Why do we insist on using athletes to front products they’re clearly not interested in or relevant to? Yes, I ended that sentence on a prepostition. Shut up.

I’m talking about Herschel Gibbs fronting KFC, when he should be the spokesman for some alcohol brand. Or The Beast trying to convince us that he likes a certain brand of razor. Or Bryan Habana asking you to give him five for germ-free hands.

Seriously. Who buys this crap? They’re not even coached properly (see what I did there?) when it comes to delivering the pitch. And that’s because they don’t care! They’re just there for the cheque.

And that’s where the real problem lies: at what point do these guys decide that their integrity is up for sale? Yes, sport is a business, but damn it, isn’t there any decency or self-respect left anywhere?

Don’t believe me? Then check out this piece of celluloid horror, scraped from the bottom of the barrel (the outside, not the inside):

It’s just embarrassing. John Smit is an affable bloke. I’ve seen the press interviews and even post-match, he’s more articulate than his meat-puppet performance in that ad. And just to put it into real perspective, that’s the guy who captains our national rugby team, punting a bloody cellular reseller. Sad really, when you consider how many kids identify him as a role-model.

As I acknowledged before, sport is a business. So by all means, punt away. But for the love of yellow chickens, could you at least do it with some integrity? Put your name on something you believe in as opposed to something that pays your mortgage. It worked for Michael Jordan, Shaq, Beckham…

So what’s the cost of your integrity?

E soare si 15 grade C la sfarsitu’ lui noimbrie.E bine asa,da parca era mai fain daca si ningea.Stau 6 zile acasa si primele doua au fost cam aiurea,tot plictiseala,tot acelasi cacat,badly need a chaaange.Macar e si ceva bun,cu tot valul asta de plictiseala ma culturalizez mai mult,citesc mai mult/zi decat citeam cand ma duceam la scoala,a si nenea Dostoievski e un geniuuuu,mad genius! Crima si pedeapsa urca usor si cu pasi repezi pe locul 1 al topului meu de carti citite si sunt ceva la numar.Oricum Dosto’ bate orice “mare scriitor” contemporan gen,Coelho,Brown,Rowling,Stephenie Mayer,alde astia cu best-seller-uri actuale.Ii bate ca pe bebelusi la fundulet,deci recomand neaparat Crima si pedeapsa lui Dostoievski.Pe de alta parte,ca cinefil ce sunt,pot sustine exact ce am scris mai sus si pot adresa aceleasi cuvinte de lauda si regizorului Quentin Tarantino cu Inglariuous Basterds,da frate,asa se face un film! E nebun si filmul si regizorul,recomand din inima celor ce stiu sa aprecieze capodoperele cinematografiei,si celor ce au dat cu prezentu’ la premiera Twilight:New Moon,le urez un mare “Duceti-va dracului,ca ne-am saturat de voi!”.Si fiindca tot am discutat de “viciile” astea ale mele,si le-am alaturat,pot spune ca au si reactii adverse,ca in cazul meu,ce s-au soldat cu lentile de -0.5 ))),fuck that!

Oricum,toate sunt bine in mare,vreau mai repede vacanta de iarna.Si la cea dintre semestre se anunta nebunie mare,excursie gen,la Sibiu,eheeee,Sneakers Adidas Stan Smith leather si KFC ,las-o asa! Hai cu ciocolata calda langa brad si cu cartea de citit….ah si revelionul ala..!

V-am pupat,multa sanatate cititorilor mei,in numar redus!

It used to be a day about family
And food,
Gettin’ dressed up to make our journey,
To Grandma’s without snow,
Over the river and through the wood.

Now my folks fight over turkey
And they badger me;
A six-pack of faux beer and
Some KFC
For just me and the cat
Is starting to sound mighty good.

via Grub Street New York

Et stensikkert tegn på at roen er kommet til dalen.
Nu rykker de første internationale fastfood kæder ind i Kathmandu. Så mon ikke vi også snart ser McD, Dominos og 7/11? Det er i hverttilfælde den vinkel Republica har på historien med overskriften: Global Franchise s Ready for Nepal. Himalayan Times er traditionen tro mere konstaterende under deres overskrift: Pizza Hut and KFC foray into Nepal mens Nepalnews.com er decideret kedelig.

