"Intra-species public diplomacy at its best ..."
--A comment on Facebook regarding the below video (video provided by RB on Facebook); image from
VIDEO
Orangutans and Sign Language - Amparo Severins, allsignlanguage.blogspot.com: "A part of their campaign, the RAN [the Rainforest Action Network ] uses a video where an orangutan is telling a young deaf girl in sign language about the palm oil conflict. Obviously this conversation never took place. Scientist are still not agreeing if the sign language Koko the gorilla has learned, is actually himself learning a language or if he is simply imitating a human without understanding it's meaning. Fake or not, we know that gorilla's [sic] (and orangutans and chimps) can make signs (and they even try to use Koko the gorilla to teach others). And if orangutans could understand what is happening and communicate it to us, this is what we could expect, as far as we know. Therefore I think the video is a very powerful visual telling what we are doing to the orangutan. And as an interest to this blog, it also draws media attention to sign language."
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS
What is the Mission of U.S. International Broadcasting? - David S Jackson, publicdiplomacycouncil.org: "At a time when true propaganda from organizations such as RT (formerly Russia Today) and China's CCTV has gotten both more professional and more pervasive around the world, the U.S. needs a strong global voice with a clear mission. We have that strong voice in our U.S. international broadcasting media. What we need now is a consensus on what those voices should be saying."
Remembering a Great Public Diplomat: David Burke and the BBG - Tara Sonenshine, takefiveblog.org: "David Warren Burke, a man who stood for the finest in public diplomacy, journalistic integrity and the independence of media, died this past Friday. America lost a great public servant. ... The loss of David Burke is personal for me.
David was my first boss, a mentor, and a friend. He attended Tufts University and always believed in giving back to your university. As Executive Vice President of ABC News, David Burke gave back to his alma mater by hiring young, aspiring journalists (who had attended Tufts) to work for him. I was fortunate to be one of those whose career he shaped. Ironically, later in life, I became under secretary of state for public diplomacy, representing the Secretary of State on the very board that David Burke had once chaired: The BBG. Things come full circle. Today, I salute the man who brought sense and sensibility to news, government, and public service." Uncaptioned image from entry
Sri Lanka Probe: Contrasting approaches by US Republicans and Democrats - Daya Gamage, Asian Tribune: "[T]he United States has its public diplomacy arm that spreads globally to about 190-odd countries . ... Despite in real practice the White House effectively controls foreign policy decisions along with strategic communication and national security program, domestic or global, the state department plays a major role in representing the ' policy councils' in the White House - Directorate of National Intelligence, National Security Council -in its overseas diplomatic dealings."
Cold War 2.0 at Sea? - maritime-executive.com: "In response to Putin, NATO-building begins at home. We need NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, fully focused on the Alliance’s core business, reaching out to the member states’ ordinary taxpayers. The changing European security environment requires an emphasis on the big messages: Defense, deterrence and security.
Thus, zeitgeist-motivated campaigns should be stopped. In these times, NATO must tell the people what armies, air forces really are for and how our soldiers serve their countries and our Alliance." Image from entry
For Israel's Justice Ministry, human rights are nothing but good PR - Hagai El-Ad, 972mag.com: "Over the past several years, Israel’s Ministry of Justice has found itself a new angle for engaging in public diplomacy: defending some of the worst pieces of Knesset legislation, while celebrating whatever outcome the court hands down when they are challenged."
Image from entry, with caption: Israeli activists take part in a performance illustrating Palestinian detainees during the annual human rights march, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Official: Slovenia Keen to Expand Economic, Trade Ties with Iran - english.farsnews.com: "Chairman of Slovenia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Samu Kheribar Milich in a meeting with new Iranian Ambassador to Ljubljana Morteza Darzi Ramandi on Saturday
voiced his country's willingness to broaden ties between the two countries, specially in economic and trade fields. ... On March 16, the Iranian Foreign Ministry appointed Darzi Ramandi as the country's new Iranian Ambassador to Slovenia. Darzi Ramandi served as director-general of public diplomacy and media department of the foreign ministry." Uncaptioned image from entry
Karima Rhanem, only Moroccan to take part in Model United Nations in the Balkan: "Ms. Rhanem will be the only guest speaker from Morocco for the opening of the conference and a chair of the simulation of the United Nations General Assembly Disarmament and International security committee (DISEC). ... Klevis Rreshka, Secretary General of Balkan Model United Nations 2014 said: 'we have chosen Karima Rhanem as a guest speaker in the Balkan MUN, because of her spirit to inspire young delegates. Young diplomats like Karima will be an added value to our conference and we are looking forward to learning from her wide experience in youth work and public diplomacy. Her background in cyber security and internet Governance will also help delegates from Balkan Countries to draft resolutions to fight cyber attacks.' For Karima, participating in conferences such as Model United Nations illustrates the important role these public diplomacy conferences play in preparing a new generation of young diplomats who could be their country’s future decision makers." Image from entry, with caption: Moroccan young leader Karima Rhanem will take part in the largest Model United Nations in the Balkan scheduled to take place in
The Daily: Health Diplomacy’s Potential - Michael Ardaiolo, thepublicdiplomat.com. Cites some recent public-diplomacy related articles.
