Monday, December 23, 2013

December 21-22 Public Diplomacy Review


"[T]o be fair, all cultural diplomacy, where culture is used as a tool of foreign policy, is propaganda in some sense of that word."

-- Winston Peters, Former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand; image from

"The tool of propaganda is an integral part of any state. It is everywhere. And Russia should use it as well. Propaganda in the good sense of the word."

--President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The East Asia-Pacific Rebalance: Expanding U.S. Engagement: Fact Sheet, Bureau of Public Affairs, December 16, 2013, posted at muslimcommunityreport.com - "Recognizing that America’s future prosperity and security are intertwined with the East Asia-Pacific region, President Barack Obama made a strategic commitment to rebalance our efforts and investments toward Asia. The United States will remain a strong, reliable, and active partner in the region and is investing diplomatic, public diplomacy, military, and assistance resources in a way that is commensurate with our comprehensive engagement. We continue to emphasize economic development, energy cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, youth, and education in our programs." See also John Brown,


"Engaging seems to have disappeared from one of the State Department's definitions of public diplomacy," Notes and Essays; image from Brown entry

The Humanitarian Nightmare in the Balkans: Perspectives and Challenges on the Arts and Culture in Civil Society and Democracy Building - Jeremie Gluckman, artsdiplomacy.com: "American Voices is a nonprofit organization that has been conducting cross-cultural engagement with audiences in over 110 nations worldwide since 1993. Executive Director,


John Ferguson explains his work in the Balkans in 2000 – 2004: 'Our program was run by American Voices and funded by the U.S. Department of State, using embassies’ individual budgets. ...' Lack of training in international arts management is a major impediment to building capacity for artistic programming in public diplomacy and civil society efforts. There is also a need for training in how to run cultural diplomacy and engagement programs in difficult environments. ... There a long history of using culture as a tool in public diplomacy, which comes from populations that are historically disenfranchised here in the U.S." Image from entry, with caption: John Ferguson is the Founder and Executive Director of the American Voices. In 1993, John created American Voices to fulfill the need for quality, constructive American cultural programming in the newly independent nations of Central and Eastern Europe and expanded its mission towards supporting youth in nations emerging from conflict or isolation.

Dealing With the New Normal in U.S.-Russian Relations - Dmitri Trenin, Andrew S. Weiss, carnegieendowment.org: "There were high hopes for U.S.-Russian relations in 2013. All signs seemed to indicate that a renewed formula for the relationship between Washington and Moscow was in the works. But as 2014 approaches, these hopes have been largely disappointed. The reset between the White House and the Kremlin has been succeeded by purely transactional relations against the background of deep mutual mistrust. And this may be the 'new normal' in U.S.-Russian relations, at least for the next few years. For there to be any significant improvement, the two countries will have to focus on expanding cooperation where their interests meet and reducing lingering animosity where they disagree. A comment on the report on Facebook: John Brown via Howard Solomon Like ·  ·  · 8 minutes ago · 


  • John Brown Howard -- Thanks for sharing: I wish this no-nonsense, down-to-earth report had mentioned the importance of cultural relations/exchanges between two countries that have similarities yet many differences, despite so-called "globalization."

Michelle Kwan husband will run for governor of Rhode Island [Google "translation"]: udn.com: "Former international figure skating queen Michelle Kwan (Michelle Kwan) 19 Subparagraph 2 expedition traveled husband called Los Angeles World Journal, announced married less than a year, can speak fluent Mandarin white husband, only 32-year-old former White House national security adviser in charge of strategic planning Raphael Klein ‧ person (Clay Pell) Rhode Island is about to run for governor. ... Is fully prepared to run for governor, including campaign regulations by Rituals currently has resigned from all government positions, leaving the post of professional lawyers.


The State Department is currently a senior consultant serving public diplomacy and public affairs office (Office of public diplomacy and public affairs, US Department of State) of Michelle Kwan, as her husband in the busy nonstop campaign, including the upcoming Winter Olympics, Michelle Kwan will U.S. government representatives to attend the identity of opening and closing ceremonies, after three weeks will stay in Russia." Image from, with caption [Google "translation]: Former figure skating queen Michelle Kwan (right) and her husband whites package Rituals (middle) and a photo of President Obama.

Hillary Clinton and [t]he Wall Street plutocrats who paid her $200,000 for one speech - Gaius Publius, americablog.com: [Comment by:] Ford Prefect BeccaM • 5 days ago − Actually, take a good look at her stint as SECSTATE. She wasn't terribly good at it.


