April 8-9

"Public diplomacy has become a hot topic."

--People's Daily Online (China); image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Friendly Fire Paralyzes U.S. Internet Strategy - Helle Dale, Heritage Foundation: "Washington Post columnist Anne Appelbaum ... perceptively summed up the paradox at the center of the U.S government’s tangled Internet policy: 'One part of the U.S. government has anti-censorship technology but no money to expand its use. Another part of the U.S. government has money for anti-censorship technology but hasn’t spent it. The American political system is too dysfunctional, in other words, to create ‘a single Internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge and ideas.’' Applebaum is spot on in her analysis of the current debacle, but there is a remedy. As many as 15 major organizations — The Heritage Foundation among them — have studied the communications failures of the U.S. government and recommended creating an agency

or center for strategic communication. As recommended by Heritage in 2008, such an agency or center would be the heart of U.S. outreach to the world, including public diplomacy policy, Internet freedom, and broadcasting strategy. In its absence, the State Department will continue the folly of trying to hoarding scarce funding, and U.S. broadcasting will continue to waste resources on a top-heavy, duplicative structure that ends up shortchanging listeners abroad. So, to Clinton: Yes, we can win this information war, but we need a general in charge to prevent friendly fire incidents, like the one currently unfolding." Image from

Another US Deficit: China and America[n] Public Diplomacy in the Age of the Internet - Public Diplomacy and International Communications: Thoughts and comments about public diplomacy, soft power and international communications. "I have just started to read this report to the US Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations (16 February 2011), available via my website: http://ics.leeds.ac.uk/papers/vp01.cfm?outfit=gdr&requesttimeout=500&folder=99&paper=1571 What strikes me in the first few pages that I have read is how reactive this document is. The report is suggesting that because Chinese public diplomacy is well-resourced and appears quite successful in particular parts of the world, American public diplomacy is somehow 'falling behind' and needs to catch-up: China does A, 'we' need to do A x 2. In short, the report expresses a horse-race

attitude to the practices it describes. This is a peculiar attitude towards public diplomacy and soft power which should be designed around foreign policy objectives, not who is perceived to be more popular or whose public diplomacy is attracting more government resources. In the sections I have read so far, the report has concentrated only on shortfalls in America's public diplomacy capacity (hence the title's reference to a 'deficit'), and this is a serious mistake; bean-counting will only get you so far before the absence of a clear strategy built around clear objectives inhibits further pd progress. Perhaps this is the real deficit(?) Does the US really want to start playing a tit-for-tat game with China and thus risk losing credibility? More in future posts when I have read more of the report ... " Image from

Remarks to the Press on the Release of the 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Michael H. Posner Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. State Department: ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: "... I want to just start by saying a few words of acknowledgement. As Secretary Clinton said, this [Country Reports on Human Rights Practices] is a mammoth undertaking. The report covers 194 countries in the world. It’s over 2 million words long, in excess of 7,000 pages. It’s the reflection of tens of thousands of hours of work by hundreds of people, both here in the Department and by human – by Foreign Service officers throughout the world. ... What we’re seeing in many places in the world – Pakistan, she mentioned, in China, in Tibet, and Xinjiang with the Uyghurs, in places around Africa, where the LGBT communities [LGBT (or GLBT) is an initialism used since the 1990s as a self-designation by what was formerly known as the 'gay community']

are under threat, in places in Europe or the Middle East, where anti-Semitism still flourishes – we’re seeing that these issues of discrimination that divide often lead to conflict. And what we need to do and what we are doing is addressing these issues again by our diplomacy, our public diplomacy and privately, and also trying to focus particularly on education and on the media, which plays such an important part either in fueling these conflicts or trying to address them in constructive ways." Image from

