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For the love of Earth, stop traveling

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Image from article, with caption:  An illustration of plane pollution. (The WorldPost) By Jack Miles, The Washington Post , November 2, 2017 According to former U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres, we have only three years left in which to “ bend the emissions curve downward ” and forestall a terrifying cascade of climate-related catastrophes, much worse than what we’re already experiencing. Realistically, is there anything that you or I can do as individuals to make a significant difference in the short time remaining? The answer is yes, and the good news is it won’t cost us a penny. It will actually save us money, and we won’t have to leave home to do it. Staying home, in fact, is the essence of making a big difference in a big hurry. That’s because nothing that we do pumps carbon dioxide into the atmosphere faster than air travel. Cancel a couple long flights, and you can halve your carbon footprint. Schedule a couple, and you can double or triple it.  A...
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Blast from the Past: USIA Director Edward Morrow urges a black astronaut on the Apollo moon mission...

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Jill Lepore, "Fifty Years Ago We Landed on the Moon. Why Should We Care Now?" The New York Times , June 23, 2019  Excerpt: The seemingly unintended consequences of developing technologies that would take men to the moon were not top of mind in the Kennedy administration, mainly because a lot of those consequences were intended: Rockets can carry weapons, too, and everything learned on the moon mission had military applications, even if NASA was a civilian agency. If not worried about the legacy of conquest and the future of war, the Kennedy and Johnson administrations were concerned, very concerned, with the civil rights movement. Edward R. Murrow, who had left CBS to take a post [as head of a " public diplomacy " [JB emphasis] agency, the United States Information Agency , image from known overseas as the United States Information Service)] with the Kennedy administration, urged the president to include a black astronaut on the moon mission: “I see no r...
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Meridian International Center Launches Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council to Advance the Global Arts for Greater Understanding In Time of Great Divide

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New Council builds on Meridian’s 60-year legacy of advancing the arts and culture as tools of diplomacy to bridge divides and connect communities around the world. Image (not from entry) from , with caption: "Two Historic Houses for Your Next Event"; image also from  ( https://www.meridian.org/rental/ ) WASHINGTON ( PRWEB ) June 13, 2019 [JB copy below from original entry,  which has a different format, due to technical reason] The Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy has launched the Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council, a platform and network for leaders and institutions to strengthen the role of arts and culture in diplomacy around the world. The formation of the Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council builds on Meridian’s 60-year legacy of advancing the arts and culture as tools of diplomacy to bridge divides and connect communities around the world.  “Culture is a universal language that articulates a country’s unique heritage and artistic expression,...
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Speaking Of Asia: When the French go marching in

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Ravi Velloor, Associate Editor, straitstimes.com , June 14, 2019 [JB: full text of article available only through a subscription] Image (not from article) from, under the title "Shangri-La: Chinese Defense Minister Talks Tough on South China Sea, Taiwan"  Excerpt: The French and other Europeans, too, are flagging their worries about China's rise and shifting their security policies accordingly in Asia. This year's edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue deservedly focused much attention on China's Defence Minister, who was putting in an appearance at the premier regional security dialogue after having been represented by lower-ranking delegates the past eight years. Without question, General Wei Fenghe delivered for his country, producing a speech that can only be described as a masterclass in public diplomacy [JB emphasis]. His plenary address relayed confidence and resolve, and even if a lot of it was meant for his home audience, it did impress the civil...
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‘Voice of Conscience’ premiered in Washington

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en.prothomalo.com Voice of Conscience image from The Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, DC organised the premiere of documentary 'Voice of Conscience' by eminent journalist and human rights activist Shahriar Kabir in the USA on Monday. The premiere was held as a part of the public diplomacy initiative to realise the recognition of Bangladesh's genocide of 1971 and build awareness thereof. Members of Washington-based scholars, media personalities, diplomats and officials from the US administration, including the state department and members of Bangladesh diaspora, were present, said the embassy on Tuesday. The 64-minute documentary, which recorded witnesses and voice of the members of Pakistan civil society, politicians, journalists, poets, former military officials, and human rights activists vividly depicted the horrendous crimes of genocide inflicted on the unarmed people in Bangladesh by the Pakistani military and their local cohorts during the War of Lib...
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Public diplomacy in action: " Kozak Mamay" settled in Cyprus

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Public diplomacy in action : "Kozak Mamay" settled in Cyprus 25 April, 10:32 A photo report about the official opening ceremony in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus of the decorative monument with elements of the Petrykivka painting - "Kozak Mamai" (author - Ukrainian artist Galina NAZARENKO). Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nikos Christodulides and Ambassador of Ukraine Mr. Borys Humeniuk took part in the solemn opening ceremony. [see below on Kozak Mamai] 25 April, 10:32 A photo report about the official opening ceremony in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus of the decorative monument with elements of the Petrykivka painting - "Kozak Mamai" (author - Ukrainian artist Galina NAZARENKO). Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nikos Christodulides and Ambassador of Ukraine Mr. Borys Humeniuk took part in the solemn opening ceremony. *** ...
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Announcing Ann Stock as Meridian's New Board of Trustees Chair

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News Release,  meridian.org Media Contact: Megan Devlin | (202) 939 5550 | mdevlin@meridian.org June 13, 2019 Meridian International Center The Honorable Ann Stock announced as new Chair of Meridian International Center's Board of Trustees. (Photo by Stephen Bobb) Washington, D.C. – Meridian International Center today announced that The Honorable Ann Stock has been elected as Chair of its Board of Trustees, effective June 13, 2019. Stock succeeds The Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who served as Chair of the Board since 2013. Meridian is a non-partisan diplomatic and global leadership institution that strengthens U.S. engagement with the world through the exchange of leaders, culture and ideas [JB emphasis] . Stock has served as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees since 2015 and has extensive experience in both the public and private sector. She previously served as Assistant Secretary o...
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