B52s + McLellan = Audio Book Genius???

I'm looking forward to catching this whole episode of the Daily Show, perhaps this evening via the wonders of a little device I like to call a Dee Vee... Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Until then, enjoy the following clip of Fred Schneider adding some "zazz" to Scott McLellan's new book:



SCOOTER LIBBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Math Day at The Best Way!

What will our next equation of wonderment bring you???

Pork & Beans + Chocolate Rain = Weezer!?!?!

I've been a fan of Weezer since their days of songs about sweaters overlapped with awkward high school times, and I recently learned that they are releasing their latest self titled album (the red album this time). This news brought a balance of excitement and concern, as I've enjoyed a fair number of tracks even through rough patches... and then there was Make Believe, which I'm sure sold zillions of copies of Beverly Hills via itunes, but overall was pretty weak.

Still, today I discovered that this still-favorite band of mine has teamed up with Tay Zonday, the internet sensation who brought you Chocolate Rain (if you don't know chocolate rain, check it out here, and some Chocolate Rain byproducts here with Darth Vader, here with John Mayer, here with some dude at a drive-through window and here with Dr. Pepper). Below is a clip of Weezer guitarist Brian Bell and Tay Zonday doing an acoustic version of the first single from the red album, "Pork & Beans." I think my favorite part is watching Brian try not to lose it laughing when Tay starts in doin his thing.



Warning... this is the second video posted on The Best Way in less than a week that may cause music to get stuck in your head... well, maybe not Pork and Beans quite so much as Chocolate Rain, damn that tune is catchy.

Music to My Ears!

Ok... so the last post was mean to your senses... hopefully this one does a little repair!

I just saw this on HuffPo, had to toss it up. Bill Clinton said today, at a stop in South Dakota that this may be the last day he's ever involved in a campaign of this kind. One of many hints today that the end is potentially actually finally really no-shit here for what the Daily Show long ago aptly named, "The Long Flat Seemingly Endless Bataan Death March to the Whitehouse."

I won't hold my breath, but it would be nice, wouldn't it?


More Music:

From the AP via Teagan Goddard:

"It does appear to be pretty clear that Senator Obama is going to be the nominee. After Tuesday's contests, she needs to acknowledge that he's going to be the nominee and quickly get behind him."

-- Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a national co-chairman of Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign

My Ears (and Eyes) are Bleeding

John likes to post videos here, and what better thing to post than the first YouTube clip in a couple of months that made me literally sit stupefied with my mouth open, incredulous that somebody thought this video was a good way of getting people to vote for your favorite candidate.

And what, might you ask, was the last thing that left me agape in cartoon-style shock? The last video that the same guy made.

Note: Please don't watch all of either of these videos as the combined insanity may make your head asplode.

Surprise Me, You Filthy Bastard

Nothing like a little Jeopardy action here on a Friday afternoon. I stumbled across this interesting and completely random interview with Alex Trebek, and couldn't help tossing it up here.

The title for this post is, of course, a reference to the genius SNL Celebrity Jeopardy skits. But while we're at it, why not some further hilarity from Jeopardy wunderkind Kenneth Wayne "Kenny-Boy" Jennings III who won a zillion dollars a few years back.



I love Trebek's response, "Woah! Is that what they teach you in school out in Utah?"

The More You Know!

Did you know there are around 100 uncontacted tribes of people on the Earth still today? To me this is comforting news, and contrary to the trends that I see swirling around me... perhaps this is a very American take on the world. Nonetheless, the BBC has some good coverage of photos taken in fly-overs of one such tribe near the border of Brazil and Peru.

Now, you might be asking yourself about how fair it is to call this group, "uncontacted" when we fly over their shelters taking pictures. In a number of the photos you can clearly see the tribsmen and women looking up at the airplane... and possibly shooting arrows at it (doesn't it look like they're aiming bows of some sort in a couple shots?). The photos were taken by a group that monitors this and other similar tribes to try and protect them from encroachment by the outside world. This group in particular is seen as threatened by illegal logging on nearby lands.



I find this whole story a fascinating one to mull over... the overlaps of modernity and antiquity... groups trying to preserve these tribes and their detachment from our modern world... doing so by flying airplanes over head. Hmm, anyway, I thought it was pretty interesting stuff.

h/t Huffington Post.

Starting to Feel Like Summer

Ice Bucket, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

I imagine most of my fellow nutmeggers here in CT would agree... May has been a strange weather month. Much like the bizarre warmth of November and December 2007, May has been full of cool breezes and showers up here in the CT. Still, things are looking up. Last night's 8pm softball game was greeted by mid-60's temperatures, perfect for a little running around in the outfield. Scratch that, I was running around like a crazy person in the outfield last night.

