"Waste"
--Industry parlance for Internet "low-value targets," the bottom 20 percent of customers, who may spend “too much” time on customer service calls, and may cost companies in returns or coupons, or otherwise cost more than they provide; image from
ESSAY
Sochi, Tsar Vladimir's Black Sea St. Vladimirsburg - John Brown, Notes and Essays. Image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
First Globals Technology Corps: Merging Jobs and Public Diplomacy - John Zogby, Forbes: "On one hand, we have a burgeoning leadership class in this huge region [Midddle east] crying out for technical support and training. These are people who want to start businesses, create capacity for enhanced internal and external communications in their nations, and do good things. On the other hand, the United States has an army of twenty-somethings with the best available education, desirous to be mobile, passionate about changing the world, and unable to find decent enough jobs. While the US Department of State is fond of funding $100 million grants that employ overpriced consultants and private security forces, why not take a page from President John F. Kennedy’s Peace Corps
and hire America’s First Globals at a much more reasonable stipend and place them in a situation where they meet with and learn together from their fellow Globals, provide the technical support, and build a bridge with another culture? This could and should move well beyond the Arab and Muslim worlds. I have raised this with highest levels of the State Department and they are 'pursuing it', which I actually believe." Image from
President Obama’s Leadership on International Human Rights (Part 8 of 8) - amnestystlouis.wordpress.com: "The Obama Administration has created the new positions of Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the State Department and Coordinator for Disability and Inclusive Development at USAID. With the leadership of these senior officials, the United States can better ensure that foreign assistance and development programs incorporate persons with disabilities, that the needs of persons with disabilities are addressed in international emergency situations, and that our public diplomacy addresses disability issues."
Seoul to drastically increase exchanges with Pyongyang - english.donga.com: "South Korea`s Ministry of Unification has decided to drastically expand inter-Korean exchanges to the civilian sector in the fields of bilateral economic cooperation and social and cultural exchanges. 'In order to make progress on the Korean Peninsula trust process, we should go beyond inter-governmental contacts and diversify contacts with North Korean residents to change their perceptions,' a South Korean government official said Thursday, suggesting that Seoul would
engage in 'public diplomacy' for North Koreans. Another official noted, 'The idea is that we will seek to improve the inter-Korean ties by expanding economic cooperation, exchanges in religious and sports events, cultural cooperation and exchanges, and private organizations` assistance to the North.'" Image from
Do the math –- Is N300 million for Ministry of Information PR really a big deal? - Oluwatosin Fatoyinbo, ynaija.com: "[N]ation branding has become important. The reputation of a nation can dramatically influence its success in attracting tourism and investment capital, exports, attracting a talented and creative workforce, Foreign Direct Investment and Foreign Portfolio Investment. It is also referred to as Public Diplomacy and a specie of soft power which is the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce, use force or give money as a means of persuasion.
The success of soft power depends heavily on the actor’s reputation within the International community, as well as the flow of information between actors. China is a perfect example. South Africa has also deployed the Mandela brand so effectively. So I was a little disappointed that a Nigerian media house will consider the effort of the Government at enhancing Nigeria’s image in the International community with a form of question mark." Uncaptioned image from entry
+18 Nigerian Christian Killing Muslims, Caught Live - thetaleofbittertruth.wordpress.com: "My very polite and very humble and warm hearted response to a slut [not identified - JB] who is self claimed herself as fuck of Public Diplomacy, Extensive real-world connections and personal relationships with political, business, media, and military leaders throughout USA, Russia, China, Poland, North Africa and the Middle East, Analysis of North Africa and Middle East issues, Analysis of insurgency and irregular warfare in the Arab world News Media Consultant and Liaison Media Rights Broker Full Member of International Public Relations Association (IPRA)."
Stand with us Israel: Defending Israel Amongst the Students of the World - jewlicious.com: "Stand with Us Israel was founded in Los Angeles in 2000 and has offices around the world. They were founded by a group of women in Los Angeles who were tired of hearing the anti-Israel propaganda during the second Intifada. Its mission is to educate students and faculty (both Jewish and non-Jewish) around the world about Israel and to counter anti Israel propaganda.
