Stories about Humor from September, 2010
Europe: “Mapping Stereotypes”
Via Dr Sean's Diary, “a series of maps of Europe mapping the (supposed) prejudices of various nations […] and, for some reason, also of gay men” by “Bulgarian visual artist, graphic designer and illustrator Yanko Tsvetkov.” Also, “What European Tribes Think About One Another” – at eXile.ru; a similar map...
Morocco: “Why Belle is a Peace Corps Volunteer”
A blog meme is making the rounds amongst female Peace Corps Volunteers in Morocco; though neither of the bloggers who posted the meme disclosed its origins, both women say that they relate to it. The meme in question? "Why Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, is actually a Peace Corps Morocco volunteer."
Bolivia: The Story of the Uncle and Other Scams
They are often the oldest tricks in the book, yet people still continue to fall for them. In Bolivia, like other South American countries, a scam or attempt to con is often called “El Cuento del Tío” (The Story of the Uncle). Bolivian bloggers share their own story of being swindled.
Egypt: “The Inevitable Mubarak Photoshopping Contest”
In its coverage of the 2010 Peace Talks–the latest round of direct negotiations between leaders from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and the US, Al Ahram newspaper used Photoshop skills to place Mubarak at the front and center in the lineup of heads of states. Bloggers take the cue to launch their own Mubarak Photoshopping Contest!
China: Uncensored District Government Website
ESWN translated a news story on a grassroots government website in Xindu district of Chengdu city. The district government website does not censor away abusive comments, on the other hand, its officials give creative responses to unreasonable complaint.
India: Tips For Eating At An Indian Buffet
Anirban takes a hilarious look at the proper way to eat at an Indian buffet.
Humorous Web Reactions to Thursday's Facebook Outage
Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with over 500 million users. The website was offline for a few hours on September 23, 2010. Several jokes about the Facebook outage were soon streaming on Twitter, with many of them being re-tweeted by hundreds.
China: The Most Awesome Train Door
The Youku video shows the most awesome subway train door in Beijing city.
China: Walkway and Pedestrian Crossing
China Hush translated some forum posts on the design of pedestrian crossing that runs through grass and tree, and walkways for blinds that leads into the river.
Lebanon: Forty New Things
This is Beirut posts a list of 40 new things that she learned in Lebanon in the nine months since she moved from Miami to Beirut.
China: Shanghai’s 7 Social Classes
Baoru from CNReviews translated an article from JFDaily on Shanghai's 7 social class.
Guyana: Gold Rush?
Guyana-Gyal thinks the gold rush must be on again – at least judging from the influx of foreigners – and each of them, she says, “got their own winning technique.”
Togo: The Most Hilarious Sports Joke of the Year
Togo's football federation says the “national team” that played an exhibition match against Bahrain on September 7, 2010 was fake. Togo's sports minister says that the team was made up of “unidentified players and their shadowy handlers” who belonged to a “mafia group.” FIFA is investigating the allegations. One blogger has described the story as one of the weirdest stories of the year and another one says it is “one of the most hilarious sports practical jokes of all time.”
China: Online Game: Nail House Vs. Demolitionists
ESWN translates a local report introducing a recent hot online game in China – Nail House Vs. Demolitionists.
Paraguayans, their paramours and the MP7
I host a radio show in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital. Every Friday afternoon I ask my listeners for real stories, to help them relax in this city’s traffic. And it was during one of these Friday-afternoon call-ins—I had asked about technology that helps cover up unwanted tracks—that I first heard about Chinese dual-SIM mobile phones.
China: Microblogging about the husband and his mistress…
ESWN translated the live cast (via microblog> of a wife catching her husband and his mistress sleeping naked in bed.
Macedonia: Bronze Lions, Accountability & Transparency
The new statues of four bronze lions on a Skopje bridge attracted the attention of the Macedonian public by the end of August. The initial arrogant refusal of accountability by their creators overshadowed the questionable artistic achievement related to these publicly funded felines.
Global Taiwanese Beef Soup Threading
The Big Old Smoke who lives in UK initiates a funny and tasty campaign “Global Taiwanese Beef Soup Threading[zht]” and invites her blogger/plurker friends both in Taiwan and abroad to share their individual beef soup recipes and post them on blogs.
Jamaica: “Hostages in a Patty Shop”
Active Voice blogs about a “farcical scenario [that] played itself out in downtown Kingston” when armed men took over a patty shop – and the ensuing discussion on Twitter.
Egypt: Wanna be a Bride; From Blog to TV
An Egyptian blog featuring humorous short stories about a girl's endless quest to find a suitable husband was published into a book more than two years ago. This year it was turned into a television series, which is being shown across the Arab world this Ramadan.
Zimbabwe/South Africa: Mugabe in chicken to change song
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is the subject of a new music video, Chicken to change, by South African Afro-pop sensation group FRESHLYGROUND and the internet satirical show ZA NEWS.
