Viral videos are the new tools for marketing.  It’s been used (and abused) this time ‘round for the elections!

Anyone who knows their social media knows that viral videos are a crucial way for achieving traffic that reaches critical mass — always cooking what they hope would be forwarded to the most of their friends, and so on.

Since you couldn’t turn on your television without seeing the elections, the makers of these viral videos ask, why not your internets?  Here’s 5 of the best viral videos that have been used in the elections for delivering Obama’s message … or a laugh, whichever comes first.

The Great Schlep
Who doesn’t find Sarah Silverman funny?  The queasy ones, of course!  In this viral video, she focuses on getting Jewish youth to get their grandparents to vote for change, while delivering cold hard truths that are the equivalent of a gut punch to “that” other guy’s campaign choices.

Obama Girl – I Got A Crush on Obama
Because everyone knows, girls in boy shorts declaring their love for a dude is every dude’s fantasy.  Why do we sexualize politicians?  To bring them down to our level, of course.  How many of us hasn’t fallen for a celebrity?  What’s so wrong with making a video ‘bout it, and then selling merch?  (the boy shorts)  Plus, I do have to say that it’s pretty catchy!

Barack-rollin’
Ugh.  Who isn’t tired of rickrolls?  It made Rick Astley famous again, hasn’t it?  Why shouldn’t it work on Obama?  This one has a neat twist though, it has various clips FROM Obama himself — making him sing the words to the song!  The guy that made this sure did take a lot of time compiling the clips and stitching them together into song.

Wassup 2008
If there was an origin story for viral videos, I’d say the original Wassup commercial’s up there.  It was catchy, different-yet-relatable, remixed and garnered a massive amount of attention.  This year, the original cast has been brought together to show just where they are in the present — still friends and yet affected by the realities that the nation is facing.  It ends with the guy in Iraq asking, “wassup, B?”  To which ‘B’ replies, “Change.  That’s what’s up.”

The Vet Who Didn’t Vet
Okay, so this isn’t much about Obama, but it shows, in Seuss-ian style how things could be bad-wrong.  We could, of course, get lead by W. Bush, with lipstick on.  There’s no limit for the creativity of these supporters, and if you get support from enthusiastic people like the makers of these videos, then you’re probably doing something right.

Okay, so that’s my list of top viral videos about Obama — will he win?  Will there be change?  Will all his campaign promises be true?  We’ll have to decide over the weekend for who our candidates will be.  Regardless of your candidate choice, it’s still an important civic duty to vote.  Make it count.

Know any other viral videos for Obama, or McCain … or Palin?  Share them and your thoughts over @ The Jabber.

Anyone can be caught in the wrong moment by just about anyone.  It’s funniest when the whole country is watching.

In recent weeks politicians have been caught trying to impersonate zombies, being moose in headlights and just being plain weird.  So what I have here are a couple of un-photoshopped images of politicians in their brightest moments.  Not that they’re being bright about it, but the people watching can come up with any explanation in their boundless imaginations as to what the heck they were thinking at the exact moment the photos were taken.

French president Sarkozy readies his fists. - Can’t have one of these without Bush.  I mean, honestly, for the last 8 years, he’s been made fun of, impersonated and whatnot, but hey, this isn’t PURELY about him — even the French get it!  In this image Sarkozy looks to be readying his fists … to probably box President Bush.  Now wouldn’t that be a riot if he did go through with it?!

Palin winks! – During the debates, Palin was clearly winking at the camera, like she was sharing an inside joke with one of the viewers — was it something like, “hey, I memorized what you told me to say, John, people are *wink* buying this, right?”  Did she find out that several male Republicans find her attractive and was using it to convince them that she was making sense?  Well, check out this video below if you’re not convinced it was just one expression.

McCain, “puh-leeeeeasssse!” – If there’s anything about McCain, he’s constantly entertaining.  He makes weird faces, and they’re just funny.  I mean, if you were Maverick, you’d know pretty much anything and everything — you’ve got experience, after all.  In this image, McCain sorta demonstrates that he looks like he knows something that you don’t, by retorting to a, “that one?  Puh-lease!  I knew about it before you even thought about it!”

