Stories about Humor from November, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago: The Queen & the PM
B.C. Pires pokes fun at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which kicked off in Trinidad and Tobago today.
China: 41 Popular Chinese Internet Memes From 2009
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated local web portal Netease's pick of 41 popular Chinese internet memes.
Trinidad & Tobago: Waste of Time?
“Most citizens still think CHOGM is a few-hundred-million dollar joke and will not benefit citizens in any way”: Trinidad and Tobago's This Beach Called Life weighs in on the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Egypt: Alaa Mubarak for President?
Several names have been thrown in the pool of candidates for Egypt's 2011 presidential elections. Now a new name is being floated. Find out why Alaa Mubarak, the Egyptian President's eldest son, is a current favorite among some Egyptians...or maybe not.
Qatar: Cartoon of maid abusing child raises ire
A cartoon published in a local paper in Qatar depicting a crazed maid abusing a child has raised the ire of Doha bloggers, many of whom are condemning the possible satire for being racist and in poor taste. Shabina S. Khatri has more on the debate.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Bromance
“I am fed up of the debate over next week’s referendum”: So instead, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Lullabies, Fairy Tales and other Self Delusions blogs about his “bromance with murses.”
Guyana: Vampire Snacks
Guyana-Gyal comes up with an innovative marketing plan to sell mosquitoes…
Japan: “Obamu”, Verb Form of “Obama”?
Anpontan‘s post about the word “obamu” (オバむ) , a Japanese word play that's a verb form of “Obama”, was picked up by James Fallows at the Atlantic and is making its way across the blogosphere, although very few Japanese people actually seem to have heard of the word, as Daniel...
Egypt: Celebrities sans Diplomacy
Bikya Masr reported two stories a couple of days apart about celebrity blunders and lack of tact. Beyonce was targeted in the first and Salma Hayek spoke out in the second. Marwa Rahka has the story.
Trinidad & Tobago: “Axe the Tax”!
From Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life clears the air on “the not-so-new property tax that has angered homeowners into an angry fireball. Citizens, despite cursing and more cursing, were about to resign themselves to paying the much higher property tax when, out of nowhere, a flagpole appeared.”
Guyana: Must Get Mosquito
Guyana-Gyal has it out with a mosquito.
South Africa: South African national anthem for English speakers
South African national anthem for English speakers: What a great way to visually explain the South African national anthem for those of us who firstly don’t know it by now, secondly know it but might not know how we are pronouncing it and thirdly don’t speak the languages in the...
Cameroon: From “kind” thieves to mobile credit as legal tender
The nearly 20 million inhabitants of Cameroon are facing rising levels of criminality. Bandits even stormed the national headquarters of the police and the Ministry of External Relations (Foreign Affairs) in the capital city, Yaounde.
Trinidad & Tobago: Steups
This Beach Called Life thinks that the national mood of Trinidad and Tobago can be summed up in just one word: “Steups”.
Kyrgyzstan: Satanized
Shairbek Zhusuev, leader of political party ErK (Erkin Kyrgyzstan – transl. Free Kyrgyzstan), shocked many Kyrgyzstanis stating that the capital of Kyrgyzstan Bishkek city has been satanized for many years, as it has a big sign symbolizing demonolatry. Zhusuev says that he found out about it while surfing Google Earths...
Trinidad & Tobago: Flag It!
Trinidadian bloggers continue to weigh in on the exorbitant cost to taxpayers for a massive national flag: “The point is not only the credibility of the cost of the monster-flag and associated concrete but the reason we need a monster-flag during a recession and a white collar crime wave.”
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Yuh Lie!
As Trinidad and Tobago's National Security Minister makes an inaccurate statement about the processing time for machine-readable passports, B.C. Pires is irritated that the media did not ask questions: “I’ve seen Trinidadians in action so I understand ‘boldfacity’. I don’t understand the people on the other side going along with...
Albania: Giving Directions
A Nevada Yankee in King Zog's Court writes that “Albanians are so poor at giving directions that it's easier just to take the lost soul directly to his destination than it is to give directions.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Referendum Predictions
With 20 days to go to the Constitutional Referendum, Vincentian Life says: “It looks like Vincyland’s turned totally upside-down! A foreigner has predicted a tsunami, a local bishop has predicted heart attacks and I predict deeper divisions…”
Kenya: Are you Chikuyu or Ruo?
“Are you Chikuyu or Ruo?,” asks Proud Kikuyu Woman: “Lakini [lakini means “but” in Swahili] the one that initially used to surprise me is when I tell someone I’m Kenyan and they go , “Chikuyu or Ruo”. The letter K is often pronounced as ‘Ch’ in Luganda (and the G...
Trinidad & Tobago: Political Meeting
ttgapers.com reports that “Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday have agreed in principle that Trinidad and Tobago needs a new constitution”, but B.C. Pires is not convinced that was the only item on their agenda: “What you think they will discuss at the ‘Diplomatic Centre'? Matters of...
