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In a way, I'm surprised it took this long for this to go viral.

But, in their own sweet time, out-of-context clips from the audio version of President Obama's book Dreams from My Father have become an Internet phenomenon.

For those who haven't yet heard the (not safe for work) string of clips, which is character dialogue from the book:

And, of course, there are already several dance mixes:

What's most amusing to me about it: our president is, indeed, unleashing a torrent of curses in a hood dialect. But unlike the previous administration, it's not because he's forgotten his mic is hot or because he's lost his temper on the floor of the senate. Does that make it more or less funny?

If Joe Biden intentionally shoots a guy in the face comedy writers are going to go on strike.

I've written previously about the surreal nature of Converse's Chuck Taylor All-Stars, the shoes I grew up in, now being owned by Nike and manufactured overseas.

The shoes I wore as a kid were emblazoned with "Made in the U.S.A." -- but then, many things were back then.

Tonight, as I was taking a picture of "some of my favorite things" for an upcoming online project, I realized that NONE of them are made in America.

My Chucks were made in China. My iconic America Levi 501's in Mexico and my Blackberry in...well, it actually isn't branded as coming from anywhere. But parent company Research In Motion is from Canada.

If I'd thought about it for five minutes I guess I would have laid money on all of these products being manufactured elsewhere - but having them all in a pile as things I can't do without and realizing they're all imports...it's a little creepy.

What are your favorite things...and are any of them American?

UPDATE: After reading this entry a co-worker relates the following story:

"I was in Wal-Mart looking for a pair of cargo pants. I picked up two pairs and looked at the labels. One was made in Bangladesh, one in Vietnam. So I'm standing there literally thinking: which one of these countries has worse child labor standards? Which of these pairs of pants makes me a worse person?"

Don't forget: Fast Times at Ridgemont High will be playing on the big screen at the Carousel tonight at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. as part of the Mix-Tape Film Series.

Phoebe Cates' topless scene is itself worth the price of admission -- especially because I believe tickets are still $3, popcorn $1.25 and beer's $1.

Or, alternately -- marvel at a time when Sean Penn's had the ability to be intentionally funny!

Check out the essay on the film that will be included in tonight's program here.

I've missed too many of these. May have to make it out tonight.

In an upcoming interview with USA Weekend Stephen King talks good writers and bad writers -- and doesn't shy away from naming names.

On Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Twilight author Stephanie Meyer:

"Both Rowling and Meyer, they're speaking directly to young people. ... The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good."

King goes on to make a point about the Twilight books that, while I've only read enough excerpts to make me decide against the books, seems spot on:

"...it's very clear that she's writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It's exciting and it's thrilling and it's not particularly threatening because they're not overtly sexual. A lot of the physical side of it is conveyed in things like the vampire will touch her forearm or run a hand over skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that's a shorthand for all the feelings that they're not ready to deal with yet."

I'd feel less confident in agreeing with that statement if grown women I know hadn't read the books and told me they see it much the same way. One friend described the books as reading like "bad Internet fan fiction." But with poorly-fleshed out ORIGINAL characters.

King goes on to praise Jodi Picoult, say Dean Koontz can both write like hell and be awful and, maybe most satisfactorily to me, say that while James Patterson is very, very successful he's a terrible writer.

Patterson's stuff is so awful it makes me angry. It's so awful I finally sat down to begin writing a pop novel instead of just saying: "I could do better than this!"

I'm sort of agnostic on whether I think writers should savage each other in print. They shouldn't make a sport of it, certainly -- but when someone asks your opinion I don't see the harm in telling them what you honestly think.

King has himself written some terrific stuff and some terrible crap. Any writer who writes long enough is going to have to admit to that. But I think he's reached a stature as both a writer and a popular success as a writer that he can speak with some authority about talent, success and if and when one has anything to do with the other.

King's latest collection, Stephen King Goes to the Movies, includes works that have been adapted into popular films including The Shawshank Redemption, 1408, Children of the Corn and Hearts in Atlantis.

First, British actor Christian Bale (allegedly) punches his mum.

Now the Batman star is ranting at the crew and threatening people on the set of Terminator: Salvation.

The audio-tape of his rant is not work safe -- but it is worth listening to at home, if only for a laugh.

First 420, and now Fat Tire?

Looks like we're making headway in finding some good brews these days.

Anyone out there had the legendary Fat Tire?

That contraband from the south, the beer with a nod-nod-wink-wink name from Atlanta is here in the Triad: Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale.

I went to college in Boone, and in my last couple years there, Sweetwater made its landing in the High Country, Asheville and elsewhere in the mountains.

But it wasn't sold anywhere else in N.C. The reason, brewers told me at a few beer festivals, was that Sweetwater is unpasteurized and has to be shipped cold to stay fresh.

"But we're working on it," they'd say. That's been the line for at least three or four years. We worked around the problem by picking up a case during visits to WNC to bring back and enjoy with friends. If you like Sweetwater, you probably have a similar story. Some of you may even remember an entire movie based roughly on this premise, but with a truckload of Coors.

Anyway, the tap handles with a rainbow trout pull splashed down around here about two weeks ago. Longshanks, The Green Burro, College Hill, Mellow Mushroom and Grey's Tavern carry the kegs (and have gone through quite a lot, I hear). If others have it, I'd like to know so we can add them here.

I'm not going to try to hide that this is one of my favorite American beers. It's got more hop bite than a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but a thinner body and a little sweetness in the finish. For me it's right up there with the Red Hook ESB as a beer that you could take to a party and enjoy with a friend. But until the 6-packs appear in stores, you'll have to have it on draft. (Aw shoot! Gotta go have a draft beer!).

And while you're sipping your next brew, here's something to ponder from the NYTimes. Cheers!

If you've had your fill of the winter warmers out there, or are tired of the delicious and ubiquitous Sam Adams Winter Lager, here's another beer to help you cope till the spring and summer brews start to appear on shelves.

The (say it three times fast) Leinenkugel 1888 Bock.

Had a bottle the other night. The beer has a simple sweetness and a dab of hops that are balanced well with an easy finish - like many lagers. The taste doesn't linger on the palate, and it's not so heavy that you can only stand to have one. The body reminds one of a Shiner Bock from the bottle, but seems a little less carbonated.

And if you prefer your brew out of a glass, it pours with a pretty thick head and a nice copper-ish color.

Like other Leinies, it's fairly inexpensive as a suitable step beyond the cheap-cold-domestics of the world.

GREENSBORO — President-elect Barack Obama guest stars in the latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, in stores today.

In a back-up story in the issue, #583, Spider-Man saves the popular president-elect from a super-villain attack on inauguration day.

Copies of the issue are already hot items online, where eBay sellers are listing them at as much as $40 — about ten times the cover price.

There are two versions of the issue - one with a cover for the main story, and one with Obama on the cover. Only about 25 copies of the Obama cover version will be available to non-subscribers at local comic shops.

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More here.

Can't wait one more second for this abysmal 2008 to end?

Well, I am afraid you don't have any choice.

From our friends at the NYT:

On New Year's Eve, the international authorities charged with keeping precise time will add a single second to our lives. It will be the 24th "leap second" since 1972, and the first since 2005.

If that doesn't sound like a big deal, consider that in one second a cheetah can dash 34 yards, a telephone signal can travel 100,000 miles, a hummingbird can beat its wings 70 times, and eight million of your blood cells can die.

I plan to spend my New Year's thinking up things that humans can do in one second. Any ideas?