She's a bully and bullies make bad diplomats. Her biggest "successes" lied in her ability to stomp people into submission. US Public Diplomacy completely collapsed under her reign. After more than half a century, it was eliminated altogether under her thoughtless tutelage." Image from entry, with caption: Hillary Clinton, with her husband Bill behind her.

2013 Forum: Inter-Agency Collaboration in Public Diplomacy - publicdiplomacycouncil.org: "Public diplomacy depends on establishing productive relationships with influential audiences in foreign countries. The State Department is not the only agency that wants such relationships and is prepared to invest resources to establish them.


The following summary of proceedings was prepared by rapporteurs Kelley Foster (Masters Candidate, School of Public Policy, George Mason University), and Brian Carlson (U.S. Ambassador, ret., currently with InterMedia Research). They organized one of the six breakout sessions of the PDC's November 12, 2013 'Fall Forum at the George C. Marshall Conference Center of the U.S. Department of State." Uncaptioned image from entry

2013 Forum: Inter-Agency Collaboration in Public Diplomacy - publicdiplomacycouncil.org: "Public diplomacy depends on establishing productive relationships with influential audiences in foreign countries. The State Department is not the only agency that wants such relationships and is prepared to invest resources to establish them.


The following post was prepared by rapporteurs Kristie Conserve (M.A. Candidate, American University), Greta Morris (U.S. Ambassador, ret.), and Deborah Trent (public diplomacy lecturer and analyst). They organized one of the six breakout sessions of the PDC's November 12th Fall Forum at the Marshall Conference Center of the U.S. Department of State.' Uncaptioned image from entry

An Italian Year: When Culture Creates Opportunities - Claudio Bisogniero, Ambassador of Italy to the United States, HuffingtON Post: "The Year of Italian Culture in the United States was an extraordinary act of public diplomacy. A show of pride that was deeply felt, especially in a time of crisis like the present. Fellow Italians in the United States, the myriad of American admirers of our country -- among them twenty-six million Italian Americans -- companies, associations and institutions that worked tirelessly every day to promote the 'Italian brand'


and even the press, which devoted hundreds of positive articles to our initiative -- all felt the strong desire to rediscover the charm of Italy's past, to reveal the best of its present, and to highlight examples of how it is working toward the future. All this to create new opportunities for the citizens of both countries." Image from entry, with caption: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi visiting an exhibition on Machiavelli's "Prince"

A professional strategy aimed at globally isolating Sri Lanka - Daya Gamage, Asian Tribune: "Born in the United States Ms. [Nimmi] Gawrinathan has all academic credentials to work with several professional organizations as splendid cover to travel to the predominantly minority Tamil districts in northern Sri Lanka, gather much information as possible about the 'plight' of the Tamils while working in orphanages and return to the U.S. armed with data to place before the lawmakers and policymakers. The Asian Tribune does not challenge her concern toward the status of the Tamil population in the north of Sri Lanka


nor her passion toward her parents kith and kin, but our whole exercise here is to ascertain what type of information the Americans receive from her upon her return and whether Sri Lanka possesses the correct type of diplomatic prowess to understand this vital dissemination of information which shape the mindset of lawmakers and policymakers to halt the ongoing maneuvers to create a 'Kosovo Type' scenario for a separate and independent state in the north-east of Sri Lanka. ... When she meets with US lawmakers and policymakers ... [her] credentials hold in good stead, a challenge to Sri Lanka if it fails to use public diplomacy and strategic communication in a cogent manner, and/or a mechanism to monitor, comprehend to combat this global dissemination." Gawrinathan image from entry

2013:Year of 'Chinese dream' diplomacy - Globaltimes.cn: "Su Jingxiang, vice director of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations Center for Globalization Studies [:] The Chinese dream, which conveys China's pursuit of peaceful development instead of hegemony, will build a positive peace-seeking and modest international image for China.


Public diplomacy propagating the Chinese dream will influence China (and the world) profoundly in the future." Image from entry, with caption: Chinese President Xi Jinping paid state visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico from May 31 to June 6, and met with US President Barack Obama in the United States on June 7-8.

Beijing retraces the Ancient Silk Road - Minghao Zhao, thebricspost.com: "A rapidly increasing number of Chinese corporations and sub-national governments are upbeat about the Silk Road economic belt initiative, keen on leveraging the golden opportunity to march west. It has also been reported that a national-level strategy which includes more specific measures and plans, is in the making.


