"Online, there’s no visa problem."
--Zvi Galil, the dean of the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing, expecting that, in the coming years, his school's program to offer a master’s degree in computer science through massive open online courses for a fraction of the on-campus cost could attract up to 10,000 students annually, many from outside the United States and some who would not complete the full master’s degree. Image from
NOSTALGIA PROPAGANDA VIDEOS
The Enemy Japan - the Psychology of the Japanese People -- WW2 Propaganda Film | Full Documentary - YouTube
U.S. war department anti-Japanese propaganda film 1945 - YouTube
Propaganda Posters Of WWII - YouTube
Superman - Japoteurs (1942, World War 2 american propaganda) - YouTube
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
The Truth About Egypt - Michael J. Totten, worldaffairsjournal.org: "I recently interviewed Eric Trager, a scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. ... He called out the Muslim Brotherhood as an inherently authoritarian organization while scores of other supposed 'experts' falsely pimped it as moderate. And contrary to claims from the opposing camp, that the army 'restored' democracy with its coup, he saw the recent bloody unpleasantness coming well in advance. ... Eric Trager: When Americans think about Egypt, they think about the pharaohs, the pyramids, and the Bible. They know about the peace treaty with Israel. Some Egyptians get upset when they find out that Americans equate Egypt with the pyramids and the pharaohs, but for whatever reason, Egypt holds a special place in the American imagination. ... And it’s not just that 58 percent of Americans liked Egypt in 2010.
In 2011, something like 88 percent supported the uprising against Hosni Mubarak. That’s incredible. MJT: And what the Egyptians say about that? Eric Trager: One on one, it touches them. So I think it needs to be part of our public diplomacy. We have interests there. The United States Embassy in Egypt is one of the largest in the world. But Americans also like Egypt. They like visiting Egypt and seeing the pyramids and going to Luxor. And they like being with an ally. MJT: Is Egypt really an ally at this point? Eric Trager: Among Egyptians there is strong hostility toward the United States and American foreign policy. Conspiracy theories are rampant, especially about 9/11. Dealing with that will always be a significant challenge. At the same time, Egypt has been basically cooperative with American strategic interests for nearly forty years. We have significant disagreements about Egyptian domestic politics, and it’s a tumultuous place, but unless hostile Islamists emerge yet again—which is certainly possible—Egypt will remain in the American camp. And there’s the odd fact that Americans really like Egypt." Image from entry
Delving into the mind of Islam - mercatornet.com: "The origin of the crisis in Egypt, as in other countries in the Arab world, stretches far back in the history of Islam, says the author of The Closing of the Muslim Mind, Robert Reilly. Here he is interviewed by Alvino-Mario Fantini, the editor of The European Conservative. ... [Reilly:] Oil is the oxygen of the industrialized world and we have the opportunity now in the United States to dramatically transform that because of the enormous reserves that have been discovered here, particularly of natural gas that can fuel
a great deal of our industry and growing oil reserves. Obviously, the Obama Administration is not interested in that, but the less we are dependent on the Middle East, the better for us and for everyone else—particularly in respect to Saudi Arabia, which has the single most retrograde form of Islam that exists and which has out-spent the United States by tens of billions of dollars on its form of public diplomacy in spreading the Wahabi retrograde form of Islam. If you’re hoping for a re- Hellenization of the Muslim mind, give up all hope when you confront the Wahabi strain. It is the single most anti-rational form of Islam. Image from entry
National Conference on State’s Preparedness in National Security - cppr.in: "Centre for Strategic Studies, the Focus Study Centre of Centre for Public Policy Research in association with the Public Diplomacy Division of US Consulate at Chennai, India is organising a two-day National Conference on the theme 'State’s Preparedness in National Security in India'. The Conference will be attended by distinguished delegates consisting of security and strategy experts, bureaucrats, academicians and eminent persons in the domain of National Security. It will be held at Riviera Suites at Kochi, Kerala from November 29-30th, 2013."
Dialogue better option in improving ties: Salman Khurshid - deccanchronicle.com: "Amid heightened tension with Pakistan over the LoC [Line of Control] killings of Indian soldiers, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said 'persistent dialogue' is a better option to normalise ties with neighbours.