LOLGov: The State Department Launches a Tumblr‎ - Neal Ungerleider, Fast Company -  "The United States Department of State has just soft-launched its own Tumblr. Both a State Department spokesperson and Tumblr's Mark Coatney confirmed the site's legitimacy to Fast Company. ... [T]he decision to launch a State Department Tumblr was largely due to the efforts of Jed Sundwall of Measured Voice, a consultant who specializes in the use of social media by government organizations. Coatney notes that there are real-life advantages to the use of Tumblr by the State Department: [']I think that Tumblr works particularly well for government because it provides a peer-to-peer model of communication and distribution--it's a great venue, for example, to let the State Department to talk about its message and quickly respond to people all over the world. It is also important to remember that almost 55% of people who view Tumblr are outside of the United States.['] ... [W]e have a few lighthearted ideas on how the State Department can best adapt their public diplomacy to the wild-and-hairy world of Tumblr. 1. Qadaffi Macros ... 2. Funky Foreign Foods ... 3. Ironic Computer Games ... 5. Fuck Yeah Hillary Clinton: The 'Fuck Yeah...' meme, where celebratory blogs embrace everyone's favorite profanity (see Fuck Yeah Baby Animals, Fuck Yeah It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), also spawned... yup, Fuck Yeah Hillary Clinton.

However, the site has not been updated in a year--meaning it is a perfect target for a State Department takeover. We know what you're wondering: Is a profanity-laced site an appropriate way to celebrate the wildly popular Secretary of State? Um, fuck yeah."  Vulgar image from article

8 April, 2011, Fri, SoS Clinton and Staff Schedule - Rush Limbaugh Report: US FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS JUDITH MCHALE: 1:15 p.m. Under Secretary McHale attends a briefing by the Office of Opinion Research. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

Proposed Framework for Department of State Consular Complaint Procedure - Kenneth White, ILW.com - "American image overseas ... - Consular officers are the face of America, interacting with tens of thousands of individuals every day. For many applicants, it is their first contact with any American citizens. It is critical that the image projected is a positive one . ... This image is the focus of an entire office within the Department, the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, which oversees the Bureau of Public Affairs, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and Bureau of International Information Programs."

US ambassador to Malta 'rebuked' in State Department report  - Times of Malta: "An internal investigator of the US State Department has rebuked the U.S. ambassador to Malta for spending too much time writing on subjects such as abortion and his Catholic beliefs to the detriment of American diplomacy. The report, released by the State Department's inspector general, says Douglas Kmiec's 'outside activities have detracted from his attention to core mission goals,' and his articles distract embassy officials forced to review his writing. Kmiec is well known as a pro-life Catholic backer of President Barack Obama. With regard to the ambassador, the report says: ... 'His official schedule

has been uncharacteristically light for an ambassador at a post of this size, and on average he spends several hours of each work day in the residence, much of which appears to be devoted to his non official writings. At the same time, he has not focused sufficiently on key management issues within the embassy, including the NEC. The Ambassador pursues an active public diplomacy program and while he is popular with the Maltese Government and public, he meets infrequently with senior government officials, business executives, and diplomatic colleagues outside social events." Kmiec image from article

Highlighting the U.S.-Mexico Partnership - ethiopianreview.com: "U.S. Department of State | April 9th, 2011 at 2:06 am |. When my friend Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow invited me to speak at the Institute of the Americas Hemispheric Forum on Freedom of Expression in San Diego, I decided to visit Tijuana as well. ... I ... had the chance to visit a grade school in Tijuana to see how a group of Mexican high school students who participated in the Jóvenes en Acción exchange program were using what they learned in the United States to benefit their neighbors. These students were passionate about giving back to their community and again proved the benefits of exchange programs in public diplomacy. My visit to Tijuana vividly showed what a wide-ranging and productive relationship we have with Mexico."

