10 Toughest Running Events in the World

Whether seemingly endless expanses, blistering heat or merciless cold, following ten toughest running events in the world is an absolute challenge for every runner.

In this leaderboard of the toughest running events in the world, however, for better comparability only individual events are considered. The top ten places in the list of events are only held annually. Criteria for inclusion in the Top Ten were in addition to the regularity of the event especially to manageable distance, weather conditions, the road profile and the mental demands associated with each run.

1. Yukon Arctic Ultra

Self-sufficient in snow and ice

In the northwestern corner of Canada, not far from the Arctic Circle, lies the Yukon Territory. Every year in February, it brings together a few die-hards to take on snow and ice and travel the 700 kilometers from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

Temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius or less (record: minus 60 degrees Celsius, 2007), put runners in snow drifts and snow storms.

The race takes place in non-stop mode and the participants are supplied with food and drinks only at the checkpoints.

In addition to the running you can complete the Yukon Arctic Ultra optionally also on a mountain bike and cross-country skiing – which actually makes the things little more complicated.

2. Badwater Ultra

Next stop: Valley of Death

From the ice into the heat of Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert, one of the driest places in the world. Accordingly, it is named “Valley of Death” and rightly so.

It is so obvious that even in this inhospitable place every year in July, an ultra-running is organized. When it comes to Badwater at temperatures of about 50 degrees Celsius 220 kilometers through the desert, it’s not an easy job.

Drought and heat are the constant companions of the runners from the start in Badwater (85 meters below sea level) to the finish on the Mount Whitney (2,530 meters above sea level).

Participation costs are around 1000 dollars. This requirement is quite reasonable, because the Badwater Ultra is after 60 hours of final destination. The course record is 22 hours and 51 minutes, corresponding to an average of just under 10 km / h.

3. The Last Desert – Antarctica

To the ends of the earth

The Antarctica is probably the hardest run of “Racing the Planet” series. This race is a series of races in addition to the pass through the icy wastes of Antarctica, three further annual desert crossings: Atacama, Gobi and Sahara. In addition, a fifth runs at different locations each year.

Taking place in November Antarctica is virtually the season finale of the series. Participants pay an entry fee of nearly 4000 dollars.

The participants have all their equipment and their support throughout the provisions themselves. Only (warm) drinks are provided to them at the checkpoints.

The biggest enemy of the starter is the cold weather – although in November in the southern hemisphere actually summer prevails but that brings eternal ice only a little more brightness.

4. Marathon des Sables

Nothing but sand

Annually held in the Moroccan Sahara in April Marathon des Sables is a real traditional event . This competition is held since 1986.

The name “Marathon” is a clear understatement by the way. In fact, annually changing routes are available namely, about 230 km on the program, which are to be completed in six stages in seven days.

The biggest challenge is an extremely long section of about 80 kilometers in length, for which the participants have a maximum of 40 hours of time and that when external conditions are of 40 degrees Celsius during the day and temperatures of partially only 5 degrees Celsius at night.

To equip each starter, a minimalist survival gear (sleeping bag, snake bite kit, food) is provided, which he must always carry around.

5. Gobi March

China from its loneliest page

Gobi March held every year in June is also one of the events of “Racing the Planet” series. Accordingly, the basic data it includes: 250 km in six stages, seven days, 4000 dollars entry fee approx.

With more than 45 degrees Celsius, it goes through one of the most desolate regions of the world. Even where once ran along rivers, participants can expect only drought.

The edition of the 2011 Gobi March started in the Turpan Depression in northwest China. This is the third lowest in the world (155 meters below sea level). Only the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee in Israel are even deeper.

The expected winning time is usually less than 24 hours net, which means an average of more than 10 km / h in the deep desert sand.

6. Atacama Crossing

Dry Race

“Racing the Planet” series also includes the run through the Atacama Desert in Chile. It takes place each year in March. The participants race about 250 km in six stages, seven days through the driest area in the world.

The maximum temperatures are not the very big problem in the Atacama Crossing. Due to the location (influence of the cool Humboldt current) the mercury rises in this desert hardly shoot over the 30 degree Celsius mark.

7. Sahara Desert

In the Footsteps of the Pharaohs

The last representative of the “Racing the Planet” series is ranked seventh in our list of the toughest running events in the world. The Sahara Desert is presented annually in October in the Egyptian part of the Sahara.