Obama fan stare. – Now here’s a weird one.  An Obama supporter gives her candidate a weird look — and by weird, I mean weird-weird, not the sorta-good-weird look.  Was she thinking, “if I stare at you long enough, will you be president?”  Will Obama supporters share this look by next week?  I hope not, that’d make for a really awkward wait by the voting booth.

McCain, McCain, McCain. – Some have dubbed him a “zombie” for this one, or, the less eloquent, but hits the mark: “MCCAIN HAET OBAMA BUTT.”  This is still my favorite image from this or any election campaign, really.  Patriotic viewers of the third debates have stood by their computers, churning photoshopped versions of this image less than an hour after the debates were over.  Which just goes to show — people can spot zombies when they see one.

Well, there you have it — those’re my takes on several images from this elections.  Can you come up with captions for these?  In my opinion, the best images to make captions of are the ones that did happen in real life — makes you think: “what were they thinking?!”

Are there any newer booboos caught on cam?  Share them over @ The Jabber.

Ever had a headache?  Weight problem?  Anything of the sort?  There’re alternatives to taking unnatural medicines — so here’s a couple of my favorite home remedies.

H2O – That’s water to you non-periodic-table-believing folks.  You’ve all heard that drinking tons of it will do the body good.  It’s true.  For one, the body needs to flush out toxins and whatnot during the day.  It helps keep the urine pale, and believe me, the body removes about 10-12 cups of water through the skin — food provides 2 to 4 cups of water already, you just need to supplement it with 8 more glasses.  For two, it’s cheaper, (sometimes free!)  and has NO calories.  How great is that?!

Air – We need it to survive.  Contrary to non-scientific belief, every cell in the body needs oxygen.  It just starts with the lungs and extends to all parts of the body via the blood.  Improper breathing takes away several things — memory, creativity, concentration.  Surprisingly, even though everyone breathes, not everyone knows how to breath properly.  When you breathe in, your abdominal muscles should be protruding and when exhaling, should be flattened out.  Breathe through the nose so that the air passes through the nasal membranes, which help filter out the air that we take in.  Remember to let out a little ‘sigh’ every time we get — it’s the body’s signal that signifies that everything’s all right.

Breakfast – Technology is fast-paced, not humans — so why do we try to keep up with technology?  Skipping breakfast is the biggest mistake one can make in a day.  It keeps you sluggish ‘til the next meal, plus, you’ll tend to eat more during the lunch time break.

Here are a couple more specific health notes:

• Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can alleviate headache pains immediately without the side effect of pain killers.  (Muscle relaxants, anyone?)  This is sure gonna come in handy by 11/4 — and who isn’t suffering a headache from the political campaigns yet, huh?

• Honey is a neat remedy for skin blemishes — put a dab of honey over a blemish and cover it with a band-aid.  Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing.

• Weight loss: Daily in the morning, on an empty stomach and before sleeping, drink 1 tsp of honey and ¼ tsp cinnamon powder boiled in one cup water.  Drinking this mixture can reduce weight because it does not allow fat to accumulate in the body even though you’re on a high calorie diet.

That’s it for now.  Watch out for my next installment!

According to Split.Id, “We poke fun and sexualize our leaders (and potential leaders) to hold them on the level at which they actually are -sexual beings, human beings.”

With the elections growing nearer, some clever people decided to “humanize” the candidates and cash in.  No one can resist a good risqué joke — unless it’s too much of course.  Here’s a little comparison between a good sexy joke (the kind that hints at it) and a bad one.  (the one that goes too far.)

Good one!
Palin Panties — Okay, so we’ve had unattractive political leaders before — now it’s prime time to make money off of their image, since one’s a beauty queen.  It should be easy, right?  Aside from the action figure, we get — Palin Panties.  The line is even called, Palin in your Pants.  Which is funny because it’s ironic; it could work like a chastity belt for that cute Democrat boy.  Who knows?

Too far!
Palin Panties — Well, there’s these two designs that go too far.  The first one’s her now-widely-known portrait … but wait, what’re those words underneath?  VPILF?  Double whammy!  Creepy and sexist!  The next one’s a silhouette from that infamous photoshopped picture of her in a bikini, while sporting a gun.

