:: Branding Goes Bonkers ::

Hot on the heels of yesterday's news that Sharwoods are to launch a new curry sauce which translates literally as "arse" in Punjabi came an even more bemusing story. The authors of a website designed to generate new corporate names (see rants passim on Diageo etc.) have seen some of their latinate dollops of bullshit snapped up and registered by genuine companies. By the way, The Sun, known for paying large amounts of money to their headline pun-meisters, should sack whoever came up with this lame effort on the curry story...

Still on the theme of image, Phoney Tony dropped a bit of a clanger last week. His endorsement of The Darkness should ensure that the popularity of the lycra-clad grunge-trolls from Lowestoft plummets through the floor. I suppose this is one Blairite policy I might grudgingly have to support...

And finally, as Britain prepares for the arrival of the fêted prize-chimp, let's have a sneaky peek at the way the Russians deal with their leaders. Well... this company is apparently producing a life-sized chocolate portrait of Vladimir Putin (at the astonishing cost of £400). Whilst the iconography of political figures within a young democracy might be a cause for concern, the opportunity of melting a portrait of a "beloved leader" almost justifies the expense. Perhaps Tony Blair Easter Eggs will be popular next year...