Of the four regular races held in this series, this one probably has the most flair – at least it converts the route in the footsteps of the Pharaohs and pass by several archaeological sites.

The race is 250 km long and divided into six stages out of which seven days falls in the Valley of the Whales (Wadi al-Hitan), a locality of whale, shark and coral fossils in the desert today.

That means at least some variety but later on racers have to face maximum temperatures of about 50 degrees Celsius to grapple in the red-hot deep sand.

8. Jungle Marathon

Full of moisture

On the eighth place we find the first running event that takes place neither in the desert nor in the Ice: The Jungle Marathon takes place annually in October in the Brazilian rain forest.

At extremely high humidity and high heat, the participants have to fight through trails in the jungle.

To complete 200 km in six stages in seven days, the queen stage is 80 kilometers long, which is why the participants try to cover that up during nights.

The race begins with the complete route marked with colored caution tape and the night stage is illuminated.

9. Ultra Trail Mont Blanc

A lap in the triangle

The toughest European running event is held annually in August in the border triangle of France, Switzerland and Italy. Start and finish point of the 166 km long course around the roof of Europe – Mont Blanc, which is the former Olympic town of Chamonix in the French Alps.

The Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, is having quite pleasant temperature in the Alps in August, that is why we have presented it at the bottom of our list under the level of difficulty.

One who wants to participate in the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, must qualify at several competitions in advance.

10. Spartathlon

In the footsteps of the ancient Greeks

The Spartathlon, a truly traditional event is a run from Athens to Sparta about 246 km.

One of the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC) believed that the messenger Pheidippides in 490 BC during the Persian Wars was sent by the Athenians to Sparta to asked for their support for the upcoming battle of Marathon.

The duration is 36 hours. The course record is 20 hours , which corresponds to an average speed of about 12 km / h. Thus, the spartathlon is the fastest running event in this leaderboard.

However, this relatively high speed is also related to the comparatively moderate route profile and quite tolerable temperatures along – two factors that have prevented its higher ranking in our list.

10 Most Influential Athletes of America

Today, we come up with a list of American Athletes who carry the most influence among the fans. This list is according to the latest surveys from Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research. The surveys shows these ten pro athletes carry the most influence among U.S. fans. Tim Tebow Tops the list. And, four most influential athletes in America really don’t play. At least not lately.

The Most Influential Athletes of America: Have a look!

10. Tiger Woods

Golfer
The most stylish athlete of all time – Tiger Woods was named 2013’s “biggest surprise” in golf. He won five times this year, though none of the Ws were majors. He also announced that he was dating Lindsey Vonn, which put him in the spotlight and led to a wave of web searches. He is among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, he has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour.

9. LeBron James

NBA – Miami Heat
Nicknamed “King James”, is a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 2013, he led the Heat on a 27-game winning streak, the second longest in league history. Miami also won their second consecutive title and he repeated as Finals MVP. His career achievements and leadership role during Miami’s 2012 and 2013 championship runs have led many basketball analysts to consider him the best player in the NBA today.

8. Aaron Rodgers

NFL – Green Bay Packers
Probably the NFL’s best quarterback, playing for one its more popular teams. And always in the playoffs. Rodgers is the NFL’s all-time career leader in passer rating during the regular season with a rating of 104.9 and second all-time in the postseason with a rating of 103.1. He is currently the only quarterback to have a career passer rating of over 100.0 in the regular season.

7. Gabby Douglas

Gymnastics
The third figure to benefit from the just-completed Olympic year – Douglas showcased her amazing moves on the mats and balance beam in prime time last summer. As a member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won gold medals in both the individual all-around and team competitions. Douglas is the first woman of color and the first African-American gymnast in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion, and the first American gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics as well as being the only American all-around champion to win multiple gold medals.

6. Drew Brees

NFL – New Orleans Saints
Riding a long time rep as a good quarterback and a good guy. Brees will always be remembered as the one who led post-Katrina New Orleans to its first Super Bowl title. Brees started his career with the San Diego Chargers, earning the starting job in 2002 and making the Pro Bowl in 2004. He was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2004, the Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, and the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. Sports Illustrated named Brees as its 2010 Sportsman of the Year. In 2013, Brees became the fastest player ever to join the 50,000-yard club. He did it in 183 games, passing the 50,000 milestone during a 31-13 Saints win over the Carolina Panthers.