It also prepares and distributes a wide variety of materials to inform people about the many facets of Israeli society and its achievements in science and technology. ... Michal Faktor, 28, is another graduate of the Fellowship program. She was born in South Africa, grew up in Raanana and has been with the organization for three years. ... [S]he now works as the director of the Israel Fellowship program for Stand With Us Israel. ... [A]pplicants are asked to prepare a 60 second introduction about themselves and some use props. ... Michal said that they are ... 'looking for people who are intelligent, charismatic, who are born leaders, each in their own field. We identify the potential, the leadership qualities. It’s a program in public diplomacy, but it’s also a leadership program.'” Image from entry
PM appoints Javed Malik as special envoy - thenews.com.pk: "Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has appointed Javed Malik as Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Overseas, Investment and Trade and designated him to the rank of Ambassador of Pakistan . ... This is Ambassador Javed Malik’s second diplomatic appointment. Earlier he served as Pakistan’s Ambassador at Large between 2008-2011 during which time he was engaged in several trade, cultural and public diplomacy initiatives in Middle East and Europe."
Pakistan's Foreign Policy: A Post 9/11 Review - shaikhabbas.blogspot.com: "The 9/11 incident restructured international politics and thereafter it occupied a centre-stage in conducting interstate relations. Pakistan due to its geo-strategic location and having diplomatic ties with Afghanistan, who was immediately labelled as a sanctuary of the terrorists headed by
Osama bin laden, Pakistan was bound to be frazzled in days ahead. ... As far as the compliance of the demands of the U.S is concerned, Pakistan did not have to make substantial concessions to the USA, as a couple of requests required no actions . ... The then president [ Musharraf] successfully adopted public diplomacy by addressing the nation on 19th October in which he stated that he was taking this decision to forestall the possibility of earlier mentioned threats. In this way he managed to contract the win-set of US because he excluded the Missile and nuclear assets, and the Kashmir cause, from the agenda of impending negotiations and included safe guard against the ‘external’ threat (read ‘Indian’) in it. 'Pakistan comes first, everything else is secondary' - President Musharraf." Uncaptioned image from entry
Mfumo wu pfula xitichi xa rhadiyo (Ubuntu) [Google English translation not available] - matimunews.co.za: "Rhadiyo ya Ubuntu leyintshwa ya 24 hour internet station yi ta pfuriwile ximfumo hi ti17 Nhlangula 2013. Rhadiyo leyi yi fambisiwaka hi Ndzawulo ya International Relations and Cooperation yi ta va leyi nga ta haxa mahungu ya Afrika. Nhloko eka Public Diplomacy, Tatana Clayson Monyela a byela vateki va mahungu e OR Tambo Building ePitori leswaku Afrika-Dzonga yi na mahungu lawa yi lavaka ku ya haxa hi tlhelo ra tipholisi ta matiko ya le handle."
RELATED ITEMS
Which Country Do You Think Most People Consider the Biggest Threat to World Peace? - Ayobami Olugbemiga, inthecapital.streetwise.co: An annual end-of-the-year poll conducted by Win/Gallup International shows that the biggest threat to world peace is not
54 percent of Russians say
Military propaganda websites on verge of extinction - Ray Locker, usatoday.com: Barring a reprieve tucked into the upcoming $1 trillion spending bill working its way through Congress, the Pentagon's worldwide network of propaganda websites is nearing death. The annual defense authorization bill passed Dec. 19 and signed by President Obama last week calls for the end of the $22 million Trans Regional Web Initiative, a series of websites aimed at providing news to people in areas overseen by various military combatant commands. A GAO report issued in April 2013 but which the Pentagon attempted to keep from the public found that the websites were not well coordinated with other U.S. efforts. In Nepal, for example, GAO found that the embassy's public affairs office was "unaware of U.S. Pacific Command's website." State Department officials have expressed concern about U.S. Africa Command's website "about the Maghreb region of northern Africa, saying that a program marketed as a (Pentagon) operation may not be well received by countries traditionally sensitive to foreign military presence." Congress' decision to kill the sites comes after the Obama administration had asked for them to continue, saying in November they were "only synchronized online influence effort able to challenge the spread of extremist ideology and propaganda on the Web."