Minghao Zhao is a foreign policy expert in Beijing, and a research fellow at the Charhar Institute, a Chinese public diplomacy think tank." Image from entry, with caption: China is aiming for a ‘silk road economic belt’ that would ‘open up the transportation channel from the Pacific to the Baltic Sea.’

Honesty, Like a Pin in a Haystack - Nurit Greenger, newsblaze.com: "Propaganda is a chief weapon. Admitting that certain propaganda was a mistake and sending an apology after the fact is useless. ... We have all heard that Israel's public diplomacy-Hasbara is inadequate. The question is why are they complacent? Is it because the IDF is there to defend? In fact Israel is four decades behind its enemy and its detractors in regards to its PR and public diplomacy. In fact, Israel has been sleeping for tomorrow's media defense needs."

The state of American pro-justice activism - Sarah Marusek, alethonews.wordpress.com: "In addition to spending $125 million on bringing Jews around the world to Israel, the government has also formed a task force to reverse the disenchantment trend. Other efforts that illustrate the growing sense of desperation in Tel Aviv include a related initiative of the prime minister’s office to establish covert units at Israeli universities to engage in online public diplomacy, or hasbara. As Haaretz reported in August, 'A diplomacy group will be set up at each university and structured in a semi-military fashion.' Those students who head each group are to receive full government scholarships while other students are paid stipends. When a government has to pay its own youth secretly to counter the increasingly negative image of its country abroad, pro-justice activists can take courage in the struggle in the year to come. Despite it being a long road ahead, it really does look like the beginning of the end."

Sten submachine gun copies and other improvised weapons – Tel Aviv - thefirearmblog.com: "[Comment by Joe Schmoe ddearborn • 3 days ago] Five-and-a-half months of vehement public diplomacy in 1967 made it perfectly clear what ... Resolution 242 means. Ingeniously drafted resolutions calling for withdrawals from 'all' the territories were defeated in the Security Council and the General Assembly. Speaker after speaker made it explicit that Israel was not to be forced back to the 'fragile' and 'vulnerable' Armistice Demarcation Lines, but should retire once peace was made to what Resolution 242 called 'secure and recognized' boundaries, agreed to by the parties. In negotiating such agreements, the parties should take into account, among other factors, security considerations, access to the international waterways of the region, and, of course, their respective legal claims."

Excuse Me, But Israel Has No Right to Exist. By Sharmine Narwani - njbrepository.blogspot.com: "What a fantastical idea, this notion that a bunch of rank outsiders from another continent could appropriate an existing, populated nation for themselves – and convince the 'global community' that it was the moral thing to do. I’d laugh at the chutzpah if this wasn’t so serious. Even more brazen is the mass ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Palestinian population by persecuted Jews, newly arrived from their own experience of being ethnically cleansed. But what is truly frightening is the psychological manipulation of the masses into believing that Palestinians are somehow dangerous – 'terrorists' intent on 'driving Jews into the sea.' As someone who makes a living through words, I find the use of language in creating perceptions to be intriguing. This practice – often termed 'public diplomacy' has become an essential tool in the world of geopolitics. Words, after all, are the building blocks of our psychology."

Ending 2013: Russia’s Amnesty for Greenpeace crew and others … - euaustralia.com: "Nostalgia seemed to reign in Russia, whether in the hard, slow and obtuse system of prisons and state tribunals, to the attacks on the foreign campaigners as 'hooligans'. Being a 'hooligan' was a standard epithet in the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe, applied to political offenders whose protest actions were seen as disturbing 'good order' imposed by secret police. Gaol terms for political offences could run to decades, with supplementary psychological torments; earlier on, sentences could be arbitrarily extended: a prisoner after a long term inside, might be told on the scheduled day of release, they’d have to start again, as the full term had been re-imposed. The outside world in the past had recourse to public diplomacy from time to time, to impose pressure on the Moscow regime, usually if it was wanting some clear air to show-case a major event. Redolent of those days, the United States this week announced it would be sending no senior government officials to Russia’s Winter Olympics, at Sochi, but would send two openly ‘gay’ persons, an official (the former Tennis champion


Billie Jean King - picture... and a player (Caitlin Cahow, Ice Hockey).

