For those interested in video-related postings – you can follow me on Twitter, or check out my video favorites on Frequency.

Saving that, I give you Meppers the last video – as I toss this blog off the proverbial cliff. Enjoy, be well, and keep mepping.

Perfect Girl Exposed! (No, It’s Not What You Think), Shrooms Exposed! (No, That’s Not What You Think Either), Russ Wins at 12th Dimensional Chess, Jackie Hates Perfect Girl, How Long Does It Take to Write the Perfect Text, Always Carry the One When Calculating the Rapture, When Atheists Attack, and Storey Exposed! (No, It’s…Well, Maybe It Is What You Think).

Download Mep Report #127

Came across a Reddit user today by the name of AParanoidEmu. Today he was calling the internet Hive Mind’s attention to the Great Emu War, an Australian military campaign designed to eradicate 20,000 brave Emus who refused to leave their homeland.

If you should happen to participate in the Reddit community, I urge you to make contact. He tirelessly champions the cause of emus on Reddit, and we here at TMR salute him. Mep, to you, sir.

Last night I frequented a local theater production of Slaughterhouse Five featuring the surprisingly versatile Lily Vonnegut.

I’m don’t fancy myself as much of a theater reviewer, but the performance deeply affected me, as I relived some of the more poignant moments of such a formative work. Suffice to say that both A.J. Diamond and Don Sclossman effortlessly captured the perplexed, unstuck in time, Billy Pilgrim. Schlossman, who is a dead ringer for the love child of Darrell Hammond and Glenn Beck, is clearly destined to take the roll of Beck in a future Christopher Guest mockumentary.

This was not an easy piece to take to stage, given the non-linear plot line, forcing the players to quickly shift between a 60s barbershop quartet and German soldiers torturing a group of POWs. Every actor had two to three parts to play at minimum. It was especially pleasing to watch Gretchen Koerner prattle on about an engagement gift as Valencia, and subsequently return to the stage as a barking, German staff sergeant. Even the Tralfamadorians (Vonnegut’s plunger-shaped aliens) were given a surprising amount of depth.

It had been several years since I had read though the book, and in the reproduction, I was struck at how keen and incredibly relevant is Vonnegut’s critique of American hegemony.

“America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves…. It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters.”

For all the now en vogue criticisms of banking cartels and financial terrorists, Vonnegut had our society’s fate absolutely pegged 40 years ago. He recognized that despite the shifts in party politics, and despite pop-culture and counter-culture movements, America has been on an unwavering march towards an Oligarchic State. The seeds were planted during the Industrial Revolution, and we have not veered from that path since.

I was especially pleased to see those critical philosophical excerpts featured in the theater piece. It seemed, at times, that the chic Los Angeles audience attending had absolutely no idea what to do with Vonnegut’s prescient progressive soliloquies. All the more reason that they were necessary to include. This culture needs a heaping dose of Vonnegut horse-sense, more than ever.

On a personal note, it meant a great deal to have met Lily, who found the Meppers via our Vonnegut video. I only wish that Storey could have been there, as well. The evening was a welcome reminder that your work can affect people that you least expect, if you’re willing to give of your inner self.

This Close or This Far from Peter Lee on Vimeo.

I’m not going to say that boxing films are at the top of my list in general, but I think this one has something to say.

For those of you keen to download The Ultimate Promo (as heard in Mep 122), you can do so here.

Download The Ultimate Promo

And now, a mostly unrelated hip hop video entitled “First World Problems,” which should make all of you feel terrible about yourselves — or at least about your griping.

Perhaps in reaction to yesterday’s post, wherein the emu discovered that the police were not on his side, a South Carolina emu hoofed it away from law enforcement today.

“Police Lt. Joe Johnson said he wasn’t sure how he would phrase his report, saying the animal didn’t appear to break any laws, except perhaps running from police.”

Thanks to Mep friend Beth Mandel for the heads-up.

Hey Everybody! Come join our bracket pick-em…

Click here to join the Meppers in the fun…

Then join League ID 71211 with password lettheemusoar.

Perhaps more amazing than the Montana Grizzlies’ stunning comeback against Weber State to clinch a spot in the Big Dance is the story of their leading scorer who brought them there.

Throw in the fact that my hometown team, UNM, is in line for a 2- or 3-seed in the field of 65 and we have all the makings for one great March. Bring the madness!

Stay tuned for a Yahoo! pool wherein we invite all Mep fans, a la the Fantasy Baseball league…

I’ve always been a fan of anagrams and palindromes. So has University of Portland Prof Aziz Inan (pictured above).

Inan cites 01/02/2010 as the second of twelve palindromic dates this century, the first of which was 10/02/2001.

This is nearly as exciting as the moment I discovered ‘Gooberman’ was an anagram of ‘Boomerang.’ In the words of my delighted relatives, “It added an Australian flavor,” to an otherwise ridiculous name.

Some super die-hard Mep fans may remember the podcast episode where we revealed that The Mep Report was an anagram of ‘Prophet Meter‘

As it happens (according to this anagram generator) it also can be re-arranged to form:

Thee Prompter – (Greg’s role?)
Preempt Other – (Mep argument tactic)
There Perm Top – (Fancy-haired emu?)
Tether Me Prop – (Houdini’s request)
Temper The Pro – (Tiger Woods agent’s strategy)
Peep Her, Mr. Tot – (advice to voyeuristic child)
Peter? He Mr. Pot – (description of Pete)
Pert Mop There – (nice hair)
The Moppet, Err… – (Senavene did what?)
Rope, Tempt Her – (a fishing mantra, perhaps?)
Preterm Pet Ho – (premature delivery of your baby hooker)

Here’s a recent episode of We’ll Fix it in Post, that I participated in. Later today, I will post the most recent TMR episode — number 115! Really, it will be done. I swear. And that delinquent episode is the only one left between you and the first TMR recorded on video! Heavens to mergatroid!

During my time there, the small crew of three to five BBers created over 150 episodes. Over that time, BBtv was featured in CNN, the Guardian, Yahoo!, Digg, and won several Webby awards.

Here is our official promo spot, lost into the aether until today’s posting…

Download Mep Report Promo

And here is our last posted podcast episode, number eleventy-one:

Download Mep Report #111

We now have literally hundreds of hours of free entertainment for your media consuming pleasure. Feel free to listen to a podcast episode (a one hour radio show which could be categorized as a “talk show” or “improvised comedy show”), watch one of our videos (originally created for promotion of the podcast), check out some Mep Art (cover art that accompanies each released episode), or read articles written by various Meppers. The choice is yours.

Since this format is brand new to us, we would love any feedback or criticism that you may have for us. Feel free to e-mail at any time to ask questions or make suggestions for improvements. You can find our contact info in the left hand bar.

Thanks for visiting,

The Emu

Download Mep Report #82

Download Mep Report #74

Here’s me at the 2006 New Media Expo in Ontario, CA talking about what TMR is all about on Podcast 411.

Download Mep Report #52

Download Mep Report #50

Download Mep Report #40

Download Mep Report #27

Download Mep Report #26