2010 Report on International Religious Freedom – Georgia Review: "US Department of State Annual report: International Religious Freedom ... The U.S. government discusses religious freedom with the government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The U.S. embassy engaged with religious communities from all faiths. Embassy officials, including the ambassador, frequently met with representatives of parliament, various religious groups

and leaders, and NGOs concerned with religious freedom. The embassy promoted religious freedom and tolerance through the use of public diplomacy, including speeches and press interviews by senior U.S. government officials and embassy representatives." Image from

Ending VOA China presence politically smart - S. Enders Winbush, Letters to the Editor, Washington Times: "Ted Lipien's April 1 piece on the Broadcasting Board of Governors' (BBG) efforts to realign U.S. international broadcasting in China neglects the available facts ("Don't silence Voice of America radio to China," Commentary). Independent research demonstrates a dramatic drop-off in shortwave listening in China, not just to American broadcasters but to all international broadcasters, including the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Radio France International. To date, no one, including Mr. Lipien, has produced research that contradicts these findings. The Chinese government has jammed shortwave radio broadcasts for many years, and shortwave listening is in dramatic decline while TV, Internet and mobile use are all increasing. Meanwhile, the Internet is censored but not completely blocked. VOA Mandarin-language streams had 432,000 views in January 2011. Its English websites and media content are not blocked by the Chinese government. The correct approach to China is not an either-or strategy,

but one that concentrates VOA's resources to reach a larger audience on the Internet and mobile devices while hedging our bets with strengthened shortwave broadcasts by America's other broadcaster to China, Radio Free Asia (RFA). ... S. Enders Winbush Chairman Strategy and Budget Committee Broadcasting Board of Governors." Via TL. Image from

On the air from the air: Radio Sawa beamed to Libya on FM via Commando Solo - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Turkmen authorities confine RFE/RL contributor to a psychiatric hospital - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting.

Federal Shutdown and U.S. Embassies: Not Without Costs - John Campbell, Council on Foreign Relations: "[D]iplomats are regarded as 'essential' employees and continue to work during a shut-down. However, the majority of U.S. federal employees at embassies overseas are locally engaged staff, usually nationals of the host country. They include almost all of the administrative staff and most of the consular, economic, political and public diplomacy specialists who directly support the work of the professional diplomats and keep routine but essential operations running. During a federal shutdown, these employees are sent home."

This is what public diplomacy looks like - Emily T. Metzgar, Newswire – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Fortunately, few countries ever see their carefully cultivated international friendships called upon to provide donations, disaster relief, prayers and support in the face of a massive tragedy.

But Japan, in this difficult hour, is reaping the benefits of years of dedication to internationalization in the form of JET [Japan Exchange and Teaching Program]. If the goal of a country’s public diplomacy efforts is to build connections with citizens of other countries in hopes of promoting and maintaining relationships for the long term, then JET can surely be counted as a success. ... Emily Metzgar is a professor of journalism at Indiana University. She is an alumna of the JET Program and is conducting research about the public diplomacy components of JET. Emily is a CPD Summer Institute alumnus and can be reached at emetzgar@indiana.edu." See also. Image from

Beamsville man faked military title, police allege - Teri Pecoskie, Hamilton Spectator (Canada): "To his neighbours, Aaron Lacey is a bit of a loner, a quiet guy who likes to keep to himself. But to Niagara police, the self-taught artist from Beamsville is allegedly deceitful and aggressive in his pursuit of information from a senior Canadian Forces official. ... While the most recent set of criminal charges centre on the alleged harassment of a military official, individuals and organizations from as far away as Washington claim the abstract artist has also aggressively dogged them to purchase or accept donations of his work.

Lacey’s website features letters expressing the gratitude of some recipients, including the U.S. Under Secretary of State and the FDNY Foundation, but representatives from those organizations told a different story. A spokesperson from the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs said Lacey first made contact more than a year ago in an effort to donate a piece of artwork to the U.S. Under Secretary of State.  He said Lacey presented the office with a copy of a letter from an art bank appraising the piece – a New York Yankees abstraction – at $125,000. He then became very persistent in his requests for a letter acknowledging the donation, telling the office he needed it for tax purposes. 'We had the painting examined and they determined it wasn’t worth that much,' said Jeremy Cost, adding the Under Secretary eventually bought the painting for $300."