Gas deal may help Ukraine out of crisis: Russian diplomat - Xinhua, globaltimes.cn: "The gas deal with Moscow may help Kiev get out of economic crisis, a senior Russian diplomat said Saturday. When meeting his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to slash the price of natural gas for the economically struggling neighbor. 'This is an important aid to our fraternal country that will help it, probably, to boost economic rates and to come out of the crisis, toward which the Ukrainian economy has moved closer,' Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin was quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying at a public diplomacy event here."

Reshuffle and ‘change of guard’ at MOFA - Qudssia Akhlaque, nation.com.pk: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) that has of late been a subject of controversy over delayed ambassadorial appointments to major world capitals and reversals of nominations to key posts has a ‘change of guard’ with two accomplished diplomats, now re-designated to high profile slots at the ministry. Additional Foreign Secretary and former spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry who was promoted to Grade-22 early this week has now been formally nominated as the new foreign secretary to replace Jalil Abbas Jilani, ambassador-designate to the US. ... Aizaz has previously served as ambassador of Pakistan to the Netherlands and represented Pakistan in The Hague-based international organisations . ... He has been active on the public diplomacy front. An important initiative by him was authoring the book: ‘Pakistan mirrored to Dutch eyes’ which was published by Sang-e-Meel publications. In 1999, he was posted as political counsellor at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. He has also been sent on diplomatic assignments to Doha and Cairo."

Speech: [Winston] Peters - 2013 Conference on Cultural Diplomacy ... Speech: New Zealand First Party Institute of Cultural Diplomacy Berlin, Germany Weekend 21st –- 22nd December 2013 - scoop.co.nz: "Cultural Diplomacy: A South Pacific Perspective: Now, throughout this talk today you will have noticed a traditional approach to defining cultural diplomacy. That is deliberate. It means using cultural programmes and activities to help secure wider national objectives as part of foreign policy. Some will disagree with this and would prefer a broader interpretation. There are those who will see the exchange of knowledge, insights and understanding that can be gained through cultural exchanges as a means and end unto themselves. Fair enough. But the point is that the taxpayer cannot be expected to foot the bill every time an artist, writer or musician steps offshore. ... Probably the biggest contribution to cultural diplomacy will be made outside all 'official' channels. ... After all we leave the selection of governments to the people – why not sometimes place our trust in their common sense over cultural diplomacy?"

Nation as Brand - howculturematters.blogspot.com: "You can brand yourself but can you brand a micro-state? Nations engage in public diplomacy fairly regularly; the Monocle 'Soft Power Survey' tries to measure their success.  And for several years nation branding has been booming, even though Simon Anholt of Global Market Insite think that it can be seen--erroneously so--as a panacea for bad policy, even though it may help capture some essence of a national culture and contribute to economic development."

Improving the Foreign Service - foreignservicetest.com: "Although most of my readers are desperately attempting to join the U.S. Foreign Service, I don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn there is room for improvement within the organization. What exactly constitutes improvement is subjective, but any effective operation needs to regularly evaluate itself and identify strengths and weaknesses. In the December 2013 issue of Foreign Service Journal, former FSO George Lambrakis draws upon decades of diplomatic and international affairs experience to point out his suggested areas of improvement. To start with, Lambrakis believes we should decide whether our 'up or out' system modeled after the military makes sense in our much smaller organization. [']For example, there is one pernicious idea borrowed from the military which I would argue runs contrary to the essentials of diplomatic work: the 'up or out' promotion process embedded in the Service since the 1980 Foreign Service Act. Diplomacy in the wider world is not best conducted by the young and inexperienced. Nor is the Foreign Service well served by a personnel pyramid that eliminates capable officers because they have not quite reached the top. If anything, diplomacy has proportionally more uses at or near the senior ranks for experienced mid-career and senior officers than does the military. ['] At the lower levels, it is very uncommon for someone to be pushed out of the Foreign Service by not getting promoted. However, as one approaches the senior level this is a legitimate concern. As Lambrakis points out, it may not make much sense to kick out a seasoned 20 year diplomat for failing to get promoted quickly enough. A great deal of the Foreign Service personnel system is based upon the military. There are a few problems with this. One of the most obvious is that the military has over a million people working in. We have approximately 10,000 in the Foreign Service. Another chronic problem of the Foreign Service is that we are either completely unknown or, even worse, thought of as dandified cookie pushers. [']Apart from sensational kidnappings or assassinations that occasionally grab the news headlines, it would appear that congressional and public opinion does not yet sufficiently appreciate how many American diplomats serve in the line of fire in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan and many other conflict zones. Nor do they realize how often American diplomats deal over their career with truly difficult foreign leaders and complicated situations that help qualify them as better judges of what foreign policies to follow or avoid. This encourages the impression that just about any bright person can become an effective diplomat, even if only for a short assignment or two. ['] Just today I had someone come to my blog by searching for 'do foreign service officers get killed'. The sad reality is that the answer is yes. Even sadder is that the general public may not be aware of this. The bottom line is that many of Lambrakis’ suggestions aren’t unique. I’ve heard others voice similar ideas and concerns. Unfortunately, some of the changes that need to be made require changes to laws. However, an easier and quicker fix is to start working on our public image. We need to tell our story. We need to get out there and make ourselves known."

