From Urban Dictionary

Congressional Review

January 21, 2012 Urban Word of the Day

To loosely read or breeze through a document, likely missing a fair amount of the information contained within.

How tough will the upgrade be?

I’m not too sure, I only gave the guide a Congressional Review.

See also:
Nancy Pelosi on Health Care: “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.”

HT Zach Weiner

“A Comedian Gives Us a Halloween Tax Video,” by Dan Mitchell, International Liberty, October 31, 2010

Taxes by Tim Slagle

Back at the G20 meetings in July in Toronto, there were numerous stories of police overreacting and arresting protesters with little reason whatsoever. Perhaps the most noteworthy story that got attention was the story of “Officer Bubbles,” the name given to a police officer, named Adam Josephs, who threatened to arrest a woman for assault if the bubbles she was blowing landed on him.
. . .
In the meantime, by filing this lawsuit, about the only thing that Office Bubbles has done is call a lot more attention to his initial actions and reinforce the idea that he seems to totally overreact to rather benign situations. But, I guess, if you’re going to arrest a girl for blowing bubbles in your direction, suing YouTube (for being a 3rd party platform) and suing people for mocking comments that no one actually believes probably seems to be equally intelligent.

Officer Bubbles Sues To Find Out Identity Of Anonymous YouTubers, by Mike Masnick, techdrit, October 18, 2010

“Officer Bubbles” Google search

“Officer Bubbles seeks damages from comments on how he acted,” by Chris McCormick, The Daily Gleaner, October 21, 2010

Also see “10 Rules for Dealing with Police”.

Uh oh…

Uncle Feds is the big fat fellow who crashes on your couch. He’s been there for years and years. He demands roasts and chops, devouring whatever he can find in your refrigerator. And when you’re out working long hours, Uncle Feds sits on the couch ordering pay-per-view movies.

photo credit: busbeytheelder

He was plenty big before all that hope and change. But in the last two years, Uncle Feds has become so incredibly large that his bulk defies description.

And while he eats, you begin to realize that you don’t have enough cash to fix that hole in your shoe, let alone think about college tuition for the kids.

So one night at dinner, Uncle Feds brings up the subject of your family’s financial problems. In a rational, calm and hopeful voice, he tells you that yes, the economy is lousy, but that you must stop worrying.

“Don’t be angry,” says Uncle Feds with a mouthful of rare beef. “Don’t focus on your anger. Don’t worry about a darned thing. I’ve just solved all your cash shortage problems.”

Your wife gives you one of those startled looks.

“Uncle Feds!” she says, “Just what have you done?”

“Well, I’ve just taken out a second mortgage on your house,” says Uncle Feds. “Your cash-flow worries are over.”

“Saga of Uncle Feds explains voter anger,” by John Kass, Chicago Tribune, October 15, 2010

Smell like a monster:

Smell like me:

TWiT Specials: The making of Old Spice’s commercial: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

I didn’t say your name, but there were treasures inside…

You’ve got a 6-pack, I’ve got a keg. … Ladies don’t like sleeping on bricks, they like duvets and high thread counts:

Cat yodeling works better:

“The Sausage Your Sausage Could Taste Like”

AutoTune Remix

Also see How to Survive a Layoff.

From a cultural perspective, though, this whole story again shows how culture is changing in very interesting and powerful ways. When we talk about things like “remixing” and “mashups,” we tend to hear from a chorus of folks who brush off such things as mere copying and not worthy of being considered art in itself. But there’s a lot more to it than that. What makes culture culture is the shared experiences around that work. This song is not only musically interesting, but also calls attention to a horrible incident that happened as well. And, again, some will brush it off as being meaningless, but the power with which it has interested so many people is not something that should be ignored.

Autotune The News Becomes A Billboard Hit, by Mike Masnick, Techdirt, August 20, 2010

In a report on Mr. Dodson’s sudden Internet fame, the Huntsville television station that first put him before the public reported that some African-American viewers had called to complain that “interviews with people like Antoine reflects poorly on the community.” Jonathan Capehart of The Washington Post wrote that he understood that reaction, since “Dodson’s cringe-inducing performance was something I — and whole bunch of other folks — thought only existed in the comedic minds of Eddie Murphy and Tyler Perry.” But, Mr. Capehart argued, after reflection it seemed unfair to criticize Mr. Dodson for his spontaneous outburst or flamboyant manner:

[W]e must put aside our judgments and remember that we don’t know Dodson, his family or their story. Like millions of families across this country, the Dodsons appear to be proud people who are making their way the best they can. They crave security and comfort. And no matter where you live, when that sense of safety is shattered, you lash out. Fo’ real.