Sjovt nok nævner www.kfc.com ikke begivenheden med et ord.

Money makes the world go ’round, the world go “round, the world go ’round….

Mam dość, moje życie to jedno wielkie pasmo nieszczęść… Już totalnie nie wyrabiam psychicznie, a najgorsze jest to, że nie mam się do kogo zwrócić z moimi problemami, ciężko jest znaleźć kogokolwiek, do kogo mogłabym się przytulić i po prostu wypłakać… A jedyne, na co mam teraz siłę to ryczeć.

Nie mam gdzie mieszkać, w tym tygodniu nie mam również pieniędzy na to, by zjeść dziennie coś więcej niż jogurt, koń kuleje, temperatura nie wchodzi mi powyżej 35.9, jestem cały czas osłabiona i flegmatyczna, korzonki mnie bolą tak, że nie mogę ustać na nogach dłużej niż minutę (chociaż i tyle jest ciężko), migreny się nasilają i muszę szukać mieszkania siedząc w KFC i wydając bezsensownie pieniądze… A w między czasie wymyślam sposoby w miarę bezbolesnego samobójstwa… Mam już totalnie dość wszystkiego i moim obecnym największym marzeniem jest zasnąć i już nigdy więcej się nie obudzić…

Nie daję sobie rady…

No i przez to cholerne osłabienie nie zaczęłam jeszcze pracy i jestem do niej jeszcze bardziej sceptycznie nastawiona… O ile mnie przez tą nieobecność nie wywalą, to nie wiem, czy za wyniki, jakie nabiję w grudniu sama nie zrezygnuję :/

10. Warung lontong WC sudah bermetamorfosis menjadi tempat siskamling.

9. Listrik. PLN. Tapi di sini sudah bertahun-tahun, jadi tidak demam panggung seperti orang ibukota.

8. Motor rusak.

7. Komputer juga rusak. Installer XP tertinggal di asrama. Saya bawa ke tempat servis dan hasilnya kurang baik.

6. Ada sinetron “Antasari” di Metro. Saya tidak mengerti politik atau jurnalisme, tapi pemberitannya berpihak sekali. (Tapi apapun kesalahan Metro akan dimaafkan karena pilihan anchor-anchornya yang… euh, bagus. )

5. Ternyata masih ada band yang menjual musik cengeng di KFC! Dignity, boys.

4. BOEDIONO IS RESIGN™

3. Akhirnya melengkapi koleksi Buddha. Dua buku terakhir tidak bagus.

2. “Speedy” adalah sebuah misnomer.

1. (Akan diposting beberapa hari lagi. Ini sesuatu yang agung dan akbar.) UPDATE: [link]

Because I just realized I used no paragraphs whatsoever in my first post I’m gonna share a funny tidbit in apology. Here in Japan they ‘have’ Christmas but like everything else that they adopt, the modify it to fit the Japanese sensibility. And in the case of Christmas that means christmas cake and Kentucky fried chicken. Pictures will be posted as proof.

McDonald’s has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to register its popular slang name, ‘Maccy D’s’, as a trademark.  The term has been used widely in the UK for many years when referring to the fast-food chain, but has not previously been officially adopted by McDonald’s itself. Other fast-food restaurant chains have also sought to promote abbreviated versions of their brand names, such as ‘KFC’ for Kentucky Fried Chicken and ‘BK’ for Burger King.

It’s finger licking good!

Halal KFC is the bomb! …for New Yorkers there is a new option for deep fried (and now grilled!) chicken from a popular and familiar fast food chain. Within the last 2 weeks, a new Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has opened up in Brooklyn, NY which offers the taste of halal chicken on its menu.