Just Tweet It: You're currently viewing: Linguists - justtweetit.com:
The U.S. Department of State offers careers in foreign affairs with a critical need for U.S. Diplomats in the Management, Consular and Economic career tracks. If you have a desire to live and work overseas, this is the career for you. Visit careers.state.gov. For those interested in anything: international, foreign affairs, diplomacy, government, careers, management, public administration, consular affairs, public affairs, public diplomacy, journalism, service, public service, business, diplomat, foreign service, culture, languages.
Communications and Public Diplomacy Advisor - imaworldhealth.iapplicants.com: "Location: Indonesia ... Duties:Responsible for providing technical advice and support to the Partnership Communication Theme, and develop and implement the Public Diplomacy Plan (covering both communication/visibility) for the AIPMNH. This will include conducting stakeholder analyses and brainstorming sessions for staff to identify and agree upon the project’s key stakeholders, target audiences, messages, preferred spokespersons, and priority outreach activities. In addition, the position will be responsible for developing project communications and a public relations strategy, ensuring proposed activities and outreach are within budget parameters, tasks and timeframes are clearly designated among project staff, and activities closely align with milestones and anticipated results in the work plan."
RELATED ITEMS
Moscow Needs a New Anti-Cosmopolitan Campaign, Russian Historian Says - Paul Goble, Window on Eurasia: One of the darkest pages in Soviet and indeed Russian history was the anti-cosmopolitan campaign Stalin unleashed against everything Western in 1949, a campaign that ultimately focused on the Jews whom the Soviet dictator was planning to deport beyond the Urals at the time of his death. Even those who remain partisans of Stalin and even those who have in recent weeks compiled lists of “national traitors” have generally refrained from praising this campaign because of the emotions it generates if not unfortunately because of the vicious immorality on which it was based. But now a Russian historian, Aleksandr Vdovin, a member of the Russian Academy of Humanitarian Sciences, has celebrated Stalin’s anti-cosmopolitan campaign and argued that the Russian state must renew its struggle against “the propaganda of cosmopolitanism,” something he say is “a threat to the state”
Moving Closer To War - Paul Craig Roberts, paulcraigroberts.org: The Obama regime, wallowing in hubris and arrogance, has recklessly escalated the Ukrainian crisis into a crisis with Russia. Whether intentionally or stupidly, Washington’s propagandistic lies are driving the crisis to war. Unwilling to listen to any more of Washington’s senseless threats, Moscow no longer accepts telephone calls from Obama and US top officials.
Ukraine’s Jews caught in a propaganda war based on the ‘political manipulation of anti-Semitism’ - Graeme Hamilton, news.nationalpost.com: When masked men distributed leaflets last week in the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk advising Jews they needed to register with authorities or face deportation, shivers were felt well beyond Ukraine’s borders.
But regardless of whether the leaflets were a dirty trick aimed at smearing pro-Russian separatists or the hateful handiwork of local fascists, they illustrate how the plight of Jews has become fuel for propaganda in a region with a long, bloody history of anti-Semitism. See also. Image from entry, with caption: Pinchas Vishedski, the Chief Rabbi of Donetsk. Masked men distributed leaflets recently in the eastern Ukraine city advising Jews they needed to register with authorities or face deportation.
Pro-Israel propaganda keeps Americans stupid when it comes to Israel-Palestine - Ray Hanania, thearabdailynews.com: If you really care about Israel, you will stop allowing it to lie and commit war crimes. You will force Israel to live by the Democracy it claims it embraces and force it to recognize Palestine as a Sovereign State.
