Stories about Humor from March, 2014
Top 10 Russian-Language Tweets, Week 13 of 2014
Every Friday, RuNet Echo collects the top ten Russian-language tweets and curates them for Global Voices readers.
Trinidad & Tobago: Another Minister Bites the Dust
In the wake of the dismissal of the latest minister from the current government, Wired868 chronicles the firings of his colleagues.
The Spanish Newspaper ABC Takes a Beating on Twitter after Publishing an Article against Masturbation
The article was published by a group of experts from the University of Navarra, which belongs to Opus Dei.
Australians Joust over Knights and Dames Revival
The revival of knights and dames had Australians all atwitter.
Ukrainians Desperate to Flip the Script on Fascism
Photoshoped swastika is making the rounds on RuNet.
First Tweet from President of Madagascar is the Ultimate Meta Tweet
The newly elected president of Madagascar Hery Rajaonarimampianina created his twitter account on March 23, 2014. Here is his first tweet : It is quite possibly the most meta tweet ever from a head of state. Only media mugol Rupert Murdoch might challenge the level of “metaness” of his first...
“Happy” Video Exposes the Other Side of Rio de Janeiro
Inspired by the “worldwide contagious happiness” that was sparked by Pharrell Williams’ viral music video “Happy“, as can be seen in hundreds of dancing videos from around the world, Brazilian group of video-makers Jeitinho Carioca (“Shit Cariocas Say”) has created a local version for Rio de Janeiro with a satirical tone. Besides showing people...
Meet Crimea's New Anime Mascot, Natalia Poklonskaya
A definitive fan-art collection of Natalia Poklonskaya, the newly minted Prosecutor General appointed by the secessionist government of Crimea, who has captured the heart of RuNet and Japan.
Do US Sanctions Against Putin's Cronies Fuel Russian Patriotism?
So far, it seems the West’s response to the annexation of Crimea has only reinforced Russia’s patriotic frenzy. But could tougher sanctions change that?
The ‘Happy’ Videos of Middle East and North Africa
From Lebanon to Morocco, passing by Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunis, and Algeria, it seems like the MENA region is filled with people willing to just be happy and dance.
10 Ways Russians and Ukrainians Reacted to Crimea Annexation Speech
Regardless of how one feels about the Crimean question, it was a landmark speech, and one that bloggers reacted to the way they usually do on the Internet. Through memes.
Discussing Aid System with a Light Touch
This blog takes a satirical view of aid system in the world: Stuff Expat Aid Workers Like is an ongoing series of sometimes satirical, sometimes ironic, usually humorous (but sometimes dead serious), always honest vignettes of the humanitarian aid industry from the inside. Sometimes we want to complain about one...
Chinese President Xi Jinping Cartoons
Under a special section dedicated to China’s on-going National People’s Congress, iFeng.com, a pro-Beijing TV broadcaster based in Hong Kong, featured series of Chinese president Xi Jinping cartoons. The cartoons are about Xi meeting with ordinary people. Some stories in the cartoon are based on real events. Offbeat China has translated the...
Trinidad & Tobago: Lara's Poor On-Stage Innings
Wired 868 takes more jabs at cricket hero Brian Lara's public embarrassment at a fete in Trinidad than Michael Holding took wickets when the West Indies dominated the sport.
Egyptian Woman: “Shut Up Your Mouse Obama!”
Watch this video of an Egyptian woman asking US President Barak Obama to "shut up your mouse [mouth]," which is making the rounds.
A Map of China, By Stereotype
TeaLeafNation uses China's dominant search engine Baidu's search history to finish half-written questions about different provinces in China. A map of China, by stereotype: http://t.co/isRo4hkPTB pic.twitter.com/vhuADJsWGm — FP's Tea Leaf Nation (@TeaLeafNation) March 4, 2014 They plot the stereotypes onto an interesting map about China. For example, Beijing was associated with “smog”...
Russia's Fight on Oscar Night
Russia's Channel One canceled the live Oscars broadcast, and cut part of Jarod Leto's speech in the recording. Was it planned?
The Russians Have Weaponized Photoshop
With the Crimea crisis, Twitter feeds overflow and news changes too fast to accommodate longer-form blogging. The most successful way to grab attention might be an old medium: political cartoons.
[Video] Decoding Indian Headshakes in Less Than Two Minutes
Many people are confused about the meaning of Indian “headshakes” and how to communicate using them. That may explain why a satirical video deciphering different types of Indian headshakes has gone viral. The 1:44 minute-long video, titled “Indian headshakes, what do they mean?“, has attracted more than 1.2 million views...