I had a wonderful weekend. On Saturday morning I visited Pashupatinath, one of the most sacred places in Nepal, the site of the world’s largest temple dedicated to Shiva, and a place which is absolutely at the heart of the founding myths of Nepal and the Kathmandu valley.

This is the place where devout Nepalis come to die and be cremated. It is also where couples who desire children come to pray, and where young children come to be ceremonial inducted into their faith. It is haphazard, frantic and deeply moving place. Birth, death, and rebirth (through cremation) jostle along next to each other. The whole complex is teeming with Sadhus, deadlocked, stoned, and ash garbed devotees of Shiva. It is also teeming with tourists. I was one of them.

This is no bad thing. Pashupatinath is a great place to gain some understanding of the fundamental truths which underscore most Nepalese lives. It is a beautiful (if at times shocking) scene. It is also word heritage site in both the legalistic (UNESCO etc) and actual senses of the term. Admittedly there are those tourists who make you cringe. The kind who wander up to a funeral pyre and start taking snap shots of the bereaved. But I don’t think that they represent the majority.

I was very fortunate that morning to have been overheard discussing the entrance ticket price in Nepali by a Nepali visitor. He was intrigued- who was this foreigner falteringly speaking his language? He came and introduced himself and then began to show me around. We saw ancient pagodas which had, over time, developed crusts of red powder (applied liberally in the act of worship) in front of which peddlars, the devout, tourists and children mingled. We heard the mournful notes of conch shells, summoning Lord Shiva to collect the souls of the dying. Saw the smoke of pyres surrounded by silently grieving families.

Hinduism and Buddhism (and particularly in the Kathmandu Valley they exist symbiotically) emphasise the cyclical nature of existance. Here more than anywhere else I saw it face to face.   It was a fascinating, moving (and tiring) but unforgettable morning.

After a couple of hours it was time to move on. That afternoon a number of us were heading from Kathmandu to the hill town of Nargakot, in preparation for a walk the next day.

The road to Nargakot is rather like the road to hell. And I don’t mean that it is paved with good intentions. In fact if it were paved at all it would be a significant bonus as currently (thanks to an aid project financed by the Japanese Government) it is a twisting, rutted, slow moving selection of roadworks. I arrived in Nargakot feeling unpleasantly like I’d been in a blender for the last hour or so. My delight at arrival was therefore already fairly high. It was only increased by the view:

The next day we began our walk. Heading up to the top of the ridge we had a spectacular view of the middle hills climbing up till they reached the Himalaya. The valley shelved steeply away below us, giant steps of terraces bright yellow with mustard. The walk took us down from here to the valley floor, meandering through Newari and Tamang (two of Nepal’s multitude of ethnic groups) villages. It was a reminder that in Nepal the ‘beaten track’ is very thin. Nargakot has a tendency to be touristy by in these places we felt like we’d left that behind.

We stopped at a tea shop for a snack where Rs. 100 (about 80p) bought us seven cups of tea, and 3 packets of biscuits. This felt like Nepal as it really is-not dressed up in its flashy touristy tinsel, but genuine, hard, friendly and beautiful.

It was with this idyll in mind that I sat down this morning to breakfast. I picked up the Kathmandu Post and saw this:

Feast for fast foodies

KATHMANDU, NOV 22 – Come Wednesday, and Kathmanduites will be able to savour crispy Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and delicious pizzas of Pizza Hut. Yes, the world’s two best known fast food chains have finally arrived in Kathmandu.

For those who like heavy helpings and a take-out, there are options available. Regular Bucket has eight crispy chicken pieces, priced at Rs. 639 and the Large Bucket at Rs. 899. The most expensive item in the menu: Large Bucket of Hot Wings (40 pieces), priced at Rs. 899

These entrants should be a welcome change for Kathmanduites for whom momos have been the all-time favourite. Stationed at the Annapurna Complex, Durbar Marg, KFC’s outlet occupies the ground floor and Pizza Hut the first floor.

Opened on Sunday by Randy Berry, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Nepal and Ravi Jaipuria, chairman of R.J Corp, the chains will provide a new taste to the Nepali consumer.