5. Peyton Manning

NFL – Denver Broncos
The son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and an elder brother of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Peyton Manning spot the 5th place among the most Influential Athletes of America. A mainstay on this list, Manning impressed in his second career chapter by recovering from a neck injury and leading the Broncos to a 13-3 season. Manning’s pre-snap routine has earned him the nickname “The Sheriff”, and he is one of the most recognizable and parodied players in the NFL.

4. Derek Jeter

MLB – New York Yankees
Jeter is considered to be one of the most consistent baseball players of all time. Highly competitive, an aggressive hitter, Jeter once said, “If you’re going to play at all, you’re out to win. Baseball, board games, playing Jeopardy!, I hate to lose.” Known for his professionalism, he has been one of the most heavily marketed athletes of his generation and is involved in several product endorsements. His personal life and relationships with celebrities have drawn the attention of the media throughout his career. Teammates and opponents alike regard Jeter as a consummate professional and one of the best players of his generation.

3. Lindsey Vonn

Alpine Skier
Lindsey Vonn – The Most Desirable Woman in Sports. 2013 was a big year for the alpine skier, but not necessarily for her ski skills. Vonn crashed during training in February, began dating Tiger Woods and experienced a partial ACL tear in another crash in November, which jeopardizes her participation in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Vonn is one of six women to have won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing – downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined – and has won 59 World Cup races in her career through February 2014. With her Olympic gold and bronze medals, two World Championship gold medals in 2009 (plus three silver medals in 2007 and 2011), and four overall World Cup titles, Vonn has become the most successful American ski racer in history.

2. Michael Phelps

Swimming
Most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps has secured a prominent place in sports history. Phelps is the long course world recordholder in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly and 400-meter individual medley as well as the former long course world recordholder in the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley. With 39 world records (29 individual, 10 relay), Phelps set more records than any other swimmer.

1. Tim Tebow

NFL – New York Jets, Denver Broncos
Like Tebow or not, you never stop hearing about him. A Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow’s pro-life Super Bowl ad in 2010 earned him favor among Christian religious organizations, but also spurred controversy. In 2011, he inspired the Tebowing meme. In 2012, he was disappointing as the New York Jets’ backup quarterback. In 2013, he signed with the New England Patriots and was thereafter released from the team. On December 30, 2013 he was hired by ESPN as a college football analyst.

10 Most Bizarre Protests Ever Seen

Protests are not always about the angry crowd, bull horns and violence. To grab attention, whether of a handsome guy in the subway or of some concerned authority, people have been coming up with quirky ways of putting their point forward. Some succeeded in bringing about the desired change while others failed. Here is a list of 10 strange and most bizarre protests from around the world.

The 10 Most Bizarre Protests Ever Seen:

10. Slutwalk – Global Movement

On January 24, 2011 when addressing the issue of campus rape, Toronto Police Constable Michael Sanguinetti told a York University class that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized,” he drew criticisms from all corners and was accused of promoting “blame the victim” perception. His controversial statement sparked a unique protest where women (some dressed provocatively) would march down the streets in an attempt t redefine the term ‘slut’ as someone who is in control of her sex life which doesn’t mean that she should expect violence simply because ‘she’ is in charge of her sex life and not the man. ‘No one should equate enjoying sex with attracting sexual assault’. Although the SlutWalk originated in Toronto, it has since then gone global.

9. Going Naked Is Better Than Wearing Fur – Global Movement

PETA (“People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals”) is respected worldwide for its formidable work on behalf of the animals. They are known for putting up messages in the most unconventional manner. One such head-turning campaign was when protestors paraded around carrying simulated skinned animals covered in blood. The PETA protesters screamed slogans like ‘I’d rather go naked than wear fur’ to put-off people from using animal fur for fashion. ‘Luxury’ no longer seemed pretty.

8. Spraying Milk Protest in Belgium

European dairy farmers had for long been suffering the crunch of drop in the prices of milk. But in 2009, around 2,500 European farmers flocked to Brussels to protest against the constant collapse in price rises. Earlier they had created a “milk lake,” pouring thousands of litres of white stuff onto the street. This time they squirted milk straight from the cow’s udder towards the police. The protesters burned hay and tires and threw bottles at police, others pelted officers with chickens. The city has had a history of violent protests by farmers. Caught in the midst of such violence the cow went nerve-wretched and chased people down the street.

