Stories about Humor from March, 2011
Jamaica: Enquiry No Laughing Matter
As the Manatt Dudus Enquiry is extended for the third time, GWAP comments: “A Commission that should have cost Jamaican tax payers JMD $37 million has now skyrocket[ed] to JMD $78 million!”, while Pray, Laugh, Grow thinks the whole debacle is anything but funny.
Russia: Real Life Super Hero From Chelyabinsk
Metkere.com shares [ru] a video-address of a real life super hero calling himself “The Avenger.” (see his Vkontakte fan group [ru]) The avenger, a man in a black costume with a green letter “M” (apparently M for Mstitel’, the ‘avenger’ in Russian) on it and a black mask, says he...
Lebanon: Ontornet instead of Internet
Frustrated with the very slow internet connection in Lebanon, a group of Lebanese bloggers started a campaign calling it “Ontornet” (“Ontor” in the Lebanese dialect means “wait”) to do something about it. They explained it all in this blog post.
Barbados: Going on Facebook
“I just didn’t like the idea of credit cards. They seemed to be a device for misleading people into a pattern of life they probably wouldn’t have entered, but for the convenience”: B.C. Pires argues it's the “same thing with FaceBook.”
Qatar: A World Cup in the Clouds
A report of a remote-controlled, solar-powered hovering shade, which could be used to cool soccer stadiums in Qatar, has taken on a life of its own, putting the small but wealthy Gulf nation in the spotlight once again. Whether or not these US $500,000 constructs will be gracing the stadia of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar though, remains to be seen.
Russia: Voina Art Collective
At OpenDemocracy.net, writes about the Voina art collective (RUS: @free_voina; ENG: @free_voina_en) and “explains how their controversial methods have made it difficult to mobilise support.” Kevin Rothrock (@agoodtreaty) re-posts a video of Voina‘s recent prank action (1,178,969 views, 3,023 likes, 658 dislikes): “unwelcomely, without warning kiss female cops on candid...
Arab World: The Arab Tyrant Manual
The Arab Tyrant Manual is out, and is being tweeted as I type. On Twitter, Iyad Elbaghdadi is repeating all the excuses we have heard from the governments of Arab countries which have had protests calling for regime change and reforms since the Tunisian uprising at the end of 2010. Although they sound like one liners from a comic strip, they still get support from people on the ground.
Africa: Democracy in Africa
Computer language explanation of the democratic developments in Africa: “IVORY COAST: 60% [Alert: Virus-Gbagbo detected_Trojan Horse-Ouattarra in Quarantine], CONGO: Connection lost since 1997, NIGERIA: Starting Connection, ZIMBABWE: 404 Error – Server not found…”
India: Lakme India Fashion Week In Twitter Conversations
Ugich Konitari at Gappa posts some imaginary Twitter conversations describing the Lakme India Fashion Week catwalk event.
Jamaica: Legal Wrangling
“The cross-examination of…Minister of Justice and Attorney-General [in the Manatt Dudus Enquiry] continued this week”: Jamaica and the World says, “It was excruciating to watch.”
Russia: Photos of Saint Patrick's Day Parade in Moscow
Photoblogger Dervishv publishes [ru] extravagant photos of Saint Patrick's Day celebration: all kinds of green, Moscow hipsters, Irish flags… and police (the parade was officially banned). At least, some parts of the police forces were in green uniform.
China: Chairman Mao's grandson
Mao Xinyu, Mao Zedong’s grandson, was recently promoted to Major General in Chinese military. He has been a major subject for mockery in the past few years among netizens. The Ministry of Tofu presents to you a most update online sarcasm.
Malawi: Fashion Police Blog
Fashion Police blog from Blantyre, Malawi: “Coz we do fashion on a budget in Blantyre, Malawi (however, some people need to be fined!)”
India: Furore In Parliament Over New Set Of Wikileaks
The latest round of India Cables from Wikileaks has led to a furore in the Indian Parliament with the opposition demanding an explanation from the Prime Minister. Netizens have been discussing them with much animation, their reactions ranging from disgust to sarcasm and even a bit of humor.
Côte d'Ivoire: Gbagbo Rulings Ridiculed on Twitter
In the ongoing struggle between presidential candidates Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, that has been going on in the West African nation of Côte d'Ivoire since the presidential elections of November 2010, each day brings a new batch of surprising rulings.
China: Rap on Chinese Price
Ministry of Tofu translates a parody rap on the soaring consumer prices in China.
China: Controversial Speeches from Party Members
The Fourth Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) closed yesterday (March 14 2011) in Beijing. One-Party leadership was not a subject up for debate, so people have turned their attention to the speeches and proposals made by the so-called "people's representatives".
Jamaica: Enquiry Stalemate?
Jamaican bloggers discuss the latest developments in the Manatt Dudus Enquiry.
Nigeria: Vote for “Umblerra”
Nigerian First Lady asks Nigerians to vote for “umblerra”: “An audio recording has emerged of Mrs Jonathan speaking at a rally of the ruling party. She was “trying to persuade her listeners to vote for the ‘Umbrella’, the unmistakable symbol of the Peoples’ Democratic Party.”
Mozambique: Where streets have no name
A photo of where streets have no name in Mozambique: “There is a city where there are signposts everywhere. And each signpost is empty of language. The citizens decide on the names of the streets by consensus at 8am each morning. Poets run the naming sessions..”
Jamaica: Political Satire
Jamaica and the World posts updates on the Manatt Commission of Inquiry, while Active Voice notes that “political satire is alive and well in Jamaica”, thanks in part to the Twitter debut “of someone tweeting as if they’re the imprisoned don, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, languishing in a New York prison.”