Good one!
Obama boxer-briefs — Designer Andrew Christian decided that he would show his support for the Democratic party by crating the putting the image of Obama on a pair of designer boxer-briefs.  Not only does it offer dudes ample support to fake a more shapely butt, $1 from every purchase is donated for the benefit of the Democratic party.  Which is a weird way of showing support, but the thought is there.

Too far!
Obama booty shorts — From the site, “Get the shorts made famous by Obama Girl. These screen printed microfiber boy shorts will make everyone know that you have a crush on a certain presidential candidate.”  If you’ve seen the “I have a crush on Obama” video — you’d certainly know that these were involved in a scene with girls dancing in front of a mirror, clinging on their butts oh-so-tightly.  Movies have proven of course that obsession is unhealthy.  And a little creepy — which leads to the next one:

Good one!
Obama Head O State “plaything” — It’s a dildo.  The site even alludes to the fact, but the images are pretty clear — this is another creepy, obsessive thing.  Obviously designed as a novelty item — I mean, are they really expecting Obama girls to use this?  The box looks like one of those fake boxes, the ones where it shows something else instead of the gift inside?  But wait, there’s a clear area and you can see Obama’s likeness sculpted as the head of this gold-colored “plaything.”  While it does go a little too far, it still falls short of …

TOO FAR!
Nailin Paylin — Hustler’s now-in-post-production Palin-inspired porno.  To quote: “The faux Sarah is Lisa Ann, who “will be nailing the Russians who come knocking on her back-door.” In another scene — a flashback — “young Paylin’s creationist college professor will explain a ‘big bang’ theory even she can’t deny!””  There was news about a certain Craigslist post, looking for Palin-lookalikes to shoot for an adult video.  Well, I think this is it.  She’s a grandmother, for chrissakes!  With the high profile of the VP candidate, there’s this probably low-production porno that analogs her.  Too far.

Think things have gone too far on the merchandising front?  Or are the politicians themselves going too far with all the hatin’?  Let your voice be heard on The Jabber!  (*click!*)

We live in … interesting times. No need to point out how strange and interesting times have changed — we were all there. Now if we can make it just another year.

It seems like the future that any previous decade has foreseen it is different from the present we are living in now. There’s still no video-phone watches, still no flying cars — but we’re getting there. This is just my little survival guide for the last three months of 2008.

1. Drive less. Know that “rising oil prices” that we kept on hearing years back? Well surprise! It’s here — and boy, are we all feeling its effects. But I do believe that humans are more resilient than that. We come up with ways to make do with what the ‘valuable commodity’ police hands us. When we drive less, not only will it be good for the environment, it also means less money for gas and more money for food. If you need a car to get to work/school? Carpool.

2. Vote wisely. Did anyone see the debates last night? Well, that’s 1.5 hours of my life that I’ll never get back. There are so many promises for a better future, and no clear answers to get to it, other than getting our votes right. Regardless of who you stand for, if you think that the decision you’ll be making by November 4 is good for you, the people around you, and doesn’t harm anyone in your proximity, then by all means, do it! The future’s up to all of us. This election’s been touted as “the most important of the century.” Why shouldn’t it be? You’ll be participating in it.

3. Forget dieting, eat right! It’s not a matter of being the right weight or not, so long as you’re being healthy. Think about it: cavemen probably didn’t have diet programs, and they managed to evolve enough to get us here, in the present. Forget about counting calories, eat what you think is right for you, throw a little of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit and enjoy. Throw a little junkfood in there as well. When combined with number one, less driving, it’ll even out.

4. Read a book a month. So that’s three more books ‘til the end of the year. Compare what you’ll be getting after two hours of solid reading from what you’ll get after watching TV. It might teach you a skill that you’ll be using in a future job. You may learn something that they didn’t teach in college. Or, if you’re into fiction, it’ll stretch your imagination a lot more than visual media can.

5. Stick with family. It all starts at home. Haven’t you heard of Feist’s song, “It’s Cool to Love Your Family”? They may be embarrassing at times, but hey, you are too, sometimes. Put up pictures of ‘em in your workplace, or room — that’s bound to remind you who’s really important in this life. If, worse comes to worse, the oil prices skyrocket (even more) and food becomes expensive — at least you’ll have family. (To eat when you evolve into a cannibal.)