Interesting

If Women Ruled the World

Fox News geography lesson: Hamid Soryan won gold for Iran in Greco-Roman wrestling. He’s from Iran.

Facepalm.

[gawker]

Abbas hurting himself. By Alex Fishman

(Sotto voce: Tell me who your friends are… The support for Saadam after Iraq invasion to Kuwait - all over again.)

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ planned trip to Iran convention alienating every ally

Mahmoud Abbas misses no Mideastern opportunity to fall into a pothole. What can you say, the man simply has no luck. He had a terrible year: Every international, regional or domestic initiative he touched has collapsed.

Now, he arranged a new pothole for himself in the form of a presidential announcement that he is travelling to an Iran convention, on the invitation of the Iranian deputy foreign minister. Yet there’s one minor matter Abbas failed to notice: The chances that this convention, scheduled for August 30th, will indeed take place is very low.

The Iranians are trying to convene it as the historic forum of the non-aligned states, yet too many states prefer not to align themselves with Iran. For example, there is a dispute between Iran and Gulf states about the very notion of holding the event in Tehran. Yet who rushes to announce that he is traveling? Abbas. Even if the convention is ultimately held, it is doubtful that heads of state will be arriving. There is a chance, if at all, that lower ranking officials will be coming. Yet the Palestinians are already sending their president.

With the very declaration that he will be travelling to the Tehran convention, which may not even be held, Abbas is not only providing ammunition to those who object to talks with the Palestinians; he manages to annoy every ally and body that helps and donates to the Palestinian Authority. The PA receives an economic backwind from Mideastern princes and kings who despise the Iranians and fear them. It enjoys American funds, infrastructure and sympathy, and of course, the support of the Quartet – which includes the Western European states at the heart of the sanctions against Iran. So why is Abbas doing it? Because he is very weak and frustrated.

Economic troubles

Abbas is fighting for his regime’s legitimacy in the face of world states. Hence, he will show up in every forum where he can make it clear that he is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The PA and Hamas have not held elections for long years, so his legitimacy is doubted even by parts of the Palestinian people. The Iranians, by the way, would certainly prefer to see an Islamist representative in the convention as the Palestinian people’s legitimate rep.

This year, the Palestinian Authority sustained another blow: The economic blow. The distress is so great that this month salaries won’t be paid there, and the PA even asked Israel to provide guarantees so that the Palestinians can get international loans. Abbas’ economic weakness leads him to Tehran, in the hopes of raising funds from non-aligned states. Should he succeed, the visit may ultimately pay off.

The Iran visit is a sort of provocation on Abbas’ part: I’m here, don’t ignore me. One can make a big deal out of it or just ignore it – Israel would do well not to blow this affair out of proportion. After all, the man is so weak. Meanwhile, the Arab world is not interested in it. What interests the Arab world in the context of the convention in Tehran is whether Egyptian President Morsi will travel to Iran. Should that happen, this would have far-reaching diplomatic significance.

Humour: Reasons for Sensitivity Training for Men

· I was devastated to find out my wife was having an affair but, by turning to religion, I was soon able to come to terms with the whole thing. I converted to Islam, and we’re stoning her in the morning!

· My wife suggested I get myself one of those penis enlargers, so I did. She’s 25 and her name is Kathy.

· Went to our local bar with my girlfriend last night. Locals were shouting “pedophile!” and other names at me, just because my girlfriend is 24 and I’m 50. It completely spoiled our 10th anniversary.

· My son was thrown out of school today for letting a girl in his class give him a hand-job. I said “Son, that’s three schools this year! You’d better stop before you’re banned from teaching altogether.”

· The cost of living has now gotten so bad that my wife is having sex with me because she can’t afford batteries.

· I was explaining to my wife last night that when you die you get reincarnated, but must come back as a different creature. She said she would like to come back as a cow. I said, “You obviously haven’t been listening.”

· My wife has been missing a week now. The police said to prepare for the worst. So, I had to go down to Goodwill to get all of her clothes back.

Humour: excuses

“Now class, I won’t tolerate any excuses for you not being there tomorrow.
I might consider a serious personal injury or illness, or a death in your immediate family - but that’s it, no other excuses whatsoever.”
A wise guy in the back of the room raises his hand and asks, “What if I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?”
The entire class does its best to stifle their laughter and snickering.

When silence is restored, the teacher smiles sympathetically at the student, shakes her head, and sweetly says, “Well, I guess you’d have to write the exam with your other hand.”

Why Women Can’t Sleep

Have you ever wondered how a woman’s brain works? Well, it’s finally explained here in one, easy-to-understand illustration. Each of those little balls is a thought about something that needs to be done, a decision to make, or a problem that needs to be solved:

A man has only 2 balls. They consume all his thoughts, and he sleeps like a baby.

Ashton Kutcher Shows Many Faces in Popchips Ad Campaign

By STUART ELLIOTT

Ashton Kutcher, who serves as the “president of pop culture” for the snack brand Popchips, will appear in a new ad campaign in four personas including this guy, a hippie named Nigel.

Ashton Kutcher appears as an Indian character named Raj in a Popchips ad.

Ashton Kutcher is an Indian character named Raj in one Popchips ad.

