From the Annals of YouTube...

Fosco has been out-of-touch for so long with you, his beloved reader(s). Consequently, he is unsure if you will find this YouTube clip to be funny or just inexplicable. Sure, there is too much background sound. And sure, it goes on about a minute too long. And yes, not everyone finds pugs as compelling as does Fosco.

But still, Fosco believes there is just something funny about the confusion of OJ's unwanted houseguest Kato Kaelin with America's unwanted houseguest Sarah Palin.

McCain's Secret Black Family?

No, not that secret black family.

But this one.

Follow the above link to the (boo! hiss!) Wall Street Journal to read a fascinating history of the descendants of the slaves owned by John McCain's great-great-grandfather, a family lineage that also shares the name "McCain."

Whether or not the Black McCains are related to Walnuts is an open question:

The black McCains of today were raised to believe that they were blood relatives of the white McCains, dating back to slavery times. White McCains say they're unaware of any biological connection between the families. A spokesman for Sen. McCain declined to comment.

Seriously, though, this is not a shot at John McCain (although I reserve that right for the future). It's just a really interesting story about the ways in which African American history in this country is entwined with official "white" history. This is Skip Gates territory, my friends.

Up, Down, Up, Down, Chu Chu Chu.

Fosco loves it when The New Yorker buries something cool in its "Goings On About Town" calendar. From the October 13, 2008 issue:

Oliver Sieber's photograph "Ulala, Bad Neuheim, 2007"

For those of you who don't recognize the costume, that's "Ulala"--the protagonist of fun fun fun Sega Dreamcast game Space Channel 5.

If you've never seen Space Channel 5, do yourself a favor and watch the first sequence:



It was because of Ulala that Fosco spent two years in journalism school.

What's long, yellow, and sexy?

It's been slightly over two years since Count Fosco arrived here at Redwood U. Last week, he finally had his first encounter with the charismatic and reclusive university mascot. Here's a photo to prove it:


Note how the banana slug can simultaneously appear both wise and ferocious. Suck it, Sparty.

New Developments: Kitty Bunker

From the "New Developments in the Life of Fosco" File:

Fosco and his boyfriend Oz are parents of a frequently skittish and occasionally peevish (is there any other kind?) kitty named Isis. Isis fears two things above all others: the vacuum and (sigh) plastic bags. Strangely, the crinkly sound of a plastic bag is enough to send Isis cowering under the endtable or burrowing to the back of the closet.

Fosco's boyfriend Oz has been around cats all of his life and he finds Isis's fears to be neither strange nor worrisome.

Fosco, on the other hand,

• has never owned a pet and so feels a strong anxiety about the psychological well-being of Isis.
  
• is an insomniac who lies in bed for hours, trying to "think like kitty."
  
• is a typical graduate student who invents excuses not to do work.
  
• is allowed to use pointy scissors.

Ergo, Isis now has a snazzy new cardboard bunker in which to hide from plastic bags.

Isis sez: "You can't find me now, Evil Target Bag!"