7. Scrub The Country’s Flag Clean in Peru

In 2000, Alberto Fujimori was re-elected as the president of Peru. This brought criticism from all corners of the country for Fujimori was unpopular due to his extravagant abuse of power and his use of violence to crush his opponents. Some Peruvian women taking the matter in their hands gathered in Lima’s main plaza regularly to wash the country’s flag that was soiled by dirty politics. The scrubbing of the national flag went on for months unheeded by the authorities until a video emerged showing Fujimori’s ally bribing a legislature. Following this Fujimori fled to Japan from where he resigned the presidency. He was later imprisoned.

6. Dangling From A Hook in Paris

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) some 100 million sharks are caught in commercial and sports fishing every year and in the past decade several species have decline by more than 80 percent. Alice Newstead, an artist & activist wanted to do something to make people take notice how the sharks are slowly becoming extinct. So she took protesting to the next level by painting her body silver (depicting a shark) then piercing her back with big fish hooks and hoisted herself into the air with the help of on those hooks. Following this she hung from the ceiling of a Paris boutique for an agonising 15 minutes.

5. Moon The Balloon in Canada

An American surveillance balloon was placed floating above the US/Canadian border with the intention of stopping people from illegally crossing the border into the US from Canada. Though it was seen as an attempt to invade into people’s privacy, the surveillance cameras didn’t have to wait too long to make the invasion. A group of 200 Canadians decided to protest against by pulling down their pants and exposing their bottoms toward the cameras therefore “mooning” the balloon.

4. I Am Now A URL! in Usa

Jennifer Thornburg was disturbed on having to dissect a live animal at her science class at school. She was an intern at PETA and wanted to draw attention at this casual inhumanity. She went out and protested by legally changing her name to Cutout Dissection.com. The URL exists for real, of a website that vehemently protests scientific dissections of animals. Her driving license now reads ‘Dissection.com, Cutout’! Following this, her school started allowing students who were opposed to animal dissection to opt out.

3. The Pink Chaddi Campaign in India

In June 2009, activists of Sri Ram Sena, a right wing Hindu activist group, justified their attack on a pub in Mangalore, saying that the people inside – especially the woman- were tainting Indian culture. The founder of Sri Ram Sena, Pramod Muthalik threatened to marry off couples who were found romancing outdoors on Valentine’s Day. In response a group of young women defining themselves as ‘Consortium of Pub-going, Loose, and Forward Women’, initiated the Pink Chaddi campaign whereby supporters send in 2,000 pink underwear to Muthalik’s office on Valentine’s Day. (The term Chaddi literally means underwear and ironically chaddiwallah is also a term used to identify Sri Ram Sena cadres after the khaki shorts they wore). Later the embarrassed Muthalik, who was by then put on house arrest, rescinded his statements.

2. Chopping Off My Penis To Protest in Egypt

In a lazy Sunday, a 25-year-old young man named Sheikh Eissa chopped his penis off in protest against his parents’ choice of bride. He was in love with a woman and wanted to marry her but his parents rejected his love and ordered him to marry another woman. Unable to make his parents understand Eissa took up this drastic step. On discovering Eissa in his room covered with blood he was rushed to the hospital where his condition got stable. However the doctors were unable to reattach his severed testicles.

1. Pissing On President in Paris

FEMEN is a Paris-based self-proclaimed “sextremist” women group who became internationally renowned in December 2013 when they gathered in front of the Ukrainian embassy protesting against restraints on human rights and liberties (like sex trade, anti- abortion laws, the wearing of hijabs etc). The FEMEN protesters bared their breast and placing photographs of Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych on the pavement, urinated on it. President Victor Yanukovych had deployed police forces to suppress a citizens’ protest in Kiev against his trade policies. The five topless activists symbolically attempted to clean up Ukraine in a ‘natural way’!

Top 10 Countries With Highest Rape Crime

Here is the list of top 10 countries with highest rape crime. You would be amazed to read that the most developed countries like U.S., Sweden, France, Canada, UK and Germany are the most immersed ones in this crime.

