top military brass making more in pension than pay - Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today: A change in federal law to keep experienced officers in uniform allows top generals and admirals to make more in retirement than they did on active duty, Pentagon and congressional records show. The new pension rules were part of the 2007 Defense Authorization Act to address concerns that the military would lose

too many experienced generals and admirals during wartime. Previously, the maximum annual pension was based on an officer's pay at 26 years of service. Now, a four-star officer retiring in 2011 with 38 years' experience would get a yearly pension of about $219,600, a jump of $84,000, or 63% beyond what was once allowed. A three-star officer with 35 years' experience would get about $169,200 a year, up about $39,000, or 30%. Image from

Ron Paul gets a boost from brothel bunnies in Nevada caucuses - David Horsey, latimes.com: The Moonlite Bunny Ranch is providing a hotbed of support for Ron Paul in the Nevada caucuses, thus proving there’s a thin line between libertarian and libertine. The working girls at the notorious brothel near Carson City are, in their words, “pimpin’ for Paul.”

One of the women, 25-year-old Cami Parker, told Times reporter Maria La Ganga that she likes Paul’s positions on individual liberties and states’ rights and drops 10% of her weekly earnings into a Paul campaign donation box in the brothel’s parlor. In a state that thrives on gambling and allows zones of legal prostitution, Paul’s libertarian philosophy has wide appeal, although it’s a bit of a stretch to imagine the grandfatherly and mildly eccentric Texas congressman as a stud muffin for a group of sex trade entrepreneurs. Image from

RUSSICA

"He raised the country from its knees;" "he drowned terrorists in the toilet as promised;" "he knows two foreign languages;" "he is fit and charismatic;" "he is a real man;" "he taught the West to respect Russia again as a superpower;" and "horses are not changed midstream."

--Reasons workers at the Yaroslavl Engine Plant said they would support Vladimir Putin for President

in the March presidential election. Many plant employees credit him with saving the factory. Putin image from, with caption: The young parents posing with their daughter Katya, 1985

IMAGE

Soviet pistol door handle - Gary Doctorow, Boing Boing: The "Bang Bang Handle" is a door-handle made from a 9 mm Makarov semi-automatic pistol ("the personal weapon of the Soviet and post-Soviet armed forces and law enforcement"). It was designed by Nikita Kovalev.

RELATIVE AMERICAN DECLINE

"The Chinese ... drank hardly any beer, until as recently as 1980, consuming 0.2 billion litres a year, as against 24 billion litres in the United States. Since

2003, however, China has overtaken America as the largest market for beer, and now drinks a fifth of all the beer in the world."

--Bee Wilson, "Drink beer, it makes you drunk," The Times Literary Supplement (January 27, 2012), p. 5; image from