The weekend ahead includes a BBQ like last weekend and Philly and other warm-weather related activities, so here we go Summer... your time has come! Yeah.

Outfoxing Murdoch

So Rupert Murdoch is hip to what a phenomena Obama is, so much so that he recently predicted a landslide victory in November for the Illinois Senator. Huffington Post linked to a very enjoyable post over at 23/6 where they mock up some Fox Noise treatment for Rupert's remarks. Check it out here.

Here's my favorite of their mockups:



Cheers

Assassination Talk

I'm late to the game in writing anything about this, and hopefully it's a bizarre group of episodes that will be past and forgotten before long. Still, it seems impossible to ignore the numerous instances lately where the idea of assassination has been discussed in relationship to the Democratic primaries. It's unlikely anyone has missed Hillary's now repeated mentions of Robert Kennedy (the various instances where she has dropped this tidbit are chronicled well in the video of Keith Olbermann's Special comment available on Huffington Post), but I for one missed for a few days the fact that a Fox News commentator joked and chuckled about the idea of Obama being "knocked off" (she did later offer an apology). Yesterday when I uncovered this ugly piece of cable news, I'll admit I was so enraged... outraged... saddened that I couldn't even figure out what to say about it.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a young person and have a relatively brief experience in being politically informed and engaged. I was not alive during the bleak stretch of American history where numerous leaders who stood ready to speak out on behalf of the poor and the downtrodden (Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy) were cut down in cold blood, preventing them from living out a full life and continuing to advocate for deeper equality and justice. As someone who works in the arena of fighting poverty I take personally the ethical charge to help those less fortunate.

I truly believe that focusing on issues that help people build stronger futures for themselves, their families, their children (education, increasing access to affordable healthcare, help to our elderly) are the types of issues that are build a stronger nation. Here, in a year where a candidate of relatively unique ethnic background also speaks so clearly to these types of issues and to aspiration for a better future I think we should all speak out in outrage against those who would raise the prospect of assassination interfering as it has in the past. The notion is bleak at best, nauseating really, and while I agree that preparing to prevent such an outcome is wise, tossing the prospect around lightly is grotesque.

It is naive to ignore what has happened in the past when applicable to our current situation, but I would raise the challenge that the past gives us two possibilities:

1. We can treat the past as a script, believing that those who have tried and failed simply show how efforts for progress are inevitably doomed. Cynically we can accept that efforts for good are going to be derailed by corruption, violence, or other means and we can prepare ourselves by deciding in advance that there is no chance for progress.
2. Or... We can learn from what we have seen. We can take up the challenge of being a creative people who engage our own problems head-on with the innovation and energy needed to build something different. Without denying that bad things can happen and certainly will at times, knowing the world is not simple, and being unafraid of the fact that there will be bumps in the road. We can set out towards a bright future taking the unity and strength we've seen growing this spring all across America as a sign of what might be if we are daring enough to believe.

For whatever reason the Clinton camp has decided that the last best way they can argue for their continued existence in the race is to raise all the prospects of what might go wrong if they leave (or are not chosen... even though it becomes clearer every day that the nation's Democrats already chose quite clearly). All the assassination talk is, to me, the most bleak development in this slowly unraveling string of rhetoric, and it deserves all of our resounding rejection. Fear is not the way to our brighter future.

Hillz The Early Years

Today is the day for me to mimic Wonkette, apparently. Caught this enjoyable video over there... it includes a bizarro cameo by once big star Jerry O'Connell.



I really enjoy the voice-over they use when the text "Young Hillary Clinton" comes on screen.

McCain Secures Oatmeal Nation (Wilford Brimley Throws Down the Gauntlet)

Wow, we've been light on posts here for the past week. I was home in Philadelphia for Memorial Day, saw some fam and friends... wonderful. Before that came a busy week of work. Still, the world keeps turning, and here on my birthday, the world has offered up a sign that time keeps moving on. No, it's not the length of Wilford Brimley's mustache... impressive as always. It's this:

While the Democrats refuse to end their silly bickering, John McCain has secured the most important endorsement in all of politics: the Quaker Oats Guy Himself, Wilford F-ing Brimley. I don't know where the mainstream media is on this one, but as usual Wonkette keeps us up to speed on the latest breaking news 10,000 times better than CNN with all their "magical maps" and Wolf Blitzing.

I'd guess any day now Obama and Clinton will hold a joint press conference to reveal that in light of Brimley's endorsement the Democrats are packing it in and heading to Howard Dean's secret underground bunker to plan ahead for 2012.