Exploring a Career in Government - Christopher, umdcareers.wordpress.com: "Another option for graduates is to go into the Foreign Service. Not only do you get to work for the government but it also provides an opportunity to travel around the world and world at America’s many embassies. To enter the Foreign Service you must take an exam to test your knowledge of general government structures and history.


Once you are in you get to choose from five distinct career tracks [:] Public Diplomacy Officers explain American values and policies and may benefit from a strong knowledge of local government and customs [.] For more information visit http://careers.state.gov/officer" Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

What Iranians Say Now About ‘the Great Satan’ - Carol Giacomo, New York Times: The old American Embassy building in the heart of this capital city was recently opened to tours for Westerners. It is now a museum run by the Revolutionary Guard and its Basiji paramilitary allies, where they keep alive a paranoid narrative of American malice and deceit by showcasing dust-encrusted spy equipment and a modern mural of alleged American perfidies. Chants of 'Death to America' remain a feature of Friday prayers at Tehran University, even though they seem more of a perfunctory ritual than a real display of rage. ... The reactions I received as an American traveling for 10 days in Tehran, Isfahan and Qum mirrored Iran’s politics and posture in this moment — there is a serious, even eager, interest in reconnecting with the West, even as Iranians struggle with three decades of poisoned relations."


Image from entry, with caption: No one personifies the Islamic Revolution and its anti-Western temper more than Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, whose shrine and mausoleum, shown here, was one of my first stops in Tehran. So it was a surprise when a female security guard, after asking if I was American, declared, “we are happy you are here” and blew kisses.

The New Face of Chinese Propaganda - Murong Xuecun, New York Times: "[T]his year, I’ve noticed a new kind of propaganda: billboards and giant posters, with fresh designs, typefaces and graphics, in many cities. They are ubiquitous: They have been put in parks, along building construction sites, on school walls and in other public places. There has been little coverage in the press.


Who created these posters, and why? How much did they cost? It’s all a mystery. The messages vary, but their most conspicuous feature is affirmation of the party, like 'A strong Communist Party means happiness for the Chinese people!' and 'Why is China strong? Because of the Communist Party.'” Image from entry

A Russian human rights victory that shouldn't be the last - Editorial Board, Washington Post: Vladimir Putin's release Friday of his most famous prisoner showed that Western censure can change his calculations. More pressure on human rights might do still more good, particularly before the Olympics.

A struggle for moral authority in Ukraine - Jim Hoagland, Washington Post: Helping Ukraine escape the clutches of its own and neighboring despots is a big challenge, one worthy of the creative spirit that European leaders demonstrated in founding their union half a century ago. They were given essential support in that task by wise American leaders who did not see U.S. leadership in global affairs as a glass half-empty, as it seems this White House often does.

Truth in Media, War Propaganda and the New World Order. How the Western Media Presents a Biased and Constricted Viewpoint - Rick Rozoff and John Robles, globalresearch.ca: Since the days of the Cold War the West has launched illegal wars against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and attempted to do the same thing in Syria. They have been successful in avoiding blowback and responsibility due to their monopoly on the corporate controlled media and the fact that most of the media in the world passively accepts their interpretation of world events.