Israel’s refusal to recognize Palestinian rights, Christian and Muslim, is the stumbling block preventing peace. Israel’s extremist government wants ALL of the land. It doesn’t want peace. Image from entry, with caption: Area C controlled by Israel (red areas) of the West Bank. B’Tselem Human Rights organizations
Ex-minister decries Israel’s ‘Goebbelsian propaganda’: Despite Palestinian readiness, Israelis despair of peace because they have been ‘brainwashed’ by the government, Efraim Sneh says - timesofisrael.com: The Israeli public has been “brainwashed” by its government’s criticism of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas into believing there is no peace partner on the Palestinian side, former deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh. Some Israeli ministers on the right have railed against Abbas, calling him an advocate of terrorism and an anti-Semite.
charged in an interview published over the weekend. Image from entry, with caption: Then-Knesset Member Efraim Sneh presents his party "Strong Israel" at an election campaign event in Tel Aviv, December 16, 2008.
U.S. Mainstream Media Propaganda Setting the Stage for War With Pakistan - marketoracle.co.uk: Attempts to paint Pakistan as a dangerous enemy of the West and a prime candidate for military intervention has been made once again by those in the Western media.
Bulgaria justice minister: EU funds should not be used for propaganda - focus-fen.net: “I call upon all politicians, political parties and independent candidates – please, do not use the EU funds for propaganda,” said Bulgarian Minister of Justice, Zinaida Zlatanova, speaking at a press conference at the Council of Ministers dedicated to the EU funds management in Bulgaria, FOCUS News Agency reporter said.
“You should rather focus on issues such as the migration, environment, climate changes, banking union, social policy, employment in the EU, on how to make the internal market more efficient, the free movement of people and goods,” Zlatanova remarked. “This propaganda probably aims at sweeping something under the carpet, something that happened in the past. There have been mistakes, probably they happen, but my appeal is – do not politicise, do not use this for propaganda,” Zlatanova remarked. Uncaptioned image from entry
Kim Jong-un pictures as a military child are released. Propaganda with chills - Christopher Koulouris, scallywagandvagabond.com: While the images of any adult as a youth may render them human and personable, one can’t help but wonder as they look at the visage of the young Kim Jung-un as he salutes in military stride that this is more about the development of the next eventual leader and dictator who was forever ordained and destined to be his nation’s savior.
The photos affirm the indoctrination of North Korea’s youth and what they ought to be contemplating to be their ultimate aim in life, a zealous devotion to the powers above them with military panache. Image from entry
Kim Jong-Un's Legion of Note-Takers: Photos reveal North Korean dictators latest fad -- visiting various sites with an entourage of officials and generals noting his every word - Israelnationalnews.com:
In them, Kim is seen with an entourage of note-takers while with a unit of female soldiers, at a fishery station, talking to a pilot, and visiting a renovated youth camp.
Using the Foreign to Grasp the Familiar: Writing in English, Novelists Find Inventive New Voices - William Grimes, New York Times: The enormous power of English, guaranteed by America’s economic might and the residual influence of the former British Empire, makes it a default literary language. But not all the traffic flows in one direction.
AMERICAN SOFT POWER AT WORK IN RUSSIA?
--Via VZ on Facebook
AMERICANA
Via AGG on Faacebook
MORE AMERICANA
Welcoming Love at an Older Age, but Not Necessarily Marriage - Stanely Luxenberg, New York Times: Americans have long been retreating from marriage.
While more people of all ages are living together, the growth of unmarried couples is fastest among the older segment of the population. In 2010, 2.8 million people aged 50 and over cohabited, up from 1.2 million in 2000, according to the United States Census Bureau. For many, the decision to remain single is a matter of money. Image from
AND MORE AMERICANA
Rarely One for Sugarcoating: Kara Walker Creates a Confection at the Domino Refinery - Blake Gopnik, New York Times: Rising to the rafters and stretching 75 feet from paws to rump is a great sphinx, demure as her Egyptian cousin but glowing from a recent sugar coating. It is a sight so unlikely it seems Photoshopped. Kara Walker, the beast’s creator, appears dwarfed by her almost-finished colossus, an ode to the cane fields’ black labor that she has chosen to make grotesquely white. She has titled it “A Subtlety” — after the intricate sugar sculptures that were centerpieces for medieval feasts — even though it is absurdly unsubtle. Its subtitle is “The Marvelous Sugar Baby, an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World.”
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