letting someone else have your way
November 16, 2011 3 Comments
Ready to discuss?
Italian fashion house United Colours of Benetton has launched a shock and awe advertising campaign called Unhate to boost its lagging brand recognition. Not a huge deal, just a bunch of unauthorized doctored photos of world leaders kissing each other on the lips. Obama smooching Hugo Chávez, for example.
via World leaders smooch in Benetton ads – By Russell Tepper | FP Passport.
June 13, 2011 Leave a comment
Ferris Bueller is a “symbol,” not a “leader of men.” Hmmm. Siegel makes the case–citing Caleb Crain in the Paris Review and George Will.
“It is hard to imagine a ranker example of a son trapped in a false, compliant self by his shyness of conflict,” Cain writes. “The viewer is distracted from this character flaw by the frequent confessions that Ferris shares across the fourth wall; he always seems to be telling the truth to us, even if he isn’t telling it to anyone else in the movie.” A leader of men would actually fess up to his friends and family. Ferris never does.
via Get Over ‘Ferris Bueller,’ Everyone – Alan Siegel – Entertainment – The Atlantic.
And now for something completely different:
March 6, 2011 Leave a comment
Nothing beats an evening with the kids watching Megamind (David Cross as the fish-friend atop a robot-gorilla) … but this is a close second.
December 24, 2010 Leave a comment
The FSO blog Life After Jerusalem calmly notes that he “can not confirm wither this is a State Department cable” but this clearly belongs in the public domain. Key excerpts:
SUCRET NOFROST
To: SECSTATE WASHDC
From: AMEMBASSY NORTHPOLEINFO: AMEMBASSY FRANZ JOSEF LANDAMEMBASSY NUUKAMEMBASSY LONGYEARBYENAMCONSUL NORDJTF WRANGEL ISLANDNORTH POLE COLLECTIVE
TAGS: OVIP, ECON, PREL, PSANTA, XMAS, HOHOHO,
SUBJECT: Upcoming Arctic Negotiations – Background for USDEL
(SU/NF) Negotiations scheduled for December 16 in [location redacted] represent an important opportunity for the USG to improve relations with a globally influential Northern neighbor while increasing the delivery of child-oriented luxury/leisure goods to the United States. This cable provides background information on the North Pole’s enigmatic leader and his policies. …
THE INNER CIRCLE: THE WIFE AND THE ELVES
(SU/NF) Claus has reportedly surrounded himself with a small group of sycophantic advisors. We hear from contacts that no dissent is tolerated. Claus’s wife (Mrs. Claus) is widely seen as “the real power behind the toy bag.” Also influential is a my sterious figure referred to only by his first name: Rudolf. Claus frequently seeks “guidance” from this person. Post has not had contact with him, but the name does raise the prospect of Russian influence. Other influential advisors reportedly include staffers named Donner and Prancer. Claus’s relationship with an aide nick-named “Vixen” has raised eyebrows in conservative, traditional North Pole society and has caused unsubstantiated rumors of personal indiscretion. …
COMMENT
(SU/NF) Long considered the alpha dog of the high north, Claus has a complex personality that mixes a strong ego, a desire to be the center of attention, and a burning desire for adoration and celebrity. He is a very challenging diplomatic interlocutor. While he has his flaws, Post believes that Claus will be in power for many centuries to come. Like him or not, we believe that Santa Claus is a leader we can and should work with.
via Life After Jerusalem.
August 17, 2010 Leave a comment
Good ol’ American fun…and a little bit creepy on the privacy side.
Overview: From the Congo to Azerbaijan and the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Army, “Official Plates” is an easy-to-use reference application that allows its users to quickly and accurately identify Diplomatic and U.S. Government license plates. Diplomatic license plates are issued by the United States Department of State to accredited diplomats. If you have ever been on either coast of the United States, you constantly run across these cars bearing diplomatic license plates. The license plates are coded so that you can tell what country the plates are issued to. Additionally, contained in this application are U.S. Government license plate codes. Listed are all GSA (General Services Administration) codes, along with Federal Government plate designators. Official Plates is ideal for the average enthusiast, anyone with pure curiosity or anyone needing the information for job-related purposes. It is quick and easy to use. In an effort to make the application as accurate as possible, please contact me with any ideas or comments. * An instructional YouTube video clip will be made available soon * ** Content is updated as updates are released **
via Official Plates 1.1 (Mobile), from SRG – Software Downloads – TechRepublic.