Strong public diplomacy vital for China - People's Daily Online - "China needs to look for better ways to convey its stance on various issues to the global community, said Zhao Qizheng, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Speaking at a meeting on Thursday, he said senior officials in China are now more aware of the need to communicate effectively with the rest of world. Stressing on the importance of enhancing 'national rhetorical competence' - the ability Zhao said is highly important to express the country's unique features effectively, and it is the key to successful public diplomacy, he added. 'China cannot always be the gentleman who works more but talks less in the present world flooded with information.' ... Next week, China will host the annual Boao Forum for Asia in Sanya, Hainan province. Many experts consider the meeting as a successful international platform for public diplomacy. China ... needs to think how it can express its stance more clearly and also rethink the use of words to describe its uniqueness, Zhao said. 'For example, we often say China is practicing socialism of its own style, without any explanations. But people are still confused because the word, 'socialism', is hundred years old and comes from Europe. It has a different meaning from what we are doing now,' he said. ... China launched a national image film in the US during President Hu Jintao's visit there earlier this year. Such steps clearly show that China is now acting positively on publicity, and 'as far as I know the Americans were really interested in the film'[,] Fu said. But 'still, the information that the film was trying to deliver is not all that clear', Fu said. ... China can learn from the United States on handling such issues, said Fu. ... 'But it does have a successful public diplomacy, and that's why we can see very little information on its human rights dilemma in the world media.'" Vice-Foreign Minister Fu Ying said the job of talking and expressing oneself through public diplomacy has an integral role in China's future development."
See also (1) (2).

Image from article: Zhao Qizheng (left), head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), talks with Vice-Foreign Minister Fu Ying at a meeting on public diplomacy in Beijing.

Pyongyang propaganda with a light touch in Indonesia -  Sydney Morning Herald: "JAKARTA: After the craziness of Jakarta's early evening traffic, the ambience is oddly calming, an ersatz oasis from the barely contained chaos outside. Synthetic ivy and orange blossoms climb walls adorned with paintings of Korean landscapes, silk flowers fill the vases and the karaoke machine pumps out hits as the dinner crowd fills Pyongyang, an incongruous outpost of North Korean culture and cuisine in the steaming, teeming streets of the Indonesian capital. One of more than a dozen eateries around Asia owned and operated by Kim Jong-il's

reclusive communist regime, the restaurant is a much-needed source of foreign currency and a unique exercise in public diplomacy for a rogue state pilloried across the world. The restaurants may also be a front to launder money generated by the North Korean government's illicit activities - weapons sales, counterfeiting and drug trafficking.  Whatever their true purpose, they appear hugely successful. Jakarta's franchise is a couple of years old and does a bustling trade; a new one opened in Dubai last year and another is reportedly planned for Amsterdam, the first foray into the heart of the decadent West. ...  As a propaganda outlet, the restaurant has a light touch by North Korean standards. There are no giant portraits of the Dear Leader or toiling workers rendered in the socialist realist style. There was a hint of totalitarian indoctrination, however, at the end of the performance by the waitresses, a showstopping rendition of Celine Dion's epic, 'My Heart Will Go On', the Oscar-winning theme from Titanic. The soothing nature scenes on the TVs suddenly switched to a pulsating montage of Pyongyang's socialist monuments, expansive squares and rows of sparkling apartments, as if to deflect any suggestion North Korea may share the same fate as the doomed 'unsinkable' vessel." Image from article, with caption, The main attraction ... waitresses performing.

