Stories about Humor from May, 2013
New «Squadron» of Exorcists for the Archdiocese of Madrid
The Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, Monsignor Rouco Varela, is assembling a team of eight exorcists to address "the high demand from his parishioners for help in being freed from demonic possession and other evil influences."
Coffee Art Goes 3D in Japan
In Japan where green tea remains the hot beverage of choice, latte art is growing phenomenon, whether it be 3D foamy creations or a vending machine that serves cappuccino with a woman's face.
YouTube Blocked in Tajikistan After Video of President Dancing Goes Viral
As tensions surrounding elections slated for November continue to poison the political mood in Tajikistan, a video of President Emomali Rahmon singing and dancing at his son's wedding has gone viral, giving opposition figures yet another reason to criticize the excesses of the ruling family and the Tajik authorities yet another reason to block the video-sharing platform YouTube. The wedding took place in 2007, but the video was uploaded to YouTube on May 18, 2013.
Kindness Mascot Gives Up on Singapore
Singa, Singapore’s courtesy lion and then mascot for kindness since 1982 has resigned. Complaining against an “increasingly angry and disagreeable society” the lion felt it’s time to take a break. Apparently, Singa even submitted a resignation letter to the Singapore Kindness Movement which went viral online
Laughing at Russia's Eurovision Shooting Spirit
Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on his country's fifth place finish in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. At a press conference, Lavrov denounced supposed voting irregularities, claiming that Russia's points were "stolen," and called the anomaly "an outrageous act," promising Russian retaliation. Netizens were deeply amused.
KFC Deliveries Smuggled into Palestine Through Secret Tunnels
Palestinian Anas Hamra, from Gaza, claims he got his Kentucky Fried Chicken delivered – after a seven hour wait. His story tallies with a recent New York Times report which says that Gazans are getting their KFC deliveries, from Al Arish, in Egypt, where they are smuggled through secret tunnels. The delivery service has since been discontinued, but at least Hamra got his KFC treat and the chance to blog his experience.
Tinker, Tailor, Compass, Wig: Russia's Amusing American Spy Scandal
Fogle's alleged letter (written in awkward if grammatically correct Russian) looked like "Nigerian spam run through Google translate".
Comoros Chats About Identity on Twitter
The hashtags #TesPasComorien and #Teamcomoco are stoking conversation among Comorian Twitter users about what it means to be from the island nation of Comoros.
Dirty Words Russian Girls Can’t Say on the Internet
Earlier this week, opposition figure Maria Baronova penned an open letter to writer and political dissident Eduard Limonov, wherein she dropped a sexual bombshell. Her text unabashedly refers to “masturbating in the shower” and credits Limonov with teaching her (through his books) how to “suck dick” “without false modesty” and “fuck like an animal.” The online response has been intense.
PHOTOS: Guerrilla Art Project Captures Japan's Northeast in Portraits
Photographs of about 400 people collected from Japan's tsunami-devastated northeastern Tohoku region make up an exhibition at Tokyo's Watari Museum of Contemporary Art by French artist JR as part of his "Inside Out" participatory art project.
Spain: Bullfighting Nuns vs. Animal-Loving Children
The children of "El cuarto hocico", a virtual animal protection group in the form of a blog created by children from Orba de Muel school (Spain), offered the nuns of the La Aguilera monastery all their money, 1000€, so they would discard the idea of holding a bullfight to raise funds.
Australia’s SandwichGate: PM Julia Gillard Better Take Cover
The mainstream media have been accused of trivialising political coverage in Australia over an incident involving Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a sandwich on 8 May 2013. Apparently, it even went viral overseas both in the press and online.
Conservative Pundit Sues South Korea's Saturday Night Live TV Show
Political satire in South Korea is having a rough go of it these days. The country's version of American comedy show Saturday Night Live faces a lawsuit filed by a conservative pundit who was lampooned on the program. And earlier this year, the wildly popular sketch-comedy show Gag Concert was reprimanded by authorities for addressing the South Korean president in too casual a manner.
Lebanon's Happy Offshore Oil Billboards
Qifa Nabki writes: “Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water has launched a new [billboard] campaign promoting the benefits of off-shore oil exploration for the average citizen. The ads contain shots of smiling people aside captions like: “My children and I are staying in Lebanon“ or “I’m going back to work in Lebanon!“”...
Social Media and Sarcasm in Lebanon
The Eleventh Room posted some funny tweets about Beirut’s first Social Media Awards event. They said the Social Media Awards hashtag #SMABeirut was going strong on Twitter days after the event. They added: “As we were going through them, we couldn’t help but laugh out loud at some pretty sarcastic/hilarious ones....
Costa Rican Blogger (Almost) Meets Obama
While Laura [Chinchilla] was talking, at one point he [Obama] turned and looked toward my direction. I took the opportunity and put on my best smile and raised my hat as a greeting. With my other hand I was holding his book over my chest. And you know what? He...
Absurdity Takes to the Streets in Russia
"A Monstration is a parody of a traditional demonstration, with absurd demands and slogans, where every participant says what they want."
Turkmen Leader Falls off Horse
The Turkmen leader has recently fell off his horse after winning a race. The footage of the embarrassing incident had been made public by international media, and Turkmen dissidents are using the video as an opportunity to ridicule the president.
Trinidad & Tobago: Warner's Future History
Like all urban legends, Jack will linger on minds of both the mindful and mindless. Tongue firmly in cheek, aka_lol predicts Jack Warner's legacy.
Game Over: Pakistan's Young and Rich Head to the Polls
A new online game packs humorous punches at Pakistan's new batch of young and rich voters who say they will bravely dodge bombs to take part in Pakistan's upcoming historic elections. The weeks leading up to the May 11 elections have been rigged with violence.
