The Times Online reports, "The transformation of the geeky but ambitious Christian Martin Jozefowicz, who just a few years ago was growing up in a modest terraced house in Godalming, Surrey, to the charming, baby-faced multimillionaire Christian Bailey now rubbing shoulders with some of the most powerful figures in Washington - and who next year will probably face questions on Capitol Hill about his company - is one of the more extraordinary stories to have emerged from the Iraq war. This month it was revealed that Mr Bailey’s US company, the Lincoln Group, was the recipient of a Pentagon contract to help to fight the information war in Iraq. It then emerged that the company was paying Iraqi journalists to plant optimistic news 'stories' in Iraqi papers that had been written by the US military."

Japan recently lifted the ban it placed on U.S. beef after the 2003 discovery of mad cow disease in America. This prion disease has killed more than 150 people worldwide and is spread among cattle by feeding them slaughterhouse waste byproducts. Yet the U.S. livestock industry continues this lucrative practice, and the U.S. government refuses to institute food safety testing of beef. The New York Times quotes CMD's John Stauber, co-author of Mad Cow USA, saying, "From the standpoint of human and animal safety this is a disastrous decision by the Japanese. They have taken a huge step backward." The U.S. Meat Export Federation has launched a PR campaign to win back Japanese consumers, who surveys show do not trust U.S. beef. The campaign includes "advertisements, trade shows, town hall educational meetings and endorsements from Japanese who eat U.S. beef." For example, White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi "credits power to launch his 1,000 career hits and score 14 home runs in his rookie season to U.S. beef."

"The U.S. State Department announced yesterday it was suspending publication of Hi Magazine, its glossy, monthly attempt to win the hearts and minds of young Arabs, part of a communications troika it established following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. ... The magazine had been derided by commentators in the Arab world as 'schlock'' or 'brainwashing'' and one had dubbed it the CIA's official publication. The decision to suspend publication was made by Karen Hughes, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy ... The U.S. government has been spending $4.5 million (U.S.) annually since July 2003, trying to bring its own particular take on American life to a target Arab demographic aged 18-35. Along with Al Hurra TV and Radio Sawa, Hi was a three-pronged $62 million (U.S.) annual effort to counter anti-Americanism in countries such as Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and others."