Clip of the Week

Alright, it's Clip of the Week time, and I'm not going to do the Christmas theme (or the Mayan theme) even though I probably should.

The runner-up videos are fewer than in a typical week, but they make up in quality what they lack in quantity. If you're concerned about GMOs (or even if you're not, or even if you have no idea what GMOs are), then this video shared by Barry Ritholtz is an absolute must. It provides an excellent primer on the issue while also being fairly entertaining.

Also, the Year-in-Review type of stuff is now starting to come through in earnest, and we'll start it off with this excellent pop music mashup video first posted by the good old Red Cowboy. And speaking of Year-in-Review, this absolutely horrendous free throw has to be in the running for the worst sports play of the year. It just doesn't get much worse.

But this week I'm going back to my old reliable, with another excellent animal-related clip. If this laughing camel (hey, come to think of it, this sort of does go along with the Christmas theme, doesn't it?) doesn't make you smile and forget about the fiscal cliff and the Mayans and all the Christmas presents that you still haven't bought because you thought the world was gonna end today and you just really didn't think it was necessary to spend your money on gifts for your aunts and uncles and cousins and small children that you'd never have the opportunity to see them open—hypothetically speaking, of course—then I really don't think there's any hope for you. This guy is the best.


Thank you, Killagroove, for a terrific heads-up.

Happy Holidays (Bonus Clips of the Week)

Alright folks, it's weekend time, and I'll be spending the weekend putting up our Christmas decorations (and tree) and spreading good holiday cheer. In that spirit, here's a couple of Christmas-related Clips of the Week, for your viewing pleasure. And don't forget me when you do your shopping... I'd like a Vitamix blender, please. Thanks.

First up, DMX sings/raps "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". This was way better and more amusing than I expected it to be. Awesome.



Then, in another excellent Jimmy Fallon musical number, Jimmy, the Roots, and Mariah Carey take on "All I Want For Christmas Is You", using childrens' instruments, of course (h/t Red Cowboy).

Clip of the Week

Strangely enough, there wasn't much to work with this week. I think everyone (myself included) decided to start the Christmas holiday a little early, and closed the internet without telling anyone. So be it.

They're still playing sports, so there's always those highlights to show, but all that really intrigued me was this crazy extra point and this devastating missed penalty shot. There's also the amusing Tim Tebow/Patriots sketch from SNL, but honestly Tebow-mania is getting a little played out and I just don't feel like feeding into it any further.

But hey, it's Christmas week, which gives us a whole bunch of material to work with from the archives. So with that, I'm going to give you clips from each of my four favorite animated Christmas specials from my youth. Some of them lasted a little longer than others, but they're all classics in one way or another. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas (sorry, Hanukkah people, just... listen to this, I guess).

#4: A Garfield Christmas Special



#3: How The Grinch Stole Christmas



#2: A Charlie Brown Christmas



#1: A Claymation Christmas Celebration

Quote of the Week

Yeah, I've been a little M.I.A. this week, and I apologize for that. With the baby around and Christmas coming up, I've been a bit preoccupied. But I do have a Quote of the Week for you, and it's a real doozy.

As our friends over at Deadspin have pointed out, Christmas has a way of turning kids into complete and utter crazy people. Personally, I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to terrorize me around the holidays, wondering aloud why Santa was more generous to her friends than to her--should be fun times. Case in point:

This week's QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Dear Santa,
     This Christmas, I don't ask for much, so if I don't get at least two of these things I want, I will literally KILL you! Do you understand? Oh, also, I'll hunt down your reindeers, cook them & serve their meat to homeless people on Christmas Day. Nobody wants that... so here's what I want..."
                              -British 13-year-old Mekeeda Austin

Little miss Keedy then goes on to list a series of modest requests--a visit from Justin Bieber, a Blackberry, and "Money". The full text of the letter is here, if you can read it:

Of course, I'm a bit of a jackass, so if I got this letter I'd respond by punishing her poor grammar and her lack of specificity. By not capitalizing "Blackberry", she's indicated that she doesn't want a smartphone (why would a 13-year-old need or want a Blackberry anyway?), but a single piece of fruit. And she asked for "Money", without specifying what kind or how much. Therefore, congratulations Mekeeda! Your wish has been granted--this Christmas you're getting one single blackberry and 5,000 Confederate dollars. I trust that this satisfies your requests, as you've made them, and that Santa and his reindeer (I'm sorry, "reindeers"--there you go with that poor grammar again) can therefore sleep comfortably tonight.

Obviously, this letter is a bit of a far cry from the heartbreaking Dear Santa letters that I highlighted last year, and it really makes me shake my head. Without overanalyzing the actions of a 13-year-old too much, it's pretty sad to see just how entitled some people (both young and old alike) feel these days.

As the little girl said in a follow-up interview, "I don't really believe in Santa anymore, but I was angry because I thought I was going to get all the presents I wanted this year. I want all of these things and I don't see why I shouldn't get them." Perfect. Great attitude. Hey Mekeeda, maybe you should direct your next letter to the Fed--Mr. Bernanke seems to respond well to people who think they deserve the world.

[NY Daily News]

Dear Santa letters

I came across this article last week, and I haven't written about it yet because it's not too fun to think about. But in the holiday season, I think it's always relevant to realize that the holidays can mean vastly different things to different people, depending on their circumstances. So without further ado...

With just nine days to go until Santa shimmies down those chimneys, letters to the big, jolly guy are coming in fast and furious.

But this year, mixed in with the letters asking for toys and video games are an increasing number of requests for warm coats, food and help paying the electric bill to keep the heat on.

"The common theme this year seems to be a single mom with young kids, the parent has left -- they don't know who the father is, or the father left -- and they can't pay the bills," said Pete Fontana, head of the United States Postal Service Operation Santa in New York.

It's Fontana's post office in midtown Manhattan -- right across the street from Penn Station -- where most of the letters to Santa arrive each year from around the world. He's expecting about 2 million letters this year.

Post offices in two dozen other locations across the country also accept letters. Most are addressed simply to "Santa Claus, North Pole."

Though many considered last year to be the toughest financially since the economic downturn began, Fontana said, it appears that more people are struggling this year, judging both from the letters and the decreased number of volunteers who sign up to fulfill some of the writers' wishes.

"We had one little girl write in and say all she wants is a winter coat for her mom. Nothing for herself," he said. "We had another letter for grandparents and they wanted to put a turkey with the trimmings for the holiday dinner ... but they couldn't even get their medicine." 

The USPS reads the letters as part of "Operation Santa", which you can read more about (or participate in) here.

As our unemployment remains stubbornly high, it's only natural that people should be feeling more pain this year than last year. The number of long-term unemployed in our country is distressingly high, and the longer a person remains unemployed the harder it becomes to pay the bills. This is especially true with unemployment benefits expiring for the so-called "99ers", for whom Christmas is undoubtedly a glaring reminder of what they don't have.

I'm not exactly a bleeding-heart liberal, and I don't typically support most outright welfare programs (especially not when our budgetary situation is as dire as it is now), but that doesn't make stories like these any less poignant. Christmas might not officially be the holiday where we give thanks, but it's definitely a time to be grateful for what we do have, whatever that may be.

[ABC News]
(h/t Mish Shedlock)