10. Ethiopia

Ethiopia is estimated to have one of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. A report by the UN found that nearly 60% of Ethiopian women were subjected to sexual violence. Rape is a very serious problem in Ethiopia. The country is infamous for the practice of marriage by abduction, with the prevalence of this practice in Ethiopia being one of the highest in the world. In many parts of Ethiopia, it is common for a man, working in co-ordination with his friends, to kidnap a girl or woman, sometimes using a horse to ease the escape. The abductor will then hide his intended bride and rape her until she becomes pregnant. Girls as young as eleven years old are reported to have been kidnapped for the purpose of marriage. Also the Ethiopian military has been accused of committing systematic rapes against civilians.

9. Sri Lanka

 Sri Lanka’s security forces are still raping and torturing suspects. There have been recent allegations that rape and torture by the Sri Lankan security forces have continued four years after the civil war ended. The UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence found that 14.5% of the sample of Sri Lankan men had perpetrated rape at some point in their lives. 4.9% had raped in the past year. 2.7% had raped another man. 1.6% had took part in a gang rape. 96.5% of the men who had raped experienced no legal consequences. 65.8% didn’t feel worried or guilty afterwards. 64.9% of rapists had raped more than once, and 11.1% had raped four or more girls or women.

8. Canada

 It is an Amercing continent and the total reported cases of rape in this country are 2,516,918. These are only six percent of the total rape cases. It is reported that over one in three women had experienced a sexual assault and that only 6% of sexual assaults were reported to the police. According to Justice Institute of British Columbia, one out of every 17 women is raped, 62% of rape victims were physically injured, 9% were beaten or disfigured.

7. France

 Rape was not a crime in France until 1980. Laws reinforcing women’s rights and safety are relatively recent in France. The law making rape a crime dates back only to 1980. Earlier decrees were based on 19th century moral codes. A law on sexual-harassment was approved in 1992 and one on moral harassment was passed in 2002. The last bill to fight violence against women was passed last year. Government studies show there are 75,000 rapes a year in the country. Only about 10 percent of the victims filed complaints. France is at the 7th position with the total reported crime of 3,771,850.

6. Germany

 An estimate of 240,000 women and girls has died up till now in Germany because of this crime. Germany is on the number six in the highest rape crime with the figures of 6,507,394 in this year which is really a big figure. German Catholics have allowed the morning-after pills for the victims. The country moving forward in technology is actually moving really backward in humanity.

5. United Kingdom

 Many people wish to live or even visit UK as it is one of the most developed countries. But they surely must not be aware that this country is also involved badly in the crime of rape. In January 2013, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Home Office released its first ever joint Official Statistics bulletin on sexual violence, entitled An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales. According to report: Approximately 85,000 women are raped on average in England and Wales every year. Over 400,000 women are sexually assaulted each year. One in 5 women (aged 16 – 59) has experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 16.

4. India

 India is the place where sexual assault is rapidly increasing. Rape in India is one of India’s most common crimes against women. According to the National Crime Records Bureau 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012, but experts agree that the number of unreported cases of sexual assault brings the total much higher. Out of these, 24,470 were committed by parents/family, relatives, neighbors and other known persons implying that , men known to the victim committed 98 per cent of reported rapes. The latest estimates suggest that a new case of rape is reported every 22 minutes in India.

3. Sweden

 Sweden has the highest incidence of reported rapes in Europe and one of the highest in the world. One amongst every four women comes out to be the victim of rape in Sweden. By 2010, The Swedish police recorded the highest number of offences – about 63 per 100,000 inhabitants. The country has third-highest rape crime in the world. In 2009 there were 15,700 reported sexual offenses in Sweden, a rise of 8% compared to 2008, of which 5,940 were rape and sexual harassment (including exhibitionism) accounted for 7,590 reports. In April 2009, it was reported that sex crimes had increased by 58% over the previous ten years. According to a 2009 European Union study, Sweden has one of the highest rates of reported rape in Europe.

2. South Africa

 The country has one of the highest rates of rape in the world, with some 65,000 rapes and other sexual assaults reported for the year 2012. The incidence of rape has led to the country being referred to as the “rape capital of the world”. One in three of the 4,000 women questioned by the Community of Information, Empowerment and Transparency said they had been raped in the past year. More than 25 per cent of South African men questioned in a survey published by the Medical Research Council (MRC) admitted to rape; of those, nearly half said they had raped more than one person. Three out of four of those who had admitted rape indicated that they had attacked for the first time during their teens. South Africa has amongst the highest incidences of child and baby rape in the world. If the rapist is convicted, his prison time would be around 2 years.