Spain - The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Culture present the First National Foreign Cultural Action Plan - isria.com: "The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Trinidad Jiménez, and the Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde, are presenting the National External Cultural Action Plan today in the Cervantes Institute. It is the first strategic project to be promoted internationally and jointly by the public administration and the cultural and creative industries in Spain. The private sector will also play a role via an advisory board, which will comprise representatives from the different cultural sectors. The ministers will be accompanied by the Director of the Cervantes Institute, Carmen Caffarel, and the President of Acción Cultural Española,

Charo Otegui, the other two institutions participating in the project. ... Special mention must be made of culture and development policy, which will continue to focus on countries that receive official aid. The Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs and Cooperation will draw up strategic regional plans, which will include the political, sectorial and development cooperation priorities. The Plan originates from the agreement signed on 19 November 2009 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Ministry of Culture to implement a coordinated public diplomacy strategy to promote Spanish culture abroad. Since then, institutional coordination has increased and the resources for promoting culture have been streamlined." Image from

Brig. Gen. Yoav "Poli‏"‏ Mordechai appointed new IDF Spokesperson - "The outgoing IDF Spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Benayahu, thanked the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gantz, and his predecessor, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi. In addition he thanked the General Staff for the personal and professional backing he received and for the mutual work they have accomplished together over the years stating: 'I was called to this role by the then Chief of the General Staff, in the days after the Second Lebanon War. Today, four years later, with the cooperation I had the fortune of receiving, we have succeeded in advancing significant steps in the field of spokesmanship, expanding into new domains and becoming an IDF Spokesperson's network that is an integral part of Israeli public diplomacy. I complete my role after a time in which we have restored respect and public trust in the IDF.' Brig. Gen. Benayahu wished his successor the best of luck handling the challenges that lay ahead. ... Brig. Gen. Benayahu will, in the upcoming months, lead projects in the fields of media and public diplomacy in the IDF."

Goldstone’s Mea Culpa and Israel’s Wars - P. David Hornick, jewishledger.com: "Israel is... [engaged in] a public diplomacy campaign aimed at preparing the world for the widespread devastation that will likely occur in Lebanon if there should be a new Israeli war with Hezbollah, due to Hezbollah’s decision to station its assets inside populated villages."

A Strategy for Settlements, Part II: Settlement Interests - Victor Shikhman, solomonia.com: [Shikhman aesponse to reader comment]: "Israel is operating in a very complicated international environment. You've been insulated from the reality of the situation by a very vigorous public diplomacy conducted by Israel's allies around the world. But there is a limit to what we can do. Yes, you can tell everyone in the world to go to hell and do what you want, but this will have real consequences on Israel's future, negative consequences."

Strategic Intelligence and National Security: The Role of Think Tanks - Shivananda H, IDSA:  "Apart from providing expertise, Chinese think tanks are also vital instruments of public diplomacy communicating the government’s perspective to international audiences."

New Zealand showcases award winning film‎ - Fiji Times: "The New Zealand High Commission as part of its public diplomacy program showcased one of the most successful New Zealand films of all times to local audiences. The screening was held at Village Six Cinemas in Suva on Wednesday this week, and was attended by invited guests. Prior to the screening, guests were treated to a cocktail in the cinemas waiting area after which the screening proceeded. The movie is also being shown at the University of the South Pacific and the Fiji National University. Directed and written by Taika Waititi, 'Boy' was shot and produced in New Zealand and was released to critical and commercial acclaim in New Zealand in 2010."

New directions in cultural diplomacy and relations - Uli Bajo's thoughts: Steve Green's Cultural Chronicle: "The world of cultural diplomacy. or cultural relations. is changing. Once upon a time a country simply showcased its arts and languages around the world. It was very much a one-way activity. But times are changing fast. It is no longer the preserve of a few major western countries: the BRICs

are engaged. And the manner and intent has changed. A move to muti-national activity; far more focus on mutual work: being led by what the host country seeks and wants rather than an export business of culture and foreign ministries. A clearer difference from the more overt public diplomacy. A move to 'people to people' diplomacy." Image from

