Young Jordanian's Arrest for Burning King's Photo Rocks the KIngdom

Boy's arrest for "harming King's dignity" causes debate; World Economic Forum- a rich man's joke? ; The awkward moment when groupon sends you a discount voucher on STD testing; Self-branding advise for the real you- not the 400 others who share the same name online; Bashar Al-Assad running = hilarious.

The Black-Iris [2]

18 Year-Old Jordanian Gets Two Years For Burning Picture Of King Abdullah

"There is perhaps the thinking that if this kid receives a harsh sentence it will send a message to protesters that insulting the King will not be tolerated. Actually, I’m quite convinced that someone, some where has probably thought this."

Ramallah Online [3]

Davos: World Economic Disorder

Palestinian blogger and consultant Sami Jamil Jadallah makes an interesting point about the World Economic Forum, where the world's finest and best in their field meet to discuss economics provided that they have spare tens of thousands of dollars lying around to pay the attendance fee. Things that weren't foreseen or discussed in the forum: the economic crises in Europe and the U.S., the U.S. treasury's near bankruptcy, the decline and overthrow of Middle Eastern dictatorial regimes. "The World Economic Forum, is like a conference of world leading experts in medicine, pharmacy, pathology, radiology meeting to review a patient and after 5 days of diagnosis fail to see if the patient is sick or not, let alone recommend a treatment and a cure."

Melcieuse [4]

i’m open minded but this is pushing it a little

Groupon has been subject to criticism on occasion for offering discounts on things that are frivolous, stupid and straight-up useless (Of course, I want 50% off of a day trip to a foot spa in Cornwall). But it seems to have hit a new low when it is offering a discount off of STD testing (yes, that's sexually transmitted diseases for those who are wondering)... in Dubai. Tempting if it wasn't illegal to engage in premarital relations in the UAE and if the issue of STDs wasn't of such a delicate nature.

John Antonios [5]

Personal Branding – How-to Avoid Brand Name Confusion

Will the real [Insert your name her] please stand up! Online networking and branding is a blessing and a curse. It is slowly becoming a must, but what happens if someone has the exact same name as you- and has some less than savory online presence (Wait a a minute, I'm not a stripper!). Branding and social media guru John Antonios gives some helpful advice on how to avoid getting lost in the sea of similar names. "Now go on, Google your name? are you happy with the results? how many you’s are there? Does your name appear in the first 3 results? How many times does your brand name recur on the first 3 pages?"

Chubby Blog [6]

Syria: He’s running. Picture & A comment

Have you had a proper laugh today? No? Well, have a look at this picture of Bashar Al-Assad running with his soldiers. Bashar's awkward lanky running pose is bound to make you choke back a chuckle.