1. United States

 The super power of the world is at the first position in the race of rapes. Males are majorly the rapist holding a proportion of 99%. Out of all the victims, 91% are females while 9% are males. The U.S Bureau of Justice Statistics states that 91% of rape victims are female and 9% are male, and nearly 99% of rapists are male. According to the National Violence Against Women Survey, 1 in 6 U.S. women and 1 in 33 U.S. men has experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. More than a quarter of college-age women report having experienced a rape or rape attempt since age 14. Out of all, only 16% of the total cases are reported. Outdoor rape is not common in USA rather most of the rape cases takes place inside homes.

10 Political Propaganda That Hilariously Backfire

Political propaganda backfire, even on master manipulators. Such propaganda’s fail for various reasons. It generally happens when the people lose faith in the government dictated by a cruel and greedy ruler. In other cases the government attempts to taint the opposition but instead the campaign backfires making the rulers look ridiculous. Well as the saying goes, he who spits above himself will have it fall on his face.

10. When Obama Gave Photo Opportunity and Everyone Panicked

Back in 2009 terror struck thousands of New Yorkers walking down the street upon hearing a plane hovering over their heads. American President’s plain ‘Air Force One’ and an F-16 jet were seen circling the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan skyline around Ground Zero. After 9/11 one can imagine why New Yorkers get a little nervous when a plane flies too low over Manhattan. People were nerve-wrenched, some went so far as to evacuate offices and buildings fearing terrorist attacks, and others began frantic calls to emergency services.

Of course it wasn’t a terrorist attack only a ‘photo op’. The White House initially denied knowing anything about the photo shoot. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was enraged at the Obama administration for not informing him about the photo op in advance. President Obama was enraged too and ordered investigation. And of course the White House later apologizes. This endeavor of self-advertisement completely backfired and the government decided that the publicity photos taken during the flight would not be shown to the public.

9. When a Soviet Film Made America Look Cool

After the 1959 Cuban revolution American and Cuban relationship was surfing rough waves. Cuba decided to make an anti-American film that would serve as a strong propaganda piece for the communist regime and the USSR agreed to finance it. In 1964 the Cuban-Soviet co-production ‘Soy Cuba’ (I Am Cuba) was released in the theaters. The director had intended to remonstrate the cause to the Revolution which according to him was oppressive forces like decadent American tourists, arrogant American sailors and brutal American corporations.

The film was supposed to glorify the Cuban Revolution. Instead it transmitted an alien vision of the country and reflected ‘dangerously’ fascinating images of American life. Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a box-office bomb, a national shame and all was forgotten about such a film ever being made. The movie collected dust for 30 years until 1995, when it was rediscovered by two ‘American’ directors Martin Scorsese & Francis Ford Coppola and introduced it to the audiences who hailed it with high acclamation.

8. When The Russian Propaganda Plain Crashed

Developed in the early 1930s, ‘Tupolev ANT-20’ commonly known as the ‘Maxim Gorky’ was the largest plane of its time. Joseph Stalin had it built to flaunt the Stalinist propaganda. He had it equipped with a powerful radio set called ‘Voice from the sky’, light equipment etc to bellow patriotic slogan to people down on the ground. For the first time in aviation history, this aircraft had a ladder, which could cleverly fold itself and become a part of the floor. The aircraft could even be disassembled and transported by railroad if needed. The construction project brought together more than 800 technicians from dozens of aviation workshops and bureaus from across the USSR.  With eight motor propelling 7,000 horsepower it was a piece of wonder and pride for the dictator. 

The plain was greatly promoted throughout the country. And it did set a number of world records for its lift capacity, but it was ponderously slow.

The Gorky was often escorted by single engine aircraft to compare its huge size. When the Gorky flew on May 18, 1935, one of the flying escort’s plain with pilot Nikolai Blagin decided to loop around and miscalculating the distance, slammed into one of Gorky’s huge wings. As a result the Gorky plummeted to the ground killing 45 people. The Soviets were so furious that they coined a new term – ‘blaginism’ (after the name of the pilot) which means “selfish exhibitionism and lack of proper discipline”.

