· March, 2011

Stories about Humor from March, 2011

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...

29 March 2011

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...

28 March 2011

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.

28 March 2011

Russia: Voina Art Collective

RuNet Echo

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...

27 March 2011

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.

23 March 2011

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 –...

22 March 2011

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.”

21 March 2011

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...

19 March 2011

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.

18 March 2011

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.

18 March 2011

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".

15 March 2011

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...

14 March 2011

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...

9 March 2011