June 8, 2010 2 Comments
This is what happens when you attend too many meeting of international organizations and don’t see results. Gideon Rachman of FT.com’s rachmanblog has made his bid to write for the Onion in posting this ‘string of cliches” forwarded to him by his colleague, Alan Beattie–and re-posted in Daniel Drezner’s Foreign Affairs blog, as well, today:
By reporters everywhere
An ineffectual international organisation yesterday issued a stark warning about a situation it has absolutely no power to change, the latest in a series of self-serving interventions by toothless intergovernmental bodies.
“We are seriously concerned about this most serious outbreak of seriousness,” said the head of the institution, either a former minister from a developing country or a mid-level European or American bureaucrat. “This is a wake-up call to the world. They must take on board the vital message that my organisation exists.”
The director of the body, based in one of New York, Washington or an agreeable Western European city, was speaking at its annual conference, at which ministers from around the world gather to wring their hands impotently
about the most fashionable issue of the day. The organisation has sought to justify its almost completely fruitless existence by joining its many fellow talking-shops in highlighting whatever crisis has recently gained most coverage in the global media.“Governments around the world must come together to combat whatever this year’s worrying situation has turned out to be,” the director said. “It is not yet time to panic, but if it goes on much further without my institution gaining some credit for sounding off on the issue, we will be justified in labelling it a crisis.”
The organisation, whose existence the White House barely acknowledges and to which hardly any member government intends to give more money or extra powers, has long been fighting a war of attrition against its own irrelevance. By making a big deal out of the fact that the world’s most salient topical issue will be placed on its agenda and then issuing a largely derivative annual report on the subject, it hopes to convey the entirely erroneous impression that it has any influence whatsoever on the situation.
The intervention follows a resounding call to action in the communiqué of the Group of [number goes here] countries at their recent summit in a remote place no-one had previously heard of. The G[number goes here] meeting was preceded by the familiar interminable and inconclusive discussions about whether the G[number goes here] was sufficiently representative of the international community, or whether it should be expanded into a G[number plus 1, 2 or higher goes here] including China, India or any other scary emerging market country that attendees cared to name.
The story was given further padding by a study from an
ambulance-chasing Washington think-tank, which warned that it would continue to convene media conference calls until its quixotic and politically suicidal plan to ameliorate whatever crisis was gathering had been given respectful though substantially undeserved attention.Ends
via The G8: How to write about pointless international organisations | Gideon Rachman’s Blog | FT.com.
March 2, 2010 Leave a comment
Experience the thrill of collective action? Missing an enforcement mechanism? How about those rockets! Seven stand together or fail alone.
Believe it or not it’s been 30 years since the classic game Missile Command has hit the arcade. In celebration of the milestone Atari has partnered with web game portal OMGPOP to create a 7 player co-op version of the game that’s completely free.
via Co-Optimus – News: Atari Launches Free Co-Op Version of Missile Command.
December 16, 2009 Leave a comment
A little dash o’ the Onion stress-relieving finals week geography–and another good reason to break out Our Dumb World for a primer, if you don’t have it handy, already… all courtesy of Google Reader and former Model UN TA extraordinaire Channing Hancock, soon to be “Sister” en route to the MTC tomorrow am (what will we do for the next 18 months?!):
KARUNCHI, SNAKISTAN—Citing crumbling relations due to years of protracted french-onion diplomacy, the president of the Central Asian doritocracy Fritolaysia withdrew the country’s ambassadors from Snakistan Monday.
Enlarge Image Fritolaysia Cuts Off Chiplomatic Relations With Snakistan
“We have been supplying the people of Snakistan with pre-packaged consumable goods for over 40 years, and for them to show resistance to our savory products is unacceptable,” Fritolaysian President Barbbaku Chedar said, referring to Snakistani officials’ unwillingness to adhere to Fritolaysia’s zesty new initiative introduced during a between-meals conference at last week’s international-trading summit held in München, Germany.
“Fritolaysia has no choice but to crumple up and throw away all chiplomatic ties with the greedy, gluttonous government of Snakistan,” Chedar added.
via Fritolaysia Cuts Off Chiplomatic Relations With Snakistan | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source.
October 21, 2009 Leave a comment
In case you miss Spamalot in NY, a little more Spam for ya’– not too much to do with diplomacy, unless you mean the Department of Silly Walks.
via Television – Monty Python – Still On Comedy’s Flying Trapeze – NYTimes.com.
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