On CBS, Ashton Kutcher is a star of “Two and a Half Men.” In a new campaign for Popchips snacks, he will play four men.

The campaign, scheduled to be under way on Wednesday morning, features Mr. Kutcher’s portrayal of four different comedic personalities, all of them, natch, fans of Popchips. Mr. Kutcher has been involved with marketing Popchips since he was named the brand’s “president of pop culture” in 2010.

During that time, he has done some brand work that included video clips that can be viewed on YouTube. The new ad campaign represents the first for Popchips in which he plays a central role.

The campaign, with a budget estimated at $1.5 million, will include video, outdoor ads and social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. The social media outlets should be no surprise in light of Mr. Ashton’s reputation as a social media master.

The campaign is being developed by Mr. Kutcher, Popchips and an advertising agency named Zambesi. Alison Brod Public Relations is handling the public relations duties.

“It’s been great working with Ashton,” Keith Belling, chief executive at Popchips Inc. in San Francisco, said in a phone interview, “and as a social brand, we’ve had a lot of social engagement.”

“Now, it’s time to take it to the next level,” Mr. Belling said, with an ad campaign that would provide “more reach.”

The underpinning of the campaign is the love that Popchips customers have for the brand, so the campaign has a dating theme and is being called “World Wide Lovers.”

The initial video is styled like a dating video and Mr. Kutcher appears as the four characters: Darl, a diva; Nigel, a hippie; Raj, an optimist who is Indian; and Swordfish, a sweet biker. Each character’s search for love is paired with a particular flavor of Popchips.

Mr. Kutcher also appears in character in the outdoor ads, some of which are about product attributes.

For instance, he is Nigel the stoner on a sign that reads “Never baked, but perfect if you are,” and he is Darl the fierce on a sign that reads “Fried is so last season.”

The outdoor ads are to appear in markets like Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle.

Stuart Elliott has been the advertising columnist at The New York Times since 1991.

Michael Norton: How to buy happiness

At TEDxCambridge, Michael Norton shares fascinating research on how money can, indeed buy happiness — when you don’t spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people.

Through clever studies, Michael Norton studies how we feel about what we buy and spend. Full bio »

Oldie: The Parrot

On reaching his plane seat a man is surprised to see a parrot strapped in next to him. He asks the stewardess for a coffee where upon the parrot squawks “And get me a whisky you cow!” The stewardess, flustered, brings back a whisky for the parrot and forgets the coffee.

When this omission is pointed out to her the parrot drains its glass and bawls “And get me another whisky you idiot”. Quite upset, the girl comes back shaking with another whisky but still no coffee.
Unaccustomed to such slackness the man tries the parrot’s approach “I’ve asked you twice for a coffee, go and get it now or I’ll kick you”.
The next moment, both he and the parrot have been wrenched up and thrown out of the emergency exit by two burly stewards.

Plunging downwards the parrot turns to him and says “For someone who can’t fly, you complain too much!”

Humour: a tiff with O’Riley

Kelly walked into a pub one afternoon looking all banged up. “My God, Kelly! What happened to you?” the barman asked.

“I got in a tiff with O’Riley,” Kelly answered.

“O;Riley?” the barman exclaimed, surprised. “How could he have done this to you? He’s not but a wee fellow!”

“That he is,” Kelly replied.

“He must have had something in his hand then,” the barman mused.

“Aye, that he did,” Kelly said. “A shovel it was, and a terrible lickin’ he gave me with it.”

“Dear Lord!” the barman exclaimed. “Didn’t you have anything in your hand?”

“Indeed I did,” Kelly replied. “Mrs. O’Riley’s left breast…and ‘twas a thing of beauty, for sure. All but useless in a fight though!”

If you’re stealing a parking spot, be prepared for the creative consequences

The first lady of Syria (Asma Al-Assad أسماء الأسد‎) describing the Israel-Hamas conflict with an overlay of the current Bashar Al-Assad regime treatment of its own citizens.

טול קורה מבין עיניך - The pot calling the kettle black

Oldie: lies

A clergyman was walking down the street when he came  upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12  years of age.

The group surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys  were hurting the dog, he went over and asked “What are you doing with  that dog?”

One of the boys replied, “This dog is just an old  neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take  him home. So we’ve decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog.”

Of course, the reverend was taken aback. “You boys shouldn’t be having a contest telling lies!” he exclaimed. He  then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, “Don’t  you boys know it’s a sin to lie,” and ending with, “Why, when I  was your age, I never told a lie.”

There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was  beginning to think he’d gotten through to them, the  smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, “All right, give him the
dog.”

Oldie: Witicisms

When blondes have more fun do they know it?

If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.

We are born naked, wet and hungry.
Then things get worse.

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

Vanity Check: as of “Wed Nov 2 09:00:18 JST 2011” this blog had -

visitors from 72 countries:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam.

not have visitors from 174 countries:

Afghanistan, Aland Islands, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Iceland, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jersey, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, Norfolk Island, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Russian Federation, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, The Bahamas, The Gambia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

All 246 countries are:

Afghanistan, Aland Islands, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palesinian Territory, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Bahamas, The Gambia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.