7. When a Martyr Turned Out Alive

A young Viet Cong soldier Nguyen Van Be became the focus, for debates on youth, heroism, and state policy throughout the course of the Vietnam War. In 1966 he had died heroically screaming “down with American Imperialists” and killing scores of Americans using a mine. The moment the story reached the media – ballets, poems, songs passionately flooded the country encouraging young men to enlist into the army. The extend of its publicity could be well imagined by the whopping thirty million leaflets, seven million cartoon leaflets, 465,000 posters, 175,000 copies of a special newspaper, 167,000 photographs, 10,000 song sheets that were published during the time. You name it, movie, television, radio, everything had Be’s face plastered on it.

But suddenly one day the dead Nguyen Van Be simply dropped in at a press conference.

Van Be wasn’t dead, he declared he had never fired a single shot. In fact he’d tried to run away but was captured and send away to a Vietnamese prison camp. After this sordid trick the Viet Cong told their audiences that American plastic surgeons had created a Van Be look-alike in order to deceive the population.

6. When The North Korean Propaganda Failed Disastrously

Let me introduced you to Lim Su-Kyung. She was a South Korean citizen who was widely dubbed as the ‘flower of unification’ by the North Koreans. Back in August 1989 Su-Kyung had illegally entered North Korea to participate in the “World Festival of Youth and Students“. She was welcomed by the North government with great pomp and glaring speeches of her bravery and even received an audience with the dictator Kim Il Sung. Basically they made a propaganda superstar out of her for defying the South government and crossing the border. In the street the crowd went mad who wanted to welcome her, touch her and in the process bruised her arm.

In the futuristic dystopia imagined in 1984, George Orwell wrote of a world where the only colour to be found was in the propaganda posters. Such was the case in North Korea where people were fed colourful propagandas and were taught to believe that South Korea was a military dictatorship. But Su-Kyung thoroughly amazed them with her looks and actions; she was casually dressed in jeans and t-shirt (considered non-traditional and high quality), well fed, educated and well spoken. In North Korea public speeches were not normally made by women, but Su-Kyung made powerful speeches without any embarrassment and without a script. This led to a crack in the conscience of the North people towards their beloved government.

Upon Su-Kyung’s return to South Korea she was arrested and apparently the North Korean people were worried for her safety thinking that she would face either execution or be thrown into prison till death as was the tradition in the North.

Then the North Korean government made a grave mistake of broadcasting her trial. Su-Kyung was sent to prison, and to the shock of the North people, ‘without’ her family. For in the North a traitor’s entire family are taken as political prisoners and sent to prison camps. Later she was released. North Koreans realized that the South was a lot more ‘liberal’ than they were allowed to believe. Soon the North Korean government realized their error and no further mention of the girl from the South was made ever again.

5. When N. Korean Leader’s Stupid ADS Made Him Look Stupider

A seemingly bizarre idea one day struck the North Koreans and they started posting advertisements of the dictator Kim Jong Il in American and European newspapers. Strange as it may sound today, but North Korean ads were relatively common in major Western newspapers from 1969 to as late as 1997. The North Korean government issued full-page ads in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Irish Times, The London Times, The London Evening Standard, The Sun, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post glamorizing the exploits of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, the Juche ideology and the reunification of Korea in an attempt of appeasing the West. At least 100 advertisements were said to have been posted between the period 1969-1997.

However, the placement of ads in major Western newspapers did more harm than good; the advertisement became a source of joke and proved how lost the North Koreans were in the false world that they’d created themselves. In 1983 when Sean Garland former President of the Workers’ Party of Ireland had visited North Korea he said to his Korean comrades that those full-page ads expressing Kim Il Sung’s ideas in Irish national newspapers were “ a waste of money because nobody fucking reads them.”

4. When Chinese Ingeniuos Anti-Apple Campaign Backfire

Apple irked Chinese government when it failed to provide promised donations after an earthquake earlier in 2013. Later that year CCTV, the nation’s influential broadcaster and a leading mouthpiece of the central government exposed Apple’s after-sales program that suffered from short coming in China. Soon enough the official newspaper of the Communist Party The People’s Daily joined the attack and demanded  a rare apology  to Chinese consumers by Apple which was shortly afterwards delivered. The onslaught had occurred due to Apple’s big push into the country to make its root firmer and more profitable. It may also have been a cheap campaign led by a Chinese-owned Smartphone rival or a blackmail attempt intended to pressurize the company to spend more money in advertising at the state-owned media outlets.

