Surprises on the press freedoms’ map

This map (via pedroelrey on Tumblr) is food for thought, about international press freedoms:    Those of us who enjoy a free press need to use it and not take it for granted. We might not always like what’s being said, but we should embrace the fact that we can say it at all.   […]

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Toyota’s troubles stem from forgetting its principles

I was surprised to learn that Toyota still has not issued a worldwide recall of its troublesome Prius NHW30 model, even though one had gone out in New Zealand.    In layman’s terms, the brakes allegedly don’t work when you want them to. In more complex terms, the software has trouble distinguishing between different types […]

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The small things spoil the flight

We might get critical over the upcoming uniforms, but the service on Air New Zealand that I experienced was very good. The staff was brilliant (deserving of whatever award was given to them), and the personal screens remain a lifesaver for in-air boredom. (I was surprised that Lufthansa, an airline I used to enjoy flying, […]

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Learned misbehaviours

Preparing for one of my Swedish speeches, I came across this, which I delivered in India in December 2008: If you ever get to read Michael Lewis’s writings about the US financial industry, you’ll learn that a lot of people within there do not know what they are doing or why they are doing it. […]

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The “other” Tsang Tsou Choi biography

I can’t find much by way of biography for artist Tsang Tsou Choi (曾灶財), the self-titled ‘King of Kowloon’ (九龍皇帝), but the following gives a good summary about how most feel about him:    Since his death, some of his work has been destroyed by the Hong Kong authorities, though others have been preserved. (Initially, […]

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Steve McQueen, advertising spokesman, 1980 to date

Found on Pete’s Tumblr today. Can you believe it’s been 30 years since the man died? A few weeks later, John Lennon was murdered. Very enjoyable, though I still like the old Ford Puma ad from a decade ago: My American friends prefer a later Steve McQueen ad promoting the Mustang:    I still think […]

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Google’s rethink on Red China: you can’t stop the Chinese people

If I were Google, would I have entered Red China with the censored version of Google.cn, hiding things from the Chinese people for the sake of money? In February 2006, I blogged about this very issue and concluded, ‘No.’    Obeying the law is one thing. Providing the people with slanted views to prop up […]

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Getting a good laugh over the Jennifer Hawkins nude cover non-story

This whole Jennifer Hawkins nude cover story has been another media-concocted non-story. But I will give it some kudos: it influenced Australian celebrity dialogue for a week, and it shows that Murdochs still have some sway over public opinion.    We knew about it at Lucire, and thought: OK, a radio presenter doesn’t like the […]

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Medinge announces seventh annual Brands with a Conscience awards

The Medinge Group has announced the 2010 Brands with a Conscience winners, and we’ll be presenting the awards at the end of the month in Paris. The release is below.    Can you believe we’ve done this for seven years now?    I was particularly stoked about the awards going to Selco and Muna Abu […]

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A new website and Facebook fan page for my mayoral campaign

Four years ago, I asked readers of the Beyond Branding Blog if they wanted to see me blog at my own space. The responses were all positive, and this blog was born.    Earlier tonight, after being egged on by two friends, I posed the question on Twitter and Facebook: should there be a ‘Jack […]

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