Education Will Bring Societies Together -- We Can't Depend on Governmental Diplomacy Alone - David J. Skorton, Huffington Post: "Government diplomacy, an age-old craft with a proud tradition, has not been successful in reaching beyond differences because the conversation of official diplomacy is, by definition, a conversation between governments and not directly between the people of the involved countries. What is needed is more effective 'public diplomacy,' which in part uses what Joseph Nye, former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and former chair of the National Intelligence Council for the U.S. government, termed 'soft power': the use of attraction, rather than coercion, to influence others' opinions. Non-governmental diplomacy has the potential to effect closer ties between cultures even -- and perhaps most importantly -- when official diplomatic ties are strained or nonexistent. Higher education has the potential to be one of the most effective tools of public diplomacy for the United States. Surely cultural exchange -- music, art, dance, theater, film, fiction, poetry -- reaches across the chasms we are experiencing.

As small examples, some of the most memorable cultural events on my own campus have been staged by our international students and scholars and our glee club and chorus have been warmly received on tours to Brazil, Venezuela, China and elsewhere. ... [P]ublic diplomacy through higher education involves the establishment of complete campuses by American universities in a host country, as several American universities, including Cornell, have done in Education City in Doha, Qatar and other colleges and universities have in other locations. ... No matter what specific organizational structures we adopt to advance public diplomacy through higher education, a bedrock principle should be to improve over time the internal capacity of the host higher education system to develop its own faculty, matriculate and graduate its own students, develop researchers and research projects that will solve the country's most trying problems, take advantage of the country's most attractive economic development opportunities, and set the stage to advance the host country as a power in international education in its own right." Image from

There's more to social media than Facebook and Twitter! - Madhurjya Kotoky, The Public Diplomacy Blog: "I was at an international conference yesterday speaking on the 'Role of global media and how strategic communication can strengthen Australia-India relations.' This was at an international conference organized by the Alfred Deakins Research Institute, Australia and Rajdhani College, Delhi University, India. The conference is being sponsored by the Australia India institute and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India. During my talk, I emphasized the role of conversations in shaping perceptions today and the potential of social media. It was interesting to field lot of questions, after my talk, that bordered on cynicism towards social media and the sphere of influence of web enabled platforms. In this gathering of academics and policy wonks, what I could not help notice was that social media was broadly understood to be 'Facebook' and 'Twitter,' and, the limitations of the these two social networking platforms to influence and engage."

Public Diplomacy Corner - Mandolin Dan: Musings on music and the world: "I have spent most of my life as a Public Diplomacy specialist, first with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) and then the Department of State. I've had the pleasure and honor of working in the Middle East, East Asia, Europe, and Washington -- yet most people I meet (even in my own family) aren't sure what Public Diplomacy is and what I actually do. So -- what is the job of Public Diplomacy (or "PD," as we often call it). For the United States, let's start with the Mission Statement for Public Diplomacy, from the Department of State: [']The mission of American public diplomacy is to support the achievement of U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives, advance

national interests, and enhance national security by informing and influencing foreign publics and by expanding and strengthening the relationship between the people and government of the United States and citizens of the rest of the world.['] How is this done? Through a variety of programs and activities, including communications with international audiences, educational and professional exchanges, student advising, English teaching, and on-line and broadcast media engagement. For more on Public Diplomacy, I invite you to follow me on Twitter, at @PD_Dan, for regular items on the world of PD. " Image from

Joseph Nye, The Power Guy  - japansocietyny.blogspot.com: "A survey conducted amongst international relations experts placed Joseph S. Nye Jr. amongst the top of the list of those who had most shaped U.S. foreign policy in the last 20 years. It was Nye, a leading theorist of power, Dean Emeritus of the Kennedy School of Government and Harvard University Distinguished Professor of International Relations who coined the term 'soft power' in the late 1980s. He later also went on to develop the idea of 'smart power'. ... In an article in The Atlantic, Nye wrote: 'In an information age, success is not merely the result of whose army wins, but also of

whose story wins. Hard military power is not enough. We need the soft power of attraction as well. Their successful combination is smart power.' Similarly, in an op-ed article in Foreign Affairs, Nye referred to the many official instruments of soft power such as public diplomacy, broadcasting, exchange programs, development assistance, disaster relief, military-to-military contacts and wrote that they were scattered across the U.S. government with 'no overarching policy that even tries to integrate them with hard power into a comprehensive national security strategy.'” Nye image from article