So far so good, until a Hong Kong movie star made a post on a microbloging site. Alongside that post he had accidentally included an instruction from the TV station dictating when the post was to go online. This very naturally made Chinese netizens wonder whether everything, even the CCTV’s accusation was staged. The image of the government was over night transformed into that of a profit-blinded-manipulator. As if this wasn’t enough, other naive celebrities who had criticized Apple had sent their posts via Apple devices.

3. When The Guardian Tried Fixing Pen Pals For Americans

The British newspaper The Guardian decided to provide the Americans with unsolicited advice on how to discharge their civic duties. The political election of the US was the target. Since the outcome of the election will affect the entire world, they reasoned, why shouldn’t non-Americans have a say in it, too? So Operation Clark County was born, in which the Guardian asked its readers to send letters to the Clark County citizen in Ohio begging them not to vote for George Bush.

Immediately about 11,000 British people signed up for the campaign. The newspaper gave out anonymous Clark County addresses to its readers which massively irked the County folks as wells as other American citizen. The Guardian was bombed with vicious letters saying “Have you not noticed that Americans don’t give two shits what Europeans think of us?” and other shows of such appreciation.

To this the paper replied “Blimey, what the hell were we thinking?”  and raised the white flag. Some believe that the ‘Operation Clark County’ was responsible for George Bush’s win with 1,620 votes in the County

2. When Putin Remarkably Discovered Moss Free Urns

The Russian president Vladimir Putin added another star to his uniform of success and turned into self-styled Indiana Jones in 2011 when he accidentally discovered Greek urns while scuba diving at a Russian archaeological site.

Earlier Putin has been seen furbishing his macho public image through a number of incidents like chase whales , riding a Harley, hunting bare-chested,  bending frying pan, arm wrestling, scaling artificial wall , taking down a judo master and even leading endangered cranes to safety in an ultralight aircraft . He’s done it all. Even played piano.

But, no one could buy this one. Critics noted that the amphorae that supposedly had been unearthed for the first time after the 6th century AD were surprisingly clean and remarkably moss-free. And also the vases were lying only a few feet under clear water on a heavily trafficked coast.

Not surprising, this let to the creation of several parodies and served as a tipping point in Putin’s popularity. Of course his chief spokesman later confirmed that the incident was a total hoax and said that it was ‘completely normal’ to have staged it. Some Russians complain that the recent election results seem just as staged as the infamous accidental-urn-discovery.

1. When Women Wear was Used as a Tool of Mocking

Back in 2009, the Iranian government’s attempt to humiliate a jailed student leader by photographing him in women’s clothes backfired when a campaign featuring Iranian men dressed in women’s clothes gained strength and triggered a debate on gender equality.

Majid Tavakoli, a prominent student leader, was arrested after giving a pro-democracy speech. Less than two hours later, the Fars news agency, reported that Tavakoli had been captured in women’s clothes preparing to escape from authorities. Some claim that the purpose behind all this was to parallel him with the disgraced president Banisadr who was alleged to have escaped from Iran by shaving his moustache and donning a woman’s headscarf.

Such effort to ridicule the opposition leader was met with outraged defiance not only in words but also in action. Humour, being the best way to make a political point Iranian men donned hijabs and posted their pictures on blogs and community websites like Facebook under unison slogans like ‘I am Majid’, ‘We are all Majid’, ‘Be a man. Send us your picture as a woman’ et al. Many of the contributing men dauntlessly showed their faces, in headscarves, while some covered their faces and flashed ‘V’ signs. There is even a Wikipedia page in Farsi devoted to the phenomenon.

People who had witnessed Majid’s arrest cried foul-play and argued that Majid was either forced into the women’s clothing later or the picture was photoshopped.

Although the tone of the movement was initially whimsical, it touched on more profound matter of gender equality making sexuality a relevant issue. The whole phenomenon is also a portrayal of solidarity towards women in oppressed societies as well as a sign of acceptance of the notion of women as political force and not shame.