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Being cynical: Julian Assange, Eric Schmidt, and the year's weirdest book -...

Being cynical: Julian Assange, Eric Schmidt, and the year's weirdest bookIn 'The New Digital Age' we learn what happens when Google stops being polite and starts getting realBy Joseph L. Flatley, The...

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How does USG internet snooping jibe with "internet freedom"?

How does USG internet snooping overseas jibe with the State Department proclaimed "Internet Freedom"? A question to consider, not yet asked so far as I can tell in the U.S. media, if we Americans wish...

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Chinese soft power: more Huntington than Nye?

Line 21 ProjectAnalysing developments in 21st century Chinese propaganda, media control, public diplomacy and soft power. Visit us at www.line21project.orgChinese soft power: more Huntington than Nye?...

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June 8-10 Public Diplomacy Review

"The reason Americans don't trust others' propaganda is because theirs comes so naturally to them. Today, they call it 'soft power.'"--A valued PDPBR subscriber; image fromBIBLIOGRAPHYBruce Gregory’s...

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Please, Mr. Brooks, say the "B" word once more; I didn't hear it ...

FROM: The Solitary Leaker, By DAVID BROOKS, New York Times"For society to function well, there have to be basic levels of trust and cooperation, a respect for institutions and deference to common...

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The Era of Metadata

Peggy Noonan's BlogDaily declarations from the Wall Street Journal columnist.The Era of MetadataJun 8, 2013Five blunt thoughts on the growing surveillance state:1. The thing political figures fear most...

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Ghoti

Ghoti is a constructed word used to illustrate irregularities in English spelling. It is a respelling of the word fish: i.e., it is supposed to be pronounced /ˈfɪʃ/. It comprises these phonemes:gh,...

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Salaries, Spooks, and Ambassadors

This is the not very inspiring tale of a conscience-stricken technical contractor and of often morally weary diplomats -- a tale put in very down-to-earth terms: how much each of these employees get...

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June 10-11 Public Diplomacy Review

"[T]he embassy employs two social workers to mediate roommate conflicts."  --Domani Spero,"US Mission Iraq: Twelve Things You Might Not Know About the Largest Embassy in the World," DiploPundit; image...

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Would you use an apostrophe here?

Ethnic cleansing against minorities is more likely to occur under a rebel-led government than under Mr. Assad; likewise, the possibility of chemical weapons’ falling into the hands of terrorist groups...

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Five myths about privacy

Five myths about privacyBy Daniel J. Solove, Washington Post, June 13Daniel J. Solove is a law professor at George Washington University, the founder of the privacy and data-security training company...

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Bluffdale, Utah - one of the NSA homes; is someone being ironic?

"Bluffdale, Utah" --The location of NSA's mammoth data center; definition of bluff:  "1. To mislead or deceive. 2. To impress, deter, or intimidate by a false display of confidence."On Bluffdale, see;...

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June 13-15 Public Diplomacy Review

"Secrecy is also an important part of public diplomacy."--Journalist and former military analyst Joshua Foust; image fromPUBLICATIONPublic Diplomacy Magazine: Current Issue Summer 2013 - The Pacific...

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A neuro­endocrinologist observes monkeys to understand female sexuality ...

"In the 1970s, a psychologist and neuro­endocrinologist [JB comment: Is that a sex boy toy?] named Kim Wallen noticed that the sexual behavior of rhesus monkeys was affected by the size of their cages....

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With exposure to babies, rodent dads’ brains, like moms’, become wired for...

With exposure to babies, rodent dads’ brains, like moms’, become wired for nurtureBy Brigid Schulte, Washington Post Published: June 15Unlike the male pundits, politicians and even financiers who’ve...

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Why Facebook reminds me of a Catholic confessional ...

It occurred to me today, as I was completing my Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review (banned in China and in Google-USA under that heading), that Facebook is the internet version of the Catholic...

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Big Data Hasn't Changed Everything

Big Data Hasn't Changed Everything: Technology has a long way to go in mapping the variables of human life - Philip Delves Broughton, Wall Street Journal The more I hear the term "big data," the more...

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Kafka, the BBG, and U.S. Public Diplomacy

Not long after the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, declared that the Broadcasting Board of Governors (an independent federal agency supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian...

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And now we have ... Kung Fu diplomacy

From: Chinese Martial Arts in the News: July 1, 2013: New Documentaries, “Enter the Dragon” Turns 40 and Ip Man Comes out on Top - BenJudkins, chinesemartialstudies.com"1. The Traditional Chinese...

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July 1-2 Public Diplomacy Review

--Texas bumper sticker; image fromFELLOWSHIPSAtlas Corps: The Atlas Corps Fellowship is a 12-18 month professional fellowship offered three times a year for nonprofit leaders from around the world....

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