The KFC tagline reads, ‘Its finger lickin good’. And the menus at KFC in Durbarmarg will surely have just this effect. Those who’ve already tasted it abroad are delighted. One of them is Prasiddha Bahadur Pandey, president of Hotel Association of Nepal: “I feel happy to see KFC & Pizza Hut in Nepal since I’ve been quite fond of them.”

If you are still wondering about the damage to your pocket, Jayapuria, who runs the chain in Nepal and India, has this to say: “It’s affordable for middle class Nepalis.”

The price range starts from Rs. 69 for Veggie Snacker and Rs. 79 for Chicken Snacker. “Hot Wings” costs Rs. 119 to Rs. 219, depending on the quantity one opts for. Boneless Crispy Chicken costs Rs. 149. Vegetarians need not panic. There is burger and Veggie Feast Meal, at Rs. 209.

Now I am a food snob. I admit it. I will restrain myself though from attacking this story based on the actually appalling quality of the food on offer at KFC. Instead I thought I’d make mention of the crass and glaring culture clash at work here. I thought I might mention that given that 82.5% of the population of this country live on less than $2 a day (Rs. 144) and that I very much doubt they would want to spend it on some “hot wings”. I also thought I should shout from the rooftops about how unbelievable it is that the US Charge-d’Affaires actually believes that it falls within his remit to stand and cut the ribbon of this ghastly….horrible….crass…ah that’s it….carbuncle on the face of a much loved friend (thankyou Prince Charles).

I know. It’s not for me to preach about what people should want to eat. It isn’t for me to say that I wish Nepalis stuck with Momos (beautiful steamed dumplings). It is not for me to hold a country back and wish away the development. But I almost wish it was. I almost wish that my morning at Pashupatinath and my tea and biscuits for 80p marked the limit of cultural exchange in Nepal. I know I’m being arrogant and maybe even a little selfish, but I really cannot believe that the best piece of US culture to export to Nepal is finger licking good.

When you quit, you loss the chance to succeed.

There are plenty of time , you thought to quit but sometime due to your personal probes, sometime due to financial growth. You have decided to follow only those ways which is so new and must take more action to come in the perfect way.

In term of sales, they says

60% salesperson quit to call first time.

20% salesperson quit to call in third time.

And 10% salesperson quit till they get the success.

This is about to work massively, without being hesitation of loss, because each time when you do, you always feel the different. And that all change your way of work. If you ask to the guy who is behind Kentucky fried corporation(KFC).  You will know the better idea about the belief . Colonel Sanders, Tried 1009 times to sell his chicken recipe. What would you call to this guy, who stick it out in front of many doors and restaurant to sell his recipe, A guy who was so old, started business with his own belief, own courage. And now KFC is billion dollars empire.

Ho

(source : Metro 22/11/09)

Les employés sans papiers des Halles (Paris) onr repris leur mobilisation.

Tandia, 26 ans, est malien. Arrivé en France en 2005, il travaille depuis un an au KFC des Halles. Cela fait maintenant cinq semaines qu’une grève perturbe cette chaîne de restauration rapide. “Les premières demandes de régularisation ont commencé en mars, 57 personnes étaient alors grévistes. Face à la promesse de la direction d’effectuer un suivi collectif des dossiers, nous avons repris le travail”. Pourtant, mi-octobre, la grève a repris. Tandia déplore la réaction de la direction qui “a mis trois semaines à engager les négociations. Tant que l’opinion publique n’est pas mobilisée, les choses ne peuvent pas réellement changer.” C’est ainsi que la façade de la rue Berger (1er) se trouve recouverte d’affiches de la CGT, les travailleurs sans-papiers cherchant à interpeller les passants à travers pétitions et appels au mégaphone. Cela semble fonctionner… “Nombreux sont les habitués qui ne viennent plus pour ne pas franchir le piquet de grève. Dans tous les cas, nous sommes prêts à aller jusqu’au bout.”

I don’t think MBC and KFC considered the implications of including a KFC sponsorship in an ad for a film about vampires.