Paul Wolfowitz, Ph.D. - Worldwide Speakers' Group: "Since his departure from public service, Wolfowitz [Paul Wolfowitz spent more than three decades in public service and higher education, including in the administrations of seven U.S. presidents] has remained active in international policy circles

including his appointment as Chairman of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council and as chair of the U.S. State Department’s International Security Advisory Board (ISAB), which is tasked with providing State 'independent insight and advice on all aspects of arms control, disarmament, international security, and related aspects of public diplomacy.'” Wolfowitz image from article

Johanna Blakley: Lessons from fashion's free culture - okyolove.blogspot.com: "As the Deputy Director of the Norman Lear Center (a media-focused think tank at the University of Southern California) Johanna Blakley spends much of her time exploring how our entertainment interacts with our political, commercial and social habits. She is especially interested in the surprising impact of intellectual property rights on innovation, organizing conferences around the lack of creative ownership in fashion as well as technology and the ownership of creative content. Blakley has worked across a huge variety of media platforms -- producing for the web on a large scale, conducting gaming research, coordinating events for film festivals and executing consumer research on entertainment and politics. Drawing on this vast body of experience, she also lectures at USC and helped develop their masters program in Public Diplomacy."

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Travel Tip: Art and Archaeology in Russia -- Epoch of Optimism - Art and propaganda in Soviet photography in the 1920-1940s -

culturekiosque.com: "Art (or "salon") photography propagated by the Russian Photographic Society founded before the Revolution, continued within the tradition of European Pictorialist school and was considered by the critics as distinctly "bourgeois". The most known figures of the movement were Alexander Grinberg, Nikolay Andreyev, Vasiliy Ulitin, Nikolay Svishov-Paola, Petr Klepikov, Sergey Lobovikov, Yury Yeremin. "By the late 1930s, the Russia art was completely overtaken by the idea of Socialist Realism. The short but very productive epoch of optimism that had emerged along the lines of post-revolution enthusiasm and sincere faith in the ideals of the bright future, was replaced by time of the Party's totalitarian control over all processes in the art life of the society. "The finale of the epoch of optimism in Soviet photography could be the victory over Fascist Germany in 1945. Photographers who went through the Patriotic War, saw and captured its victims and losses, received and showed Victory as a truly national triumph and a reason to hope for a better future. However, harsh postwar censorship, persecutions for the "fifth point" (nationality), country's isolation during the Cold War times did not help to bring this dream to life. Unfortunately, very few photographers from the first Soviet generation gained "second breath" in the postwar time. "Our exhibition presents three main movements in Soviet photography between the October Revolution and the end of the Second World War. Russian Pictorialist photography is represented by the works of Alexander Grinberg; Constructivist photography by the works of Alexander Rodchenko, Boris Ignatovich, Mikhail Prekhner; Soviet press photography by the works of Arkadiy Shaykhet, Emmanuil Yevzerikhin, Mark Markov-Grinberg, Georgy Petrusov, Yevgeniy Khaldey, Ivan Shagin." Andrey Baskakov Head of the Russian Union of Art Photographers Director of FotoSoyuz Agency. Image from Google, with caption from article: Arkadiy Shaykhet: Young Communist at the wheel of papermaking machine. Balakhna, 1929

ONE MORE QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"Mr Piness ... also encouraged women not to neglect reading."

--A propos of the Public Diplomacy and Cultural Officer with the United States Consulate General in Lagos, Peter Piness, according to afriquejet.com; image from