Stop coddling Egypt's military: The Obama administration should do more to demand that Egypt's military rulers make good on their promise to pursue an inclusive democracy - Editorial, latimes.com: The situation in Egypt is a textbook case of the tension between the United States' commitment to democracy and its more complicated strategic objectives. The sad truth is that U.S. military aid to Egypt is designed not to reward Egypt for adherence to democracy but to shore up the Arab-Israeli peace treaty and suppress terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula and elsewhere.
Even so, the Obama administration could be more consistent and forthright in insisting that the generals make good on their stated desire to follow a path to democracy. Image from entry, with caption: The Egyptian interim government has declared the Mohamed Morsi-led Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Above, supporters of ousted President Morsi hold a rally in Cairo on July 11.
Future terrorists: We need to build bridges to those most vulnerable to radicalization - Jane Harman, latimes.com: So if there's no road map for clearly identifying individuals who will become violent, we need to employ the best tools we know of to counter radicalizing messages and to build bridges to the vulnerable. Articulating the narrative about what the United States stands for is the first task, and so far, we seem to have had a hard time making the sale. But recent State Department efforts are promising. The Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications crafts Internet messages to counter extremism and to ask young people to turn away from terrorist groups. The best part of the program is that red tape has been cut: The team doesn't have to get approval for messages. They can react to extremist posts in real time using social media. This sort of direct, across-boundaries interaction is crucial, but by itself, it's not going to win the "argument" with the next generation of terrorists. This sort of direct, across-boundaries interaction is crucial, but by itself, it's not going to win the "argument" with the next generation of terrorists. We need communities and local police to tell us when someone is starting to drift toward forms of behavior that are illegal. Communities are a form of human intervention to counter the recruiter on the other side.
Tehran foodies flock to American-style burger joints - Jason Rezaian, Washington Post: high-end burger restaurants are suddenly popping up across the city, making the gut-busting American institution — and the quest for the best burger — the latest trend in Tehran dining.
Image from entry, with caption: Greasy burger joints have been part of Tehran’s fast-food landscape for decades, even in the years just after the 1979 Islamic revolution, when any symbol of U.S. culture was denounced as an example of “Westoxification.” Now, though, high-end burger restaurants are suddenly popping up across the city, making the gut-busting American institution the latest trend in Tehran dining. Via PR.
Table for Two (Countries) [Review of Ping-Pong Diplomacy: The Secret History Behind the Game That Changed the World by Nicholas Griffin] - Janet Maslin, New York Times: “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” builds up to the events of 1971, when an American team was unexpectedly invited to visit China to participate in a table tennis competition.
The book gives considerable credit to President Nixon, Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and Bill Cunningham — a careful China-watcher at the American Embassy in Tokyo who made the quick call that the team’s visit would not violate American foreign policy — for taking advantage of an unforeseen opportunity. Image from entry, with caption: Richard Bergmann was a world champion who fought on D-Day. His story is one of many told in "Ping-Pong Diplomacy."
The pretty face of Communism: Soviet style Pin Up art - rbth.co.uk: Among them the below, with caption: Russian Illustrator Valery Barykin successfully combines the vintage Pin Up Girls with Soviet art propaganda.
Artist from Nizhny Novgorod reinterprets the poster style used to arouse Soviet citizens’ sense of civic responsibility, with Leninist literature and heavy machinery supplanted by buxom girls and booze. Via RB on Facebook
The Power of Three - Susannah Jacobs, New York Times: A new study finds that in ads, stump speeches and other messages understood to have manipulative intent, three
claims will persuade, but four (or more) will trigger skepticism, and reverse an initially positive impression. The professors acknowledge their study’s limits. For one thing, their paper uses four experiments to make their case, not three. Image from
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