'War is no solution. Persistent dialogue is definitely a better alternative through which we are trying to normalise ties with our neighbours,' the minister told a workshop on 'Public Diplomacy Initiative' at the Doon University . ... Khurshid's comments came against the backdrop of strident demands ... asking the government not to resume the dialogue process with Pakistan till it stops ceasefire violations as also anti-India acts emanating from its soil." Khurshid image from article
Diaspora in India’s Foreign Policy and National Security: A Comparative Perspective, 6–7 November 2013, New Delhi - Delanoa, blogs.newschool.edu: "This conference is part of a series on ‘Diasporas, States and the Role of Policies—Locating Migration and Diaspora Studies in International Relations’ that brings together international scholarship and practioners to further our understanding of migrants and diaspora communities in international relations. The conferences encourage dialogue between a wide range of academic traditions in the area of diaspora studies, migration research, foreign policy, public diplomacy, political transnationalism, ethnic interest groups, global and regional migration governance, post-colonial theory, and democracy theory."
Defend Daniel Seaman! - Steven Plaut, israelnationalnews.com: "Israel's Left has a new cause. It is operating a jihad against the freedom of speech of poor Daniel Seaman. He is the outgoing director-general of the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry and he is a man who speaks his mind. Leftists do not mind people speaking their mind as long as their mind is speaking leftism. But Brother Seaman speaks politically incorrect thoughts. Seaman is a Likud activist who has held a series of posts, including serving as head of the government press office.
What has the Left in hysterics is that Seaman has been tapped to head a new experimental governmental program to recruit Israeli college students to serve as public relations activists on the internet, where they would fight anti-Israel demonization and hate propaganda and provide the Israeli side of events. The Left hates that idea. ... [T]he Left is leading a campaign to insist that Seaman be silenced, denied freedom of speech, and removed from the Netanyahu public relations campaign initiative! Haaretz published an editorial denouncing Seaman." Seaman image from
Hillary Clinton Excited To Call Clinton Foundation 'My Home' - socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com: "Among other $1 million to $5 million donors: [to the Clinton Foundation:] Video: What about Bill? Harold Snyder, director for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the largest drug company in
Embassy of Finland in London looking for a Press Officer - finemb.org.uk: "The Embassy of Finland in London is looking for a Press Officer for a permanent position starting 1 November 2013. The Press Officer works in a team of three on public diplomacy and communications outreach of the embassy. The work consists of planning and executing day-to-day press relations activities, internet and social media work and organizing events together with stakeholders."
Deputy Director Web – International Relations/Cooperation Department - southafrica.jobistan.co: "Branch: Public Diplomacy ... DUTIES: Oversee the planning, development and management of the Web Portal (Intranet, Extranet and Mission Websites) and other websites of strategic importance to the Department Manage the Sub-directorate: Web and Information Management Work with Business Units and Missions in the Department and other Government departments on the generation of new content and continued updating of current content Identify opportunities for using the Web Portal as a marketing and internal communication tool Monitor national and international information and media sources for the purpose of updating the Web Portal Build good working relations with web developers and Information Technology specialists within and outside of Government Remain abreast of developments and trends in respect of the Internet and electronic information management."
RELATED ITEMS
Egypt's ominous path: The brutal military crackdown on Morsi supporters may force the U.S. to reevaluate its aid - Editorial, latimes.com: Notwithstanding Morsi's overthrow, there has been broad and bipartisan support in Washington — so far — for a continuation of U.S. aid, which is essentially an insurance policy on Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. Even as he condemned Wednesday's violence, Kerry said he thought the path to a political solution was "still open."
But if the Egyptian military blocks that path, there should be consequences. Image from article, with caption: A supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi walks through the debris left after a violent crackdown by Egyptian security forces on a pro-Morsi sit-in at the Rabaa al Adawiya mosque in Cairo. A state of emergency has been declared for the next month by the military-led interim government to restore law and order after months of political turmoil.
Let Our Client Go - Ross Douthat, New York Times: If we can’t cut the Egyptian military off amid the blood bath in Egypt, we’re basically proving that we never, ever will.
Drone strike campaign in Yemen shows U.S. standards are elastic: The wave of attacks highlights Obama's willingness to accelerate airstrikes even if intelligence on a terrorist plot is imprecise, analysts and ex-officials say - Ken Dilanian, latimes.com: A surge of U.S. drone missile strikes that has killed about 40 suspected militants in Yemen over the last three weeks may appear inconsistent with President Obama's pledge in May to use drone aircraft to target and kill only individual terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to Americans. White House officials say the targeting rules haven't changed for the 10 recent drone strikes. But analysts and former U.S. officials say the current campaign, after the pace of attacks had slowed, shows that the standards are elastic.
Richard Branson and James Cameron want to save the high seas: In international waters, environmental rules are inconsistent, weak or absent. Obama can change that - By Richard Branson and James Cameron, latimes.com: Spearheading negotiations on the conservation and management of the high seas
could give the U.S. a big win on a global issue. Image from article, with caption: The United Nations this week will weigh an agreement to regulate activity in international waters outside the jurisdiction of any country. Above, a sea turtle swims near a coral reef in the Pacific Ocean.
