Stories about Humor from December, 2012
Japan's Kanji of the Year 2012
The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation has announced the kanji of the year 2012 is gold (金) on December 12, 2012. How do netizens conceive this announcement and how do they look back this year?
“Nobody Gets Mad on the Last Day”
Remembering his school days, Tomas Bradanovic [es] writes on his self-named blog “at elementary school, the last day of school year was the occasion for commiting any kind of mischievousness because there was no point for us to be sent to the principal's office”. Then, he reviews his own 2012...
China’s hottest “styles” of 2012
Because of the Korean pop hit “Gangnam Style”, the English word “style” has been popularized in China in 2012. On Dec 24,a local newspaper published a special round-up of the hottest “styles” on Chinese social media in 2012. The feature includes six categories: “Funny (幽默) Style”, “Strong (实力) Style”, “Emotional (感情) Style”, “Surprising (惊诧)...
Greece: “Gods Just Got Bored Playing Dice”
German daily Handelsblatt reportedly picked Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras as politician of the year, after yet another round of austerity measures, another bailout tranche to Greece, a warning from the European Commission of more to come, and endless ‘GRexit’ speculation (on whether Greece will exit the Eurozone and default). Financial blogger Albert John offers...
Russians Prepared for the Post-Apocalypse with Parties, Stockpiling, & Orgies
That the world failed to come to an end today, "21-12-2012," must come as a relief to many Russian bloggers who have spent the past several weeks obsessing over the coming apocalypse prophesied by the Mayans. Of course, as with many things, Russia's take on Armageddon had its own peculiarities.
Two Coins for the Boatman
From Guatemala, Fe de Rata‘s blogger Juan Pablo Dardón, lists his plan [es] for the end of times: I woke up early and put two golden coins one for each shoe […] two coins I'm telling you when meteorites fall down and all this gets open as an orange […]...
Honduras: “Don't Worry, Be Happy”
La Gringa, from La Gringa's blogicito shares her sentiments about so long anticipated December 21, 2012: Today is December 21, 2012, the last day of the Mayan calendar. Enjoy it as if it is the last day of the world! […] My last meal is going to be ice cream...
China:10 Best Weibo Stories of 2012
The Chinese internet is a fascinating place. Stories break online everyday. Despite the strong censorship, Chinese internet users are able to keep their sense of humor(and the censors at bay) by creating different buzzwords and memes. As the year comes to an end, TeaLeafNation has collected the 10 most funny and...
Minister Wert Sparks Humour on the Net
An article on online newspaper Núvol with the title “Send up #Wert” [ca] collects discussions, cartoons, jokes and word games inspired by statements and the education law reform proposed by Spanish Minister José Ignacio Wert.
North Korea's Missile Launch Depicted by Cats
The cheeky Tumblr blog International Relations as Depicted by Cats suggests North Korea's reaction to their own missile launch.
Xinhua Is On Twitter
Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream blogs about Chinese netizens’ reaction of the Chinese government official news outlets, Xinhua, being active on Twitter, an social media platform which is blocked in China. As the blogger pointed out: it does seem slightly ironic for a government agency to be using Twitter when...
Russian Web Censorship Got You Down? Fight It With “Counter-Absurdity”!
It has now been more than a month since the blacklist of the Russian Internet went live. One Russian ISP has decided to have its own say in the matter.
Bulgarian PM Takes a Nap at Nobel Peace Prize Event
On his Facebook page, Dimitar Vuchev posts a screenshot [bg] from the livestreaming of today's Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony, featuring the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in what looks like a peaceful nap:
Angola: Comedic Complaints About Stereotypes, Cost of Living
Delvino Funetii, Angola's young video blogger who has been entertaining people for a year on Youtube, posted his first video in English. He first complains about stereotypes of African men as repair superheroes, and goes into a diatribe about the sudden price increase of his neighbor's cakes by four times....
‘Fuleco’ the Mascot Divides Brazil
After a public vote, it was decided that the FIFA World Cup's mascot in Brazil will be called "Fuleco". But many Brazilian internet users are now claiming it is an inappropriate choice, since fuleco in Brazilian slang also means "anus". More than 39,000 signatures have already been gathered in a petition.
Top 10 Chinese Internet Memes of 2012
As the year comes to an end, we've picked China's 10 most memorable Internet memes of 2012. They cover scandal, celebrity, humour and buzzwords.
Still Shaking from Kim Kardashian's Bahrain Trip
Reality show celebrity Kim Kardashian's trip to Bahrain is still making the rounds on news - and social media. In a series of tweets, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof makes it clear how unhappy he is to be denied a visa to visit Bahrain, where Kardashian was invited to open a milkshake shop, writes Mohamed Hasan
‘Carousel Voting’ Goes Viral in Kyrgyz Elections
Nearly three months of intrusive and irksome electoral campaigns in Kyrgyzstan came to an end as votes were counted for the five municipal elections held on November 25. But with the results in, a scandalous video has left a sour taste in the mouth.