‘Bed Intruder’ Rant Earns Family a New Home, by Robert Mackey, The Lede, August 19, 2010

Someone sent me a Tweet asking a good question: Have Huntsville, Ala., authorities found “the idiot in the projects” who climbed through a window and into bed with Antoine Dodson’s sister and tried to rape her? I didn’t know the answer, so I did some hunting around. Turns out, no, the perp who inspired the bed intruder song is still at large.

But 24-year-old Dodson, who has had more costume changes than Diana Ross at Super Bowl XXX has proven to be very wise. He hired a lawyer. And now he’s made a deal with iTunes and his Web site is promoting Antoine Dodson merch, with his “trademarked catch phrases,” such as “hide yo kids, hide yo wife.” He also hasn’t been shy about asking for donations. As a result, Dodson announced in an interview, “It was enough [money] to move my family from the projects.” I love good stories like this.

The smarts and strength of Antoine Dodson, by Jonathan Capehart, The Washington, Post, August 19, 2010

Even if you don’t spend a lot of time online, you’ve probably heard “Bed Intruder,” the similar “Double Rainbow” song, or the “Auto-Tune the News” series at some point over the past year. As you may know, the Gregory Brothers created all of them with the help of a large cast of “unintentional singers” including crime victim Antoine Dodson, featured above.

But you may not know that one of the Gregory Brothers is a woman — and you almost certainly didn’t know that the four-person crew is working on a pilot for Comedy Central, as they told Wired.com in an exclusive interview.

It’s no exaggeration to claim The Gregory Brothers have invented a completely new art form that is perfectly suited to our meme-crazed times, and — most difficult to replicate — is incredibly well made. Their skills are obvious and their ears perceptive, as evidenced by the way in which they mimic pop music tropes to perfection. And they’re popping up everywhere these days; they even made the soundtrack for the parody Twitter movie trailer.

Gregory Brothers of ‘Bed Intruder’ Fame Discuss TV Pilot, Antoine Dodson, by Eliot Van Buskirk, Epicenter, Wired blog, August 13, 2010

Our favorite Auto-Tune the News video is still #2 with “very thin ice”.

More

• Auto-Tune the News channel on YouTube
• The Gregory Brothers – Wikipedia
• The Gregory Brothers – official website
• Sarah and the Stanleys, myspace (Sarah Fullen Gregory)
• Auto-Tune the News, by Claire Suddath, Time, April 27, 2009
• The Gregory Brothers Interview: Auto-Tune the News and Other Blatant Acts of Awesomeness, by Susie Ochs, Mac|Life, February 23, 2010
• Episode 80: Interview – Auto-Tune the Podcast with The Gregory Brothers, by Jim Hopkinson, Hopkinson Report, November 12, 2009
• Auto-Tune Boosts Another Music Career: Meet The Gregory Brothers, by Janice Brown, SonicScoop, September 15, 2009

That’s the name of a feature by Justin Evans in the new periodical The Point (issue two, Winter 2010). It’s a bit like Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary and I found it to be the funniest article I have read this year. (It doesn’t seem to be on-line.) Here is one set of consecutive entries:

Economics: actually explains everything

Economy, the: completely incomprehensible

I also liked this one:

Debt: i) public — is inexcusable;

private — drives the economy.

ii) public — drives the economy;

private — is a failure of social safety nets.

Dictionary of Received Ideas, Marginal Revolution, July 9, 2010

Here is a new “You have two cows….”

INDIANISM: You have two cows, that you revere. But they end up in Bangladesh as steaks. So you outlaw cattle exports, announce a cow-licensing system and issue cows with photo IDs. Unfortunately, many conclude that India can not stop this illegal moogration because “beef is very delicious.”

For more Two Cows, see YouHave2Cows.com