Ta-Ta, London. Hello, Awesome - Sarah Lyall, New York Times: Britons admire and consume American culture, but feel threatened by and angry at its excesses and global dominance. They are both envious and suspicious of Americans’ ease and confidence in themselves. They want American approval but feel bad about seeking it. Like a teenager worried that his more popular friend is using him for extra math help but will snub him in the cafeteria, they are unduly exercised by the “special relationship” — endlessly deconstructing what it meant, for instance, when in 2009 Gordon Brown, then the prime minister, gave President Obama a handsome penholder made of wood from a Victorian anti-slave ship, while Mr. Obama reportedly gave him a stack of movies that were incompatible with British DVD players. Also, Britons are not automatically impressed by attractive American qualities — straightforwardness, openness, can-doism, for starters — and they suspect that our surface friendly optimism might possibly be fake.
Amnesty International, War Propaganda, and Human Rights Terrorism - Gearóid Ó Colmáin, dissidentvoice.org: In Jaramana on the outskirts of Damascus on 7 August, 18 civilians were blown to bits. Among the dead were children. The Russian government condemned the crime against humanity. The crime was hardly even reported in the Western press, not to mention the silence of Western governments who are supplying the terrorists with arms. Perhaps the babies murdered in the attack were supporters of Bashar al-Assad and were therefore guilty. In Jaramana on the outskirts of Damascus on 7 August, 18 civilians were blown to bits. Among the dead were children. The Russian government condemned the crime against humanity. The crime was hardly even reported in the Western press, not to mention the silence of Western governments who are supplying the terrorists with arms. Perhaps the babies murdered in the attack were supporters of Bashar al-Assad and were therefore guilty. Amnesty International was outraged at the violence against civilians in Syria. But there was no mention of the Jaramana massacre.
Chinese propaganda as policy - Andrew Chubb, atimes.com: If outspoken Chinese military officers are neither irrelevant loudmouths nor factional warriors, nor yet the voice of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on foreign policy, and are instead experts in the PLA-party propaganda system, then what might explain the bad publicity they often generate for China? This article explores how the activities of China's military hawks may contribute to the regime's domestic and international goals. On a general level, the very appearance of a hawkish faction serves the domestic purposes of promoting national unity. By amplifying threat awareness and countering perceived Western plots to permeate the psyche of the Chinese populace and army, the "hawks" direct public dissatisfaction with the policy status quo away from the system as a whole. The PLA's external (duiwai) propaganda work system, which most of the "hawks" belong to, has been greatly strengthened in recent years in line with an often-cited "series of important instructions" from Hu Jintao from 2006 onward. This effort has emphasized self-affirming aspects of propaganda-perhaps better translated as publicity and promotion-with particular regard to foreign audiences, aiming to increase understanding of China's policies, diminish "China threat theories" and shape a good international image for the PLA.
Tropico 4 DLC: Propaganda! add-on hits Xbox Live, includes new mission: Communist-themed expansion lets you brainwash citizens, wear a nice warm hat - Matt Cundy, dlcentral.com: Here’s the official description: Tropico is invited
to participate in the International Communist Propaganda competition! Turn the most absurd propaganda slogans into reality using the new Propaganda Tower building which suppresses protesters and converts citizens to loyalists, use the PR Specialist trait to brainwash your people and finally compete with the likes of Stalin and Lenin with the Party Leader outfit. Image from entry
AMERICANA
University in Maryland to install bulletproof whiteboards: University of Maryland Eastern Shore is the first college to adopt the whiteboard that can stop bullets. The inventor says it will 'buy you some extra time' against shooters - Tricia Bishop, latimes.com: Calling "campus violence a reality" to prepare for, a university in Maryland announced last week that it planned to spend $60,000 on the Clark Kent of teacher supplies: an innocuous-looking whiteboard that can stop bullets.
The high-tech tablet — which hangs on a hook, measures 18 by 20 inches and comes in pink, blue and green — can be used as a personal shield for professors under attack, according to the company that makes it, and as a portable writing pad in quieter times. "It needs to be a great whiteboard and a useful tool so that it doesn't get hidden in the closet," said maker George Tunis. His company Hardwire LLC starting out making military armor, then adapted it for the classroom after the shootings last year at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed. Image from
ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
“I would show up in Tajikistan with this PowerPoint and tell them about Wikipedia and Flickr and YouTube, they were like: ‘Dude, we have no electricity. What are you talking about?’ ”
--Internet contrarian Evgeny Morozov; image from
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