‘An intolerable mockery’: the wild-eyed worldview of North Korean propaganda - Max Fisher, Washington Post: North Korean state propaganda is well-known for its permanent pose of righteous outrage, its odd proclivity for piling on


metaphors and colloquialisms, and for language so wordy and over-the-top it verges on self-parody. But there is a certain internal logic to North Korea's official declarations, a worldview that makes sense from within the country even if it can seem absurd from outside. Image from entry, with caption: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

North Korea Propaganda Promises War - Night Watch, finance.townhall.com: The Korean Central Broadcasting Station aired a large assembly of men from the Korean People's Army (KPA) who gathered for the purpose of pledging their loyalty to Kim Jong Un on 16 December. The meeting was held outdoors on the plaza of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang. Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae, the Chief of the General Political Department led the pledge. The announcer said that officers and men of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Anti-Air Force of the KPA were represented. Vice Marshal Choe said that "we will find, to the end, any one of those who walk a different path without upholding


the supreme commander comrade's idea and intent and those who attempt to castigate the supreme commander comrade's leadership, wherever they are in hiding, and burn them up even without leaving their ashes." He also said that "we will intensely wage the ideological battle to crush the heterogeneous and decadent bourgeois idea and culture" with the strength of the military-first culture in order to "make only the blood of chuch'e, the military-first-type blood, flows in the entire army." Finally, Choe said, "Keeping in mind that (the enemies) wage war without propagandizing it, we will always maintain a highly agitated state, strike the entire base of aggression if the enemies dare to make a clumsy fire, and accomplish the historic cause of the fatherland's reunification without fail." Uncaptioned image from article

13 Vintage Propaganda Posters That Highlight The True Art Of Revolution - huffingtonpost.com: Kemistry Gallery in London is paying homage to the colorful spirit of propaganda posters in the "OSPAAAL Poster Show," an exhibition of bold designs created by the Organization of Solidarity for the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America.


Formed in 1966, years after the revolution that forever changed Cuba, the group originated in Havana, aligning revolutionaries in South Africa, Angola, Vietnam, Syria, Puerto Rico, North Korea, the Palestinian regions and beyond. Image (from many) from entry

Propaganda Urges Loyalty to Kim - dailynk.com: The Rodong Sinmun has published a new propaganda poster, imploring the entire Party and populace to unite behind Kim Jong Eun


in the construction of a “strong and prosperous nation.” The image features a soldier, an intellectual, a laborer and a farmer, and reads, “We will remain faithful to the end to the Great Comrade Kim Jong Eun.” Image from entry

History, Holiday Cards and that Obama “Visual Propaganda” Machine - bagnewsnotes.com: If it’s a little harsh, this 2006 post at the Chicago Reader is an interesting read in light of today’s media attack on Obama’s White House over its use of (or, should I say, brilliance with?) visual marketing.


The card circulated around Chicago in 2006, published by Obama’s campaign committee. Keep in mind, by the way, that the operation, on behalf of the sophomore Senator, was geared toward a 2010 Senate re-election campaign, not a 2008 presidential run. Image from entry

Propaganda Hometown / Los Angeles, CA Currently Resides / Los Angeles - humblebeast.com: Artist Bio [:] Dynamic, soulful, experimental, and clever, all focused on the heart of a person. With an uncompromising message intertwined with hot rhythms and beats, Los Angeles based, Propaganda, lyrically puts together potent relevant music that reaches across the spectrum of youth and pop culture. Bringing with him years of classroom teaching and community service experience, he is eloquently bold in the message of each song and never shies away from a strong poetic element in his music. His Subject matter ranges from staying accountable God as well as standing up boldly for one's faith both in word and in one's life.


Not to mention aggressive battle rap and political awareness Opening up for and performing with such groups as De La Soul, The Visionaries, Lightheaded, Ahmad and 4th Avenue Jones, LA Symphony and touring with none other than the Blastmaster KRS ONE, Propaganda is no stranger to live shows. Music lovers all over the country proclaim, after a Propaganda show, "He Sounds like no one else out there. Nobody performs like him! His sound and style is completely his own!" Not to mention being highly respected in the LA underground scene, a familiar face in places like A Mic and Dim lights and the Famous collective called Foundation, he is also one of the main topics of chat rooms on many Hip-Hop related sites. "Props" has gained a national and international following which landed him in London, Cameroon television and radio and Nigeria to name a few. After years of training being the youngest member of the Los Angeles based mega crew The Tunnel Rats, he now boasts full-length albums, two feature films, countless cameo appearances and a chance to write with and perform with Krs One. From aggressive Battle raps over Norma Jean, Face to Face and Static Lullaby guitar licks, to smooth introspective soul rhythms, to the head nodding beats and rhymes California is known for, Propaganda is the total package. Do not let His name fool you. He is not simply Gossip and rumors. He is the truth. Come and see. Uncaptioned image from entry

AMERICANA

Jerry West Still Can't Miss Even At Age 75 (VIDEO) - Huffington Post

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