Thursday's intriguing people
Fashion designer Kenneth Cole put his foot in his mouth -- but what was he wearing?
February 3rd, 2011
03:12 PM ET

Thursday's intriguing people

Kenneth Cole

The fashion designer issued a quick apology Thursday after Twitter followers were not amused by his attempt at an Egypt-related joke.

"Millions are in an uproar in #Cairo," he tweeted. "Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo -KC"

That went over like an orange-and-yellow-plaid evening jacket.

It wasn't long before Cole tweeted his regrets:

"Re Egypt tweet: we weren't intending to make light of a serious situation. We understand the sensitivity of this historic moment."

It also wasn't long before a fake Kenneth Cole PR account was created to make fun of him. A couple of its latest tweets:

"Check out our new colab with @BP_America - slick looks for spring!"

"People of Haiti, fall into our store for earth-shattering savings!"

"Iran is enriching uranium. Our shoes will enrich your suits."

Snorre Valen

The 26-year-old member of Norway's parliament said he nominated WikiLeaks for a Nobel Peace Prize because it has helped "redraw the map of information freedom."

"Publishing material that is deemed classified by the government is an obvious right that newspapers and media have practiced for many, many decades," Valen wrote on his blog. "This way, the public has become aware of abuses of power that governments should be held accountable for.

"The internet doesn't change this - it merely makes information more accessible, easier to distribute, and more democratic in the sense that virtually anyone with an internet connection can contribute."

Valen is a keyboardist, a member of the bands Amish 82 and Peevish Penfriend. He is a former member of Gallery.

Laban Coblentz

Coblentz, a longtime aide to Mohamed ElBaradei, says the Egyptian opposition figure previously had no ambitions for office in Egypt, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

"When people were first approaching him saying, 'Will you run for president of Egypt in 2011?' he was very dismissive of it," Coblentz told The Journal.

Coblentz helped ElBaradei write a memoir that is due out in April, The Journal reported.

After ElBaradei learned how to use social networking on the internet, he learned he was more popular than he had realized, Coblentz told The Journal.

"It was really this last 14 months, where someone I knew as not being particularly computer savvy, taught himself to use Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and started to do in virtual space which was forbidden to do by the Mubarak regime, the freedom of assembly by large groups," Coblentz said, according to The Journal.

Michael B. Colbert

Colbert is the first minority appointed to new Ohio Gov. John Kasich's Cabinet.

Kasich has been criticized for his string of white appointees, but Colbert, who is black, broke the string when Kasich named him to lead the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Colbert had been interim director of the department, The Columbus Dispatch newspaper reported.

"I am comfortable with who I am," Colbert said at the announcement of his appointment, according to the Dispatch. "I understand my heritage. I'm very proud of that heritage. I'm very proud of those that paved the way for me to get this position. Additionally, I know the job that I'm doing. I've been doing this for the last three years on the financial side, and I understand what we need to do to get services to Ohioans."

Ohio hadn't had an all-white Cabinet since 1962, when Democrat Michael DiSalle was governor, according to The Dispatch.

 Post by:
Filed under: Egypt • Nobel • Norway • Ohio • WikiLeaks
soundoff (32 Responses)
  1. rara123

    People need to stop worrying about being so PC and dramatic. Sure his comment was in poor taste but, LET IT GO!

    February 3, 2011 at 4:41 pm | Report abuse |
    • JoseFromAmerica

      Media and it's over sensitive ways and influencing humanity.

      February 3, 2011 at 5:30 pm | Report abuse |
    • john

      but it ended up on the front page of cnn.com, what a blunder 🙂

      February 3, 2011 at 5:33 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Dan J

    There wouldn't be a problem if we had just nuked the entire middle-east decades ago. Just sayin'.

    February 3, 2011 at 4:48 pm | Report abuse |
    • Guest

      you should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking this thought. It's people like you that give our great country such bad rap! Just sayin'

      February 3, 2011 at 4:56 pm | Report abuse |
    • Dan J

      I'm not in your great country.

      February 3, 2011 at 5:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • Tony

      @ (other) guest - good lord - get a grip. The post was funny and perfectly ironically appropriate. Of course, you also (ironically) proved how stupid the PC-police act.

      February 3, 2011 at 6:24 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Scott

    His shoes are a bore...he hasn't had a fresh idea in about a decade

    February 3, 2011 at 4:48 pm | Report abuse |
  4. rara123fan

    Amen ! Finally somebody who gets it. Relax America.

    February 3, 2011 at 4:51 pm | Report abuse |
  5. TonyInNYC

    Did everyone here do like and and click on that link and end up at Kenneth Cole's website? Yeah, I should know better. He may not be PC 100% of the time, but he sure knows market his brand.

    February 3, 2011 at 4:57 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Eugene Frank MD

    Rural Englishmen dress poorly: send Cole to Newcastle.

    February 3, 2011 at 4:58 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Clarissa

    yeah, I mean - if you can't laugh at anti-dictatorship bloodshed in the streets, what CAN you laugh about? Geesh...

    February 3, 2011 at 5:02 pm | Report abuse |
  8. The two witnesses

    They're here!! The two witnesses spoken of in revelation chapter 11!! Please call 800 613 9494 or visit Facebook.com/wefoundthem 
    Don't delay,call today!!!

    February 3, 2011 at 5:09 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Cesar

    No.

    February 3, 2011 at 5:20 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Jinda

    Cole rhymes with hole. And you can guess what kind of hole Kenneth is.

    February 3, 2011 at 5:20 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Meadow

    Seriously...who cares?!

    February 3, 2011 at 5:28 pm | Report abuse |
  12. C M

    honestly, I think people need to calm down. he's not a Goodwill Ambassador, he designs clothes for cryin out loud! those of you raising so much stink about this ... have you never found a way to make humor out of a bad situation??? get over yourselves!

    February 3, 2011 at 5:34 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Thomas

    Oh I get it. Cnn puts 'Intriguing' in the header of uninteresting articles in order to get page views. Well, you got me Cnn. Good one.

    February 3, 2011 at 5:40 pm | Report abuse |
  14. the_dude

    It's a good thing I don't buy Kenneth Cole stuff to begin with because his comment hurt me so much I could just fart.

    February 3, 2011 at 5:42 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Cesar

    Ooooo CNN, are you going to let Thomas talk that way to you? You won't block him or remove his post for disrespecting you? Oooooo

    February 3, 2011 at 5:43 pm | Report abuse |
1 2
« Back to main